[Mission Update:
Extraction Point Compromised]
Clicking the prompt, Jason wasted no time in reading the rest of the message.
[Attention, all units! The extraction point has been overrun. Our dropships are circling the city, picking up surviving personnel. Please make your way to higher ground for immediate extraction]
Jason frown deepened as he quickly checked the time of the mission update.
13:43
'It was sent over an hour ago. We're already late. They've probably finished with the pickups and left already. What could have overrun the extraction point?'
"What do we do now?" Ethan asked, as he saw Jason's frowning face.
"We need to get to higher ground. Grab a plank from that broken shelf over there. Get rid of the nails, and bring it over. Quickly!" Jason barked. Both Sergeant Jock and Ethan immediately ran toward the broken shelf in the corner.
Jason, on the other hand, ran to the paralyzed Fredrick and knelt before him.
Even though Fred was paralyzed and couldn't feel the rest of his body, his rifle was still slung over his shoulder, resting against his chest.
"I'll be borrowing this," Jason said, grabbing the suppressed, short-barreled M16 rifle. He gently lifted Fred's upper body and removed the rifle sling from his shoulder before slinging the weapon over his own and adjusting its position across his chest.
He removed the magazine and inspected it.
'About fourteen rounds left, plus one in the chamber. Fifteen in total, give or take. I still have the five magazines I picked up from Hank and the one from the damaged weapon.'
Having reached this conclusion, he slapped the magazine back into the rifle and turned to Fred again.
"You got any ammo left?"
"There are six magazines in my vest pocket, thirty rounds each." Fredrick replied hurriedly.
Jason quickly rummaged through Fred's vest and recovered the six magazines. He safely tucked them into his own vest, bringing his total spare magazines to twelve.
At that moment, Ethan and Sergeant Jock arrived carrying a two-meter-long, bench-wide plank.
"Place him on it. You guys are carrying him." Given the situation, no one questioned him. They immediately lifted Fredrick and gently placed him on the plank.
However, before they lifted Fredrick, Jason suddenly handed Ethan his unsuppressed Glock 19 and three magazines.
"Let's hope you won't have to use it," he said as Ethan accepted the weapon in surprise.
"Hurry up! We gotta move!" Jason barked, snapping Ethan out of his daze.
He quickly tucked the gun in his waistband, put the magazines in his pocket, and then turned to Sergeant Jock.
With his rifle secured to his back, Sergeant Jock nodded. He and Ethan then bent over and grabbed both ends of the plank.
"3, 2, 1—lift!"
At Sergeant Jock's countdown, they lifted the plank, using it as an improvised stretcher for Fredrick.
WHISTLE!!
Jason immediately turned and whistled. The Cane Corso, which had been standing quietly by the stairway, sharply turned toward him.
"We're leaving."
As soon as he said those words, the Cane Corso took the lead and descended the staircase. Jason followed, with Ethan and Sergeant Jock carrying Fredrick at the rear.
The group charged down the stairs, with the Cane Corso bursting through the doorway first. Jason, however, slowed at the entrance and peered out at the street.
The whole place was eerily silent and empty.
Jason stepped outside and continued surveying the street.
'It's quiet, too quiet. I don't like it. But we need to get to higher ground.' He scanned his surroundings, his eyes eventually settling on a towering building with a flat rooftop some distance away.
"We head for that building." Jason pointed toward it, and the Cane Corso, which had been waiting, began moving in that direction.
Ethan and Sergeant Jock followed closely behind it, carrying Fred between them, while Jason brought up the rear.
However, they had barely moved a few meters when a lone mutant wandered into view, halting their advance. It noticed them almost immediately, but instead of launching into its usual frenzied charge, it raised its head and opened its bloodied mouth.
HOOWWWL!
A terrifying howl erupted from its throat, echoing in the silence of the street. At the same time, Jason raised his rifle and took aim.
THEWP! THEWP! THEWP!
He quickly silenced it with a single burst from his suppressed rifle.
"That was... strange," Ethan commented and Jason frowned.
'What the hell was that?' Jason wondered. However, he continued giving orders.
"Don't stop. Keep moving."
The group continued advancing as quickly as they could. Bringing up the rear, Jason would occasionally look back to check their surroundings.
They had barely passed the earlier mutant's corpse when Jason turned around, and his blood ran cold.
GROWL! HOWL!!
Accompanying a sudden rush of shuffling feet and guttural growls, a growing horde of mutants was currently closing in on them from every direction.
"Move! Move! Move!" Jason immediately barked, and they all broke into a run.
'Shit, it was a call all along.'
Two mutants suddenly appeared in front of the group, lunging at them as they ran.
Jason fired a short burst, killing one mutant with a direct headshot. Meanwhile, the Cane Corso swatted the other aside, allowing Jason to finish it off as they ran past.
More mutants began appearing from alleys and buildings at the sides and front of the group, attacking them from multiple directions.
"Keep charging forward, big guy! You two keep moving as well. Don't slow down or stop, no matter what!" Jason yelled at the Cane Corso and the two men. At the same time, he switched his rifle from burst mode to full-auto mode.
He didn't know if the creature understood him, but his guts told him it did.
With the Cane Corso leading the charge like a battering ram, and Ethan and Sergeant Jock struggled to maintain their speed while carrying Fred. Jason, bringing up the rear, accurately picked off the mutants attacking from the sides and front. Together, they became a moving drill, carving a path through the horde.
After five minutes of frantic running, the group finally reached the building and rushed inside without hesitation.
WHISTLE!
The Cane Corso stopped at Jason's signal as soon as they entered the building.
"I'll take point. Ethan and Sergeant Jock, stay behind me. Big guy is bringing up the rear." Jason didn't slow down as he gave the orders. He moved past the others and headed for the stairs.
Given the situation, Ethan and Sergeant Jock quickly followed Jason's orders, moving directly behind him while the Canine brought up the rear.
'Inside this building, the big guy's maneuverability is restricted. Putting him in the back could also serve as an effective block.'
Jason's mind raced as he considered their next move and reassessed the group's formation. However, just as he reached the first turn in the stairwell, a mutant lunged at him. It was already too late to raise his rifle.
So, he released his grip on the rifle and ducked slightly, allowing the mutant's outstretched arms to pass over his shoulders.
He turned his back to the mutant and grabbed one of its outstretched arms. Using the creature's momentum, he flipped it over his shoulder.
He immediately drew the pistol from his thigh and put two bullets into the mutant's head.
'What the hell! How can someone react that quickly? Is this guy even human?' Ethan's jawsalmost hit the floor—figuratively.
Sergeant Jock also stared at Jason, clearly impressed.
"Let's go," Jason ordered, and the others quickly followed.
'I got distracted there. That was dangerous.'
Luckily, apart from the initial mutant at the stairs, they didn't encounter any other mutants before reaching the rooftop.
As soon as they arrived at the rooftop, Jason raised his head and spotted the fleet of dropships in the distant sky, already moving away. Ethan and Sergeant Jock saw them too.
"We're too late! They're already leaving. What do we do?" Ethan began to panic as they carefully lowered Fredrick to the floor.
GROWL! HOWL!
Jason stood quietly as the clambering and howling of the mutant horde grew nearer. After a few seconds, he walked to the edge and looked down.
'We can't fight our way back down the stairs. That's basically suicide. The building is too tall to jump from, and there are no equipment for climbing down. We're trapped, and we'll be forced into a last stand unless we can signal those ships somehow.'
His eyes suddenly lit up as he remembered something. Jason had just taken off his backpack and was about to open it when the horde arrived.
The Cane Corso charged forward to hold the mutants back, and Jason joined the fight. He immediately threw his backpack to Ethan.
Using the rooftop entrance as a chokepoint, with the Cane Corso blocking most of the opening, Jason opened fire. He sent bullet after bullet, picking off the mutants that broke through the dog's blockade.
Ethan quickly rummaged through the bag and found the flare. It was a smoke flare. He pulled it out and yanked the ignition ring to activate it.
A thick stream of red smoke soon began to rise into the sky.
"Will they come back for us?" Ethan asked nervously.
"Let's hope so," Sergeant Jock replied as he grabbed his rifle and moved forward.
He lowered himself into a crouch beside Jason and opened fire, earning him an approving nod from Jason.