Carter wasted no time.
Within an hour of receiving the alert, his highest-ranking officers and most trusted advisors were gathered in the command building.
Maps of the city were spread across the table, with markers representing their current territories and the unexplored sectors still lying in ruin, along with a new section that had been filled in to deliniate the territory of the government forces.
The section of the city, where the Interim Territorial Government was located, was an untouched zone—an area of the city that the legion nor any of the survivors within the safe zone had ever been to since the fall of the apocalypse.
Sam, his brother-in-law and head of engineering, stared at the map with a dark expression.
"This changes everything,"
he muttered.
"They're not some scattered survivors looking for shelter, even worse if you say that the 'scouts' informed that they seemed like a real army. If the 'scouts' called them hostile, that means they already see us as a threat, and most likely wont be open to discussion but rather putting us in our place by removing our own hostile elements, and conquering the rest to fall under their regime."
Marcus, head of the militia, leaned forward.
"They haven't sent anyone to talk to us? No scouts, no envoys, no warnings. Either they don't care that we exist—"
"—Or they already have a plan to deal with us,"
Carter finished.
Silence fell over the room.
Carter exhaled, crossing his arms.
"We need to know what we're dealing with."
Lucius, one of his top Centurions, nodded.
"A more comprehensive scouting mission?"
Carter met his gaze.
"Exactly."
~
Carter wasn't about to send random scouts to investigate this new faction.
This wasn't like scouting a horde or an abandoned ruin.
This was a potential modern military force, maybe even a professional one having had years of military training as well.
Which meant if they were caught, they'd be interrogated, imprisoned, or worse—executed.
If Carter wanted information, he needed to go himself that way he could ensure the missions success using his own unique powers.
That way, if things went south, he could react instantly rather than waiting on reports.
He selected his best:
🔺 Carter – Imperator of the Legion, leading the mission personally.
🔺 Varo – Prefect of the Praetorians, Carter's most trusted warrior.
🔺 5 Praetorians – Elite warriors, and silent killers.
🔺 10 Velites – Skirmishers, skilled in stealth and reconnaissance.
🔺 2 Equites Scouts – Fast cavalry, prepared for rapid extraction if necessary.
This wasn't an army.
It was a ghost unit, special ops if you will.
The goal was simple:
▶ Infiltrate the Government District.
▶ Gather intelligence.
▶ Return undetected.
▶ If possible sow some discord in their ranks.
No engagement.
No risks.
If they were spotted, the mission was a failure since a response would be expected.
And depending on what they found…
It could determine the future of the Legion itself.
~
The Government District had once been a piece of the beating heart of the city.
It housed the mayor's office, the city council chambers, federal buildings, and police headquarters.
Now?
It looked like a ghost town.
Carter and his team moved through the ruins under the cover of darkness, taking side streets and abandoned underground tunnels to avoid being spotted all the while being dressed in light armor colored black to blend in with the darkness of the night.
The further they went, the more unsettling the silence became.
There were no Walkers.
No undead anywhere.
Which meant only one thing—
Someone had already cleared them out, and the legions operations had been only active on the other side of the river only keeping a military checkpoint presence on the bridges over the river.
~
As they moved deeper into enemy territory, Carter's team began spotting signs of occupation.
🔺 Patrol routes. Fresh boot prints in the dirt.
🔺 Barricades. Reinforced checkpoints set up at major intersections not mean to block entry but rather provide cover and points to holdout and defend the position for a while.
🔺 Watchtowers. Crude but effective, built from scavenged materials again unmanned since the dark of night was dangerous and possible unknown horrors would take out any defenders they left to stand watch outside their territory walls.
Whoever these people were, they weren't just surviving.
They were building.
And that was dangerous, this made them a true competing faction one that could seriously rival for control of the city.
Carter crouched behind an overturned police car, raising a fist to halt his men.
Up ahead—
A checkpoint, but not like the others this was a manned one.
Two guards stood in the dim light of makeshift flood lamps, their weapons modern and well-maintained.
Unlike the survivor groups Carter had crushed, these men weren't wearing random scavenged gear.
They wore matching uniforms.
Body armor.
Tactical vests.
And their weapons?
Military-grade rifles.
Carter's stomach twisted.
This wasn't a gang of thugs.
This was a professional force.
And that meant one of two things:
1️⃣ They were former military personnel, using their training to establish control, similar to a vigilante force trying to carve out their own utopia in this god forsaken new world.
or
2️⃣ They were still in contact with remnants of the U.S. Government, or operated as if reconnection with them was a sure thing.
Neither option was good news after all Carter and his little 'rebel' band was a competing force to national rule after all though his impact was considerably on a lesser scale but with time and more experience he could become a serious threat to the capitalist republic system that had ruled over the continent for the last two hundred and some years.
Carter turned to Varian, whispering,
"We need to get closer. But everyone keep quiet."
~
They moved carefully as a team, sticking to the shadows, slipping between alleys and ruined buildings avoiding the sight lines of the posted guards.
After an hour of slow movement, they reached a high vantage point—a half-collapsed skyscraper overlooking the heart of the Government controlled District.
And what they saw made Carter's blood run cold.
The Interim Territorial Government wasn't just a faction.
It was a city, like a real proper functioning modern city...
Within the ruins of the Government District, they had rebuilt.
🔺 A fully fortified perimeter, complete with walls and turrets, like machine gun nest fortifications to defend themselves.
🔺 Military-style tent encampments, tent barracks, and training grounds.
🔺 Dozens of armed patrols moving in formation, all carrying standardized weapons.
🔺 Even a goddamn working convoy of armoured vehicles and Humvees.
And the worst part?
🔺 The military base in the distance—its floodlights still operational and a glow coming from over their walls indicating that they still had power and the means to use it when the rest of the city had gone dark.
The Army Base.
They had control of it.
Which meant they had stockpiles of weapons, vehicles, and supplies.
Which meant—
They had the firepower to challenge the Legion, challenge it and...
Most likely to defeat them.
~
Carter stared at the fortified city below him, his mind racing.
This changed everything.
The Legion was strong—but it was still an ancient-era army especially when compared to the modern military force he saw before his eyes now.
Iron weapons.
Discipline.
Numbers.
But the Interim Government?
They had guns.
They had tactics.
They had modern military experience.
If it came to war, the Legion would take heavy casualties.
Maybe even lose, and worse yet their abilities posed a real threat to Carters own life which would mean the end of everything.
And for the first time since the apocalypse began, Carter considered an option he had never thought he'd need to do given the circumstances.
and that was Leaving.
~
Carter and his team withdrew, slipping back into the ruins undetected moving further and further away from the actively controlled territory of the provisional government forces.
When they finally reached the safety of Legion territory, the others waited for his command.
"What's the plan?" oVaro asked.
Carter exhaled.
"We have two options."
1️⃣ We stay and prepare for war.
▶ The Legion would have to massively upgrade, preparing for an extensive campaign against the military.
▶ They would need to start greatly expanding the militia force and handing out the scavenged guns, training marksmen, and adapting modern tactics, assuming that he could convince the public to resist against a power of the old world.
▶ The risk? A devastating war that could wipe out the city completely.
2️⃣ We leave and find another city.
▶ The Legion would move to a new city, one still overrun with the undead.
▶ They could harvest more experience, grow stronger, and return with overwhelming power.
▶ The risk? Abandoning everything they've built—leaving the safe zone to fall under enemy control, and who knowns what the provisional forces next move would be after that.
Carter looked at his men.
"This decision… determines everything."
Silence.
Then Varo smirked.
"We're Romans, Imperator."
Carter chuckled.
"Yeah. We are."
But even Rome had to retreat before it conquered the world.
And Carter needed to decide—
Would he stay and fight?
Or leave and return stronger?