Chapter 33: The New Normal(part-2)
Agreed," Lucas said, straightening. "But we need to be smart about this. We can't just react to rifts as they appear. We need a strategy."
All eyes turned to me. Of course they did. Strategic planning was literally my role now. The First Commander. The Tactical Overlord. The person whose entire class was built around coordinating large-scale operations.
I stepped up to the map, activating my enhanced Strategic Mind, letting it process the information at accelerated speed. Patterns emerged, rift locations, timing, energy signatures. My Intelligence attribute of 78 found connections that would have been invisible to my pre-System self.
"Rifts aren't random," I said slowly, tracing invisible lines on the map with my finger. "Look at the pattern. They're appearing along fault lines, geological weak points. Places where Earth's natural energy flows, what some pre-System cultures called ley lines, were already unstable. The System is forcing reality synchronization, and it's happening first at the weakest points."
Dr. Chen's eyes widened as she cross-referenced her data. "You're right. Every confirmed rift and predicted location corresponds with either geological stress patterns or ley line intersections. If we can map Earth's energy weak points..."
"We can predict where rifts will form," I finished. "Or at least narrow down the possibilities. We won't be completely surprised. Dr. Chen, can your instruments detect rifts before they fully manifest?"
"Maybe." She was already pulling up equations on her tablet. "Give me four hours to recalibrate the sensors. I should be able to detect dimensional thinning about fifteen to thirty minutes before a rift opens."
"Make it three hours. We need advance warning as soon as possible." I turned back to the map, my mind organizing priorities. "Next: We need specialized rift-closing teams. Small, mobile, high-level. Can't send our entire army to every rift, we'd exhaust ourselves in days."
"I'll lead one team," Maya volunteered immediately, stepping forward without hesitation.
"I'll lead another," Captain Reyes added.
"We need at least three teams minimum," Cross said, his tactical mind aligned with mine. "Rotating shifts so we can respond to multiple rifts simultaneously without exhausting anyone."
I nodded, already building team compositions in my head. "Teams of eight. Mix of combat specialists, a healer, and someone with area-control abilities. Fast response, hard hitting, adaptable to unknown threats."
"What about the alliance members who aren't combat-focused?" Hayes asked, gesturing to the broader question of civilian protection. "The farmers, engineers, medical staff, families with children? They can't fight dimensional monsters."
"They don't have to," Lisa interjected, her healer's instinct for protecting the vulnerable showing through. "We fortify the compound. Make it a safe zone. Combat teams handle the rifts, support teams keep everything running here. Division of labor based on capability."
"We'll also need to coordinate with other factions," Lucas added, his diplomatic experience showing. "This quest notification was sent to 'all Earth leaders', that means other groups are dealing with the same crisis. We should share information, maybe even coordinate responses if rifts appear near faction borders."
I considered that carefully. In the old world, pre-apocalypse, cooperation would be automatic. In this new world, after three months of faction warfare and resource competition, trust was a rare commodity.
"Reach out to the factions we have good relations with," I decided. "Vancouver group, Portland settlement, anyone we traded with or allied with during the tutorial. See if they're willing to share rift data and coordinate closures. But keep our guard up." I looked at Cross, who nodded understanding. "Some factions might see this as an opportunity to attack while we're distracted."
"Paranoid," Cross observed, but his tone was approving.
"Realistic," I countered. "We're not the only ones who want to pass this test. Some leaders might decide eliminating competition is easier than closing rifts."
The council fell silent, processing that dark possibility. Competition over cooperation. Survival of the fittest taken to its logical extreme.
"Alright," Lucas said, clapping his hands together to break the tension. "We have our initial plan. Dr. Chen, get that detection system online. Maya, Reyes, start selecting your teams. Cross, coordinate compound defenses. Sarah, organize the support staff—make sure non-combatants have clear safety protocols. Hayes, work with me on inter-faction communications."
"What about you, Ethan?" Lisa asked.
I looked at the new System features still waiting to be explored. Territory Management. Leader Skill Tree. Dimensional Codex. Tools I didn't yet understand but needed to master.
"I'm going to explore these new System features," I said. "If we're going to manage this crisis, I need to understand every tool available. These new options might have abilities specifically designed for rift management."
As the council dispersed to their tasks, each leader taking responsibility for their piece of the larger operation, I caught Maya's arm before she could leave.
"Be careful out there," I said quietly. "We don't know what comes out of these rifts. First team to encounter rift creatures is going to be surprised. Don't be a hero."
She grinned, that familiar reckless expression I'd come to associate with her. "Worried about me, Commander?"
"Always." The word came out more seriously than I'd intended.
Something flickered in her eyes, an emotion I couldn't quite identify. But it was gone in a moment, replaced by her usual tough demeanor. "I'll be fine. You just focus on keeping everyone coordinated. That's what you do best."
She left, and I was alone in the command center with Lucas, who'd stayed behind deliberately.
"She cares about you," he observed quietly. "More than just found family."
"We're partners," I said, deflecting. "Of course she cares."
"That's not what I meant." Lucas smiled slightly. "But you're not ready to think about that yet. Too much happening, too many immediate threats. I get it." He headed for the door, then paused. "Just... don't wait too long to figure it out. Life's short in the apocalypse. The people we care about might not always be there tomorrow."
He left me with that uncomfortable thought.
I pushed it aside, he was right that I wasn't ready to process whatever he was implying, and turned my attention to the System interface.
Time to learn what being "First Commander" actually meant.
9:00 AM - Personal Quarters
I spent the next two hours diving deep into the new System features, and what I discovered fundamentally changed my understanding of the post-Integration world.
TERRITORY MANAGEMENT:
The System had officially recognized our compound and surrounding area as "Green Lake Territory" under my leadership. This wasn't just a label, it came with actual mechanical benefits that went far beyond anything available during the tutorial:
[GREEN LAKE TERRITORY - TIER 1]
[LEADER: ETHAN CHEN]
[POPULATION: 475]
[TERRITORY SIZE: 2.5 SQUARE KILOMETERS]
[BENEFITS:]
• +10% Experience gain for all territory members
• +5% resource generation from territory
• Defensive bonus: Enemies take 20% more damage within territory
• Resurrection point: Territory members revive at home base if killed (once per week, costs 1000 points)
• Territory expansion available through quest completion
• Building construction unlocked (requires resources)
That resurrection mechanic alone was revolutionary. People in our territory could die once per week and come back to life at the compound. The cost was steep, 1000 points per resurrection, but it meant death wasn't necessarily permanent anymore.
But there was more. Much more.
LEADER SKILL TREE:
A completely new progression path had opened. Separate from my combat class, this was specifically for faction leaders. I had 15 Leadership Points available, apparently earned through "exceptional leadership during tutorial phase", and hundreds of skills to choose from.
After careful consideration, weighing immediate needs against long-term benefits, I invested:
[LOYALTY DETECTION - 3 POINTS]
• See loyalty ratings of territory members (0-100 scale)
• Identify potential traitors or defectors
• Essential for maintaining alliance cohesion
[RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION - 5 POINTS]
• Territory produces 25% more food, water, materials
• Stacks with base territory bonus
• Reduces supply pressure significantly
[EMERGENCY RALLY - 4 POINTS]
• Once per day, instantly summon all territory members to a designated location
• Useful for evacuations or rapid defense mobilization
• Three-minute channel time, can be interrupted
[DIPLOMATIC INSIGHT - 3 POINTS]
• Detect lies and hidden intentions in negotiations
• See basic information about other faction leaders
• Critical for inter-faction politics
Conservative choices, but practical. I saved my remaining points for when I better understood what we needed.
DIMENSIONAL CODEX:
This was perhaps the most fascinating feature. It was essentially an encyclopedia of the multiverse, but most entries were locked behind "Discovery Requirements." I could currently see:
[EARTH]
• Classification: Tier 1 World
• Status: Newly Integrated
• Tutorial Performance: Grade B+
• Population: 2.85 billion
• Threat Level: Low (vulnerable)
[KRESH EMPIRE]
• Classification: Tier 2 World
• Species: Reptilian Humanoids
• Status: Aggressive Expansionists
• Integration Date: 127 years ago
• Threat Level: Moderate
• Note: Known for enslaving newly integrated worlds
That last note sent chills down my spine. There were entire civilizations out there that targeted worlds like Earth. We weren't just dealing with dimensional creatures anymore, we were potential prey for interstellar predators.
The rest of the Codex was locked:
[GALACTIC FEDERATION] - Requires: First Contact
[DIMENSIONAL LORDS] - Requires: Tier 7 Entity Encounter
[SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS] - Requires: ???
[ANCIENT ONES] - Requires: ???
Dozens of entries, all locked. Mysteries waiting to be uncovered.
A knock at my door pulled me from my research spiral.
"Ethan! We've got a problem!" Tom Fletcher burst in, one of our engineers, normally cheerful but currently looking panicked. "The downtown rift! It's expanding! Dr. Chen said it was stable an hour ago, but now it's growing! And something's coming through!"
I grabbed Stormbreaker and ran.
The tutorial might be over, but the real apocalypse was just beginning.
[END OF CHAPTER 33]
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