The pale particles remained visible behind him, hanging between the high-rises and covering most of the inner streets. Radar interference continued until several kilometers separated the aircraft from central Grefort.
The static gradually weakened.
Building outlines returned first.
The duplicated contacts disappeared afterward, leaving the remaining red markers in their proper positions.
"Radar returning to normal," the pilot recorded. "Interference appears limited to the inner districts."
He continued east.
The high-rises slowly gave way to residential towers. Apartment blocks occupied most of the sector, placed close enough that some of their balconies nearly faced each other across narrow streets.
The buildings remained dense, though their heights were more manageable compared to the city core.
Raptor One’s Radar swept across them.
Red markers appeared first.
Hundreds occupied the buildings nearest the center. Some wandered through the streets, while others remained inside apartments, stairwells, and underground parking areas.
The numbers thinned farther east.
Then gray markers appeared.
A cluster occupied three apartment buildings surrounding a shared courtyard. Most remained inside the lower floors, while several stood on the rooftops and along the barricaded entrances.
The streets immediately around the buildings were empty of red markers.
"Neutral population detected."
He shifted the optical camera downward.
Abandoned vehicles had been pushed across two roads. Metal fences and furniture filled the remaining gaps, creating narrow entrances into the apartment compound.
Bodies lay outside the barricades.
Some had been burned in piles. Others remained where they had fallen, though none moved.
Several people stood on the rooftops.
They watched Raptor One pass overhead.
One raised a pair of binoculars. Another disappeared behind a water tank before returning with two more people.
"Relax," the pilot muttered. "I’m only sightseeing."
He recorded the compound and continued.
Another neutral cluster appeared several kilometers southeast.
It occupied a walled complex surrounded by smaller residential buildings. Trucks and buses blocked the largest entrance, while several gray markers followed short patrol routes between the gate and the neighboring structures.
Red markers filled the streets between that compound and the first enclave. Many remained inside buildings, though enough wandered outside to cut every direct road between them.
"Two groups. No safe connection between them."
He marked the blocked routes.
A third enclave occupied a row of connected townhouses and a small commercial building farther south. It had cleared only the immediate area, with infected still inside the surrounding houses and along three of the adjoining streets.
"Small enclave. Limited cleared ground. Surrounded on three sides."
More gray clusters appeared as Raptor One continued across the eastern residential belt. Some represented only a handful of survivors inside isolated buildings. Others occupied several adjoining structures.
One group had cleared almost two full blocks around a residential tower, placing barriers and firing positions near the intersections. Another remained trapped on the upper floors of an apartment building while infected filled the lobby and surrounding streets.
"Multiple survivor enclaves across the eastern sector," the pilot recorded. "Groups remain separated by infected-held streets and blocked routes. Several compounds have established patrols and cleared nearby blocks."
Another small cluster entered Radar range.
"Others are barely holding their own buildings."
Raptor One passed over a wider road leading southeast. Fewer red markers occupied the surrounding blocks, but overturned vehicles and collapsed sections made the route unusable for a normal convoy.
Smaller roads branched toward the survivor enclaves. Most ended in infected concentrations.
"Ground rescue is going to be unpleasant."
The pilot marked the sector for future contact operations.
Raptor One could not carry survivors, and a low pass would only draw more infected toward the enclaves. He maintained altitude and continued southeast.
The residential towers gradually separated.
Larger properties appeared beyond them, followed by high walls, landscaped roads, and wide spaces between individual structures.
Pandora District entered view.
"Now this place has money."
The outer wall still carried the damage described in the mission briefing.
One section had been forced open, leaving broken concrete and bent metal along both sides of the approach.
The roads inside remained clearer than those of the eastern residential belt, though vegetation had started reclaiming the lawns and private driveways.
A few red markers appeared across the district.
"Didn’t know these things migrate too," the pilot remarked. "Someone’s going to clear them later. Not my problem."
Some occupied estates. Others wandered around the streets or remained inside underground sections too deep for the optical camera to inspect.
No large concentration appeared within the first sweep.
Deep depressions scarred several roads and gardens. They continued north through the district before passing through the broken section of the outer wall.
"Large footprints confirmed."
The pilot followed the trail from above. It crossed several residential sections and continued toward central Grefort, where the pale haze remained visible between the distant buildings.
"No giant attached."
The pilot recorded the route again before turning south.
Pandora fell behind the aircraft.
The large estates gradually gave way to smaller residential blocks and wider commercial roads. Vegetation remained thick around the district boundary, though the streets farther south showed heavier damage.
Raptor One’s Radar swept ahead.
The returns came back sparse.
Red markers appeared across several outer blocks, though most stood alone or moved in small groups. Wide sections between them remained empty.
Roads stretched through the Southern Districts for tens of kilometers. Residential blocks occupied most of the eastern side, followed by commercial strips, repair facilities, storage yards, and smaller industrial compounds farther west.
Damage varied from one section to another. Some streets had disappeared beneath collapsed buildings and abandoned vehicles. Others remained almost completely open.
Bodies covered several intersections. Most had decayed where they had fallen, while others had been dragged into piles along the roadside, leaving the center open for vehicles.
The pilot followed one of the cleared routes.
"Looks like the Commander’s soldiers already did part of the work here."
Dark marks remained across the pavement. Bullet holes covered nearby walls, while several buildings carried larger openings from autocannon fire and heavier weapons.
The infected still present appeared to have wandered into the area afterward.
One moved through an empty parking lot.
Another group crossed a wide avenue before separating between several buildings.
None gathered into a major concentration.
"Main southern corridor remains mostly clear. Scattered reinfestation. Several secondary approaches remain blocked."
He continued southwest.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter