Before nding, Zack caught sight of two t steel giants standing silently on the runway below. From a distahey looked like a, otherworldly gods draped iallic armor, their massive forms radiating an aura of destru, as if they could tear the world apart at any moment.

  As the aircraft desded, Zack's awe grew strohe giants, named Goliath, stood at a staggering 8.8 meters tall—far exceeding their inal design of 5.6 meters due to some structural modifications. At their feet, Zack felt truly dwarfed, barely reag a third of their height. His gaze traveled up their immense meical bodies to the two colossal 50mm Vul ounted in pce of arms.

  The sheer size of the ons was mind-blowing. A 20mm caliber was already cssified as artillery, but 50mm? That could easily fit a grown man’s fist into the barrel. Aside from the ons, the Goliath’ overall design was as intimidating as it was funal—rugged and straightforward. Their “heads,” which housed high-sensitivity sensor systems, were embedded in their chests, shielded by yers of thick alloy armor. Meanwhile, less critical pos were left exposed, giving them a raw, brutalist aesthetic.

  Where a ventional head might sit, the Goliath instead featured a 20-unit missile uncher loaded with armor-pierg missiles desigo obliterate fortified structures. “Does this thing even move?” Zack muttered, skeptical despite being its creator. The sheer size made him question if the Cold Fusioor could hahe job.“Sir, the Titan isn’t capable of flight, but fround operations, the Cold Fusioor is more than suffit,” Ego, his AI panion, assured him.

  Relieved, Zack gave the and. “Power them up.” At his words, the Goliath, which had been eerily still, suddenly roared to life. The ground trembled as their massive frames began to move. With the hum of rotating maery, their sensor assemblies—glowing like menag red eyes—lit up, bathing their surroundings in an ominous scarlet glow. “Goliath online. Awaiting bat instrus,” came a chilling, synthesized voice from their internal speakers.

  “Holy crap…” Zack breathed, his excitement surging. “Who could stand against this?”

  The sight of the Goliath t before him stirred something primal. These weren’t just maes—they were walking fortresses, meical juggernauts designed for total domination. “We’ll start by testing their bat capabilities,” Zack said, uo tain his impatience. He’d momentarily fotten about the unmanned armors waiting for activation in the hangar.

  “Sir, the unmanned armors are still offline,” Ego reminded him.

  “ht. Activate those too,” Zack said, snapping back to reality. Moments ter, the sound of thrusters filled the air as five unmanned armors emerged from a nearby hangar. They formed a perfect line in front of Zack, eae nding with a heavy thud.

  Uhe sleek and fragile designs often seen in the movies, Zack’s armors were built for war. Their reinforced alloy pting gave them a bulkier, more intimidating presence. Each was outfitted with an array of onry: shoulder-mounted nine-unit miissile pods, palm-mounted pulse ons, and heavy Vul guns simir to those used by his Goliath. Designed for maximum firepower, these armors sacrificed speed and agility for raw destructive potential.

  The dowheir top speed was only Mach 1.5, and they cked specialized air bat capabilities. But that didn’t matter—these units weren’t built ffights. Their purpose was clear: to rairu from above and provide aerial support for Zack’s meical ground forces. “Let’s start with the usual—select a remote area for the test,” Zack ordered.

  The chosen location was a desote, uninhabited stretch of nd far from alements, making it aesting ground. Its scarred terrain bore the marks of past experiments, with deep craters and scorched patches scattered across the ndscape—a testament to the relentless efficy of Zack’s ons. “Unmanned armors, proceed to the target coordinates and initiate a full bombardment,” Zaanded.

  The five armors powered up and unched into the sky, their thrusters igniting as they accelerated toward the area. Within seds, they broke the sound barrier, leaving faint shockwaves in their wake. “They’re not the fastest, but for unmanned units, it’s good enough,” Zack remarked as he watched their silhouettes fade into the distahese mass-produced units couldn’t pare to the high-performance suits, but for their intended purpose, they were more thae. “Sir, the unmanned armors have reached the are. Satellite footage is—” Ego began.

  “No need. I see it just fine,” Zaterrupted. The moment, the once-dark area lit up with a brilliant, overwhelming glow, illuminating nearly half the mountain.

  Boom! Boom!

  A series of thunderous explosions rolled through the air seds ter, reag Zack’s ears even though he was several kilometers away. The grouh him trembled faintly as if the earth itself was groaning uhe assault. Thanks to Ego’s calcutions, the missiles hit with meticulous accuracy, c the area in a precise "carpet" of destru with no overp. This ensured maximum ce aation. Ohe missiles were expehe unmanned armors transitioo their phase, unleashing their mae guns and pulse ons. Eait took responsibility for a designated area, saturating it with relentless firepower. The ground was ed and torn apart repeatedly, soil and debris flying into the air as the earth seemed to recoil uhe bombardment.

  When the missile bays reloaded, the armors ducted a sed round of carpet bombing, leaving the surface turn into cratered wastend. After pleting their run, the five unmanned armors, now cloaked in smoke and gunpowder residue, returo the airport in a synized formation. “Not bad,” Zack muttered, nodding in approval. He was satisfied with their performance. For sheer firepower, their bined output had surpassed his older power armor. “Alright, Goliath’ turn,” he said eagerly, ready to watch his steel giants in a. But before he could give the and, Ego’s voice cut in sharply.

  “Sir! Do you remember the zombie horde in the north I mentioned a few days ago?”

  “Yeah, what about it?” Zack asked, his brow furrowing. He had heard about the massive horde but dismissed it, knowing the trajectory showed it crossing the Potomac River and steering clear of any major poputioers.

  “It’s ged course, sir. The horde is now heading straight for Washington, D.C.,” Ego replied, urgency g its tone.

  Zack’s expression stiffened. He khe scale of this horde, and Washington, D.C. wasn’t equipped to handle such a threat. “How big is it?” Zack asked calmly, though his eyes narrowed.

  “Unclear, but it’s massive—definitely not less than 30 million,” Ego answered, its usually precise estimates faltering.

  Zack’s mind raced. A horde of this size, if left unchecked, would devastate everything in its path. “If we don’t intervene, by the time it reaches NYC, its numbers could easily double or triple,” Ego warned. “Every city it passes will add to its size, and every survivor base it overwhelms will fuel its growth.” Zack’s calm demeanor turned icy. “Do you think I’m just going to sit bad let it happen? What am I, Kane?” he snapped, his voice cold. “But I won’t send my forces without a reason,” Zack added, then quickly asked, “Ego, how many survivors are in capital city?”