Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 38: Begin the Cleanup!

Day 2 – 0300 Hours.

The battle for the SM MOA Complex was over, but the work had only just begun. The aftermath of the operation left streets, hallways, and buildings littered with rotting corpses, burned remains, and pools of coagulated blood. The stench of decay mixed with the lingering scent of gunpowder and burnt flesh, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

Standing at the center of the mall atrium, Thomas issued his next command.

"Initiate the cleanup operation. I want this entire area secured and cleared by 0800 hours. All fire teams, burn the bodies. Engineers, assess structural integrity. Medics, prepare triage for any survivors."

0305 Hours.

The "Firewall" team, led by Captain Mason, began setting up controlled burn pits around the complex. The sheer volume of corpses required multiple incineration sites, with soldiers stacking bodies onto makeshift pyres built from broken furniture, wooden pallets, and debris.

"Gasoline ready," one engineer reported.

"Light it up," Mason ordered.

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A single flare ignited the first burn pile, quickly spreading flames across the mass of corpses. Thick black smoke rose into the night sky, carrying the last remnants of the undead into oblivion.

Meanwhile, a secondary team worked on clearing debris from key roadways, using bulldozers and forklifts recovered from abandoned construction sites. They pushed the burned remains into large craters created during the battle, covering them with rubble and concrete to prevent future contamination.

0320 Hours.

The engineering teams spread out across the complex to evaluate building integrity. The heavy use of explosives and incendiary weapons during the purge had weakened some structures, particularly in the underground parking lots and IKEA.

At the MOA Arena, Captain Mason inspected a collapsed section near the east wing.

"Structural damage here is bad. Reinforcements are needed to prevent further collapse."

"Understood," Thomas responded. "Salvage what we can. If it's unsalvageable, we'll demolish it and rebuild."

The engineers used laser scanners and ground-penetrating radar to map out unstable areas while reinforcing weakened pillars with steel supports.

0345 Hours.

With the immediate clean-up operations underway, Thomas turned his attention to finding survivors.

"Phillip, take Razor Team and start clearing the interior structures. Move room to room, check every floor."

Phillip nodded. "Understood. Moving now."

The search teams swept through the mall in tactical formations, their weapons raised as they checked for signs of life. They moved cautiously—although most of the zombies had been exterminated, there was always a chance that some infected remained hidden.

Inside a call center office on the second floor, a soldier called out.

"We got movement!"

The team raised their weapons as they approached a locked janitor's closet. A faint knocking sound came from inside.

"It's barricaded from the inside," one soldier noted.

Phillip stepped forward. "We're not here to hurt you! If you're alive, open the door!"

A tense moment passed before the lock clicked open. The door slowly creaked, revealing a young woman in tattered office clothes, clutching a makeshift weapon—a broken broom handle with a sharpened tip.

She looked at the soldiers, her eyes sunken and weary.

"Are… are you real?" she whispered.

"Yeah, we're real," Phillip said calmly. "How many people are with you?"

She hesitated, glancing back into the darkness of the room.

"There's… six of us. We've been hiding here for weeks."

Phillip turned to his men. "Get them water, food, and bring them to the triage zone. Keep moving."

0400 Hours.

As the search continued, multiple survivor groups were found barricaded in stores, restrooms, and maintenance rooms. Some were barely hanging on, malnourished and dehydrated from weeks of hiding.

In a storeroom behind a fast-food restaurant, a team found an elderly couple with their teenage grandson, surviving on rotting canned food and rainwater collected in plastic bottles.

Inside a luxury watch shop, they discovered a group of security guards—former mall staff—who had managed to hold out using batons and scavenged firearms.

A total of 82 survivors were rescued in the first two hours.

Thomas monitored the incoming reports.

"Good. Keep looking. There could be more."

0500 Hours.

With cleanup and rescues underway, Thomas turned his attention to fortifications.

"Eagle Eye, I need a full recon report on all entry points. We need to seal this place up tight."

Captain Kim, commanding the sniper teams, responded.

"Copy that, Commander. We'll get drone surveillance over the perimeter now."

Engineers worked to reinforce barricades, installing steel barriers and automated turrets at the main entry roads leading into the complex.

They secured:

Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard (West Entrance)

J.W. Diokno Boulevard (North Entrance)

Seaside Boulevard (East Entrance)

Roxas Boulevard (South Entrance)

Sentry turrets were mounted, and roadblocks made from concrete barriers and armored vehicles were positioned at choke points.

At the MOA Atrium, Dr. Elara set up a field hospital to examine the rescued survivors.

"Dehydration, starvation, mild infections—nothing severe," she reported. "But they're traumatized. Some of them lost family in this hellhole."

Thomas approached one of the security guards, a man named Ramon Santiago, who had been working at MOA when the outbreak hit.

"You held out for a long time," Thomas said.

Ramon nodded, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. "We tried to fight. But there were too many of them. Most of us didn't make it."

"You made it," Thomas said. "That's what matters."

Ramon looked at the military vehicles and soldiers patrolling the area. "Are you… rebuilding?"

Thomas gave a firm nod. "Yeah. We're taking this city back."

0700 Hours.

By dawn, the MOA Complex was fully secured.

[350,000 zombies eliminated

Survivors rescued: 123 (Additional survivors found overnight)

Main roads barricaded and secured

Triage and resupply stations established

Structural reinforcements underway]

Thomas stood on the rooftop of Conrad Hotel, overlooking the cleared ruins of Metro Manila. The city was still broken, but for the first time in months, there was hope.

Phillip approached, handing him a canteen of water.

"Not bad for two days of work," he said.

Thomas took a sip, exhaling slowly. "We're just getting started. And by getting started, I mean it's time for shopping."