November 8, 2025 – 06:18 AM
Forward Agro-Zone One – Newly Constructed Landing Strip
The early morning light rolled over the rice paddies and hardened dirt roads of Forward Agro-Zone One. Golden sunlight spilled across solar arrays and prefab housing units, but all eyes were fixed on one thing: the runway.
It wasn't much, not by peaceti standards—just a long, straight stretch of compacted soil and gravel reinforced with tal sh and stabilizing foamcrete beneath. It stretched for 1,200 ters from edge to edge, enough for short takeoffs and tactical landings. No control tower, no hangars yet. But it was sothing.
It was hope.
Dozens of Overwatch personnel stood on either side of the makeshift tarmac, watching with helts off and breath visible in the morning chill. Engineers, guards, technicians—they had all worked day and night to make this happen.
At the edge of the field, Thomas Estaris stood with a thermal mug in hand, visor up, the EX-3 Sentinel exosuit powered down and resting idle on a charging cradle nearby. He wore his usual vest and sidearm today. This wasn't a battle test.
This was a milestone.
"Comm check," ca a voice through his wrist radio. "Ghost Two-One approaching final descent vector. Call sign: Titan."
"Copy that, Titan," Thomas replied. "You are clear for first touch. We're standing by."
Above the clouds, the low growl of engines pierced the quiet.
The C-130 Hercules descended from the sky like a silver beast, flaps extended, its four turboprop engines rumbling like a thunderstorm. Painted in Overwatch gray with twin red stripes along the tail, it was a war-worn transport—but it still flew.
And in the apocalypse, that alone made it sacred.
"All eyes, all ears," Thomas called. "Let's see if she holds."
The C-130 flared gently as it neared the strip, wheels rotating into position. Its bulk lood over the periter fences, casting a long shadow across the field.
Then—
THUD.
The landing gear hit dirt. Dust kicked up in thick sheets as the brakes hissed and the plane roared forward, tires biting into the foamcrete sh, slowing.
Thirty seconds later, the plane ca to a smooth halt.
No sparks. No damage.
Applause erupted from the crew. A few whooped. Others just clapped each other on the back.
Thomas gave a nod. "Strip holds. Log it. First success."
Phillip, standing beside him, grinned. "Think it can handle the gunship?"
Thomas tilted his head. "Let's find out."
07:05 AM
Ten minutes later, the sky groaned again—this ti deeper, more ominous.
Everyone knew the sound. Few had seen the beast it belonged to.
The AC-130 Spectre Gunship broke through the cloud layer, its silhouette heavier, aner than the Hercules before it. Side-mounted cannons glead beneath its fra. A black maw of rotating barrels sat mounted in its port-side wing. Its engines churned like iron gears grinding.
"Spooky One inbound," the radio crackled. "Requesting landing clearance."
"Cleared, Spooky," Thomas replied. "Show us what you've got."
The AC-130 ca in lower, more deliberate, its wings barely above the field's periter. The team watching from the sidelines fell silent. The gunship's re presence was like watching an apex predator descend into a sheep pen.
Wheels touched down hard—THUD-THUD—the weight heavier than the Hercules by nearly twenty thousand pounds.
Dust filled the air again. The plane roared down the strip, kicked up debris, and eventually slowed to a controlled stop.
The field held.
Again.
"Two for two," Phillip muttered. "Now all we need are jets."
Thomas didn't respond right away. He glanced down at his wrist console, flipping open the interface. The weapon system blinked to life, its blue-glass UI adjusting to his personal profile.
He swiped left, then down, and tapped a new icon:
Aviation → Fixed-Wing → Combat
A list loaded. It wasn't long—fighter jets were far more complex than rifles, and they weren't exactly in demand in the early months of the outbreak.
But now?
Now air superiority mattered again.
Thomas scrolled through the available aircraft.
[1. F-16V Viper (Enhanced Multirole Variant)
Cost: 405,000 Blood Coins
Speed: Mach 2.05
Range: 2,200 km
Payload: 7,700 kg
Key Features:
Advanced AESA radar
Infrared search & track
Compatible with smart munitions and EMP missiles
A-29B Super Tucano (Light Attack Aircraft)
Cost: 95,000 Blood Coins
Speed: 590 km/h
Range: 1,500 km
Payload: 1,500 kg
Key Features:
Rugged airfra, STOL-capable
Twin .50 cal machine guns
Supports laser-guided bombs and rocket pods
Ideal for low-speed overwatch and precision support
Can land on dirt or improvised runways
In use with special forces worldwide pre-outbreak
OV-10X Bronco
Cost: 110,000 Blood Coins
Speed: 720 km/h
Range: 2,400 km
Payload: 3,200 kg
Key Features:
High loiter ti
Reinforced undercarriage for rough strips
Tandem seating for pilot sensor/gunner
Multi-mission capable: CAS, recon, forward air control
Excellent fuel efficiency
Mirage 2000-C (Light Fighter, Delta Wing)
Cost: 350,000 Blood Coins
Speed: Mach 2.2
Range: 1,550 km
Payload: 6,300 kg
Key Features:
Simple maintenance, durable fra
Can carry nuclear or biohazard payloads
Lightweight and fast scramble capability
Compatible with radar-jamming and bloom sonar pods
Thomas lingered on the Mirage for a second, admiring the French engineering and the fact that it could operate in aggressive climates with minimal overhaul.
But his thumb moved again.
And there it was.
F/A-18C HornetCost: 390,000 Blood Coins
Speed: Mach 1.8
Range: 2,300 km
Payload: 6,200 kg
Key Features:
Carrier takeoff/landing compatible
Air-to-ground and air-to-air capability
Integrated targeting pods
Supports cluster munitions, JDAMs, and bloom-deactivating warheads
ECM systems onboard
Tough enough to land in combat zones with minimal prep
]
The digital interface hovered in the air before Thomas Estaris, projected from his wrist console in crisp blue light. Rows of aircraft models rotated slowly, specs and costs displayed like digital dossiers. Beside him, Phillip stood silent, arms crossed, watching the selection unfold like a general previewing an army not yet summoned.
Thomas swiped through the interface once more. He had reviewed nearly every viable airfra in the system's vault: nimble fighters, rugged attack planes, agile bombers, and bleeding-edge prototypes.
All impressive.
All expensive.
But in this new world, he only need one aircraft that could do everything.
He returned to the F-16V Viper.
[F-16V Viper
Cost: 405,000 Blood Coins (Per Unit)
Speed: Mach 2.05
Range: 2,200 km
Payload: 7,700 kg
Flight Ceiling: 15,240 m
Turn Rate: 9 G-capable fly-by-wire system
Maintenance Class: Moderate
Mission Roles: Air Superiority
Close Air Support
Deep Strike Reconnaissance
EMP
Avionics Package:
AN/APG-83 SABR AESA Radar
Infrared Search & Track (IRST)
Enhanced ECM and radar spoofing
Integrated Data-Link for swarm coordination
Helt-mounted targeting system for off-boresight missiles
Weapon Compatibility:
AIM-120D AMRAAM
AIM-9X Sidewinder
GBU-39/B Small Diater Bomb
JDAMs
EMP missile pods
Bloom Deactivation Ordnance (B.D.O.)
Internal smart-bay for modular upgrades]
Phillip looked over at him. "You're going with the Viper?"
"Yes."
Confirm Acquisition — F-16V Viper
Quantity: [10 Units]
Total Cost: 4,050,000 Blood Coins.
"Confirm."
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