Meanwhile, in the Philippines, same date.

Adrian and Ryan were walking alongside at the port of Subic Bay. They had just reclaimed the area two months ago and underwent significant construction. The effect of the outbreak had rendered the port nearly unusable back then.

Now it looked completely different.

The transformation was massive.

Floodlights illuminated the harbor despite the late hour while construction cranes continued moving nonstop across the waterfront. Heavy engineering vehicles rumbled across reinforced roads carrying steel beams, fuel containers, ammunition crates, and construction materials toward newly expanded docking facilities.

The old civilian port had evolved into something else entirely.

A fortress.

A naval stronghold.

A war harbor.

Massive concrete barriers lined the perimeter while watchtowers equipped with thermal cameras overlooked every approach toward the bay. Automated heavy machine gun nests had been installed across defensive sectors facing both land and sea routes.

And beyond them—

The fleet rested.

Ryan slowed slightly as they approached one of the elevated observation platforms overlooking the harbor.

Even after weeks of seeing it, the sight still felt surreal.

Dozens of military vessels occupied the waters of Subic Bay.

Destroyers.

Frigates.

Cruisers.

Amphibious support ships.

Logistics vessels.

Patrol craft.

Missile boats.

And submarines.

A massive Arleigh Burke-class destroyer sat docked near the main naval pier, its gray hull illuminated beneath rows of harbor lights. The angled superstructure gave it a predatory appearance while radar systems slowly rotated above the vessel.

Crew personnel moved actively across the deck loading missiles, supplies, and ammunition into the warship even at this hour.

Further across the harbor, another destroyer sat undergoing resupply operations beside floating fuel platforms connected through massive reinforced hoses.

Beyond them rested several frigates equipped for anti-submarine and missile warfare.

Some carried vertical launch systems loaded with anti-air missiles while others mounted naval guns large enough to level entire coastal sectors.

Ryan looked out toward the deeper section of the harbor where larger silhouettes rested against the dark water.

"Every time I see this place, it still feels insane," he muttered.

Adrian said nothing initially.

Because honestly—

He understood exactly what Ryan meant.

Two months ago, Subic was a corpse.

The harbor had been clogged with abandoned civilian ships, infected-infested warehouses, burning fuel depots, and collapsed infrastructure.

Now?

Now it looked like the headquarters of a modern naval power.

Further in the distance rested one of the largest ships currently under Adrian’s control.

A helicopter carrier.

Its massive flat deck towered above nearby ships while several helicopters remained parked along the flight deck beneath maintenance lights.

Utility helicopters.

Attack helicopters.

Naval transport aircraft.

Ground crews moved constantly across the deck preparing aircraft for rapid deployment if needed.

The carrier itself had become one of the primary rapid response assets for island operations across the Philippine archipelago.

Nearby rested missile cruisers loaded heavily with radar arrays and anti-air systems capable of defending the fleet from large-scale aerial threats.

The entire harbor bristled with firepower.

And beneath the water—

Something even more dangerous waited.

Ryan glanced toward one of the heavily restricted sections of the port where multiple naval security teams guarded reinforced docking sectors.

"Nuclear submarines still down there?"

Adrian nodded once.

"Three currently operational. Another undergoing maintenance."

Ryan exhaled quietly.

The submarines alone were enough to make surviving military remnants across the world panic if they knew about them.

Massive black hulls rested partially submerged beneath reinforced submarine pens hidden deeper inside the harbor. Their existence remained heavily classified even among Adrian’s own personnel.

Nuclear-powered.

Long-range.

Capable of remaining underwater for months.

Armed heavily enough to erase fleets.

The system had practically handed Adrian an entire modern navy piece by piece after countless battles and rewards.

And now that navy sat here.

In the Philippines.

At Subic.

One of the surviving shipyard sectors nearby suddenly roared with activity as workers guided another supply convoy toward the docks.

Engineers shouted instructions while sparks erupted from welding equipment repairing sections of a damaged frigate.

Overhead, several helicopters passed low across the harbor before heading inland toward Basa Air Base.

Everything moved with purpose now.

The surviving personnel inside Subic no longer acted like refugees.

They acted like a military rebuilding a nation.

Ryan leaned slightly against the railing while watching sailors move across the destroyers below.

"So this is our navy huh?" Ryan said.

"It is indeed," Adrian replied. "All thanks from the system. It’s time that we have a backup force when something like a year ago happened again."

"Yeah right, the zombie wave. It would be devastating to conventional forces. I heard one of the submarines would undergo a trial mission, am I right?"

"Yes, they’ll scout the sea, see if there are mutated variants of sea-based zombies down there. We are on our way to meet the captain."

Ryan looked toward the darker section of the harbor again where the submarine pens rested partially hidden beneath reinforced overhead structures.

Even from this distance, the scale of the naval expansion remained difficult to process.

The Philippine Navy before the outbreak had been modest.

Now?

Now Adrian possessed enough naval firepower to dominate entire regions.

The two continued walking along the elevated harbor platform while armed naval personnel passed by carrying equipment crates and ammunition containers toward the docking sectors below.

Several sailors saluted immediately upon seeing Adrian.

"Sir."

Adrian nodded casually as they passed.

Further ahead, the sound of turbines echoed faintly across the harbor as one of the destroyers began running engine diagnostics.

Deep mechanical vibrations rolled through the water beneath the docks while smoke drifted upward from the vessel’s exhaust systems.

Ryan glanced toward it briefly.

"That thing still scares me honestly."

"The destroyer?"

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "One ship carrying enough missiles to flatten entire cities."

Adrian looked toward the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer silently for a moment.

The warship looked almost unreal sitting there beneath the harbor lights.

Rows of vertical launch systems rested beneath armored panels across the forward deck. Radar systems rotated continuously above the superstructure while close-in weapon systems tracked automatically across surrounding sectors.

It looked less like a ship and more like a floating missile battery.

"Modern military hardware was always terrifying," Adrian said calmly. "People just never realized it because nations avoided fighting each other directly."

Ryan nodded quietly.

"That’s true."