In midnight, the two trucks arrived in Paycus, a smaller town than Corredith, distinguished by its large campus and a school with an ancient history, with all the town's houses built around it.
The truck stopped on one of the edge the town, and everyone got out.
Jelian took a look around. Despite the midnight darkness, the sky was clear and the half-full moon was shining brightly. The outlines of the town, with a few details, could be seen, and the buzzing of crickets could be heard clearly like a loud concert. He quickly recalled Corredith, where the view was no different from his own, and he expressed a complicated expression.
After gathering on the side of the military truck, the entire squad stood, staring at Aiden in front of them. He had taped a detailed map of Paycus City to the side of the truck, marked with red markers and lines.
"Listen to me everyone!" Aiden began his lecture, pointing at the map. Everyone listened attentively.
"These marked locations indicate that our volunteer companions were escorted by a monster. According to their report, a monster managed to disrupt their transmission signals, and they were subsequently involved in a wave of monsters and were forced to hide somewhere within the marked circle."
"We'll split up. Jelian and Rossi will both go together to check on this monster. It was last seen somewhere around this school." On the map, there was a large school campus next to the red circle.
"Omer and I will head to this marked area and search for our volunteer companions. Finally, Bianchi will accompany the rest of the volunteers, and you will search for any citizens or people around the city. We will meet at our designated location and stay in contact. Understand?"
"Understood!!" In a loud voice, all voices joined in, except for Jelian, who said nothing.
Minutes later, Jelian and Rossi moved side by side, both equipped with cloaks and weapons, ready for anything.
Jelian didn't change anything about his outfit, but he did add some armor and even a weapon rack and ammunition rack, which Aiden had given him.
As for Rossi, he was wearing a green military uniform with a lieutenant's insignia. He was certainly equipped with his own weapons, including a rifle, some ammunition, and grenades. Despite carrying many items, his experience and physical strength compensated for his shortcomings. His body tall, making Jelian only reach his waist.
As they walked along one of the streets toward the school, Rossi broke the silence and said, "You said your name was Jelian, right?"
"Right" Jelian responded coldly, not even turning to him.
"Listen, Jelian, I don't believe what Aiden said. Did you really defeat Andrei by yourself? Tell the truth".
"I did, that's the truth".
"You're still acting in front of me? Do you think you're a superhero?" Rossi frowned and became a little angry.
"Hmm..., a superhero or not, I'm the one who'll be the last," Jelian snorted coldly. Jelian finally turned to him and gave him a cold, sarcastic look.
"Oh, really?"
Suddenly, Rossi grabbed Jelian's shoulder and pushed him against the wall next to them. Jelian showed no expression on his face other than a cold look in his eyes, as if he knew nothing would happen to him.
Suddenly, Rossi pointed his weapon and emitted a terrifying killing intent from his eyes. He flashed a frightening smile and said, "You dare?"
"Try it and you'll see!" Jelian responded coldly, emanating a cold, dark killing intent as well.
The two of them stared intently and intently for a long moment, but neither of them moved at all.
"Ha ha ha, I like your look, kid!" Rossi suddenly laughed, hiding his killing intent and even loosening his hand, and hitting Jelian's back. All he wanted to do was test him and have a little fun.
Rossi wanted to test Jelian, whether he would cower in fear, resist, or run away. With his long experience, he could tell the types of people he encountered—whether they were good enough to work with, or whether they were fearful cowards who wouldn't tire themselves out.
But Jelian proved his strength and calmness in such a situation, proving to himself that he was someone who didn't get nervous or afraid during battles and serious events. Although Rossi still doubted Jelian's ability to win against Andre, he was now certain that Jelian would never let him down.
Rossi and Jelian moved silently and attentively, and after a few minutes, they reached their destination.
They were facing a high wall topped with a barbed wire fence, up to 3 meters high.
The wall didn't cover all sides. They looked to their right and found a destroyed area large enough to fit a truck.
They both moved and entered the school grounds. It's a vast, 200-square-kilometer campus, surrounded by buildings, each one nestled in four-story aisles, forming a square ring. In the middle, there's a small garden no larger than 15 meters.
It's hard to see anything in the dark. Even though they're used to the darkness of night, it's still dangerous to move without seeing anything.
Before they entered the school building, Rossi stopped them and said, "We'll move together, carefully and silently. Is your weapon ready?" Rossi pointed to Jelian's weapon.
Jelian checked his weapon and found it fully loaded. He also checked the extra ammunition on the sling at his waist. He then checked his usual combat dagger, and after confirming everything, he indicated it was ready.
Everything should be checked before entering battle. For example, if you fall into a surprise ambush and find your weapon is out of ammunition, you will expose a weak point and allow the enemy to exploit it. This is certainly not what Rossi and Jelian wanted.
Although Jelian would not be at a disadvantage, given his endurance and the ability to regenerate his body, he certainly would not allow him to reveal it, not even his lie about his physical endurance. It would be a blatant lie, and the secret would be exposed to everyone.
Jelian knew full well that he would lose his peace, and it would be difficult for him to protect Nandi.
Jelian and Rossi moved quietly and attentively into the dark corridors, alert to everything around them. Rossi had experience in military combat and had undergone rigorous training, escaping danger numerous times.
Jelian, on the other hand, had experienced actual combat and had encountered countless deadly situations, both with ferocious and deadly monsters several times his size, and with dangerous individuals with ill intentions. All this to protect Nandi from any imminent danger, he had gained the experience and confidence to confront any danger that lay ahead.
After a while, Rossi was a military scout with a powerful light. Moments later, he heard a voice from the transmitter in his back pocket, surprising Jelian.
"Over..., Rossi..., Aiden with you, you hear me?"
"This is Luciano, I can hear you."
"Tell me your situation."
"We've entered the school building. We're still on the ground floor, and we haven't found any monsters here. What about you?"
"We've searched the area a bit. We think they're in the warehouse ahead. You guys keep searching and stay in touch."
"Okay." He immediately put the radio in his back pocket. Rossi nodded to Jelian, and they continued onward, climbing the stairs.
On the other side, Aiden turned off the radio too, looking toward the iron warehouse beyond two collapsed buildings on both side of the street, it rubble strewn across the road.
Before a while, he had searched the surrounding areas and found no trace of his fellow volunteers. From that moment, Aiden suspected they were at the warehouse, which was the most convenient hiding place.
He was standing next to Omer, and they were both on alert. He had a strong intuition about the presence of monsters hiding in the houses along the street, as they had been mentioned before.
"Omer" Aiden approached Omer and spoke in his ear, "I want you to run quickly down this street, turn around the warehouse, and come back here."
"But be careful and avoid getting yourself into trouble."
"Haha, you know very well that nothing can get me into trouble," Omer sneered, speaking with a touch of arrogance.
Aiden nodded at him and became excited.
Omer lowered his gun and bulletproof vest to the ground, assuming a stance like an Olympic runner, after taking a deep breath and focusing his attention.
Boom...!!
The place he was in exploded, leaving behind a blast of air and thunderous sounds. Within a second, Omer was already approaching the warehouse, about 20 meters away.
Grrrr...!!!, Aaaaah...!, Meow...!, Cococo...!
Suddenly, animal sounds erupted, like a loud concert, and a group of transformed animals emerged from each building. They were just ordinary animals: cats, sheep, chickens, dogs, mice, and more.
But after the transformation, they all took on different shapes and sizes, displaying a purely wild, aggressive aura. Most of them were not as familiar. Some had new or absent limbs, such as new eyes or sharper, longer claws. Others had merged, giving them compound limbs, like the wings of a wild cat. They all certainly had their own attack methods and predatory tactics; weaker prey would be eaten first.
Seeing the sheer number of them, Omer was shocked as he moved his legs at breakneck speed.
The disturbance caused these transformed beasts to become extremely angry, and they tried to catch up with him. But as soon as he took a step, Omer had already taken ten steps. They quickly surrendered, but a small group continued to follow him.
The group of beasts stopped focusing on Omer, but they noticed one at the end of the street. They quickly erupted in a fit of rage and terrifying murderous intent, screaming and running after him without caring about anything.
Aiden stood still, then gave a faint smile. He threw his gun to the ground and pulled out a plastic container containing highly flammable liquid.
"This is where the fun begins!" Aiden shouted, breaking the container, and the question spread across his entire arm.
The container wasn't made of strong plastic; it was made to break easily when pressed hard enough.
In an instant, green flames ignited, igniting Aiden's entire arm. The intense light further enraged the monsters, who charged furiously.
With a single wave, he unleashed a massive, wide, and very fast fireball, hurtling toward the monsters. Suddenly these monsters saw nothing but light.
At the school, on the second floor.
Jelian and Rossi were both exploring. Although they didn't see any signs of any monsters for a while, they didn't let up at all, remaining alert with their eyes wide open.
Boom!!!.
Suddenly, an explosion was heard in the distance. It wasn't massive or even powerful, but the quiet night helped its sound spread.
From the window, Jelian saw a dazzling light behind the distant buildings, a few meters away, then it faded again.
"Looks like Aiden has found them," Rossi commented on the explosion. He didn't look for long, turned around, continued on his way, and followed by Jelian.
They arrived at one of the entrances to the classroom. They both leaned on the wall, each standing on one side of the door. They both braced themselves and nodded to each other. Jelian slowly opened the door, and at the same moment, Rossi pointed his rifle forward with his finger on the trigger, ready for any surprise.
Jelian followed him inside. Rossi pointed his light at every corner of the classroom. It was old and dilapidated, with plants roots growing in a corner and around broken windows. There were scattered, shattered drawers lying in the middle as if they had been piled up by someone. The walls were torn apart, and the blackboard was broken and toppled.
Rossi continued to shine his light at every corner. At the last corner, a group of monsters appeared, seemingly feasting on a corpse. The light turned the group toward Jelian and Rossi, and they became visible.
In front of them was a small group of roosters, but they were severely deformed and twice their size. Even their beaks were enormous, containing sharp fangs.
Cuckoococo!!!!
The rooster screamed, leaving its dinner behind, and leaped toward Jelian and Rossi.
"Fire!" Rossi shouted, pointing his weapon. Indeed, both Jelian and Rossi fired their shots at the mutated roosters.
With one shot, Rossi hit several roosters simultaneously, while Jelian's machine gun fired one after another.
The group of mutant roosters continued to attack, spreading throughout the classroom. With their expertise, they targeted the mutant roosters and successfully brought them down.
After a few minutes, they stopped firing and surveyed their surroundings. The bodies of the mutant roosters lay on the ground, covered in blood. After confirming their deaths, Rossi and Jelian has checked their ammunition consumption. Fortunately, they hadn't used up much. They then left the classroom and continued on their way.
Fortunately, their exploration was relatively smooth, as most classrooms were completely destroyed. Some lacked floors or roofs, while others were filled with debris due to collapsed ceilings or broken walls. When they found an intact classroom, they found nothing.
It would have been strange and suspicious if they had been in the first months after the Great Disaster, due to the massive and widespread presence of monsters. There was hardly a specific area or place without monsters nearby, but nowadays, most of them disappeared for various reasons.
Jelian and Rossi knew the number of monsters was decreasing, but that didn't mean they weren't there at all, and so they were vigilant throughout their exploration.
After leaving the classroom, they encountered large hole in the floor of the corridor they were walking through. However, it didn't stop them. Using the rubble and large stones below, on the ground floor, they were able to reach the other side.
As they all stood up after climbing, they heard faint footsteps at the end of the corridor. Instinctively, Rossi quickly raised his shotgun and aimed it in the direction of the sound. He also pointed his flashlight. They found nothing, but they caught a glimpse of the classroom door closing at the last moment.
Jelian and Rossi nodded to each other, raised their weapons, and moved slowly and cautiously.
When they approached, they assumed the same stance as before and entered the door. This time, however, Rossi stepped forward forcefully, pointing his rifle.
"No! No!!! Please don't shoot me, please!!" Suddenly, they heard a girl's voice screaming in fear.
Rossi pointed the flashlight toward the source of the voice and saw a girl cowering in a corner of the classroom, covering her face with her arms, and her body are trembling.
Rossi lowered his rifle slightly, but not completely. He was still cautious about everything. In this day and age, no one could be trusted, and you should had to expect the worst.
Jelian and Rossi watched the girl in front of them. She calmed down a little, looking with fear and concern. It was difficult to see her features due to the darkness and bad lighting.
"Please don't shoot me..." the girl said in a low voice.
"No one will shoot. Stand up!!," Rossi replied coldly.
The girl began to stand, but slowly and cautiously, still hiding her face due to the strong lighting. She couldn't see anyone in front of her, nor did she know how many there were. All she saw were the silhouettes of a tall, slightly broad figure with very short sides, resembling a young boy.
Rossi turned up the light so he could see everything more clearly. After the girl lowered her hand, her features were revealed.
She was a young girl with a round face and light brown skin. She had round eyes and a double ponytail hair, and her face exuded innocence and kindness.
She was wearing a long-sleeved, patterned white shirt and a pale yellow skirt that reached her knees. The girl stood with a worried and frightened expression.
"Introduce yourself and what you're doing here!" Rossi said solemnly, pointing his rifle.
"Uh..., um..., my name is Noronha Luzia, and I live here in Paycos," Luzia answered hesitantly, a little subdued.
"Miss Noronha, what are you doing here inside the school?"
"Well..., a few hours ago, I saw some strange people entering Paycos, and for some reason they all disappeared, so..., so..."
"Miss Noronha, since you live here, you certainly know this place is dangerous. What were you thinking when you walked in?"
"No problem! I can hide, and they'll never see me!" Luzia's eyes suddenly lit up in a very positive way.
Rossi: "...".
Jelian: "...".
Rossi's expression became complicated and he began to sneer in his mind. Stupid talk doesn't make sense. No matter how well you hide yourself, most monsters have several ways to detect their prey, such as smells, sounds, and even extreme sensitivity to other creatures.
He sighed and furrowed his brows, but Jelian moved and began to speak to her.
"If we think you can hide yourself, what are you going to do next?"
"Huh? Do you think I'm lying to you? Look at this."
Luzia stood up straight, and Jelian and Rossi stared at her. Suddenly, they were shocked and opened their eyes wide.
Jelian saw her but at the same time, he couldn't! As for Rossi, he couldn't see at all.
Jelian had a headache trying to comprehend what was happening. How could you see and not see at the same time?
After a few moments, Luzia stopped using her ability and said, "So? You couldn't see me at all, could you?"
Rossi was shocked. He didn't respond, but his anxiety and tension increased. When your enemy possesses such an ability, he can't do anything. She can stab him in the back in a moment of carelessness. Despite his experience, which told him she was a novice, because she had revealed such a powerful trump card, this proved how immature and inexperienced she was. However, what he was worried about would not happen later if Luzia decided to attack them.
"I can sense your presence, but you disappear in an instant and reappear at the same time!"
Both Rossi and Luzia were shocked by his words.
"Huh??! You can see me?!" she said with a surprised expression.
Rossi was lost in thought, wondering how Jelian could see her. He couldn't at all, but Jelian could. Wasn't this some kind of indicator? Or did those with abilities possess higher potential than he expected?
"So what do we do with her? Leave her alone? Or eliminate her?" Jelian asked Rossi.
Luzia was shocked by his question and expressed concern and fear as she looked at Rossi, who would be the one to make the decision.
Rossi came to his senses after the multitude of questions swirling through his mind and replied, "We won't kill her, but she will have to follow us on our exploration. We will never leave her alone."
Luzia was relieved after hearing his decision. Both Luzia and Jelian had assumed that Rossi's decision was motivated by humanity and an effort to help her. But in reality, it was actually due to his fear and suspicion of Luzia. He would keep an eye on her and would not allow her to do anything reckless.
Jelian, Rossi, and Luzia moved out of the line and headed out into the hallways. Luzia was in the front, at Rossi's command. Luzia didn't think much of it and walked with them, but he still had doubts about her. That's why he wanted to call Aiden and inform him of the situation. This wasn't because he couldn't do anything, but so that the rest of the team would be aware of the situation and could take action, even take countermeasures, should anything happen.
Chhhh…, Chhhh…, "Ove…", Chhhhh…
The transmitter was only emitting interference, which made Rossi increased his anxiety. He was also informed before the mission that the volunteers who had come earlier had been stranded due to these interferences.
Moments later, his flashlight start flickering, blinking intermittently, and then went out.
Everyone stopped, not knowing what had happened.
Rossi hit the flashlight repeatedly. Each time, the light would turn on, but then turn off. After a moment later, it become a completely useless.
Hissssss…, hisssss…
Everyone suddenly heard a distinct hissing sound in front of them, but when they raised their heads, their expressions of terror and fear grew.
In front of them was a huge snake's eye, bigger than a human head, staring down at them from below. They couldn't see the snake's size, but they could visualize it in their minds.