While Cell 7 entered the medical wing, Hans had already stopped thinking about the rescue.

The gray markers settled inside the inner perimeter one by one.

They’re behaving well, Hans thought as he stared at the map. Good. At least they won’t be trouble for a while.

He knew that gaining Cell 7’s trust would take some time, but waiting for that to happen was foolish.

Hans closed that portion of the map and shifted his attention back to the city.

The larger horde had followed the Hellhammer impacts as expected. The artillery had dragged the bulk of the infected away from Cell 7’s outpost, leaving broken clusters scattered across several streets.

Most of those red dots continued crawling toward the noise.

Some did not. They kept pressing against the now-empty Cell 7 outpost, clawing at approaches that no longer held anyone worth chasing.

They were too few to be called a horde, yet too many to ignore. Small knots lingered around the southern and eastern approaches as if the area still held their attention.

That bothered him.

Normally, infected were stupid. And stupid things were supposed to be easy to predict.

"Callum."

"Yes, Commander."

"We’re falling back."

Callum gave a single nod.

Tyrus pushed himself away from the cracked rooftop pillar. "Finally. I was starting to think you enjoyed standing in cold wind while making everyone else uncomfortable."

"I thought you enjoyed this type of scenery?" Hans bantered.

"Too cold for my taste."

"Have you had enough?"

Tyrus smiled. "I’ve had more than just enough, Commander."

"Good," Hans nodded. "Keep your findings to yourself until we’re somewhere I want to hear them."

"That’s boring," Tyrus yawned. "Is the Commander not curious at all?"

Nobody seemed willing to hear his thoughts. Still, Tyrus knew Hans was not the type to fully ignore him, no matter how cold the Commander looked.

"Not here. Not now. Find someone else to tempt."

Hans had no time to deal with Tyrus’s charades. There were some things he had to take care of first.

Kimmy sat near the broken wall, wrapped in a coat one of the soldiers had given her. Her blindfolded face lifted slightly toward Hans.

"Are we going now?"

"You want to stay here?" Hans was confused.

Even Tyrus was shivering from the cold, yet this frail girl wanted to endure the bitter, frosty night for no reason at all.

"No... but..." Kimmy clasped her fingers. Her face turned away from Hans, as if she was afraid to face him at all.

This girl, Hans shook his head. Acting stubborn out of nowhere...

He knew she had a reason, but it was the kind of reason that would get someone sick for no tactical gain.

Perhaps she endured the cold just to have a few more minutes beside him.

Or maybe it was for another reason.

Whatever it was, Hans did not want to guess the thoughts running through her mind.

"You’re returning to base," Hans said.

Kimmy froze.

"With Tyrus."

Tyrus blinked. "Commander, why do I feel punished?"

"You’re not punished."

"That is what punished people are often told."

Hans looked at him. "Kimmy needs rest. Delay any longer and you’ll get a heavier punishment."

"I know, I know."

Tyrus resigned himself. He would rather face Hans’s cold persona than Yunera’s fiery temper.

Kimmy lowered her head. "Hans, do you need help?"

"You helped enough."

"But—"

"No."

The answer was quiet. Kimmy’s mouth closed.

Hans thought that would be the end of it. Then her fingers tightened around the coat.

"Are you going somewhere dangerous?"

Hans looked at the map again.

The red knots near Cell 7’s former outpost continued moving. They were not swarming in a single wave anymore, but they had not left the area either.

They were searching. He did not know why, but this was not ordinary infected behavior.

"Everywhere in this city is dangerous, and you need to rest."

Kimmy did not seem satisfied with that answer.

Callum glanced toward Hans, waiting for the real order.

Hans opened the channel. "Bastion Three."

"Standing by, Commander."

"Bring the vehicle around. You’ll take Kimmy and Tyrus back to base."

"Understood. Bastion Three is on the move."

Tyrus slowly turned his head. "Wait. You are not coming back?"

"The night isn’t over," Hans narrowed his eyes. "For me."

A cold breeze swept over. Hans’s coat fluttered in the air.

Kimmy’s spatial sense gathered around him, tracing his outline as if she did not want to miss a single detail.

"Stop using your powers," Hans called out.

Kimmy froze.

Her spatial sense scattered at once, like a child caught red-handed by a parent.

"I... sorry."

Hans looked at her.

That apology was too quick.

"Don’t apologize. Just rest."

Kimmy lowered her head, fingers still clutching the coat around her shoulders. "I only wanted to know if you were really leaving."

"I said I was."

"That is not the same as knowing."

Hans almost sighed.

TThis girl acted as if he was about to board a one-way shuttle into enemy territory.

Tyrus, who had been enjoying the exchange far too much, suddenly raised one finger. "For the record, that was strangely profound."

Hans ignored him.

Kimmy’s voice lowered further. "I won’t use it again."

"You will," Hans said. "After you sleep."

She did not answer, but the slight tension in her shoulders eased.

A few moments later, the sound of an approaching engine climbed from below the rooftop. Bastion Three rolled into the street beside the building, its headlights cutting through the darkness.

Hans opened the channel again.

"Bastion Four."

"Standing by, Commander."

"Approach the rooftop exit. Separate movement. Callum and I are heading toward Cell 7’s former observation post."

"Understood. Bastion Four is moving."

Hans turned to Callum. "Escort them down first."

"Yes, Commander."

Kimmy stood slowly. Callum moved close enough to help, but she steadied herself before he could touch her. Her head turned toward Hans one last time.

"You really won’t return to the base first?"

"No."

"Then... where are you going?"

Hans glanced toward the eastern side of the map.

The red knots near Cell 7’s former outpost still crawled around the empty block.

"Somewhere I need to be."

Kimmy’s lips pressed together. Tyrus’s smile thinned.

That answer was enough for both of them to understand.

This was no longer only about Cell 7. It had something to do with what had happened tonight.

Callum guided Kimmy toward the stairs. Tyrus followed with exaggerated reluctance, though his eyes remained sharper than his tone.

"Commander."

Hans glanced at him.

"When you finally decide to hear what I almost said earlier, do remember I tried to be dramatic first."

"You always try to be dramatic."

"True. But this time, I may actually deserve it."

Hans did not answer.

Tyrus smiled once, then followed Kimmy down.

Below, Bastion Three’s ramp opened. A few moments later, Kimmy and Tyrus boarded under escort. The vehicle turned back toward the base.

The rooftop became quieter after they left.

Only Callum remained beside Hans.

Hans watched their blue marker move for a second before closing it.

"Commander," Callum said.

Hans shifted his attention east again.

"Let’s go."

By the time Bastion Four arrived, Hans was already moving down the stairs.

The battle and rescue were over.

But beneath it all, a new investigation had begun

Bastion Four did not head toward the burning streets where the Hellhammers had dragged the horde.

It turned toward the quieter side of the district.

Toward the abandoned observation post Dmitri and Adrian’s squads had secured earlier.

Hans sat inside the APC, one hand resting near the tactical display while the Radar map hovered before his eyes. Callum sat across from him, silent as always, his gaze lowered but not relaxed.

Outside, the streets passed in strips of darkness and ruined concrete.

Hans zoomed toward the former Cell 7 route.

The infected’s organized behavior bothered him.

Although a large fraction had been dragged away by sound, these things lingered around approaches, corners, and access routes as if they were waiting for something.

And it led him back to the beginning of it all—the sudden horde attack.

Genevieve departed with a few Cell 7 members for the meeting tonight, Hans thought. Then the horde moved. Why then? Why after Genevieve left?

It was as if the infected had scouts of their own, reporting changes back to something buried deeper in the city.

Hans’s thoughts spiraled back to a single word—hive.

He massaged his temples, wondering what kind of luck brought another possible hive to his doorstep.

There were other explanations, perhaps. But none of them fit the infected’s strange behavior as neatly as a hive.

A sudden, organized attack on Cell 7. A persistent presence around the block even after the target had vanished.

It was not hunger. It was a search pattern, and it was not innate to these dumb infected

Bastion Four turned toward the observation post and passed through the open gate.

Hans and Callum waited for it to stop.

The rear ramp hissed open before dropping with a dull thud.

Beyond the concrete, Dmitri and Adrian stood side-by-side.

"Echo One. Echo Two."

Two voices saluted and answered almost at the same time.

"Commmander!"

Hans looked at the red knots crawling around Cell 7’s compromised block.

"You both have new missions."