"Bzzzt... Supreme Commander! We're on our way!"
Sergeant Mateo Cruz and 1st Squad riflemen thundered down the administrative hallway, bursting into Maya's bedroom!
When Cruz saw Elias collapsed unconscious on the floor, his heart dropped in sheer terror and deep anxiety!
"No! Supreme Commander!" Cruz shouted, sprinting forward!
Summoned soldiers and 2nd Company fireteams carefully lifted Elias's heavy, unconscious body, transferring him onto a clean bed inside the adjacent medical suite while Dr. Aris Mendoza rushed in with medical monitors!
Anxious panic rippled through the soldiers as Dr. Mendoza checked Elias's rapid, feverish pulse.
If Supreme Commander Elias fell or mutated into a zombie, the entire army would lose its pillar of command!
***
Ten minutes after collapsing, Elias snapped his eyes open, sitting upright on the medical bed!
Thanks to his 3x Peak Human base physique, his body had processed and assimilated the cosmic gene energy in record time!
The moment he opened his eyes, even without any system notification, a deep, natural instinct flooded Elias's mind—he instantly knew he had awakened Terrakinesis and Earth Control, as if the power had been woven into his muscle memory since birth!
Elias looked around in sudden shock, finding himself surrounded by Dr. Mendoza holding medical scanners and Sergeant Cruz standing anxiously with rifle in hand!
"Dr. Mendoza?! Cruz?!" Elias gasped, startled by the intense medical array around his bed!
"Supreme Commander! Thank God you're awake!" Cruz shouted, exhaling a massive breath of relief as his hands trembled with emotion!
"You collapsed beside Maya's bed! We thought... we thought you were mutating!"
"I'm fine, Cruz. My body was assimilating gene energy," Elias reassured them calmly, swinging his boots off the mattress.
"Rumble..."
A low, resonant vibration hummed through the concrete foundation beneath their boots!
Elias extended his gloved hand, focusing his instinctual will onto the concrete floor.
"Hummm... Swish!"
The concrete beneath his boots morphed seamlessly, shaping into a lethal, three-foot-long polished concrete spear that rose smoothly from the floorboards, hovering under his mental command!
Cruz and Dr. Mendoza stared in utter shock and awe as Elias effortlessly manipulated the solid concrete into a sharp weapon!
Beside him, Maya lay sleeping peacefully on her bed, her feverish sweat subsiding as her vital signs stabilized.
"Keep a watch over Maya and the medical holding cells," Elias instructed. "Report the moment anyone wakes."
***
Exactly one hour later, every single comatose individual inside the medical holding cells and Maya's room opened their eyes!
Zero zombie mutations had occurred; every single comatose person had successfully undergone gene awakening!
To determine their exact abilities and establish a clear classification system, Elias gathered all eleven newly awakened personnel alongside Maya in the secure administrative courtyard.
"Gather all awakened personnel in the courtyard immediately," Elias commanded Cruz.
"We will test and measure their power boundaries empirically."
***
In the secure administrative courtyard, Elias stood alongside Dr. Mendoza and Sergeant Cruz, surrounded by Maya, the seven awakened System soldiers, and the four civilian survivors.
Dr. Mendoza held measuring tapes, physical weight sleds, and tactical stopwatches.
Elias addressed the assembled group, officially bestowing their title.
"From this day forward, every person here who experienced gene assimilation is designated as a Super Warrior!" Elias announced.
"Now, we begin testing to determine your exact combat capabilities."
First, Dr. Mendoza conducted physical testing on eight of the Super Warriors (five System soldiers and three civilians).
Stopwatches and weight sleds confirmed that these eight individuals possessed two times Peak Human physical strength, sprinting speed, and reaction reflexes!
Next, three Super Warriors (two System soldiers and one civilian) underwent testing, manifesting partial animalistic transformations—hardened claws, feline agility, and heightened predatory night vision!
Finally, nineteen-year-old Maya stepped forward toward a steel target barrel ten meters away.
Until this moment, everyone assumed only Supreme Commander Elias possessed an Awakened supernatural power!
"Fwoosh!"
A bright sphere of orange flame burst from Maya's palm, striking the steel target barrel and melting the metal in a roaring flash!
"Gasp!"
Every Super Warrior, Sergeant Cruz, Dr. Mendoza, and even Elias himself gasped in utter shock and astonishment!
Elias stared at his younger sister in disbelief, his eyes wide as he watched flames dance across her fingertips!
"Maya... you awakened an Elemental power too?!" Elias exclaimed, deeply stunned!
Next, Elias stepped up to demonstrate his Terrakinesis against concrete obstacles.
"Rumble!"
Elias raised his hand, causing stone pillars and concrete slabs to erupt from the ground across the courtyard!
Through empirical testing, Maya discovered her Level 1 Fire Control generated standard common flames up to ten meters, capped at ten fireball bursts.
Elias discovered that while standard Level 1 Elemental Awakeners were capped at ten meters, his 3x Peak Human base physique extended his earth domain out to thirty meters with thirty manipulation bursts!
After analyzing all twelve Super Warriors, Elias arrived at a firm strategic conclusion:
Physical Awakeners were the most Common tier (eight out of twelve).
Beast Awakeners were an Uncommon tier (three out of twelve).
Elemental Awakeners were an extremely Rare and Unique tier—with only Elias and Maya unlocking elemental control!
With power boundaries established and rarity tiers verified, Elias summoned his high-command team for an emergency strategic council inside the Warlord Command Headquarters.
***
Inside the illuminated briefing room, the heavy oak table was surrounded by Supreme Commander Elias, Acting Battalion Commander Mateo Cruz, 1st Company Commander Santos, 2nd Company Commander Navarro, Senior Officer Gabriel Torres, Senior Inspector Castillo, and the newly awakened Super Warriors.
Elias stood at the head of the tactical map, his authoritative gaze sweeping across his officers and Super Warriors.
"Officers and Super Warriors, hear me," Elias began, his voice commanding absolute attention.
"The second crimson rain lasted thirty minutes, but it has permanently changed the battlefield."
"Every person in this room who experienced gene assimilation is now officially designated as a Super Warrior!"
"We have unlocked Physical, Beast, and Elemental Awakener abilities!"
"However, we must assume that turned inmates inside Bilibid and wild infected across Muntinlupa have also undergone mutant evolutions from the red rain."
Battalion Commander Cruz stepped forward, pointing at the tactical map of Maximum Security.
"Supreme Commander, our platoons are at full operational readiness," Cruz reported.
"With seven of our soldiers now Super Warriors, alongside you and Maya as Elemental Awakeners, our offensive power has doubled!"
"How do we proceed with Phase 2?"
Elias placed his hands flat on the tactical map, his eyes burning with resolute determination.
"We don't wait for mutated zombies to break out," Elias declared coldly.
"Tomorrow at dawn, Super Warriors will spearhead 1st Battalion's frontline assault back into Maximum Security!"
"We will clear every cellblock, secure the compound, and eliminate every infected in sight!"
Hearing Elias's command, the four civilian Super Warriors flinched in sudden disbelief and hesitation!
A civilian Physical Awakener raised his hands in anxiety, looking at Elias with wide eyes.
"Wait... Commander Elias! We're civilians, not trained soldiers!" the civilian protested nervously.
"Are we really expected to fight on the front lines of a war against thousands of mutated monsters?!"
"Even though we awakened powers, we have zero military combat experience, and our families are living in the safe zone!"
Elias's sharp, unyielding eyes locked onto the four civilian Super Warriors, his cold military presence filling the room.
"In this apocalypse, power comes with the responsibility to protect the community that shelters and feeds your families," Elias stated in an unshakeable, icy voice.
"Bilibid Fortress is not a free hotel. We do not harbor freeloaders who hoard power while soldiers bleed to keep their families safe."
"If you do not wish to contribute your awakened abilities to the defense of this fortress, you are free to pack your belongings and leave through our outer gates right now."
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence!
The four civilian Super Warriors froze in deep anxiety, sweat glistening on their foreheads!
Outside the fortified walls of Bilibid Fortress lay a wasteland infested with thousands of rotted infected and evolved mutants.
Leaving the base meant certain death for themselves and their loved ones!
They looked at Elias—standing tall in full digital camouflage fatigues, flanked by three hundred twenty-four heavily armed soldiers, nine SIMBA APCs, and wielding terrifying Earth Control!
With a Supreme Commander as formidable and dominant as Elias leading the frontline, there was no reason to cower in fear!
The civilian Physical Awakener swallowed his anxiety, standing at attention and nodding with deep respect.
"We understand, Commander Elias," the civilian declared firmly. "We will fight alongside 1st Battalion to protect our families and this fortress!"
"Good," Elias declared, an approving nod gracing his face.
"Understood, Supreme Commander!" all commanders, soldiers, and civilian Super Warriors shouted in unison, saluting with unshakeable pride!