After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

Aberdeen City, 10 years prior

The twenty-year-old Garan aimed the new plasma gun at the target, destroying it with a perfect hit.

”Not bad handling a new weapon.”

Henry nodded, impressed, patting Garan’s shoulder. In stark contrast to his sternness when he was still a new recruit.

”Thank you, General.” He said and he looked around, a bit puzzled the general was here in the shooting range.

”Come with me.”

Garan nodded and dutifully followed his superior deep into the military building. Soon, they ended up inside a meeting room over 200 square meters in size. The walls were lined with various large screens, each one showing differing live images around the country.

There were even images from abroad, as well as satellite images.

As a centrepiece, there was an interactive screen integrated into the large 1-meter radius table.

Garan’s eyebrows rose. This was the strategy room.

Anyone who could come here was someone of power.

”I’m bringing you here because I need you to lead a team to rescue a very important group of students.”

The old man showed him folders and folders of files about teenagers. ”This is a school bus from Caytan Academy.”

Caytan Academy was one of the country’s premier schools for the very, very, privileged. It was estimated every child in that school bus had at least one parent in power.

Then, Henry sighed and a folder stayed on his hand, almost crumpling it.

”My daughter is included here,” he said, ”So I was judged as unqualified to lead the team. The same goes for the two other people who could do the same.

”Parents would die for their children, as people die for their beliefs.”

”Do you remember what I told you when I recruited you?”

Garan was recruited to the military because he was noticed for his valiant rescue of two children—that was, Althea and Ansel.

Henry happened to be monitoring the updates because he knew the Witts personally.

He was impressed by Garan’s prowess and recruited him to enter a special program in the military.

”Being in this position is to protect your country. And more importantly, your loved ones.”

A heavy hand patted and stayed on his shoulder.

”I can only depend on you for this.”

_________________

Fargo Village, present

The group followed Beany to another house on the other side of the village.

They saw that this place had also been devastated by a few monsters. Most walls had been demolished, and marks of blood were still fresh everywhere.

Beany said that it was the General’s small team that handled the monster.

”Soldiers are soldiers.” He said with melancholy, ”Even when the country is no more.”

The team of level 4s and 5s tried to fight with the monsters but it wasn’t easy. Their team of twenty was reduced by a third before they finally took down the one.

While they managed to deal with the other monster that plagued the area, in the end, they were left with twelve.

Garan’s pace hastened as he listened, and Vanessa closely followed behind him.

They reached a standard housing, dilapidated by the fight. Fortunately, the houses built by the system were structurally sound. As long as the Lord didn’t die, of course.

They did not even knock and went into the house, causing the mobile soldiers—barely bandaged by old cloth— to flinch and take on a defensive stance.

One of these people was still familiar, especially to Vanessa, whose eyes quickly turned red as she ran into the man’s arms. ”Brother!”

”V-Vanessa?!” The dirty, bloody, but dashing man exclaimed, thinking he must’ve been seeing things. However, when he felt her warmth, he realized he was not dreaming. He quickly opened his arms to take her deeper into his embrace.

Vincent smiled in relief as he patted his sister’s back. He felt a little teary, not expecting to encounter his sister, who had been presumed dead for nearly half a year.

After gathering himself, he lifted his head to look behind her. He was a bit surprised to see so many others standing there.

His eyes soon met with Garan’s and gave each other a mutual nod.

Garan stepped forward, head pointing to the people lying on hemp mattresses on the other side of the room, covered with blood. ”How are they?”

It was here that the others’ attention focused on the other end of the room. They were all covered in makeshift bandages, and it was difficult to determine who was who.

”There are twelve of us left but, four of us…” then he remembered something and shook his sister.

”Sis, you’re a doctor! Take a look at them, quickly!” He said and Vanessa remembered her strong father could be one of those people.

Vincent stood to the man in the middle, covered in blood, and Vanessa sobbingly kneeled down to treat him. She was a bit shaky, however.

”Dad! Oh no… wu…”

Garan saw that it would take her a while to treat his mentor and turned to look at Turbo, who nodded back and immediately followed Vanessa’s lead.

Turbo took out his kit and handled the injured people as efficiently as he could, starting with the general. Vanessa saw this and finally calmed down a bit, helping him out with relative efficiency.

The four people were in really bad shape. However, the bleeding was stopped and no internal organs were displaced so they could still be saved. The soldiers who got fatal injuries had already long perished.

This was still very impressive, however. One must know taking down monsters of the same level generally required three to five humans. They had to handle stronger monsters.

Fortunately, all of them should survive with time. Seeing the wounds being handled properly, everyone’s shoulders slumped in relief. While there was still plenty to fix, at least the most critical period has passed.

Garan stood next to Vincent, who could be said to be an old acquaintance. ”How are you?”

”Fine. More or less, just how we look.” The brunette smiled with a shrug, but his eyes showed the tiredness and tragedy they encountered at this time.

Vincent saw Garan looking at him, waiting for him to say more details, and he sighed, doing so.

”We migrated together, a group of about fifty soldiers, along with a score of civilians,” He said, ”The mob was predominantly level 2 which could not compare to the zombies at all. We lost a third of our people, even with the guns.”

In fact, had it not been for the civilians, half of the sacrifices wouldn’t have had to be made, but soldiers had an understanding of this and would never utter it out loud.

”For about a week or two we managed to survive in the wilderness, built our own sheds and the like.” Then his expression darkened even more, his fist clenched in bitterness.

”But a beast tide ran in and we could only run away, somehow in the direction the mob was going towards—to the newly upgraded Fargo Village. We entered and joined the territory, relieved to finally find a safe haven of sorts. It’s just that—”

Vincent paused, heaving a deep breath, unable to speak anymore.

Garan looked at his heavy expression and knew they must have had some conflicts with the Lord here.

A slyer part of him couldn’t help but think: Perhaps, he could get their help in dealing with this scum.