Chapter 94: More Ants
The Sentinel Eye continuously transmitted data for GPS navigation that the ground team were using to navigate the roads of Seoul.
Along the way, they encountered zombies, converging on them.
At first, it was scattered.
A few figures stepping out from the sides of the road. Some emerging from between abandoned vehicles, others from broken storefronts and alleyways. They moved slowly at the beginning, heads turning toward the sound of the approaching convoy.
Then the engines carried.
And that was enough.
"They’re reacting," the driver said, tightening his grip on the wheel.
Ryan leaned slightly forward, eyes scanning the road ahead.
"Maintain speed," he said. "Do not stop unless blocked."
The JLTV pushed forward, tires rolling over debris and cracked asphalt as it cut through the streets. Behind them, the Cougar MRAP followed close, and the Stryker trailed just behind, maintaining formation.
"Sentinel Eye, give us route status," Ryan said over comms.
"Convoy, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS responded. "You are on optimal path. Next turn in three hundred meters. Be advised, increasing thermal signatures ahead. Multiple contacts converging from intersecting streets."
Adrian listened, eyes forward.
"How many?" he asked.
"Estimate thirty to fifty within your immediate forward sector," Sentinel Eye replied. "Additional contacts moving in from flanks."
Ryan nodded once.
"Copy. We push through."
The first group reached the road.
They didn’t hesitate.
They ran.
The infected surged toward the JLTV, arms raised, bodies colliding into each other as they tried to intercept the moving vehicles.
"Contact front," one of the operators called out.
"Hold fire," Ryan replied immediately. "Only if they block us."
The driver didn’t slow.
The JLTV hit them head-on.
A series of heavy impacts echoed as bodies slammed against the front grille and were thrown aside or dragged under the vehicle. Blood splattered across the windshield, forcing the wipers to activate automatically.
"Keep it straight," Ryan said.
The vehicle pushed through, forcing a path.
Behind them, the Cougar followed, its heavier frame crushing through anything left in the road. The Stryker came last, its armored hull barely reacting as it rolled forward, clearing the remaining stragglers.
"Convoy intact," one of the operators reported.
But the movement had drawn more.
From the sides.
From behind.
More infected began to pour out, their numbers increasing as the noise spread across the surrounding blocks.
"They’re building up," the rear operator said. "We’ve got followers."
Adrian glanced back briefly.
"Distance is our advantage," he said. "Don’t give them time to mass."
"Copy," Ryan replied.
"Sentinel Eye, next route," he added.
"Turn right in one hundred meters," the AWACS responded. "Recommend immediate execution. Left side street shows higher density."
The driver nodded.
"Turning right."
The JLTV veered into the next road, the tires screeching slightly as it adjusted direction. The Cougar and Stryker followed in sequence, maintaining tight spacing.
The new road was narrower.
More confined.
Buildings pressed closer on both sides.
Less visibility.
Ryan’s posture tightened slightly.
"Watch the corners," he said. "They’ll come out fast here."
As if on cue—
Two infected lunged out from the side alley.
"Front!" the driver called.
He didn’t slow.
The JLTV slammed through them, the impact throwing them aside as the convoy continued forward.
"Shit, they look like ants crawling around us," Adrian commented. "They won’t do shit against this armor."
"That’s what worries me," he said after a second. "When they stop looking like ants."
Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly, then looked ahead again.
The road opened up.
"They’re stacking up ahead," the driver said, voice tightening.
From both sides of the road, the infected poured out. Between cars, out of building entrances, from shattered glass doors and stairwells. Some dropped from low ledges, others pushed through narrow gaps, all drawn toward the convoy.
"Sentinel Eye, confirm numbers," Ryan said.
A short pause.
Then—
"Convoy, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS replied. "Thermal spike confirmed. Estimate two hundred plus in your forward sector. Additional contacts merging from adjacent blocks. Situation escalating."
Ryan exhaled once.
"Copy."
Adrian leaned slightly forward.
"Can we reroute?" he asked.
"Negative," Sentinel Eye answered. "Alternate paths show equal or higher density. Current route remains optimal despite threat."
The driver tightened his grip.
"Then we push," he said.
The JLTV surged forward.
The first wave hit them.
Bodies slammed against the front, thrown aside or dragged under as the vehicle forced its way through. The sound of impact became constant again, no longer isolated hits but continuous resistance.
"Keep speed up!" Ryan said.
"I am!" the driver replied.
Behind them, the Cougar and Stryker maintained formation, their heavier frames crushing anything left in their wake.
But it didn’t stop.
The road ahead filled again.
And again.
More infected flooded in, their numbers compounding as the convoy pushed deeper into the city.
"They’re coming from everywhere," one of the operators said. "Side streets, rooftops—"
Adrian looked up briefly.
Movement above.
Figures along broken balconies.
Some dropping down.
Some falling and getting back up.
"They’re not just following anymore," Ryan said. "They’re converging."
"Sentinel Eye, update," Adrian said.
"Convoy, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS replied. "Be advised, density has increased significantly. You are now entering central urban zone. Estimated contacts within immediate radius... five hundred and rising."
Ryan’s jaw tightened.
"That’s not good."
The JLTV pushed forward harder, engine roaring now as the driver forced more speed out of it.
"Make a hole!" Ryan said.
"Stryker, MRAP. JLTV, use your turrets and make a hole ahead of us," Adrian ordered.
The JLTV’s turret operator brought the M2 Browning .50 caliber heavy machine gun to life, the remote weapon station stabilizing the barrel despite the vehicle’s movement. The system tracked smoothly, assisted by its fire control optics, and the first burst cracked through the street with a deep, concussive rhythm.
The rounds tore through the front line.
At that caliber, there was no resistance. Bodies were thrown back, limbs shattered, torsos ripped apart as the heavy rounds punched through multiple targets in a straight line.
"Short bursts, conserve!" Ryan reminded.
Behind them, the Cougar’s gunner engaged next. Its mounted M240B 7.62mm machine gun added a faster, sustained stream of fire, cutting down the flanks where infected were closing in from the sides. The lighter caliber allowed longer bursts, suppressing movement and keeping the road edges from collapsing inward.
Then the Stryker joined.
Its M151 Protector Remote Weapon Station rotated with precision, the mounted M2 .50 cal hammering forward in controlled intervals. The stabilized platform allowed accurate fire even as the vehicle moved, punching clean lanes through the densest sections of the horde.
"Front is opening!" the JLTV gunner called out.
"Good, keep it that way!"