Chapter 56 Approaching Threat

Chapter 56 Approaching Threat

On July 27th, 2023, at 11:30 P.M., Richard sat in the command center of Blackwatch, his eyes fixed on the television screen, focused on the unfolding situation.

Zombies, numbering in the hundreds, were converging from all directions, closing in on Oriental. The major roads leading into the city were clogged with these undead hordes, and the skies were teeming with Flyers.

Despite demolishing the bridge that separated North and South Metro Manila, the southern region still swarmed with zombies, including the mutated variety like the Hunters.

They were currently 1,200 meters away from Oriental, and at this rate, they'd reach it by midnight.

Over the past five hours, Richard had meticulously restructured his forces into four fronts: Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern. Each front consisted of 150 soldiers, 4 M117 Guardian vehicles, 8 LAV 25s, and 2 M1A2 Abrams tanks.

These fronts would be backed by attack helicopters – Apaches, Vipers, and? Blackhawks retrofitted with M230 Chain Gun 30 mm automatic cannon, 19-shot Hydra 70 rocket pod, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, GAU-19 gun pods, and M134 minigun pods.

During the same five-hour span, Richard had launched artillery salvos at the approaching zombies using M109 Howitzers.

He'd eliminated 4,320 walkers, 80 Flyers, and 30 Hunters. This success rewarded him with a substantial sum of 3,832,000 gold coins. Unfortunately, he couldn't employ these coins to buy more troops since he had already reached his maximum limit. His only option was to invest in additional military hardware.

It turned out that the crew operating military hardware fell outside the constraints of his troop limit. This meant he could acquire helicopters with their respective flight crews or tanks with trained personnel to operate them.

At the last minute, he bought 20 pieces of LAV-25 costing him 1,200,000 gold coins, 10 M1A2 Abrams for 1,350,000 gold coins, and 200,000 gold coins for crews and ammunition. The additional LAV-25 and M1A2 Abrams tanks were already distributed, though not all for M1A2 Abrams. He kept the two in reserves for extreme scenarios.

"Impressive," Andrea gasped softly. "You really weren't lying, you have an army under your command."

"I've been telling you the truth many times earlier, that I am the commander of the Blackwatch. I even said that in my introduction," Richard simply said, his gaze fixed on the monitor. "So, are you ready to give us a hand?"

Typically, non-essential personnel were prohibited from the command center, but Richard, recognizing her potential as an ally, granted her an exemption. He had already revealed to her the extent of her superhuman abilities, demonstrated by her dispatching of both normal and mutated zombies.

He chose not to divulge the truth about her inadvertent actions that led to the deaths of three of his men. He didn't want her to bear that unnecessary burden.

Andrea sighed and shook her head. "Sir Richard, I don't know how to fight. I don't even remember performing those intricate swordplay moves you showed me in the video."

"But you possess those powers," Richard insisted. "They may be dormant for now, but they could be the key to our survival. Look at the screen, you see that?"

Andrea looked to where Richard was pointing, there, a super mutated zombies they classified as Goliath was ambling menacingly toward Oriental.

"By midnight, it'll arrive here and wreak havoc, potentially killing everyone here, my men and the people that we are protecting."

"Sir Richard...I understand your urgency," Andrea began, her eyes locked onto the screen showing the advancing Goliath. "But even if I do possess these powers, I have no control over them. What can I possibly do to help in this situation?"

Before Richard could answer, Sara interrupted.

"Uhm, sir, the Special Forces are in position," she reported.

"Show me the cams," Richard instructed, and Sara swiftly switched the display to reveal the first-person perspectives of the Special Forces operatives, gazing out of floor-to-ceiling windows from various skyscraper buildings.

Richard had initiated a special operation aimed at neutralizing the Goliath. The massive creature was surrounded by towering skyscrapers of the Bonifacio Global City, like a Godzilla in a metropolitan city.

The Special Forces, a team of 20 led by Graves, had strategically positioned themselves in four separate buildings, granting them unobstructed views of the Goliath. If one were to trace an imaginary line connecting their locations, it would form a square, with the Goliath at its center.

They had been in position for the past three hours, meticulously preparing for this crucial operation. How did they get there? Helicopters!

"Eagle Actual to Specter-1, provide a sitrep."

"Eagle Actual, we have visual confirmation on the blisters. Standby for fireworks, awaiting your command, sir." Graves's response.

"What are you planning?" Andrea asked, looking at Richard.

"You'll see," Richard replied, a sly smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Specter-1, you are cleared hot to fire."

***

Bonifacio Global City, the Singapore of the Philippines. It is a financial business district and a commercial center in Taguig. It was bustling with hundreds of people prior to the outbreak, but now, like every other city in the Philippines, it has turned into a desolate wasteland.

In one of the buildings of the BGC stood the Shangri-La The Fort, Manila. At the sixty-six floor, and one in one of the luxurious suites, Graves was peering from his tactical binoculars.

"Damn, that Goliath is still holding up his shield in front huh?" Graves muttered under his breath.

Moments later, his earpiece sounded.

"Specter-1, you are cleared hot to engage."

"Roger that Actual, stand by for effect," Graves acknowledged as he lowered down his tactical binoculars.

"Specter stations, this is Specter-1, we have given the green light," Graves relayed to his team through their secure communication channel. "Lock and load, people. Time to show this monster who is at the top of the food chain."

Inside their respective vantage points within the skyscrapers, the Specter-1 operatives swiftly and silently prepared their weapons. Their weapons were the FGM-148 Javelin, now resting on each respective special forces shoulder.

One of the special forces aimed the light saber-looking hilt, a laser designated at the blisters of the Goliath, ensuring that the missile would only hit the blisters, not the other parts of its body.

Graves brought the tactical binoculars up to his eyes again and observed the Goliath movement. The tactical binocular is equipped with an infrared sensor, allowing him to see the lasers emitted from the laser designator.

"Specter stations, confirm your targets," Graves ordered.

"Specter-1, locked on."

"Specter-2, locked on."

"Specter-3, locked on."

"Specter-4, locked on."

Graves listened as each team member confirmed their target. The tension in the room reached its peak as they all waited for the Goliath to move into a favorable firing position.

Ten seconds later, Graves saw the opportunity and took it.

"Fire!"

Subsequently, four missiles from four different locations streaked toward the Goliath. The night sky lit up with fiery streaks as the Javelin missiles closed in on their targets, which were precisely designated on the Goliath's blisters.

The Goliath, still lumbering forward, had little time to react. Its enormous form was bathed in the fiery glow of the incoming missiles. Despite its massive shield and toughened skin, the blisters were vulnerable.

The first missile struck the Goliath's left blister, causing a massive explosion. Chunks of flesh and debris flew in all directions as the blast tore into the creature's side. In quick succession, the other three missiles struck their designated targets, each explosion more devastating than the last.

Smoke and flames billowed from the wounded blisters as the Goliath staggered, struggling to maintain its balance. It roared in agony, a sound that reverberated through the city.

Back at the command center, Richard watched as its health bar decreased from ninety percent to fifty percent. So ten percent damage was dealt for each blister destroyed.

"He's on his knees now," Graves remarked with a chuckle, but that chuckle disappeared when the Goliath did something unimaginable.

It leaped towards one of the buildings where Specter-3 was positioned, its massive shield held firmly in front of it. The impact was catastrophic, as the Goliath crashed into the front edifice of the building with an earth-shaking thud. Debris rained down, and the structure groaned under the immense strain.

"Specter-3, report! Are you all right?" Graves shouted into his radio.

Static crackled for a moment before a strained voice responded, "This is Specter-3. We're still here. It's like an earthquake just occurred."

"Specter-3, leave the building now!" Graves commanded.

All Specter operators are equipped with parachutes. They expected that the Goliath would retaliate upon taking damage, and given its enormous size, it could do things like that.

Specter-3 operators began to leap out from the damaged building, their parachutes deploying as they descended toward the ground. The Goliath, recovering from its leap, was not yet done. With its massive blade arm, the Goliath swung its arm, cutting the skyscraper in two with a deafening roar. The skyscraper crumbled as if it were made of cardboard, the upper floors falling into the street below in a rain of concrete and steel.

"Shit! All stations! Move out! I say again, move out!" Graves shouted and every operator jumped out from the buildings. The Goliath continued its assault on the buildings that assaulted him.

"Sir this is a good opportunity," Mark stepped forward. "It's angered and vulnerable."

"I know," Richard nodded his head. "Connect to Excalibur and Warhammer." n--O/(v).e).l)-b-/I()n

"Understood, what is the order?" Mark asked.

"Fire for effect," Richard answered.