Far beneath the Philippine Sea, the Changzheng-418 prepared its second missile barrage.
Inside the ballistic missile compartment, red combat lighting reflected across steel walls while Chinese naval personnel operated their stations with disciplined precision.
The atmosphere aboard the submarine had become tense.
Not panicked.
Professional.
But tense.
Because everyone onboard understood exactly what they were doing.
They were bombarding one of their own capital cities.
Again.
Captain Liu stood behind the missile control officers while updated tactical data streamed across the large display screens.
The western districts of Beijing remained engulfed in fire from the earlier strikes.
Yet despite the destruction—
The infected still moved in massive numbers.
Entire sectors of the ruined capital continued converging toward Adrian's underground location like ants swarming toward vibration.
One sonar officer quietly muttered while observing the tactical overlays—
