Zayn walked through the forest without knowing the exact direction they were going. The compass didn't show the right direction, and the sunlight couldn't be seen clearly because of the tall, shady trees.
They found the zone with the police seal reported two weeks ago. The forbidden zone where the explosion took place.
"We're going in the right direction. Lab X is probably only two kilometers from here." Zayn spoke in a whisper-like voice while pointing at the police line.
"I don't know if we were lucky or what for making it this far without encountering any monsters. Then, let's continue." Frankie grinned and shook his head.
"Let's go. What kind of place caused this disaster." Alex glanced around warily.
"Good. Please follow me. We won't be getting into unnecessary battles. Just sneaking around and moving in the shadows." Zayn gave a signal not to speak after this. They would only communicate via gesture.
After that, they moved past the police line and traversed the wilderness like three moving bushes.
*Crunch* *Crunch*
It had only been a few dozen yards since Zayn had crossed the police line. A loud object being crushed suddenly sounded from such a close distance.
Zayn gestured to his friends to take cover near the base of the tree trunk disguised as a bush. He could sense the imminent danger was approaching.
*Bam* *Bam* *Bam*
The sound of approaching footsteps caused a slight quake on the ground, indicating the approaching creature was large and massive in weight.
Zayn and his friends gulped their saliva because they were a little nervous. Even so, they tried their best to stay calm. It had only been two weeks since the explosion. Still, the animals in this forest had already mutated like giant zombie monsters!
"Grr?" A four-meter-long half-rotted giant lizard glanced at the bushes in bewilderment. Its red eyes could see something like a lump of earth with an unnatural temperature.
Therefore, the giant lizard went over out of curiosity. It sniffed around and soon lost interest in the smell of spices and soil.
"Grr..." The half-rotted giant lizard snorted and walked away, leaving behind a pungent stench.
"..." Zayn just covered his mouth and nose. He had the urge to vomit, but he knew it would be dangerous for him and his friends.
"Bwelrh..." Alex vomited because he couldn't stand the stench emitted from the giant lizard.
"Grr?" The half-rotten giant lizard looked back, checking for the sudden noise.
"Oh, God." Zayn picked up a rock and threw it at a tree trunk on the side. The rock bounced off and hit the giant lizard's head.
"Grr!" The half-rotted giant lizard was alarmed by that surprise attack. It rushed in the direction from which the stone had come.
Zayn rushed over to Alex and patted Alex's back. He gave a gesture that it was time for them to go deeper.
Alex nodded appreciatively and immediately followed Zayn.
Frankie glanced to the side and found several fragments of army uniforms and shattered weapons in the distance. He didn't know what had happened, but it seemed the government had sent soldiers here and never returned alive.
"..." Frankie heaved a subtle sigh and quickly followed Zayn. At that moment, he realized Zayn's inner eye ability was useful for avoiding danger and not getting involved in the battle against the overlord monsters.
Those overlord monsters were probably high-rank zombies that were previously ordinary beasts. The deeper they entered the forest, the more terrifying the monsters they encountered.
Luckily, they had all sprinkled mud all over their bodies and used the herbaceous bushes to disguise their body odor.
Unfortunately, the smooth journey ended when they arrived near a river in a valley. An estuarine crocodile, a four-legged human-like shark, and a red-furred king-kong.
The three monsters faced each other with malicious intent, as if they were going to kill each other for territory.
Zayn and his friends were stuck at a hundred meters distance from the three giant monsters. Each monster was at least two to three times larger than normal and clearly possessed super-strength bodies.
"..." Zayn considered his decision for a moment. His group would attract attention if they went deeper or left now. Therefore, he needed to find an opportunity to sneak across the river while the three overlords were fighting.
He then gestured to his friends to come closer.
"Roar!"
"Shaaa!"
"Grrr!"
The three giant overlords roared as if challenging the other party with sound intimidation. Unfortunately, none of them will back down. Their goal was clear, and they both wanted to defeat all enemies here and now.
*Roar!* The human-like giant shark rushed to attack the giant estuarine crocodile.
Yet, a tail whip came from the side so suddenly.
*Bam!*
The human-like giant shark slammed into the red-furred king kong.
"Roar!" The red-furred king kong roared loudly and beat its muscular chest. It rushed to greet the human-like shark with a fist to the head.
Unfortunately, the human-like shark immediately floundered in mid-air and opened its huge jaws full of sharp sawteeth towards the approaching fist.
*Crunch!*
The human-like shark bit the red-furred king kong's fist, crushed it to the bone, spun three times and severed the red-furred king kong's hand from its place.
"Roar!" The red-haired king kong roared in pain and immediately punched the human-like shark's side jaw.
*Bam!* *Splash*
The human-like shark received a heavy blow and was thrown into the river.
Seeing the opportunity, the estuarine crocodile rushed to attack the injured king kong. Still, the latter fought back and smashed the crocodile's jaw.
"Let's go. This is our chance." Zayn gestured and rushed across the river through the roots that crept above the river.
The human-like shark noticed the presence of the three moving bushes. Still, it had no interest in pursuing the weak prey while the great battle for territory took place.
"There are no monsters around because those three overlord monsters are fighting. We are safe for now." Frankie was panting in a cold sweat. The incident just now shocked him, and he learned how dangerous this place was.
"This whole thing is insane. It's not just humans that mutate into zombies. It's animals too. I wouldn't be surprised if the mutation affected these plants. Are we going to be monsters one day?" Alex touched his forehead. He felt that the world was too crazy for ordinary humans to live in.
"Yeah, a terrible genetic mutation. I can feel uncomfortable radiation from that direction. Lab X is over there. We're already so close. Will you follow me to stop this madness, knowing we may not be able to come back alive? You can still return safely if you retreat now." Zayn held his head. He felt a little dizzy due to a strange, mysterious energy surge.
"Unnecessary question, my friend Zayn. We must stop this madness as soon as possible, and we can get out of here immediately." Alex patted Zayn's back as he looked into Zayn's eyes with a determined gaze.
"If the spread of zombification and mutation stops, those monsters will no longer multiply. We will have a chance of survival if we bet on this opportunity instead of running away like losers. Let's go now. I can already see the shadow of the secret Lab building in the valley." Frankie headed for the white building camouflaged by the vines in the distance.
Zayn's close friends decided to go to the end, and Zayn couldn't ask for more. They then found a broken asphalt road and followed it into the secret Lab, half submerged in the ground and covered in many roots and vines.
They managed to find a place they thought was Lab X, the secret Lab where the source of the world's current disaster and catastrophe began.