November 20, 2058 – Morning
After surviving the horrors of the second laboratory, the Aegis Team took a rest in a safe area they had cleared. That night, light rain began to fall, sweeping away the heavy scent of blood in the air. Major Pan Colman stood in front of a damaged monitor that Jenna had just managed to turn back on. The screen displayed blurry data about experiments in the Dominion of Varex. Dr. Alaric was busy flipping through the documents they had found, his face tense.
"This doesn't make sense," murmured Alaric, pointing at a diagram containing mutation data. "Dominion created these zombies to attack… but they never anticipated their own evolution. This is a disaster they created without control."
"What does that mean? They didn't know it would turn out like this?" asked Hart, his voice filled with skepticism.
Alaric nodded. "So many gaps in their protocol. They thought they could control everything. But look at this," he pointed to another note. "They tried to create something stronger than regular humans. The result is… creatures like the alpha we encountered earlier. They evolved faster than they could study."
Elis, sitting next to Jenna with her knees hugged to her chest, looked deep in thought. "So all this because of their greed? If so, can we really stop them?"
Major Pan took a deep breath. "We have no choice but to try. If we give up now, there won't be anything left of this world."
Jenna turned her chair towards Alaric. "Is there any other information in this lab that could lead us to their main headquarters?"
Alaric shook his head. "Most of the data here has been destroyed or intentionally erased. But there are coordinates that vaguely point to another location. Zone Omega."
Everyone fell silent. Zone Omega had been frequently mentioned in the documents they had found earlier, but no one knew exactly what it was.
"If that's our only lead, we have to go there," Major Pan said finally. "But we must be prepared. If this is truly the Dominion's operation center, we may face more threats than we've ever imagined."
That night, they began planning their journey to Zone Omega. Elis sat next to Jenna, speaking in a low voice.
"Are you scared?" Elis asked suddenly.
Jenna gave a small smile. "Of course. Everyone is scared. But we can't let that fear stop us."
Elis nodded slowly, but her eyes were still filled with concern. "I just hope we all make it. I don't want to lose anyone again."
Meanwhile, Major Pan and Hart were examining the digital map they had found on one of the lab's devices.
"The road there is full of red zones," Hart said, pointing at an area marked with warning signs. "If we go through it, we'll have to be ready to lose a lot of resources."
"We don't have any other choice," Major Pan replied. "We'll take this route, stop here for supplies, and then continue on to Zone Omega."
Hart nodded, though his face looked grim. They knew this risk might be greater than any previous mission.
The next morning, the Aegis Team prepared to depart. Elis helped Jenna load the supplies into the vehicle while Dr. Alaric continued to sift through the documents they had found, hoping for more helpful information.
When they finally left the laboratory, the atmosphere grew silent. The old building slowly disappeared from view, becoming just another shadow of the destruction left by the Dominion of Varex.
However, deep inside the now-empty laboratory, the previously dead monitor suddenly flickered back on. A message appeared on the screen, encoded in a language only those who created it could understand: "Active experiment. Zone Omega: final stage preparation."
The rumble from afar grew louder. Elis, sitting in the corner, suddenly pointed toward the dark hallway. "There's something there!" she shouted.
Cong turned on a small spotlight, and the light revealed a large shadow quickly approaching. The creature moved with strange motions, as if unaware of its own presence.
"Everyone, get ready!" Pan shouted, aiming his weapon at the hallway.