The countdown hovered mercilessly in Arjun Kim's vision.
[Faction Event: WAR COUNTDOWN]
[Time Remaining: 71:42:18]
Seventy-one hours.
That was all the time they had before the Iron Serpents came in force.
Arjun stood in the command room—once a café, now the heart of his territory. Maps were spread across the table, marked with routes, choke points, and kill zones. The system projected enemy probability paths in faint red lines.
Mina leaned over the table.
"They'll come from three sides," she said. "Main road, underground metro, and rooftops."
"They'll test us first," Arjun replied. "Small strike. Psychological pressure."
Rhea crossed her arms.
"So they'll bleed us slowly."
"No," Arjun corrected.
"They'll try to scare us into surrender."
The system pulsed.
[Tactical Insight: Activated]
[Prediction Accuracy: +22%]
Arjun straightened.
"We won't give them that luxury."
He gathered everyone.
Seven members. Seven lives.
"You all know what's coming," Arjun said. "This is the moment that decides whether we're prey… or a faction."
No speeches. No dramatic promises.
Just truth.
"I won't force you to fight," he continued. "If you want to leave, do it now. I won't stop you."
No one moved.
Mina smirked faintly.
"Guess you're stuck with us."
[Faction Loyalty: 91%]
Good enough.
The first attack came early.
Too early.
At dawn, motion sensors triggered near the western barricade.
[Enemy Units Detected: 3]
"Scouts," Rhea whispered over comms.
Arjun watched through a cracked window.
"They want to see our response time."
He tapped the system.
[Order Issued: Silent Neutralization]
Mina and Rhea moved like ghosts.
One arrow. One suppressed shot.
Three bodies dropped without a sound.
[No Alert Triggered]
Arjun smiled.
"They just lost their eyes."
By nightfall, the real attack began.
Gunfire echoed from the rooftops.
Explosions rattled the plaza.
"They're probing defenses!" Mina shouted.
Arjun remained calm.
"Hold positions. Don't reveal everything."
The system flared.
[Siege Mode: Active]
[Faction Buff: Defense +20%]
Enemies pushed forward—ten this time. Organized. Armed.
Arjun stepped onto the frontline.
"Now," he said.
Traps triggered.
Spikes. Fire. Collapsing debris.
Screams filled the street.
Rhea's blade flashed. Mina's rifle thundered.
Arjun moved like a machine—efficient, precise, merciless.
[Kill Count: +6]
[Authority Suppression: Effective]
The remaining Iron Serpents retreated.
Silence followed.
Breathing. Blood. Smoke.
They had won.
But Arjun knew better.
"That wasn't the siege," he said quietly.
"That was a knock."
The retaliation came immediately.
A loudspeaker crackled to life outside the territory.
Viper's voice echoed through the ruins.
"You're good," he admitted. "Better than expected."
Arjun stepped forward.
"But you're still alone," Viper continued. "Tomorrow, we come with everyone."
The speaker went dead.
[WAR COUNTDOWN UPDATED: 24 HOURS]
Mina clenched her jaw.
"One day," she said. "That's not enough."
Arjun stared at the system.
[Hidden Option Unlocked: Emergency Expansion]
[Condition: Risk Permanent Loss]
His eyes hardened.
"Then we don't wait."
That night, Arjun made his move.
A solo infiltration.
Mina tried to stop him.
"You go in there alone, you might not come back."
Arjun met her gaze.
"If I don't go," he said, "none of us will."
The system wrapped around him like armor.
[Stealth + Agility Maximized]
He vanished into the ruins.
Deep in Iron Serpent territory, Arjun found it—
Their supply depot.
Fuel. Ammo. Food.
A single spark was enough.
[High-Risk Action Confirmed]
The explosion lit up the city like a second sunrise.
Iron Serpent territory erupted in chaos.
[Enemy Morale: Severely Damaged]
Arjun escaped through fire and smoke, heart pounding.
When he returned, Mina punched his shoulder—hard.
"Idiot," she said, voice shaking.
Arjun smiled.
"Worth it."
[Faction Status Updated]
[Enemy Strength Reduced: −30%]
[Siege Difficulty: Lowered]
The system pulsed ominously.
[Next Event: Full-Scale Assault Imminent]
Arjun looked at his people.
"Tomorrow," he said, "we decide who owns this city."
The ruins trembled.
The first real war of the apocalypse was about to begin