Suddenly, Eli sensed something unusual and furrowed his brows.
At the same time, Alan quickly moved to the corner, pressing his body against the wall as he cautiously peeked ahead.
His eyes scanned the darkness in front of him and noticed a faint light coming from around the next corner.
Alan quickly pulled his head back, signaling Eli to use his phone''s light to signal Ethan and Landon behind them.
Eli acted quickly, using the dim glow of his phone to illuminate the darkness behind him.
Ethan and Landon immediately understood the message Eli was conveying and moved forward swiftly.
Soon, the group gathered under the weak illumination of the phone light.
Ethan spoke first, "What did you find?"
Alan’s voice was deep and steady, getting straight to the point, "There''s light ahead—that''s not normal."
Ethan thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Could be other survivors, but I think that''s unlikely."
Alan nodded in agreement, "That''s what I think too."
Landon frowned and asked, "Could it be zombies?"
Eli immediately shook his head, "Zombies are strong, but they clearly lack intelligence. In other words, they don’t have the ability to use lighting equipment. So, it''s definitely not them."
Alan nodded, evidently agreeing with Eli''s view. His gaze calmly swept across the team members.
"When we get to the next corner, I will check the situation first. If there''s no problem, we will proceed."
No one objected, and the team switched back to their tactical formation, cautiously stepping forward.
On the way, Eli turned off the phone light and put it back in his pocket.
The darkness once again enveloped the surroundings, and he gripped the baseball bat tightly, pretending to be slightly nervous.
As they moved forward, the light ahead grew clearer.
Soon, the team reached the next corner.
Alan pressed himself against the wall, carefully leaning out to observe. The dim yellow light blurred the distant details.
Yet these lights were far brighter than the phone light, enough to reveal the horrifying scene ahead.
The ground was littered with rat corpses, piled so densely that there was hardly an inch of space.
Most of the bodies were mangled, with skin and bones twisted together, and the fractures stained red with blood and flesh.
Even Alan couldn''t help but feel a chill at this sight.
Alan took a deep breath, forcing himself to tear his attention away from the chilling scene. The most important task now was to ensure there were no mutated creatures nearby.
Aside from the scattered rat corpses, the ground was covered in unsettling bloodstained water.
The sewer was covered with mold and filthy sludge, yet there was no sign of any living creatures.
No footsteps, no sound of objects moving, and none of those unsettling growls.
A deathly silence filled the air, sending chills down one''s spine.
After a brief observation, Alan concluded: there was no threat in this area.
Alan withdrew his gaze and quietly led Eli toward Ethan and Landon at the back of the group.
The group gathered once again.
Alan spoke in a low voice, "No mutated creatures ahead. There''s a massive pile of rat corpses, but no other threats."
Ethan frowned, visibly puzzled by this information. "Rat corpses?"
Alan emphasized, "A mountain of rat corpses, covering almost every inch of the ground."
Ethan thought Alan''s words seemed a bit exaggerated, but he also knew that Alan wasn''t in the mood for jokes right now.
Perhaps there really were a lot of rat corpses up ahead.
Ethan spoke in a low voice, "That many corpses aren''t normal. Are you sure there are no mutated creatures nearby?"
Alan replied firmly, "No mutated creatures spotted."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Ethan didn''t press further but got straight to the point, "What do we do next?"
Alan turned his gaze to Eli, his eyes asking for his opinion.
Eli''s brows furrowed slightly, as if weighing the current situation.
His instincts told him there would definitely be danger ahead, possibly even a fight.
But if they chose a different route, they might face an even more deadly threat.
There was no choice—they had to move forward.
He took a deep breath and suggested, "Since there''s no threat ahead, we should figure out why there are so many rat corpses. We might discover something."
Alan nodded, clearly agreeing with the suggestion, but he added, "We have to be careful and be ready for anything."
The team quickly went into action mode, with Alan leading the way, Eli close behind, and Ethan and Landon staying on guard.
They turned the corner and stepped into the area filled with mountains of rat corpses.
The foul stench of decay hit them in the face, the smell of rot and death making each of them wrinkle their noses.
The ground was packed densely with rat carcasses, giving off an oppressive atmosphere.
Ethan''s eyes flashed with unease, and he said quietly, "That''s... too many."
Landon struggled to suppress his nausea, his face as pale as a sheet, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Alan broke the silence: "Landon, stay here and rest. The rest of you, see if you can find any useful clues."
Landon opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.
But as his gaze swept over the rat corpses, his lips quivered, and in the end, he couldn''t utter a single word.
The group began carefully moving through the piles of rat bodies, trying to find any noteworthy clues.
Despite the sea of corpses and the terrible mood, neither Alan nor Ethan voiced a complaint.
Their faces were tense, eyes determined, focusing solely on the task at hand, burying all their unease deep within.
Although Eli put on a disgusted expression, inside he was calm, indifferent to the gore and cruelty in front of him.
It was as if he had experienced such scenes countless times before.
A few minutes later, the group gathered again.
Alan was the first to speak, his voice low, "These corpses weren''t caused by a single mutated creature—the wounds on the bodies are different. At least ten or more mutated creatures have been active around here. It''s clear that those mutated creatures treated the rats as food and fed here."
Ethan had reached the same conclusion, but his brows were tightly furrowed as he asked in confusion, "But why are there so many rat corpses here? One or two makes sense, and even a dozen or so could be understandable, but there are at least hundreds here. Wouldn''t the rats try to escape when facing an enemy?"
Alan voiced his speculation, "If those mutated creatures were able to control the rats, then it all makes sense."
Eli nodded in agreement, "I think so too."
Landon swallowed nervously, "More than ten mutated creatures, capable of controlling rats, with some level of intelligence..."
He originally wanted to suggest, "We should take a different route," but instead, what came out was, "What do we do now?"
Ethan didn''t hesitate, "We need to take a different route."
Alan looked at Ethan, nodding slightly, as if considering the suggestion.
Eli''s heart tightened; he knew the risks of changing routes were high.
He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound rational and calm, "We have no knowledge of the other routes, and we might face even worse enemies—it''s just as risky. And now it seems that the mutated creatures in this area have already left, so why not just keep moving forward?"
Ethan was slightly taken aback; he hadn''t expected Eli to make such a proposal.
He instinctively turned his head toward Eli, his eyes filled with deep confusion and puzzlement.
Eli continued, "What we need most right now is to get through this area as quickly as possible and avoid getting stuck. Changing routes will only add uncertainty, waste time, and potentially lead to encountering more monsters."
Alan gave Eli a meaningful look, and to Eli, it seemed as if his expression was saying, "I knew there was something off about you."
Alan didn''t ask more; he quickly made a decision, "Eli''s right, we''ll keep moving forward."
Ethan looked at Alan, then turned his gaze to Eli''s face, remaining silent in the end.
Landon frowned, clearly hesitant about moving forward.
Nevertheless, he didn''t voice any objection; he simply followed the team''s steps, looking both tense and helpless.
The group continued moving forward, each of them highly alert, gripping their weapons tightly, ready for any sudden situation.
Eli silently scanned the surroundings, his intuition telling him that an enemy was approaching.
As the team gradually neared the next corner, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly came through the air.
The four of them immediately stopped, holding their breaths as they focused on the front.
As the creature drew closer, the rhythm of its footsteps became clearer.
The sound wasn''t heavy—it was like a damp shoe lightly stepping on the surface of water.
The light from beyond their view cast onto a creature, projecting a vague shadow onto the wall, catching everyone''s attention.
As the footsteps drew closer, the shadow grew larger.
The shadow didn''t resemble a human figure; its edges were blurred, carrying an odd sense of curvature.
It didn''t look tall, even appearing frail, but there was an air of swiftness and agility about it.
At that moment, a picture flashed through Eli''s mind:
A hunched figure, slightly frail but extremely agile.
Its skin was grayish-brown, with fierce eyes, and long, curved claws extended from the tips of its fingers, ready to pounce at any moment.
Its face, though showing some human features, had more of the vicious traits of a beast.
Landon''s eyes flashed with fear, and the anxiety from being chased by zombies resurfaced.
Alan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm, his eyes fixed on the approaching shadow.
Alan communicated a command to his teammates through eye contact: Retreat, take a different route.
Eli felt Alan''s resolve and followed him in turning around to retrace their steps, without wasting a single word.
Because Eli knew that there were also mutated creatures along the path they had come from.
If Alan and Ethan found mutated creatures behind them, their only choice would be to come back and break through the danger ahead.
The team turned around and retraced their path, each step taken with extreme caution.
After barely two minutes, chaotic footsteps suddenly echoed from ahead, mixed with low raspy noises.
The sounds were like the sharp, scurrying squeaks of rats—sending chills down their spines.
There was clearly more than one enemy—there were a lot of them, far more than they could have imagined!
Eli knew that their scent had exposed them; those creatures were highly sensitive to the smell of living humans.
Landon''s body trembled; he wanted to turn and run, but reason told him: Where could he run? There were enemies both ahead and behind!
Ethan and Alan felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, their faces darkening.
Eli stared directly at Alan, conveying a silent pressure, as if to say: Don''t hesitate, make a decision now!
Almost instinctively, Alan made his decision, his gestures simple and forceful: Turn around, prepare to fight!
Everyone''s expressions tensed; they gripped their weapons tightly, their steps quickened but remained cautious.
Now, they had no choice but to proceed along their original route.