Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 215: Final Preparations

November 27, 2025 — 8:46 AM

Northern Japan – JSDF Enclave Ridge Airstrip

The cold wind blew through the pine-covered ridgeline, sharp and biting as it slipped through the cracks in the hastily reinforced tents and concrete outposts surrounding the mountaintop. At the edge of the plateau, a stretch of hard-packed earth extended outward like a defiant scar—the airstrip.

Still uneven in places, partially covered in makeshift mesh, and far from regulation, it was the best they had.

And it would have to be enough.

Sergeant Sato knelt beside one of the runway marker poles, hammering it deeper into the ground with a handheld mallet. The yellow fabric tied to the pole whipped violently in the wind. Behind him, a small group of workers—JSDF holdouts and enclave volunteers alike—were spreading another layer of crushed gravel across the western edge of the strip.

He stood, stretching his back as Warrant Officer Nishimura approached with a tablet.

"They confirmed it?" Sato asked without turning.

"Yeah," Nishimura said. "Overwatch sent the final signal last night. They're locked in for December 15th, 0400 hours, our local time."

Sato gave a soft whistle. "They're really doing it."

"They're really bringing a Globemaster," Nishimura replied, still half in disbelief.

Sato looked up toward the cloudy morning sky. "I've never seen one in person."

"Neither have I," Nishimura admitted.

They stood in silence for a moment, watching the volunteers struggle with an overloaded wheelbarrow as it slipped sideways into the gravel.

"Think they'll make it down in one piece?" Sato finally asked.

"We've done what we can," Nishimura said. "Terrain's stable. Wind forecast looks good. But this isn't exactly a paved runway."

Sato chuckled under his breath. "It's a miracle we even have something to land on."

9:20 AM — Enclave Central Command Bunker

The meeting room was warmer than the air outside, thanks to two electric heaters buzzing quietly in opposite corners. At the center table, Captain Hiroshi sat reviewing a printed copy of the landing schematic.

Beside him were Chief Kobayashi, Lieutenant Takeda, and Ensign Morita. A radio scanner pulsed quietly in the background, cycling through empty frequencies.

"This map was made for helicopters and tiltrotors," Hiroshi said, tapping the paper. "We've never had to plan for something with a 50-meter wingspan."

"They said they've simulated the approach multiple times," Takeda replied. "They've even sent terrain data and altitude markers to their pilots."

Kobayashi frowned. "How accurate is their simulation?"

"Knowing Overwatch?" Hiroshi said, "Probably better than our live equipment."

Morita leaned in. "What about the ground crew? Do they need assistance?"

Takeda shook his head. "They're flying with their own. Five-person flight team. They said they'll handle the offload as well."

"That includes the drone relays?" Kobayashi asked.

"Yes."

She took a breath. "Alright. Then we need to clear that south ridge for the antenna towers. And get the solar pallets unloaded the moment the ramp drops."

Hiroshi stood. "We have less than three weeks. Let's not waste a single day."

11:08 AM — South Ridge Plateau

Takeda oversaw a small work crew clearing rocks and felling thin trees from the ridge.

"Cut it flush," he instructed one man operating a compact electric saw. "We need as flat a surface as possible. That tower's going to need balance."

Off to the side, a woman in a torn JSDF jacket operated a gravel spreader over the soil. She wasn't a soldier—just one of the civilian volunteers from the village ruins they'd recovered last spring. No training, no gear. Just grit.

Another pair of crewmen stacked four solar panels in a sheltered corner, prepping a temporary mounting frame using rebar and scrap beams from an old transmission post.

Takeda knelt down beside one of the relay foundation markers, pressing his hand to the dirt.

It was still cold—but it held.

If the terrain stayed dry, this would work.

12:40 PM — Ridge Supply Bunker

Kobayashi moved through the cramped underground space with a clipboard in hand. Two soldiers were dragging sealed storage crates into position near the back wall.

"Make sure the ones marked 'SURVIVAL' are closest to the exit," she called out. "That's emergency fallback gear. If we're compromised, we'll need it mobile."

"Copy," one of the men said.

Behind her, an older woman—mid-fifties, gray hair pulled tight—stood holding a small metal cylinder.

"What's this one?" the woman asked.

Kobayashi checked her clipboard. "Oxygen scrubber. Air purification backup for the relay tent. Set it aside, it's going up with the antenna."

The woman nodded and walked off, cylinder in hand.

Kobayashi paused. She looked around at the supply shelves, the bundled ration crates, the medical boxes packed into the corners.

Every label, every box, every item—they were planning for a future again.

And that hadn't happened in years.

3:30 PM — Perimeter Outpost 2

Ensign Morita stood beside the spotting scope on the outpost roof, recording Bloom migration movement along the valley below.

"Still no activity," she said into her recorder. "No thermal bursts. No large-scale movement. Ridgeline approach remains uncontested."

The wind picked up. A gust of snow blew down the mountain pass, rattling the observation shutters.

Behind her, a young soldier leaned against the doorway with a canteen.

"They're really coming, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah," Morita said.

"And they're bringing gear?"

"Gear. Drones. Towers. Food."

The soldier smiled faintly. "Maybe even hope."

Morita didn't smile back. She kept watching the mountains.

"Hope is what gets you killed," she said. freewёbnoνel.com

Then, softer, "But maybe this time it won't."

5:14 PM — JSDF Enclave, Command Bunker

The leadership reconvened for the evening status update. Wind howled softly beyond the bunker walls.

"The airstrip is 86% cleared," Nishimura reported. "Remaining gravel will be laid tomorrow. Sato's crew is reinforcing the southern shoulder in case of wind shear."

"Solar panel framework is being set tonight," Kobayashi added. "We've moved three pallets into forward staging."

Hiroshi looked at Takeda.

"Have they updated their approach vector?"

Takeda nodded. "Yes. Final approach is eastern sweep, tight turn over the valley, straight onto the ridge. They want complete radio silence until touchdown. After that, they'll activate short-range encrypted signals."

"Good," Hiroshi said. "We don't light a signal until they're above us. We don't take chances."

Morita leaned forward. "And once they're on the ground?"

"Then we find out what Overwatch really is," Hiroshi said. "Not just from a message. But from their presence."

A silence followed.

Then, Kobayashi spoke quietly.

"I still can't believe it."

Hiroshi didn't answer.

But in his heart, neither could he.