As he finished speaking, the first magically-modified gunship slowly drove into the portal toward the World Zeta.
Seconds ticked by.
Thanks to the portal's efficiency, all thirty-six gunships were delivered to the Outpost Base in the World Zeta.
They rested quietly on a vast cobblestone tarmac, racks under their wings bristling with huge Thermobaric Bombs stamped with red danger symbols.
Meanwhile, thirty-six top-gun pilots—world's ace among aces—had taken control of Villager bodies through soul-link.
They flexed the blocky, slightly clumsy forms, savoring controls utterly unlike those of a human body, faces bright with curiosity and concentration.
Although they had practiced half a day in simulators, flying these newly modified toys for real…
…to carry out an apocalyptic bombing run still felt unprecedented.
In the Command Center, Steve watched the final green light, pressed the comm switch, voice cold and steady.
"All combat squads, abandon current targets and return to base at once. Repeat—everyone back."
The order flashed out; Shadow Marine squads and Zombie platoons fighting in the ruined city broke contact instantly, turning into purple smoke or agile silhouettes racing home.
"Divine Judgement team, board and prepare for Purification."
The thirty-six Villager pilots strode forward and clambered into their cockpits.
As they gripped the blocky yet futuristic sticks, their eyes turned razor-sharp.
Whirr!
Whirr!
Rotors spun, thunder growled, and dust billowed sky-high.
"Take off."
Rumble—
Thirty-six gunships leapt skyward like roused primeval beasts, quickly forming an assault wedge.
The Command Center's main screen split into thirty-two crisp first-person feeds, showing the battlefield in its rawest, most stunning form.
"Target: everything outside the base. Full-area saturation. Begin release."
Steve's voice carried the verdict of death.
The next moment—
The gunships climbed and raced outward; belly racks opened in perfect unison.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bombs of annihilation rained like hailstones.
Trailing faint plumes, they homed in on every block, every building, every Zombie cluster.
In the streets below, thousands of Zombies lifted vacant gazes at the roar overhead.
Then—
BOOM.
There was no earth-shattering bang.
The first thermobaric round detonated mid-air, dozens of metres up.
A blinding white sphere blossomed, devouring everything within hundreds of metres.
The sphere expanded into a rising ring of fire.
Searing heat vaporized every Zombie in range.
A vacuum followed, crushing distant wreckage—Zombies, cars, masonry—into the blast core.
And this was only the beginning.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Over a hundred Thermobaric Bombs bloomed between ground and sky.
The city became a sea of flame.
Shock-waves swept the streets like tsunamis.
From above, the metropolis looked a furnace relit again and again.
At the storm's calm centre, the obsidian base stood unshaken, absorbing every blow.
Its deep black drank the damage, unbreakable.
One-sided slaughter raged for half an hour.
When the last flash died, the city lay scorched and bare.
No shambling shadows, no howls.
Silence.
Absolute, universal silence.
At that moment Steve heard the long-awaited system tone in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host: Safe-Zone Base established.]
[Calculating rewards…]
[Congratulations, Host. You have received:]
[1. Tier 1 Perfect Gene Evolution Serum x1]
[2. Mass-Produced Type-I Body Strengthening Fluid Formula]
[3. High-Energy Biopolymer Battery Technology]
[All items delivered to System Inventory. Please check.]
[New quest issued:]
[Quest Name: Bedrock of Civilization]
[Objective: Expand the safe zone from the current city to the full municipal region—every county included, ≥10,000 km².]
[Rewards:]
[1. Tier 2 Superpower Gene Awakening Serum x1 (may awaken a super-ability on top of First-Order perfection)]
[2. Electromagnetic Armour & Railgun Application Tech (adds generational leap in defence and offence to tanks and APCs)]
[3. Controllable Fusion Technology (complete mini-reactor blueprints—key to ultimate energy)]
The Command Center's main screen faded from fire to silent, ashen wasteland.
Feeling the three rewards in his inventory, Steve relaxed, turned to the tech team and asked,
"How long before our ground units can re-enter?"
A technician sprang up, pointing at scrolling data.
"Residual heat and pressure models show that, thanks to Overworld-world biology's heat tolerance, troops can force entry in ten minutes."
He added,
"Alternatively, Nether-attribute units can deploy immediately—they ignore the heat and can scout the ruins right now."
"Then we wait."
Steve nodded; ten minutes was only a few Enderman teleports.
He clapped the still-stunned General Randy on the shoulder.
"Randy, step outside with me—I've got something for you."