Rico carefully pushed the door, while Cong aimed his weapon inside. A foul smell immediately assaulted them. On the floor, an elderly man lay, severely wounded.
"Help him!" Elis said, moving toward the man.
Dail knelt beside him, checking his pulse. "He's still alive, but we need to act quickly if we're going to save him."
However, before they could take further action, heavy footsteps were heard from outside the house. Pan immediately stood, aiming his weapon toward the sound.
"Everyone, stay alert!" he shouted.
A large shadow passed by the window, making the atmosphere even more tense. Whatever it was, they knew they had to act fast—both to save the elderly man and to protect themselves.
But just as they were about to go outside, the large shadow suddenly grabbed the elderly man and took him away. Aegis Team, witnessing the event, could only stand by helplessly, unable to do anything for the old man.
November 13, 2058 – Morning
After a rough night in the village that nearly brought them to ruin, Aegis Team continued their journey with heightened caution. The morning air was cold, and a thin mist enveloped the forest they were passing through. Pan walked ahead, leading the team with growing determination.
"Do you think Beta Zone is still intact?" Cong asked, looking at the now-worn map.
Pan shook his head slightly. "We don't know. But even if it's destroyed, we need to verify it ourselves. There's no other choice."
Dail, walking beside Elis, turned to Hart. "Hart, you said your research team was here. Is there anyone who might still be alive?"
Hart sighed, his face grim. "The only one I know who worked in Beta Zone is Dr. Alaric. He's a senior researcher. If he's alive, he would be in the safest place in that laboratory."
Elis looked at Hart with curiosity. "Is he a good person?"
Hart smiled faintly. "He's one of the best people I've ever known. But if he's alive, it means he's seen things no human should see."
New Tracks
As they neared Beta Zone, Cong found something on the ground. A small medal with the Coalition logo was half-buried in the mud.
"This belongs to someone from the Coalition," Cong said, handing the medal to Pan.
Pan inspected it closely. "It could belong to a soldier or a researcher. But this means we're getting close."
Hart looked at the medal with a tense expression. "That's Jenna's. She was my colleague at the central base before the outbreak spread. If she's here, she might be with Alaric."
"We need to move quickly," Pan said firmly. "If they're still alive, they need us now."
Destroyed Beta Zone
When they arrived at Beta Zone, the sight that greeted them was one of total destruction. The once grand laboratory was now just rubble. Some parts of the building had collapsed, and pools of glowing green liquid spread in several spots.
"What happened here?" Rico asked, inspecting one of the rubble piles.
Hart shook his head slightly. "Zombie attacks. They probably came from the central base. I never imagined the destruction would be this extensive."
Pan signaled the team to check the area. "Look for survivors, documents, or anything that can give us answers."
Dail found a small door half-buried under the rubble. "Major, over here. It looks like there's a basement."
Pan immediately led the team to clear a path to the door. After some effort, they managed to get inside.
Meeting Dr. Alaric
Inside the basement, the atmosphere was even more ominous. Emergency lights flickered weakly, and the smell of decay filled the air. In one corner of the room, they found a man sitting with his back against the wall. He appeared emaciated, with a face that showed deep exhaustion.
"Dr. Alaric?" Hart called out hopefully.
The man slowly opened his eyes and stared at them. "Hart?" he said hoarsely. "You're still alive?"
Hart quickly approached and helped Alaric to his feet. "What happened here? Where is everyone?"
Alaric weakly shook his head. "Everyone... is dead. I'm the only one who survived. Beta Zone was attacked by zombies from the central base. They came relentlessly."
Pan, standing near the door, asked, "Is there any data we can use? Anything that can help us stop the outbreak?"
Alaric pointed to a console in the corner of the room. "The last data is there. But it's not enough. We need more information from Omega Zone to complete it."
Flashback: The Day of Destruction
As the team checked the console, Alaric began to recount the day Beta Zone was destroyed.
"We were working with infected animal specimen data. At first, we thought the outbreak could only spread among animals. But then... one of them changed faster than we expected. Zombies from the central base came and destroyed everything."
Hart shook his head, his face full of regret. "We never thought our experiments would cause this kind of devastation."
Alaric stared at Hart sharply. "It's not your fault. This was Dominion's mistake. They started this, and we have to end it."
Towards a New Hope
After securing the data from the console, Pan decided that they had to continue their journey to Omega Zone.
"We've lost too much time. If there's anything that can help us, it's there," he said firmly.
Dail looked at Elis, who was now asleep in a corner of the room. "Will we be safe there?"
Pan sighed. "I don't know. But we can't stop now."
With Alaric now joining them, Aegis Team stepped out of the ruins of Beta Zone, carrying new hope that the answer to the outbreak might be within reach.
As they neared the half-collapsed gates of Beta Zone, Cong suddenly stopped, raising his hand as a signal.
"What do you see?" Pan whispered, following him.
Cong pointed to a damaged building. Inside, a faint light was visible, like a nearly extinguished campfire.
"Maybe there are survivors," Dail said hopefully.
However, before they could approach, a low growl was heard from the rubble on their right. Elis tightly grasped Dail's hand, her eyes filled with fear.
"We're not alone," Hart said quietly.