Lord of the Doomsday Fortress

Shen Mu stood atop the fortress walls, his gaze locked onto the distant ruins beyond the perimeter. The night air was thick with tension, the wind carrying the faint scent of blood and decay. The Crimson Fangs had drawn first blood, and now it was his turn to respond. He could not afford to wait for them to strike again. The time for caution had passed. Now was the time for war.

Luo Qi stood by his side, grim. "If we wait too long, they will be able to strengthen their position. We have to strike before they entrench."

Zhao Ling folded her arms across her chest. "But we are going in there blind and ill-prepared to die. We still do not know their number or even all their abilities.

Shen Mu exhaled slowly, his mind racing through the options. The system had given him power, but power alone wasn't enough. Strategy was just as crucial. He needed an edge—something unexpected.

He called up the system interface in his mind.

[System Gacha Available]

He hesitated for only a moment before spinning the wheel once again. The icons blurred before landing on a glowing golden sigil.

[Congratulations! You have obtained: Concealed Drone Scouts (x3)]

Shen Mu's eyes lit up. This was ideal.

He did not waste any time. He turned on the drones, and within a few seconds, three sleek, metallic spheres appeared from a hidden compartment in the walls of the fortress. They hovered silently, scanning the night with their sensors.

"These will give us real-time intel," Shen Mu said, turning to Zhao Ling and Luo Qi. "We'll know exactly what we're up against before we make a move."

Zhao Ling's eyebrows flicked up in the faintest of interest, but she didn't ask. She had learned not to ask too many questions of how Shen Mu got this stuff by now.

The drones shot off into the night as they flew towards the outpost of the Crimson Fangs. Shen Mu watched their feeds through his system, watching the camp of the enemy.

Their base was a half-collapsed building. Makeshift barricades surrounded the entrance, with armed sentries patrolling the perimeter. Inside, several figures moved about—at least twenty, maybe more.

And then he saw something disturbing.

Prisoners. Survivors. Shackled and caged like animals.

His fists clenched.

Luo Qi spat under his breath. "They're enslaving prisoners?"

Zhao Ling's face darkened. "We have to get them out."

Shen Mu nodded. "We will. But we do it on our terms."

He turned back to the fortress. The gacha had given him turrets before—now it was time to test their effectiveness. If they lured the Crimson Fangs into an ambush, they could wipe them out before they even knew what hit them.

The plan formed in his mind, every detail fitting into place.

The night dragged out as Shen Mu refined his plan. With real-time information pouring into his head through the drones, he carefully plotted enemy positions, patrol routes, and defenses.

The Crimson Fangs were no ordinary bunch of thugs. They had an order; their rifles were well-maintained, and the sentries were disciplined. This was no work of some small gang-there was a brain behind the operation.

"Zhao Ling, Luo Qi, round up the strongest warriors we have," Shen Mu ordered. "We're going in strong and fast. No mistakes."

Zhao Ling nodded and took off fast, disappearing into the belly of the fortress. Luo Qi rubbed his injured shoulder.

"You okay with this?" he asked. "They outnumber us."

"We've got the surprise on our side," Shen Mu said. "And we've got the fortress. That evens things out."

Luo Qi sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Fine. Just don't get us all killed."

Within the hour, the strike team was assembled. Ten fighters, all hardened survivors who had proven themselves capable. They carried scavenged weapons—some rifles, a few handguns, and plenty of melee weapons.

Shen Mu put on an assault knife and a silenced pistol. He was no office politician; if they were going in, he went into command.

The drones had found a blind spot in the Crimson Fangs' periphery—a gap in the patrols that occurred every fifteen minutes. That was the opening for them.

The silence was suffocating. Every step measured. Every breath was controlled. Because one mistake meant everything lost.

They reached the outskirt edge of the enemy camp and leaned against a dilapidated wall. Drones relayed all the latest movements as two were still at the entrance, three still patrolling behind.

Shen Mu signaled to Zhao Ling. She nodded, raising her rifle. A single suppressed shot rang out, and one of the guards crumpled. Before the other could react, a second shot put him down.

The team moved quickly, slipping through the entrance. The camp was eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from the occasional murmur of voices inside the building.

Shen Mu led the way, knife in hand. The first sentry inside barely had time to react before Shen Mu slit his throat, catching his body before it hit the ground.

The rest of the team spread out, moving like shadows. One by one, the Crimson Fangs fell.

But then, a shout rang out.

Intruders.

The camp exploded into chaos.

Gunfire erupted, bullets tearing through the night. Shen Mu ducked behind cover, returning fire with his silenced pistol. Zhao Ling and Luo Qi held the line, their shots precise and deadly.

A Crimson Fang member charged at Shen Mu with a machete, but he sidestepped, driving his knife into the man's ribs before twisting it. The thug gurgled and collapsed.

The prisoners were only a few meters ahead, locked into the heavy iron bars. Shen Mu sprinted forward, dodging bullets as he reached the cage.

"Hold on!" he yelled and was kicking open a weapons crate. He grabbed a crowbar and forced it into the lock.

He opened it. The survivors inside scrambled out of their cage, desperation and hope written all over their faces.

Stay behind us! Shen Mu shouted to them. "We are getting you out of here!"

The battle raged on, but the Crimson Fangs were breaking. Their leader, a scarred brute wielding a shotgun, bellowed orders, but his men were falling fast.

And then, the final blow.

A drone swooped in, dropping a small explosive charge onto the barricade. The blast sent debris flying, stunning the remaining enemies.

Shen Mu took advantage of the situation, moving forward. He surprised the leader, striking him with the butt of his pistol on the face. The man stumbled, blood gushing from his nose.

"You should have stayed in the shadows," Shen Mu snarled before firing the gun.

The sound of the shot echoed through the ruins.

There was silence.

The fight was over.

Shen Mu breathed out, wiping the blood off his face. He looked at the freed prisoners.

"You're safe now," he said. "But we have to move."

They had won the fight.

But the war was just beginning.