Advik Bhardwaj turned to his squad. "Alright, listen up! We're going to divide into four teams. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. Each team will clear and secure one floor of the hotel starting from the third floor upwards. Our objective is to sweep each level thoroughly—no zombies left standing."
The soldiers nodded in unison, the faint clinks of magazines being checked and rifles adjusted filling the lobby as they prepared for further action.
"Sandeep, you're leading the Bravo Team. You'll take the fourth floor. I'll stick with Alpha and clear the third. Charlie Team, you'll handle the fifth floor, and Delta Team gets the top floor," Advik Bhardwaj continued. He pointed to one of the operators, and he named them. "Rachit, you're in charge of Charlie Team. Abhinandan, you're commanding Delta."
"Yes, sir!" Rachit and Abhinandan responded in sync.
Advik Bhardwaj scanned his troops. "Each team will have ten men. Maintain comms at all times. If you encounter a large horde or need backup, call it in immediately. Don't engage recklessly."
"Copy that, sir," Sandeep acknowledged, stepping forward with Bravo Team already assembling behind him.
"Move in tight formation. Rooms can be traps, so breach cautiously. I don't want any surprises," Advik Bhardwaj emphasized, glancing between team leaders. "Any questions?"
"What's the evac plan if things go south?" Rachit asked.
"If the situation gets out of control, regroup at the main stairwell or fallback to the lobby," Advik Bhardwaj replied. "But our goal is to clear every floor today. No leaving half the job done."
"Roger that," Rachit nodded.
"Alright. Alpha, with me," Advik Bhardwaj said, leading his team toward the stairwell. "Bravo, Charlie, Delta—get to your assigned floors. Keep it coordinated."
The teams moved swiftly into position, splitting off at different stairwell exits. The eerie quietness of the upper levels began to settle in, interrupted only by the muffled steps of boots on tiled floors.
Advik Bhardwaj signaled a halt as they reached the third-floor entrance. He pointed to a soldier who stepped forward who opened the door.
"Move!" Advik Bhardwaj ordered, rifle raised as he led the charge inside.
The hallway was dimly lit, shadows stretching ominously across the floor from broken overhead lights. Rotting corpses littered the carpeted walkway, and the smell of death hung heavy in the air. Some of the doors to the hotel rooms were ajar, others still shut.
"Clear the hall," Advik Bhardwaj instructed. "Team one, take the left corridor. Team two, you're with me on the right."
The soldiers moved like a well-oiled machine, scanning each door and securing every corner. Advik Bhardwaj's heartbeat remained steady as his eyes darted from doorway to doorway.
"Contact—room 302!" Asoldier whispered urgently over comms.
"On me!" Advik Bhardwaj responded, rushing toward the room. Inside, a zombie in tattered formal wear stumbled toward the soldiers, snarling. Before it could lunge, one of the operators dropped it with two precise shots to the head.
"Room clear," the soldier reported.
"Keep it moving," Advik Bhardwaj ordered. They continued their sweep, encountering a few scattered zombies along the way, each quickly dispatched without incident.
Above their floor, Sandeep led his team through the fourth-floor corridor, maintaining a steady pace.
"Sir, movement ahead," one soldier called out, pointing toward the end of the hall. A shadow shifted behind a corner.
Sandeep raised a clenched fist to halt the team. "Contact. Weapons free, but keep it quiet."
The team crept forward, rifles trained on the shadow. As they rounded the corner, a small group of zombies, likely former hotel staff, staggered in their direction.
"Engage," Sandeep commanded.
Suppressors hissed as rounds punched through skulls. Within seconds, the zombies were down.
"Clear," Sandeep muttered. "Stay sharp. There could be more."
Over the next half hour, each team relayed their progress. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta cleared room after room with minimal resistance, keeping casualties on the enemy side only.
Third and fourth floor are now cleared.
Advik Bhardwaj tapped his radio. "Charlie, Delta—status?"
"Charlie Team reporting. Minor resistance on floor 5, but we've got it under control. Five more rooms to clear."
"Delta here. We're sweeping the final rooms on floor 6. No contact yet," Abhinandan reported.
"All stations, have you encountered any survivors?"
"Negative, sir," Sandeep replied. "Just corpses and hostiles."
"Same here," Rachit from Charlie Team added. "Nothing but bodies and a few stragglers."
"Delta reporting," Abhinandan chimed in. "Top floor's quiet. No survivors spotted. We're finishing the last sweep now."
Advik Bhardwaj exhaled heavily. He had hoped to find someone—anyone—alive. Still, there was no time for sentiment. They needed to finish the job and secure their new base.
"Copy. Maintain vigilance. Everyone regroup at the main stairwell once your floors are fully cleared," Advik Bhardwaj ordered. He turned to his men. "Alpha Team, let's wrap up here and head back."
One by one, the teams converged at the stairwell between the hotel floors. Each operator reported in, confirming their sections were clear of hostiles.
"Report status," Advik Bhardwaj instructed.
"All rooms cleared on floor 4," Sandeep confirmed.
"Floor 5 clear," Rachit added.
"Delta confirms floor 6 clear. No movement detected," Abhinandan finished.
Advik Bhardwaj nodded, taking in the reports. "Good work. No casualties and no survivors, unfortunately. We'll take that as a win given the circumstances."
Just then, a notification flashed on his system interface.
[Mission Complete: Establish a Base]
Objective Completed: Entire location secured and cleared of all hostiles.
Rewards:
100,000 Blood Coins
25,000 Experience Points
1x Special Ticket to Fortune Wheel
Advik Bhardwaj read the notification aloud to Sandeep, who smirked. "Well, that's good news."
"Damn right it is," Advik Bhardwaj replied, glancing at the men. "We've got a solid foothold here now. Let's not waste it."
"Sir, what's next on the agenda?" Rachit asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
"We are going to clean up this place, it's a mess," Advik Bhardwaj replied.
Advik Bhardwaj headed toward a section of the lobby labeled Admin Offices. The frosted glass doors were slightly ajar, marked with a gold sign that read Management Only. He pushed one open and stepped inside. The air inside was stale, but it was quiet—exactly what he needed right now.