Chapter Five: Black Zone Simulation

In fifteen minutes, it could become a lunar base or a rainforest fortress. Today it was a colony city swallowed by black fog. Towers had snapped. Streets had collapsed. Purple-black cloud pressed low over the sky. Simulated civilian signals, power nodes, and enemy routes were hidden inside electronic interference. Harren stood on the command platform. "The rules are simple," he said. "Six squads enter the zone. Objective: escort three civilian convoys to the evacuation port within two hours and destroy the enemy Black Zone generator. Deaths, civilian losses, and power-node failures all reduce your score." His gaze moved across the cadets.