Chapter 190: The Last Line of Defense
From the street, Jaxon and the others could only stare toward the west where the colossal infected towered over the surrounding buildings, its enormous body blocking out part of the night sky. Even from this distance, they could see countless infected bodies embedded within its flesh, some still twitching as dark veins pulsed beneath its grotesque surface.
Haris swallowed hard. "What... what the hell are we looking at?"
Even Natasha and Na-rin were at a loss for words. Their weapons remained raised, but the tension in their expressions betrayed the fear they were trying to suppress.
Jaxon slowly raised his DMR and aimed at the giant. "Shoot it."
The others immediately followed his lead and opened fire.
THUP! THUP! THUP!
Jaxon’s suppressed shots struck the colossal infected’s head, tearing through layers of flesh. He adjusted his aim and fired again, this time targeting what appeared to be one of its eyes.
The bullet disappeared deep into the creature’s head. But instead of an eyeball, the bullet seemed to sink into layers of flesh and tissue.
Then the wound began to move. Dark strands of flesh crawled across the opening, twisting around one another as they pulled the torn tissue back together. The hole slowly shrank before their eyes until the damaged flesh had completely regenerated.
His expression darkened. "Stop firing."
"It’s regenerating," Natasha said, her voice tense. "We’re barely doing anything to it."
"Our firepower isn’t enough." Before anyone could respond, a sudden movement caught Jaxon’s attention from the corner of his eye as he quickly spun around and fired.
THUP! The bullet tore through the head of a Grasshopper Infected just as it lunged toward him. Its skull exploded, sending the creature’s body flying backward before it crashed onto the pavement.
More movement immediately followed. Several infected were already rushing toward them from the street.
Jaxon lowered his rifle and glanced at the others. "We can’t stay here. We’re moving now."
His gaze shifted toward the residential area. "We need to get back to Elaine and the others."
The group immediately turned and began retreating through the streets. Behind them, gunfire and screams continued to echo throughout the safe zone as the colossal infected slowly advanced through the chaos.
....
From the command room, the atmosphere had completely changed. Officers rushed between stations as reports poured in from every sector, each one worse than the last.
"Request support from the surrounding safe zones," Commander Victor ordered. "Tell them we need everything they can spare."
"Yes, sir!"
Another officer approached, his expression tense. "Sir, what about the civilians in the residential sector?"
Victor didn’t hesitate as he gave the order. "Begin the evacuation."
"Understood."
"Recall every available helicopter. Prioritize essential personnel and those with higher clearance. We need to get as many people out as possible before the situation gets worse."
"Yes, sir!"
"Move! We don’t have much time!"
The orders were immediately relayed throughout the command center.
...
The announcement soon echoed across the residential sector, throwing the civilians into panic.
"Attention, all residents. Emergency evacuation procedures are now in effect. Proceed to the designated evacuation halls and follow the instructions of military personnel. Do not attempt to leave the designated routes."
The message repeated several times, but the growing panic made it difficult for anyone to remain calm.
"What’s happening?"
"Are we evacuating?"
"Where are we supposed to go?"
"Just move! They’re evacuating everyone!"
Hundreds of people poured out of their residences and rushed toward the evacuation points. Soldiers stationed around the helicopter landing zones tried to control the crowd, but there were simply too many people.
"Get in line! One at a time!"
"Stop pushing!"
"Stay behind the barriers!"
Several helicopters waited on the landing zones while others took off one after another, but it quickly became obvious that there weren’t enough aircraft to evacuate everyone.
A middle-aged man pushed toward the front of the line. "I’m C2 status! Let me through!"
A soldier immediately stepped in front of him. "Sir, please return to the line. You’ll be called when it’s your turn."
"I’m a doctor! You need medical personnel!"
"And you’ll be evacuated. But you still have to wait for your assigned transport."
The soldiers were following the priority list given by command. B-Class personnel and other critical military units were being evacuated first, followed by C-Class personnel, including doctors, engineers, mechanics, medical staff, and other critical workers.
A-Class officials had already been assigned separate helicopters. Meanwhile, everyone else was forced to wait.
A man wearing a green D-Class wristband approached the checkpoint, his face filled with frustration. "I’ve been here since the beginning. You can’t just leave us behind!"
The soldier shook his head. "I’m sorry, sir. You have to wait for your assigned evacuation."
"What? Wait for what? Until those things reach us?"
"Sir, step back."
The man tried to push past him. And immediately, two soldiers stepped forward and raised their rifles.
"Step back!"
The man froze.
"If you try to force your way through again, we’ll have to restrain you."
He stared at them for several seconds before finally stepping back, his face filled with anger and fear.
Similar arguments erupted throughout the evacuation area.
Some civilians begged the soldiers to let them through. Others shouted at them, demanding to know why certain people were being prioritized. A few simply stood in silence, staring toward the distant western sky where the silhouette of the colossal infected could still be seen above the buildings.
Others made the decision to return to their residences, believing that the military would eventually regain control.
And a few had already begun making plans of their own. For everyone else, there was nothing left to do but wait in line and hope the soldiers could hold the infected back long enough for their turn to come.
From inside the residence, Elaine and the others stood near the reinforced windows, watching the evacuation unfold outside. People rushed through the streets carrying bags and whatever belongings they could grab, while soldiers tried desperately to organize them into groups and keep the crowd moving.
Every few seconds, the ground trembled beneath their feet.