Amith's voice came through the comms, calm and professional. "Command, we've secured the interior. Minimal resistance. All entry points reinforced."
Sandeep chimed in from the loading docks. "Bravo is holding steady. No threats in our immediate area."
Jagdish followed shortly after. "Charlie here. The alley is secure. Extraction routes remain clear."
A small smirk formed on Advik Bhardwaj's lips. This was going better than expected.
"Alright. Command is inbound. ETA two minutes," Advik Bhardwaj announced.
announced.
The helicopter carrying Advik Bhardwaj descended rapidly toward the supermarket's rooftop. Below, Viper 1 unleashed one final barrage to keep any remaining zombies distracted.
As soon as Hawk 2 landed, Advik Bhardwaj hopped out. He idnd't came alone, he brought with him five special forces.
"Secure the rooftop. I want an overwatch post set up," Advik Bhardwaj instructed as he made his way toward the stairwell.
Descending into the supermarket, Advik Bhardwaj was met with the sight of his teams operating at peak efficiency. Alpha had finished inventorying the most essential supplies, while Bravo and Charlie maintained defensive positions.
"Sir." Amith greeted Advik Bhardwaj with a crisp nod. "Supermarket is secured. No major resistance."
Advik Bhardwaj surveyed the interior. The lighting was dim, but with the emergency power running from the backup generators, it was enough to illuminate the organized chaos inside. Shelves of food, crates of bottled water, and stacks of first-aid kits had been neatly cataloged by the teams.
"Good work," Advik Bhardwaj muttered approvingly.
Sandeep approached, wiping sweat from his brow. "Couldn't have gone smoother. This place is a goldmine."
Advik Bhardwaj nodded. "That's why we're keeping it."
Sandeep grinned. "Figured as much."
Turning to the soldiers gathered nearby, Advik Bhardwaj addressed them. "This is our new supply depot. We'll be setting up a permanent garrison here. I am going to summon additional soldiers."
Advik Bhardwaj pulled up his system interface, his fingers swiftly navigating through the menus. He selected the Summon Troops Tab. He summoned thirty soldiers for one hundred fifty souls and fifty non-combat personnel for fifty souls.
A magic circle appeared and they emerged from it. Then—Advik Bhardwaj also considered summoning heavy weaponry and hardware.
Advik Bhardwaj navigated the system interface, scrolling through the Armored Vehicles & Heavy Weaponry section. He needed to fortify the Reliance Smart Supermarket properly—turn it into a near-impenetrable stronghold. This meant not just troops but also tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, anti-aircraft systems, and all-terrain combat vehicles.
The system shop displayed several options:
[System Armored Vehicle & Heavy Weaponry Shop]
M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle – Equipped with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun, TOW missile launchers, and reinforced armor.
Cost: 80,000 Blood Coins per unit
BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle –
Equipped with 30 mm 2A72 autocannon, Kornet anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), and reinforced armor.
Cost: 70,000 Blood Coins per unit
M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams Main Battle Tank – Heavy armor, 120mm smoothbore cannon, advanced composite armor, and high-speed mobility.
Cost: 250,000 Blood Coins per unit
T-90 Main Battle Tank -
Heavy armor, 2A46M 125 mm smoothbore gun with 43 rounds (T-90), advanced composite armor, and high-speed mobility.
Cost: 200,000 Blood Coins per unit
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Anti-Aircraft System – Armed with Stinger missiles and a .50 caliber M3P machine gun, designed for short-range air defense.
Cost: 100,000 Blood Coins per unit
Pantsir-S1 Anti- Aircraft System -
Armed with 95Ya6, 23Ya6 missiles and two twin-barrel 2A38M automatic anti-aircraft guns.
Cost: 50,000 Blood Coins per unit
JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) Oshkosh – Highly mobile, off-road capable combat vehicle, resistant to small arms fire and IEDs.
Cost: 45,000 Blood Coins per unit]
Advik Bhardwaj quickly calculated what he needed. Reliance Smart Supermarket had to be fortified like a military base, not just a supermarket. That meant a mix of firepower and mobility.
[Purchase Selection]
4 x M2 Bradley IFVs – 160,000 Blood Coins
2 x M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams Tanks – 500,000 Blood Coins
3 x Avenger Anti-Aircraft Systems – 300,000 Blood Coins
8 x JLTV Oshkosh – 360,000 Blood Coins
Total Cost: 1,320,000 Blood Coins]
[System Notification]
Transaction Complete.
Vehicles deployed at Reliance Smart Supermarket Parking Lot.
Outside, a bright glow appeared as the vehicles materialized one by one in the parking lot. The soldiers standing guard watched in awe as the M2 Bradleys, M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks, Avengers, and Oshkosh JLTVs emerged from thin air along with their crews.
Sandeep, seeing the hardware arrive, let out a low whistle.
"Well, shit," he muttered. "Now we're talking."
Advik Bhardwaj stepped forward, inspecting the vehicles. Each was pristine, freshly equipped, and combat-ready.
"This should be enough for the defense of the supermarket."
Sandeep stood next to Advik Bhardwaj, crossing his arms. "This is military-grade firepower, boss. We could hold this place for years if we manage resources right."
Advik Bhardwaj nodded. "That's the idea. We'renot just surviving anymore, Sandeep. We're building a stronghold. A real base of operations."
Sandeep smirked. "Then let's get it running. Good thing this supermarket had walls around it. We can simply add barbed wires or a fence along the top of the walls."
"That's a good idea. For that, I'm going to need engineers. I'll summon ten engineers and sixty workers that will help the engineers construct the infrastructure that we need."
"I'll assign a soldier that will guard them sir," Sandeep added.
"Thank you for that."
Advik Bhardwaj navigated the system interface, swiftly selecting the Summon Engineers tab. His eyes scanned through the available units, knowing that fortifying Reliance Smart Supermarket required more than just firepower—it needed infrastructure and sustainability.
A blue magic circle materialized and the personnel emerged from it. They saluted and Advik Bhardwaj promptly informed them of their roles, to which they quickly nodded and got to work.
Advik Bhardwaj stood inside the makeshift command center set up within the supermarket's back offices. The dimly lit room had been converted into a temporary operations hub, with tables covered in blueprints, maps, and tactical equipment. Several engineers stood in front of him, ready to present their fortification plans.
Abbas, the lead combat engineer, placed a large schematic of Reliance Smart Supermarket on the table. His expression was professional, his posture stiff but confident.