After clearing Cellblock Building 1 and securing the Vocational Center, 1st Battalion advanced toward the central nerve center of Maximum Security.
Directly ahead stood the heavily fortified, three-story Central Security Control Center.
This reinforced concrete building housed the master CCTV monitoring hub, electronic gate override terminals, and main security archives for the entire Maximum compound.
Elias marched alongside Battalion Commander Mateo Cruz and 1st Company Commander Santos, flanked by a squad of dismounted riflemen.
"Battalion Commander Cruz, what was your theory regarding how the outer avenue gates were unlocked on Day 1?" Elias asked as they approached the reinforced building entrance.
"Supreme Commander, I initially suspected an Evolved Zombie—perhaps a heavy Brute Type like the one we eliminated at the main gate—might have smashed through the electronic relay junction," Cruz explained.
Elias nodded slowly, recalling the Red Core harvest values stored in his retina system interface.
Standard turned inmates yielded Low-Tier Red Cores worth one core each.
Evolved Fast Hunter Zombies yielded Low-Mid Tier Red Cores worth ten cores each.
The massive Evolved Brute Zombie at the gate had yielded a Mid-Tier Red Core worth fifty cores.
Elias knew that as the apocalypse progressed, even deadlier Mid-High Tier and High-Tier mutant abominations would emerge.
"A Brute could crush a gate, but the electronic locks here were disengaged cleanly," Elias noted, raising his R4A3 assault rifle.
"Let's check the master control terminals inside."
***
"Crash! Metal-crunch!"
1st Platoon's breaching team kicked open the heavy iron doors of the Central Control Center!
Elias led the dismounted squad through the lobby, executing turned security guards with point-blank headshots.
"Bang! Bang!"
The team pushed up the concrete stairwell to the second-floor master control room.
Inside the spacious control hub, dozens of dark CCTV monitors and glowing green LED control panels lined the walls.
Elias stepped up to the master security console, sweeping his eyes across the electronic override switches.
Directly in the center of the main console, a red emergency lever was locked in the "RELEASE ALL GATES" position.
Beside the panel lay the rotted corpse of a BuCor control operator, killed by a bullet to the skull during the initial chaos.
"Here is your answer, Cruz," Elias said, pointing to the red emergency lever.
"On Day 1, when the crimson rain fell and panic erupted, this control operator pressed the master emergency gate release to let fleeing guards escape."
"He unlocked every cellblock gate in Maximum Security before the infection took hold," Cruz realized with grim military logic.
"Mystery solved," Elias declared, turning back toward his officers.
"Now, we use this master panel to re-engage electronic lockouts across all remaining cellblock buildings."
***
Suddenly, the air pressure in the room plummeted violently!
"Rumble... BOOM!"
A monumental, earth-shattering explosion detonated in the far distance, tens of kilometers away!
The terrifying sound shook the three-story concrete building to its foundation, rattling glass windows and vibrating through the floorboards!
"What the hell was that?!" a 1st Platoon rifleman yelled, gripping his weapon tightly!
"It sounded like a massive strategic missile impact or a nuclear power plant detonation!" Santos shouted over the vibration!
Before anyone could react, violent electrical static screeches erupted through every tactical radio headset!
"Bzzzt—!"
"Screech!"
"Clack! Bzzzt!"
All green LED lights on the master control console flickered wildly before dying completely!
Every fluorescent light tube in the ceiling went black!
Every CCTV monitor shut down!
The entire electrical grid across Bilibid Fortress failed instantly, plunging the three-story control center and all cellblock compounds into pitch-black darkness!
"Power grid is dead! Complete blackout across the entire prison!" Cruz barked into the pitch-black room!
"Click! Click!"
Bright beams of white light cut through the gloom as Elias and his soldiers clicked on their weapon-mounted tactical flashlights!
Outside the control center windows, the terrifying sound of the distant explosion sent the entire turned population of Maximum Security into an apocalyptic frenzy!
"Grrr... Raaagh!"
"Rumble... BOOM!"
Thousands of guttural roars echoed in unison as over five thousand turned inmates burst out of the dark open-air cellblock doors, surging into the courtyard avenues like a suffocating gray ocean of flesh!
Elias looked out into the shadowy abyss of Maximum Security, his 3x Peak Human tactical mind assessing the immense danger.
Night had fallen, and fighting five thousand enraged turned inmates in pitch-black unlit compounds placed his soldiers at a lethal disadvantage.
"Relay that order!" Elias commanded sharp and clear over the comms!
"Fighting inside unlit cellblocks at night is suicide!"
"1st Battalion, execute an immediate tactical retreat back to Maximum Gate 1!"
"2nd Company, secure and evacuate NBP Hospital! Retrieve Dr. Mendoza and all medical staff!"
"3rd Company, secure the Vocational Center! Evacuate all rescued civilian staff and Castillo's team!"
"Fire at all costs while falling back!"
"Copy that, Supreme Commander!" Battalion Commander Cruz shouted!
"1st, 2nd, and 3rd Companies, bounding overwatch! Move!"
"Vroom! Vroom!"
The nine SIMBA APCs revved their heavy diesel engines, illuminating the dark courtyard avenue with high-powered floodlights as dismounted fireteams executed the emergency evacuation!
2nd Company riflemen sprinted into NBP Hospital, guiding Dr. Aris Mendoza and the thirteen terrified nurses into the armored troop bays of the lead SIMBA APCs!
"Get inside! You're safe with us!" a 2nd Company sergeant shouted, helping the weeping nurses aboard!
Simultaneously, 3rd Company squads escorted the eleven BuCor clerks and TESDA instructors alongside Senior Inspector Castillo's SAF operators onto the Kia KM-450 tactical utility trucks!
"Contacts swarming from all cellblock exits!" 1st Company Commander Santos yelled, firing full-auto into the darkness!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"
Dismounted riflemen and squad LMG gunners executed bounding overwatch, firing continuous suppressive volleys while retreating step-by-step toward Maximum Gate 1!
Massive waves of 5.56mm rounds tore through the oncoming horde, but thousands more infected trampled over rotted corpses to press the pursuit!
"Heavy gunners, melt the front line!" 4th Platoon Leader barked over the comms!
"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"
"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"
The roof-mounted .50 Cal M2HB heavy machine gun turrets on all nine SIMBA APCs erupted in unison, creating a wall of twelve-point-seven millimeter armor-piercing fire that shredded the front ranks into gory slurry!
Standing at the rearguard, Elias raised his R4A3 assault rifle, his 3x Peak Human senses tracking fast targets springing from the shadows!
"Bang! Bang!"
Elias blew open the skulls of two turned orderlies lunging toward a retreating 3rd Platoon squad!
"Swish!"
A fast turned inmate lunged from behind a concrete pillar, its rotted claws inches from a young soldier's face!
Elias moved in a lightning-fast blur, driving his combat knife through the monster's skull before kicking its body back into the oncoming swarm!
"Squelch! Thud!"
"All vehicles and dismounted units, through Maximum Gate 1 now!" Elias shouted!
The Kia KM-450 tactical trucks carrying the evacuated medical staff and civilians roared through the open gate, followed by dismounted riflemen and the nine SIMBA APCs backing through the threshold!
"Screech... Metal-crunch!"
The heavy reinforced steel doors of Maximum Gate 1 slammed shut, locked tight by thick iron chains just as thousands of rotted bodies slammed violently against the iron bars!
"Crash! Slam!"
Outside the locked gate, thousands of thousands of turned inmates clawed fruitlessly at the steel bars, howling in the pitch-black night.
Inside the administrative safe zone, Dr. Mendoza and the rescued nurses wept tears of immense relief as soldiers helped them down from the SIMBA APCs into the medical triage shelter.
Elias wiped zombie blood from his combat knife, looking at Dr. Mendoza and Inspector Castillo, both safely standing in the lit administrative zone.