Four police cars and two trucks sped toward the crematorium.
In X City, the bodies of most zombies were brought here for incineration. Song Yi's team had just transported a batch from Douyu University.
"Captain Song, you've been at it all day. Time for a rest," said Gao Guang, a young officer beside her.
Song Yi had been running nonstop since noon, assisting wherever needed. She managed to catch a few minutes of sleep in the car earlier, but her exhaustion showed. Checking the time, she saw it was already midnight.
Clapping her hands to signal the others, she called out, "Let's unload the bodies. Once we're done, we can all head home."
At the sound of her voice, the officers snapped into action.
Despite the long day, their unity made the work fast and efficient. Within minutes, the bodies were unloaded, ready for the crematorium staff to handle the incineration.
"Good work, everyone. Go get some rest," Song Yi said, her voice steady despite her fatigue.
"How about a late-night snack?" one officer grinned.
Another, holding his phone, added, "The group chat says there's fried rice and meat soup waiting. Let's hurry back."
Laughter rippled through the team as they climbed back into their cars, stomachs rumbling in anticipation.
Just as the engines roared to life, the ground trembled violently beneath them.
"Was that an earthquake?" someone asked, eyes wide.
"This year's just getting worse!" another muttered. "Please, no more zombies."
Song Yi's expression darkened, her keen eyes scanning the area. Around the world, cracks and fissures were tearing the earth apart, releasing strange gases. From these crevices, unspeakable creatures emerged, bringing chaos.
In the Lighthouse Nation, cracks in the ground of a city park released a gas that caused animals to mutate. A wolf nearby sniffed the air and began to grow rapidly in size. The gorilla next to it transformed as well, turning into a monstrous version of itself. Scenes straight out of a disaster movie were happening in real life.
Across the ocean, in the Han River of the Great Cold Country, an enormous water beast appeared. It lunged from the depths, grabbing an old man scavenging on the shore and dragging him under.
In the Dragon Nation, a crack opened in the Kunlun Mountains, revealing a nine-story demon tower glowing eerily with blue light.
All over the world, cracks were appearing, and no place was safe.
Back in X City, Song Yi, unsettled, urged, "We need to leave. Now."
"Yes, ma'am!" Gao Guang answered, starting the car.
The convoy of police cars and trucks headed toward the military base, tension heavy in the air. For a few minutes, everything seemed calm.
But then Gao Guang's eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, and his heart nearly stopped. Behind them, a massive creature overturned one of the trucks like it weighed nothing. The officer inside was knocked unconscious instantly.
With a sense of dread creeping into his voice, Gao Guang quickly flashed the hazard lights and reported to Song Yi, "Captain, an unknown monster just attacked the truck behind us!"
Grabbing the intercom, Song Yi's voice was sharp and decisive, "Everyone, stay alert!"
The vehicles screeched to a halt. As the officers scrambled out, they saw the overturned truck lying on its side. The headlights illuminated something in the darkness—a monstrous figure slowly coming into focus.
It was a fourth-order creature: a human-faced demon spider, its body towering at three meters long, its grotesque face staring straight at them.
All traces of fatigue vanished from Song Yi's mind as she barked her order, "Everyone, aim and fire!"