They sped past several zombies, and after about twenty minutes, they arrived at their destination. A few wandering zombies loitered near the convenience store.
"Sylas, Serena, take care of the zombies without making much noise. The rest of you, stand guard and don't shoot unless absolutely necessary. The sound of gunfire will attract more zombies, and just past this convenience store is a red zone. We have to be careful," Major Kyle instructed as he got out of the car.
"Yes, Major," the team responded in unison.
Sylas and Serena immediately sprang into action.
The zombies had already noticed them upon arrival and were now closing in.
Whoosh!
Serena tossed a vine seed, and the tendrils shot out like whips, latching onto the approaching zombies. The vines coiled around their rotting bodies, constricting them tightly before drilling through their skulls with merciless precision.
"Aghh... Aghhh..."
The zombies let out distorted guttural sounds as they struggled in vain against the relentless vines.
Sylas was not idle either. He raised his arm, fingers straightened like a blade, and slashed through the air. Ripples formed in space, and thin, razor-sharp spatial blades tore through reality itself. The moment they touched the zombies, their decayed flesh and bone gave way effortlessly.
Swish! Thud!
Severed heads tumbled to the ground, their lifeless bodies collapsing a second later. After a week of training, Sylas's precision had improved significantly—each cut was clean, swift, and deadly.
Sylas held the knife in his other hand just in case. Under his and Serena's joint attack, the zombies near the convenience store were cleared.
Major Kyle deployed twenty team members outside the store and led the rest inside.
"Everyone, be careful. There might be zombies inside. Stay alert. Sylas, we especially need rice and other staple foods—I'm relying on you," Major Kyle said as they cautiously entered.
Bang!
Shaun kicked away the zombies that lunged at him from the counter. They crashed into the wall and collapsed, but before they could move again, a vine tendril shot forward and drilled into one of their heads.
"Watch out," Shaun warned, gripping his knife. They had agreed not to use their guns unless absolutely necessary to avoid attracting more zombies.
Sylas waved his hand, storing an entire section of instant noodles from the shelf. He glanced around but didn't spot any staple foods. While the convenience store wasn't as large as a supermarket, it was still well-stocked.
"The grains and other staple foods are in the back," Major Kyle said.
Rustle! Rustle!
A faint rustling sound came from the inner shelves. Everyone immediately went on high alert. It sounded like someone was fiddling with a plastic bag or unwrapping something. Serena's vines curled and twisted around her, ready to strike.
Agh...
A zombie lurched toward them from the aisle.
Sylas swiftly waved his hand, and a spatial blade shot out from his palm, slicing clean through the zombie's neck. With a thud, its severed head rolled onto the floor.
The rustling sound persisted in the silent, dark convenience store, making the atmosphere even eerier.
"There are still zombies inside. Be careful," Major Kyle murmured in a hushed tone.
They moved cautiously, weaving through the aisles between the shelves.
Whoosh!
A vine shot out in an instant, striking a zombie as it emerged from the aisle. The tendril pierced straight through its head, killing it instantly.
Walking through another aisle, Sylas spotted shelves packed with canned foods. Without hesitation, he waved his hand, storing all the food inside his dimension, leaving only empty shelves behind.
The rustling sound of plastic grew clearer. It was coming from the shelves in front of them.
A foul, stretching stench filled the aisle. Many team members scrunched their noses as the smell assaulted their senses.
Sylas and Serena exchanged a glance. Despite the overwhelming odor, they stepped forward without hesitation. Serena's vines twisted and writhed around her, ready to strike at any moment. Sylas was also gripping his knife tightly in one hand while raising the other like a blade, prepared to unleash his spatial blade at any moment.
As they turned and entered the aisle, they were met with a chaotic scene. The ground was littered with food, creating a messy trail. Frozen meat had been tossed haphazardly, some packages torn open, with a few rats gnawing at the exposed flesh. The foul stench filling the air came from the spoiled meat scattered across the floor.
A little further back, a group of zombies was tightly bound together by a sturdy rope.
"Looks like someone tied up the infected and left them here," Sylas said, assessing the situation.
The moment the zombies saw Serena and Sylas, they let out guttural, unintelligible sounds. Their rotting teeth bared as they snapped hungrily, like ravenous wolves.
Without a moment of hesitation, Sylas waved his hand, sending spatial blades slicing through the group of zombies. The rats scattered in fear, scurrying away from the intrusion.
Blood splattered as the zombies' heads were severed, their bodies collapsing to the ground. Wasting no time, Sylas stored the clean, untouched frozen meat inside his dimension before heading toward the shelves stocked with grain.
Just then, another zombie emerged from a different aisle, stumbling directly into theirs. Without warning, it lunged at Sylas. Reacting instantly, Sylas caught its arm, twisted it with a sharp motion, and drove his knife deep into its skull, killing it instantly.
Before he could recover, a vine whizzed past his ear. Serena had spotted another approaching zombie and acted without hesitation. The vine shot forward, piercing the undead's skull before it could get any closer.
"Rice," Serena said, pointing it out.
Sylas immediately spotted the rice and waved his hand, storing it in his dimension.
"Sylas, how much space is left?" Major Kyle asked.
"Around 40%," Sylas replied after briefly scanning the spatial dimension within him using his mental sense.
"Good, store some bottled water and let's check the storeroom for more staple foods," Major Kyle instructed.
"Yes, Major," Sylas responded, agreeing to the plan.
He turned toward the section where the bottled water was stored and began to collect it into his dimension.
Meanwhile, Major Kyle approached the locked door and motioned to Dylan to open it.