The office was spacious but cluttered. Papers and documents were scattered across the mahogany desk, while overturned chairs and broken picture frames littered the floor. A faint layer of dust covered everything. Despite the state of disarray, Advik Bhardwaj could already envision this space becoming his command center.
He cleared some debris from the desk and pulled out the large leather chair, settling into it. The chair creaked slightly as he leaned back, but it held firm. He allowed himself a brief moment of calm, resting his arms on the table.
"This'll do," he muttered.
He accessed the system interface, bringing up his stats and recent rewards.
[User: Advik Bhardwaj]
[Level: 11
Experience Points: 77,435/85,000
Blood Coins: 350,000
Special Tickets: 1
Souls: 1025]
Advik Bhardwaj stared at the Special Ticket in his system interface for a moment. This was the reward that he received from establishing the base. He wondered how it works.
He tapped the Wheel of Fortune option in the system. A holographic image of a large, colorful wheel appeared in front of him, spinning slowly in place. The eight sections were labeled with different amounts:
100,000 Blood Coins
250,000 Blood Coins
500,000 Blood Coins
750,000 Blood Coins
1 Million Blood Coins
1.5 Million Blood Coins
2 Million Blood Coins
3 Million Blood Coins
5 Million Blood Coins.
10 Million Blood Coins
1x Luxurious Chest
5x Precious Chest
10x Exquisite Chest
Military Vehicle Supply Pack
Weapons Supply Pack
Division Pack Personnel
Grand Price: 100 Million Blood Coins.
Advik Bhardwaj glanced at the third section and thought it wouldn't be too bad to land there, though he obviously had his sights set on the highest prize.
"Alright, here goes nothing," he said, gripping the virtual spin lever and pulling it down.
The wheel spun rapidly, colors blurring together in a hypnotic swirl. The hum of the system's spinning mechanism filled the room. Advik Bhardwaj leaned forward, his eyes tracking the slowing sections as the wheel began to decelerate.
"C'mon... something big," he muttered under his breath.
The wheel clicked through the 1.5 million section, then 2 million, before the momentum slowed further. The pointer hovered briefly over 500,000, then ticked forward again, landing solidly on 750,000 Blood Coins.
[Congratulations! You have won 750,000 Blood Coins!]
Advik Bhardwaj raised an eyebrow. "Third highest... not bad at all."
The notification chimed as his balance updated.
[Updated Blood Coins: 1,100,000]
"Damn," he muttered, a faint smirk tugging athis lips. "That'll go a long way."
Advik Bhardwaj leaned forward in the leather chair, opening his Summon Interface once more. He glanced at his current resources and then at the amount of souls he had—1025. It was enough to summon a significant force, but he knew that maintaining too many summons was unsustainable in the long run. Resources would be stretched thin without survivors to assist in running day-to-day operations.
He considered his options carefully. The base needed a sustainable workforce, not just combat specialists. Cleaning, patrolling, and maintaining the hotel and mall would require a combination of security and support personnel.
"I'll need security teams patrolling the perimeter and floors regularly. And also for labor. The infantry will handle that. Medics will be on standby, and engineers will help with keeping this place operational and constructing defenses."
He tapped the Infantry Summon option. "Let's start with basic security patrols."
Advik Bhardwaj selected 30 infantry—a manageable number that wouldn't overwhelm the current infrastructure. These soldiers would work in shifts, providing 24/7 surveillance of the base.
[Souls Used: 150 | Blood coins spent: 30,000 | Infantry Summoned: 30]
The same familiar blue glow appeared as infantry soldiers materialized in front of him, each in full combat gear, standing at attention. Their equipment was basic but effective—combat uniforms, rifles, and tactical gear.
"Stand by for assignment," Advik Bhardwaj ordered. They saluted silently in response, awaiting further orders.
Next, he summoned 10 medics, costing 50 souls and 10,000 Blood coins for their equipment and tools. They materialized with white armbands marked by red crosses. Each was equipped with field medic gear, including trauma kits and sidearms.
Finally he summoned ten engineers for a total of 90 souls and 15,000 Blood coins. The medics and engineers, all male, appeared before him, making the admin room crowded.
"Medics, you'll be deployed to the infirmary. It's located on the second floor, near the main staircase. Get it set up and ready to handle injuries or any medical emergencies. Take inventory of whatever supplies you can find and report any critical shortages."
One of the medics, a tall man with short-cropped hair, nodded. "Understood, sir. We'll secure the area and get the infirmary operational."
"Good. Move out," Advik Bhardwaj ordered.
The medics saluted before gathering their trauma kits and heading toward the second floor as instructed.
Turning to the engineers, Advik Bhardwaj continued. "Engineers, you're headed to the maintenance and engineering office. It should be in the lower level of the building, near the utility rooms and backup generators. Your job is to assess the structural integrity of the building. Look for weak points, damaged wiring, and any systems that need immediate repairs—especially power, plumbing, and ventilation. Once you've identified key issues, give me a full report. Got it?"
The lead engineer, a burly man with a tactical vest and a wrench hanging from his belt, stepped forward. "Copy that, sir. We'll check the critical infrastructure and let you know what needs fixing."
"Good. Get to it. We need this place fully operational as soon as possible," Advik Bhardwaj instructed.
The engineers gave a collective nod and exited through the lobby, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Advik Bhardwaj watched them leave and then glanced at the remaining infantry. "Alright, now for you. Well, I intentionally summoned you for patrols and security but we can set that aside as there are no immediate threats as of the moment. I want you to help clean this place, burn the zombies, clean every corpse, sweep the floors, gather spent casings, and make this entire place livable," Advik Bhardwaj finished, locking eyes with the infantry squad leaders.