Chapter 1197: What Kind of Compound Is This?

Redmont City, Redwood County...

A sprawling compound, stretching more than six miles across, sat inside Redwood County’s borders.

No one would’ve guessed that a remote little city in Redwood County could build something this massive.

And even fewer would’ve guessed what kind of strength it had...

Redmont’s compound covered an enormous area, yet its population was under a hundred thousand. Still, it was fully outfitted—food reserves, weapons, medical facilities, the works.

Above the main gate hung a huge steel sign:

FALLEN STAR CITY

These days, most compounds used a simple naming scheme—location plus "compound." Almost nobody dared to name a base after their own squad or faction, because that was basically a public declaration of independence.

Plenty of compounds secretly wanted that kind of status.

Very few were stupid enough to say it out loud.

Right then, a team of Enhanced who’d escaped from Harrison City fled all the way into Redwood County.

The Safe Zone built by Harrison City’s government had held out for months... but in the end, it still couldn’t stand.

A newly advanced Tier 10 Zombie King, leading more than 800,000 zombies, had smashed the Safe Zone in one decisive attack. Inside, people either died or ran.

Almost all the ordinary civilians were eaten alive. Only some of the Enhanced managed to break out and scatter—fleeing to nearby suburbs and other cities.

This group of a little over five hundred was one of those escapees.

They’d originally had more than two thousand.

But the road of retreat had been a bloodbath. By the time they reached here, five hundred was all that remained.

And that was only because they hadn’t run into any zombies after entering Redwood County. Otherwise, even these five hundred might not have made it.

Not long after crossing into the county, they spotted a huge compound ahead—one that looked even larger than Harrison City’s base ever had.

Curiosity spread through the group.

But the moment they saw the sign over the gate—

FALLEN STAR CITY

—faces tightened and brows furrowed.

"Not a government compound?" the team leader,

Jaxon Holt

, said, puzzled.

A government-built compound wouldn’t name itself like that.

For something this big to

not

be government-run... it made him wary. And interested.

A strikingly pretty woman beside him blinked and lowered her voice. "Probably some ambitious bastard, Captain. You think we could maybe...?"

Jaxon shook his head.

"Let’s look first," he said. "Anyone who can build a compound this big isn’t ordinary."

That was what he said out loud.

But inside, he couldn’t help feeling tempted.

A remote city only had so many resources. No matter how strong these people were, how strong could they really be?

Back in Harrison City, his squad had been the strongest. And Jaxon himself had reached

Tier 8

.

Sure, their numbers were down now—but with his Tier 8 strength, plus six Tier 7 Enhanced and dozens of Tier 6 Enhanced, they should be able to crush anything in a place like this.

And if they could take a compound this huge and make it theirs...

Just imagining it made his blood heat up.

Jaxon’s lips curved into a faint smile. Maybe this disaster had brought him a gift instead.

"Let’s go," he said. "We’ll check it out."

The group picked up speed, marching straight toward the compound gates.

At the compound gate, eight guards stood in two neat lines. Up on the walls, an Enhanced guard was posted every thirty-odd feet.

The moment Jaxon’s group reached the entrance, the gate guards stopped them.

"Which squad are you with? I’ve never seen you people before."

Jaxon was about to answer when one of his men—face pale—tugged hard on his sleeve.

"C-Captain... be... be polite."

Jaxon frowned. "What’s wrong?"

"T-Tier 7..." the man stammered, voice shaking. "A-all... Tier 7!"

Jaxon blinked. "What Tier 7?"

"The guards... they’re... they’re all Tier 7!"

"...!"

Jaxon’s eyes widened. The people nearby who heard it did too.

"You’re kidding, right?" Jaxon snapped, staring at his scout like he’d lost his mind.

But the man swallowed and forced the words out anyway. "Captain, I’m not joking. They’re all Tier 7."

Silence hit the group.

That guy was their scout. Back when he was Tier 6, he’d awakened a mental detection skill—able to probe the strength of anyone up to three Tiers higher than himself.

He wasn’t much in a fight, but his value to the team was enormous.

And everyone knew he wasn’t the type to joke about something like this.

Still... Tier 7 guards at the front gate?

That was insane.

"What are you whispering about?" the guard demanded again. "I asked you a question."

"Uh—sorry," Jaxon said quickly, his tone changing on the spot. "We’re not with any squad. We just came from Harrison City."

Now that he knew these were Tier 7s, respect came automatically.

He might be Tier 8, but if the

guards

were Tier 7, there was no way the people inside were weak. Not a chance.

"Harrison City?" The guard gave him a sharp look. "What’s the situation there now?"

Fallen Star City had been busy sweeping zombie populations across the surrounding counties. They hadn’t gone to check Harrison City lately.

Jaxon sighed, making sure his expression looked properly grim. "A Tier 10 zombie appeared. Harrison City has already fallen."

"So it’s gone..." The guard nodded, absorbing it, then waved them forward. "Come with me. Our Deputy Commander’s been gathering intel on Harrison City. You showed up at the right time—you can brief him."

"Y-yes. Of course."

Jaxon’s stomach tightened. He was afraid that once they went in, they wouldn’t come back out.

But he also knew refusing now would probably end even worse.

So he went along, leading his people through the gates under escort—careful, cautious, trying not to look like prey.

They hadn’t gone far before they ran into a patrol of more than a hundred Enhanced. The gate guard exchanged a quick greeting with them and continued onward.

But the man beside Jaxon—his scout—jerked like someone had punched him.

Everyone looked at him.

"One Tier 8..." he whispered, barely able to breathe. "The rest... all Tier 7."

"...!"

Jaxon’s mouth went dry.

They hadn’t even gotten properly inside yet, and already this place was making his spine sweat.

Then, not long after they entered, a commotion rose outside Fallen Star City again.

Heavy footfalls. Growls. The pounding rhythm of multiple large bodies moving fast.

A pack of mutant beasts charged straight up to the gate.

For a split second, the guards tensed—hands shifting, eyes sharpening—

Then the beasts drew close enough for them to see the riders.

Their faces broke instantly into open excitement.

"The Commander’s back!"

"The Commander’s back!"

"The Commander has returned!"

The shouts rolled inward like a wave.

Inside Fallen Star City, groups of people immediately started sprinting toward the gates.

Even the guard escorting Jaxon’s team abandoned them on the spot, turning and running for the entrance without a second thought.

Jaxon and his people were left standing there, frozen.

Shaking.

Yeah—shaking.

Because as Enhanced streamed past them, the scout’s trembling voice kept whispering the same kind of report, over and over, like he couldn’t stop counting.

And the conclusion was simple:

There wasn’t a single person here below Tier 7.

Jaxon swallowed hard, staring into the moving crowd, feeling like he’d stepped into the mouth of a monster.

What the hell kind of compound had they walked into?