The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 602

+15 80

Chapter 602

Only then did Nathaniel’s group realize something

Drones were everywhere in Hayley’s territory.

“That’s not a normal drone,” Dean said, stunned. “That’s a recon-strike drone.”

“A recon-strike drone?” Constant asked.

“It combines surveillance and attack functions. It doesn’t even need human commands. If can automatically engage targets.”

Everyone’s expressions tightened.

Even something that looked ordinary turned out to be advanced military tech.

Strike drones filled the skies across Haylight Base.

Their defenses clearly didn’t rely on the massive wall alone. The entire interior was covered by automated aerial surveillance.

In terms of security, this place surpassed their own base.

Nathaniel kept watching Hayley.

“What?” she asked.

“When we saw the fighting outside your wall earlier… Those were trained young soldiers, right?”

“Oh, no,” Hayley said casually. “They’re students. Today was their final exam.”

That single sentence shocked the others again.

“You restored a school here?” Constant asked, disbelief written across his face.

“Yup.” Hayley nodded lazily.

At that moment, they were completely convinced.

In terms of food production, Haylight Base had thousands of acres under cultivation, endless vegetables, fruit, tresh meat, and even fish. Ark One couldn’t compete.

In terms of security, they had a colossal steel defensive wall backed by autonomous combat drones. Ark One hid underground by

comparison.

In terms of military strength, they already knew Base Ki fighters were strong.

In terms of civilian life, this place had night markets, where ordinary residents casually bought tood that their own elite class barely got to enjoy.

And now, education had returned. Chikiren went to school again.

It was almost unimaginable.

They felt overwhelmed from every direction

They had once believed Hayley’s base was a struggling settlement barely surviving, short on supplies, always one zombie wave away from collapse.

The contrast hit hard.

Constant and Dean felt their faces burn with embarrassment

Back on the helicopter, they had bragged about wiping this base out without effort Now, they were the ones effectively detained

172

+15 Bonus

here.

Their proud Ark One base held no advantage at all.

As the reality sank in, their expressions shifted between pale and flushed.

Nathaniel, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed on Hayley. Something bright flickered in his eyes.

At first, he had only thought she was impressive, strong-willed, and capable But the more he saw, the clearer it became that her personal strength was only part of it.

Behind her stood something far greater.

How could someone not be drawn to a woman like that?

Several days passed.

After taking Nathaniel and his group out twice, Hayley stopped entertaining them altogether. She left them in the villa to think things over on their own.

That afternoon, Hayley sat reviewing development reports Alex had delivered.

“The second defensive line should be finished in about a month,” Alex said. “After construction ends, I suggest we don’t dismiss the workers. We should start building naval warships.”

“A fleet?”

Alex nodded. “Yes. All our resources are land-based right now. Ground combat is solid, and air defense is covered by your drones, but we have nothing at sea.”

He tapped the report.

“Building a fleet of naval warships would let us reach offshore islands. If a massive zombie surge ever overwhelms the mainland again, we’d have an evacuation route by sea.”