The retreat of the military was the signal.
The civilians who had been hiding in the ruins of the nearby factories and subway stations, watching the battle with terrified eyes, realized one thing: The monsters couldn't get in. And the military couldn't break it down.
Sanctuary was safe.
It started as a trickle. A family of four covered in soot running across the open ground toward the gate. Then a group of factory workers armed with wrenches. Then a mob.
Within an hour the perimeter of the fortress was a sea of humanity. Thousands of people pressed against the invisible edge of the barrier. Screaming to be let in.
"Open the gate! Please!"
"My baby is sick! Help us!"
"They're coming! The shadows are coming!"
Sebastian stood in the courtyard. Watching the feed from the external cameras projected onto a holographic screen. The noise was deafening. A chorus of sheer, unadulterated desperation.
But behind the refugees the darkness was moving.
The "First Wave" of infected—the fast zombies created by the initial mana burst—were hunting. They tore into the back of the crowd. Sebastian watched as a man was dragged down by three of his former neighbors. His screams cut short by teeth tearing into his throat. The crowd surged forward in panic. Crushing those at the front against the barrier.
"We have to let them in," Valerie said. Her face pale. She was pacing the War Room. Looking at the screens. "Sebastian, they're being slaughtered out there."
"If we open the gates we let the infection in," Sebastian said. His voice devoid of emotion. He was scrolling through the [City Management] tab. "We have food for two people for six months. If we let in five thousand we starve in three days."
"So we just watch them die?" Valerie snapped. Slamming her hand on the table. "You built a fortress! You named it Sanctuary! What is the point of a sanctuary if it saves no one?"
Sebastian looked at her. "The point is to survive the extinction event, Valerie. Not to run a soup kitchen."
But he knew she was right. Pragmatically if not morally. He needed manpower. He needed labor to expand the walls. To farm the mana-crops he planned to plant. To maintain the equipment. A fortress without an army was just a tomb.
"Fine," Sebastian said. "We let them in. But not all of them."
He walked out to the main gate. He climbed the ladder to the top of the wall. He looked down at the sea of faces. Dirty. Bloody. Terrified faces.
"LISTEN TO ME!" Sebastian roared. His amplified voice silencing the screams.
"The gate will open. But there are rules. This is not a charity. This is a survival camp. If you enter you work. If you enter you obey. If you hide a bite you die. If you steal you die. If you disobey an order you die."
He raised his hand. The massive obsidian gates groaned and cracked open. Revealing a gap just wide enough for one person at a time.
"Form a line. Single file. Anyone who pushes gets thrown to the infected."
The mob surged but the threat of the zombies behind them and the god-like figure on the wall kept a semblance of order.
Valerie rushed down to the courtyard to manage the intake. But it was chaos. People were hysterical. They fought over water bottles. They refused to separate from infected family members.
"My husband is fine! He's just feverish!" a woman screamed. Clutching a man whose veins were black and pulsing.
"He's turning," Valerie said. Trying to be gentle. "He can't come in."
"No! I won't leave him!"
The man convulsed. Then lunged at Valerie. His jaw unhinging.
BANG.
Sebastian stood on the stairs. A smoking pistol in his hand. He had taken it from the supply crate. The man dropped dead. A hole in his forehead. The woman screamed. Collapsing over the body.
"Next," Sebastian said.
The cruelty of the action stunned the crowd into silence. Valerie looked at him with horror but she didn't argue. She saw the necessity.
But the logistics were a nightmare. Five thousand people. No organization. No skills. Just mouths to feed and panic to manage.
"This isn't working," Sebastian muttered. "It's too slow. We need a system."
He closed his eyes. He accessed his Infinite Skill Points. He navigated to the [Leadership] and [Management] trees. These were usually neglected skills in the game. Useless for combat. But here? They were essential.
[Skill: Basic Leadership] -> [Evolution] -> [Organizational Mastery].
[Skill: Logistics] -> [Evolution] -> [Resource Optimization].
[Skill: Command] -> [Evolution] -> [Hive Mind Command (Forbidden Tier)].
[Hive Mind Command (Forbidden Tier)]
[Effect: Allows the user to wirelessly interface with the 'System' of allied individuals. Can view stats, assign classes, and issue direct mental orders to large groups. Increases obedience and coordination by 500%.]
Sebastian opened his eyes. The world shifted.
He didn't just see people anymore. He saw data.
Above every refugee's head a floating status window appeared.
[Name: John Doe] [Str: 4] [Int: 3] [Skill: Carpentry Lv 2] [Status: Healthy]
[Name: Jane Smith] [Str: 2] [Int: 6] [Skill: Medicine Lv 4] [Status: Infected (Latent - 2%)]
"You," Sebastian pointed at the woman with the latent infection. "Quarantine zone. Left side."
"You," he pointed at the carpenter. "Wall repair. Right side."
He didn't need to speak to everyone. He activated [Hive Mind Command].
A pulse of mental energy expanded from him. Every refugee in the courtyard suddenly felt a clear, undeniable instruction appear in their mind. It wasn't a voice. It was an impulse. A knowledge of exactly where they needed to go and what they needed to do.
Combatants to the North Wall.
Crafters to the Foundry.
Medics to the Triage Tent.
Civilians to the Barracks.
The chaos evaporated instantly. The mob stopped fighting. Their eyes glazed over slightly as the System guided them. They moved with the efficiency of ants. Sorting themselves into groups based on their stats and skills.
Valerie watched stunned as the riot turned into a well-oiled machine.
"What did you do?" she whispered. Looking at Sebastian.
"I gamified them," Sebastian replied. Watching the numbers settle. "I gave them a purpose. I gave them structure."
"You stripped their free will," Valerie countered. Shivering.
"I saved their lives," Sebastian said. Turning back to the keep. "Free will is a luxury for the living. Right now they are just assets. And I need every asset I can get."
He looked at the new population count.
[Sanctuary Population: 4,203]
[Daily Food Consumption: Critical]
[Defense Rating: Low]
"We have the labor," Sebastian noted. "Now we need the soldiers. Humans are too soft. Too squishy."
He looked toward the empty space in the courtyard where he had placed the piles of scrap metal.
"Time to build the real army."