Chapter 142: Spitter
The soldiers on the high wall erupted into cheers as they watched the missiles launch. For most, nuclear weapons were little more than a concept—an abstract force of destruction they didn't fully understand. Amid the celebration, however, a few began to feel uneasy. "Where are those missiles targeting?" Scott shouted, his voice trembling. His expression was one of pure horror—greater even than when he faced the tide of millions of zombies earlier.
As the commander of the city's defenses, Scott knew what nuclear weapons were capable of. If one was detonated too close to the base, it wouldn't matter how many zombies were killed—everyone in Washington DC would perish. "Go! Find out where they're targeting!" he barked.
A squad of soldiers, nervous but determined, broke into the control room, braving the blood-soaked carnage within. What they found chilled them to the bone: a room filled with mutilated corpses, blood pooling on the floor, and a satellite map displaying flashing red markers. The scene was transmitted back to Scott. For a moment, he froze, staring at the red icons. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he laughed hysterically, relief washing over his face. "Haha! We're safe! The targets are hundreds of kilometers away!"
The yield of the nuclear bombs wasn't particularly high, and at that distance, the base was out of immediate danger. Radiation clouds would take time to drift over—if they reached the base at all. "Wait... hundreds of kilometers?" Scott's face suddenly turned pale as a horrifying realization struck him. Whoever took control of the nuclear missiles wouldn't waste them on empty land. If the targets were hundreds of kilometers away, it could only mean one thing. "The zombie tide stretches for hundreds of kilometers!?" he screamed, finally grasping the true scale of the threat they faced.
On the battlefield, Zack didn't waste time after issuing the command to launch the missiles. "Ego, how long until the Avalon arrives?" Zack asked.
"Three minutes, sir," Ego replied.
"Good. I'll bring the Fearless Warriors back. Let the mechanical beasts hold the line for three minutes," Zack ordered.
The seven Fearless Warriors, drenched in blood but unbroken, began to fight their way out of the horde. Their once-pristine armor was now coated in gore, making them look as though they had emerged straight from the depths of hell. Yet, not a single one had fallen. As they retreated, the mechanical dogs and Spiders surged forward, their melee units taking up the fight. The two Goliath, having emptied their second ammunition chains, lay down once again, unfolding their electromagnetic railguns and carving through the tide with line after line of devastation.
Even so, the endless wave of zombies pressed on, threatening to overwhelm the defenses. "I'll hold them off!" Erza shouted, flames already dancing at her fingertips.
"Air support will arrive in two minutes and thirty seconds," Zack replied tersely before activating his thrusters and soaring toward the rear of the horde.
Lillian joined the retreating Fearless Warriors, guiding them onto the Aegis, which took off to follow Zack. Mid-flight, Ava and her unmanned armors joined the formation.