39 Days Since First Strike — Forward Operating Post Echo, Camarines Sur
Dawn had not yet broken, but the jungle was already alive.
Chirping insects, creaking bamboo, and the low hum of Echo's generators blended into a constant drone of life—natural and mechanical. Lieutenant Ramirez stood near the observation platform, his eyes locked on a thermal feed from the drone patrol that had gone up an hour earlier.
Behind him, the engineers were finalizing the last segment of Echo's wall—a modular, lightweight barricade reinforced with metal salvaged from a collapsed cell tower.
Phillip's voice came through on comms. "Any signs of the source?"
"Negative," Ramirez replied. "But the southern ridge lit up five minutes ago. Controlled burns. Not wildfire. Someone's clearing land."
Phillip didn't answer right away. Then: "We'll need Eagle."
Same Time — MOA Complex, Command Center
