novelraw Chapter 83: The Exiled and the Prelude to Airstrikes
Chapter 83: The Exiled and the Prelude to Airstrikes
Outside the gates of the Basa Air Base, Miguel was thrown off by the two soldiers.
He hit the ground hard, his hands scraping against the rough concrete as he tried to catch himself. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs for a second, forcing a sharp breath out of him.
"Move," one of the soldiers said.
Miguel pushed himself up slowly, wincing as his body protested. He turned back toward the gates instinctively, eyes locking onto the towering barrier that separated him from the only safe place left.
The two soldiers stepped forward again.
One of them gave him a firm shove.
"Go," he said.
Miguel stumbled a step forward, then stopped.
"...You’re really doing this," he muttered.
The soldiers looked at each other for a second.
Then one of them let out a short laugh.
"Listen to this guy," he said, shaking his head. "Still talking like he’s important."
The other one chuckled.
"A man like you making threats earlier?" he added. "You really thought that meant something?"
Miguel’s jaw tightened.
"You think I won’t survive?" he snapped, trying to hold onto what little pride he had left.
That only made them laugh more.
"Survive?" the first soldier said. "Out there?"
He glanced past Miguel, toward the open road beyond the base.
"Good luck with that."
The second soldier stepped closer, lowering his voice slightly.
"You should’ve thought about all that before you ran your mouth back there," he said. "And before what you did."
Miguel didn’t answer.
His breathing was heavier now.
The first soldier gestured outward.
"Go on," he said. "You wanted freedom, right? There it is."
Miguel stood there for a second longer.
Then—a low, distant sound echoed from somewhere beyond the road.
Followed by another.
The soldiers didn’t react.
They just looked at him.
"Well?" one of them said.
Miguel swallowed.
Then slowly, he turned.
And took his first step away from the gates.
Behind him, the soldiers watched.
One of them let out a quiet breath.
"Won’t last long," he said.
"How much are you going to bet?" the second soldier asked, a faint grin forming on his face.
The first one scoffed lightly.
"An hour," he said. "Maybe less if he runs into a pack."
The other shook his head.
"Too generous," he replied. "Thirty minutes. He doesn’t even know where to go."
They both glanced at Miguel.
He hadn’t gone far.
"Well, better we close the gates and lock it. We don’t want zombies coming here anyways."
The first soldier nodded.
"Yeah. Let’s not leave it open for him to come running back either."
They turned without another word.
The heavy gates began to move, metal grinding against metal as they slowly shut. The sound carried across the open space, loud and final.
Miguel heard it.
He turned instinctively.
For a brief second, he thought they might stop.
They didn’t.
The gap narrowed.
Then closed.
A loud clang echoed as the locks slid into place.
Just like that—.
The base was gone from him.
Inside, the soldiers checked the locking mechanisms, giving them a firm tug before stepping back.
"All secure," one of them said.
"Good," the other replied.
They didn’t look back outside.
Instead, they turned and walked deeper into the base, already moving on.
Adrian stepped down from the platform, the crowd slowly dispersing around him.
Some people were still talking quietly, others just shook their heads and went back to their routines.
The moment passed.
But the message stayed.
As he walked, he noticed three familiar figures waiting nearby.
Chandrika.
Aubrey.
Glaiza.
They stood together, closer than before, like they didn’t want to be apart even for a second.
Chandrika was the first to step forward.
"...Adrian," she said.
He stopped in front of them.
Aubrey and Glaiza stood just behind her, both quieter, but their eyes were fixed on him.
"...Thank you," Chandrika said.
Aubrey nodded beside her.
"...Thank you," she added softly.
Glaiza hesitated for a second, then spoke as well.
"...Thank you," she said, her voice low but clear.
Adrian looked at them for a moment.
"You don’t have to thank me," he said. "That should’ve been done from the start."
Chandrika shook her head slightly.
"Still," she said. "You did something about it."
Adrian didn’t argue.
Before he could respond—
Two more figures approached from behind them.
Marco.
And Liza.
Marco stepped forward first, his expression serious but steady.
"Adrian," he said. "Thank you."
Liza stood beside him, her gaze softer but just as firm.
"You protected them," she added. "That means a lot."
Adrian nodded once.
"It’s my responsibility," he said. "Everyone here is under my protection."
Marco looked at him for a second, then gave a small nod.
"And that’s why people trust you," he said.
Adrian didn’t respond to that.
He simply glanced at the group once more.
They were still shaken.
Still recovering.
But they were standing.
And that was enough for now.
"Get some rest," Adrian said. "Focus on yourselves first."
Chandrika nodded.
"We will."
Adrian gave one last nod, then stepped past them, continuing his walk through the base.
Because even after everything that just happened, there was still more to do. One of which is going to Korea, and then Japan. But before all of that, he’ll have to farm points first for his gacha system.
Adrian went toward the command center where the teams were already working on the targets.
"Show me the targets," Adrian ordered.
One of the operators pulled up a map of Metro Manila, layered with grid overlays and heat signatures.
"Yes, sir," he said. "Primary clusters are in Quezon City, Manila proper, and Caloocan. Secondary concentrations in Pasay, Makati, and Taguig."
"Estimated infected?" Adrian asked.
"Based on pre-outbreak population density and movement patterns," the operator replied, "we’re looking at millions. For a single airstrike run using guided munitions, conservative estimate is ten to twenty thousand kills per sortie."
Adrian nodded slowly.
"And with multiple passes?"
The operator glanced at the data.
"Higher," he said. "Much higher, sir."
Silence settled for a moment.
Then Adrian spoke.
"Prepare the strike plan."