Born pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "What if I don't want to go to the Starry Night Laboratory with you?"
Fern took out a tablet and manipulated it for a bit.
The electronic voice sounded again.
"B10, B09 thawing, program initiated."
Two more iron barrels opened, and once again, two tall zombies emerged.
However, these tall zombies had thick tentacles protruding from their backs, resembling humanoid octopuses.
The tentacles were wrapped in metal.
As the tentacles swung around, they scraped against the iron barrels, sending sparks flying.
After stepping out, the tall zombies stood still, motionless.
On their chests, a red, flashing pentagon could be seen.
Born's gaze hardened as he looked at one of the tall zombies.
"Jesse?"
Previously, Born had received a message on his walkie-talkie, an audio recording from Jesse, who had mentioned becoming a monster.
It seemed that everything Jesse had said was true.
Jesse had been injected with some kind of drug by the Starry Night Laboratory, turning him into the tall zombie he was now.
There was no iron mask on his face, allowing Born to recognize Jesse immediately.
But this also meant that this tall zombie was even more dangerous.
If the iron-masked zombies were designed to protect their head's weakness, the absence of the iron mask here suggested that the head might no longer be a weak point.
Could they still move even after decapitation?
Born wasn't sure.
But these were B-type zombies, just like the zombie tiger.
If the zombie tiger hadn't self-destructed, their current methods wouldn't have been enough to deal with it.
"My patience is limited. Born, please answer my question. Are you willing to voluntarily come back with me to the Starry Night Laboratory?" Fern asked again, his eyes full of impatience as he stared at Born.
The two tall zombies slowly advanced, seemingly trying to intimidate Born.
"Damn it, am I the idiot or are you? Jesse was turned into this monster after you injected him with some drug, and now you want me to go back with you?" Born retorted, sweeping his arm dramatically. He pointed his sword towards the sky, and arcs of electricity spread out around him.
He demonstrated his decision with his actions.
Fern stared at Born with a fixed gaze. After a moment, he sneered.
"Then we'll have to take you back by force."
Immediately, the two tall zombies accelerated.
Born responded instantly.
"Repair Big Striped Cat!"
Big Striped Cat, the new name for the zombie tiger, was what Born decided to call it in that moment.
[Naming successful. Repairing Big Striped Cat. Points -800, Points -400, Points -600.]
In an instant, 1600 points vanished.
With a flash of white light, Big Striped Cat leaped forward, blocking the two tall zombies.
The zombies swung their tentacles, leaving bloody marks on Big Striped Cat.
But in terms of pure strength, the tall zombies were no match for Big Striped Cat. After a few rounds, Big Striped Cat had them pinned under its paws.
Though they continued to struggle, Big Striped Cat could no longer assist Born.
After a brief look of surprise, Fern began manipulating his tablet again.
"Program destroyed, meaning B12 can't be controlled. But why is B12 helping Born?"
"The lady was right; Born has many secrets!"
Fern quickly tapped on the tablet.
One by one, iron barrels opened, and the electronic voice continued to sound.
"Thunderbolt!"
Born's cold voice echoed.
He had appeared not far from Fern.
The electricity split into three, striking the tablet and Fern.
The tablet exploded.
"Warning, warning, program malfunction, program rebooting, reboot failed!"
Roar, roar, roar!
The zombies that emerged from the iron barrels went completely berserk, shattering the barrels that had previously confined them in an instant.
"Damn it, do you know what you've done?" Fern shouted. "We're finished, totally doomed!"
Fern quickly drew a submachine gun.
But before he could even disengage the safety, a hail of bullets rained down.
Flames erupted as Fern and his squad members quickly took cover.
Boom!
The tank fired, and the explosion went off not far from Born.
"Born, we've got a problem. Zombies are heading your way. We're coming to support you, but there are too many zombies, and we need to break through!" Lane's urgent voice sounded in Born's consciousness.
Born looked around.
Previously, the zombies wouldn't cross a certain line, but now they were charging forward at full speed.
A massive horde of zombies surged, densely packed.
The zombies in the front had already reached Born and his team.
Electricity crackled.
Mia and the others quickly engaged, killing the zombies.
Born glanced around, realizing the situation was dire.
Fern and his team had already vanished.
"Let's go, retreat for now!"
The tank moved forward, and everyone jumped onto it.
The combat vehicle led the way, plowing through the horde. The barrels of its three machine guns glowed red, emitting white smoke.
Zombie bodies clogged the tank's tracks, preventing it from moving forward.
"Damn it!"
"Emerson, abandon the tank, get on the combat vehicle. We can't let them have the tank. Blow it up!"
Born shouted, jumping from the tank to the combat vehicle first.
The maid corps, along with Emerson's team, also jumped onto the combat vehicle.
Inside the combat vehicle, which had a capacity of 40, it felt a bit cramped.
Emerson kept his head down, visibly dejected, lost in thought. The atmosphere was extremely gloomy.
Born was also fuming.
What was going on with the Starry Night Laboratory, and what were those zombies they had been keeping?
For this operation, he had spent nearly 30,000 points.
Unfortunately, they had only been able to take a portion of the evolved cores, with the only consolation being that they had secured the big flower cat.
And Jesse—why was Jesse among them?
"Three of those zombies were my subordinates," Emerson suddenly said.
The members of his team also kept their heads down, the mood even more oppressive.
The combat vehicle, with its dozen or so wheels, was unstoppable when it got going. No zombies could withstand its power.
Born had the big flower cat lead the way, which allowed them to break free from the encirclement of zombies.
"Back to base," Born sighed, waving his hand and leaning against the vehicle, feeling a bit weary.
---
Time passed.
It had been a week since they returned from the Starry Night Laboratory, and Emerson seemed to have suffered a severe blow.
Even his team appeared disheartened.
Born decided he needed to talk to Emerson.
He approached Emerson's room and suddenly heard voices from inside.
"Commander, those were my friends. Even if they've turned into zombies, they're still my friends. But they were treated as tools and turned into such monsters. How am I supposed to stay calm?"