Meanwhile, at the Ayala Tower near EDSA. Ryan was on the rooftop along with his crew, observing the fight from above.

"Well, they are holding themselves pretty well thanks to our gunship," Ryan said, peering through binoculars, his elbows resting on the edge of the rooftop barrier.

From that height, Forbes Park was no longer a blur of chaos like before.

It had shape now.

Structure.

The eastern side, which had been a solid mass of movement earlier, was broken. Scattered clusters of infected still moved, but they no longer pushed as one. Fires burned in several streets, lighting up sections of the compound, while gunfire echoed in controlled bursts.

"They stabilized faster than I expected," one of his men said, lying prone with a scoped rifle pointed toward the compound.

Ryan didn’t answer immediately.

He kept watching.

Men inside the walls were regrouping. Lines were forming again. Some were dragging bodies away, others were reinforcing barricades using whatever they could find.

"They didn’t stabilize on their own," Ryan said after a moment. "That gunship did most of the work."

Another operator beside him lowered his scope slightly.

"Yeah, no shit," he muttered. "That wasn’t just support. That was full wipe capability."

Ryan shifted his view slightly, scanning the eastern road leading into Forbes Park.

The choke point Adrian had targeted earlier was still visible even from this distance. The street was torn apart. Craters marked the impact zones, and the infected around it were scattered, disorganized.

"Look at that road," Ryan said, nodding toward it. "They cut the feed line."

One of the men crawled closer and looked through his own optic.

"...Damn," he said quietly. "That’s clean. They split the entire swarm."

Ryan nodded once.

"That’s why the pressure dropped," he said. "Front got isolated. Rear couldn’t reinforce."

A short silence followed as they all observed the aftermath.

Below, the last few infected near the outer streets were being picked off one by one. The defenders inside Forbes Park had shifted from survival to clearing operations.

"They’re pushing out now," another operator said. "Trying to reclaim the outer perimeter."

Ryan lowered his binoculars slightly, thinking.

"...Too early," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"They don’t know how bad it was," Ryan replied. "They think it’s over because the pressure stopped."

He raised the binoculars again and focused on the main gate area.

Armed men were moving outward, stepping over bodies, sweeping corners. Their movements were rough. Not coordinated like a trained unit. More like militia trying to act organized.

"They’re exposed," Ryan said. "If another wave comes, they won’t be ready."

One of his men exhaled slowly.

"Think another one’s coming?"

Ryan didn’t answer right away.

He shifted his gaze further out, scanning the darker sections of the city beyond Forbes Park.

No large movement.

No massive heat signatures like before.

But that didn’t mean anything.

"...Doesn’t matter," he said. "We assume there is."

He lowered the binoculars and looked at his team.

"I’ll report to Command that this is the spot of our extraction. I don’t think they were looking for our extraction point due to them being busy watching fireworks."

Ryan stepped back from the edge and lowered the binoculars, clipping them to his vest. The wind on the rooftop carried the smell of smoke from the fires below, mixed with something worse that none of them commented on.

He tapped his earpiece.

"Shadow One to Command," he said, voice steady.

A short burst of static.

Then Adrian’s voice came through.

"Go ahead, Shadow One."

Ryan glanced once more at the streets below, then turned his back to the edge and focused.

"Command, Shadow One. We are set for extraction," he said. "Current position is Ayala Tower rooftop, near EDSA."

He paused for half a second, checking his handheld GPS.

"Grid coordinates as follows," he continued. "One-four degrees, three-three decimal eight north. One-two-one degrees, zero-one decimal two east."

His team stayed quiet around him, already finishing their pack-up.

"Rooftop is clear. No immediate hostiles in vicinity. Visibility is good," Ryan added. "Recommend aerial extraction. LZ is suitable for fast rope or helo landing."

Back in the command center, Adrian didn’t waste time.

"Copy, Shadow One," he said. "Stand by for extraction asset. Do not compromise position."

"Copy that," Ryan replied.

He lowered his hand from the earpiece and looked at his team.

"Extraction inbound," he said. "We hold here."

One of the operators nodded while securing his rifle sling.

"About time," he muttered.

Ryan moved back toward the center of the rooftop, away from the edge, keeping his posture low.

"Stay sharp," he added. "Just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean it’s safe."

Below them, the gunfire from Forbes Park had thinned out even more.

***

Twenty five minutes later.

Ryan stood near the center of the rooftop now, no longer at the edge.

His team had already shifted into post-contact posture. Weapons slung but ready. Packs tightened. Everyone facing outward in overlapping sectors without needing to be told.

They weren’t relaxed.

Just waiting.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Ryan checked his watch.

"Fifteen minutes," one of the operators said quietly.

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "They’re coming."

The wind shifted slightly.

At first, it was nothing.

Just another gust pushing smoke across the rooftop.

Then, a low vibration.

"...Hear that?" one of the operators said, tightening his grip on his rifle.

Ryan nodded once.

"Yeah," he replied.

He stepped forward a bit, keeping low, eyes scanning the skyline. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Nothing yet.

Just darkness.

Then—

A faint silhouette appeared between the buildings.

"Clock your twelve," one of the men whispered.

Ryan adjusted his stance, watching the approach.

The sound grew louder now.

Heavy rotor wash cutting through the air.

"That’s not a civilian bird," another operator said.

"No," Ryan replied. "That’s ours."

The helicopter broke past the buildings, coming into full view, it was the CH-47 Chinook.

"Shadow One, this is Raven Actual. Visual on your position. Confirm rooftop is secure."

Ryan tapped his earpiece.

"Raven Actual, Shadow One. Rooftop secure. No hostiles in immediate vicinity. You are clear to approach."