"Are there really humans on the other side of the river? Seriously?" Laura tilted her head and asked.
Big Ears nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I heard it with my own ears."
Bulldozer grinned, thinking it was great news that there were humans across the river.
This way, he wouldn't be blad for slacking off, and Big Ears could claim credit for completing his task. A win-win!
But Laura thought for a mont and said, "We can't even get across the river, though."
"Huh? Oh... right."
Bulldozer finally realized the problem and turned his gaze toward the other side. They were already on the outskirts of the city. Not far from the riverbank, there was a patch of farmland.
It had been abandoned for a long ti, overgrown with weeds.
Still, that land used to grow potatoes. There was a good chance that so human food was still buried in the soil.
Laura and Bulldozer both had sharp eyesight. Even though the distance was considerable, they could faintly see the weeds swaying. Sothing—or soone—seed to be moving through them.
It was probably humans digging for potatoes.
"How about I swim over there and grab them?" Bulldozer suggested, his eyes fixed on the other side.
Laura shot him a disdainful look. "Yeah, no. Don't go causing trouble for the boss."
"Uh... so what do we do then?" Bulldozer scratched his head, looking confused.
Big Ears didn't care about the details. He let out a long sigh of relief. His job was just to find humans. How to bring them back? That wasn't his problem.
But this was definitely sothing he needed to report to the boss. It was a good opportunity to show his value.
...
Ethan was lounging in his clean, well-kept ho, absorbing crystal cores and sipping on a drink. Before long, one of his underlings ca to report that there were humans spotted near the River Bridge District.
At first, Ethan wasn't interested. They weren't from Genesis Biotech, and if they were just ordinary survivors, they'd only end up as zombie fodder. Not much use to him.
But after thinking it over, sothing ca to mind.
The last ti he'd collected tolls, the Bone-Claw Zombie King from across the river had stolen one of his prizes.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Let it go? No way. The more he tried to let it slide, the more it felt like a loss.
Even if he had to throw the food into the river to feed the fish, he wasn't about to let it fall into the hands of the other side.
Besides, he was curious about what was happening over there.
In recent weeks, his territory had grown stronger. The Zombie King Sprout had joined his ranks, the zombie tiger Snowy was now under his command, and his elite fighters had undergone another evolution. His forces were becoming more powerful by the day.
Surely, the other side must have undergone so changes as well.
With that thought, Ethan stood up. His body gradually beca transparent until he vanished into thin air.
...
Just as Laura and the others had guessed, there were indeed humans digging for potatoes in the fields on the other side of the river.
And there weren't just a few of them—there were over twenty people.
The leaders of the group were mbers of the Black Hand Legion from Santa Monica. They had captured more than a dozen refugees and brought them to Los Angeles.
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However, instead of entering Ethan's territory, they had stopped on the far side of the river.
Among them was a thin, middle-aged man crouching on the ground, digging through the dirt with his hands. Before long, he unearthed a potato about the size of a fist.
The potato was slightly rotten, with a few white worms squirming on its surface.
But the man didn't seem to mind. He looked genuinely pleased. Heat gathered in his palm, and a small fla burst forth.
The scorching fire roasted the potato—and the worms—until they were fully cooked.
"Ti for a snack," the man said, taking a big bite. He chewed with satisfaction, a look of contentnt spreading across his face.
"Looks like Los Angeles isn't so bad. We haven't even entered the city, and we've already found food."
"Yeah, it's not bad," said a man with a pointed nose. "But I wonder how bad the zombies are in the city. Are they tough?"
"Who cares how tough they are? Let's just dig up as many potatoes as we can and find a place to hide," the middle-aged man replied.
Their plan was simple: keep the refugees they'd captured as livestock, establish a small base, and live like kings for a while.
And if the opportunity arose, they could even use the refugees to set traps and lure in more survivors...
"Don't slack off! Dig faster! If you can't find any potatoes, I'll just use you as food!" Blaze barked, turning to glare at the survivors.
"Yes, Blaze!" The terrified survivors nodded frantically, their faces pale with fear.
To be fair, the Black Hand Legion had grown faster than any other group in the world, far surpassing Genesis Biotech and even the various zombie kings.
Before the apocalypse, the Black Hand Legion was a small, obscure organization with few mbers. But when the world fell apart, and order collapsed, countless people unleashed the darkness buried deep within them. Like a virus, this darkness spread, and many fell into the abyss.
Everyone has both good and evil within them. In normal tis, people appear good because their darker impulses remain dormant. But the Black Hand Legion gave people the perfect opportunity to let their evil side take over.
Initially, they had captured a dozen survivors. But before long, a few of the younger ones among them had joined the Legion, becoming lackeys.
Perhaps others wanted to join too, but they weren't given the chance. Instead, they were enslaved—or worse, turned into food.
"Blaze, we should find a place to hide before nightfall. The wilderness isn't safe after dark," Pointed Nose suggested.
Blaze looked up at the sky. The sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
"Alright, let's head into the city. If we don't find enough food, we'll co back tomorrow to dig so more."
"Got it," Pointed Nose replied, already thinking about whether they could scavenge so supplies in the city—clothes, blankets, or anything useful.
Of course, they wouldn't dare venture into the city center. They'd stick to the outskirts, where it was safer.
The group, over twenty strong, began their march toward the city.
But none of them noticed the tall, slender figure that appeared shortly after they left. The figure stood silently, watching the direction they had gone.
"Five Awakeners... two with crystal cores, three with Neurocores," Ethan muttered to himself, analyzing the group.
He wasn't particularly impressed.
Still, they could serve as bait. He could use them to test the strength of the zombies in the River Bridge District, to see if humans could survive—or how they would die.
Of course, he'd make sure to collect the bodies afterward. No way was he leaving anything behind for them.
...
Ti passed quickly. The sun set, and the moon rose, casting its silver light over the land.
After several days of rain, the sky was finally clear, and the bright moonlight illuminated the night.
As darkness fell, the zombies beca active, wandering aimlessly through the streets. Their stiff, puppet-like movents were accompanied by low, guttural growls.
Blaze and his group had managed to find a place to stay for the night—a clothing store's basent. Though small, it was enough to fit all twenty of them.
They had sealed off the entrance and lit a single candle in the pitch-black room. The weak fla flickered, casting shifting shadows on the walls.
"The conditions are rough for now, but we'll build this place up over ti," Blaze said, already planning to use the basent as their base.
Once daylight ca, they'd scavenge for more supplies, slowly amassing resources and growing stronger. Blaze dread of rebuilding his power and achieving greatness once again.
Pointed Nose nodded in agreent. "The key is that this place is pretty safe. There aren't many zombies around here. Looks like coming to Los Angeles was the right call!"
"Yeah," Blaze muttered, his gaze shifting to the survivors huddled in the corner. A sinister idea began to form in his mind.
"Now that we're settled in... shouldn't we find a little entertainnt?"
"Heh, I was just thinking the sa thing," Pointed Nose replied with a sleazy grin.
The survivors, sensing their intentions, trembled in fear. They kept their heads down, hoping to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
The Black Hand Legion mbers were notorious for their depravity. No one could predict what horrors they might inflict.
But just as Blaze was about to act, a strange sound ca from outside the basent door.
"ow."
It was the cry of a cat, but it sounded eerily like a child's wail. The unsettling noise sent chills down everyone's spine.
Blaze imdiately tensed, his instincts kicking in.
"Huh? What was that?"
...
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