Chapter 647: Chapter 647: What’s The Situation? (Part 2)

Less than a minute later, the Aegis-9 formation fully reached the tower.

The sky around the rooftop became a storm of rotor wash and tracer fire.

THOOM THOOM THOOM THOOM THOOM!~

The helicopters spread outward around the building in disciplined positioning, surrounding multiple sides of the tower while maintaining elevation differences between each craft.

Their massive rotors churned smoke and dust into spiraling currents that rolled across nearby rooftops.

Loose cloth, shattered glass and dried blood were dragged across the concrete surface beneath the violent wind pressure.

Side doors remained open on nearly every striker.

UPSDF gunners sat secured behind mounted weapons while sniper units remained braced near the door frames with magnetic harnesses attached to their waists or boots.

Every muzzle flash lit the darkening skyline in bursts of orange-white.

The gunner fire came relentlessly.

BRRRRRRTTTT!~

Heavy rounds tore into the horde scaling the tower walls.

Entire torsos burst apart beneath the impacts. Arms detached and spun downward through open air.

One woman had nearly reached a broken window ledge before several rounds ripped through her chest and abdomen together, tearing half her body away from the concrete exterior before the remains dropped into the streets far below.

Another attempted leaping between two maintenance structures along the building wall.

A sniper round struck first.

BOOM!~

Its upper body vanished instantly.

The lower half continued upward another fraction of a second before tumbling backward through smoke and shattered debris.

Every edge of the tower became death.

Those closer to the rooftop were handled just as brutally.

Sniper rounds pierced through skulls, necks and shoulders with horrifying force.

Blood sprayed against the walls while broken bodies peeled away from the building one after another.

Still, a few managed to reach the rooftop.

But now they climbed alone.

And alone meant they had to face Don.

The first hauled itself over the ledge with a wet growl spilling from a split jaw.

Its arms were too long for its frame, shoulders bulging unevenly beneath stretched gray skin.

Before both feet even touched the rooftop, Don stepped forward and punched straight through its face.

CRACKK!~

The impact folded the skull inward before the body flew backward off the roof entirely.

The second reached him immediately after.

Don pivoted hard and launched a kick.

BOOOOM!~

The shockwave erupted outward the moment his leg connected.

Concrete dust exploded across the rooftop beneath him.

It’s ribcage caved inward so violently that its spine burst through its back before the body launched sideways like debris caught in an explosion.

The third one climbing nearby never even got touched directly. The force from the kick alone slammed into it mid-motion and hurled it backward over the ledge with its limbs flailing uselessly.

The wind from the strike whipped across the rooftop hard enough to scatter loose gravel against nearby ventilation units.

At the same time, K-4 dealt with two more near the opposite edge.

One was a thin man missing most of his lower jaw, exposed muscle hanging from the side of his throat while cloudy eyes rolled violently in different directions.

The other moved on all fours despite having one leg bent completely backward beneath itself.

K-4 raised his rifle and drove the reinforced barrel downward into the first one’s face.

CRUNCH!~

Teeth and bone collapsed beneath the impact.

Before it fully hit the rooftop, he reversed the weapon and smashed the stock sideways into the second attacker’s skull hard enough to flatten part of its head against the concrete.

Blood sprayed across his sleeves.

He barely reacted.

Then suddenly—

Nothing climbed over. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The rooftop finally emptied.

Bodies littered every edge. Blood trails stretched across the concrete in thick smears beneath scattered shell casings and chunks of broken flesh.

Rotor wash pushed the metallic smell through the air while the remaining smoke drifting between buildings turned orange beneath the setting sun.

The descending striker lowered slowly toward the rooftop.

Wind hammered across everyone standing there.

A loudspeaker activated from beneath the helicopter.

"STEP AWAY FROM THE LANDING AREA AND KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM."

K-4 turned toward Don, who gestured him to him as best he could what was being asked. Almost immediately moved toward Olynk.

The large man had regained consciousness but barely looked aware of where he was.

His head shifted slowly from side to side while blood remained dried along his temple and collar. His breathing came rough and uneven through parted lips.

K-4 hooked an arm beneath him and dragged him further from the landing zone without wasting words.

Nearby, Don crouched beside Charles.

Charles looked worse now up close.

His face had gone noticeably pale beneath the grime and dried blood.

Even his good wing struggled to stay partially open, twitching faintly every few seconds like the muscles no longer fully responded.

His jaw stayed tight regardless.

Still trying.

Still refusing to completely fold.

Don pulled one of Charles’s arms over his shoulder and helped him move away from the descending helicopter while occasionally glancing toward the rooftop edges.

His eyes remained alert despite the exhaustion dragging at him physically now.

Just in case.

Thankfully, nothing slipped through.

The striker finally touched down.

THOOOMM!~

The landing gear slammed against the rooftop hard enough to vibrate through the concrete surface.

Dust and blood mist spiraled outward beneath the rotor wash while the side doors immediately opened wider.

Soldiers moved out fast.

UPSDF uniforms covered every operative, though each carried slight modifications suited to their build and role.

One wore reinforced plating around his shoulders and upper chest bulkier than standard issue, the armor visibly scratched from repeated combat.

Another carried additional ammunition belts wrapped diagonally around her waist beneath a shortened tactical jacket.

One operative had reinforced knee braces attached externally over his uniform while another wore compact climbing hooks mounted along the sides of his vest.

Nothing flashy.

Just used.

Practical.

Experienced.

The moment boots hit the rooftop, they spread outward into formation.

Rifles came up instantly.

BRRRTT! BRRRTT!~

Controlled bursts rained downward over the edges of the tower.

Several of the horde attempting to climb higher were immediately shot apart before they even reached halfway.

Lower down, the remaining hordes were continuously shredded beneath overlapping sniper and gunner fire from the surrounding helicopters.

One of the UPSDF soldiers finally approached Charles directly.

"Charles Monclaire?"

Charles looked toward him slowly.

No response came.

His hearing was still gone.

But his expression shifted slightly the moment he saw the UPSDF markings.

Not surprise.

Not relief either.

Something colder.

Don noticed it immediately.

He said nothing.

The ringing inside his own ears still distorted much of what reached him, especially with the constant gunfire surrounding the rooftop, but he could understand enough now.

"Our hearing’s damaged," Don said while keeping his eyes moving across the rooftop perimeter. "The others probably can’t hear you properly. But yeah. That’s Charles Monclaire."

The soldier turned toward Don briefly.

Then back toward the others.

"Confirm identity and screen for infection," he ordered in a flat military tone. "We leave in two minutes."

Nearby, another soldier immediately stepped forward carrying scanning equipment from the striker while the rooftop continued shaking faintly beneath the endless thunder of gunfire echoing across Santos City.