In the morning, many of the soldiers had stayed awake, keeping watch in case help arrived. They had been anxious since the day before, so they were truly hoping someone would come to rescue them.
Next to the window of the building where the soldiers were sheltering, Jeremy held a pair of binoculars and observed the situation outside. There was no doubt the military base was in terrible condition. If the helicopters coming to help saw this situation, they would most likely turn back.
At first, everyone had been extremely nervous about whether help would really arrive, but they insisted on trusting and waiting without asking too many questions. It wasn't wise to get their hopes up, but it was also useless to speculate before the designated time came.
They had lost contact with the other military bases, so this was the only chance they had left. The walkers had overrun the facility, and it was impossible to contain the infection. After that, the breach that had been opened ended up collapsing the base entirely.
"Do you really think there's still a world out there waiting for us once we get out of here?"
Jeremy, who was about to take a break, turned his head at the voice beside him. It was Eric Bana—the same man who had argued with nearly everyone the day before.
"First we need to find out if someone out there is even capable of getting us out of this hell," Jeremy replied.
"You think they won't come?"
"You seriously believe that?" Jeremy asked, surprised. If he remembered correctly, the man standing beside him used to be one of the most inspiring in the group, but now his thoughts seemed scattered.
"With all those walkers around, it's hard to imagine. If we don't clear the area before they arrive, there's no way anyone's going to risk landing here," Eric muttered, not wanting to say more about what he was seeing.
"This is…" Jeremy murmured.
Seeing his helpless expression, Eric was about to say something else when a voice suddenly came through the radio, and in the distance, the sound of more than one helicopter became clearly audible.
"Zz… This is S.C.T., we are approaching your base. Do not do anything except wait for a team to make contact with you."
"They're coming!"
As the soldiers cheered, three helicopters slowly descended over the military base, where they hoped to recover as many resources as possible.
…
"The breach has been located. First, we'll lure the walkers to the central plaza, move them slowly, and then wait for Squadron AA-1 to deploy."
"Zz… Copy that. Proceeding to descend onto a building to maintain operational security. We'll be on the ground in one minute."
After issuing the orders, one CH-47 Chinook helicopter broke away from the original trio to carry out the operation to contain the survivors and seal the breach in the military base, already identified by Jason's team.
"Now!"
At the command, seven ropes were deployed from the helicopter, and soldiers in Arm-3J combat suits descended from the sky, positioning themselves on top of a warehouse while securing the perimeter to prevent any surprise attacks.
A total of thirty soldiers were deployed for this mission. After a few minutes, the helicopter rejoined the other two to continue drawing walkers away from the base. The noise and low-altitude flying helped attract the infected nearby.
This method of luring hordes had already been used in Atlanta. It could've even been used at the prison, but at the time, no one was willing to take that risk—especially since the horde had been deep in a dense forest.
"All right! We've got one minute to take control of the survivors and make sure they don't cause trouble," shouted the captain of Squadron AA-1, one of the ten units deployed, while the helicopters continued to draw the walkers away.
"Arturo! Take five men and seal the breach with whatever trucks you can find on this base. I don't care what kind of damn magic you need to pull—it just needs to get done!"
"Understood, sir."
The orders were clear: seal the breach and secure the survivors to avoid any kind of conflict. After all, this was a military base with all kinds of resources, and Jason didn't want any surprises from this group of survivors.
Once the vast majority of the walkers had been led away, Squadron AA-1, led by Captain Ian Dietrich, secured ropes to a support and quickly rappelled down to begin the mission.
As expected, a few clumsy walkers didn't follow the horde, so Ian's squad had to deal with them. Raising his SCAR rifle, he took silent, precise shots to the heads of the approaching walkers.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
"Area clear. Moving toward the targets."
Once everyone had landed, they split into two groups. The first, led by Arturo, was in charge of sealing the breach. The other, under Ian's command, had the mission of securing the survivors.
"Be quick and precise! If any soldier disobeys an order, don't hesitate—take them out."
Ian Dietrich didn't want to make any mistakes. His unit was trained to shoot first and ask questions later. With their objective clear, they silently moved toward the building where the survivors had been located.
"Don't waste time on walkers! Keep moving!"
At Ian's shout, a twenty-person squad—heavily armed, dressed completely in black, and wearing masks—surrounded a building. Then, one of the soldiers shouted:
"Open the door, now!"
Inside, the people hesitated, unsure of what was happening. An unarmed man cautiously approached and opened the door.
"Are you military?"
The soldier wasn't sure who these armed men were, so the question came out instinctively.
"Get against the wall and don't ask questions—now!"
Two members of Squadron AA-1 lowered their weapons, pushed the soldier against the wall, stripped him of his sidearm, and forced him inside—where the rest of the soldiers and civilians were gathered.
One group remained outside while the other entered the building to take control of the situation. Ian Dietrich walked in confidently, and as he stepped into the warehouse, he saw a large group of people—including armed military personnel with rifles raised.
"Drop your weapons! That's an order!"
When Ian shouted, his soldiers fanned out and aimed at those still holding weapons.
"Wait… Please wait! We're soldiers. What division are you with, and why are you aiming at us?" asked Ben Miller. Then he added, "I'm Colonel Ben Miller…"
"I know exactly who the hell you are, old man. My commander's orders are clear—none of you are authorized to carry weapons. If you disobey, all of your men will be eliminated."
Hearing those words sent a chill down Ben Miller's spine. It was obvious these soldiers weren't ordinary. He signaled to his men to lower their weapons.
Within seconds, everyone handed over their firearms to Squadron AA-1. Then Ian stepped forward and removed his helmet.
"Colonel, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Captain Ian Dietrich of the S.C.T. We belong to a military-formed organization that guarantees the safety of thousands of people in Atlanta. You are now safe. Our people have driven all the walkers out of this base."
Seeing the tension ease, Ben Miller smiled with relief and gave a formal salute.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain. I look forward to meeting your commander."