The morning light pierced through the bloody mist permeating the campus. The asphalt road in front of the supermarket was littered with the corpses of bandits and headshot zombies. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and the rancid stench of rotting raw meat, a scent that had become the norm in the apocalypse.
Lin Xuan stood to the side, watching the values ticking on the system panel. Chu Wenhai's precise elimination of the surrounding wandering zombies had finally pushed the system's Biomass past the 1.0 mark.
[Biomass detected at 1.0. Basic unit summoning authorization unlocked.]
[1.0 Biomass consumed. Deploying: Marine Corps (Rifleman).]
Following the system's cold prompt, a fully armed figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the corner of the supermarket. He wore the iconic digital desert camouflage and a desert helmet. His bulletproof vest was filled with magazines and tactical attachments, and he held a rifle equipped with a scope firmly in his hands.
The system defined his name as Miller, an experienced Marine Corps Sergeant.
The moment Miller stepped out of the shadows, the first thing he saw was not Lin Xuan, but Chu Wenhai, who stood not far away, coldly changing the magazine of his assault rifle. Chu Wenhai's jet-black special operations suit, complete with a gas mask and the "Black Watch" insignia, exuded a suffocating sense of pressure in the dim light.
Miller's pace faltered visibly, and a complex look flashed in his eyes—an instinctive repulsion and annoyance toward these "Men in Black" who enjoyed unlimited firing rights, moved with secrecy, and used cruel methods. However, under the system's underlying logic control, he had to obey the higher-level command.
"Sergeant Miller, reporting to the Commander." Miller walked up to Lin Xuan and gave him a standard military salute. He then turned to look at Chu Wenhai, his tone carrying a trace of subtle stiffness, "And... Black Watch officer."
Chu Wenhai didn't even lift his head to look at him. He simply clicked a new magazine into the chamber and spoke coldly, "Marine kid, watch your flank. Three zombies are approaching from your ten o'clock. Clear them out, and don't let those beasts near the Commander's stronghold."
"Understood, sir," Miller muttered under his breath. Although he was dissatisfied with the Black Watch's overbearing attitude, his movements were extremely professional. He quickly turned, using a discarded vehicle by the roadside as cover, and his rifle began to fire with a steady rhythm.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three precise shots directly knocked over the zombies that were attempting to climb over the fence in the distance.
Watching the interaction between the two soldiers, Lin Xuan's vision for the "stronghold" became increasingly clear. He was not a tyrant who indulged in meaningless slaughter; in this world where order had collapsed, what he sought was absolute efficiency and safety. The Black Watch was his sharp sword, responsible for executing the most dangerous and cold-blooded missions, while conventional forces like the Marine Corps were the foundation for stabilizing his territory and maintaining basic operations.
"Miller, from now on, you are responsible for the supermarket's perimeter security," Lin Xuan said, breaking the subtle tension between the two. "Wang Peng, Wu Tao, you two stop playing dead over there and go help Miller."
Wang Peng and Wu Tao had been scared out of their wits by Chu Wenhai's combat prowess. Now, seeing another fully armed "soldier" appear out of nowhere, the fear in their eyes had transformed into deep awe. They realized that while following Lin Xuan meant hard labor, in this zombie-infested campus, this might be the only safe harbor.
"Alright! Boss Lin, we're on it!" Wang Peng ran over, bowing and scraping.
Lin Xuan returned to the interior of the supermarket. After the scene they had just witnessed, the way the remaining women looked at him underwent a qualitative change. If they had previously thought Lin Xuan was just a lucky thug, now, with two top-tier professional soldiers loyal to him, he had become a sort of primitive tribal chief or a warlord with the power of life and death in their eyes.
Lin Xuan did not mistreat them like slaves. Instead, he had Lin Yutong find them some clean clothes and bottled water.
"Teacher Liang, I think we can talk about that Shelter now." Lin Xuan sat in a leather swivel chair behind the checkout counter. Chu Wenhai stood behind him like a shadow, the muzzle of his rifle lowered slightly but ready to kill at any moment.
Liang Wan held the water bottle, her fingers still trembling slightly. she smoothed her messy hair and tried to make herself look calmer: "The Shelter is in the air-raid Shelter beneath the Gymnasium... it was just renovated by the school last year, with an independent power system and six months' worth of food reserves. But... it's currently controlled by the School Security Team and a few teachers from the Physical Education Department. They have guns, and they don't allow any outsiders to approach."
[Ding! Mission triggered, important strategic location: "Gymnasium"]
"Miller, come in," Lin Xuan contacted him through the system.
In less than ten seconds, Marine Corps Corporal Miller appeared at the door, his body armor still stained with the black blood from clearing the zombies.
"Commander, the perimeter is cleared. Confirmed secure."
"Very well." Lin Xuan stood up and looked around at the group of people depending on him. "Today, we will first stabilize the supermarket stronghold. Mo Xiaotian, you're responsible for using the supermarket's computer to try and contact the outside world to see if you can get a satellite map. Chu Wenhai, Miller, you will take turns on watch. Tomorrow morning, we go to the Gymnasium."
On this bloody day, Lin Xuan did not indulge in the wanton abuse of the female captives as Wang Peng had expected. Instead, he demonstrated an extremely rational and efficient management ability. Perhaps this sense of order was more effective at winning people over than violence in the early stages of the apocalypse. As Lin Yutong watched Lin Xuan calmly giving orders, the trace of resentment in the depths of her eyes quietly transformed into a morbid adoration.
Lin Xuan walked into the warehouse compartment and looked at the mountain of canned food and drinking water, silently calculating in his heart. Food was the fundamental basis for survival, and Biomass was his core. As long as he had enough Biomass, he could build an army that would sweep across the globe. For now, this supermarket was just the first cornerstone he had laid.