Across the outer avenues surrounding New Bilibid Prison, sixty-six soldiers advanced in tight clearing sweeps, eliminating every remaining infected resident.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Slice!"
Having started with five hundred Red Cores in his vault, Elias spent fifty Red Cores to supply extra ammunition bundles, ensuring no squad ran dry during the final perimeter sweep.
"Ding!"
[ System Notice: 50 Red Cores Spent! Extra Ammunition Bundles Purchased! ]
[ Remaining Red Cores Vault Balance: 450 Red Cores ]
Within an hour, the outer approach to the main gate was secured and free of active turned residents.
"Outer perimeter secured, Supreme Commander!" Company Commander Mateo Cruz reported over the comms.
"Creak... Clang!"
The heavy twenty-foot iron gates swung open, allowing the five-vehicle convoy to roll into the administrative compound.
As the engines died down, Senior Officer Gabriel Torres stepped out from the main glass doors of the administration building with a group of armed officers.
Torres's eyes widened in utter disbelief as he stared at the scene before him!
Standing in the courtyard was Elias, flanked by sixty-six uniformed, battle-tested soldiers in full tactical gear, a Kia KM-450 tactical truck, commandeered SUVs, a passenger van, and a massive yellow DPWH backhoe excavator!
"Elias...?" Torres gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
"Is this... your unit?" Torres asked, looking at the disciplined soldiers standing at strict attention.
"Senior Officer Torres," Elias greeted calmly, stepping forward.
"Elias, while you were in Imus, more survivors and officers retreated to our safe zone," Torres reported, taking a moment to regain his composure.
"We now have fifty-eight law enforcement officers here—a mix of BuCor guards, PNP-SAF operators, and local police officers who escaped the city."
"We are also protecting almost three hundred civilian survivors taking shelter inside the administrative halls and holding rooms."
Elias nodded thoughtfully, looking at the fifty-eight law enforcement officers and the anxious faces of civilian survivors peering out through the building windows.
"Torres, I am officially declaring New Bilibid Prison as the primary military fortress and sanctuary for all surviving civilians in this region," Elias announced in a firm, authoritative voice.
"I am the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces stationed here."
Torres and the law enforcement officers listened intently, feeling a surge of hope and security in Elias's calm leadership.
"Senior Officer Torres, I am appointing you as the Leader of Civilian Security and Law Enforcement Forces," Elias commanded.
"You will oversee all fifty-eight BuCor, SAF, and police officers, managing civilian order, food distribution, and inner building defense."
Torres snapped a sharp, respectful salute to Elias.
"Understood, Supreme Commander! I accept the appointment!" Torres declared with pride.
Elias looked back toward the main gates, where thousands of zombie corpses lay scattered across the avenues from the massive battle.
"Torres, there are thousands of infected corpses outside the gates," Elias instructed.
"My soldiers cannot extract all the Red Cores alone before nightfall."
"Mobilize your law enforcement officers and civilian volunteer teams to assist my soldiers with the extraction detail."
"Understood, Supreme Commander! We'll start the extraction teams immediately!" Torres saluted, rallying twenty officers and civilian volunteers with extraction knives and supply buckets.
Under the heavy armed security of 1st and 3rd Platoons, the combined teams filed out through the gates, methodically extracting Red Cores from the skulls of the defeated horde.
By late afternoon, the first extraction detail harvested the three Hunters, the massive two-and-a-half-meter Brute giant, and three hundred forty-seven Low Red Cores from the main gate pile, while teams continued working on the remaining thousands of bodies.
"Ding!"
[ System Notice: Red Core Harvesting Initial Phase Complete! ]
[ Harvested: 3 Low-Mid Tier Red Cores (+30 Red Cores) ]
[ Harvested: 1 Mid-Tier Red Core (+50 Red Cores) ]
[ Harvested: 347 Low Red Cores (+347 Red Cores) ]
[ Total Red Cores Vault Balance: 877 Red Cores ]
Acting 1st Platoon Leader Sergeant Santos stepped forward from the gate tower squad, carrying two heavy metal ammunition supply crates.
"Supreme Commander!" Santos saluted smartly.
"These are the eight hundred fifty Red Cores collected by 2nd Squad and 3rd Squad while defending Bilibid Fortress from Day 1 to Day 4!"
Santos opened the metal crates, revealing hundreds of glowing crimson crystals stored inside.
Elias placed his hand over the crates, absorbing the collected Red Cores into his System Vault.
"Ding!"
[ Total Red Cores Vault Balance: 1,727 Red Cores ]
That evening, inside the central command office of the Bilibid administration building, Elias stood before the main window overlooking the courtyard.
Company Commander Cruz and Santos stood at attention as Elias opened the System interface in his vision.
"Ding!"
[ System Notice: Spend 500 Red Cores to promote Officer Rank to First Lieutenant (1LT)? ]
[ Confirming Rank Promotion... ]
[ 500 Red Cores Deducted! Remaining Vault Balance: 1,227 Red Cores ]
[ System Announcement: User Promoted to First Lieutenant (1LT)! ]
[ Rank Unlocks Achieved: ]
[ 1. Platoon-Level Troop Summoning Unlocked! ]
[ 2. Vehicle Catalog Unlocked: Tactical Trucks & Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) Available! ]
[ 3. System Arsenal Shop Unlocked! ]
A vibrant metallic blue interface expanded in Elias's vision, displaying the newly unlocked Arsenal Shop.
[ Arsenal Shop Catalog Activated ]
[ Daily Deals: Food Rations / Medical Kits / Ammunition Bundles ]
[ Weekly Deals: Tactical Armor Upgrades / Night-Vision Optics / Heavy Infantry Weapons ]
[ Monthly Special Deal: Level 2 Gene Modification Serum (10x Peak Human Attributes) ]
[ Description: Enhances muscular density, neural reaction speed, bone durability, and cellular recovery to 10x Peak Human baseline. ]
[Cost: 20,000 Red Cores]
"Ding!"
[System Notice: Spend 25,000 Red Cores for the next promotion]
Elias stared at the glowing blue screen in utter shock, his breath catching in his throat!
Level 1 Gene Modification had already made his body three times stronger than a normal human, allowing him to kick zombies through dining tables and intercept agile Hunters mid-air.
"Ten times Peak Human physical power...?" Elias whispered in awe.
Looking at the locked slots below Level 2, Elias wondered in deep anticipation how far this gene enhancement could truly go once he unlocked higher officer ranks.
Elias looked at the glowing catalog of armored vehicles, heavy weaponry, and gene serums, a confident smile spreading across his face.
With First Lieutenant rank unlocked and over one thousand two hundred Red Cores remaining in his vault, he possessed the power to turn New Bilibid Prison into an impregnable fortress.
"Cruz, Santos," Elias spoke in a firm, commanding voice.
"Tomorrow, we clear every remaining cellblock in Bilibid and upgrade our army."