Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 53: Witnessing the Battlefield

Thomas stood at the center of the MOA Command Center, his gaze locked onto the battlefield feed. The fight was escalating—Mawbeasts tearing through trenches, Juggernauts smashing aside armored vehicles, and the newly identified Stranglers decimating rooftop units.

Despite the overwhelming firepower, their defensive line was beginning to buckle.

Thomas's fists clenched. He had seen enough.

"I'm going in."

The room fell silent.

Everyone turned toward him, disbelief flashing across their faces.

Marcus Holt, his Deputy Chief of Staff, was the first to speak.

"Sir, you can't be serious. You're the Supreme Commander—you belong here, coordinating the operation."

Adrian Vance, Chief of the Air Force, stepped forward. "We have the best-trained forces on the front lines. Sending you there is unnecessary."

Phillip, standing nearby, grinned. "He's not changing his mind."

Thomas's voice was cold, steady. "I am the Supreme Commander. But I'm also a fighter. My skills? Combat Proficiency. Weapons Proficiency. Leadership. Aviation. Driving." He glanced around the room. "None of those are for sitting in a chair."

He gestured toward the live battle feed. "That is why I summoned you ladies and gentlemen. You are here for the technical and the know-how of the military and civil operation, but I? I was meant to fight in the frontlines."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Marcus exhaled sharply. "Then I'm going with you. I may not look like a fighter but I am a good one."

"No." Thomas shook his head. "You stay here. Someone has to coordinate the battle. If this place falls into chaos, we'll lose everything."

Phillip rolled his shoulders. "Well, you're not going alone." He grabbed his custom SCAR-H, slinging it over his shoulder. "We're doing this together."

Thomas nodded. "Fine. Gather the special forces—we're heading out."

Conrad Manila – Ground Level

The moment Thomas stepped out of the Conrad, he was greeted by chaos.

Helicopters roared overhead, gunships firing in strafing runs as tracer rounds tore into the horde.

M1A2 Abrams tanks rolled out, their turrets adjusting mid-movement, firing into the waves of undead.

Stryker APCs were unloading troops, soldiers moving in tight formations, their rifles spewing bullets into the darkness.

Multiple military trucks zipped through the streets, transporting reinforcements toward the front lines.

Phillip whistled. "Hell of a battlefield."

Thomas wasted no time. He flagged down one of the JLTV Oshkosh.

The driver—a young soldier, barely in his twenties—looked stunned for a moment before snapping to attention. "Sir! You're—"

"Cut the chatter. We're taking this truck," Thomas ordered, swinging open the reinforced door and stepping into the front passenger seat. Phillip climbed in beside him, while their handpicked team of special forces operators filled the rear compartment.

"Take us to the front," Thomas commanded.

The soldier hesitated. "Sir, are you sure? The outer defenses are—"

"I know," Thomas cut him off. "Drive."

The JLTV's engine roared to life, its heavy-duty tires tearing through debris as it sped toward the front gates of the MOA Defensive Perimeter.

The closer they got, the more chaos engulfed the streets.

Gunships strafed the horde with bursts of 30mm cannon fire.

Abrams tanks fired high-explosive shells, reducing undead masses into smoldering heaps.

Soldiers fired from barricades and rooftops, their muzzle flashes lighting up the battlefield.

Thomas could hear the radio chatter, a mix of panicked voices and hardened commands.

"Left flank collapsing! We need support!"

"We're losing ground! Mawbeasts are breaching the trenches!"

"Juggernauts incoming! We need tank fire on them NOW!"

The JLTV swerved to avoid a crater in the street—a remnant of an earlier HIMARS strike—before skidding to a stop near the reinforced entrance gate.

"Everyone out!" Thomas barked.

Phillip was the first to move, jumping out with his SCAR-H in hand. The rest of the team followed, fanning out as the gates rumbled open, revealing the battlefield.

Beyond the gates was hell on Earth.

A storm of gunfire, explosions, and roars of the undead filled the air. The horizon was nothing but a sea of decayed flesh and twisted mutations, surging toward the MOA defenses.

Mawbeasts leaped over trenches, eviscerating soldiers before being gunned down.

Juggernauts smashed through barricades, shrugging off small-arms fire.

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Stranglers skittered along ruined buildings, their tongues lashing out, dragging screaming soldiers into the dark.

A deep, rumbling roar shook the battlefield.

Phillip turned to Thomas. "We've got another Titan-class incoming."

Thomas exhaled sharply. "Then let's move."

They rushed forward, joining the frontline forces.

Thomas sprinted toward the nearest trench line, where soldiers were struggling against the incoming Mawbeast wave.

A soldier screamed as a Mawbeast lunged, its spiked claws tearing through his chestplate. Before it could strike again—

BANG-BANG-BANG!

Thomas fired three precise shots, his HK416 punching through the Mawbeast's skull. The creature twitched once, then collapsed.

Another Mawbeast jumped toward Phillip.

BRRRRRRTTTT!

Phillip emptied a burst from his SCAR-H, blowing its front legs off before finishing it with a shot to the head.

"Stay in your lines! Keep your spacing!" Thomas barked at the troops.

The remaining infantry rallied, falling into tight formations, firing in coordinated volleys.

Helmet-mounted optics locked onto targets.

Armor-piercing rounds shredded through the enemy.

Flamethrowers ignited clusters of the undead, creating a burning barrier.

A Juggernaut charged forward, its massive, rock-like arms smashing through an Abrams tank, causing a huge dent and almost making it tip over to the side. But the Abrams re-centered its balance, its turret locking onto the Juggernaut. The creature's massive, rock-like arms lifted, preparing to strike again, but the tank crew didn't wait.

BOOOOOOOM!

A 120mm depleted uranium shell slammed into the Juggernaut's plated chest, punching straight through its hardened exterior. The force of the impact ripped open its torso, black ichor spraying across the battlefield.

But it didn't fall.

The Juggernaut roared, its remaining arm slamming into the Abrams' hull, denting its reactive armor and forcing the vehicle to slide backward.

BOOOOOM!

The second APFSDS (Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding Sabot) round tore through the creature's kneecap, blowing its leg clean off. The massive beast collapsed, struggling to push itself up.

WHOOOSH!

A Hellfire missile from an Apache gunship streaked downward, slamming into the Juggernaut's exposed wound.

BOOOOOOM!

The blast annihilated what remained of the beast, sending chunks of mutated flesh flying in all directions.

The line held, but barely.

[Flanking Maneuvers]

Thomas turned his attention to the left flank, where the trench lines were struggling. Mawbeasts had broken through, their spiked claws eviscerating soldiers who couldn't react in time.

"Phillip! With me!" Thomas barked.

The two sprinted toward the collapsing left flank, their boots crunching against the blood-soaked battlefield.

A Strangler lashed out from above, its elongated tongue whipping toward Thomas.

He dodged left, narrowly avoiding being ensnared.

BANG!

A precise shot from Phillip's SCAR-H severed the Strangler's tongue, causing the creature to screech and fall from the ruined building. It crashed onto the ground, writhing.

Thomas didn't hesitate.

He rushed forward, switching to his combat knife, and plunged it deep into the Strangler's skull.

The creature twitched violently before going still.

Another Mawbeast lunged toward them.

Thomas fired in full burst hitting it in the chest, then the head, before it having to go sideways as it couldn't handle the pain.

"Push them back!" he yelled at the soldiers near the trenches.

They complied.

The infantrymen reformed their lines, pouring suppressive fire into the enemy ranks.

Flamethrower teams torched the encroaching undead, their flames roaring to life, creating a wall of fire.

The tide shifted and the battle still raged on around him.

[Zombies killed: 75,256]

"Still far from their original number," Thomas sighed as he prepared for another fight.