Chương 145: A Nest of Vipers

Evelyn wanted to believe they survived just as much as anyone else. But while Raven had been hyper-focused on transmitting telekinetic commands to pilot the drone, she hadn't been able to watch the monitor. She hadn't seen the two colossal tendrils tear the sky apart. The distance was too great. Even the drone couldn't get close enough to capture a clear image of the APC's interior. But against a monster and a horde of that scale, once a vehicle stalled out—even a main battle tank—nobody was walking away.

Raven sat alone in front of the monitor, frowning as she scrutinized the drone's recorded footage.

"Sis... what is this silhouette?" She tapped the paused screen. The footage was from shortly after the drone had arrived at the target area. The convoy had lost a lot of time deploying the generators and setting up the drone station. Zoomed in several times, the image was grainy and pixelated, occasionally flickering with white horizontal lines from electromagnetic interference.

Aside from the two colossal tendrils glowing with a sickly green bioluminescence before disappearing into the black fog at their base, the rest of the image was bathed in shades of night-vision green. Shuffling silhouettes of zombies, tree stumps glowing with bright white embers, and the stalled APC venting white smoke from its engine block.

Right where Raven was pointing, near the rear hatch of the APC facing away from the camera, a pixelated figure slipped out and began stealthily moving toward the monster in the park... During the live feed, Evelyn had been too panicked tracking the monster and the horde's movements to zoom in and spot the figure.

"Is it... a mutant zombie?" Evelyn asked, her voice uncertain. The figure flickered in and out of the screen, glitching constantly, but its trajectory was completely linear—moving straight toward the monster. Before it appeared, a much larger silhouette had already walked directly into the black fog.

"We've hypothesized that the 'Tree' lures mutant zombies to its roots to force evolution. That's likely another mutant being drawn in..." Evelyn frowned, speaking in a detached, clinical tone. The Jishan QZ Research Institute was no stranger to this type of monstrosity; they had already established basic behavioral models. But having seen the complete footage, she knew in her heart that this hypothesis didn't explain what happened next. The pen trembling in her grip betrayed her anxiety...

Unlike the larger silhouette—which was obviously a mutant zombie—shortly after this new figure entered the black fog, the situation violently escalated. The two sky-piercing tendrils suddenly thrashed and began to descend, while several bright flashes detonated within the fog. Shortly after, the figure reappeared on the screen. This time, it was moving at terrifying speeds—it was literally launched out of the fog...

It crushed a zombie beneath it upon landing, then pulled something out and took an improper, but highly recognizable stance... Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Evelyn's pupils constricted. She subconsciously leaned closer to the monitor. Beside her, Raven and the technicians removing her sensor equipment held their breath, their eyes glued to the screen. Four distinct muzzle flashes flared on the screen.

A second later, the entire monitor washed out into absolute white...

"That was a gun!"

"It's a person!" Several people shouted at once.

"It's Uncle Zhou! He's not dead!" Raven leaped out of her chair, ripping the remaining electrodes off her forehead. She spun around and sprinted toward their APC. A few minutes later, a fully kitted "special forces operative" stepped out of the vehicle. The oversized camo fatigues were tightly secured at the joints with tactical straps, the pant legs tucked into high-top combat boots, giving her a sharp, professional look.

Her tactical vest held several spare magazines, and a drop-leg holster secured a suppressed handgun to her thigh. She also carried a standard-issue assault rifle, similarly equipped with a suppressor. The rifle had its stock completely removed; otherwise, given her height, she wouldn't have been able to properly shoulder it. But the lack of a stock didn't matter. With physical stats matching any elite soldier, she could handle the recoil flawlessly.

"Uncle Zhang! Uncle Wang! Let's go!" The moment Raven stepped out, she started calling the shots. She flagged down two soldiers standing near the APC and jogged toward an assault vehicle.

"Colonel Ye... what about Raven?" The two named soldiers hesitated, walking over to Evelyn for confirmation. Raven had grown up in the Jishan military base. She had been handling firearms and tactical gear since she was a kid, and even her blunt demeanor mirrored their commanding general's. This elite squad, which had broken out of the Jishan QZ to escort Evelyn, was entirely composed of battle-hardened veterans. They had watched Raven grow up over the years and treated her like their own niece.

More importantly, they bore the absolute, non-negotiable mission of escorting these two to the Linjiang University Quarantine Zone at all costs.

"If Colonel Zhou is still alive, we have to mount a rescue. This convoy is a completely different beast with him leading it..." The middle-aged soldier addressed as 'Uncle Wang' stepped close to Evelyn, keeping his voice low. His voice was hoarse from dehydration, his bloodshot eyes heavy with exhaustion, but the look he gave Evelyn was filled with a firm, protective concern.

"Evelyn, out of the original crew that left Jishan, there are only six of us left. Counting you and Raven, that's eight..."

"The researchers from the institute don't count as combat strength. The other twenty-plus armed guards are just local cops and young civilians we conscripted along the way... Colonel Zhou was the only one holding them in line..."

"Right now, the status of Colonel Zhou, Captain Zheng, and our three brothers is MIA. I agree we need to recon the area... but Raven..."

"What are you guys whispering about!?" Seeing Marcus and Evelyn muttering, Raven grew impatient.

"Speed is everything in war! Stop talking about me like I'm a kid. Is there anyone in this entire camp better suited for a rescue op than me?"

"Marcus, take her," Evelyn frowned, scanning the surrounding camp. Aside from a few soldiers herding the civilians off the bus to scavenge for supplies and secure a perimeter for the night, the rest of the armed guards were watching them with cold, detached apathy. Even though some had clearly heard the rumor that Joseph might still be alive, not a single one stepped forward to volunteer. She was a Colonel on paper, but strictly a technical officer.

When it came to military authority and commanding troops, she couldn't hold a candle to a twenty-year career veteran like Joseph. The calm, decisive silhouette on the monitor had left her in a haze of desperate hope. Was Joseph really alive? Clinging to that sliver of hope, she approved Raven's decision. She ordered the three of them to recon the blast zone at the edge of the horde.

"Safety is your absolute priority. Especially you, Raven. You..."

"Every able body is convoy combat strength. Every bullet is convoy resources." Chester stepped out of the dark shadows of the gas station lobby. His eyes gleamed with a cold light, a cynical smirk playing on his lips. A group of young men trailed out behind him. Hearing him speak, they fanned out into a loose semicircle. Their weapons hung casually by their sides, but a closer look revealed the safeties were off, and the muzzles subtly drifted toward the core group.

A few other men stepped in front of the APC, blocking the remaining four veteran guards.

"Colonel Ye, Colonel Zhou always praised your cold rationality. Should we really be wasting manpower and resources mounting a rescue for a few corpses? You know the math better than anyone."