Chapter 186: The Root Network

The alert sirens had been ringing throughout the residential area ever since the western wall was breached. Repeated announcements echoed through the streets, ordering everyone to remain indoors. Inside one of the reinforced homes, Elaine, Claire, Hannah, Hae-in, and the others sat with their weapons ready, keeping away from the windows as gunfire and infected roars echoed outside.

"What’s happening outside?" Hannah asked nervously. "Have the infected reached this area?"

"Shhh. We’re safe here. They won’t be able to get through the defenses," Elaine said, trying to calm her student. Despite her own heart pounding in her chest, she kept her voice steady.

BAM! BAM! BAM! The front door suddenly shook under a series of heavy blows.

"Miss Elaine..." Hae-in whispered.

Elaine immediately raised her rifle. "Everyone, stay calm. Get ready."

The others immediately raised their rifles as Elaine slowly approached the door, keeping her weapon trained on it. Before she could say anything, a voice came from the other side.

"This is the military! Open the door!"

Elaine and the others immediately relaxed. She lowered her rifle and carefully placed it beside the door, signaling the others to do the same before unlocking it.

"Sir, what’s happening?"

A soldier stepped inside and quickly scanned the room. His eyes moved across the group before his expression tightened.

"Is this everyone?" he asked. "There’s no one else here?"

"No," Elaine replied. "The others are out fighting."

The soldier glanced toward the reinforced windows as another burst of gunfire echoed outside.

"Stay inside. Whatever happens, don’t open the door unless you hear the military identification code."

Elaine nodded. "Understood."

"Sir, wait." Claire stepped forward before the soldier could leave. "What’s happening out there?"

The soldier hesitated, then glanced back toward the street. "The western wall has been breached. We’ve also got reports of infected coming up from underground." His expression tightened. "They’re spreading faster than we can contain them. That’s why we’re calling in anyone who can still fight."

He didn’t wait for another question. The soldier stepped back outside and headed toward the next residence.

Elaine watched him leave before slowly closing and locking the door behind him.

A heated argument suddenly broke out from the neighboring residence.

"We’re C-2 personnel! You can’t just order us out there!"

"This is a mandatory order!" The soldier shouted back. "The defenses have been breached. We need everyone who can fight!"

"We’re not combat personnel!"

The argument continued for a few more seconds before the voices became muffled as the soldier moved farther inside.

Hae-in glanced toward Elaine. "Miss Elaine... what do we do now?"

Elaine remained silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on the reinforced window. "We stay here for now. We’ll wait until the others return. Until then, nobody leaves this house."

Her grip tightened around her rifle. ’Jaxon... I hope you’re safe out there.’

Suddenly... "AHHHHH!" A scream echoed through the streets, followed by a burst of gunfire.

"Kill them!"

"Get inside! Get inside!"

Elaine’s expression changed instantly. "Everyone, away from the windows! Lock the doors and turn off the lights!"

Hae-in and Claire quickly moved to secure the room while the others gathered together. The twins pulled Sumiko close, keeping her between them as the sounds outside grew louder.

Gunfire erupted from several directions, mixed with frantic shouting.

"Infected! They’re here!"

"Why are there so many?!"

"Don’t let them through!"

Then came a sound that made everyone freeze.

Scrape... scrape... Claws dragged across metal.

BANG! BANG! Something slammed into one of the reinforced windows, making the entire frame shake. A second later, another infected crashed into the front door.

More roars echoed outside as the infected began throwing themselves against the houses, clawing and pounding at anything standing between them and the people inside.

Elaine raised her rifle and stared toward the door. "Everyone..." she whispered. "Don’t make a sound."

....

Above the forest, a lone chopper flew low over the trees, its searchlight sweeping across the dark canopy below. Inside, a soldier leaned toward the window, looking through his scope as the beam revealed patches of trees and scattered infected moving between them.

"Commander Victor, this is Wolf Three," the soldier reported through the radio. "There aren’t many infected out here, but we’re seeing more of that black, root-like flesh. It’s getting thicker the deeper we go."

Inside the command center, Victor listened carefully while studying the battlefield reports in front of him. His expression remained calm despite reports of the defenses falling one after another across the safe zone.

"Keep following the roots," Victor ordered. "Don’t engage unless you have to. Report anything unusual."

"Copy that."

Victor lowered the radio and stared at the reports for a moment. His eyes narrowed as he connected the pieces in his mind. Those roots... and the infected coming from underground. There has to be something connecting them.

The chopper continued deeper into the forest, following the spreading mass of dark flesh. Minutes passed before the soldier’s voice suddenly came through the radio again.

"Commander, we found something."

Victor immediately looked up. "What did you find?"

"There’s an infected standing in the middle of the roots. It’s completely alone, and..." The soldier paused as he adjusted his scope. "The roots are wrapped around it. They seem to be spreading from its position."

Victor’s eyes narrowed. "Take it out."

"Understood."

The mounted machine gun rotated downward, locking onto the lone figure.

TATATATATAT! A storm of bullets tore through the forest. The rounds shredded the thick, black roots surrounding the infected, sending chunks of dark flesh flying through the air.

But the roots were far thicker than expected. The bullets slowly chewed through them, yet none managed to reach the creature itself.

Then, from below, the motionless infected suddenly moved. Its eyes, which had remained tightly closed, slowly opened.

The soldier’s expression changed. "Commander..."

The creature lifted its head and turned directly toward the hovering chopper. Then it opened its mouth.

"GRUUUAAAAAAAAAH!"

"ARGH!" The soldier immediately covered his ears as the sound seemed to vibrate through the entire aircraft, even the pilot winced and struggled to keep the chopper steady.

Victor pulled the radio away from his ear as a sharp ringing filled his head. "What’s happening?!" His voice came through the radio.

"Bzzzt... Commander... we.." The transmission suddenly distorted into static.

"Report. What happened?" But only static answered him as Victor’s expression darkened. "Report!"

Yet there was no response as the connection was completely dead.

...

Far out in the forest, the creature stared at the chopper above.

Then it slowly crouched, the dark roots wrapped around its body suddenly tightened before ripping apart.

WHOOSH! The ground beneath it exploded as the creature launched itself upward, crossing the distance in a single leap.

Its body twisted as it climbed, spinning rapidly through the air. One of its arms suddenly stretched outward. Dark flesh twisted and hardened, reshaping itself into a long, razor-sharp blade.

The pilot caught sight of it. "What the hell?!" He immediately pulled the controls, trying to turn the chopper away. But it was too late.

SLASH! The blade tore through the aircraft’s side, ripping through the metal frame with terrifying ease. The chopper lurched violently, its body nearly splitting apart from the impact.

Inside, the soldier was thrown against his restraints as alarms screamed around him. "Mayday! Mayday! We’re going down!"