Chapter 773: Signal Source
"Break out toward the southeast! There's a warehouse over there with a solid structure!" Raynor pointed to a spot on the map. "Bounding overwatch, move!"
The team began moving southeast. Valerie's security consultants and a portion of the Raiders formed the vanguard, carving a path of blood. Raynor and Tychus took the rearguard, using heavy firepower to suppress their pursuers.
The sheer number of infected was staggering. They poured out from alleys, windows, and even sewer grates. In the darkness, all that could be seen were countless pairs of faintly glowing, clouded eyes and flailing claws.
"We're moving too damn slow!" Tychus roared. His power armor was snagged by several infected, hindering his movement.
Valerie surveyed their surroundings. "The building on the right side of the intersection ahead has a large billboard frame. A2, blow the frame; block the intersection."
A security consultant raised his arm and fired a micro-grenade. The billboard frame snapped on impact, and the massive metal sign crashed down, blocking half the intersection and crushing a large swath of infected beneath it.
"Good thinking!" Sergeant Devin praised.
The team continued pressing forward. They were two hundred meters from the target warehouse.
Just then, Dr. Hanson's anxious voice came over the comms: "Commander Raynor! I've analyzed the samples collected from different infected. I found a specialized neural signal amplifier within their bodies!"
"They might be coordinated by a central signal source! If we can locate and destroy that source, it might throw them into chaos!"
"Where is the signal source?" Raynor asked between shots.
"I need more precise triangulation! But I need at least three mobile scanning points measuring the direction of the strongest signal simultaneously!"
Valerie immediately understood what that meant. They needed to split the team for synchronized measurements.
"Commander Raynor, I will take a squad to the high ground on that water tower to the north. Sergeant Devin, take the comms tower to the east. You continue toward the warehouse. We will scan simultaneously and transmit the data to Dr. Hanson." Valerie quickly proposed a plan.
"That's too dangerous! Splitting up makes it easier for them to pick you off one by one!" Matt objected over the comms from the bridge.
"It is the fastest way to locate the signal source," Valerie's voice remained calm. "My team is capable of breaking through and holding a position. Furthermore, if there truly is a central signal source, destroying it might be more valuable than reaching the warehouse."
Raynor hesitated for only a second. "Alright! Valerie, Devin, be careful. Maintain comms. See you at the warehouse."
The team immediately split into three prongs. Valerie led three security consultants and four Raiders toward the northern water tower.
Devin led four Raiders east. Raynor's main force continued toward the warehouse.
Once separated, the pressure increased dramatically. Valerie's squad had to fight for almost every step. The water tower was located in the center of a small plaza, surrounded by low commercial buildings. A massive horde of infected was gathered in the plaza.
"A1, clear the area with stun grenades. A3, A4, cover the flanks. Raiders, burst fire on any stragglers," Valerie commanded.
The three security consultants moved like precision killing machines. The instant the stun grenades detonated, they charged into the dazed infected, carving a path with rifle butts, elbow strikes, and precise burst fire. The Raiders followed closely, finishing off any downed targets.
They reached the base of the water tower. An iron staircase spiraled upwards.
"A1, hold the base and establish a perimeter. The rest of you, follow me to the top," Valerie ordered.
The view from the top of the tower was expansive. The entirety of Refugee Camp 3 lay before them. In the darkness, countless infected roamed the streets like a surging undercurrent. Sporadic flashes of gunfire could be seen in several directions—small pockets of resistance from other survivors.
Valerie opened her data-slate and activated the scanning program remotely transmitted by Dr. Hanson. The instrument began to lock onto that specialized neural signal.
"Strong signal source detected... direction roughly southwest, fifteen-degree offset," the data-slate displayed.
"Devin's squad, report your data," Valerie asked over the comms.
"East comms tower detecting signal source... southwest, offset approximately twenty degrees." Devin's voice was mixed with the sound of gunfire.
"Warehouse direction, we're scanning too... southwest, ten-degree offset," Raynor's voice came through.
Dr. Hanson rapidly processed the data: "Triangulation intersection point... on the southwestern edge of the refugee camp, in the old waste processing plant sector! The signal source is right there! It's likely hidden underground or inside a building!"
"Waste processing plant..." Raynor repeated. "That area is a structural maze, and it's far from the main sector. No wonder it hasn't been discovered."
"It must be destroyed!" Dr. Hanson said. "Otherwise, the infected will continue to be guided and gathered, and they might even spawn higher-level mutations!"
"But how the hell do we get there?" Tychus's voice chimed in. "We're practically drowning in 'em over here!"
Valerie looked down at the growing number of infected at the base of the tower; they seemed to have been drawn by the commotion at the top. A1 was defending the base alone, under immense pressure.
"I can take my squad and attempt a strike on the signal source," Valerie said. "My team's equipment is better suited for rapid breaches. But I need you, Commander Raynor, to create a large enough disturbance at the warehouse to draw the attention of the majority of the infected."
"That's too risky, Miss Valerie," Matt's voice came over the comms.
"It is the most efficient plan," Valerie replied. "If the signal source isn't eliminated, we won't be able to hold the warehouse even if we reach it. The infected will just keep gathering."
The comms channel fell silent for a few seconds. Then came Raynor's voice: "Alright. We'll launch a heavy firepower assault from the warehouse to create explosions and noise. You use that opportunity to move toward the waste processing plant. But you only have seven people..."
"That is enough." Valerie looked at her three security consultants and the four Raiders. "Prepare the ropes. We'll fast-rope down the back side of the tower to avoid the main force."
Soon, massive explosions and sustained gunfire erupted from the direction of the warehouse—Raynor and his team were deploying heavy weapons, perhaps even leveling a building. The immense noise successfully drew the attention of the majority of the infected in the plaza, and they began surging toward the warehouse.
"Go, now!" Valerie was the first to slide down the rope. Her team followed closely.
Upon landing, they immediately moved rapidly toward the southwest. The number of infected on the streets had thinned considerably, though scattered groups still blocked their path. The security consultants used suppressed weapons to take them down with precise shots, minimizing the noise.
The waste processing plant was located on the very edge of the refugee camp, near the industrial quarantine zone. It was a labyrinth of warehouses, sorting facilities, and mountains of discarded shipping containers. The air was thick with a noxious mix of rot and chemicals.
The scanner indicated that the signal source was originating from the largest sealed sorting facility.