Chapter 1070: Only the Tip of the Iceberg

Inside the compound…

Miles was busy coordinating everything.

The plan was to expand the compound to cover the entire small town, including the surrounding farmland. There were still tons of facilities to build, and the workload was massive.

Aside from the regular workers, the Enhanced had also been pulled into the construction effort.

These guys had strength to spare, and when it came to labor, they were way more efficient than the average worker.

Back in the old days, they never had to lift a finger. Just stood around, watching others work.

But now, under Miles’ orders, everyone had to pitch in.

Not a single one dared complain. They were all working their asses off, hoping to earn some approval.

At first, Miles had considered having Garrick use his ability to build the houses.

But that idea died fast.

Turns out, Garrick’s creations were basically mud huts. Fine for temporary shelter, but long-term? Not even close to livable.

And since the guy had zero experience with construction, his earth-type ability ended up producing more “boxes” than houses. The results were so bad, they were painful to look at.

In the end, Miles had to scrap the idea.

Still, watching Garrick raise a house straight from the ground had left everyone stunned.

Yeah… none of these people were normal.

While everyone was busy working up a sweat, a rumble echoed through the compound as an FMTV military truck slowly rolled in.

Heads turned. People paused.

And then—panic.

“Ti-Tiger!”

“Holy shit, that thing’s huge!”

“That’s a mutant tiger!”

A wave of cold dread swept through the crowd.

The tiger radiated raw, terrifying pressure. It hadn’t even moved, but everyone could feel it—if this thing attacked, it’d be one bite per person. Even the Enhanced wouldn’t stand a chance.

All eyes turned to Miles and the others, silently praying they could handle it.

But what happened next made their jaws hit the floor.

The truck came to a stop. The three who had left earlier climbed down. One of them casually reached out and patted the massive tiger.

And the tiger… obediently lay down.

Everyone’s brains short-circuited.

“You’re back,” Miles said, walking over. “Let me introduce you all—this is Goldie, a Tier 7 mutant Bengal tiger. She’s a member of the Fallen Star Squad and will be staying here to help guard the compound.”

“Tier… Tier 7?!”

Eyes went wide.

Tier 6 was already godlike to them. But Tier 7? And a mutant tiger at that?

No one doubted the combat power of a mutant tiger. A Tier 7 one? That was a monster that could crush even Tier 7 Awakened.

They’d already been blown away by the strength of the Fallen Star Squad. Now they realized—they’d only seen the tip of the iceberg.

The squad’s true power? Absolutely terrifying.

A moment later, the orange cat Pumpkin hopped down from the back of the truck.

Miles gestured toward it. “This is Pumpkin, a Tier 6 mutant orange cat. Also a member of the Fallen Star Squad. He’ll be staying in the compound long-term. With him around, I doubt we’ll have any issues with rats.”

“…”

At this point, everyone in the compound was already numb from shock. They didn’t even register the double meaning in Miles’ words.

No one was thinking about rebellion anymore. All they wanted was to keep their heads down and work hard—cling tight to the Fallen Star Squad’s thigh.

No—this wasn’t a thigh.

This was a giant, unshakable, tree-trunk-thick leg of power.

“Alright, back to work. Goldie and Pumpkin are staying here.”

“Yes, sir!” No one hesitated. If anything, they worked even harder.

Meanwhile, Miles and the others drove the FMTV deeper into the compound.

Soon, the truck came to a stop outside the central building.

Hearing the rumble of the truck, Ethan and the others stepped outside. “You’re back.”

“Everything taken care of?” Ethan asked, looking at Miles.

“More or less,” Miles replied. “But if we want to expand the compound to cover the whole small town, it’s gonna be a massive job. We’re still short on manpower—it’s gonna take time.”

“No rush,” Ethan said. “We’ll take it slow. People will come. Whenever we head out, if we find the right ones, we’ll bring them back.”

“Yeah,” Miles nodded. “I’m thinking of splitting everyone into two groups—combat personnel and support personnel. Combat folks will handle fighting, help you guys deal with large zombie hordes. Support will focus on construction, production, and keeping logistics running smoothly.”

“Makes sense,” Ethan agreed. “Older guys can go into support roles. Let Uncle Joe help you manage them. The younger ones can be trained for combat—but we’ll need to vet them first. Keep them in the compound for observation. Only give them resources once we’re sure they’re solid.”

“Got it,” Miles said.

“Alright, then it’s settled. From now on, you’re in charge of everything inside the compound. No need to check with me. I need to make sure the Fallen Star Squad stays ahead of the curve, so I won’t be around much.”

“Understood.”

“Come on, let’s grab something to eat. After that, I’ll take the team out to sweep the area around Pine Hollow. You stay here and keep an eye on things.”

“Will do.”

The group headed back inside. Miles used his [Pocket Dimension] to pull out some food from storage. After a quick meal, Ethan led the team out of the compound.

…

There weren’t many zombies left in Pine Hollow.

The population had been low to begin with, and Knox’s group had already done a lot of cleanup. They walked for quite a while without seeing a single undead.

Ethan and the others moved straight toward the small towns surrounding Pine Hollow, clearing them one by one.

Overall, small towns were way safer than cities.

Most had only a few hundred residents. The bigger ones? Maybe a thousand or two. That made it hard for zombies to form large hordes.

Even if a high-tier zombie managed to gather the undead from several nearby towns, the total would still only be around a couple thousand.

That kind of number? Any halfway decent compound could hold its ground.

So Ethan’s plan to build up in Pine Hollow was the right call.

Of course, Pine Hollow had its downsides—limited supplies, not enough people to grow fast, and so on.

But Ethan wasn’t aiming for rapid expansion. All he wanted was a safe base and a self-sustaining food supply.

His real goal had always been power. Once he was strong enough, building a force would just be icing on the cake.

Redwood County had a total population of just over 200,000. That meant maybe 100,000 zombies at most. Give them enough time, and they could wipe them all out.

The problem was the size of the county. The zombies were scattered, which made cleanup more time-consuming.

So Ethan’s plan was simple: clear one small town at a time.

Once they’d purged all of Redwood County, their strength would probably level up again. Then they could start thinking about expanding into neighboring counties.

In the apocalypse, slow and steady wasn’t just smart—it was survival.