The ground shook violently as the northern wind swept through the city, carrying with it the foul stench of decay. "The drone has sent back footage!" someone shouted from the outer defense wall of the Washington DC base. "The zombie horde is closing in!"

  Thousands of city deferoops stood on the wall and along the frontlines, ons ready. Despite their reputation as enforcers who bullied the weak, these men uood the gravity of the situation. If they failed to hold the line, everyone iy would die. "The horde is entering the ten-kilometer range! Prepare artillery!" shouted Scott, the ander of the defense forces.

  Washington DC base, one of the rgest survivor strongholds, was armed to the teeth. More than 300 tanks were lined up outside the defensive perimeter, f a steel fortress. Behind them, rows of rocket unchers and artillery were primed and ready, awaiting orders to unleash destru. "The ck of air support is a damn shame," Suttered under his breath. Fighter jets had once been the pride of the base, but Kane’s inpetence had left them without trained pilots. He khat without air superiority, holding back a horde of this size was nearly impossible. But he kept those thoughts to himself, unwilling to undermine morale.

  "The horde is within range!" a soldier reported, his voice strained with urgency.

  Scott didn’t hesitate. "Fire!" In an instant, the battlefield erupted into chaos. Hundreds of artillery pieces unleashed their payloads, their deafening roars shaking the earth. Rockets screamed into the sky, trailing smoke as they hurtled toward their targets.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The tanks joined in, their synized firepower creating an unending barrage. The thunderous explosions drowned out all other sounds, leaving the troops on the wall uo hear even their own teammates shouting beside them. Thousands of shells arced through the sky, desding upon the pin ahead. The once-quiet ndscape erupted into a storm of fire and smoke.The first csh between Washington DC base and the zombie tide had begun.

  The zombie Legion Tide, an endless bck torrent, surged across the pins. Densely packed with super hunters and raiders, the horde obliterated everything in its path. The earth beh them was left lifeless, vegetation trampled aroyed. As hundreds of thousands of super hunters advanced, a sharp whistling sound filled the air. Moments ter, thousands of artillery shells and rockets rained down like a violent storm.

  Boom! Boom!

  Explosions rocked the ndscape, turning most of the pin into a sea of fire. Thousands of super hunters were obliterated, their limbs bloart. Hundreds of thousands of raiders were shredded into pieces. Smoke. Fire. Blood. The pin had bee a hellish se, the once-mighty bck tide appearing to falter uhe relentless bombardment. But the reprieve was short-lived.

  In the moment, more super hunters and raiders emerged from the chaos, surging forward uerred. From a satellite’s perspective, the artillery strike was like a pebble tossed into a colpsing dam—utterly futile. The bck torrent surged onward, its speed uing.

  Ihe Washington DC base, the deafening sound of artillery fire reverberated through the air, making the 600,000 survivors within the walls teh fear. The ground quaked beh them as the explosions tihe tremors eve iy ter."The zombies are here!""Quick! Push them back! Open fire!"

  Kane’s expression twisted as he heard the thunder of artillery. Panic spread across his face as he barked out orders. "Stop wasting time ahese people under trol!" he shouted, pointing at the crowd of survivors blog his escape route. "Shoot if you have to!"

  The soldiers hesitated. Though they were ners to intimidation and violehe thought of gunning down unarmed civilians made even them falter. "Why are you all just standing there? Didn’t you hear the leader’s orders?!" yelled one of Kane’s loyal men. Without waiting, he raised his rifle and fired into the crowd.

  Bang! Bang!

  Bullets tore through flesh, and screams filled the air as blood spattered across the tarmac. Survivors fell in rows, their bodies crumpling to the ground. The sight sent the rest of the crowd into a frenzy, and they fled in all dires, desperate to escape. "Let’s go, Chief," said one of Kane’s ckeys, fshing a sycophantic grin.

  "Good work," Kane said with a nod, patting the man’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, when we’re out of here, I’ll reward you handsomely!"

  He motioned for his inner circle, including several mutants, to follow him as they made their way to the pne. "What about us?" asked one of the soldiers who had been holding back the crowd.

  Kane didn’t even turn around. "Just hold the line. Another pne will e for you ter." His voice was dismissive, and his pace quied as he climbed aboard the aircraft.

  The remaining soldiers exged gnces, realization dawning on them. "He’s lying," otered, fists g. "There’s no other pne ing."

  The elderly woman who had begged Kane earlier y on the ground, bleeding from a gunshot wound. Her voice, weak but cutting, carried to their ears. "He’s abandoned you… all of you…" Her words struck the soldiers like thunder. In that moment, fury repced hesitation."That bastard!""Blow up his damn pne!""No one’s leaving us behind to die!"

  Angry shouts erupted as the soldiers turheir guns on Kane’s pne.Bang! Bang! Bang!Bullets riddled the aircraft, tearing through its thial exterior. Holes appeared across the fusege as the pne shook uhe assault. "Leader! They’re shooting at us!" the pilot screamed, panic written all over his face.

  "Ighem and take off! These idiots won’t matter ohe zombies arrive!" Kane barked, his face twisted in rage. But his arrogance was short-lived.Boom! One of the engines exploded in a fiery burst, followed quickly by a sed.Boom!Then a third. The pne sputtered and groaned as it lost power. Kane’s escape pn was crumbling before his eyes. "These ingrates!" he snarled, his chubby face trembling with anger. "How soon the spare aircraft in the hangar be ready for takeoff?"

  "Fifteen minutes!" the terrified pilot stammered.

  Kane’s expression softened slightly, but his eyes still burned with malice. "Fine," he growled. "Old Fire! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

  Meanwhile, at the outer perimeter of the base, Scott’s face was grim as he observed the drone feed of the advang horde. "Don’t hold back! Keep firing! Don’t stop for even a sed!" he shouted.

  The sheer scale of the zombie tide was beyond anything he had imagined. Artillery shells tio rain down, and the earth trembled uhe relentless barrage. Despite their efforts, Scott khat this battle would push them to the brink. The tide showed no signs of slowing. Tons of artillery shells and rockets smmed into the advang zombie tide, but it was like throwing stones into an o. Not even a ripple was created. Thousands of zombies fell, torn apart by the relentless bombardment, but for every one killed, more swarmed forward. Their speed was astonishing. The cratered pin, riddled with debris, posed no obstacle to them. They moved as though it were smooth ground, relentlessly closing the distance.

  "The tide is 7 kilometers away!""6 kilometers!"