Frozen Flame of Dawn - Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Chapter 45: Icelorn Basin’s First Defense Project_2

Her gaze settled on Elias, the lead technician, who sat near the end of the table, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.

“Elias,” she began, her tone firm but composed, “I know that currently, our phones are useless, and the entire network infrastructure is down. We have no means of using old communication channels. That’s why I need you to establish a wired communication system throughout the basin.”

Elias’s brows furrowed as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “That’s quite the tall order, Captain,” he admitted. “Laying out an entire wired network across this massive terrain is… not exactly a quick job.”

Amira met his hesitation with a steady, unwavering gaze. “You won’t be doing it alone.” Her voice was calm but absolute, cutting through any further doubts. “Over 500 awakened individuals registered with us yesterday. Many of them are eager to contribute. Use them. Organize a workforce. Delegate.”

Elias exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. He still seemed uncertain, but before he could voice another concern, Amira added, “I don’t need perfection today.” She gestured toward the map on the table. “Lay the groundwork. Get the essential hubs wired. Once we have a basic, functioning network in place, we can refine it later. But I want the main areas of the basin to have real-time communication by nightfall.”

She held his gaze, waiting for confirmation.

Elias hesitated for only a second longer before finally nodding. “Alright. I’ll make it happen.”

Satisfied, Amira turned her focus to Sam, one of her senior operatives.

“Sam, your job is to gather all former police officers, law enforcers, and anyone with security training. Assemble them.”

Sam raised a brow, skepticism flickering in his sharp gaze. “You want to reinstate them? Some of them worked with Cole’s thugs.”

Amira leaned back slightly, crossing her arms. “We’re not handing them power.” Her voice was cool and measured. “We’re assessing them. If they’re competent and show signs of loyalty, we’ll use them. If not, we’ll keep them under close watch.”

Sam considered her words, then gave a short nod. “And in the meantime?”

“You’ll oversee internal security.” Amira’s gaze hardened. “Patrols within the town. Keep eyes on the supply depots and key infrastructure points. We don’t need internal chaos while we’re busy fortifying the area.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Sam’s lips. “Understood. I’ll make sure no one stirs up trouble.”

The meeting room remained silent but charged, the weight of Amira’s words still settling among those gathered. She had already assigned crucial responsibilities to Elias and Sam, ensuring communication networks and internal security would be taken care of. But now, she turned her attention to something far greater—Basin’s first true defensive structure.

Amira exhaled deeply, giving the room a moment before she shifted her gaze to Sophie and Asher, two of her most elite members.

Sophie was not only a skilled fighter but also the best structural planner among them, someone with a keen eye for infrastructure and city planning.

Asher, on the other hand, was their strongest earth-awakened individual, a crucial asset for any large-scale construction.

Her voice took on a measured weight, signaling the gravity of what she was about to assign.

“Sophie, Asher. You will lead the first phase of our most important defense project.”

She stepped closer to the large map laid out on the table, her fingers tracing a wide circle that encompassed the entire basin, extending outward to natural ridges and land formations.

“Take a team of earth-awakened individuals along with a few architects from the town. Your mission is to survey the land outside the basin and design a perimeter wall—something strong, something reliable. Take a radius of 10 kilometers from where the basin begins and create the outer barrier.”

Sophie’s eyes widened, absorbing the sheer scale of what Amira was asking.

“You want us to build a city wall?”

Her voice carried a mixture of shock and realization.

Amira didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

However, Sophie frowned, studying the marked locations on the map.

“But why are we building the wall so far outside the basin? Wouldn’t it be easier to just build around the town? That way, it’s quicker and more manageable.”

The question was valid—even those in the room murmured their agreement.

But Amira’s expression didn’t waver.

She folded her arms, her gaze sweeping across the room.

“Because we’re not just thinking about the present—we’re planning for the long term.”

Silence fell again, heavier than before.

She took a step forward, her voice calm but resolute.

“It’s been four days since the surge. We traveled a long way to get here, and in that time, you all saw what’s happening outside. You saw the way vegetation is growing at an unnatural rate, how the roads and highways are already becoming unusable.”

She let the truth settle in. Everyone knew it was true—they had witnessed it themselves.

“And it’s only going to get worse.”

Her voice lowered, the weight of reality pressing into each of them.

“Soon, it will be impossible to maintain roads. The mutated beasts will keep evolving, the environment will keep changing, and entire regions will become inaccessible. If we only focus on fortifying around the town, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.”

Sophie nodded slowly, understanding beginning to dawn.

Amira pointed at the outer perimeter she had drawn.

“If we construct the outer wall farther from the basin, it gives us a buffer zone—an area where we can monitor and engage threats before they reach the heart of our community.”

Sophie exhaled, processing everything.

“And after that?”

Amira’s lips curled slightly, just the faintest hint of approval at Sophie’s willingness to think ahead.

“Once the outer wall is completed, we move to the second phase—an inner wall, built directly along the ridges, enclosing the entire basin. This will be our ultimate fallback defense. If the outer zone is ever breached, we will have a secondary, impenetrable shield around our core community.”

Now, everyone truly understood.

The plan was massive—a daunting project unlike anything they had attempted before.

But it made sense.

Amira’s voice softened slightly, shifting to a new layer of strategy.

“In the future, when more people come seeking shelter, we won’t let them immediately enter the basin. The basin will be our heart—where we grow food, where our core population thrives. It has to be protected at all costs.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room.

“The area between the two walls will serve as a safe residential zone—a place for those who join us to live and contribute, without compromising our inner sanctuary.”

Sophie leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. “That’s a hell of a project.”

Amira smirked slightly. “It is. But it’s necessary.”

Asher, who had been quietly absorbing the plan, finally spoke up.

“We’ll need a lot of manpower.”

Amira nodded. “You’ll have it. Use the earth-awakened individuals, work with the architects. You don’t have to build the full structure overnight—we start by laying the foundation and fortifying key zones.”

Sophie ran a hand through her hair, sighing, but there was no hesitation in her voice when she said,

“Alright, Captain. We’ll get to work.”