Elias stepped into the dark, blood-drenched corridor of Block B alone.
"Rumble..."
The heavy roar of thunder echoed outside as crimson rain continued to deluge Muntinlupa New Bilibid Prison.
The air inside the concrete hall was thick with the suffocating stench of raw iron and rotting flesh.
Elias checked his retina System interface.
Thirty Red Cores were secured in his System vault.
He needed exactly twenty more Red Cores to hit the fifty-core milestone required for his first squad deployment.
He gripped his R4A3 assault rifle tightly, his 3x Peak Human senses picking up the faintest sounds in the gloom.
"Groan..."
"Crunch..."
At the far end of the hallway, a massive horde of turned inmates and BuCor guards staggered out from the cell blocks!
Over twenty mutated corpses moved in a staggering wave, their milky white eyes locking onto Elias!
Among the front line of the horde was a familiar figure in a torn orange jumpsuit.
It was Arthur, Elias's father.
His father's jaw was slack, dripping with dark, congealed blood, driven only by a mindless cannibalistic hunger.
A sharp, agonizing pang of grief tightened Elias's chest.
Images of his innocent father working honestly, falsely accused and thrown into this hellhole, flashed through his mind.
Elias took a deep, shaky breath, letting his grief transform into cold, unwavering resolve.
There was no cure for this apocalyptic virus.
Putting his father's tortured body to rest was the final act of mercy he could offer.
"Rest in peace, Pa," Elias whispered softly.
He raised his R4A3 assault rifle, channeling his 3x Peak Speed and reflexes!
"Bang!"
A single 5.56mm round tore through the air!
"Splatter!"
The bullet struck Arthur squarely between the eyes, ending his suffering instantly as his body collapsed gently to the floor.
Elias hardened his gaze and charged forward like a blurred shadow into the remaining nineteen zombies!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Elias fired controlled, lethal double-taps, shattering forehead after forehead!
A turned guard lunged at his throat with dark, bloody claws!
Elias side-stepped the attack effortlessly, delivering a devastating side-kick directly into the monster's chest!
"Crack!"
The terrifying force of three peak adult men caved in the zombie's ribcage, sending it flying backward into three turned inmates!
Elias closed the distance in a flash, drawing his heavy tactical knife with his right hand while firing his rifle with his left!
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
He drove the heavy combat blade straight up through the base of two zombie skulls, twisting the handle to destroy the brain stems!
"Bang! Bang!"
He executed the final two turned inmates with point-blank headshots!
All twenty corpses hit the cold tile floor in a pile of twitching limbs.
Elias wiped blood from his cheek and crouched beside the fallen horde.
He methodically cut open the shattered skulls, extracting twenty warm, pulsing Red Cores into his hands.
***
[Detected: Low-Grade Red Core x20]
[Absorbing Physical Red Cores...]
[System Vault Balance: 50 / 50 Red Cores]
[SUMMON REQUIREMENT MET: 12-MAN INFANTRY SQUAD UNLOCKED]
***
Elias felt his heart thumping wildly against his ribs as the glowing golden interface flared across his retinas!
Fifty Red Cores secured!
The squad deployment option on his System menu hummed with radiant light!
Before summoning his troops, Elias walked down the administrative corridor to check on the safe zone.
He arrived outside the fortified outer administration building.
Behind the heavy reinforced glass windows, Officer Torres was standing guard alongside 3 BuCor guards and 2 PNP-SAF operators.
Huddled safely behind them were 13 rescued civilians and 7 BuCor staff members.
Torres noticed Elias approaching and quickly stepped up to the reinforced window.
Elias looked at Torres through the glass, keeping his voice simple and direct.
"Torres, I'm heading out to Imus, Cavite right now to rescue my mother and sister," Elias told him.
"Bilibid has high concrete walls, guard towers, and heavy steel fences. It's the safest place in Muntinlupa right now."
"Keep everyone inside this building locked tight," Elias instructed. "I'll come back after I get my family, and we'll clear out the remaining zombies in Bilibid together."
Torres nodded earnestly, relief and profound respect washing over his face.
"We'll keep this building locked down, Elias," Torres promised. "No one gets in or out until you return. Be careful out there, man."
"Take care," Elias said, giving a firm nod before turning away.
With the survivors safely instructed and fortified, Elias headed toward the motorpool bay alone.
He pushed open the heavy double doors of the cavernous garage.
Parked inside the bay was a heavy-duty Kia KM-450 4x4 Tactical Utility Truck.
The military troop carrier had high ground clearance, heavy off-road tires, and a reinforced steel ramming bumper.
Since the SAF operators and BuCor drivers had turned into zombies, the tactical truck sat abandoned with its keys resting on the dashboard.
Elias inspected the vehicle, ensuring the fuel tank was full and the battery was primed.
Once he confirmed he was completely alone inside the silent motorpool, Elias focused his mind on the golden System prompt floating on his retinas.
"System, deploy 12-man Infantry Squad!" Elias commanded mentally.
"Whoosh!"
All fifty Red Cores in his System vault dissolved into a blinding pillar of radiant golden light!
The temperature in the garage plummeted as intense atmospheric pressure filled the room!
A deep, resonant hum vibrated through the concrete floor as twelve towering human silhouettes materialized within the golden pillar!
As the light faded, twelve fully equipped, elite AFP Infantry Soldiers stood in pristine military formation!
They wore digital camouflage fatigues, tactical Kevlar helmets, modular body armor, and heavy combat boots.
Elias scanned his newly summoned unit:
- 1 Squad Leader (Sergeant)
- 2 Snipers equipped with heavy bolt-action precision rifles
- 2 LMG Gunners carrying belt-fed M249 squad automatic weapons
- 2 Grenadiers equipped with M203 40mm grenade launchers
- 5 Assault Riflemen armed with R4A3 assault rifles
The Squad Leader, a veteran Sergeant with sharp eyes and an unshakeable military posture, stepped forward and snapped a crisp salute!
"Second Lieutenant, sir!" the Sergeant reported in a loud, disciplined voice. "1st Infantry Squad reporting for duty!"
Elias looked at his twelve loyal, highly trained soldiers, feeling a massive wave of confidence wash over him.
Every soldier possessed standardized physical stats, but their military ranks granted them deadly combat instincts, master-level marksmanship, and flawless weapon handling.
"Check the vehicle and load up!" Elias ordered his squad.
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers answered in unison.
The two Snipers and two LMG Gunners quickly mounted the open rear troop bed, securing 360-degree firing arcs around the truck.
The Grenadiers and Riflemen stowed extra ammunition boxes into the mounting racks.
Elias opened the front passenger door and climbed into the cab.
The Squad Leader took the driver's seat beside him, gripping the steering wheel.
"Vroom!"
The heavy diesel engine of the Kia KM-450 fired up with a deep, thunderous roar!
"Driver, take us out," Elias instructed, racking his R4A3 rifle. "Target: Imus, Cavite."
"Roger that, Second Lieutenant!" the driver responded.
He slammed the heavy gear shift into drive and stomped on the gas pedal!
"Crash!"
The KM-450 tactical truck surged forward like an armored battering ram, smashing through the chain-link motorpool gate!
The heavy 4x4 truck burst onto the main driveway, plowing through turned zombies and plowing past the outer Bilibid gates into the stormy crimson rain!
Elias stared straight out the windshield down the dark highway, his heart burning with determination.