Chapter 103: Commercial Center - Consolidating Gains (III)
Hans left Big Rhino behind and returned toward the northern entrance.
The Vanguard’s commander continued talking through the radio, though Hans no longer listened to every word. Something about the Tank needing a larger relative next time.
Matilda ignored it completely.
Bastion One had moved closer to the collection area while Hans inspected Big Rhino.
Its hull remained covered in dust, dried blood, and several shallow marks left by debris thrown across the parking lot.
None of those appeared serious. The turret continued watching the commercial entrance while soldiers moved beneath it with boxes and shopping carts.
Its rear ramp remained lowered.
Several crates had already been placed inside.
Hans slowed.
Another star rested beside Bastion One’s name.
He selected it.
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Vehicle Name: Bastion One
Unit: Guardian Armored Personnel Carrier
Star Promotion: 1
[ Primary Weapon ]
30mm Autocannon
Current Ammunition Capacity: 1,500 rounds
Effective Range: 1 kilometer
Base Fire Rate: 200 rounds per minute
Penetration: Light to medium armor
Extremely effective against infected, light mutations, infantry, and unarmored structures
[ Secondary Weapons ]
Coaxial 7.62mm Machine Gun
Current Ammunition Capacity: 2,700 rounds
Side-Mounted Smoke Grenade Pods
4 charges
Produces a fifteen-meter smoke wall for infantry deployment
[ Transport Capacity ]
20 Infantry Units
Passengers can fire through the vehicle’s firing ports with reduced accuracy.
Passengers and crew remain protected from external viral exposure while the vehicle is sealed.
Protection loses effectiveness while the rear ramp remains open.
[ Special Features ]
Rear hydraulic ramp for rapid embarkation and disembarkation
Internal overpressure system for anti-infection sealing
Basic point-defense infrared system for projectile redirection
[ Vehicle Systems ]
Fire Control System
Infrared and thermal cameras
Stabilized turret for firing while moving
Light composite armor with spaced plating
[ Crew ]
4 Personnel
Commander
Co-Axial Gunner
Driver
Systems Assistant
[ Crew Equipment ]
Standard Infantry Kit
Pistols only
Crew intercom link
Helmet HUD connected to vehicle targeting systems
One-day ration and one 1-liter canteen per crew member
[ Trait ]
Hit and Run
Adapted according to vehicle type.
Improves movement, weapon operation, ramp deployment, passenger fire, and rapid withdrawal performance.
[ Additional Attributes — 1-Star Effects ]
Autocannon Capacity: +500 rounds
Coaxial Machine-Gun Capacity: +1,200 rounds
Autocannon Reload Efficiency: +10%
Fire-Control Accuracy: +5%
Crew Stamina: +10%
Movement Speed: +5%
Turret Traverse Speed: +10%
Resistance Against Melee Claws: +5%
[ Remarks ]
Bastion One is a promoted armored personnel carrier designed for protected infantry transport, urban maneuvering, and sustained fire support.
Its increased ammunition capacity allows it to support infantry formations longer before withdrawing, while its sealed interior protects passengers moving through contaminated environments.
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Hans spent longer on the ammunition capacity than the other changes.
One thousand five hundred autocannon rounds and another two thousand seven hundred for the coaxial machine gun were more than enough for an extended urban operation, especially when the crew used short bursts instead of holding the weapons continuously.
Big Rhino carried the heavier firepower with its tank shells.
Bastion One carried the soldiers who followed behind it.
It could bring an entire squad through contaminated streets, protect them until the rear ramp opened, and continue covering them after they dismounted. The first promotion had strengthened that purpose instead of changing it.
Hans closed the panel.
A moving bunker was still the closest comparison he could make.
The rear ramp remained open in front of him.
Several sealed crates had already been secured against the interior walls. The contents came from the jewelry stores and smaller offices nearest the entrance, though the recovery teams had mixed nothing together yet.
Valuables occupied one side.
Useful supplies remained outside for separate inventory.
Hans approached the nearest pallet and placed one hand above an open crate. The conversion interface appeared at once.
He did not confirm it.
Soldiers continued moving between the building and the parking lot. Survivors had already been found across the surrounding blocks, and more could still be watching from the upper floors.
Making several crates disappear beneath green light in the middle of an open parking area would invite questions he had no reason to answer.
Hans dismissed the interface.
"Not here."
Matilda followed his attention toward the surrounding buildings.
"Site Three has secured storage."
"That’s for the better."
The distribution yard already served as their temporary base of operations. Its perimeter had been cleared, the surrounding roads remained guarded, and the Engineers had taken over several of the storage buildings inside.
Anything moved there could be inventoried properly before Hans converted it.
Matilda opened the platoon channel.
"Anton, prepare Bastions One and Two for the first transport run. High-value materials only."
Anton acknowledged.
"Bastion Three remains with the northern perimeter?"
"Yes. Big Rhino stays with it."
The Vanguard’s commander immediately answered through the same channel.
"Big Rhino will protect everything here!"
Nobody had asked him, but he was openly saying it anyway.
Matilda continued as if the voice never appeared.
"Sabine, South Two maintains the rear entrances. Bastions Four through Six remain in position until the additional Recon Teams arrive."
"Understood."
That left enough armor around the commercial center while two Guardian APCs carried the first loads back to Site Three.
The soldiers changed their work almost immediately.
Only compact, high-value materials went into the first transport. The larger safes remained near the collection area until the Engineers could open them without damaging their contents, while medicine, food, tools, batteries, and usable electronics were marked for storage rather than conversion.
Space inside the APCs mattered.
Filling both vehicles with bulky supplies would force additional trips and weaken the commercial-center perimeter longer than necessary. For now, Bastions One and Two would carry the materials that provided the greatest value for the least cargo space.
The commercial center had remained abandoned for months, yet much of it was still valuable because nobody nearby had been strong or brave enough to approach an area surrounded by thousands of infected.
Bastion One’s interior filled first.
The folded seats left enough room for several steel crates to be secured against the hull. Soldiers tightened straps around them so nothing shifted while the APC moved through the cleared roads.
Bastion Two took the next group.
Its rear ramp stayed open while Army Soldiers passed containers inside one after another.
Hans watched the first collection point shrink.
Most of the surface stores had only received a preliminary search. Reinforced rooms still waited inside the commercial center, and the recovery teams had yet to finish the banks, pawnshop, and surrounding offices.
The underground levels remained untouched.
Whatever had been abandoned beneath the building would stay there until the Recon Teams descended and cleared it.
The current shipment was only the easiest portion to recover.
"First transport ready," Bastion One reported.
Its rear ramp rose slowly.
The crates disappeared behind the armored door, followed by the mechanical lock sealing into place.
Bastion Two closed several seconds later.
Anton assigned one squad between both vehicles. The rest remained with Bastion Three and the northern firing positions.
The two APCs turned away from the commercial center.
Their engines carried across the parking lot before they entered the secured road leading back toward Site Three.
Hans watched their allied markers move north.
He would convert nothing until the full shipment had been secured and counted. For now, Site Three would keep it out of sight.