Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 229: They Have a Navy

January 7, 2026 — 06:14 AM

Overwatch Command Center – MOA Complex, Manila

The sea fog lingered along the edges of the city like a stubborn veil. Dew clung to the reinforced windows of the MOA Complex's western wing, painting ghostly streaks across the panoramic view of Manila Bay. Inside the command center, the usual low hum of screens and conversations was drowned by one steady sound:

The methodical clacking of Thomas Estaris's boots.

He paced behind the elevated operations table, eyes locked on the procurement screen. The digital interface flickered before him in soft blue light, illuminating the darkened war room. Marcus stood nearby, arms folded, face unreadable.

"Final tally?" Thomas asked without looking up.

A junior officer—logistics, recently promoted—glanced from his slate. "Blood Coin reserve has cleared 96 million, sir. Zombie airstrike operations have averaged just over 4.5 million coins per day over the last three weeks. The kill ratios were higher in Ilocos and Quezon. Densely packed horde pockets."

Thomas nodded.

Twenty-one days of uninterrupted air raids had done more than simply thin the infected population—they had funded the next phase of Overwatch.

The naval phase.

He tapped the console.

A familiar blue holographic tab opened: NAVAL ASSETS CATALOG.

He scrolled past the small craft and corvettes, past the frigates he'd once considered "enough." No, this time he wasn't just preparing to patrol shorelines or play defense along the reefs. He was building the cornerstone of a fleet.

He opened the Destroyers section.

The entry glowed:

[DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer]

Cost: 12,000,000 Blood Coins

Role: Multimission Destroyer (Air, Surface, Sub-Surface)

Armament:

– 96-cell Vertical Launch System

– Tomahawk Cruise Missiles

– SM-2 and SM-6 SAMs

– ASROC (Anti-submarine rockets)

– Dual Phalanx CIWS

– Torpedo launchers

– Naval gun system (5"/62 cal)

Systems:

– Aegis Combat System

– AN/SPY-1D Radar

– SQQ-89 ASW suite

Crew Requirement: 280

Displacement: 9,200 tons

Speed: 31+ knots

Range: 4,400 nm at 20 knots fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

Marcus leaned in. "You're really doing this."

"Two of them," Thomas said.

Marcus blinked. "Two?"

"I want redundancy. One on patrol, the other can rotate for refit or long-range support." Thomas didn't pause. He tapped the CONFIRM icon. A soft pulse followed, and the screen updated.

[Transaction Complete – 24,000,000 Blood Coins Deducted]

[Summon Queue Updated – Awaiting Deployment Coordinates]

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "That's almost a third of our total reserves."

"Which is why I'm being careful with the rest," Thomas said.

He swiped into the Support & Logistics tab.

There, he selected a Command Support Barge—a massive seaborne platform designed as a mobile HQ and dockyard. It wouldn't fight, but it could house nearly 500 personnel, carry small craft, repair minor hull damage, and maintain helicopters.

[Cost: 6,500,000 Blood Coins] – Confirmed]

Next, the Submarines tab.

He skipped the nuclear-powered monsters like the Virginia-class and instead hovered on the German Type 212A. Air-independent propulsion, small crew, excellent stealth profile. Ideal for ambush scenarios or covert intelligence gathering.

[Cost: 5,200,000 Blood Coins – Confirmed]

"That's thirty-five million gone in under five minutes," Marcus said flatly.

Thomas didn't respond. He was reading specifications, already deep in operational theory.

Two Arleigh Burkes. One command barge. One submarine.

That was enough to project power across the Philippine archipelago. Enough to hit hostile elements at sea or land strikes on any coastal hive. Enough to counter Bloom in the ocean.

For now.

He stepped back from the screen and closed the interface.

"Start prepping a ceremony," he said. "Not for the press. Just us. I want the dock team and naval crew present when the first destroyer is summoned."

"You're not doing it now?" Marcus asked.

"Tonight," Thomas replied. "Moonrise. Fewer eyes. Less chaos. We can control the flow better."

Marcus nodded. "We've already cleared Pier Four. The drydock scaffolds are in place. You sure the summon won't crush them?"

"The system calculates structural displacement," Thomas said. "If I mark the coordinates right, it'll land clean."

There was a pause.

Then Marcus asked, "What are you going to call the flagship?"

Thomas glanced over.

A quiet breath escaped his lips.

"She'll be called the OWS Bulwark."

Marcus cracked a grin. "Fitting."

Thomas looked back at the darkened room, at the calm sea behind the fogged glass, at the people outside who didn't know yet how much their world was about to change.

Because this wasn't just a war against the infected anymore.

It was a full-spectrum campaign.

And now, they had a navy.

January 8, 2026 — 02:35 AM

Manila Port – Pier Four

The harbor lights were dimmed. The sea was still. Only the low clatter of dock chains and the hum of generators broke the silence.

A cleared concrete pad stood empty near the edge of the bay, reinforced by steel pylons and wide enough to house a small sports stadium.

Thomas stood at the center, a beacon in one hand, his wrist unit in the other.

Crew stood at attention nearby—dock teams, engineers, several handpicked officers trained for ship operations. Marcus stood just behind him.

"You ready?" Marcus asked.

Thomas exhaled slowly and looked at the clear starless sky above.

"As I'll ever be."

He tapped the screen.

[Deploy Naval Asset – Arleigh Burke-Class – OWS Bulwark]

Status: Calculating Displacement Zone…

Coordinates Locked. Summon in T-minus 10 seconds.

A low hum vibrated through the pier.

The water near the deployment zone began to glow blue from beneath, like light from a sunken star.

And then, like a great beast rising from the depths, the destroyer appeared.

Steel. Power. Mass.

The OWS Bulwark phased into place, her hull shimmering as it fully formed, her anchor cables already sliding into place. The sound of creaking metal echoed like thunder. Waves swelled around her bow. Her radar tower blinked to life, and the hull number "DDG-281" was etched into her side.

The entire dock crew stood frozen.

She was magnificent.

Her 5-inch gun faced forward, her VLS cells lined like the teeth of a sleeping dragon. The bridge windows reflected the moonlight. Her sonar dome breached water level. She sat perfectly balanced in the bay.

Marcus muttered, "She's real…"

Thomas didn't speak.

He stepped forward, hand on the railing.

The bridge crew saluted from the upper deck.

He raised a hand in return.

Tonight, they didn't just summon a ship.

They summoned a future.