Elias moved silently through the blood-stained corridors of the Maximum Security wing alone.
"Rumble..."
The distant roar of thunder echoed outside as crimson rain continued to deluge the compound.
As Elias walked, his cold eyes scanned the dimly lit hallway.
He pulled his smartphone from his tactical waist pouch, tapping the screen.
"No Service."
The cellular network was completely dead, destroyed by the apocalyptic meteor shockwave or the crimson rain's interference.
A heavy weight pressed on Elias's chest as he thought of his mother and younger sister.
They were currently at home in Imus, Cavite—a town located just ten kilometers away from Muntinlupa across the provincial border!
With communications down, Elias had no way of knowing if his mother and sister were safe or fighting for their lives against turned monsters.
Elias's absolute priority was getting out of Bilibid Prison as fast as possible to reach Cavite!
However, trying to break out alone through thousands of turned infected outside without heavy fire support was suicide.
He needed to harvest fifty Red Cores in Bilibid to summon a full 12-man Infantry Squad.
Only with an armed military squad under his direct command could he carve a path out of Bilibid and launch a solo rescue mission to Imus!
As he turned the corner into the main security vestibule, five turned inmates blocked the heavy steel door!
Their gray, rot-streaked faces turned in unison, milky pupils locking onto Elias!
"Roar!"
The zombies lunged forward with savage speed!
Elias didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
Relying on his 3x Peak Speed, he stepped forward and raised the R4A3 rifle.
"Bang! Bang!"
A swift double-tap shattered the forehead of the first inmate!
"Bang! Bang!"
The second and third zombies collapsed before they could cover three paces!
The fourth zombie lunged within arm's reach, snapping its dark jaws!
Elias drove the buttstock of his rifle violently into the monster's chin!
"Crack!"
The devastating strike shattered the jawbone, sending the zombie staggering backward into the fifth monster!
Elias closed the distance in a blur, drawing his combat knife with his right hand while holding the rifle in his left.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Two precise stabs through the eyes ruined both brains instantly!
All five zombies hit the concrete floor in a heap of twitching limbs!
Elias crouched down, efficiently prying open the skulls to retrieve five warm, pulsing Red Cores.
He dropped them into his tactical waist pouch alongside the others, zipping it tight.
***
[Detected: Low-Grade Red Core x5]
[Core Status: Stored in Physical Backpack (Unabsorbed)]
[System Inventory: 4 Cores | Physical Inventory: 8 Cores]
[Total Progress: 12 / 50 Red Cores for Infantry Squad Summon]
***
Twelve cores collected in total. Thirty-eight more to go.
Elias reached the reinforced glass hallway outside the Central Control Room.
Through the thick security window, he spotted Captain Reyes, four heavily armed PNP-SAF operators, and Officer Torres.
Reyes was motioning toward the rear motorpool exit, guiding his squad and Torres out of the control room toward an armored troop carrier.
Elias paused in the shadow, watching them quietly.
He made no move to contact them, nor did he press the intercom.
Elias had zero desire to communicate with Reyes or any military figures.
Law enforcement and corrupt prison authorities had framed his father, ruining his family's life.
Relying on strangers or putting himself under police command would only slow him down and compromise his rescue mission to Imus.
He watched in silence as the heavy rear steel door closed behind Reyes, Torres, and the SAF squad.
They were gone, evacuating Bilibid toward their own escape route.
Elias stepped up to the main armory door opposite the control room.
Beside the door frame, a dead SAF logistics officer slumped against the wall, an electronic armory keycard hanging from his tactical lanyard.
Elias crouched down and unclipped the keycard from the corpse.
"Beep!"
The electronic reader flashed green, and the heavy steel armory door slid open with a deep rumble.
Elias stepped inside the armory, his eyes locking onto rows of R4A3 assault rifles, crates of 5.56mm ammunition, tactical vests, and sidearms.
Now that he was alone in the secure armory, Elias unzipped his black tactical waist pouch.
He pulled out the eight glowing Red Cores he had harvested earlier.
"System, convert physical cores to funds," Elias commanded in his mind.
The eight crimson crystals dissolved into streams of bright red light, absorbing directly into his skin!
***
[Absorbing Physical Red Cores x8...]
[Conversion Complete!]
[System Vault Balance: 12 Red Cores]
[Total Progress: 12 / 50 Red Cores for Infantry Squad Summon]
***
Elias focused his mind on the translucent blue interface floating on his retinas.
He navigated to the [Ammunition & Supply] tab on his retina menu.
Below the main menu, a new option flickered into view: [Spatial Storage Vault].
"System, open Spatial Storage," Elias thought.
***
[SPATIAL STORAGE VAULT INITIALIZED]
[Current Storage Capacity: 100 Cubic Meters]
[Target Physical Assets in Proximity: 10x R4A3 Rifles, 12x 5.56mm Ammo Crates, 6x Tactical Vests]
[Store Equipment into Vault? Y/N]
***
"Yes, store everything!" Elias declared mentally!
He reached out and placed his hand on the nearest ammunition crate.
"Whoosh!"
A wave of translucent blue particles wrapped around the heavy wooden crate!
In less than a second, the entire crate vanished into thin air, converted into digital data streams in his System vault!
Elias walked down the rack, touching each R4A3 rifle and tactical vest one by one.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Racks of assault rifles, combat vests, and sealed ammo boxes vanished into blue light in rapid succession!
***
[STORAGE VAULT UPDATE]
[Stored Assets: R4A3 Assault Rifle x10]
[Stored Assets: 5.56mm NATO Ammunition Crate x12 (3,600 Rounds)]
[Stored Assets: 9mm Taurus Pistol x4 (20 Magazines)]
[Stored Assets: Tactical Kevlar Vest & Modular Webbing x6]
***
Elias flexed his fingers as the system menu updated.
With Spatial Storage, he didn't need to carry heavy backpacks or clutter his arms with extra rifles.
He could instantly materialize fresh ammunition, weapons, or magazines directly into his hands anytime during combat!
Elias strapped a modular tactical vest across his chest, loaded four fresh 30-round 5.56mm magazines onto his web gear, and racked his R4A3 rifle.
"Click-clack!"
His mother and sister were waiting in Imus, Cavite, just ten kilometers away.
His eyes flared with cold, unyielding determination.
He turned toward the reinforced armory exit, stepping back into the blood-stained hallway of the Maximum Security Compound.
He had twelve Red Cores in his vault and thirty-eight remaining to harvest.
It was time to hunt the remaining zombies in Bilibid, summon his 12-man Infantry Squad, and march to Cavite!