Chapter 106: Haphazard Plan

"Don’t tell me," Adrian mumbled. "The North Koreans are invading the South?"

"As I thought, they have a plan on invading us. The zombies destabilized the South and overwhelmed the military so it’s defenseless against a military intervention from the North," Seo said.

As they were speaking, there were thunderous explosions ringing outside, and they were simultaneous, like it was artillery walking across the city.

Each impact rolled through the buildings like a wave. The walls shook. Dust fell from the ceiling in fine lines. Glass panels trembled even behind the newspaper.

Ryan instinctively lowered his stance.

"That’s not airstrike pattern," he said. "That’s coordinated fire."

Adrian moved back toward the window again, slower this time. He didn’t fully expose himself. Just enough to get a view.

Outside—

The skyline had changed.

Smoke columns rose from multiple points across the city, not just where the worm had surfaced. Impacts were spaced out, moving in a line, like something was sweeping through sectors.

"Sentinel Eye, confirm," Adrian said.

"Cold Reach One, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS replied. "We are detecting multiple indirect fire trajectories. Origin point estimated north of your position. Range suggests long-range artillery or rocket systems."

Ryan exhaled.

"So they’re not just probing," he said. "They’re committing."

Seo-yeon stepped closer, her eyes fixed toward the covered window.

"They’re hitting us for real."

Another series of impacts followed.

"Well, we don’t have any assets and we can’t get out either when the airspace is hot," Ryan said. "I suggest that we really stay here and observe the situation."

"But what if a day later it get worst? I mean ground movement," Adrian asked, looking at Ryan. "It’s a standard tactic right? Artillery fire first and then ground troops moving in."

"Well, the zombies are going to slow them down despite the tactics they use," Ryan said. "Still sir, it’s not like we can get out now. Not when the North Koreans are invading the South."

"You’re right," Adrian sighed. "We will stay here for real."

"Uhm, that’s going to be a problem, I don’t have any food supplies here," Seo-yeon trailed off, glancing toward the small kitchen area.

"I only stocked enough for a few days," she said. "I wasn’t expecting... this."

Ryan let out a quiet breath.

"Yeah, no one was."

Adrian didn’t answer right away. His eyes moved across the room again, taking in everything—layout, exits, blind spots, anything they could use.

"We’re not staying long enough for that to matter," he said finally.

Ryan looked at him.

"You thinking short-term hold?" he asked.

Adrian nodded.

"Temporary," he said. "We ride out the bombardment, wait for a gap, then we move."

Another explosion rolled through the city, louder this time.

The building shook harder.

Seo-yeon instinctively steadied herself against the table.

"That gap might not come," she said.

"It will," Adrian replied. "No unit sustains this level of fire without pause. They’ll shift, rearm, reposition."

Ryan nodded.

"He’s right," he said. "Even if it’s a few minutes, that’s all we need."

Seo-yeon looked at them both.

"And where do we go?" she asked.

Adrian answered without hesitation.

"Out of the city."

Ryan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"On foot?"

"Partly," Adrian said. "We move sector to sector, avoid main roads, stay off open areas. If we find anything usable—vehicle, transport—we take it."

Ryan considered it.

"Risky," he said.

Adrian nodded.

"Everything is."

Another series of impacts followed, this time farther out.

The pattern had shifted slightly.

Ryan noticed it.

"They’re walking the fire," he said. "Adjusting grid."

"Toward what?" Seo-yeon asked.

Adrian didn’t answer immediately.

He moved back to the window again, just enough to get a glimpse.

Through the gaps in the newspaper, he could see it.

The worm.

Still there.

Still moving through the destruction.

Another explosion hit near it, fire wrapping around part of its body.

But it didn’t fall.

Didn’t slow.

"It’s not the city," Adrian said quietly.

Ryan looked at him.

"It’s that thing," he said.

Seo-yeon’s expression tightened.

"They’re focusing on it now," she said.

"Yeah," Adrian replied. "And that means this area is going to stay hot. They can’t move on with that thing. Let’s just hope the North Koreans kills it because if it doesn’t, we will be hopeless against it since the North Koreans employ powerful conventional weapons."

"That’s true," Ryan concurred.

Adrian turned and looked at Seo. "Do you have a family, friend, or a colleague that you want to bring along with you back to the Philippines?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"That’s because we are moving to the Philippines right, and since we are here in the South, we can rescue your relatives, if they are alive."

She shook her head. "I have no family, I’m an orphan...as for my colleagues, they were at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology prior to the outbreak. They might still be there."

Adrian looked at Ryan again. "What do you think?"

"Well, we can’t promise to her that we can extract them. We don’t know if they are still alive, and with the North Koreans on the move, I’d say it’s going to be difficult. Also, there are other concerns. The Sentinel Eye can’t linger for long. In the next few hours it’ll be forced to return to the Philippines as it’ll get low on fuel."

Adrian narrowed his eyes. "Wait...is that true Sentinel Eye?"

"Cold Reach One, Sentinel Eye," the AWACS replied. "Affirmative. Current fuel state is at forty percent. Estimated time on station: three hours before bingo fuel. After that, we must disengage and return to base."

Ryan exhaled slowly.

"There it is," he said. "Our eyes in the sky are on a timer."

Adrian didn’t look surprised.

Just focused.

"How long before we lose full coverage?" he asked.

"Gradual degradation in one hour," Sentinel Eye answered. "Full withdrawal at three."

Seo-yeon looked between them.

"So once it leaves... you’re blind?" she asked.

"Not blind," Ryan said. "But a lot less aware."

Adrian nodded once.

"Which means we don’t wait too long," he said. "We might have to risk it."