"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A series of explosions echoed from outside.
If Tony wasn't mistaken, it sounded like mortar fire. The zombie horde must have arrived, though it seed to still be so distance away.
Tony paused to think for a mont, but instead of rushing out to join the others in battle, he chose to remain in his room. His current armor, which lacked its outer shell, was far from combat-ready and would only be a liability.
So, he returned to his workbench and continued tinkering with his suit.
Hours passed, and sporadic gunfire began to ring out, signaling that the "Rift Zombies" had breached closer to the base.
A few more hours later, the sound of gunfire and explosions started to dwindle, indicating the battle might be over.
Relieved, Tony prepared to shut off the lights and get so rest when a blood-curdling scream shattered the silence.
"Ahhh!"
The sheer anguish in the cry sent a chill down his spine.
Before Tony could react, his door burst open with a loud *bang!*
A breathless Bruce Banner stood at the doorway, "Huff... huff... We need to leave! The Rift Zombies... they've breached the defenses!"
"What?"
Tony was utterly stunned.
The base's defenses weren't weak. A ten-ter-high wall, mortar launchers, tanks, and armored vehicles—it was a modern military fortress. How could zombies breach it? These creatures shouldn't even be able to climb the walls!
"There's no ti to explain! Move!"
Banner grabbed Tony's arm, ready to drag him out, but Tony planted his feet firmly and held Banner back.
"Have you forgotten about my suit?"
Banner gave him a puzzled look. The armor was clearly unfinished; how could it be combat-ready?
"You plan to fight your way out?"
"Ahem..." Tony cleared his throat. "It may not be combat-ready, but it can fly. Co, I'll take you with ."
Without waiting for a response, Tony grabbed Banner's arm and activated the suit's thrusters, ready to take off.
But Banner shook himself free.
"No need. I'll manage on my own."
Before Tony could argue, Banner's body began to swell and turn green. In monts, the towering, muscular figure of the Hulk stood before him.
Tony glanced at Hulk's seemingly indestructible pants and couldn't help but smirk.
"No wonder Natasha can't let you go; you're... one of a kind."
Hulk scratched his head in confusion, then grunted. "Hulk... go!"
Tony chuckled as Hulk stord out, and he activated his thrusters, soaring into the air.
.....
As Tony climbed higher, the reason for the breached defenses beca clear.
Outside the base, a massive horde of zombies—numbering in the tens of thousands—sward like an unending tide. These Rift Zombies ford living ladders, piling atop one another to scale the walls. The sight was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
"So, this is what makes Rift Zombies so dangerous... no wonder Maria said they could bring about the apocalypse."
Down below, the battle raged on. Soldiers fired desperately at the advancing horde, but the zombies had a deadly edge: their tongues.
From two to three ters away, the Rift Zombies could lash out with their tongues—fast, accurate, and lethally sharp. Even lightly grazing the tongue's barbs left soldiers with deep wounds.
Tony watched in horror as an armored vehicle was pierced clean through by a zombie's tongue, the soldiers inside screaming as the tongue skewered them.
Even a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent clad in Hamr Industries' power armor was impaled through the chest by one of the monstrous tongues.
Tanks fared better against the onslaught, their thick armor proving more resistant. However, it wasn't long before zombies climbed atop them, using their tongues to pierce the hatch and slaughter the crews inside.
The military base had beco a hellscape of death and destruction.
"HULK!"
Amid the chaos, Hulk burst into the fray.
The nearby Rift Zombies turned their attention to him, rushing in for the kill.
"Raaaah!"
"Grrrrr!"
"Smash!"
Unfazed by their assault, Hulk crushed them one by one, his punches exploding zombie heads with ease.
Despite being largely ineffectual against a flying opponent like Apocalypse, Hulk was a force to be reckoned with on the ground. Rift Zombies stood no chance against his raw power.
However, as the battle dragged on and zombie blood splattered across Hulk's body, the viral contamination began to take its toll. His regeneration slowed noticeably.
Still, the virus wasn't potent enough to turn Hulk into a zombie, though it was clear the endless horde could eventually overwhelm even him.
Seeing this, Tony descended to ground level.
"Hulk, ti to go!"
Hulk gave him a long look, then nodded.
"Hulk... go!"
...
After running for what felt like an eternity, the two finally escaped the military base.
Suddenly, Tony stopped in his tracks, a thought striking him.
"Wait—Hulk, where are Natasha and Maria?"
Hulk scratched his head, clearly unsure.
"Hulk?"
Just then, a helicopter rose from the chaos behind them, flying toward their location.
Inside were Natasha, Maria, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Maria visibly relaxed upon spotting Tony and Banner.
"Get in! This place is lost!"
....
Two hours later, the group arrived at the southern city of Rutbah.
Outside the city, a large contingent of ard forces was preparing to hold the line.
However, Tony frowned as he surveyed the troops.
This wasn't the U.S. military; it was a local militia equipped with second-rate weaponry. Their training and morale were nowhere near the level of the previous defenders.
Their only advantage was numbers.
But without walls to fortify their position, Tony doubted they'd last long against the zombie tide.
Fortunately, it seed the local authorities were aware of this. Civilians were being evacuated southward in droves.
After landing in a military camp, Hulk reverted to his human form, Banner.
Exhausted, Banner staggered and nearly collapsed, but Tony caught him just in ti.
"You okay?"
Banner weakly nodded. "Just... tired."
Natasha approached quickly, extracting a syringe from her belt and injecting it into Banner's arm.
"This is a special nutrient formula. It'll help you recover."
Banner gave her a grateful nod.
_____________________
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