It was pitch black as Varryance moved silently, nearly invisible in the darkness, as he crept toward the tunnel. The rest of the squad waited for his signal, their eyes scanning the area.

  He climbed to the top of the tunnel, using the noise from the nearby horde to mask his movements. The zombies' guttural grunts covered any sound he made. Varryance carefully removed the vest holding the explosives and placed it on top of the tunnel. The zombies roamed in front of the entrance, leaving the back of the tunnel clear for him to sneak in. Their sheer numbers masked his scent as well.

  He reached into his bag and pulled out the flashlight one of the soldiers had given him.

  "Fucking hell, there's so many..." Varryance muttered to himself, surveying the horde. Some of the zombies were decayed, others nearly fresh. The stench was unbearable, but as an ex-soldier, he barely noticed it anymore. He turned to face the group and gave them his signal.

  He flicked his flashlight on and off— that was the signal. SAM moved quickly down the crater, carefully sneaking toward the horde, but it didn't last long. Being a heavy, clanky robot, she couldn't move unnoticed for long.

  One of the zombies noticed SAM and, like a wave, the entire horde shifted their attention toward her.

  "Come here, dears! Let's play!" SAM shouted, taunting the zombies as she ran in circles, drawing them in. The horde, quick and relentless, followed her with surprising speed, grunting and even roaring. The distraction gave the rest of the squad the chance to move in on the tunnel.

  The soldiers rushed down the crater, keeping their distance from the horde. Mercy watched SAM effortlessly lead the zombies away, a grin on her face as she observed the show. The squad reached the tunnel, and the fourth soldier took aim with the Nuke Infantry Rifle, signaling Varryance to back off.

  Varryance set down all the explosives at the tunnel's entrance, moving quickly but carefully. Once everything was in place, he flashed his flashlight to signal that he was done.

  SOMEWHERE NORTH

  "Uh...sir, we're getting anarchy readings... from the Barrens," one of the analysts said, glancing at his monitor. The commander approached, squinting at the screen.

  The radar in front of the analyst displayed a map of various villages, bases, and horde formations. A moving target pointer highlighted different locations, locking onto a sector.

  "Where is the activity?" the commander asked.

  The analyst adjusted the radar. "It's at Sector B10, near the old subway."

  "Ah, that cultist base," the commander muttered. The analyst continued.

  "That base was overrun by zombies a while ago. It's where we ran our tests, but now... it shows nuclear activity?"

  The commander's expression hardened. "Send the two."

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  The analyst nodded and left to find the right soldiers.

  Outside, a snowstorm raged. It was one of the last remaining N.U.R.O. bases still operating. The analyst made his way to the barracks where soldiers were deep in an arm-wrestling contest.

  "Omen, Blood Noir, Command room, now," the analyst called out. Omen, a woman engrossed in a book, and her brother Blood, engaged in a match, exchanged glances.

  "Blood, let's go!" Omen said, jumping off the bed and gently placing her book under the pillow. Blood sighed and stood, his opponent muttering a curse as he stood and followed them to the command room.

  In the command room, the commander greeted them as they entered.

  "Chilly as ever?" Omen commented, rubbing her hands together.

  "You two have a mission," the commander replied, gesturing toward the screen. "We've detected nuclear activity at the old subway in B10. Looks like someone's clearing the place."

  "That place? Why would someone go there?" Omen asked.

  "It's likely one of the villages dealing with the horde problem. Your task is to find out why there's nuclear activity, what kind of weaponry they use, If necessary, neutralize the targets."

  "Fine by me, Blood?" Omen turned to her brother.

  Blood only nodded.

  "I'll be on the radio with you. Get it done in ten. I'll arrange transport." The analyst quickly got to work, arranging the mission details. Omen and Blood headed to the armory, preparing for the operation.

  BACK AT THE BARRENS

  "That's it!" Varryance shouted, just as a massive explosion rocked the area. The shockwave hit with brutal force, sending a red mushroom cloud into the sky. The explosion lit up the landscape, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.

  The tunnel collapsed in an instant, the debris sealing it off completely. The explosion, however, attracted nearby hordes. The shockwave rolled over the team, causing them to cough and shield their faces from the dust.

  "TAKE 'EM OUT, SAM!" one of the soldiers yelled, choking on sand.

  SAM immediately responded. Her stomach compartment opened up, revealing a glowing red engine, spinning at high speed and making a fierce charging noise. The air around her grew unbearably hot.

  "Cooked ribs," SAM muttered, planting herself firmly in the sand. A burst of intense red energy shot out of her stomach, creating a blast that felt like a miniature BPNG explosion. The blast was the size of a car and sent shockwaves through the area, obliterating the zombies in its path.

  The explosion lit up the entire crater, turning it into an eerie red glow. The force of the blast was so immense that the squad, safely away from SAM, watched in awe as the horde was wiped out in an instant.

  "Holy shit..." Mercy muttered, her voice tinged with awe. The entire crater was bathed in red light, almost as if it were daytime.

  "We did it...holy crap, we did it," one of the soldiers said, still in disbelief.

  "Don't celebrate too early," the strategic soldier warned. "We need to move. The radiation from that blast will start taking its toll."

  Varryance nodded. "He's right. That explosion had enough radiation to fry limbs. We need to get out of here fast, especially since we also used the Nuke Infantry Rifle on the tunnel."

  "What about SAM?" Mercy asked, concerned.

  "She'll make it to the trucks. We need to move now before we attract even more hordes," the third soldier replied.

  Mercy jumped as Varryance grabbed her, pulling her away from the site. As they moved toward the trucks, the distant sound of rotors echoed through the air— a helicopter, and it was coming closer.

  "Did someone call for backup from the villages?" Mercy asked.

  "We can't with these radios. Probably checking on us," one soldier replied.

  "That's not our helicopter," another soldier said, his voice tense.

  Varryance's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the helicopter in the distance. It was a tandem-rotor, heavy-lift helicopter, painted black. On its side, glowing in white, was the inscription:

  "Nuclear United Ruin Operations."