Chapter 215 Realisation

Chapter 215: Chapter 215 Realisation

The truck shook as it rolled over another crack in the highway, making everyone inside sway with the movement. Gabriel caught himself against the steel wall before looking toward the driver. "How much farther?"

The driver glanced briefly at the navigation screen before returning his eyes to the road ahead. "Eight minutes or ten."

Laurel looked through the windshield. She still couldn’t see the fortress. All she could see was smoke rising above the horizon in thick black columns. Every few seconds, an orange glow flickered beneath it, followed by another a moment later, as though explosions were erupting one after another behind the curtain of smoke.

Without saying anything, Gabriel picked up the radio again. "Fortress Command, this is Expedition Team One."

Only static answered him.

He waited a moment before switching to another channel. "Captain Rowan, do you copy?"

No reply came from the other end.

His brows gradually drew together as he changed frequencies again. "Dylan?"

The radio answered with nothing but the same endless hiss of static.

Gabriel slowly lowered it. "They’re still not responding."

Laurel reached out her hand. "Give it to me."

He passed her the radio without a word. She pressed the transmit button, keeping her voice calm despite the uneasiness growing inside her.

"This is Commander Laurel. If anyone can hear me, answer."

She waited for what seemed like forever... the truck continued racing down the highway... The radio remained silent.

Suddenly, the truck swerved sharply. Everyone inside leaned to one side as the driver quickly pulled the steering wheel back into the lane. Laurel instinctively grabbed the seat beside her to steady herself just as a monster rolled across the road behind them. Before it even had time to climb back to its feet, the second truck in the convoy struck it head-on.

Gunfire erupted almost immediately.

Gabriel looked through the narrow firing port. "Three more are approaching."

The soldiers riding in the truck behind opened fire without hesitation. Several sharp bursts echoed across the empty highway, and by the time Laurel turned to look, the monsters were already lying motionless on the road behind them.

The driver kept both hands firmly on the steering wheel as he spoke. "We’ve been seeing more of them since we passed the old checkpoint. Something must be wrong."

Gabriel nodded slowly, still watching through the firing port. "They’re all moving away from the fortress."

Laurel immediately looked at him. "More like they are wandering." She frowned. The monsters rarely walk away from their targets... they look like they are scavenging the remains of whatever they could find.

"They aren’t wandering." Gabriel rested the rifle across his lap, his expression growing more serious. "They’re coming from the same direction we’re heading." He argued.

Silence settled inside the truck.

Laurel shook her head. "Look, they are feeding on their kind’s flesh and the flesh..." She paused as her eyes widened. Her sight finally fell on the remains of human bones on the ground... and their clothes... Were her soldiers’ uniforms. Laurel’s breath caught in her throat.

Her fingers trembled at the thought that the fortress was under attack... the thought of losing everything she had suffered to build, the lives behind those walls, the promises and hope she had given them made her chest burn as if seared by a fire.

She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts. ’The fortress is well equipped; there is no way the monsters can win against us.’

A few moments later, another military truck came into view beside the highway. It had clearly belonged to the fortress. One side of the vehicle had been completely torn open as though something enormous had ripped straight through it. Black blood stained the pavement around the wreckage, while deep claw marks covered what remained of the armored plating. Even from a distance, Laurel could clearly make out the fortress emblem still painted on the driver’s door.

She watched the destroyed truck disappear behind them. Her fingers slowly tightened around the radio resting in her lap.

Eight minutes. If the fortress was still under attack... What could thirty soldiers possibly do?

The question lingered in her mind, growing heavier with every passing second. Something wasn’t right. Fortress Command should have answered by now. Captain Rowan should have answered. Someone should have answered.

Unless... Her heart skipped a beat... The fortress wasn’t simply dealing with a few wandering monsters. It was heavily under attack.

’But how? The valley was untouched throughout the apocalypse. How could the monsters possibly attack the valley?... Something is wrong; could it be a result of a butterfly effect? Even at that, it shouldn’t be this large.’

The closer they got, the more visible it became. The sound of the lasers shooting became louder, and the growls and snarls of the monsters were like a war drum. Gunshots fired now and then... it was pure chaos.

Laurel slowly lifted her head and looked toward Gabriel. "How much ammunition do we have left?"

He glanced toward the soldiers before answering. "Most of us have five magazines left."

"And grenades?" She asked, her voice a little cracked.

"Two boxes," Gabriel replied.

Laurel nodded quietly. That wasn’t enough, not if the fortress was still fighting. Not if they were driving straight into the middle of whatever had caused all this.

She slowly closed her eyes. "Sister Ling Xuan."

A familiar warmth answered her almost immediately. "I’m here."

"Switch with me. The fortress is under attack, I need to see if we can trade for something useful."

"Sure, and it is time to get those two annoying people out of the space." Ling Xuan replied curtly.

"Fine, we need every man we can get," Laurel replied.

The world around her quietly faded.

...

Ling Xuan opened her eyes inside the truck, they were cold and piercing.

Gabriel looked over, immediately feeling the shift in the air. It suddenly felt like someone was squeezing the air out of his lungs. "Commander?"

"Everyone, take a defensive position. We are going to have unwanted visitors soon." Ling Xuan ordered, cracking the gun in her hand.

Her gaze lingered outside. The smoke ahead had become even darker.

Another explosion flashed somewhere in the distance, briefly lighting the black clouds from below.

The truck rolled over another pothole, causing the entire vehicle to jolt. One of the soldiers reached up and grabbed the overhead support to steady himself, while the others kept their eyes fixed on the road ahead.