The return of Destiny's rescue team brought a wave of relief to Wolf Fortress.
One hundred and fifty survivors had arrived safely, including doctors, nurses, and several injured patients. The medical station was immediately expanded to accommodate them.
For the first time, Wolf Fortress felt less like a temporary shelter and more like a real military installation.
Destiny stood inside the command center, watching soldiers move across the courtyard.
Some were repairing the damaged walls. Others were unloading medical supplies from the rescue vehicles. A few new recruits were receiving their first military uniforms.
Isaac entered the command room with a tablet in his hands.
"Commander, the survivors have been registered. We also found several people willing to join the military."
"How many?"
"Five confirmed recruits. There may be more after the next announcement."
Destiny nodded.
"Bring them to the recruitment area. We'll assess their abilities and assign them to suitable units."
The system suddenly appeared.
[MISSION PROGRESS UPDATED]
[COMPLETED OPERATIONS: 3/3]
[SOLDIERS RECRUITED: 16]
[CURRENT RANK: SECOND LIEUTENANT]
[REQUIREMENTS FOR PROMOTION COMPLETED]
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[HOST HAS BEEN PROMOTED]
[NEW RANK: FIRST LIEUTENANT]
[COMMAND CAPACITY INCREASED: 100]
[NEW FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED:
- ADVANCED SQUAD MANAGEMENT
- MILITARY COMMAND NETWORK
- SOLDIER ATTRIBUTE TRAINING]
Destiny stared at the notification.
A wave of warmth spread through his body as the system's energy strengthened his connection to the military network.
[HOST STATUS]
[NAME: DESTINY]
[RANK: FIRST LIEUTENANT]
[LEVEL: 7]
[STRENGTH: 15]
[AGILITY: 19]
[VITALITY: 13]
[INTELLIGENCE: 12]
[MILITARY POINTS: 12,700]
[SOLDIERS: 16/100]
[BASE: WOLF FORTRESS - LEVEL 1]
"First Lieutenant," Destiny murmured.
He had started as an ordinary student who could barely defend himself against a single monster. Now he commanded sixteen soldiers and controlled a military base.
But he knew that his current strength was still insignificant compared to the monsters roaming the world.
A new mission appeared.
[MAIN MISSION: BUILD THE FIRST MILITARY COMPANY]
[OBJECTIVES:
- Recruit 30 soldiers.
- Establish 3 specialized squads.
- Upgrade Wolf Fortress to Level 2.
- Complete 5 military operations.]
[REWARDS:
- 10,000 MILITARY POINTS
- 1 ADVANCED MILITARY VEHICLE
- 1 RANDOM LEGENDARY SKILL]
Destiny studied the objectives.
Thirty soldiers would be a significant increase. He would also need enough equipment, food, ammunition, and medical supplies to support them.
"System, show me the available squad functions."
[ADVANCED SQUAD MANAGEMENT]
[AVAILABLE FUNCTIONS:
- ASSIGN SQUAD LEADERS
- CREATE SPECIALIZED UNITS
- DISTRIBUTE SOLDIER EXPERIENCE
- MONITOR SQUAD PERFORMANCE]
Destiny opened the squad management interface.
He already knew who he wanted to lead the first three squads.
***
The soldiers gathered in the training ground that afternoon.
Destiny stood before them with Daniel at his right side.
"From today onward, our military will be divided into specialized squads. Each squad will have a specific role, and every soldier will be expected to train for that role."
He turned toward Daniel.
"Daniel, step forward."
Daniel walked ahead and saluted.
"You will lead the First Assault Squad. Your responsibility will be to engage enemy forces directly, protect our advancing units, and eliminate high-priority targets."
[ SQUAD CREATED: FIRST ASSAULT SQUAD ]
[LEADER: DANIEL]
[ROLE: DIRECT COMBAT]
Daniel's face brightened.
"I won't disappoint you, sir."
Destiny nodded before turning to Joseph.
"Joseph, you'll lead the Defense Squad. Your unit will protect Wolf Fortress, maintain defensive positions, and hold important locations during operations."
[ SQUAD CREATED: DEFENSE SQUAD ]
[LEADER: JOSEPH]
[ROLE: BASE DEFENSE]
Joseph saluted.
"Understood, sir."
Finally, Destiny faced Naomi.
"Naomi, you'll lead the Reconnaissance Squad. Your team will gather intelligence, identify enemy movements, and locate resources before the main force arrives."
[ SQUAD CREATED: RECONNAISSANCE SQUAD ]
[LEADER: NAOMI]
[ROLE: RECONNAISSANCE]
Naomi gave a confident nod.
"I'll make sure we never walk blindly into another battle."
The three squad leaders returned to their positions.
Destiny looked at the remaining soldiers.
"This is only the beginning. Every one of you has a role to play. Strength alone will not make us a successful military. Discipline, cooperation, and strategy will."
The soldiers raised their fists.
"YES, SIR!"
***
Later that evening, Destiny visited the training facility.
Thomas, one of the newest recruits, stood in the center of the training room.
He was young, thin, and clearly nervous.
"Sir, I heard you can make soldiers stronger through the system."
Destiny nodded.
"That's correct. But enhancement isn't a replacement for training. Your body still needs to adapt."
He opened the Soldier Attribute Training interface.
[SOLDIER ATTRIBUTE TRAINING]
[SELECTED SOLDIER: PRIVATE THOMAS]
[CURRENT ATTRIBUTES:
STRENGTH: 7
AGILITY: 6
VITALITY: 8
INTELLIGENCE: 6]
[AVAILABLE TRAINING: BASIC PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENT]
[COST: 100 MILITARY POINTS]
[DURATION: 24 HOURS]
[BEGIN TRAINING?]
Destiny confirmed.
A soft blue light surrounded Thomas.
He staggered slightly as the system began enhancing his physical condition.
Thomas looked down at his hands.
"I feel... different."
"Your body is beginning to adapt," Destiny explained. "Rest when the process is complete. Tomorrow, you'll begin physical training."
The system displayed another notification.
[TRAINING INITIATED]
Destiny left the room and headed toward the research laboratory.
Isaac was waiting beside a newly constructed machine.
"We've completed the first stable energy conversion system."
A metal chamber stood in the middle of the room. Several cables connected it to a collection of batteries.
"With this generator, we can use monster cores to provide power to the fortress," Isaac explained. "We can also begin researching defensive technology."
[NEW FACILITY UNLOCKED: ENERGY GENERATOR]
[WOLF FORTRESS UPGRADE AVAILABLE]
[LEVEL 2 REQUIREMENTS:
- 8,000 MILITARY POINTS
- 200 STEEL
- 500 CONCRETE
- 5 MONSTER CORES]
Destiny opened his inventory.
They had enough military points, but the construction materials and monster cores still needed to be collected.
"Prepare the construction plans," Destiny ordered. "We'll begin the upgrade as soon as we have the materials."
Isaac nodded.
"Understood."
***
That night, Destiny stood on the fortress wall.
The city was dark, except for a few distant fires and the faint lights of the military vehicles.
Naomi approached him.
"Commander, our scouts have noticed something strange."
"What is it?"
"Some monsters are moving away from the city. Others are gathering near the industrial district. They seem to be following a particular route."
Destiny frowned.
"Could they be responding to another monster?"
"Possibly. We haven't been able to get close enough to confirm it."
Destiny stared into the darkness.
The monsters were no longer behaving like random creatures.
They were organizing, gathering, and possibly preparing for something.
"Keep monitoring their movements," he ordered. "If you find anything unusual, report it immediately."
Naomi saluted and left.
Destiny opened the system interface.
[MAIN MISSION: BUILD THE FIRST MILITARY COMPANY]
[PROGRESS:
SOLDIERS: 16/30
SPECIALIZED SQUADS: 3/3
BASE UPGRADE: 0/1
OPERATIONS: 3/5]
He had made progress, but the remaining objectives would require more resources and more battles.
Destiny closed the interface.
"Whatever is coming," he whispered, "Wolf Fortress will be ready."