The tactical map of Metro Manila's tunnel network was fully compiled now—rendered in 3D on the wall-length display in the command center. Dozens of glowing red veins crisscrossed under the city, each one representing infected biomass pathways. Some had collapsed. Others pulsed steadily, like arteries still feeding something deeper.
Thomas Estaris stood at the center of it all, unmoving, his arms crossed and his eyes locked on a single node blinking red near Intramuros.
"Confirmed?" he asked.
"Confirmed," Casimiro replied. "It's not biological. It's man-made. Old Cold War-era structure. Built as a government bunker. Reinforced titanium shell. No public record. No power grid. It's been dormant—until now."
"Could the infected be using it?"
"We don't know. But the heat signatures suggest activity. Biomass has grown around it, but not inside. It's… avoiding it."
Rebecca leaned closer to the console. "Why avoid it?"
