The march of conquest did not slow.
After the fall of the Black Hounds, Carter's Legion continued to grow and moved like an unstoppable tide, sweeping through the city in all directions.
With each passing day, more territory was reclaimed.
More survivors were liberated or absorbed.
More opposition was crushed when they opted not to submit to Ceasars rule.
Within two weeks, they had secured nearly half the city—more than 150 blocks of urban sprawl now under the Imperator's rule.
The Legion had grown thanks to the rewards of the system allow Carter to increase the legions ranks to nearly double it former standing.
The safe zone itself had also evolved after weeks of work the engineers and volunteers got better and more efficient at their work, and now the grown team had been split into three different branches the wall team, that worked near around the clock to expand the safe zones walls, then the demo team that worked to tear down the broken eddifaces of the old world turning them into supplies and open spaces for the growing farms and new structures to be placed, and finally the build team which worked to create brand new things like watchtowers, watertowers, or even just bunkers and barracks.
And Carter was no longer just a survivor in this apocalypse.
He was working towards building a nation of his very own, Amercia had fallen, perhaps existing in some small capacity around the various army bases scattered around the continent.
~
The constant battles, the relentless expansion, and the tens of thousands of undead and enemy fighters slain had earned Carter an unprecedented amount of system rewards, further enhancing his ability to grow and combat the apocalypse.
🔺 Mission Completed: Reclaim 64 More Blocks!
▶ Reward: 500,000 Dollars | 5,000 Experience Points
🔺 Mission Completed: Secure 5,000 Survivors!
▶ Reward: 750,000 Dollars | 12,000 Experience Points
🔺 Mission Completed: Subjugate 3 Hostile Survivor Groups!
▶ Reward: 250,000 Dollars | 2,500 Experience Points
🔺 Mission Update: Rescue 10,000 Survivors!(Progress: 7,937/10,000)
💰 New Balance: 2,702,000 Dollars
🎖 Level Up! Carter has reached Level 13!
The safe zone's population had swelled past seven thousand people.
And with the steady influx of new dollars, being brought in thanks to his investment in his skills Carter wasn't wasting time.
This was of course the expansion of the Legion seeing that his fortune spin would happen soon he quickly invested in bolstering his power since experiencewise he'd need to at least clear the entire city and part of the neighboring towns before he reached the next milestone of Level 15 when he'd rank up his system once again.
Carter immediately started investing his newfound resources into summoning reinforcements and securing more system provided reasources to sustain the ever-growing city.
~
With the ever growing source of his funding, Carter was quickly able secure the next stage for his growing force.
He made his selections carefully, focusing on quality over sheer numbers just like when he had his Egyptian forces opting for the Elite warriors as much as he could over the regular ones.
Infantry & Specialists:
🔺 3,000 Legionaries – The backbone of Rome's war machine.
🔺 1,000 Hastati – The front-line vanguard, used for initial engagements.
🔺 1,000 Velites – Mobile skirmishers, excellent for clearing buildings.
🔺 75,00 Ballistarii – Crossbowmen, used to suppress enemy gunmen.
🔺 400 Praetorians – Personal guards, used for high-risk operations.
Engineers & Support:
🏛 200 Legionary Engineers – Responsible for construction, fortifications, and logistics.
🏛 50 Medicus – Field medics, working alongside modern survivor doctors.
🏛 20 Praefectus Castrorum – Strategic planners and logistics officers.
Siege & Cavalry Units:
⚔ 20 Ballistae – Mobile siege crossbows, mounted on wagons.
⚔ 15 Onagers – Heavy catapults, capable of destroying barricades.
🐎 300 Equites Cavalry – Swift, highly mobile scouts and shock troops.
🐎 150 Cataphracts – Heavy cavalry, designed to break enemy lines.
Total Cost:
💰 1,725,000 Dollars
💰 New Balance: 977,000 Dollars
With this new force, the Legion now stood at over 5,000 strong.
~
With more territory came greater logistical needs.
Sam and his Legionary Engineers were working nonstop to reinforce the walls, expand the aqueducts, and create a stable economy that no longer depended entirely on scavenged goods.
Carter approved a series of major infrastructure projects using both summoned engineers and skilled survivors.
And as a result a small marketplace had started to open with survivors 'selling' or trading their handmade wares to others in exchange for things or even currency
The Colony was no longer just a refuge anymore.
It was becoming a fully functioning city-state.
~
The Black Hounds had been the first, but they were not the only rogue group in the city.
As the Legion expanded its operational territory, they encountered other factions—some willing to join peacefully, while others chose to fight.
Carter gave them all a chance.
Surrender. Join the colony. Live.
Or resist. Fight against their might. and Die.
Not all of them made the right choice.
🔻 The Iron Fangs – Another biker gang that tried to ambush a Legion patrol, resulting in a few legionaire deaths.
▶ Status: Crushed. Their hideout was seized. Their members killed down to the last with their captives absorbed into the general population.
🔻 The Blood Suns – A militant group that refused to submit not operating like a gang but rather as a paramilitary force.
▶ Status: Exterminated. Their weapons were confiscated and not a single survivor was left to be integrated into the colony.
🔻 The Red Cross Union – A faction of survivor doctors who joined peacefully.
▶ Status: Absorbed. Their medical knowledge merged with the Medicus Corps and they willingly fell into line under their new medical director even though they had some mild concerns about being led by a young woman, and one that was only a student nurse.
With each victory, the Legion's dominance over the city grew.
And with each expansion, Carter's hold over this new world solidified.
The City Was Nearly Theirs… But The Real Threat Still Remained
By the end of the fourth week, half the city was under Roman control and the end of the first month was coming up fast.
Survivors whispered about Ceasars unstopable army, and rejoice under the belief they would soon return to their modern lives all thanks to the unstoppable roman army.
Some called him a saviour.
Others called him a warlord and tyrant.
Their complaints were completely overshadowed by the citizens relief and growing belief in their new leader.
Even though the America's were known for being a bastion of freedom now they found themselves serving under what might as well be called a king and they seemed to be fine with it, though aside from work and following some simple rules mirroring the same of the old world but with far harsher punishments for breaking them the people had adapted to the new times.
Though a republican sentiment was still everpresent wanting greater public representation in how things were being run.
However the situation was far from perfect
Because for all their victories—
The Death Knight had not reappeared.
For weeks now, despite reclaiming hundreds of blocks, there had been no sign of it.
It was out there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Maybe it had left the city behind to group up with other advanced undead forces
~
As Carter stood atop his personal building, staring at the darkened ruins of the city beyond now beginning to show new signs of life as the survivors busily worked towards restoration, a new system message appeared before his eyes.
📢 System Alert: New Faction Discovered
🚨 WARNING: ORGANIZED HOSTILE FACTION DETECTED 🚨
▶ Faction Name: Interim Territory Governement
▶ Location: City Center (Old Government District)
▶ Estimated Size: 5,000+
▶ Threat Level: HIgh
▶ Leadership: UNKNOWN
▶ Status: HOSTILE
Carter's blood ran cold.
The Black Hounds had been a gang.
The Iron Fangs were a rabble of bikers.
The Blood Suns had been militant thugs.
But this?
This was an organized faction seemingly built off the backs of the national government representatives or those still claiming to represent the national armed forces, and with a territory forming in the direction that lead towards the army base.
And it was just as large as his own in terms of population.
Given the extent of their own spread, this force was aware of the legions own existence but no scout had yet been found nor any visitors offering greetings or well wishes as similar survivors in this situation.
And given the systems own interpretation of the situation to show that this new faction was hostile towards them.