Chapter 60: Rising Action — Operation: Hive Buster

“The buildings are compromised! The hive has already—”

The mass of flesh pulsating under the cover exploded.

Yet, it didn’t detonate as fast as the soldiers could react. With a single leap, a few of them exited the building.

“Bulldog One, move,” Spear One’s squad leader shouted. “The rest of you, retreat!”

Spear Three and Four followed Bulldog One’s path.

The other Spear Squads backed down, but a sudden wave of specials hindered their movement.

“Kill them, then get the fuck out.”

As the walls crumbled, the buildings lost their support. They tilted upon collapse, the rebars roaring under stress.

With a snap, the buildings hammered the ground.

The ground rumbled in distress, caving in from the weight.

Concrete dust filled Zolyah’s blurred vision. Her lungs heaved up and down, face-first, all dusted from head to toe.

She looked up, finding herself inside a two-story store.

Her eyes scanned the interior, afraid that another set of tendrils and flesh awaited their presence. She drew a deep breathe when she found none.

“Sofia, are you okay?”

Her hands trembled and teeth gritted as she stood back up. Sofia’s body sat on the corner of the wall, holding her stomach.

“I’m alive,” she replied, her breath low but steady. “How about you, Zolyah?”

“Good,” Zolyah dusted her uniform and cautiously peeked through the window. “What about the rest?”

When her eyes landed outside—

“What the hell was that?” Hans stared wide-eyed on the collapsed three-story buildings up ahead.

[ Warning: A unit is under attack! ]

[ Warning: A unit has fallen! ]

[ Warning: A unit has… ]

His vision shifted between the notification panels and the reality.

I lost some units?

The first of his casualties, and not the last. Hans gripped the head rests tight, but that cooling sensation released the swelling pressure.

Through the opened Radar map, a few red dots larger than the rest advanced into the blue dots stuck between the debris.

A few strayed on the sides, slightly moving on the map.

“Send Recover One, Two, and Three squads to reinforce the vanguard, quick!”

He ordered.

“Yes, Commander!”

The two Army Soldiers got out of the car and jogged to the front. A while later, the blue dots that halted on the rear of their formation moved forward.

The soldiers navigated through the dense smoke and dust. With combat glasses on, they aimed at the approaching enemies and shot them to death.

Recover One’s squad leader encountered the first body—breathing but nearing their last. Blood streaked from the side of their face into the ground.

“You don’t look okay at all,” the squad leader muttered, checking for pulse. “Weak, manageable, but they won’t last long here. You, grab this guy and send him to the medics.”

“Yes, squad leader!”

Recover One’s members struggled moving through the mess, afraid that they might step over their comrades.

When they neared the center of the collapse—

An Army Soldier rummaged through the rubble, listening in on the dog’s loud bark.

He pushed the fallen section of a wall to the side, revealing a body—or rather a head with its body turning into meat paste.

“Shit, he died horribly,” the Army Soldier snapped his face away. “Squad leader, we got a corpse here—blergh!”

The sight was too grueling for him.

“What’s with the ruckus?” Recover Two’s squad arrived. “Damn it, cover that face.”

Another Army Soldier grabbed a cloth and threw it where the corpse turned into meat paste.

“Search the area and look for survivors.”

The squad leaders glanced at the scene.

Three dead, a lot of injuries, Recover One’s squad leader frowned.

Everything has been going too smoothly for a while, only for them to encounter a surprise attack from the enemy and encounter great losses.

Not just the soldiers, but their momentum as well.

The Commander has strictly emphasized the immediate destruction of the hive, the squad leader’s face sweated. At this rate, we might not just be able to…

“Reserve One, what are you spacing out there?” Recover Two’s squad leader reprimanded. “Go take these troops back. They need medical support!”

“Right, I will! Men, carry them with care. I want these guys alive, not broken and battered,” Recover One’s squad leader jolted, then shook his head. What am I thinking? Of course, we can do this.

Watching him leave, Recover Two’s squad leader turned to his men.

“Advance ahead,” he said while stepping on debris. “Bulldog One’s nearby!”

The Light APC’s engine could be heard humming from the distance, followed by machine gun fire and grenade explosions.

“Squad leader, what about the sniper teams?”

“Recover Three will take care of them,” the squad leader replied. “Now, move!”

The four collapsed buildings blocked the street in front. Recover Two treaded carefully, detouring to the right.

Zolyah squinted when she noticed the backup squads moving farther from them.

“Looks like we’re on our own,” Sofia leaned on the wall, still clutching her stomach. Zolyah gazed at her bloodied shirt.

“Lay down, tough girl,” Zolyah helped Sofia settle on the side. “Recover squads will be here soon. Be a good girl and lay low. Breathe in, and out, slowly.”

Sofia did as she was told, a little redness flowing to her face.

“Don’t worry about me sweetheart,” Sofia chuckled. “Go. The army needs you.”

“Stay alive,” Zolyah patted Sofia’s shoulder, turned around, and stepped outside. “See you later.”

“Later…”

Zolyah scanned her surroundings, finding no shelter amidst the chaos. Even a vantage point was cut off by the hive’s surprise attack.

“Then let’s find one!”

On the left were a wave of small brown hills devoid of grass and trees. The path ahead was clear, with zombies fully attracted to the fight away from her.

She hastily carried her case, grunting on her way up. Her eyes glanced at the battlefield in intervals, monitoring visibility and possible angles of her attacks.

This is a great spot.

The ground under her was even, followed by a steep downslope leading into the partially destroyed block.

Zolyah opened the case, deployed the M82 Barrett, and zoomed in on the scope. Centered was a brute madly charging into the cornered Light APC.

The mounted MG remained silent—the gunner had long switched into his primary gun.

“Not letting you big boy,” she drew her breath and adjusted her aim. Then, she pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The brute’s head burst from its blown body, splashing blood on the horde. The bullet continued farther, turning more zombies into jellies.

“Yeah! Take that, you piece of shit!”

The soldiers cheered, their resolve being driven higher after a moment of despair.

Another brute roared towards them, shutting their short-lived bravado.

Then came another bullet in the neck.

Splat!

The second brute toppled a group of zombies in tow, stomped by the unrelenting ones who remained alive.

The last brute halted its steps, slowly retreating away.

“Oh, no no no,” Zolyah grinned, pulling the trigger again. “You stay right there.”

Spear Three’s squad leader stole a glance on the direction where the shot came from. In the distance was a hilly area, empty except for that small dot.

1.2 kilometers, he calculated. Quite an impressive find. What sniper team is that?

He turned back on the battlefield, throwing a grenade deep into the enemy formation. When the dust settled, a few more zombies stepped in.

“There’s no end to them,” he complained. “Recover Two, how long until the rest comes over?”

“I don’t know!” Recover Two’s squad leader replied. “Stay alive, then we’ll know.”

“Might as well tell me nothing,” Spear Three’s squad leader muttered. “Where are the Cinder Squads? It’s been too long. They should have been deployed by now.”

As if hearing his words, the Light APC’s hydraulics hissed. From its rear came Jack, his pair Victor, and the other Guardian GIs.

“Time’s almost up,” Jack huffed. “Clear this wave, reset, and move ahead.”

“We’ll cover you!”

The two Spear squad leaders hustled their squad members, intensifying gunfire. The Guardian GIs settled meters away from the Light APC, just behind the Spear squads.

Jack checked his first belt, Ten rounds left.

After connecting to the feeder, he glanced at the others and found them no faster nor slower than him.

With a nod, he shouted.

“Cinder One, sending first salvo!”

Five grenades hurled into the air, blasting the zombie horde into pieces.

“Cinder Two, sending first salvo!”

The enemy took another large hit.

The Spear and Recover squads watched in delight. The scenery was long ingrained in their minds, something they may never see again—the sight of explosions, and the sound of grenades popping large groups repeatedly.

“I’m reloading,” Jack reminded, shoving them out of their fantasies. “Cover me!”

The three squads continued fire, supported by Zolyah’s precise sniping.

When the second belt came online, another barrage pounded the zombies to dust. Jack tried to push the trigger on his, only for the belt to complain.

“I’m out,” he said. “They should be as well.”

The smoke slowly parted, revealing a clear road stretching into the fish processing center.

Every soldier exhaled a great deal of breath, exhaustion, and stress. The sudden ambush, building collapse, followed by a horde attack almost killed them all.

“Job’s not over fellas,” Bulldog One’s machine gunner slapped on the metal frame.

“We still have a hive to blow!”

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