BXBX NOVEL Chapter 122 Field Day of a Certain Squad Part 1
The JLTV Oshkosh complied with the command, the engine\'s idle thrum falling silent as the driver cut the ignition. The soldier stepped forward and peered briefly at the occupants through the reinforced windows before gesturing them to lower their windows.
The occupants complied, revealing four young women in their late teens. The soldier\'s eyes widened as he recognized one of the occupants who was in the driving seat.
"Oh! Ma\'am Lisa! Good afternoon. I didn\'t expect to see you here," he greeted, the surprise evident in his tone but quickly regaining his professional demeanor.
"Good afternoon," Lisa smiled warmly in response.
"So this would be your first field day, right?" the soldier inquired, making a note on his clipboard.
"That\'s right, we\'re out for a scavenging operation," Lisa confirmed.
"Oh really? Where are you headed?" the soldier\'s curiosity piqued, his hand hovering over the weapon at his belt out of habit rather than necessity.
"We\'re headed to Mandaluyong. We believe the convenience stores there may still have supplies," Lisa said, her eyes scanning the perimeter as she spoke, the soldier nodding in understanding.
"Alright, stay sharp and report in every hour. The infected are less active during the day, but you can\'t be too careful," the soldier advised, stepping away from the vehicle to let them pass.
"Raise the gates!" The soldier shouted to his colleague in the control booth. The heavy metal barrier began to lift with a clank and whir of machinery, granting the JLTV Oshkosh passage.
"Will do, and thanks," Lisa replied, acknowledging the soldier\'s advice with a nod. She rolled up the window as the vehicle started to move again, the engine growling back to life.
The Oshkosh trundled through the gate, its occupants alert and visibly tensing as they left the relative safety of the camp. The soldier watched them go, a hand raised in a final, casual salute. Once the vehicle was beyond the walls, he turned back to his post, his expression returning to one of vigilance.
Behind him, the gate lowered back into place with a heavy thud, sealing off the camp once more.
Outside the Blackwatch Oriental Military Camp. Lisa sighed and spoke.
"Okay guys, this will be the first time in the last few months we get to see the outside world. I must say, I\'m nervous and excited at the same time."
"Well, the Blackwatch kept the Oriental camp clean and well-maintained. So it doesn\'t look like something bad happened two months ago," Angela, who was sitting on the passenger side, looked out of the window and checked for the differences.
Angela noticed the subtle signs of abrupt abandonment. Unclaimed belongings were scattered on the sidewalks, a coffee cup left on a cafe table with its contents dried out, and flyers for events never to be held flapping in the wind. A child\'s abandoned toy lay in the gutter, its colors faded by the relentless sun. Storefronts stood silent, their once enticing displays now gathering dust behind glass that reflected the empty streets. A street vendor\'s cart was overturned, fruits and vegetables now just a rotting heap, attracting a swarm of flies.
Angela turned her gaze to a nearby park where benches were littered with personal effects. A lone shoe sat on the fountain\'s edge, the water long since turned off. Newspapers, dated from the outbreak, were strewn about.
As the JLTV Oshkosh moved through the city, they passed a school with its gates slightly ajar; backpacks discarded by fleeing children were visible, spilling their contents onto the schoolyard. A basketball lay deflated on the court, and a once-busy playground stood silent, swings swaying gently in the breeze.
The further they went, the more signs they saw of life interrupted. A car door was left open as if someone had fled in haste. And then more cars were left abandoned with doors agape or windows shattered. The street signs, some bent or toppled over, were now just part of the landscape.
"This is just too much…." Angela commented, horrified at the sight. "I can\'t believe that we are really living in this world."
"I know right," Denise, who was sitting behind Angela, concurred. "I still can\'t get off the idea that this kind of thing only exists in fiction."
"But it is not," Ella sharply interrupted. "This is our reality now."
The group fell silent, each lost in thought as they witnessed the remnants of a world they once knew. The JLTV Oshkosh continued on its path, its heavy-duty tires crunching over scattered debris.
Thirty minutes has passed and the GPS indicated they were approaching Mandaluyong, and Lisa slowed the vehicle down as they reached the outskirts of the commercial district.
"Oh, there\'s still gas," Lisa said.
16:35
Denise kept an eye on the store\'s entrance while Angela scanned the road they had come from. Their "Look, a gas station!" Angela pointed to the upcoming intersection where the faded sign of a gas station hung, swinging slightly in the breeze. The price of fuel, unchanged since the outbreak.
Lisa pulled the JLTV Oshkosh into the station, the vehicle\'s heavy frame coming to a rest beside the pumps. She killed the engine, and the sudden silence was jarring. The group sat for a moment, taking in the scene—fuel hoses lay on the ground where they had been dropped, the convenience store\'s windows were dark, and the forecourt was empty except for a couple of abandoned cars.
"I\'ll check if the pumps are working. The three of you cover me." Lisa said, her hand instinctively going to the sidearm holstered at her waist as she stepped out of the vehicle.
The three of them stepped out of the vehicle as well. Just like the Blackwatch soldiers, they too wore the same uniform.
"How does this work…"
Lisa muttered under her breath as she scanned the pump interface, trying to remember how the attendants used to do it. Images flashed through her mind of a jeepney pulling up, the driver handing over cash, and the attendant working the pump with an ease born from repetition. She mimicked the motions, pressing the buttons on the keypad which was the amount given by the driver.
She pressed 2,000 and then pulled a gas nozzle out.
"Ella, can you pass me one of the jerry cans?" Lisa said as she glanced over his shoulder.
"Okay," Ella nodded, grabbing a can from the back of the JLTV and walking it over to Lisa. And then she noticed the numbers displayed on the display. "Wait, it\'s on premium. The JLTV Oshkosh is a diesel engine, right?" Ella asked, pausing before handing the can over.
"Yeah, switch it over to diesel," Lisa responded quickly, realizing the mistake. She pressed the appropriate button to toggle the fuel choice. The pump display flickered and reset to the diesel option.
Ella handed the jerry can to Lisa, who placed it down and inserted the nozzle, holding it steady as she began to fill it. The pump made a mechanical noise as the diesel flowed into the can.
"Oh, there\'s still gas," Lisa said.
Denise kept an eye on the store\'s entrance while Angela scanned the road they had come from. Their hands were close to their weapons, which a suppressed M4 Carbine, ready to draw at the first sign of trouble. The world might be quiet now, but they knew that could change in an instant.
Lisa filled the can, carefully lifting the nozzle to avoid spilling any fuel. "That\'s one," she said, sealing the can and moving on to the next. They worked efficiently, with Ella passing the cans and Lisa filling them.
Ten minutes later.
"Wait—zombies at three o\'clock!" Denise announced.
"Keep your voice down you idiot," Ella said as she raised her rifle, sighting down the scope at the approaching figures. With a steady hand, Ella squeezed the trigger, the suppressor muffling the sound to a quiet hush. The lead zombie fell, a clean shot to the head. She quickly shifted her aim and took down another.
"Is that all of them?" Lisa whispered after a moment of tense silence.
Ella kept her rifle trained on the downed zombies for a few seconds longer before nodding. "Looks like it. But let\'s not take any chances. Move quickly."