Just as they returned, two citizens were talking, "Hey, they've returned, haven't they? Souta"
"Ohh, apparently yes, why?"
"Well, aren't you mad that we have to work even though it's an apocalypse? I mean, come on, we should enjoy ourselves at times like this, isn't it?"
"Well, you can do that, of course, but look at it, it's either we risk our lives outside or work here for food that we eat, that simple, he might be a kid but without him we're might be already dead by now, or can you survive outside?"
"..." he went silent
"Figured, here we have comfortable house, bed, and foods to eat outside we're free, but can we acquire all those? no, we're also free here, but that doesn't mean we don't have to work. If all of us aren't working, do you think this base will last long? we should appreciate what we have, man, I'm spilling nonsense, haven't I... sorry for being talkative."
"Nah, thank you, man, that was a reality check for me, I'm getting cocky to begin with, thanks,"
"We should get back to work,"
"Yeah, let's do that,"
In the bustling room filled with surveillance screens, a woman stared on the screen as always, but then something happened, and her eyes widened as she glanced at the computer screen. "Hey, come take a look at this!" she called out to her colleague, who was engrossed in monitoring the cameras.
her colleague swiveled her chair over to her station, her curiosity piqued. "What's up? Looks like you've seen a ghost," she teased, giving her a playful nudge.
She pointed at the screen, her tone urgent. "No, something worse. We've got a bigger problem, call the boss!"
The phone rang, and Amy picked it up,
"This is Jenny. Is Souta there?"
"Oh? Jenny! Long time no see. How've you been?"
Jenny's voice came through with a mix of relief and urgency, "I'm doing great, but we've got a problem. You need to tell Souta about this."
Amy's eyes widened, and she wasted no time. She rushed to Souta's office, knocking on the door as she entered, "Souta! Emergency! A tank is heading straight for our base!"
Inside the tank, two men were seated, one behind the wheel and the other studying a map.
"Hey, you sure about this?" the driver asked, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
"Well, the radio said it themselves, that the military is dropping supplies everywhere," the other man replied, pointing to a spot on the map.
"Hmm, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot," the driver shrugged, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
As they continued on their journey, the tank suddenly jolted to a halt. "Hey, why'd you stop?" the man looking at the map questioned, puzzled.
"There's... a woman on the road," the driver said, squinting to get a clearer view.
"What? Are you seeing things now?" The man with the map glanced outside and saw the woman too, her clothes in tatters and covered in dirt.
The woman approached them, her voice trembling as she begged for help. The two men exchanged a hesitant look before deciding to step out of the tank. Gripping their guns tightly, they cautiously approached the woman. "Hey, ma'am, are you okay?" the driver asked, trying to sound reassuring.
But before they could fully process the situation, the woman lunged at them, grabbing one of the men and using him as a hostage. "Don't move," she warned, holding a knife dangerously close to the man's neck. Her desperation was evident, but there was something else in her eyes, too - a mixture of fear and desperation.
"Do you still have people inside the tank?" She asked
"We're the only two..." the man managed to stammer out, trying to keep his composure under the threatening circumstances.
The woman's grip on the knife tightened, and her voice quivered as she demanded,
The driver, seeing the seriousness in the woman's eyes, responded firmly, "I give you my word. There's no one else in the tank, so please, don't kill my friend."
"He's telling the truth, I just check the tank," chimed in another woman, perched on the tank's top. Suddenly, dozens of women materialized, blending in with the camouflage of the grass.
"Whoa," the two men exclaimed in surprise. "We're the special guards of a certain someone, and sorry, but his identity stays unknown to you guys. Just know we're the good guys here. We'll be taking you into custody for some questioning."
The woman on the tank jumped down with a playful grin. "Custody, huh? Well, you guys sure know how to make an entrance."
A tall, serious-looking woman stepped forward. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get this done." She motioned for the others to surround the men. "Move it, fellas!"
The women swiftly closed in, forming a circle around the bewildered men. One of the men scratched his head nervously, eyeing the determined faces around them. "Uh, look, we didn't mean any harm. We were just checking things out, you know?"
"Yeah, you see, curiosity got the better of us," the other man added, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
A mischievous grin spread across the woman on the tank's face. "Curiosity, huh? Well, we've got plenty of questions to satisfy your curiosity."
The tall woman folded her arms, her tone firm but not unkind. "You both seem harmless enough, but we can't take any chances. Our 'him' wouldn't like that."
The men exchanged a quick glance, and the playful woman winked at them. "Don't worry; we won't bite... much."
The 'him' was Souta himself, the two man was questioned, Liam and Noah they came from the city the tank was from the military rescue they manage to get a hand of it with hardship, and the purpose they are going to the town was because of the supply box.
After questioning, they immediately moved them and put them to the military. With the tank with them, another power was added to Souta's military.
The girls huddled around Souta, their faces serious. "The city, huh... We haven't paid much attention to it before, but now might be the time to clear it out while the zombies are weakened. It's also an opportunity to train our new soldiers. Let Roger and Rex know about this," Souta ordered
"Understood." And they quickly left
Steff strolled into Souta's office, carrying a cup of coffee. "So, are we really heading to the city soon?" she asked, setting the mug down on his cluttered table.
Souta chuckled. "No way. It's not a smart move, you know? Living in a big city with our current numbers is just asking for trouble. We'd be inviting our own demise."
Steff raised an eyebrow. "Wow, so defensive, aren't we?"
He grinned. "Just being practical. The city might have resources and all that, but it's not safe. I don't want us to end up surrounded by a horde of zombies. No thanks."
"Is that so?" Steff said
"Though, there's a ton of stuff in there – food, water, materials, and vehicles. And besides, we don't want those city zombies wandering our way once winter's over. Clearing them out while they're weak seems like a smart move to avoid future headaches, don't you think?" Souta asked
"That's a smart move you got there. When will we start?" Steff asked
"Let's wait for Roger and Rex's reply," Souta said
Morning comes, and their reply is yes. After the last mission, all of them have been exhausted. That's why they will move next week.
In a week, they began their move and went to the city. In that week of the soldiers resting, Souta sent Shana's team to make a temporary base and also to clear out zombies as many as they could.
The military arrived at the city in just half a day, inside the tent where Souta and his commander gathered, Rex, Roger, Shana, Amy, and Steff.
"Are we really going to use the phalanx formation?" Shana asked with her concern
"Well, this is a big operation, but those zombies are so weak that they can't even catch a walking person their speed weakened, and so it their strength, also like what Amy and her group saw all of them are gathered in one place so this should be easy"
"It's easier said than done," Rex said. "With those many zombies, I don't think that we can clear them all at once in just a day,"
"Rex is right. A population of every city is large, though the phalanx formation is great, but I don't think the soldiers can maintain their formation as they are now." Roger also began to say his thoughts
"I know that much, that's why we will end it within a day, the place they all went to the city square, though some of them are left wandering around but almost all of them are on the city square" Shana said
"You heard her. They are in an open area, they are weak and slow, that's why the catapult come to play, we now have more than 10 catapult, arrows, molotov, and man made bombs, using the LPG we can bomb the zombies" Souta reassured them
But all of them seem to be unsure of this, "I know you all have your worries, but don't worry, my plan will work," he said