As the sun began to set, the S.C.T.'s attack forces gathered on the outskirts of the stadium in a short amount of time, waiting for the order to attack. Their mission was to stop the Fireflies' armed group as soon as possible, who were responsible for causing chaos in peaceful communities. However, everyone was gathered at a stadium, where the commander of the S.C.T. organization was also present.
The S.C.T. forces were well equipped and highly trained. After all, they had all been military or police before the end of the world. Compared to civilians who now use weapons, the S.C.T. forces were far superior.
All the soldiers wore gray tactical gear and carried special weapons to eliminate both humans and walkers. Every person gathered outside the stadium was highly motivated and determined to carry out this operation successfully.
The captain of the S.C.T. forces addressed his troops: "Today we have a critical mission to fulfill. We must act quickly and decisively to capture every armed man and eliminate all those who resist without hesitation. Remember, we are dealing with a group of dangerous people who threaten the future plans of our organization."
"Restrain, subdue, and cause damage as we have learned since we were in the training field. Remember that we do not know what kind of equipment the enemy has; some may be army veterans, so it will not be an easy task, but our commander trusts us."
The troops responded with a resounding "Yes, sir!" The captain nodded in approval and the troops began to move toward the stadium. "Remember, the commander is negotiating with those terrorists. If they surrender, do not hesitate to restrain everyone and eliminate those who resist!"
"Yes, sir!"
As they approached, they could see that the stadium was heavily defended. The guards of the Fireflies' base were in chaos; some were moving weapons and ammunition to defend the place no matter what. They were armed and prepared to defend themselves.
The S.C.T. forces quickly evaluated the situation and devised an attack plan. They divided into two groups, with one group moving from the front and the other from the back. The idea was to create a pincer movement, trapping the Fireflies inside and preventing them from escaping.
As they moved closer to the stadium, the S.C.T. forces could hear the suspects shouting and running. They were clearly aware of the danger approaching and were ready to defend themselves.
The first group of S.C.T. forces advanced quickly, firing warning shots to disperse civilians.
The streets were filled with debris, and the air was heavy with the stench of rotting flesh. Some of the other forces were focused on the city to restore order.
On the other hand, as they advanced forward, they encountered a common enemy: the walkers.
…
"Tommy, we all need to calm down!"
Boom!
At that moment, the door opened and a group of armed people entered. As soon as they saw Tommy aiming at Merlene, every single one of them raised their weapons.
"Lower the fucking gun right now!"
"Karla, no."
Merlene stepped forward. She had seen the situation outside, and if they entered combat right now, they would be eliminated without exception. After all, who could face an armed helicopter?
Jason stood up and walked toward Merlene, extended his bound hands, and said in a low but commanding tone, "Let me help you eliminate the CRM. My organization has the strength to face the CRM, but you must know that my objectives are slow and effective."
Everyone was in a difficult situation; Jason was no exception. He knew that death could be one of the things that would happen to him today, but he also knew they might understand him if he spoke personally with the leader of the Fireflies.
"My people are about to take this place. Anyone who shows resistance will die in cruel suffering. I cannot guarantee your safety if I do not respond to my people—I truly cannot!"
"Do you think it's that easy to defeat the CRM?" Merlene pulled out a knife and warned, "How do you plan to do it?"
Jason stepped closer to Merlene and said, "I will send infiltrators, one by one. I have a secure channel where agents can integrate into the CRM…"
"That's impossible…"
"Nothing is impossible, Merlene. Once my agents are inside, I will have several countermeasure plans I can take, one after another… If none of that works, I will send in a small briefcase and it will explode inside the CRM. When that happens, we will attack with everything…"
Jason narrowed his eyes, sighed with a headache, and said, "It's hard to think about the number of dead and the collateral damage there will be. Will I be considered a conqueror or a savior? I don't care, I'm selfish in that regard, you know?"
Merlene brought her knife closer and cut the ropes binding Jason. She knew that if she hesitated right now, the enemy that had them locked in would have them dead within minutes.
It was true that the Fireflies' strength was incredibly strong, but operating combat helicopters was something they could not match no matter how hard they tried. Nowadays, fuel—unless it is manufactured—is impossible to obtain easily, and when they saw all those armored vehicles and tanks descending from the sky, it was something even the CRM could not afford in a normal attack.
"What do we do? All those sons of bitches have surrounded us. How did they find us?" Karla asked with a pale expression.
"We've lost hundreds of people subduing the Beavers. We haven't gotten any answers since then, so we can only think that we've lost all of them."
Just as they were about to talk about what they should do, they suddenly heard a larger movement coming from outside.
"You're running out of time, Merlene!"
It seemed that even though the Fireflies' people were preparing to resist the attack that was about to be carried out by the enemy, it was impossible to hold out for long.
Such a commotion would inevitably attract the attention of a large number of walkers in the surrounding area, so regardless of the outcome, things would be very bad for their base.
Jason did not care at all about the difficulties those people would face in the future; he only cared about what would happen next with South Carolina.
After seeing the situation outside, all he wanted to do was sit down. If his people initiated an attack, everyone would die—or the vast majority would—just as happened in Texas. Seeing this, he wanted to avoid deaths.
"Jason!"
Jason turned his head and looked at Merlene with an indifferent expression, waiting for what she wanted to say.
"Tell your people to wait. We will surrender now."
Upon hearing this, Jason nodded and said, "Give me a radio and I'll take care of this, but right now everyone must lower their weapons."
"You're fucked if you think we'll give you our weapons," Manny stepped forward and said.
"Then you will die, you fucking idiot."
Seeing this, Manny's face immediately changed. Just as he was about to respond, he heard Jason change the radio signal. "Zz… This is your commander speaking. Synchronize your watches for two minutes. If the enemy does not drop their weapons, you may kill all those who show resistance."
"Copy that, sir. We'll be there at that time."
In a short time, a cold silence filled the room, and Joel was the last to step forward. "You will kill innocents!"
"That's what I have to do, Joel. Well, I won't kill them…" Jason smiled and looked at Merlene. "In two minutes, the one who will make the decision will be the leader of the Fireflies. What is your decision?"