[b][i]Intermission Two: Ghosts of Angeles City - Timeskip; Final Six Days[/i][/b]

[b][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balibago]Balibago, Angeles City[/url] - 10/20/2022, Philippines, 7:00, UTC+8 [/b]

The Zombie plague had burned out, and Noel and Myron had requested to be allowed to help in the rebuilding. Now Noel and Myron were leading efforts to rebuild the neighborhood and its establishments, with Myron's stash of supplies coming in handy right about now. Not just that, but seized assets from the past administration were being put to good use, with government workers actually being paid to help rebuild the neighborhood, compensate property owners, and see to it that medical care was provided for those injured during the outbreak.

All the while, Noel was thinking, [i]We lost another aerial asset; Amadeo sacrificed himself to save us before we could meet him.[/i]

He was only a passing acquaintance with the older guy, but Noel knew that he was a good fighter during the overthrow of the past administration and the establishment of the Government of National Salvation. His loss was a blow to Task Force Obsidian, but NCIA Director Cornelio Malong had offered the services of another mercenary, Cristina Bernadino, a girl just one year older than him who was in this to rescue her sister... From the service of the Downward Descent.

Cristina had been instructed to meet up with him and help with the rebuilding, and as Myron began distributing more supplies to his fellow Amerasians - Wasn't Amadeo an Amerasian too, or was he Eurasian? - Noel paused to wait for her; the days of their enforced break were running out, but he could sneak in a chat with her; from glimpses of her alone, she was one of the few girls he might be attracted to. Not that he still didn't hold a torch for Regil, but... Regil seemed to have gone off semi-permanently.

[i]Or permanently, God forbid,[/i] Noel thought as he waited...

[b]The Ritz Hotel - 10/20/2022, 7:00 UTC+8[/b]

The news kept being dire.

China had almost cut off the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong]Mekong River[/url] in Mainland Southeast Asia through [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinghong_Dam]Jinghong Dam[/url], an act of [i]ecocide[/i] that in just a few weeks, destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and their families, as well as killed waterfowl, fish, and cattle, along with other forms of wildlife. Not just that, but it has also put in Prisoner of War camps just beneath the dam, camps used as a source of slave labor in violation of the now-tattered conventions of international law.

An airstrike at the dam would put the prisoners in danger, thus meaning that the dam was effectively guarded by human shields.

ASEAN had promised to 'Act in a week', but preparations had to be made, and Task Force Obsidian had to recover further from Mischief Reef and the Zombie outbreak. So for now, all they can do is watch and try and recover and relax.

[@Lewascan2][@Conscripts][@Gerlando][@Creative Chaos][@Nimbus][@QJT][@Amidatelion][@Ryik][@Digmata]