Chapter 337: Adapting to the Battlefield - II

The soldiers began withdrawing toward the previous intersection, with the Guardian APCs covering their movement while Army Soldiers and Machine Gunners fired at the infected gathering around the upper windows.

Several more infected were launched from the surrounding buildings, with some striking the road and others crashing against abandoned vehicles.

"Another Lasher! Fourth floor!"

"Kill it!"

A Guardian APC fired a short burst into the building, tearing through several windows and forcing the Lasher away from the opening.

However, another large infected marker suddenly emerged from an old industrial building farther ahead.

A massive section of concrete flew across the street.

BOOM!

It struck the pavement behind the withdrawing soldiers, breaking apart and scattering debris across the road.

"THROWER!"

The creature stood behind a damaged loading entrance, its oversized arm tearing another section from the building’s outer wall.

Before it could launch, a Guardian APC opened fire toward its exposed position, forcing the infected back inside.

But another crash came from the opposite street.

A Tank had emerged between two abandoned vehicles, lifting the remains of a small car with its enormous arms before throwing it toward the withdrawing formation.

"FUCK! INCOMING!"

The car struck an abandoned truck beside the road, pushing it sideways and blocking part of the withdrawal route.

"Get around it! Don’t stop!"

Two Army Soldiers dragged their wounded companion behind a Guardian while the other soldiers maintained their covering fire.

More Lashers appeared along the upper floors, throwing infected toward the retreating soldiers while the Spitters continued launching their corrosive projectiles into the streets.

"Southern Command, Twelve-Six! Throwers and Tanks are joining the attack! They’re using the buildings and vehicles against us!"

"Copy, Twelve-Six. Raptor element is approaching. Fires is shifting toward the occupied structures. Clear your forward positions and report when your personnel are outside the impact area."

"Roger!"

The squad leader switched to his local channel.

"All squads, fall back! Guardians, cover the wounded! We’re leaving this fucking street!"

Meanwhile, farther behind the northern advance, the artillery formations were receiving updated target coordinates.

The MLRS crews began preparing saturation strikes against several heavily occupied building blocks, while the Precision Strike Missile Launchers received separate targets around the larger infected concentrations and reinforced structures.

Above Silverpeak, the approaching Raptors received the updated target picture.

The infected were concentrated around the upper floors and rooftops of several buildings, with more moving toward the windows as the Golden Eagle Army withdrew.

"Ground formations are pulling back. Multiple targets in the upper floors."

The lead pilot adjusted his approach, selecting one of the buildings where several Lashers and Spitters were concentrated.

"Let’s tear those floors apart."

Down below, Vanguard Twelve-Six continued its withdrawal, with the last Guardian APC reversing past the intersection while its autocannon fired another burst toward the infected gathering above.

And behind the withdrawing soldiers, the buildings were still releasing infected onto the streets.

...

The last Guardian APC finally cleared the intersection, with the remaining soldiers pulling back behind the armored vehicles while several Medics attended to the wounded.

"Southern Command, Twelve-Six! Our personnel are clear of the forward street! You can bomb those fucking buildings!"

"Copy, Twelve-Six. Maintain your positions outside the designated impact area. Air strike commencing."

Above the northern industrial district, the lead Raptor began descending toward its assigned attack corridor.

Its targeting system followed several large infected signatures moving around the upper floors of a damaged office building, where numerous smaller contacts were gathering near the windows.

"Target acquired. Multiple specials inside the upper section."

The pilot selected an air-to-ground missile.

"Firing!"

The missile left the aircraft and accelerated toward the building, entering one of the exposed upper floors seconds later.

BOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion erupted from inside the structure.

Windows shattered across the upper floors as the surrounding walls burst outward, sending broken concrete, glass, and infected bodies flying into the streets below.

The explosion tore through several adjoining rooms, bringing down sections of the floors where the Lashers and Spitters were gathering.

Part of the building’s outer wall collapsed, with enormous sections of concrete crashing onto the abandoned vehicles underneath.

"Direct hit! Multiple contacts destroyed!"

The pilot checked the target picture as the Raptor climbed away from the damaged building.

Several infected markers remained on the lower floors, but most of those near the missile’s impact point were gone.

"Second target, across the street. Three large contacts."

The second Raptor approached from another direction, with its targeting system following an old industrial building where a Thrower and several other infected were positioned.

A large section of concrete suddenly flew from its lower entrance, striking the road several hundred meters away.

"Got you."

The pilot fired another missile.

It descended toward the industrial building and struck the section housing the larger contacts.

BOOOOM!

The explosion tore through the damaged loading area, breaking apart its supporting walls and throwing several pieces of industrial machinery across the interior.

A portion of the upper floors collapsed into the opening, burying several infected beneath the concrete and steel.

The Thrower’s marker disappeared.

"Target destroyed!"

The second pilot pulled away as smoke and dust rose from the ruined structure.

But there were still hundreds of infected occupying the surrounding buildings, with more gathering around the windows and rooftops.

And the Golden Eagle Army’s artillery had only begun preparing its attack.

...

Farther behind the northern line, the MLRS crews received confirmation that the forward formations had cleared their assigned strike areas.

"Fires, target coordinates confirmed. Central area building concentrations. Saturation strike authorized."

"MLRS section, fire!"

The first launcher elevated its twelve rocket tubes toward the distant city blocks.

The rockets began launching one after another.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Trails of smoke and flame rose from the launcher as the 227mm rockets accelerated into the sky.

Other MLRS vehicles joined the bombardment, sending more rockets toward the northern buildings while their fire-control systems followed the assigned impact areas.

High above Silverpeak, the rockets crossed their final trajectories.

The first slammed into the roof of an old residential tower.

BOOOOOOM!

An explosion tore through the rooftop and upper floors, sending an enormous cloud of dust outward as several rooms disappeared beneath the blast.

Before the debris could settle, another rocket struck the adjoining building.

Then another.

And another.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOM!

Explosions began spreading across the occupied blocks.

Entire sections of the buildings were torn apart as the rockets struck their roofs, walls, and interior floors, killing hundreds of infected that were gathering inside.

Several Lashers attempting to launch more infected disappeared beneath the explosions, while Spitters positioned near the windows were buried as the surrounding rooms collapsed.

One rocket struck the upper section of a heavily damaged apartment building, destroying several supporting columns that were already weakened by the earlier fighting.

The next explosion tore through its adjoining floors.

With a loud cracking sound, a large section of the structure began tilting toward the street.

CRAAAAAACK!

The upper floors collapsed onto those beneath them, crushing the remaining levels as the building fell inward and sent enormous quantities of concrete and steel crashing onto the road.

A thick cloud of dust spread across the surrounding intersections.

More rockets struck the neighboring structures, blowing open entire walls and setting several damaged floors ablaze.

At the previous intersection, Vanguard Twelve-Six’s soldiers watched the bombardment from behind their Guardian APCs.

Even at their distance, they could feel the repeated explosions through the pavement.

"Holy shit..."

One of the MDC soldiers stared toward the buildings as another enormous explosion tore through the industrial district.

"You’re just bombing those buildings like that?"

"Yeah, and there’s more coming!"

The squad leader checked the Radar picture.

Hundreds of infected markers were disappearing as entire sections of the occupied buildings collapsed, although numerous contacts remained farther inside the district.

And the heavier precision missiles were approaching.

...

At a more distant firing position, a Precision Strike Missile Launcher received its assigned target.

The building was a reinforced industrial structure where several large infected markers, including Tanks and Throwers, were concentrated around the lower floors.

Its upper section was already damaged, but much of the reinforced interior remained standing.

"Target confirmed. Penetrating warhead selected."

The launcher elevated its missile cells.

"Firing!"

A large missile rose from the launcher before turning toward Silverpeak, accelerating along its assigned trajectory as the targeting system followed the structure.

Several moments later, it approached the industrial building from above.

The missile struck its roof and penetrated into the reinforced structure before detonating.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion erupted from deep inside the building.

The upper floors shook from the blast, with enormous cracks spreading across the surrounding walls as concrete and steel burst outward.

Part of the roof was thrown into the air while several supporting sections collapsed into the damaged lower floors.

The entire eastern side of the building began giving way.

A tremendous rumbling sound followed as one floor crashed into another, crushing the industrial machinery and infected beneath them until the remaining structure collapsed into an enormous pile of rubble.

Several large Radar markers disappeared together.

"Direct hit! Multiple heavy contacts destroyed!"

Back at the northern intersection, the squad leader watched the industrial building disappear beneath a rising cloud of dust.

"HAHA! FUCKING FINALLY!"

Several soldiers cheered as another group of rockets struck the buildings farther down the road.

The MLRS crews checked their remaining rockets while the supporting Armored Resupply Vehicles moved toward protected transfer positions with prepared allocations for eligible launchers.

Above the city, the Raptors circled outside the active artillery impact areas, their pilots observing the destruction through the shared Radar picture.

As the smoke spread across the northern streets, the damage became clearer.

Several roads were now buried underneath the collapsed buildings, and the intersections that the Golden Eagle Army intended to use for its advance were covered in concrete, twisted steel, and burning debris.

The squad leader enlarged the map, looking at the buildings that were still standing farther toward the Hive.

"Southern Command, Twelve-Six. Bombardment destroyed most of the contacts in our sector, but several roads are completely blocked now. We’re going to need Engineers before we can push through."

"Copy, Twelve-Six. Maintain your current position. Engineering assessment will follow."

The squad leader looked toward the enormous piles of rubble ahead.

"Well, fuck. At least those bastards aren’t throwing zombies at us anymore."

Farther inside Silverpeak, beyond the buildings struck by the artillery, numerous infected markers were withdrawing from the exposed upper floors.

Some moved down toward the underground entrances, while others gathered inside the remaining structures closer to the central Hive.

The bombardment destroyed entire concentrations of infected, but it also buried the roads leading toward the Hive.