Hello, Dmitri

Just as the battle at the main gate reached its peak and both sides fought with all their strength, a completely different scene was unfolding in the underground parking lot of the building under attack.

The place, dark and damp, lacked any source of light to illuminate it. Rats and insects slid silently across the cold floor, invisible to anyone who wasn't paying attention. Meanwhile, on the surface, the constant gunfire and the thunderous sound of combat focused all attention, turning the parking lot into an unnoticed refuge for Dmitri's people.

Aside from the two trucks that had been sent out to repel the attack, no one else should have tried to escape, and in theory, the parking lot shouldn't be housing any groups of people. However, at that moment, the reality was quite different.

"Everyone take cover and keep your eyes open! We need to get inside the building immediately and surprise the enemy!"

A series of slow footsteps echoed in the underground parking lot of the building, and occasionally, a few scattered voices could be heard.

Finally, a loud noise came from the underground door, breaking the silence, and several figures ran toward the parking lot, flashlights in hand.

Bang! Bang!

In the blink of an eye, two silent shots took down those two people, and the flashlights fell to the ground, rolling and casting their light on a group of individuals dressed in black tactical suits. They all wore night vision goggles on their helmets and gas masks that concealed their faces.

Crack!

One of the men from the group approached the two fallen victims and, with a swift motion, destroyed the flashlights to extinguish the light still illuminating the parking lot. Around twenty people stood in silence, observing with watchful eyes, showing no emotion at the situation.

This was the second attack squad sent by Jason, tasked with securing the two entrances of the building and preventing any escape attempts.

To ensure the operation's success, all members of the squad were experienced soldiers, recruited by Jason since he left prison with his small group. If he wanted to surpass the CRM, he urgently needed numerous military resources and to secure some bases with top-quality equipment. That's why, outside the prison, Jason had much more power than he had ever imagined obtaining.

To facilitate the start of the mission, the night vision goggles were removed, and those carrying ballistic shields opened the way into the building.

The leader of this squad was an older man named Jeffrey, a former leader of the refuge who had fallen victim to Dmitry's forces. With a watchful glance around him, Jeffrey gave the order: "Alright, we need to get inside the building!"

Thus, the entire squad, under Jeffrey's command, advanced into the building, beginning to clear the path.

The darkness of the facility made it difficult to see the faces of some people, as the electricity had not been restored for some time. In areas without power generators, the building remained completely dark.

As they ventured deeper into the place, they encountered several people guarding a door. From the expressions on their faces, the fear they felt was evident.

"Excuse me, where's the bathroom?"

"What...?"

Before they could react, the person was caught by two shots to the chest. They fell to the floor lifeless within seconds.

After confirming that the threat had been neutralized, a man from the group, who had witnessed the shots and was at the front, fired again, this time aiming at the head of the corpse. He firmly pointed out, "Headshots, we shouldn't waste extra ammo on those who will rise as walkers."

"Understood!"

"Hurry up! We need to cover more ground to support Jason's group."

Noticing some gazes fixed on a door, Dmitry ordered, "Let's quickly check the rooms. If we find prisoners or resources, leave them for now. First, we need to eliminate all enemies."

"There's no point in saving someone if we can't defeat the enemy first. We need to be quick and effective." As he spoke, Jeffrey moved forward and began clearing the path.

Seeing his determination, everyone understood what needed to be done without Jeffrey having to remind them of every detail. They cleared the area quickly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As they advanced, the enemies' resistance increased, but the strangest thing was that they all seemed to flee in terror, not understanding what was happening.

Seeing this scene, Jeffrey frowned slightly but didn't pay it much attention. He continued walking through the cleared hallways and soon encountered several people lying on the ground, struggling to stay conscious.

Instead of continuing to move forward, he stopped and allowed those carrying ballistic shields to open the path again. His frown deepened.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Is everything okay?"

Noticing Jeffrey's worried expression, one of Jason's group members couldn't help but ask, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"It seems the situation is different from what I imagined." Jeffrey looked ahead and added, "These people were already injured before we arrived. The others were running in panic."

Upon hearing this, the group member smiled ironically and commented, "I guess our leader has already reached the front. This is normal if we consider how lethal he is when facing his enemies. To him, these people are nothing."

After a moment of reflection, Jeffrey nodded and replied, "You're right. I didn't know Jason or you all before he brought us into his group. I guess I underestimated his strength from the beginning."

"So... do we continue clearing the path as planned?"

"Yes, we can't let the general situation sway us. We must move faster and uncover everything this place hides."

"Understood!"

...

In the room where Dmitry had killed his most trusted subordinate, several people had entered without him being able to do anything.

Looking at the man in front of him, Dmitry couldn't help but ask, "Are you from the army or something like that? No, it doesn't seem like the military is out here facing walkers and destroying shelters these days."

Jason, who was sitting in front of Dmitry, smiled calmly and replied, "I can't deny that your people have surprised me, Mr. Dmitry. You see, while you have a very strong group and enough weapons to wipe out my people here ten times over with ease, your distribution is a mess."

Saying this, Jason paused and pointed out, "Well, a recent friend of mine told me that you and your group have done terrible things lately: kidnappings, thefts, murders... and I don't want to imagine what other atrocities you've committed up until today."

Dmitry interrupted Jason, looking at him with a cold expression and responded, "Don't come at me with that crap about trying to look like a man of good intentions. Seeing all the people you and your men have killed without hesitation, you're no different than us."

Looking at Dmitry's furious expression, Jason tried to discern what made him different from all the others he had faced until that moment.

He didn't wait any longer and called someone who was behind him, waiting for them to approach before saying, "Tell me, what did we find in these rooms before we got here?"

Billy, who looked at Dmitry with a cold expression, responded, "Imprisoned people, men, women, and children were chained."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Jason's mouth lifted slightly. He looked at Dmitry and said, "You see, I'm building a new order from scratch, driven by a noble cause. People like you are the ones I need to eliminate from my path to prevent you from causing me problems."

"Ha ha! Then you'll have to kill 90% of the people you find today in this world. No one expects to be saved, and they've learned to survive on their own a long time ago." Dmitry responded with a mocking glance.

"Hm, all I need to do is eliminate some troublesome men, cut off the heads of command, and make sure those who follow me can defend my shelters in this new world." Jason remained unfazed by Dmitry's words. He stood up and walked toward the center of the room.

Just as he was about to face Dmitry, the door opened, and an elderly man with a tired expression entered, looking at everyone in the room before saying, "Hello, Dmitry, you miserable bastard."

"Ah, look who's here. I suspected you were behind all this, Jeffrey."

Dmitry's calm voice resonated as Jeffrey entered. Everyone else present stared at the elderly man in silence.

For his part, Jason remained calm. He looked at Dmitry, and his eyes shone with an intention that no one could decipher.