10.000x Doomsday Survival

6. An Uninvited Guest from the Military

The roar of heavy machinery echoed from a distance, completely shattering the silence of the night in the Horizon district. The blinding beams of searchlights from several tactical vehicles swept across streets heavily littered with wrecked cars and zombie corpses. Up on the eleventh-floor balcony, Axel stood perfectly relaxed. He casually held a warm cup of coffee, the direct rebate result from his coffee maker earlier.

"Master, the enemy has halted their advance at a distance of exactly five hundred meters. I have detected two main battle tanks alongside three armored personnel carriers. There is a total of one hundred and twenty heavily armed soldiers," Anya's voice echoed directly into Axel's ear through his wireless earpiece.

"Over a hundred men? They are incredibly dedicated just to investigate a little lightning," Axel muttered. He glanced over at Scarlett, who was currently busy tinkering with a highly futuristic tablet right beside him. "Scarlett, what is the status of the fortress?"

Scarlett did not even bother to look up. Her fingers danced rapidly across the holographic screen. "The stage one electromagnetic shield is fully active. I have also installed ten automated railgun units at every corner of the balcony. Do you want me to fire them right now?"

"Hold your fire. I want to see exactly what they want," Axel replied, taking a slow sip of his coffee.

Suddenly, the booming sound of a megaphone echoed from down below. "Survivors inside the Horizon Apartments! We are the Security Forces from the Iron Fist Base! You have utilized a forbidden weapon that has disrupted public peace! Come out immediately with your hands in the air and surrender your weapons to Major Stark!"

Axel let out a small, cynical laugh. "A forbidden weapon? Do they actually think we are still living in grade school?"

"Master, there is a highly interesting development," Anya interrupted smoothly. "Inside Major Stark's command vehicle, I have detected a single target possessing an SSS-Grade genetic potential. She is currently in a state of severe distress."

Axel immediately stood up straight. His eyes lit up brightly. "Another SSS target? Today truly is my lucky day. Who is she?"

[Scanning Target]
[Name: Lieutenant Maya]
[Age: Twenty-Four Years Old]
[Genetic Potential: SSS-Grade Tactical God]
[Status: Threatened, Forced to Execute Mission]

"Anya, connect my audio directly to their megaphone frequency. I want to speak personally with Major whoever he is."

"That would be Major Stark, Master. The connection is successfully established."

Axel cleared his throat. "Hey there, Major Stark! I am Axel, the owner of this establishment. If you want my weapons so badly, come up here and get them yourself. But I highly suggest you leave your tanks behind. Those pieces of scrap metal are going to be completely useless here."

Down below, Major Stark stood atop his command vehicle. His face instantly flushed a furious red. He was a middle-aged man sporting a jagged scar on his cheek and a thick mustache. "You insolent brat! How dare you insult the military! First squad, fire a warning shot directly at the tenth floor!"

BOOM!

One of the main battle tanks unleashed a heavy round. The large-caliber artillery shell tore through the air, hurtling straight toward the apartment building. Elena and Valerie, who were still inside the room, shrieked in sudden shock. Yet Axel remained perfectly calm in his position.

Exactly when the artillery shell reached a mere ten meters from the building's exterior, a transparent blue layer of light materialized out of thin air.

CRASH!

The massive shell detonated in mid-air, completely halted by an invisible wall of pure energy. Not a single piece of shrapnel even touched the building's concrete. The explosive impact only produced a thick cloud of black smoke that was instantly blown away by the night wind.

"What the hell was that?" Major Stark gaped in sheer disbelief down below. "Fire again! Obliterate that wall!"

"Scarlett, give them a little surprise. But make absolutely sure you do not destroy the command vehicle. I have a highly valuable asset inside there," Axel ordered.

"Understood, Boss," Scarlett grinned wickedly. She pressed a single button on her tablet screen.

Zing! Zing! Zing!

Three automated railguns mounted at the corners of the balcony fired small projectiles at supersonic speeds.

BAM! BAM!

Major Stark's two heavily armored tanks were instantly pierced straight through their engine blocks. The tank engines violently detonated. The multi-ton war machines were reduced to useless burning scrap in a matter of seconds. The soldiers instantly scattered in absolute panic, desperately seeking cover behind the transport trucks.

"Cease fire! Stop shooting!" Major Stark shrieked in pure terror. He never anticipated that the technology defending this apartment building would infinitely surpass the capabilities of his entire military base.

Axel vaulted right over the edge of the eleventh-floor balcony. He did not bother using the stairs. He simply free-fell straight into the abyss.

"Axel! Are you insane?!" Valerie screamed from above.

Yet Axel landed flawlessly right in front of Major Stark's command vehicle. The concrete street shattered violently beneath his boots, but Axel was completely unharmed. He strolled casually toward the armored car. The surrounding soldiers aimed their rifles at him, but their hands trembled violently in fear.

"Do not pull those triggers. If you shoot, I guarantee your heads will be separated from your bodies long before a single bullet ever reaches me," Axel warned. His voice was low but dripping with lethal intimidation.

Axel arrived at the heavy door of the command vehicle. He grabbed the solid steel door and ripped it entirely off its hinges with his bare hands. Inside, he saw a terrified Major Stark cowering beside a young woman in a pristine military uniform. The woman was undeniably beautiful with short hair, but her eyes looked profoundly sorrowful. This was Lieutenant Maya.

"Lieutenant Maya, I presume?" Axel asked, flashing a highly charismatic smile.

"Who are you?" Maya asked, her voice shaking.

"I am the man who is going to rescue you from this fat boss of yours," Axel replied, shooting a sharp glance at Major Stark. "Major, you just wasted my valuable time. As compensation, this Lieutenant is coming with me."

"Absolutely not! She is our top tactical strategist! Lieutenant, shoot him right now!" Major Stark ordered frantically.

Lieutenant Maya drew her sidearm. However, she did not aim it at Axel. Instead, she pressed the muzzle directly against her own temple. "I would much rather die than be forced to continuously slaughter innocent people just to fuel your selfish ambitions, Major!"

"Hey now, there is no need to rush into death," Axel said, moving with lightning speed. He snatched the pistol right out of Maya's hand before she could even twitch her finger to pull the trigger.

Axel then materialized a luxurious meal box containing a piping hot premium beef steak directly from his inventory. The mouth-watering aroma instantly filled the cramped cabin of the vehicle.

"I know you have not eaten a single thing for two days because this stingy Major only distributes rations to his loyal thugs. Eat this first, Maya," Axel said, handing the meal box over.

[Ding! You have provided a Premium Beef Steak to the SSS-Grade Target, Lieutenant Maya!]
[Triggering 5,000x Critical Rebate!]
[Congratulations! You have obtained 10,000 God-Tier Military Ration Packs and the Passive Skill: Tactical Awareness!]

Instantly, Axel felt his brain seamlessly processing thousands of pieces of tactical data simultaneously. He instinctively knew the exact position of every single soldier outside without even needing to look.

Maya fell completely silent as she stared at the steak in front of her. She could no longer withstand her starving stomach. She immediately devoured the meat ravenously. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

[Ding! Lieutenant Maya feels a profound sense of gratitude. Loyalty Level: Sixty Percent.]

Axel turned his attention back to Major Stark, who was desperately attempting to escape through the opposite door. Axel grabbed the Major tightly by his collar and forcefully yanked him out of the vehicle.

"Where do you think you are going, Major? The party has only just begun," Axel mocked. He hurled Major Stark into the middle of the street, tossing him right in front of his very own troops.

"All of you! Attack him! He is only one man!" Major Stark shrieked hysterically.

But the heavily armed soldiers remained completely still. They watched as Lieutenant Maya stepped out of the vehicle. Her face looked incredibly revitalized as she took her place firmly beside Axel.

"Everyone, lower your weapons right now!" Maya commanded in a booming voice. "You have all seen it for yourselves, haven't you? Major Stark only cares about his own survival. This man, Axel, possesses infinite food and absolute protection. Do you truly want to die for a Major who refuses to even feed you?"

The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances. They looked at their completely destroyed tanks, and they saw the premium steak container in Maya's hands. One by one, they slowly lowered their rifles.

"We surrender! We want to follow Lieutenant Maya!" one of the sergeants yelled out.

Axel smiled in deep satisfaction. "Perfect. Anya, prepare a secure area on the ground floor for our new guests. Distribute exactly one ration pack to each of them. Lieutenant Maya, you are coming upstairs with me. We have a lot of highly important things to discuss regarding the future of this world."

"Understood, Master Axel," Maya replied, offering a respectful nod.

"What do we do with Major Stark then, Boss?" asked Valerie, who had just rappelled down the elevator cable.

Axel cast a cold glance at Major Stark, who was currently crawling away in absolute terror. "Major, you said you were a big fan of forbidden weapons, right? Anya, activate the zombie sweeper drones on this street. Give Major Stark exactly five minutes of a head start to run before the drones begin their scheduled cleanup."

"No! Do not do this! Axel, have mercy!" Major Stark shrieked in despair.

Axel ignored his pleas completely. He casually strolled back toward his apartment building alongside Maya. "Maya, you are officially the brain of my military forces from now on. Scarlett handles the technology division, Elena manages the medical wing, and Valerie leads the combat vanguard. With the four of you by my side, I am going to bring the entire Eldoria Continent straight to its knees."

Maya gazed up at the towering building, which was now radiating a brilliant blue light. "I have never seen technology like this before. Are you genuinely planning to build an ultimate fortress?"

"I am not just building a fortress, Maya," Axel answered, looking up at the pitch-black night sky. "I am going to build an absolute empire where betrayal like what I experienced before no longer exists. And anyone who even attempts to destroy it will be instantly turned to dust."

[Ding! The first group of humans has officially joined.]
[God Fortress Status: Stage 1 Completed.]
[New Mission: Expand territory to a one-kilometer radius!]
[Reward: Star Energy Power Plant!]

Axel flashed a lethal smirk. "Anya, relay a message to Scarlett. Tomorrow morning, we officially begin our expansion."

In the distance, Major Stark's agonizing screams echoed loudly as Axel's automated sweeper drones commenced their brutal work. The old world had undeniably ended, but for Axel, this marked the absolute beginning of his supreme reign.

The very next morning, Axel discovered a satellite radio hidden inside the military command vehicle. A top-secret emergency broadcast came through directly from the capital. "The entire city will be subjected to a total nuclear strike within twenty-four hours to eradicate the viral outbreak!" Axel now had an incredibly limited window of time to construct a high-tier absolute barrier.