บท 930: Northern Gate battle (1)

Erik hastily made his way out of the building. He had to get to the northern gate as per orders.

As he left, he saw a convoy of military vehicles preparing to depart for the gate.

A line of olive drab troop carriers, their paint dulled by years of service, sat idling with hatches propped open.

Soldiers clad in camo that seemed to almost melt into the concrete loading area bustled about with efficiency.

One group, faces grim under their helmets, wrestled a massive, tarp-covered crate onto the back of a flatbed, the winch straining with a metallic shriek.

Another soldier, a young woman, double-checked the straps securing a stack of metal containers on another truck, her hand brushing away a stray wisp of hair escaping her tightly-bunned ponytail.

The air crackled with a low hum of activity, the only sounds breaking the tense silence, the rhythmic shouts of commands and the metallic clang of equipment.