Chapter 11 — Fortresses on Wheels
The sun was setting on the horizon, dyeing the sky orange and red. The streets of New York were deserted, but the silence was just a trap. Zombies roamed among the abandoned cars, destroyed buildings, and sidewalks stained with dried blood. Daniel gathered everyone at the meeting point — a semi-intact building that they had cleaned and fortified in the last few days.
Alice was sitting on a concrete block, watching the information Daniel had shared with her. Leon, Claire, Jill, and Daniel's friends were around, attentive to what he would say. It was time to take the next step.
"I know you modify cars," Daniel said, looking firmly at his friend Lucas, who had demonstrated impressive mechanical skills from the beginning. "Do you know how to turn buses and trucks into mobile fortresses?"
Lucas smiled, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"If you give me the tools and the time, I can turn any old junker into a shelter on wheels," he replied confidently. — The problem will be finding the right vehicles and bringing them here without attracting the attention of all the hordes in the city.
Daniel nodded. — Let's solve this now.
He pulled out a map of the city and spread it out on a makeshift table. With a red pen, he began to mark the strategic points.
— We need school buses, tanker trucks for fuel, cargo trucks and, most importantly, armored vehicles. — He circled three areas: a nearby bus parking lot, a gas station and an Umbrella logistics base.
— Umbrella? — Alice raised an eyebrow, suspicious. — Are you sure you want to mess with them now?
— They're weakened. — Daniel explained. — The system showed me that part of their forces were redirected to contain a larger outbreak in another city. If we attack quickly, we can get what we need without facing them head on.
— You're playing a risky game — Leon commented, crossing his arms.
Daniel smirked. — I always have been. But it's the only way to create something that can protect us all and allow us to help other survivors. We need mobility. We need armor. We need to survive.
The plan was bold. They split into three groups. Lucas and two other friends would go to the bus yard. Leon, Jill, and Claire would take care of external security and search the nearby supply market. Daniel, Alice, and two others went straight to the Umbrella base. He knew that was where the armored vehicles and the real prize of the mission were.
Before leaving, Daniel took Alice aside.
"What do you think of all this?" he asked sincerely.
Alice stared at him for a moment. She had seen too much. She knew that the world would not be saved by small actions. They needed to think big. Daniel, with his invisible system and his leadership skills, was someone who could make a difference.
"I think you're right. We need something bigger than surviving in hiding. We need to create something that can change the course of this. I'm with you." She put her hand on his shoulder. — Let's build our fortresses on wheels.
Daniel smiled, feeling the weight of responsibility grow, but also the strength of knowing he wasn't alone.
The Umbrella building Daniel planned to invade was a transport and maintenance unit. It wasn't a laboratory or a military center, but it still had guards and security systems. He studied the structure through the system. The information appeared before his eyes in floating windows that only he could see.
"Perimeter with 12 human guards. Two security zombies in containment. Cameras disabled in 45% of the structure. Side entrance vulnerable."
Daniel activated the communicator.
"Alice, let's go through the side. The system shows that the cameras there are disabled."
"Copy," she replied, adjusting her weapon.
The group moved in absolute silence. They passed through alleys, climbed walls and infiltrated the base without firing a single shot. Inside, Daniel used an improvised master key to unlock the door to the main warehouse.
What they saw took their breath away. Five armored vehicles, two of them adapted for troop transport, were there, immaculate. In addition, there were boxes of ammunition, vests, tools and even fuel stored. "Bingo," Alice whispered. But the joy was short-lived. One of the guards who was supposed to be off duty had returned earlier and raised the alarm when he found the side gate open. "We have to be quick!" Daniel shouted. Alice ran to start the vehicles while Daniel and the others loaded the ammunition and tools into Daniel's expanded inventory. The thousand cubic meter capacity was almost absurd, allowing him to store everything they found with simple mental taps on the system. "New item acquired: Modular Armor Kit." "New item acquired: 7.62mm Ammo Box." "New item acquired: Stockpile of ammunition."
fuel — 500 liters."
The system updated the records in real time, and Daniel felt the weight of the mission diminishing as the materials physically disappeared, stored in the invisible inventory.
Outside, the security guards began to gather, alerted by the alarm.
"We're going to have to fight our way out!" Alice shouted, climbing onto the seat of the armored vehicle.
Daniel climbed into the vehicle next to him and put it in gear. "Time to clear the way!"
The armored vehicles set off, breaking down the main gate and crushing everything in their path. The sound attracted zombies from the area, but it also forced the Umbrella guards to retreat, unable to contain the heavy advance of the armored vehicles.
On the communication, Leon reported that the other group had secured the trucks and buses.
"Everything is ready here. The roads are clear. The gas station has been captured, we're filling the tanks."
"Excellent," Daniel replied. "Get the convoy ready. We're going to get out of here together."
The chase was intense. Zombies threw themselves at the vehicles, trying to grab any opening. Umbrella guards were shooting from afar, but Daniel and Alice were protected by the armor.
On the way back, Daniel used the system to check his status:
UPDATED STATUS
Strength: 4 (+2)
Speed: 3 (+1)
Stamina: 3 (+1)
Vitality: 13 (+2)
Available points: 2
Crystals: 120
Items acquired: Armored vehicles, armor kits, ammunition, fuel, tools.
"Crystals can be used to purchase items in the System Shop or to strengthen the body directly."
"Access to the Shop available from the next Level."
Adrenaline was pumping through Daniel's veins. He was beginning to understand the system's potential. With each battle, with each decision, he grew stronger. And now, with the vehicles safe and adaptable, the group could begin assembling the mobile fleet they had planned.
Upon returning to the base building, Lucas and the others had already begun the first work on modification.
— You really got the armored vehicles? — Lucas was impressed. — With this, we can do something that no one else has done. We will create rolling fortresses. Impenetrable.
Daniel nodded. — That's what we're going to do. We need to protect our own, but also save whoever else we can. If the government and Umbrella are in league, then we can't trust anyone but ourselves.
Alice approached, crossing her arms with a confident smile. — Welcome to the resistance on wheels.
Leon, Jill, and Claire entered the warehouse with a truck loaded with supplies.
— We have food for at least three weeks, — Claire informed. — But we still need more medicine and ammunition.
— That will be the next mission, — Daniel said, already mentally mapping out the next moves.
The group was excited, energized, united by a greater purpose. For the first time, they felt they had a real chance of fighting against the chaos that had taken over the world.
— Let's get ready, — Daniel ordered. — I want these vehicles ready as soon as possible. We're going to create a mobile convoy. A walking city, if that's what it takes. I need it.
"An ark," Lucas murmured.
Daniel smiled. "Exactly. An ark. We're going to save as many people as we can. But first… we're going to crush everyone who gets in our way."
Night fell over New York, but in that makeshift warehouse, the lights remained on. Hammers banged, welds gleamed, engines roared.
It was the birth of fortresses on wheels. The beginning of a new era. The era of Daniel and his invincible convoy.
And the system, silently, continued to evolve.