<h4>Chapter 181 Before Wrapping Things Up</h4>


    "Don''t worry, Specter-1, we have eyes on the mutated zombies. Sending rounds, danger close. I repeat, danger close," Richard''s voice crackled through them-link, urgencycing every word.


    Graves scanned his surroundings, his heads-up disy showing a thermal signature view of the approaching mutated zombies. The screen was a swarm of reds and oranges, indicating heat signatures. These creatures, mostly Hunters, moved with a fric energy, hopping and running on all fours, their movements erratic and unpredictable.


    "Danger close approved, send the missiles," Graves confirmed, positioning himself strategically behind arge fallen tree trunk for cover. However, this was pure instinct as he wouldn''t need to hide behind the trunk for cover if he could take a direct hit of a missile.


    The MQ-9 Reaper drone, circling high above, was equipped for situations like this. It was armed with GBU-12 Paveway IIser-guided bombs, a precision weapon designed for such a close air support mission. The Paveway II, with its 500-pound warhead, was capable of delivering significant damage with a remarkable degree of uracy.


    Graves knew the stakes; the danger close call meant the bombs would be striking perilously near his position.


    In themand center, Richard watched the drone''s feed intently. He waited for the precise moment to authorize the strike, his eyes tracking the rapidly moving targets. With a deep breath, he issued themand.


    "GBU-12s, deploy now!"


    The Reaper drone released its payload. The Paveway bombs, guided byser targeting, descended rapidly, their path illuminated by a faint red beam.


    Graves braced himself as the ground shook violently upon impact. The explosion was deafening, a concussive wave of force and heat that swept through the forest. Trees splintered and the ground erupted, sending dirt and debris flying. The st radius engulfed the mutated zombies, incinerating them in a fiery maelstrom.


    He peeked from his cover, witnessing the aftermath. The area was a charredndscape, the earth scorched and smoking. The effectiveness of the GBU-12s was undeniable, but so was the destruction they wrought.


    "Specter-1, report your status!" Richard''s voice came through.


    Graves looked at the aftermath and disappointment etched his face.


    "It was a direct hit but the Hunters are still alive. I knew they wouldn''t die from a single strike."


    Richard''s voice was equally disappointed. "As I expected. But that wouldn''t mean we are not going to fire at them again and again. Now we count five hunters. We will take care of three and you will take care of two. Do we have an agreement, Specter-1?"


    Graves nodded, even though Richard couldn''t see it. "Agreement confirmed, Eagle. I''ll handle the two."


    "Good. We are recalibrating for another strike. This time, we''re going to use AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. They should provide the necessary firepower to finish this," Richard informed.


    Graves readied his pulsefire cannon and made his way toward the two hunters who were approaching him together.


    The first Hunter lunged at Graves, its ws aiming for his throat. Graves pivoted to the side, grabbing the Hunter''s arm mid-swing. With a swift motion, leveraging the strength-enhancing capabilities of his suit, he twisted the creature''s limb beyond its natural limits. The Hunter''s feral screeching filled the air as Graves moved around and delivered a powerful twist, snapping its neck with a sickening crunch. The creature went limp, its own momentum carrying it to the ground in a heap.


    The second Hunter, undeterred by the fate of its kin, charged with a guttural roar. Graves readied himself, stance wide as the creature approached. He parried a swipe from its right w and countered with a precise jab to its throat, disrupting its charge.


    The Hunter recoiled, but Graves was relentless. He unleashed a flurry of punches, each onending with a thud as the suit''s servos amplified the force behind his blows. The Hunter attempted to retaliate, but Graves''s superiorbat training allowed him to anticipate and dodge the wild attacks effortlessly.


    He dodged under a wide swipe and delivered a solid kick to the Hunter''s knee, hearing the snap of tendons. The Hunter''s leg buckled, and it fell to one knee. Graves capitalized on the opening, continuing his assault with a series of powerful punches to the creature''s head and torso.


    With the Hunter dazed, Graves grabbed it by the back of the neck, delivering a final, decisive punch straight to its face. The impact sent the creature sprawling backward, its skull caving in under the brutal force.


    But—the hunter was still alive. Graves approached the dazed Hunter with measured steps. The creature, now crippled and defeated on the ground, still snarled defiantly, its survival instincts refusing to surrender.


    The Hunter, sensing the end was near, gathered its waning strength for onest desperate attack. It swiped at Graves with its remaining good arm, but with its motor functions impaired, the attack was clumsy and easily sidestepped.


    Graves raised his arm, the pulsefire cannon whirring to life, its energy core glowing with lethal intensity. The Hunter''s eyes, filled with a primal fear, locked onto the weapon. It knew.


    "End of the line," Graves muttered, more to himself than to the creature.


    He fired without another word. The cannon released a torrent of energy, a blinding sh that connected with the Hunter''s face. There was a momentary resistance, a split second where the Hunter''s toughened hide battled against the inevitable. It was a futile effort. The pulsefire cannon''s st was overpowering, obliterating the Hunter''s head in an instant and extinguishing its life forcepletely.


    The silence that followed was punctuated only by the distant explosions as the MQ-9 Reaper engaged the three Hunters. They were helpless against an enemy that could fly over eight thousand feet, a height that they surely couldn''t reach and from which the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles wereunched.


    From his position, Graves could see the brief shes as the Hellfires found their targets, followed by the thunderous booms that echoed through the trees. The ground vibrated slightly under his feet with each impact.


    In less than five minutes, it was over. Richard''s voice came through them-link once more, a note of finality in his tone.


    "Targets eliminated, Specter-1. The area is clear."


    "I have already taken the two hunters, Eagle. Well, it seems like our business here is done. Though it was a failure."


    Graves could hear Richard smacking his lips.


    "Yeah…it seems like it. I''ll send a helo to your position and exfil you from there."


    Graves acknowledged with a simple "Roger that," and deactivated his pulsefire cannon.?He turned to one of the trees and then punched it to vent his frustration.