Bird's-eye view.
Manhattan, which should have been bustling with traffic and celebrating Boxing Day, was now plunged into extreme chaos.
The number of traffic accidents that occurred in just a few minutes could rival the total for the entire year in New York.
Some vehicles, completely out of control, would even run over pedestrians scrambling across the crosswalk...
A true bloodbath on the streets.
What was chilling was that a strange red mist had risen near Manhattan's most famous Central Park.
Countless 'people' with rotting skin and tattered clothes poured out from the red mist, rushing in all directions and attacking normal residents and vehicles indiscriminately.
They were the culprits behind this chaotic situation.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Ah—!"
"Roar—!"
Gunshots, screams, and eerie howls filled the most prosperous district of the United States.
Combined with the explosions, fires, blood-stained roads, and that red mist, they actually dyed the pitch-black night sky a scarlet blood color.
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... Midtown Manhattan. In the parking lot behind the Empire 25 Theater;
Although the situation here was not as dire as in Central Park, there were still many panicked citizens trying to escape the hunt of those 'people' behind them.
Returning to the scene on the ground.
"Clang—!" The back door on the first floor of the theater was pushed open forcefully by Hank, the door slamming against the wall due to inertia.
"Step—step—!"
Immediately after, the Alphas, holding firearms and wearing suits, surrounded William and Halsey, walking quickly toward the ten SUVs parked not far away.
At this moment, a businessman with a torn left arm dripping with blood, upon seeing the armed Alphas...
"Help! Save me!" As if clutching at a straw, he hurriedly turned and ran into the parking lot, scrambling toward the Alphas.
However, this sudden move by the businessman also brought the large group of infected following him into the firing range of the Alphas.
"Stop!" Seeing this, Hank held his gun in his right hand and raised his left fist to signal the team to halt.
Subsequently, all the Alphas on the perimeter holding P90s half-knelt on the ground, providing the best firing positions for their teammates.
Hank aimed his gun with both hands at the businessman and warned loudly: "Sir! If you come any closer, you will be killed!"
"Help! I've been scratched by them, I need treatment!"
The businessman not only ignored the warning but also shouted about his injury.
Well... Hank, who dealt with anomalous phenomena, naturally knew what it meant to be scratched by those zombie-type infected, and decisively pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
"Puchi!"
The special M1p bullet shot straight into his forehead, and the deformed bullet burst out from the back of his head, carrying blood mixed with white matter.
Due to the impact of the bullet, the businessman uncontrollably tilted his head back, lost his balance, and fell to the ground with a look of desperate plea before death.
Hank then aimed his gun at the nearest infected and ordered: "Alpha, clear all targets in the parking lot."
"Yes." The formation of the Alphas changed again.
The Alphas holding submachine guns stepped forward, forming a fan shape aimed at the entrance of the parking lot.
"Bang—bang bang—bang!" Short bursts of gunfire filled the vicinity.
Those fast-moving infected could not dodge the attacks of the Alphas, who were like humanoid aim-bots, and fell to the ground one after another upon being hit.
The remaining Alphas equipped with pistols spread out with William as the center, visually searching for potential threats in the parking lot.
In the center of the formation;
"..." Even though Halsey was brave, after seeing those bloody infected at close range, she couldn't help but clutch William's white shirt tightly.
It seemed there was a trace of fear. After all, she was still just a young girl.
"Alright, don't be afraid," William comforted her softly: "They will solve it soon."
"I'm not afraid..." Leaning against William's broad chest, Halsey whispered: "I'm worried... that after the evacuation, we'll be busy again, and I won't be able to spend time alone with you, my black-hearted boss..."
"Hehe, you, you." William smiled and said: "Don't worry, there will be plenty of time in the future."
"Mm." Halsey nodded obediently.
Soon. Hank swung his right hand holding the gun, ejected the empty magazine, replaced it with a new one, and pulled the slide to chamber a round.
"Click! Click!" The other Alphas also replaced their magazines in turn.
It could be seen that apart from them, there were no other moving people or objects in the parking lot.
Confirming that everything was safe, Hank turned and walked to William, saying calmly: "Boss, the nearby infected have been temporarily cleared."
"Good, let's go." As William followed the group toward the SUVs, he continued to order Hank: "Notify the Long Island branch; ground traffic is at a standstill. Have them dispatch a helicopter formation to pick us up for evacuation. Also, have all the Alpha brothers fully armed to deal with the potential wave of infected."
Having been to Manhattan several times, William had already roughly understood the layout of this urban area. Leaving by ground was simply impossible.
To the north, to get to the Queensboro Bridge leading to Kennedy Airport on Long Island, one must pass through the vicinity of Elizabeth Green's infection source. Pass.
And at the east and west ends of 42nd Street where they were located, there were the Queens-Midtown Tunnel also leading to Long Island, and the Lincoln Tunnel leading to Union City. But those were two underwater tunnels.
Even before Manhattan fell into chaos, it would take half an hour to cross those two tunnels, let alone now when people were desperate to escape. Therefore, relying on the defensive capabilities of the SUVs and the firepower of the rotary machine guns, waiting for the helicopter here was the best plan.
"Yes." Hank returned his pistol to the holster, pressed his earphone with his left hand to convey William's order, and gestured with his right hand for everyone to arm up and take defensive positions.
Upon receiving the order, the Alphas went to the neatly parked SUVs, unlocked them, and opened the trunks. They took off their suits, put on bulletproof vests and tactical belts, and wore helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads. They picked up their rifles, chambered rounds, dispersed, and scanned the surroundings for threats.
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... The moment Halsey and William entered the vehicle together and closed the door, she entered the 'Dr.' state again.
She analyzed: "Boss... If this were some kind of natural viral outbreak, it would be impossible to cause such a situation in just a few minutes. There must be some highly infectious source, no, it should be some... hostile Patient Zero."
"Mm... Indeed." Hearing what she said, William thought it best to tell her all the information about Elizabeth Green; he could not hide anything from Halsey. Only then could they get a solution as quickly as possible.
Immediately, he lowered the armrest between them, opened the built-in car computer, and called up the satellite map of Manhattan. Just as he was about to remind her.
"Ri~ da da da!" Standing in front of them, Hank, operating the rotary machine gun on the roof of the vehicle, pressed the fire button and fired indiscriminately at the diagonally forward area.
"Ding~ ding~" The copper-yellow shell casings clattered, scattering into the vehicle like a waterfall.
"Bang! Bang!" The fully armed Alphas outside the vehicle also used their rifles to fire precision shots, finishing off the'survivors' under the barrage of the Minigun's web of fire.
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