Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 27: The Return to the Hotel

As the helicopters soared through the night sky, a familiar ding echoed in Thomas's mind. The system interface materialized before him, the glowing text filling his vision.

[System Notification:

Mission Complete Recurring – Rescue Survivors

Objective: Successfully extract and rescue survivors from the university complex.

Status: Completed

Rewards:

50,000 Experience Points

15,000 Blood Coins]

[Level Up!

New Level: 12]

Thomas blinked, absorbing the information. The interface faded as the notification completed. He felt a small surge of energy coursing through him.

"Sir?" Phillip's voice brought him back to reality.

Thomas nodded, shaking off the notification's lingering presence. "Mission's done. We'll debrief once we're back at Conrad."

The helicopters soon arrived at the Conrad Hotel. The massive structure stood illuminated like a beacon of safety amid the darkness of the surrounding city. As the Black Hawks descended onto the spacious helipad, soldiers on the ground signaled their approach. The rotors slowed gradually as the aircraft touched down, the familiar hum finally easing into silence.

Thomas and his team disembarked, guiding the survivors down the helipad stairwell. Samantha stayed close to him, her grip on the blanket tightening nervously as they made their way inside.

"Alright," Thomas said, addressing the remaining soldiers and survivors. "You're safe now. We have rooms prepared for all of you. Food and water will be delivered shortly. Rest, and recover. We'll discuss the next steps tomorrow."

Phillip nodded and turned to the soldiers. "Escort the survivors to their rooms. Ensure they get settled in properly."

"Yes, sir," a soldier responded, stepping forward to lead the group.

The survivors shuffled forward, their exhaustion finally catching up to them. The tension in their bodies seemed to ease as they realized they were truly safe. Samantha glanced at Thomas, her eyes filled with both gratitude and lingering fear.

"Thank you... for coming back," she said softly.

"You don't need to thank me," Thomas replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You survived. That's what matters. Get some rest."

"But Anna...she was..." Samantha sobbed.

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

Thomas gently squeezed her shoulder, his expression softening. "I know. It's not easy, but you need your strength. You've been through a lot. Tomorrow, we'll talk about Anna and everything else. For now, rest."

Samantha wiped her eyes with the corner of the blanket and gave a small nod. "Okay... thank you."

She turned and followed the other survivors, who were being escorted by soldiers to their assigned rooms. Thomas watched her disappear down the corridor, her steps still unsteady. Phillip approached from behind, his boots echoing softly against the polished floor.

"Everyone's getting settled," Phillip reported. "Medical's been notified. We'll have a team check on the survivors first thing in the morning."

"Good," Thomas replied with a sigh. "Make sure they also get meals tonight. We don't need anyone collapsing from hunger or exhaustion."

"Already arranged," Phillip confirmed, his tone steady and efficient. "You should get some rest too, sir."

Thomas gave a faint smirk. "You sound like my conscience."

Phillip chuckled lightly. "Someone's got to look out for you. You've been pushing yourself too hard."

"I'll rest soon," Thomas assured him. "After I finish reviewing the mission data."

Phillip nodded, understanding the routine. "Alright. I'll check in with the rest of the team. Debrief is still set for an hour?"

"Yeah. I want everyone ready."

An hour later, Thomas entered the briefing room at the Conrad, the atmosphere tense yet focused. Soldiers and team leaders, including Phillip, stood at attention before taking their seats. The room was equipped with tactical displays and digital monitors that showed an overview of the university complex, mission data, and key highlights from the operation.

Thomas stood at the front of the room, placing his hands on the table as he surveyed the team. "Let's get this started. Phillip, give me the initial report."

Phillip nodded and stood, pulling up a display of mission footage. "The primary objective—rescuing the survivors—was accomplished with minimal casualties on our side. No wounded, no losses. We extracted nine survivors, including Samantha. Raven 2 handled the extraction successfully, while Viper 1 provided crucial fire support to clear the rooftop perimeter."

The footage played in the background, showing key moments: the stairwell defense, the Apache's strafing runs, and the tactical retreat to the helicopter. The soldiers watched silently, some still tense from the memory of the relentless horde.

Phillip continued, "The horde presence at the university was higher than anticipated, especially near the stairwell and rooftop. We managed to neutralize over a hundred hostiles, but they kept coming, suggesting an increased rate of zombie congregation in densely populated areas."

Thomas folded his arms. "We were fortunate that the helicopters arrived on time. If Raven 2 had been delayed, we'd have had more casualties or worse."

"Sir, it's clear that these hordes are becoming more organized or reactive. We need to consider the possibility that some mutated variants are capable of drawing other zombies toward noise or human activity."

"No, that is just their heightened senses," Matthew simply dismissed and elaborated. "Their heightened senses explain the increased congregation of zombies. They're instinctively drawn to noise and movement in densely populated areas. It's not about organization—it's just survival behavior on a massive scale."

Phillip frowned but nodded. "That could explain some of it, but we still saw abnormal patterns near the stairwell. They surged in larger waves than usual, almost like something was guiding them."

Thomas processed both points of view and raised his hand, silencing further debate. "Both possibilities are worth consideration. Whether it's instinct or something more, we need to stay prepared. For now, we'll assume that in high-traffic areas like universities, the horde response will be faster and more aggressive than expected. For now we rest and conduct an operation in the future dates. The operation will be about us gathering as many resources as we can in order for us to be self-sufficient."

"Yes sir!"

"That will be all—dismissed!"