Chapter 95: Push Further
"How far away from the Korean hospital?" Adrian asked, his eyes still fixed ahead as the convoy pushed through the street.
Ryan glanced down at the tablet mounted beside him, where the live feed from Sentinel Eye overlaid their position with the route ahead.
"Sentinel Eye, confirm distance to Seoul National University Hospital," Ryan said.
A brief pause followed as the AWACS processed the request.
"Convoy, Sentinel Eye," the response came. "You are approximately six kilometers out from primary objective. Current route remains optimal, but be advised, density of contacts is increasing the closer you get to central sectors."
Ryan exhaled once.
"Six clicks," he said, looking at Adrian.
Adrian nodded slightly.
"That’s close," he said.
"Close enough to get ugly," Ryan replied.
The JLTV surged forward, engine straining as it forced through another cluster. The turret above them continued its controlled bursts, each pull of the trigger carving space just enough for the vehicle to keep moving.
"Contact front, heavy!" the gunner called out.
Adrian leaned slightly forward, looking past the windshield.
The road ahead wasn’t just filled.
It was packed.
The infected now covered the entire width of the street, spilling into adjacent lanes, pushing over each other in their rush toward the convoy.
"Sentinel Eye, update," Adrian said.
"Convoy, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS replied. "Thermal readings indicate over one thousand contacts within your forward sector. Additional movement from adjacent high-rise structures. You are entering a high-density zone."
Ryan tightened his jaw.
"There it is," he said.
The driver didn’t slow.
"Brace," he muttered.
The JLTV slammed into the mass.
The impact was immediate and violent, bodies piling against the front as the vehicle forced its way through. The turret roared above, the M2 Browning hammering continuously now in controlled but frequent bursts, cutting through the thickest sections.
Behind them, the Cougar and Stryker maintained formation, their guns adding overlapping fields of fire.
The street turned into a corridor of movement and destruction.
"Keep it moving!" Ryan said. "Do not get stuck here!"
Adrian kept his gaze forward.
Six kilometers.
But the road ahead was no longer a road.
It was a mass.
The JLTV continued forward, but the resistance changed. The infected were no longer just being pushed aside or crushed under the tires. Their bodies began to accumulate, dragged under the vehicle, stacking over one another until the wheels started to climb over them instead of rolling cleanly through.
The front dipped slightly.
Then rose.
"Sir... we’re riding over them now," the driver said, voice tightening.
Adrian saw it.
The road had turned uneven.
A mound of bodies had formed in front of them, a shifting, unstable hump created by the sheer number of infected being forced into the same space. Some were already lifeless, crushed and broken, while others still moved, writhing as more piled on top.
"Maintain throttle," Ryan said. "Don’t let it bog down."
"I’m trying," the driver replied, pushing the engine harder.
The JLTV climbed the mass.
The tires lost some traction, spinning briefly as they tried to grip over flesh and debris instead of solid pavement.
The engine strained.
"Torque’s dropping," the driver added. "We’re losing momentum."
Behind them, the Cougar hit the same buildup, its heavier weight compressing the mound further, but even it slowed.
"Convoy speed decreasing," one of the operators reported.
The Stryker’s engine roared louder as it pushed forward, but even its armored weight struggled as the pile thickened.
"They’re stacking too fast," the rear operator said. "We’re creating our own obstacle."
Adrian leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
The horde wasn’t thinning.
It was feeding itself.
The more they pushed through, the more bodies accumulated, turning the street into a raised, unstable path that slowed them down with every meter.
"Sentinel Eye," Adrian said. "Give me density ahead."
A brief pause.
Then—
"Convoy, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS responded. "Forward sector density exceeding one thousand five hundred. Additional movement converging from three adjacent blocks. Build-up is accelerating."
Ryan cursed under his breath.
"That’s not sustainable."
The JLTV lurched again as it climbed another section of piled bodies. The suspension groaned under the uneven load, the entire vehicle tilting slightly before correcting.
"Speed is dropping below safe threshold," the driver warned. "If we lose momentum, we’re done."
The turret above them kept firing, but even that had less effect now. The rounds cleared space momentarily, but the gaps filled almost immediately as more infected pushed forward, climbing over the dead without hesitation.
"They don’t stop," the gunner said. "They just keep coming."
Adrian’s gaze hardened.
"This fucking zombies! I know this operation is going to be difficult but not to this degree. We are fucking being bogged down by a copious amount of zombies."
Ryan didn’t argue.
He saw it too.
The speed was dropping.
The mound ahead was getting worse.
If they stalled here—
They were done.
Adrian leaned forward.
"Enough," he said. "Go all out."
Ryan turned slightly.
"Confirm?"
"All weapons," Adrian said. "Full suppression. Clear the path. Now."
Ryan didn’t hesitate.
"You heard him!" he barked. "All units, go loud! Open fire!"
The response was immediate.
The JLTV’s M2 Browning roared to life again, but this time there was no restraint. The gunner held the trigger longer, sending sustained bursts into the mass ahead. The heavy rounds tore through layers of bodies, ripping open space faster than before, punching through multiple targets in a single line.
"Feeding continuous!" the gunner called out.
Behind them, the Cougar’s M240B shifted from controlled bursts to sustained fire, the 7.62 rounds stitching across the flanks, cutting down anything trying to climb onto the vehicle or block the sides.
"Left side suppressed!" the Cougar gunner reported.
The Stryker escalated next.
Its M151 remote weapon station rotated sharply, and the mounted M2 .50 cal unleashed a heavier stream of fire, synchronized with the JLTV. The overlapping fire lanes created a wide cone of destruction ahead, breaking apart the dense buildup.
"Front clearing!" the Stryker gunner shouted.
The effect was immediate.
Bodies were no longer just piling.
They were being shredded before they could stack.
The mound ahead collapsed in sections as continuous fire broke its structure apart, allowing the JLTV’s tires to regain partial traction.
"Throttle up!" Ryan ordered.
"I’m pushing it!" the driver replied, slamming more power into the engine.
The JLTV surged forward again, climbing over the broken mass, the tires finally biting into something more stable beneath the layers of destroyed bodies.
"Momentum regained!" the driver called out.
Adrian kept his eyes forward, watching the path open just enough for them to move.
"Keep firing," he said. "Do not let it build again."
Above them, the turret thundered without pause. And moments later, there was a clear road again, albeit filled with zombie’s entrails.