"What or who the hell could have killed such a powerful zombie?" one of them blurted out in shock, unable to contain their disbelief at the sight of the headless corpse.
From their expression, it could be said, that most of them didn't believe a single human or any human currently can defeat such a zombie since it has a terrifying regenerative ability, strong body and also dark energy.
Morningstar and Kofi could be said to have been lucky enough to kill the zombie quickly before it had the chance to use its ability.
The captain remained silent as her eyes were fixed on the gruesome sight.
It was unknown what she was currently thinking of since her face was so calm that there was no ripple of emotions on it.
"I think it's possible that the attacker was more powerful than the zombie, or that there were multiple attackers," Kain said thoughtfully. "But I have another theory, that a stronger creature was responsible for the attack."
He continued, "Given the extent of the damage and the fact that there were no tracks leading away from the scene, I think it's likely that a more powerful beast was involved. Perhaps something with the ability to fly or to teleport, so that it left no trace of its passing."
Kain paused, considering his theory. "But this is all speculation.
"True," the lady nodded in agreement as she looked down from the top towards the dead beast. "Derek, can you use your one-time artifact to track and locate those or who kill it?"
A young, lean scrawny man who looks no different from a rat in the way he behaves stepped out nervously.
"Ye... Yes ma'am... No... I... I mean Captain!" He stuttered in nervousness. The rest of the squads didn't say anything but if one observes well, they will see the look of contempt being thrown on the man named Derek.
To them, Derek is no different from a rat, he senses danger in time, he escapes. He finds treasure? He quickly dig for it. His shy, dumb and nervous personality was not helping matters too.
Heck! What sort of soldier fears the sound of gun?
In the military camp, Derek has been one among hundreds or maybe thousands of soldiers with the lowest status when it comes to bravery or even handling guns. At first, the commander almost fired him from the military but one certain event made him change his mind.
No one knows if it is luck or talent but Derek seems to always know where there will be danger or fortune. It feels like his instincts are made of luck.
Derek who felt nervous under the looks of those soldiers stepped down from the heap of collapsed buildings, the soldiers and captain followed too and after reaching the ground they all looked at the dead huge zombie while waiting for Derek.
Gulping his saliva from the fear at the sight of the zombie, Derek almost wanted to open his mouth and let them know he was afraid but Anderson saw it and scoffed, "What the hell are you scared of? You behaving like a pussy, now get here and do your damn work!"
That thunderous roar made him shut up as he moved closer to the zombie and then took out something from his pocket. It was a palm-size stone statue of an ordinary rat with its tail pointing at the atmosphere like a network satellite.
Holding the statue, Derek moved closer to the dead zombie while trembling, after coming closer he shakily dipped the rat into the zombie's dried-up blood and something magical happened.
The statue rat seemed to come to life as its tail twitched and twisted like it was searching for a network and after some seconds it jumped down from Derek's hand and scampered away like it was looking for a treasure.
"Stay close to the statue!" the captain barked. "Don't let it out of your sight!"
With that, the rest of the group darted off in pursuit of the life-looking statue rat.
The path was treacherous, littered with debris and the occasional zombie, the statue didn't avoid where the zombie was since it wasn't a living it, as long as it locked on its target it moved in a straight and faster line to meet it.
Because of that, they would come across one or two zombies and each time they would swiftly dispatch it, pack the runes or equipment and move. They never lose sight of the statue.
The minutes flew by, but their action was intense as they barreled through the school grounds. It was as if their bold actions had attracted the attention of the more powerful zombies and mutants in the area.
Kyaaaaaar~
Suddenly a strange noise which sounds more like hundreds of wings being flapped echoes behind them and when the soldiers turn and see what it is, their expression darken.
Behind them were swarm of wasps, each the size of a fist flying after them, their oily needle-like stingers glinting dangerously. The soldiers could hear the angry buzzing of the insects as they approached.
Before they could even react to that a group of zombies appeared from another side and joined the hunt, within some seconds, zombies, weird mutants and so on chased them. If someone was to look at the scene now they would definitely feel terrified. A few groups of military dashed after a rat-like statue and behind them, a horde of different beasts and zombies were closing on them.
"Damn it, Derek! Can't that statue of yours move any faster for the love of guns?!" Anderson shouted in frustration, glancing over his shoulder at the horde behind them.
"Y-yes, it can," Derek stammered, as he kept dashing forward, he didn't dare look behind lest he trip and fall off.
"Then for the love of guns and bombs, make it move faster!" Anderson yelled, his voice tinged with annoyance.
Kain interjected, his calm voice cutting through. "But if it moves faster, what if we come across something worse in front of us? Example, the damn thing responsible for killing that zombie?"
"We need to be ready for anything." The captain interjected and added, "Derek, full speed, now!"
"Y-yes captain!" Derek let out and suddenly the rat's speed increased and the soldiers also sped up, although the hordes were slowly gaining on them but the sudden increase in speed gave the soldiers the edge they needed.
Suddenly, Derek called out, "Captain! We're getting close to the source, I can feel it from the rat!"
"Everyone, get ready!" the captain barked, her face was still as calm as ever. "This could be the toughest battle we've ever faced and I hope everyone gives in their all or we can just lure this horde to it and run."
The soldiers looked at each other and nodded.
****
"So you mean you're from a country in Africa and your tribe is Twi, and a brother is called Obiɛno?" Morningstar asked curiously as both he and Kofi were taking a leisurely walk back to the hall. After much killing and growing stronger, those two teenagers were filled with massive confidence in being able to handle most beasts and weren't afraid of being ambushed.
"Yeah and that's why I call you so, you see the name makes us sound more comrades-like, right?" Kofi let out with his sword slung on his shoulder in a cool manner while also moving at a leisurely pace.
During this few minutes of talking with Morningstar, Kofi couldn't help but admire this guy's character. He says less words and uses action to prove it.
_Just the type of guy I want as a friend._ He thought inwardly. Meanwhile, he couldn't help but wonder about home, how was everyone coping with the sudden change on earth? Hopefully, his family is all right.
It will be hard for them to be alright since most of them live with wild animals and the thought of what most of those animals will do once they mutate was enough to send a shiver down his spine.
His heart couldn't help but tremble when he thought of his loving mother who took care of him, the thought of her dying lance heavily on his chest.
"K-Kofi?" Morningstar's voice cut through the silence, startling him awake from his daydream. "Are you okay?"
Kofi straightened up, smiling a little too brightly. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just, you know, thinking about home." His voice wavered a bit, betraying the emotion he was trying to hide.
Morningstar couldn't help but give him a knowing look as if he could read his thoughts. "It's okay to miss home man, just keep your emotions in check since we ain't in a safe area you know."
"Yeah, but what else can threaten us?" Kofi joked.
"Who knows, maybe a giant monkey from the zoo?" Morningstar added which caused Kofi to chortle in amusement but suddenly he stopped.
No, to be more appropriate, both he and Morningstar stopped.
"Did you hear something?" Morningstar asked with suspicion.
"I guess so, it feels like it's coming behind us?" Kofi replied with doubt on his face too.
Simultaneously, both of them turned back and what they saw left them dumbfounded.
"See you at the hall." With a farewell word, Kofi dashed away with full speed.
_Son of a bitch! What happened to us being "Obiɛno" a moment ago?_ Morningstar cursed inwardly as he also made a mad dash leaving behind blurred lines.
[Wouldn't you save them?] Abyssal voice chirped in.
_I once read the bible and my second most favourite verse is 'He that fights and runs, lives to fight another day' Let's leave it for another time._ Morningstar counter.
The soldiers being chased were stunned at the sight.
_Are those two teenagers really the "strong monsters" that killed that zombie?_ They thought simultaneously, _What happened to them to suddenly escape?_
"C-Captain, who are we gonna lure the hordes to then?" Derek's nervous voice jolts them back to their current predicament.
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