Hans and the rest of the DASFs entered the Guardian APCs.
The hive screamed loudly. This time, it covered a large area around this part of Grefort City. On the map, thousands of red markers instantly appeared. And thousands more converged from the outer areas.
It’s pulling all the infected into our position, Hans chuckled. As expected. I should use this time to up the ranks of my units.
Matilda stared at him. "Commander?"
"Dying throes," Hans raised his communicator. "All units, begin Phase Three. It’s chasing time."
Outside, the APC autocannons roared.
A large artillery shell bombarded the screaming hive, covering its exposed wounds with more explosions and shrapnel. The earth underneath grumbled, rippling waves.
"Hellhammer One, resuming barrage."
"Bastion One, we’re good to go."
"Fire up the engines! Let’s not waste more time being surrounded here!"
Hans calmly listened to the chatter on the radio.
The APC formation reversed. Hans was now on the rear, bearing the brunt of the attack.
The first rolled forward, followed almost immediately by the second and the third.
Their engines hummed loudly within the broken streets, the large wheels crushing bone, glass, and meat alike.
Outside, the hive screamed persistently—no longer just a voice for deterrence, but as command to the infected.
From the cracks around the hardware store, sewer monsters rushed out in waves. Some dragged themselves with broken limbs. Some crawled along the tattered walls. Some fell from shattered windows.
Though its shard was gone, the hive still had enough life force to threaten Hans and his army.
He watched the Radar map and observed the infected movement from top-view.
"That’s a lot," Hans narrowed his eyes. This hive won’t let us go easily away indeed.
But this was the point of the third phase. Let the hive release all the infected, and Hans would use the terrain and the fast-moving Guardian APCs to lead them into a meat grinder.
He shifted his eyes to the three Guardian APC markers.
Bastion One to Three maintained their speed, neither overextending nor slowing each other down.
Space and timing was crucial in this moment. A lapse in focus would mean the death of at least one of them.
They circled around the area, attracting as many infected as possible while also picking up Sniper teams who were deployed earlier.
"Eagle One aboard Bastion Three! Thanks for the assist!"
"Eagle Two is up and running. Way to go, Bastion Two."
"Eagle Three waiting on the approach. Don’t leave us out, over."
The three Guardian APCs took another turn into a corner and saw Eagle Three on the roadside all packed up and ready to go.
The vehicles stopped almost simultaneously, as if it had been practiced for a long time.
The ramp on Hans’s APC hissed as it lowered down, welcoming Eagle Three back.
"Move, move!"
Three Snipers, two Scouts, and two Army Soldiers sprinted from the roadside, rifles held tight against their chests. The two Army Soldiers knelt near the ramp, providing cover fire as the rest boarded the APC.
Behind them, the street turned red on Hans’s map. The pursuing swarm had reached the corner.
"Bastion One, rear contact entering kill range."
"I see it," Bastion One replied. The autocannon turned, blasting the incoming enemies apart.
"We got a runner."
One of the Army Soldiers shifted his position, locking his rifle’s sight on the agile infected. Before he could pull the trigger, the autocannon fired a single shot.
The runner could not react on time. The 30mm punched into its chest, throwing its body farther from where it appeared on the alley.
"Lasher, watch out!"
A slick tongue propelled itself straight into the Army Soldier who was distracted by the runner.
The tongue bound him before he could react. Securing its prey, the lasher pulled itself backward, intending to feast off this catch.
"No you won’t!"
Matilda rushed out of the APC while pushing the boarding Sniper aside. She flicked out her combat blade and slashed at the ugly-looking tongue.
As the sharp edge cut through, the lasher fell down from its own weight. Matilda almost drew her Deagle but time was of the essence.
"Everyone’s boarded. Let’s move!"
Matilda pulled the Army Soldier by his harness while the other boarded without a hitch.
Seeing this, Bastion One engaged both the engine and the ramp, letting the back hiss shut as it drove away.
"That was close," Matilda put the Army Soldier aside like a toy.
"Don’t treat him harshly like that," Hans commented.
Matilda did not argue with her Commander. Perhaps he was joking. Or not. Whatever the case was, at least now, the crisis was averted.
Hans smiled, shifting his focus back to the Radar map.
The red flood had committed.
Without even a word from him, the three Guardian APCs exited from the streets and entered the highway.
They pushed through the road, ramming aside broken cars blocking their path.
The infected followed not long after. They confidently went in pursuit against the three APCs, like a tide wanting to swallow everything.
Just as the Guardian APCs passed the third highway kilometer—
A huge formation of blue markers stationed itself on the highway.
Adrian and rest of Echo Two stared at the Radar map.
"Oh."
That was all they could say.
The highway ahead had been divided into lanes, not by traffic signs nor barricades, but by firepower.
Machine Gun teams occupied the collapsed pedestrian bridge on the left.
Army Soldiers and Conscripts lined the concrete dividers; their rifles already angled toward the pursuing swarm.
Missile Infantry waited farther back, launchers resting on their shoulders.
Two Vanguard MBTs sat behind the wreckage of old buses, their cannons facing the highway like patient executioners.
And behind them all, three more Guardian APCs held the open road.
The red flood chased from behind. The blue wall waited ahead.
"Bastion units passing through," Bastion One spoke to the channel.
"Roger that," a squad leader reported. "Opening barricade."
The three APCs roared through the gap. Their autocannons were now silent, but the battle was not yet over.
The moment they crossed, the line closed behind them.
The infected followed without hesitation and no understanding. Only hunger and the last command of a dying hive that was still being battered away by artillery.
"Center lane closed," the same squad leader from before reported. "Swarm approaching from distance."
"I can see that."
"Don’t remind me."
"Let’s kill as many as we can today!"
The radio turned lively.
Hans smiled as he heard the chaotic conversations. The moment his communicator connected, the entire channel went silent.
"All units, this is Golden Eagle. Good hunting out there. Golden Eagle, out."
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