Frozen Flame of Dawn-Chapter 136 - 64: Beyond the Known_3

Without a word, he gave a small nod and turned his gaze back downward—this time, not to the far, but just down below, where the northern gate stood wide open and his external unit waited, assembled with military precision.

It wasn't the first time they had done this—lined up in formation, prepped for recon—but today felt different.

This time, nearly three-fourths of the external forces unit had been assembled. Unlike the scattered deployments of previous recon operations—where squads were sent in every direction—this time, the full weight of their northern side.

He descended the stairs with quietly, while Tommy and Sophie falling in behind him. As his boots hit the packed dirt near the gate, he walked slowly past the ranks of his assembled unit, scanning every face, every stance.

And what he saw gave him pause.

Not because they were nervous.

But because—for the first time in all these days—they looked uniform.

Their gear weren't what they were using from their previous unit or from the left over old unused stock in the military compound. There were no mismatched armor pads, no scratched vest or faded fatigues.

They all wore the same thing—sleek, combat-ready uniforms, built in a deeper, modern camo that leaned toward ash-black, designed for dusk and shadow. Over it, reinforced tactical suits of the same shade hugged their frames—custom-fitted, shock-absorbent, layered with light armor plating that could take a full hit from most of the known mutated beasts and still hold together.

This wasn't army specialized hand-me-down Kevlar as something like this were build for special forces and even then for elites units but looking as this it was much advance and better.

He seen these new tactical suits and equipment as he too got it yesterday at home though slightly more better but much. And he heard Tommy said about everyone getting new uniform and gears but didn't in the slightest thought that everyone will have one.

Tommy walking behind Aiden had his mouth opened from shock as he observed all soldiers tactical suit and gear closely. "Holy Mother!! How in the hell did Amira gather all this suits and gears?"

Aiden too shocked didn't overly reacted as Tommy but still looked at Sophie who was calm as she walked behind him for answers.

Sophie understood Aiden gaze as she said. "Leader Amira been already aware of future situation asked Sam and Bella to contact their weapons dealers and buy these advance and overly strong gears and suits according to her requirement and design before the surge. At that time we thought though these are strong and increase our offense and defense greatly against mutated beast but due to it heavy weights we would not able to equip it for longer period of time and ultimately exhaust ourself."

She paused while raising her hands as her fingers clenched into a fist she continued. "But you all know after these two weeks of that cruel and agonizing body tempering process our body overall strength and durability has increase 3-4 time at least which made these equipment as light as the previous one we usually had before the surge for any mission."

"And even though she asked them to buy a large order of 10k unit of each gears and suits, it was not easy for then so they but some complete assembled ones while more than 90% orders were in piece waiting for use to reinforce, tailor, and assemble according to everyone size and preference and even add the colors matching the uniforms, and it was only day before yesterday that it was finished and ready for distribution both for internal and external force unit with few extra for emergency."

Tommy exhaled a deep breath. "It's was very conscious and great decision taken by Amira, but now we must have consumed atleast 30-40% for those stock which means we have to be careful about damaging these easily in future."

While both Aiden and Sophie nodded at Tommy's remark. He shifted he gaze toward his gears as well as towards everyone else, because it wasn't just for show as weapons had been upgraded too.

Twin pistols holstered securely at each thigh, while two tactical dagger secured at their lower back—quick to draw, easy to conceal.

Depending on preference, some with spears clipped to magnetic locks on their backs, while others carried long blades sheathed over the shoulder. With every single one bore a primary firearm as well—either a matte-black M4 rifle or a precision sniper system built with the terrain ahead in mind making rifle and sword in X shape behind their back. These weren't standard issues—they were hand-selected and personalized.

It had taken time, patience, and a ridiculous amount of fine-tuning by the quartermasters.

But now, everyone was outfitted to perform—not survive.

And the difference showed as even the internal defense units, watching from the upper ramparts, had received their own suit variation—light brown, dust-toned tactical suits that blended perfectly into the sand-hued stone of the stronghold's walls. From a distance, you'd never know there were guards manning the perimeter. It was a visual trick—light, shadows, angles. And it worked.

But right now, all attention was on the army outside the gates.

And for once… the soldiers looked ready. Not just physically—but mentally. There was a confidence in the air. A quiet buzz of purpose beneath the silence. No chatter. No joking. Just the calm stillness of people who knew what came next.

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Tommy broke the silence beside Aiden, nudging him lightly with his elbow. "You know, this might be the first time I've seen everyone in uniform without someone complaining about tight sleeves or itchy collars."

Sophie's lips twitched as she heard what Tommy was whispering. "Give it time. You'll hear the whining once the sun's out."

Aiden raised his arm slowly, palm outward, commanding silence without shouting. The chatter among the soldiers died down instantly, though the air still thrummed with the low tension of anticipation.

He looked at everyone's faces which shows happiness, comfort and an assured confidence after getting new gears and suits, but what clicked most was curiosity across everyone about the different color band on their arms.

They'd been issued during gear check the night before, with quiet instructions to wear them, and nothing more. Most of the troops hadn't asked. But now, lined up and ready, the curiosity hung in the air like static.

He let the silence sit just long enough before he spoke. "I know you're all wondering about the bands."

A ripple of murmurs swept through the lines—finally.

"You weren't told yesterday because it wasn't the time. But now it is." Aiden raised his arm slowly, palm outward, commanding silence without shouting. The chatter among the soldiers died down instantly, though the air still thrummed with the low tension of anticipation.

"We didn't explain it last night," Aiden continued, his voice calm and even. "Because it wasn't the time. But now—it is."

He took a slow breath and stepped forward again so he could be fully seen and heard.

"You've probably already noticed that each band bears an image of one of the sacred beasts—white tiger, black tortoise, azure dragon, vermilion bird. And I know most of you already recognize the meaning these sacred beast signifies."

A few heads nodded, confirming what he said.

"And you're right," he confirmed, turning to point at a soldier near the front line. The young man stood rigid, wearing a deep red band around his bicep, marked clearly with the image of a white tiger—sleek and coiled with black stripes streaking across its muscular form.

"You, and everyone else with a red band marked by the white tiger, are our Assault Unit." Aiden took a step closer, meeting the eyes of those in the red bands. "Your role is simple to lead the front. You'll be clearing terrain ahead of the convoy, engaging anything hostile and strike first, and you strike hardest while keeping the path secure. You're our blade—our edge of the spear."

A cluster of soldiers wearing red bands straightened slightly, the energy among them intensifying.

The soldier squared his shoulders at the recognition, while the cluster of soldiers wearing red bands around him mirrored the gesture—some nodding to their squadmates, others straightened slightly as the energy among them intensifying.

Aiden shifted his attention slightly and motioned toward a second grouping.

"Now—those of you with orange bands," he said, "you're wearing the mark of the Black Tortoise. You are our Shield—our Defense Unit."

The soldiers he addressed straightened slightly as Aiden continued. "You've got two critical jobs. First—you form the barrier around our convoys, our supplies, and every civilian we bring back. You hold the perimeter as you are the wall that nothing gets through. Second…"

He paused and scanned the line again, locking eyes with a few of them. "you're the wall that holds when our assault teams need to fall back, give them time to regroup. You hold the enemy back when things get chaotic and reinforce the line. Without you, everything falls apart."

The orange-banded soldiers exchanged slower, more solemn looks. Their job wasn't the most glamorous. But it was the most important when things went wrong—and they all knew it.