The entrance to the manager's office filled with the dull thuds of metal hitting flesh as Ethan worked his fire axe through the security guards outside.
"Hmph!"
Another infected dropped beside him, and the metal cap on its head rang across the pavement when it rolled away. Ethan stepped over the body and caught the next one through the side of the skull, swinging with the same ugly rhythm as someone chopping vegetables.
Dmitri watched from several meters back with his MP7A1 ready while Rex wandered beside him, tongue hanging out as though the whole thing was nothing unusual.
"Good work. Keep the entrance clear."
Five more infected came out after the noise, but Ethan had enough room to meet them before they could spread. He drove the axe head into the first, pulled it free, and used the longer reach to keep the rest from crowding him until the others helped finish the group.
Rex's posture changed before Dmitri could say anything. The dog's mouth closed, his ears turned toward the dark interior, and a low growl rolled from his throat.
Dmitri followed his stare. "Found something, buddy?"
Rex did not move away from the entrance.
That was enough for Dmitri. "Ethan, stay here with Alexei and Selene. Ryan, come with me. Rex too."
"Roger, sir."
The lobby beyond the doors was much darker than the outside, with only a few emergency signs still glowing along the walls. Armory. Lounge. Canteen. Dmitri ignored them for the moment and lowered his night-vision goggles while Ryan stayed a few steps behind.
Ryan glanced toward the reception area. "Are we not going to loot, sir?"
"Later. Time is of the essence; we secure the place first."
Rex moved between them with his nose low, then turned toward a restroom door behind the reception counter. Dmitri changed direction with him rather than asking the dog to explain something he obviously couldn't.
The door opened with a soft scrape. A security guard stood inside facing the wall, still wearing most of its vest but no helmet, and Dmitri checked the opposite corner before putting one suppressed round through its head.
The sound was quiet compared to the MP5s outside, though it still carried farther in the enclosed lobby than he liked.
"Nothing else?" Ryan whispered, but Rex stayed calm.
"Looks clear. Come on."
They continued through the first floor, passing several locked rooms and clearing the open ones as they went. Dmitri left the locks alone whenever Rex showed no interest in them; whatever papers or supplies were inside could wait until the building itself was safe.
Near the middle of the corridor, Rex began growling again, and the reaction was stronger this time.
A pair of polished wooden doors stood ahead, absurdly expensive-looking compared with the rest of the office. Several infected security guards wandered near them, but their heads were uncovered and none had reacted yet.
Dmitri held Ryan back with one hand. "Stay here. Cover the corridor."
He moved forward alone and used the knife on the first guard, catching the body before it hit the floor. The next two went down the same way, and the last one barely started to turn before Dmitri drove the blade under its jaw.
The hallway quieted again, and Dmitri reached for one of the gold-colored handles, but a heavy impact came from the other side before his fingers touched it. He backed away just as the double doors exploded outward.
A massive body charged through the opening and smashed shoulder-first into the opposite wall, throwing wood and plaster across the corridor. Dmitri ducked behind the corner as fragments struck his back and shoulder.
What the hell is that?
The infected pulled itself out of the debris. Its body was enormous, most of the bulk packed around a swollen torso and thick arms, while its cloudy white eyes did not seem to focus on anything in front of it.
Rex barked from behind Ryan, and the creature's head turned toward the sound before its nose twitched.
"Back out!" Dmitri shouted.
Ryan did not argue. He retreated toward the lobby with Rex while Dmitri fired several suppressed rounds at the creature's head, but the bullets only dug shallow holes through the thick tissue and failed to slow it much.
The infected roared and charged toward the sound, smashing into the wall when Dmitri moved aside.
Blind, maybe. Smell or sound instead? Either way, he had no intention of testing it in a narrow hallway.
"Move! Everybody outside!"
Ethan, Alexei, and Selene heard him before they saw the creature. Ryan reached them first and pointed toward the parking lot.
"Something big inside. Dmitri wants everyone clear."
A second crash shook the office.
Dmitri came out moments later, breathing harder than before but still on his feet. "Lukas, Elise, do you copy?"
"Lukas copying."
"Elise copying."
"Bring everyone you can spare to the parking lot behind Building Two. Leave the guards at Building One where they are. We need open ground."
"Copy. Moving."
Dmitri looked at Ryan. "Take Alexei, Selene, and Ethan ahead. Set up where you can see the approach from the office. Don't bunch together between the cars."
"What about you, sir?"
"I'll bring it to you."
Alexei stared toward the ruined entrance. "You're sure about that?"
"Not really, but standing here is worse. Go."
They ran toward the parking lot while Dmitri stayed with Rex near the office entrance.
Back in Building One, Hans had just finished converting the valuables recovered from Building Two when the first heavy crash reached his room.
------
[ Automatic Gold Conversion complete. ]
[ Gold: 209 (+1,676) => 1,885 ]
------
Hans looked toward the window. "What the hell was that?"
Another crash followed from the direction of the manager's office, and his stomach tightened when he saw dust pushing out through one side of the building.
He still needed more people outside, and the loot finally gave him enough Gold to do something about it.
"System, train one Scout, one Army Soldier, and four Conscripts."
------
[ Scout queued. ]
[ Cost: 1,000 Gold | Training Time: 5 minutes ]
[ Army Soldier queued. ]
[ Cost: 400 Gold | Training Time: 2 minutes ]
[ Conscript x4 queued. ]
[ Cost: 400 Gold | Training Time: 1 minute each ]
[ Gold: 1,885 (-1,800) => 85 ]
------
Eleven minutes was still eleven minutes too long if Dmitri was already in trouble, but Hans had no faster unit waiting in reserve.
"Kenji!" he shouted toward the hallway. "When the new soldiers finish, send them straight to Dmitri. Tell the Scout to take the lead."
"Yes, Commander!"
At the manager's office, the creature finally smashed through the reception area and emerged into daylight. It stopped for half a second, cloudy eyes fixed nowhere, while its nose worked through the air.
Dmitri pulled the pin from his fragmentation grenade.
"Come on, big guy. Show yourself."
The creature turned toward him, and Dmitri tightened his grip on the grenade.
"Now!"