One by one, the military hardware disappeared in a blue glow, stored safely in Advik Bhardwaj's System Inventory.
Sandeep let out an impressed chuckle. "That system of yours is cheating reality itself."
Advik Bhardwaj smirked. "It's what's keeping us alive."
With all military assets secured in the System Inventory, Advik Bhardwaj turned toward Sandeep.
"Alright, I'm not wasting another second here. We're pulling out."
Sandeep gave a sharp nod. "I'll inform the teams."
Advik Bhardwaj activated his comms, his voice firm. "All stations at Reliance Smart Supermarket, prepare for immediate withdrawal. We are abandoning this site and returning to Leela Palace Hotel."
Three hours later.
Advik Bhardwaj stood before a massive tactical map displayed on a digital screen inside Leela Palace Hotel's command center. Around him, key personnel gathered—Sandeep, Amith, Jagdish, and several intelligence officers. The entire retaking of the V3S Mall Complex was about to be planned, and no detail could be overlooked.
He turned to the recon team leader, Sunil, who had been assigned the task of estimating the zombie population within the complex.
Sunil took a deep breath before speaking. "Sir, based on pre-outbreak records, V3S Mall Complex had a daily visitor count ranging from 200,000 to 1 million people. That doesn't include mall employees, call center workers, and tourists from nearby hotels and parks. At the time of the outbreak, we estimate that a large portion of these people got trapped within the mall, surrounding buildings, and underground parking areas."
Sandeep exhaled. "Jesus. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of zombies inside one area."
Sunil nodded. "Based on our initial drone surveillance, we estimate at least 350,000 infected within the entire V3S Mall Complex. The highest concentrations are inside the mall itself, the Arena, and IKEA. There are also significant clusters in the underground parking lots, which means we can't risk fighting them in close quarters."
Advik Bhardwaj stared at the screen, considering the logistical nightmare they were about to face.
"How many roam outside the buildings?" he asked.
Sunil tapped the screen, highlighting thermal imaging data. "Approximately 20,000 to 30,000 roam the roads and open spaces. The good news is that the main road is relatively clear due to abandoned vehicles forming natural barricades."
Advik Bhardwaj studied the data in silence.
350,000 zombies.
A city of the dead.
And they had to wipe them out.
"How many personnel do we need to effectively clear out the area?"
Sunil took a deep breath before answering. "Sir, to completely clear out 350,000 zombies while minimizingcasualties, we would need at least 1,500 to 2,000 combat personnel, with a rotational schedule to avoid fatigue. That includes infantry, heavy weapons teams, and sniper teams.
Sandeep rubbed his chin. "And that's just for the cleanup. Holding the area afterward will require an entirely different force."
Sunil nodded. "Correct. If we want to fortify V3S Mall Complex and maintain control, we'll need at least 2,500 to 3,000 personnel—including logistics, medical teams, engineers, and perimeter security forces."
Advik Bhardwaj exhaled slowly. He had 200 soldiers under his command, plus another 150 support personnel at Leela Palace Hotel. Not enough.
Sandeep glanced at Advik Bhardwaj. "So, boss... how many troops can you summon?"
Advik Bhardwaj opened his System Interface and navigated to the Summon Troops tab and checked his soul reserves.
3,850 Souls
After a brief calculation, he issued the largest troop deployment yet.
[Summoning Units]
500 Infantry Soldiers – Cost: 2,500 Souls
250 Heavy Weapons Specialists – Cost: 500 Souls
150 Engineers – Cost: 450 Souls
100 Snipers – Cost: 200 Souls
100 Special Forces Operators Cost: 500 Souls
100 Medics – Cost: 200 Souls
Total Summoning Cost: 2,850 Souls Remaining Souls: 1,000
[System Notification] Summoning Complete: Deployed at Leela Palace Hotel's Main Plaza
A blinding blue glow appeared outside as 1,200 soldiers materialized. But, they don't have weapons.
He checked his balance on Blood Coins.
Blood Coins Available: 3,250,000
Advik Bhardwaj immediately navigated to the Armory & Equipment Shop within the System Interface. The newly summoned soldiers were standing by outside, completely unarmed, waiting for deployment. Without proper weapons and gear, they were useless.
[System Armory & Equipment Shop]
Standard Assault Rifles (M4A1 w/ ACOG & Suppressor)
Light Machine Guns (M249 SAW w/ Drum Magazine & Bipod)
Sniper Rifles (M82A1 Barrett .50 Cal)
Anti-Material Rifles (M90 Barrett .50 Cal)
Rocket Launchers (M136 AT4, Disposable)
Flamethrowers (M9E1 Flamethrower)
Frag Grenades (M67 Fragmentation, Pack of 5)
Claymore Mines (M18A1 Anti-Personnel Mine, Pack of 3)
Ballistic Armor (Level IV Ceramic Plate Carrier & Helmet)
Total cost: 1,250,000 blood coins.
Now that weapons were purchased, Advik Bhardwaj had one last critical step—ammunition. A soldier without bullets was just another body waiting to be torn apart.
Navigating to the Ammunition Depot section of the System Shop, he checked the available inventory. He bought about 2 million rounds, costing him about 850,000 blood coins.
"Okay–that's good, let's meet the army."
Another hour later.
The weapons, ammunition, and armor were finally distributed.
Advik Bhardwaj stood at the head of the command table and watched the CCTV cameras that has a view of his entire army, all armed and ready.
Sunil cleared his throat and spoke first. "Sir, with our current numbers, we have 1,400 combat personnel, including heavy weapons teams, snipers, and special forces. The zombie population is estimated at 350,000. Our current ammo supply is two million rounds, which means each soldier gets about 1,000 rounds on average. It's a solid number, but we still need to use them wisely."
Advik Bhardwajnodded. "We're not doing this the hard way. We will not fight them in a way that wastes bullets. We are going to clear them with strategy—maximum kills, minimal ammo usage."
Sandeep smirked. "That's what I was hoping to hear, boss."
"Let's use the intercom and announce the operation to our men."
"Yes sir."
The intercom system crackled to life as Advik Bhardwaj activated the microphone. His voice was firm, commanding, and clear as it echoed throughout the Leela Palace Hotel, reaching every soldier standing in formation outside.