Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 12 We Found a Supply Fortress

Time kept ticking.

Magnus tossed the cigarette from his fingers and exhaled sharply. He went to find Emily and Liana, told them to inform the 21 squad leaders they’d just selected to meet in the sleeper bus.

Once everyone was in, Magnus laid it all out - what they were facing, the Emberleaf Legion closing in, only 46 hours left before they entered the city. He wanted suggestions. This wasn’t something one person could fix alone.

The women went quiet. After a moment, Emily looked up, her sharp eyes fixed on Magnus. "We want to hear what you’re thinking. And... all of this - the world falling apart, that enemy army outside - how do you know all this? Can you explain it to us now?"

Two dozen eyes locked on him. Magnus had only meant to talk strategy. He didn’t expect Emily to press him like that. He hesitated. "I can’t explain it now. Once we survive the next 46 hours and get out of the city, I’ll find a way to explain everything."

His tone shifted. "But for now, here’s the plan. First - we need drivers. Big vehicle drivers. I gave you that list from the dorm, Emily. Start with women who already know how to drive - I want them trained right away."

He turned to one of the girls, "Chloe."

She was from the old Ice Regiment. Been with him to the end. Saved his life once.

"You, go gather all the women with licenses. Get them practicing with trucks here in the parking lot."

Chloe paused, scanning his face. She couldn’t shake the feeling he knew her too well - closer than made sense - but she held her tongue and went to do as told.

"Second," Magnus continued, "our vehicles aren’t ready. We’ve got welding tools, nail guns, steel plates, rebar in the cargo trucks. I’ll show you how to retrofit the vehicles. We need the windows armored, metal plates welded on. Windshield stays, but we build a shield over it. Nail guns too - normal ones can’t fire unless pushed against something. That part’s easy to modify..."

He paused.

Before he could move on to the third point, Emily nodded and chimed in, "Third - our vehicles still aren’t enough. The passenger bus only takes 65. Short term, it works. Long term, it doesn’t. Liana and I checked the trucks. All three are nearly full. If we want extra supplies, we need more cargo trucks. I think we should hit the Zero Mile dealership once everything else is ready."

Her plan matched what Magnus had in mind. Then another voice broke in - nervous, unsure.

"C-Can I say something?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Magnus nodded. The girl wasn’t from the old crew.

"I-I’m Sophie Lynch..." She stood with a stiff posture, obviously tense.

"My home’s by Zero Mile too. My dad ran a cargo station out there - a big one. I thought... maybe... maybe we could go there? To my dad’s warehouse..."Sophie rushed through her explanation, afraid they’d think she just wanted to go home to find her parents. "We’ve got deals with a bunch of food suppliers - beef jerky, tires, even Hostess and Little Debbie! All their stock goes through my dad’s warehouse!"

Her words lit something in Magnus’s mind. He hadn’t thought about the freight stations before, but it made perfect sense. Tons of goods, especially food, were shipped through those large hubs into Springvale City. Plus, the stations had warehouses and easy vehicle access. That area - Zero Mile in the northern part of the city - was packed with 4S dealerships too.

It was a smarter base than this dark underground garage.

The girls had no objections. Their first stop would be Sophie’s family freight station at Zero Mile. Magnus set everyone in motion.

Chloe rounded up 26 girls with driving licenses and got them started with big truck training. Another 50 busied themselves unloading equipment - spot-welding tools, nail guns - from around the trucks. Twenty more cleaned out the double-decker buses, laying down mattresses, quilts, and a few essentials.

The rest circled around Magnus, learning how to retrofit vehicles, modify nail guns, and make spike-shovels and torch spears.

They worked non-stop till midnight - six hours of hard prepping. The drivers had grasped the basics, and the vehicles were ready: two Humvees, three large Foton box trucks, and two triple-layer sleeper buses, all armored up. Sixty-five nail guns had been modified.

Forty hours left till the Emberleaf Legion reached the city. Magnus ordered a 20-minute rest - eat something with high calories, regain strength - then departure.

*****

The garage’s rolling door groaned up for the last time. Magnus, Sarah, Taylor, and Sophie rode in the lead Humvee.

The vehicle had been turned into a steel beast - metal plates over the window frames, iron grid over the windshield, and two discarded car doors welded to the front like a ram.

The school’s field lay ahead - quiet, eerily still. The city’s power had just gone out. Wherever the headlights cut through, thick spiderwebs - eight meters wide - hung across the road.

The Humvee moved slowly, brushing through webs. Under the tires, the crunch of brittle corpses made the vehicle jolt lightly.

The undead sensed the light and swarmed, latching on to the sides, clawing for a way in.

Once used to the noise and movement, the lead Humvee picked up a little speed, shoving aside some abandoned cars blocking the gate. They rolled into the main road. Luckily, the university zone was in the outskirts - little traffic. The run to Zero Mile was smooth.

"That’s it! That’s my home! My dad..."

Sophie pointed ahead, eyes watery and red.

"Hold on," Magnus said, grabbing her arm as the Humvee turned into the station yard. "You, Taylor, and Sarah stay in the car. I’ll take a look first."

He doused himself in insect repellent, jumped out, pulled a torch from the vehicle roof and lit it. He waved three times to signal the other buses. Inside, the girls sprayed themselves down, lit their torches, and climbed out.

The repellent helped most with large mosquitoes. As long as you weren’t careless and kept your gear sealed, they wouldn’t approach.

"Emily, Liana - "

He barely whispered when a startled scream rang behind him. He turned sharply. Somehow, Sophie was already off the vehicle.

Flashlights swept toward her.

Two centipedes crawled across her, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was on her knees, clutching the shriveled remains of a corpse, crying her heart out...