Spectre Gunship still orbited the operational area, and despite their run, it barely made a dent on the numbers of the zombies.

"Spectre One, this is Command, continues firing on the zombies. I repeat, continue firing on the zombies. Even if you have to exhaust all your munitions."

"Copy that, Command," the pilot answered. "Spectre One continuing engagement. We’ll push until Winchester if required."

Inside the gunship, the crew tightened up.

"Guns, we’re staying on this orbit," the pilot said. "Keep it stable. No drift."

"Roger that," the co-pilot replied, eyes glued to the instruments. "Airspeed steady. Altitude holding."

The sensor operator leaned closer to his screen, zooming in on the eastern sector.

"Target still dense," he reported. "They’re reinforcing from the south road now. It’s not slowing."

"Fire control, prioritize choke points," the pilot said.

"Copy."

The fire control officer keyed his mic.

"Guns, stand by. We’re going continuous."

"25 ready."

"40 ready."

"105 on standby."

The aircraft banked slightly tighter, locking the orbit.

"On target," the sensor operator confirmed. "Mark is hot."

"Send it."

"25, fire."

The rotary cannon spun up instantly.

A continuous stream of 25mm rounds poured down into the horde, stitching across the mass in a controlled sweep. The impacts lit up on thermal, bodies dropping in rows as the rounds cut through the front layers.

"Walk it right, walk it right," fire control said.

"Adjusting."

The stream shifted, dragging across another cluster pushing toward the breach.

"Good hits. Keep it going."

The gunner held the trigger, the weapon chattering non-stop.

"40, stand by."

"Standing by."

"40, fire."

The Bofors cannon fired in steady intervals.

Boom.

Boom.

Each shell landed heavier, breaking apart dense pockets where the 25mm had softened them. The blast pushed bodies outward, clearing small gaps in the mass.

"Impact good."

"Shift ten meters forward."

"Shifted."

"Fire again."

Boom.

Another impact landed right at the base of the wall, clearing a group that had started climbing over each other.

"They’re stacking again," the sensor operator said. "Multiple layers."

"Copy. Bring the 105 online."

A short pause.

"105 ready."

The fire control officer waited for the orbit to stabilize.

"Stand by... stand by..."

The pilot held it steady.

"Platform stable."

"Fire."

The 105mm howitzer fired.

The recoil ran through the aircraft.

Below, the street erupted.

A large section of the incoming horde disappeared in a single blast, bodies thrown aside, the road momentarily cleared.

"Direct hit," the sensor operator said. "That took out a big chunk."

"Reacquire," fire control ordered.

"Targets reforming," the sensor operator replied. "They’re filling the gap already."

"Unreal..." one of the gunners muttered.

"Focus," the pilot said. "Keep working."

"25, back on."

"Firing."

The rotary cannon resumed, sweeping across the regrouping infected.

"40, follow."

"Firing."

Boom.

Boom.

The combination of weapons worked in layers.

25mm to thin.

40mm to break.

105mm to erase.

"They’re not stopping," the sensor operator said. "Numbers still climbing."

"Command wasn’t kidding," the co-pilot muttered. "This is a swarm."

"Keep the guns hot," the pilot said. "We’re not done."

Back in the command center, Adrian watched the feed.

The gunship was doing damage.

Massive damage.

But the horde kept coming.

"Spectre One," Adrian said. "Maintain fire. Do not let them regain momentum."

"Copy, Command," the pilot replied. "We’re staying on it."

"Fire control, new target lane," the sensor operator said. "South-east road. Fresh wave incoming."

"Got it. 105, line up."

"Ready."

"Stand by..."

The aircraft held its turn.

"Fire."

The 105mm fired again.

Another explosion tore through the incoming line.

"Good effect."

"Keep cycling," the pilot said.

"Roger."

The AC-130 continued its orbit, guns firing nonstop.

Back in the command center, Adrian didn’t take his eyes off the screen.

But his hand moved.

"Pull up the full map," he said.

"Yes, sir."

The main display shifted.

The live thermal feed shrank to one side while a wider tactical map of Makati filled the center screen. Roads. Blocks. Entry points. The path of the horde was drawn in real time using drone data.

It looked like a river.

A thick, flowing mass pushing from the south-east, feeding directly into Forbes Park.

Adrian stepped closer.

"Zoom out."

The operator complied.

The full movement became clearer.

There was a main artery.

One road carrying the bulk of the swarm.

Everything else branched off from it.

"They’re funneling through that road," one of the analysts said.

"Yeah," Adrian replied quietly.

He pointed.

"That’s the source lane."

A long stretch of road feeding into the eastern perimeter.

If that line stayed intact, the horde would never stop.

"They’re not just attacking," Adrian said. "They’re being fed."

The operator looked at him.

"Sir?"

Adrian didn’t answer right away.

He leaned in, studying the layout.

Buildings on both sides.

Narrow sections.

Intersections.

Then he saw it.

A choke point.

A tight intersection about two hundred meters out from the wall where the road narrowed between two concrete structures.

"Zoom there."

The display focused.

The horde was packed even tighter in that section.

Almost compressed.

"That’s it," Adrian said.

"That’s where they’re bottlenecking," the analyst added.

Adrian nodded.

"If we break that... we cut the flow."

Silence for a second.

Then the operator spoke.

"You mean... split the swarm?"

Adrian’s eyes stayed locked on the screen.

"Yeah," he said. "Cut it in half."

He keyed his mic.

"Spectre One, this is Command."

"Go ahead."

"I’ve got a choke point for you," Adrian said. "Two hundred meters east of the wall. Intersection between two concrete blocks. That’s their main feed line."

Inside the gunship, the sensor operator shifted his view.

"Searching... searching... got it," he said. "I see it. Dense cluster. Real tight."

"Good," the pilot said. "Command, what’s your intent?"

Adrian didn’t hesitate.

"I want you to break that lane," he said. "Hit it hard enough to disrupt the flow. If we sever that line, everything behind it slows down."

A short pause.

Then.

"Copy that," the pilot replied. "We’ll cut the artery."

"Use your 105 for initial break," Adrian added. "Follow with 40 and 25 to keep it open."

"Roger."

Inside the gunship, the fire control officer took over.

"New target. Choke point east side. All guns prepare."

"25 ready."

"40 ready."

"105 ready."

The aircraft adjusted its orbit slightly, tightening the angle to bring the new target into line.

"Sensor, confirm mark."

"Mark confirmed. This is their main lane."

"Good."

The fire control officer waited for the right moment.

"Stand by..."

The pilot held the bank steady.

"Platform stable."

"105—fire."

The howitzer fired.

The round dropped straight into the choke point.

Impact.

The entire intersection lit up on thermal.

Bodies were thrown outward.

The packed mass broke apart instantly.

"Direct hit!" the sensor operator called out. "That cleared a huge section!"

"Again," the fire control officer said.

"105 ready."

"Fire."

Another round slammed into the same lane, deeper this time, hitting the second layer of the incoming horde.

Back in the command center, one of the operators leaned forward.

"Sir... it’s working."