My name is Le Hong Phong. Yes, I have the same name as a famous revolutionary, but trust me, my family has nothing to do with politics, it's just a coincidence. I'm just an unknown gamer, a diligent user of Red Alert and countless other strategy games.
At the age of 25, instead of fighting on the battlefield like in the game, I had to lead tours for Arab tourists. Why Arab? Because my English was like Google Translate with font errors, and I learned Arabic for fun and unexpectedly became surprisingly good.
Before I became an "unwilling tour guide", I was a sociology student. It sounds like an intellectual subject, but whenever I mentioned it, I immediately received looks of pity like "So you're unemployed?". It's understandable, because who would study a major in social studies and then not know what society needs?
I am a huge gamer. Don't ask me what genres I play, because I have tried everything. If my Steam account had a soul, it would be crying because of the money I spent on it.
But among hundreds of games, Red Alert is still my true love. Since I was a little kid, I was fascinated by this game, not because of the graphics or the high-level plot, but simply because the feeling of building a base, producing tanks and then destroying opponents is really great.
I own the entire Red Alert series, from the oldest to the newest (the one EA hasn't destroyed yet). My friend Hoang "Nao Nhan" - his nickname - once asked me:
"How much money did you spend on the game?"
I took a deep breath, my eyes filled with the experience of a warrior who had fought for many years on the virtual battlefield. I placed my hand on my heart, shook my head slightly and replied:
"I'm not putting money into games, I'm contributing to the entertainment economy and making a long-term investment in my childhood."
That night, while sitting in front of the screen, eyes dark from playing Red Alert 2, I suddenly discovered something strange: an online server appeared.
Wait, what the hell? Red Alert 2 is a game from the stone age, the official servers are long dead, playing online is harder than finding hair on the head of veteran gamers.
If you want to play, you can only go to an internet cafe or install a custom mod. But now there is a server running smoothly right in front of my eyes? Please tell me this is not a joke by EA or some idle guy who hacked into the system! If someone really hacked, I will immediately deify him!
I didn't hesitate to click on the test connection. Immediately, a notification board appeared as long as a life insurance contract. As an experienced gamer with godly skimming ability, I immediately clicked to skip without even looking at the content. Why read it, it's a waste of time, right?
After the connection was successful, a voice rang out in my head: "Congratulations host for unlocking the Red Alert system!"
Wait, what? Before I could even wonder, a giant countdown appeared in the middle of the screen: "60... 59... 58..."
I immediately felt something was wrong. It was the same feeling I had when I accidentally clicked on a "Get $1000 Free Now" link and lost my game account. Panicking, I spammed Esc, Ctrl+Alt+Del, Alt+F4—all the holy grails a true gamer knows. But it was all useless.
"System, stop! I don't want to participate in anything!" I screamed in despair.
I froze. Agree to what? I didn't remember ever… Wait! Suddenly, the memory of the long contract flashed through my mind. I paled.
I was sweating. When did I agree?! Could it be that the notification just now…
Damn, I really didn't read the terms carefully!"
I panicked, tried to stop the system by turning off the game, unplugging the power cord, even tapping the screen with a loving fist. But all in vain. I asked the system in desperation:
"System, stop right now! I don't want to play anymore!"
"Oh no, it's too late, dear host~!" The system sneered.
"Who said the host doesn't read the terms? Words aren't meant to be used for decoration! Haha, now sit back and enjoy!"
I was speechless, so angry that I wanted to punch the screen. If I could turn the tables one day, I swore I would teach this system some manners! But before I could think of any way to get revenge, my consciousness had already slipped away like cheap internet.
...........................................
I woke up in a daze, my eyes half-closed, my ears faintly hearing someone calling me. I vaguely hoped that it was all just a dream, that I was still sitting safely in front of my computer screen, just dozing off for a moment. But no—the moment I opened my eyes, I was slapped in the face by reality.
Before me was a desolate wasteland, all sand and scorching sun. No computers, no electricity, no wifi, nothing but hot enough to roast a chicken. The only consolation was that at least there was a big river next to it. I swallowed.
"Are you kidding me? Where am I?"
And then, I turned around, my heart almost falling out of my chest. Standing in front of me was an Arab girl, dressed in a full Soviet military uniform, looking at me with eyes that were both amused and full of murderous intent.
"Good morning, dear host!" She smiled brightly. "I am the system you just swore to 'play to death'! From now on, we will be companions~"
I froze. My brain froze for three seconds. What was going on? The system had a human form? And most importantly—she was a girl?!
I am a loyal gamer, a true man, but I have never had a girlfriend. Standing in front of a strange girl, I suddenly did not know what to do. My hands and feet were clumsy, my mind was blank.
The system sneered, crossed its arms, and tilted its head to look at me: "What's wrong? Are you going to confess right away? Or are you experiencing culture shock?"
"Anyway, I'm Layla, welcome to Baghdad!"
I raised my eyebrows and thought to myself, "Baghdad? Oh, but how can this be Baghdad???? There are no cities around here!!!!!"
Layla glanced, as if knowing I was wondering:
"That's right, brother. This is not the Baghdad you read about in history books. This is another world, where the Arabian Peninsula has a completely 'new' history: wild, remote and sparsely populated. Vietnam does not exist here – and other countries are still following their familiar historical lines."
I chuckled, mocking myself: "Oh my god, I thought I was just 'lost in time', but how come an entire country has disappeared?" The feeling of confusion mixed with a bit of humor made me not know whether to laugh or cry.
Before she could recover, Layla continued, her voice warm and teasing:
"And today is the day World War I ends in this world. A new beginning, right?"
Layla patted me on the shoulder and jerked her chin toward a giant red truck that looked like a moving mass of steel from Red Alert. I rolled my eyes.
"Hey, how long has this car been here? Did I lose my memory or did it just teleport?"
Layla shrugged proudly:
"It's been here before you knew it! This is the Soviet base vehicle in Red Alert – not only your mobile headquarters, but also your temporary base. Now get in!"
I hesitantly stepped inside, but as soon as the door closed, my jaw dropped. The space inside was so spacious that I could have held a press conference if I wanted to. The furniture was modern, neat, and clean like a 5-star hotel. Before I could even come to my senses, Layla crossed her arms proudly:
"This car runs on nuclear technology, so you don't have to worry about running out of energy. I'm just afraid you're too stupid to know how to use it!"
I swallowed, trying to digest the information. A super-technological vehicle, powered by a perpetual nuclear reactor, and I – a tank spammer – was given the right to operate it?
I stammered:
"So... so what's this place like? Do I need to learn how to drive it?"
Layla laughed:
"Don't worry, this car doesn't need a driver. You just need to give orders. Inside there are large bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, and windows looking outside. But most importantly, there are conference rooms and command rooms. If you like the feeling of being a leader, then go ahead!"
Just then, a voice rang out from behind:
"Hey, is there a kitchen? I'm hungry!"
...........................................
Every meal I had was delivered by military system through a space teleportation system in the vehicle.
The system ensures that I won't starve, but "military-grade" means that every meal will revolve around things like dry rations, soups of unknown ingredients, and a type of bread so hard it could be used as a weapon. Want to eat well? Help yourself!
Layla stood with her arms crossed, looking at me with sympathy (or trying not to laugh):
"Welcome to survival mode, commander. If you don't want to eat this for the rest of your life, you better find a way to produce food."
I sighed, looking at the amount of money the system gave me—30,000 gold. It sounded like a lot of money, but if the prices in this world were as 'unreal' as in RPGs, I would probably only be able to buy a... featherless chicken.
Layla, as the "reluctant waitress", brought the food tray in front of me and smirked:
"Here's lunch, sir. Don't ask me what it is, I don't want to know."
I looked at the food tray, then at Layla, then back at the food tray.
"Can I order something else? Like pizza, hamburger, or at least something that isn't gray?"
Layla laughed:
"You think this is a five-star restaurant? Just eat it, the army lives on this!"
I sighed, officially confirming: My diet has entered the survival phase!
After finishing breakfast, Layla pulled me to the command room as if she was taking a child on her first trip to the zoo. As soon as the door opened, my mouth dropped open.
Before me was a large room with a series of giant screens, looking like a NASA control center but with the decoration style of... a high-class internet cafe in the neighborhood I used to frequent.
Comfortable swivel chairs, flashing RGB lights like a dance floor, and most importantly—there's even a mini fridge in the corner!
"Welcome to my command center!" Layla crossed her arms proudly, as if introducing a great achievement of humanity.
"There's a real-time surveillance system here, allowing you to track every move on the battlefield. Each screen displays a region, which can be adjusted at will. And especially, if you want to feel more powerful, there's even a magnificent swivel chair for you to sit and spin around in contemplation."
I looked around. It sure looked fancy, but I couldn't help but notice one important issue.
"Wait... Why does this look like an internet cafe? I thought I was about to command a war, not rent a computer by the hour."
Layla smiled mysteriously: "Um, actually it has a soft drink and snack combo package too, do you want to order?"
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
Layla smiled mysteriously: "Um, actually... there's something! So gullible. There's only bottled water in the fridge."
My face immediately darkened as if a storm was brewing. It felt like I had just placed my trust in a restaurant that was cheating its customers. I sighed and told myself, "I have to calm down, I have to calm down,..."
After introducing herself, Layla dusted her hands as if she had just completed a sacred mission and declared: "I will be on duty at the secretary's desk outside. If you need anything, just call the internal office. Now... take care of it yourself!"
After saying that, she turned and left with the demeanor of a worker finishing her shift, even muttering something about a raise. I stood there, mouth agape as if I had just been told by my network provider that my data had run out in the middle of a movie.
I plopped down in my command chair, trying to look as dangerous as a general in a movie, but in reality I was just spinning around in my chair for fun. Okay, time for some serious thinking.
I scanned the screen, checking to see what I could build. Barracks? I could. Vehicle factory? Also. Research facility? My interest was piqued, but I was crushed when I saw the words "Requires base vehicle level 0".
But wait, there's something that caught my attention: this system also allows underground construction as the commander wishes. But the price is 1.5 times more expensive than normal.
For example, the power plant, I dreamed of a fancy Tesla reactor that shoots electricity like in the game, but in reality... it's just a fossil fuel power plant, belching smoke like a dragon with pneumonia.
The mines are also much more realistic—there are iron mines, gold mines, copper mines, not just digging up gold like in the game. I sighed, it's true that a more realistic world also means I have to work harder.
But wait, the only bright spot is that I can build ammunition factories, vehicle factories....
The thought of owning my own private army of tanks made me smile like a villain in a movie. But then I frowned when I realized: to produce tanks, I need raw materials. And the raw materials... I didn't have any. Another blow to my dream of world domination.
The system also has a pretty cool feature: summoning residents, soldiers, engineers, doctors... It sounds cool, but it's not an infinite human generator like I imagined. Every month, I can only summon exactly 10,000 residents, no more, no less, with an even ratio of men to women—at least I don't have to worry about future generations being gender-skewed.
As for the fancy professions like engineer, doctor... well, each month you get exactly a handful, you can count them on your fingers.
To put it bluntly, the system wants me to train my own human resources from scratch, not just sit and wait for the summon button to have a team of experts. And thinking about it, is it possible that I can summon a Harvard professor and doctor who has just graduated? What a dream!
After a while of sitting there scratching my head and drawing randomly on the ground like an amateur engineer, I decided to go big: hide the military and energy underground, and expose the civil works for the public to admire like a model city.
"Base vehicles, deploy!" I pointed with great force, as if I were the commander in chief of the battlefield.
The base vehicle roared, slowly rolling to a flat land, ready to turn this place into a headquarters. I chose this location simply because it had all the elements to make a good living: the west side had hills and mountains, which meant there were minerals to dig until my hands were tired; the surrounding area was full of oil wells, so I could burn money (literally); and the east side across the river was fertile land, suitable for farming and raising livestock!
I decided to start laying the foundations of my empire – literally. All mines, smelters, machine shops, ammunition factories, even weapons factories… were pushed underground.
Why? Because I don't want to be bombed one day and lose everything! The system also allows for defense upgrades, making these structures as solid as billionaires' luxury bunkers.
After finishing the underground industrial park, I looked to the east bank of the river and nodded in thought. Okay, now I have to worry about housing for the residents!
I decided to build a whole residential area along the riverbank, complete with modern apartments in the Stalinist architectural style.
The buildings, with their ornate facades, imposing pillars and grand bas-reliefs, are both artistic and timeless. Everything is luxurious yet comfortable, with wide streets, paved sidewalks and old-fashioned streetlights.
From supermarkets, department stores, flea markets to all sorts of other things, all create an urban area that would certainly be praised if placed in the former Soviet Union. The architecture is grand, imposing, full of art but not lacking in practicality.
The buildings are tall, the pillars are carved with hammers and sickles and symbols of socialist construction, the balconies are quite spacious. I also built a central market with a massive dome. The design system is up to the standards of "high-quality Soviet goods": durable, beautiful, no question, and especially does not make mistakes like... clumsiness, minimalism. This is a perfect upgrade of socialist architecture, where art meets pragmatism, creating a wonder in the middle of the desert! This area can accommodate at least 20,000 people, no joke.
I also summoned 10,000 residents and other talents such as engineers, doctors,... Oh no, I almost forgot! We had people, but without hospitals, what would the doctors do? Open a drugstore? And without schools, would teachers teach their profession by drawing diagrams in the sand? Thinking so, I hastily built more hospitals and schools to avoid being called a "brainless commander-in-chief."
The computer reported that the summoning and construction would take a day. A day? I thought it would be free and fast! This system really made me work just like in real life, without any magical "click and it's done" scenes like in the game. But oh well, at least I could rest after eight stressful hours from morning until now. Great strategists need sleep too!
I quickly walked back to my room, and as soon as I opened the door, I realized a bitter truth: Layla disappeared like an office worker who left work on time without anyone reminding me. I didn't know whether to admire her or feel abandoned.
Opening my closet, I was startled by the sight before me—uniforms, suits, and a bunch of outfits that looked like I was about to be called upon to speak at a summit. Luckily, there were some comfortable military clothes left, or I would have slept in a suit and woken up like a CEO.
After my shower, I decided to check the fridge, hoping for something to soothe my growling stomach. And here comes the miracle—a military ration. Layla had prepared it for me. I didn't know whether to be touched or sad that my life had entered the boxed lunch phase.
After eating and brushing my teeth, I threw myself on the bed and slept soundly, regardless of what happened. After all, tomorrow I still had to continue the "world conquest" that the system had thrown at me.
...........................................
I was awakened by a terrifying sound outside the door—Layla's thunderous scream.
"Do you know what time it is? Get up!" I swear if she had had a frying pan in her hand, I would have been sent to the other world.
I dragged myself out of bed, showered like a sleepless zombie, and changed my clothes lazily. When I entered the living room, breakfast was already on the table—a proud product of the system.
I picked up a piece of bread, took a bite and… oh my god, it was just as bland as yesterday! Should I start a revolution against the system's cuisine?!
I walked slowly to the command room, yawned, looked at the control panel, and sighed deeply. "Six more hours to go? So I have to kill time again..." I muttered, feeling like an extra in a documentary about waiting.
Left with no other choice, I opened the system and looked at the list of summonable combat units. I quickly realized that this was nothing like the Red Alert I knew.
When I saw the combat units, my jaw dropped. The Rhino tank was completely different from the game, it was no longer a distorted pile of pixels but a real steel monster. I bet if there was a gamer standing here, he would kneel down and shout: "This is the real Rhino!"
This tank has sloped armor on all four sides, 60mm thick, as if it were wearing full body armor during this period. The auxiliary fuel tank gives it a range of 500km, meaning if I had a Rhino squad, I could drive the whole thing from Baghdad to the desert without running out of gas.
600 horsepower V12 engine? Top speed of 50km/h!! Awesome! Faster than a delivery truck. Coaxial machine gun and 12.7mm DShK anti-aircraft gun? Enemy infantry will have a bad day with that.
And the 85mm main gun? No joke! One shot can blow up a public toilet! At least, HAHAHHAHA
But the most amazing thing was the price. 900 gold for a vehicle, including crew and operating costs? I could buy an entire armored army and still have money left over for a barbecue! This was every commander's dream.
I laughed heartily, already thinking of some crazy plans for these Rhinos. But my joy didn't last long as my face darkened when I saw the list of materials for maintenance.
The important thing is that the system notes how much resources I need to maintain this mess. And holy shit, this is a big number! Metals for production, ammunition, fuel...
That's enough to buy me another Rhino. This means I have to upgrade my factories, expand my territory to farm more resources, and worst of all… think strategically. This is going to be more of a headache than I thought!
If I don't keep them maintained, in no time these Rhinos will be nothing more than scrap metal left in a junkyard.
Looking back at the screen, I saw a notification light up: "Need to build a maintenance plant. Maintenance costs will be reduced by 90%. Requirements: Level 2 base house." After reading, I breathed a sigh of relief. At least the system had some humanity, not turning me into an unwilling mechanic for life.
Trucks seem simpler, but whoever said choosing a truck is easy has probably never faced dozens of choices from East to West. I hesitated between the legendary vehicles, passing by ZiL, Ural for a while, and finally stopped my eyes on the Soviet KrAZ-260 6x6.
It looks like a real "buffalo", both sturdy and versatile, can be used as a chassis for all kinds of heavy toys like self-propelled artillery or rocket artillery.
Layla stood beside me, arms crossed, looking at me as if I were choosing a prom dress over a military vehicle.
"What's taking so long? As long as it has four wheels and can run, that's fine."
"Layla, you don't understand. This is art. A truck is not just a truck, it is a statement, a symbol of the military industry!"
Layla blinked, clearly still not understanding, but whatever, I closed the order for the KrAZ-260 for 200 gold each. A bit more expensive than the others, but worth it.
As for artillery, I like the Soviet D-74 122mm. It's affordable, at just 700 gold per unit – enough to make any leader scratch his head, wondering whether to buy artillery or eat monthly.
The range is impeccable, up to 25km, which means that if I miss my target, I have a chance of hitting at least a herd of innocent camels in the distance. But most importantly, this gun uses the same caliber as the equipment I plan to upgrade later, like tanks.
There's nothing more painful than having a whole arsenal of ammunition but nothing to shoot with, like having a pool of money but not finding an open pho restaurant.
Not because I don't have better options, but because it helps a lot with the logistics of production. To put it bluntly, I prefer the feeling of pressing a button and having bullets fly like rain rather than holding a gun and shivering while waiting for the enemy to come and then shoot.
What's a gun without bullets? The feeling of "spam bullets" without fear of running out of stock is an elegant pleasure that only people like me can understand.
For infantry weapons, I focused on three legendary names: AKM, PKM and SVD. Not only are they easy to manufacture and maintain, but they also save me the headache of having to worry about different types of ammunition. Simple, effective, less confusing!
As for anti-tank weapons, I chose the RPG-7 – a weapon that adds drama to any guerrilla war, and the SPG-9 73mm – a recoilless rifle that, although a bit bulky, was enough to make enemy tanks cry out, even though tanks were quite primitive at that time. With this arsenal, I was satisfied for the time being, at least until something bigger came along.
After racking my brain like a financial genius (genius in the sense of bankruptcy, of course), I decided to build a magnificent military base and summon 4 Rhino tanks (for show, but actually only enough to form a battalion), 80 infantrymen, 4 D-74 guns mounted on KrAZ-260 chassis along with 4 ammunition trucks, 8 KrAZ-260 trucks, and 2 refueling vehicles on KrAZ-260 chassis.
A total of 18,000 gold was spent, causing my account balance to drop to exactly 2000 gold. That's right, from a powerful commander, I officially joined the rags-to-riches club.
If there was an organization called "Proletarian Gamers Association", I would definitely be appointed as the president. But never mind, honor can't feed soldiers, but money can! I took a deep breath, recited the command, and let the system perform the summoning after the basic constructions were completed. If it's already done, then let's play it to the end!
The system allowed me to choose the ethnicity of my residents and soldiers, and I didn't hesitate to choose Arab. Not because I had any particular interest in headscarves or camels, but simply to fit the current environment. Imagine summoning a bunch of Japanese in the middle of this desert, they would probably collapse before they even asked me if I had any ramen.
I looked back and forth, it was now about 5 pm, the construction was almost finished, I stepped outside and saw workers from all over the world working together on a giant construction site.
I was curious about how the system to summon them was built, so I approached a young man about my age and asked in English.
When he answered, I had to try not to laugh out loud. A Canadian, claiming to believe in socialism? I didn't know what to think. He said he was here to "support the construction" at the request of his superiors.
I just wanted to say, "Oh, then your superiors must have a long list of people who want to build the new world."
I asked a few more questions about the system, just trying to get some useful information to know more about what I would be facing in the future. But it was clear that no one was willing to share information.
They just answered the questions I expected, like: "What is a system?" "What is that something?" Answers like "Work hard, believe in the future" were their go-to.
I was so tired that I gave up trying to get any information from these people. I returned to the command vehicle, got in, and laid down on a soft chair. There was nothing left to say, only sleep was my best friend at times like this.