Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 233: Continued Campaign on Sea

January 9, 2026 — 01:47 PM

The sea had turned violent.

Not from weather—there wasn't a storm in sight—but from the churning force of battle. Shells cracked the air. Explosions sent plumes of seawater high into the sky. Bloom-mutated sea creatures moved in coordinated swarms, not unlike a wolf pack encircling a herd.

But Overwatch was no herd.

On the deck of the OWS Bulwark, Thomas Estaris gripped the railing near the upper starboard wing. Below, sailors worked in synchronized tempo, loading and coordinating fire control protocols. Above, the sky thundered with the sound of F-16s streaking overhead, diverted to assist in strafing the more agile Bloomspawn now appearing in fast-moving pods.

"Targets regrouping," one of the CIC officers called out from below. "Sonar indicates spiral convergence pattern. They're forming up for another charge."

"ETA?" Thomas barked.

"Thirty seconds. Twelve confirmed, multiple unknowns following deep trails."

He turned toward Marcus. "CIWS status?"

"Cooling loop recharged. 87% ammo remaining across the forward arc."

"Time to put it to work."

The Sentinel, holding the left flank of the V-formation, fired first. Her five-inch gun lobbed a high-explosive shell into the waterline of a mid-sized creature breaching ahead of the rest. The hit was solid—clean and brutal—sending fragments of black armor and bright red mist into the air.

Then came the others.

Like torpedoes, they rose in fast, zigzagging bursts, water parting violently behind them. Some swam beneath the ships, using sonar interference from Bloom residue to hide. Others skipped across the surface, their long tails acting as stabilizers. Mutated dorsal fins had turned into bony paddles.

"CIWS tracking three—four—no, five!" shouted the fire control chief.

The Bulwark's twin Phalanx turrets lit up. Twin BRRRRTs cut through the sky, sending streams of tungsten shells into the incoming wave. The sea turned red and black as bodies were ripped apart mid-leap.

"Two slipped past!" came a warning. "One headed toward the barge!"

"Redirect Sea Phantoms!" Marcus ordered. "Intercept and repel!"

On cue, the two patrol boats peeled off, engines screaming across the waves. They skidded into position near the Hephaestus, launching flares and mini-torpedoes. One creature was hit in the flank and exploded like a burst of gelatin. The other slammed into the barge's hull—but bounced off, dazed, before being riddled with fire from its mounted guns.

"Status on Ghost?" Thomas asked.

The response came from below deck—an encrypted pulse from the Type 212A, now deep beneath the main fleet.

"Ghost reporting underwater hostiles pursuing from trench edge," Marcus read aloud. "No engagement yet. Holding stealth. Awaiting permission to fire."

Thomas didn't hesitate. "Grant it."

In the darkness below, the Ghost came alive. Near-silent propulsion carried it through the trench walls as torpedo tubes opened like the jaws of a beast. Two Bloom constructs followed it—fish-like, with glowing red ridges along their backs and tails like blade fins.

"Tube 1, fire."

A single torpedo launched silently. It locked onto heat and movement and struck one target in the side. The creature never saw it coming.

The other turned to flee—but the Ghost turned sharper.

"Tube 2, fire."

A direct hit. No remains.

"Two kills confirmed. Holding depth," came the message.

Above, the battle was still raging.

On the Sentinel, one of the Bloomspawn reached the hull—latching onto the stern railings with sickle-like claws. Crew rushed to repel it. A deck-mounted stunner was discharged directly into the creature's spine, electrocuting it until it fell limp and slid back into the sea.

"Thomas," Marcus said through the radio, "we're holding—but we need to end this. These things are stalling us."

Thomas stared at the tactical overlay. The Bloom wasn't just reacting anymore. It was feinting, probing. Holding their attention while something else moved deeper.

He made his decision.

"Pull Sentinel back to mid-range. Keep CIWS hot. I want Bulwark to move forward alone."

Marcus hesitated. "You want to isolate?"

"Yes. Draw them to me. I want to see what they're protecting."

At 2:12 PM, the OWS Bulwark accelerated.

Thirty knots. Alone.

She pushed forward through the broken waters, radar sweeping ahead. The sea grew darker. The sonar pinged more slowly now.

Then it happened.

The display lit up with a spike.

A massive heat source.

It wasn't moving.

"Dead ahead," said the sonar tech. "One hundred meters below. Massive structure. Stationary. Organic signature, but… it's not swimming."

Thomas narrowed his eyes.

"Drop payload. VLS strike pattern—Alpha Ten. Two Tomahawks. Let's wake it up."

Two missiles launched into the sky.

They arced, then dove.

Impact.

The sea erupted in a shockwave.

And from below, the nightmare came.

It didn't rise—it emerged. Like the top of a sunken tower lifting from the abyss, the massive Bloom structure cracked the surface. It wasn't a single creature.

It was a hive.

Covered in mutated coral, webbing, and half-submerged corpses, the thing reeked of bile and rot. Tendrils extended outward, like feeding tubes or sensory whips. And embedded inside its translucent body…

Were eggs.

Hundreds.

"No," Thomas muttered. "That's a spawning nest."

"Orders?" the weapons chief asked.

"Kill it."

All batteries opened fire.

CIWS, five-inch guns, drone strikes from overhead Reapers. It was like a naval fireworks display—but every explosion had intent, fury, and judgment.

The hive shrieked. A psychic wail echoed across the water, like a chorus of dying whales and screaming humans all at once.

But Thomas didn't flinch.

"Reload VLS. Full salvo. I want this thing gone."

They fired again.

And again.

Until the sea was filled with nothing but ash and twisted Bloom wreckage.

By 3:12 PM, it was over.

The sonar was quiet.

No more pings.

Just silence.

And burning light on the horizon.

January 9, 2026 — 03:30 PM

West Philippine Sea — Operation Steel Warden: Complete

Back on the bridge, Marcus exhaled as he read the last updates.

"Confirmed kills: 34. One major hive destroyed. Ghost is surfacing with no damage. Barge recovered patrol teams. No Overwatch casualties."

Thomas nodded.

"Log it," he said. "Call it a victory."

And quietly, to himself, he added:

"But this sea belongs to no one yet."