In the distance, moments before Jason's group realized they were surrounded by walkers, Daryl was walking alongside Glenn and Ferdinand, accompanied by the rest of the team.
"So you're saying that the monster who killed all those people who entered the military camp was never actually seen by anyone, right?"
Glenn was deeply intrigued by what Ferdinand and his companion had said. Even if it sounded crazy to think there were monsters more dangerous than walkers, he was simply satisfying his curiosity.
"We shouldn't be heading toward the camp right now—this is too dangerous." Ferdinand hadn't explained exactly what he was so afraid of, which only made the others even more curious.
"Well, whatever it is, the special team up front will take it down. They were all soldiers before, some even help teach others how to shoot."
"Focus. We can talk after this is over," Maggie said, glancing at Glenn.
Just then, Elias's voice came through the radio.
"Zz… The team needs help—they're surrounded by walkers."
Daryl stopped walking and frowned. He grabbed the radio on his chest and said:
"Zz… How did they end up surrounded?"
"Zz… These walkers are strange—nothing like we've seen before. Don't talk—the team needs backup."
Without replying, Daryl raised his rifle and quickly moved through the streets. Glenn's expression turned serious—something was definitely happening.
Ferdinand looked at the group and imagined what must be happening now at the military camp. Many teams had died there, unable to do a thing.
...
Amid the sounds of gunfire and clashing metal, the sudden activity naturally drew the attention of all nearby walkers, causing them to head in Jason's direction.
From the sound of bullets in the distance, Jason's separated group was likely still fighting off the remaining abnormal walkers. Initially, the situation was bad, but with Elias and Sasha providing support from afar, the intensity had lessened.
Within just a few seconds, Jason had entered a fight to the death with a walker that was unlike anything he had seen or known. At the very least, Jason couldn't remember seeing anything like it before. This mutated walker was something new, and that made him extremely uneasy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With two quick shots, Jason eliminated two walkers approaching from either side, and just as he turned back toward the different-looking walker, it was already closing in on him.
Crash!
Using brute force, Jason hurled the walker's body aside and shot it twice. However, two more walkers emerged from a corner, and Jason had to spin around again.
"This has to be a joke!"
Realizing his pistol was out of bullets, Jason pivoted and reloaded while kicking away another walker that came at him.
He had been keeping an eye on the special walker the entire time. He knew it was something the scientists at the prison needed to know about—this wasn't supposed to be happening.
Bang! Bang!
After taking out the two walkers flanking him, Jason raised his pistol and, with three quick shots, dispatched them with ease. But those few seconds of distraction gave the mutated walker the chance to pounce, and due to his poor footing, Jason fell to the ground.
Luckily, he still had his gas mask on, so the blood and saliva that splashed onto his face didn't reach his skin. Using his left hand and a lock from his waist to keep the walker from biting him, he resisted its attack.
He could now see the walker's skin and teeth up close. Its abnormal strength, speed, and movements were something Jason hadn't been prepared for. But that didn't matter now—slowly moving his pistol toward the walker's head trapped between his legs, Jason didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet shot out of the barrel, but Jason didn't stop there—he fired two more times before the walker's strength finally began to fade.
After killing the strange walker, Jason let out a breath and muttered,
"Damn disgusting thing. How the hell can something like this exist in the world? They're not walkers…"
"Jason!"
At that moment, a panicked shout came from a distance, and Glenn rushed to help Jason get the corpse off him. Seeing the blood covering Jason's mask, Glenn feared the worst.
"Daryl, Jason is—" Just as Glenn was about to cry, he got smacked on the head.
"He's alive. Stop making a scene," Daryl said, kicking the mutant corpse and inspecting it.
Hearing this, Jason's expression turned a bit odd, though the mask kept his true emotions hidden. Removing the gas mask, Jason looked at the group and said,
"Looks like there really was something strange here. Check the bodies and make sure they don't get up."
Then he looked down at the corpse. Its skin was gray, and its muscles seemed to resist decomposition, giving it greater strength and speed. Its blood was dark, as if it belonged to some unknown creature.
Jason checked his hands and scanned his body for wounds. Though he was sore, he had no visible injuries—only muscular pain. With Daryl's help, Jason stood up and they exchanged a look.
"This one's special. A walker that seems to have mutated. The other walkers were lying on the ground pretending to be corpses, and when we were surrounded, they attacked." Raising his pistol, Jason shot the corpse twice more.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets pierced the head of the mutated walker, and its dark blood mixed with the dirt on the ground, staining everything.
The corpse didn't even twitch. It had been dead for a while.
"Secure the bodies on the ground. Stay alert—they might still be alive!"
"Alive?" Everyone turned to Jason, confused by what he meant.
"Their nature is unknown. I can't give you a clear answer—I have no idea what these things are," Jason said coldly.
Bang!
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out behind them, and everyone up front flinched instinctively.
"Boss!" Jon and Billy, who had been separated from Jason, arrived with Merle, who led the other group. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw no one was hurt.
"How's everyone else?" Jason asked directly, skipping any unnecessary words.
"We're all fine. The air doesn't seem to be the issue here. We eliminated all the walkers with Merle's support—the camp is clear now."
Jason nodded and then said,
"Move the bodies and burn them. If possible, I want to collect samples from this special entity and preserve them."
"We'll get it done, sir."