Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 208: Great Terror, A Thousand Corpses Underwater!

Silence, like the mist in the night, slowly spread between the two of them.Looking up toward the riverbank, a thin layer of mist had already shrouded the sky above Dabo Town.

It was hard to tell if it was the lingering smoke from burning the vines during the day, or a hazy, ghostly fog signaling approaching danger, but it simply made one's heart sink.

Luo Kuke did not say another word. He had already made his stance perfectly clear; saying any more would contradict his usual principle of "knowing when to stop."

The only reason he had even spoken those words was because the two of them were teamed up in the Wilderness right now, temporarily away from the power struggles of the Buffer Zone. Moreover, he had been startled by that Trainee Inspector, Cheng Ye, and in a moment of shame and realization, he felt that being a Third-stage Inspector was nothing more than a lock binding him.

Garcia also tactfully refrained from asking further questions.

He knew very well that the current situation was no longer something that could be resolved simply by running over to Cheng Ye and offering a polite apology. The personal grudge between them was a minor issue. As long as he was willing to bow his head, given Cheng Ye's style of doing things, there was a high probability he wouldn't hold onto the past.

What truly trapped him was "power" itself. It was the attention and resources he had enjoyed out of thin air during this period without paying any price.

Once some things started, they were like runaway wild horses; one lost all control and could never stop.

Once one climbed to certain positions, only a cliff remained below. If one tried to jump down voluntarily, nine times out of ten, they would be smashed to pieces. He had performed terribly in the first round of the written assessment, failing to clarify his thoughts on many core issues.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't have been his turn to participate in the contract management at all. Whether it was the first round or the current second round, he wasn't qualified to stand on the stage.

But simply because of that little grudge with the descendant of the Easterner Cheng family, he became the vanguard of the younger generation of Westerners and was forcefully pushed into the limelight.

Otherwise, he would just be one of the most inconspicuous ordinary Inspectors among the dozens of Westerner Inspectors.

The heavy silence lasted for over ten minutes. It wasn't until the footsteps of the Patrol Team echoed from the corridor of the Abandoned Granary that Garcia finally took a deep breath, his voice lowered to a whisper, "Inspector Luo, do I... have any other paths left to take?"

"Other paths?" Luo Kuke was taken aback, a hint of surprise in his tone. "Don't tell me you haven't formally made contact with them?"

"I have, but I... didn't agree to it," Garcia slowly shook his head, a trace of struggle hidden in his eyes.

"Then it's easy," Luo Kuke's tone relaxed a bit. "After this assessment is over and we return, just apply for field missions and leave. For the next three years, try not to return to the Buffer Zone except during winter. If you complete your field missions beautifully, no one will ever bring up what happened in the past."

"Is this the only way?" Garcia pressed, seemingly still hoping for other possibilities.

Luo Kuke did not answer directly, instead asking a question in return, "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

"Huh?" Garcia paused, unable to react for a moment.

"Defeat him, and your name will definitely be on the list of Third-stage Inspectors."

After saying this, without waiting for Garcia to react, Luo Kuke turned around and walked toward the approaching Patrol Team, stating clearly:

"Everyone, put in some extra effort for the first half of the night. Inspector Garcia and I will take turns on duty, switching every hour to familiarize you with the patrol route and ensure your safety."

"Understood!"

Having Inspectors leading the team was obviously much safer than wandering blindly through the pitch-black Dabo Town on their own.

Four patrol squads, a total of 32 people, marched out of the Abandoned Granary in a formidable group.

Compared to the daytime patrol route, tonight they also had to cover the Blue Zone, significantly expanding the area. However, the workload was actually lighter, as they didn't have to constantly worry about monsters suddenly darting out from the Blue Zone.

As long as they maintained the safety of the entire Dabo Town and held out until the second half of the night, the danger would be greatly reduced.

Of course, the possibility of Infected Bodies coming ashore in the latter half of the night couldn't be ruled out either.

Luo Kuke designated the riverbank as the first stop on the patrol.

This was the most dangerous place in all of Dabo Town, as well as a location with a high frequency of Infected Body appearances. Normally, however, Infected Bodies would leave obvious tracks when they came ashore.

He had prepared for this during the day, quietly sprinkling fluorescent tracking powder along the riverbank. Now, simply shining a flashlight over it would cause the powder to reflect a fluorescent band, making it easy to track any signs of movement.

"Where is the flashlight?"

"Sir, right here!" Someone hurriedly handed over a flashlight.

Luo Kuke turned sideways to take it and pressed the switch. A long beam of light shot toward the ground, extending a yellow band of light for over a hundred meters along the riverbank.

Fortunately, there were no abnormal traces on the section of the illuminated band closest to the Red Zone.

"Keep moving forward! Everyone, stay close to me and don't scatter!"

He shouted, turning his head to glance warningly at a few team members in the back row whose eyes were already looking slightly glazed. He then calmly continued walking forward along the yellow band of light.

The more than thirty people behind him immediately followed, everyone nervously gripping the pistols at their waists.

Come to think of it, this was their first time approaching the water's edge at night. After walking a few steps, a few of them finally couldn't resist their curiosity and looked toward the river surface beside them.

'It's truly beautiful.'

A thin mist shrouded the river's surface, and the scattered moonlight spilled down, shimmering with silver ripples.

Occasionally, a few large fish leaped out of the water with a loud splash, before sinking back into the waves a second later.

A few people in the back row stared blankly, unconsciously slowing their pace. Bizarre hallucinations even began flashing through their minds.

It was as if a voice was softly tempting them, "It's so beautiful underwater. The water is incredibly warm. Come down and feel it..."

'Is it really that beautiful?'

A person at the tail end of the group suddenly halted. His eyes became glazed, and he subconsciously drifted toward the edge of the river embankment.

But just as he was about to step down, a gunshot suddenly exploded with a loud bang.

Whoosh.

A bullet grazed past his foot, kicking up a brilliant trail of sparks against the ground.

The sudden noise jolted the man, and all his trance and daze vanished in an instant.

He turned his head, only to see Luo Kuke striding over with a dark expression.

"Don't look underwater! Do you want to die?"

"Yes, yes, Inspector Luo!" the team member hurriedly responded, his face turning pale as he apologized.

In that split second, he had actually forgotten that the dangerous White Water River lay before him. Instead, he had viewed the river's surface as a steaming hot spring.

He didn't dare to imagine what his fate would have been had he taken another step forward without Luo Kuke's timely intervention.

"Listen up, everyone!" Luo Kuke raised his voice, shouting to the entire squad. "The Infection Sources in the water rely on the same few tricks over and over again, which is nothing more than luring you into the water to join them. Just remember one thing: do not touch the water, and ignore those hallucinations. If you do that, absolutely no Infection Source will be able to parasitize you! Understood?"

"Understood!" the team members replied in unison.

Having deliberately made an example out of the man to ensure everyone was fully alert, Luo Kuke finally felt a bit more at ease. He turned around and continued inspecting along the band of light.

The quality of this group actually wasn't bad; they just lacked experience with nighttime operations and patrols in the Wilderness.

Luo Kuke said no more. Clenching his flashlight, he continued checking the traces of the tracking powder along the riverbank, not stopping until they reached the dock.

The dock had a flight of stone steps leading directly down into the water. It was highly likely that the two team members who went missing during the day had entered the river from this exact spot.

He shined the flashlight beam over, carefully sweeping it across the shoreline that had been sealed off with tracking powder.

The powder was even, showing no signs of being trampled or disturbed.

"Good. The river's current seems to have sped up a bit," Luo Kuke breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, 'As long as no Infected Bodies come ashore, we should be able to get through tonight peacefully.'

He didn't linger and continued leading the team forward on their patrol.

Walking a complete circle around Dabo Town took about half an hour. The Patrol Team made two full rounds before finally returning to the Abandoned Granary.

Garcia was sitting on the ground dozing off. Hearing the footsteps, he jolted awake instantly.

"I scattered tracking powder along the riverbank. After you take over, go inspect it first," Luo Kuke specifically instructed. "If you discover any anomalies, do not rashly investigate them. Come back and tell me immediately, and then contact the Blue Zone."

"Remember, don't try to be a hero."

"Don't worry, I know what's at stake." Garcia nodded. He stood up and woke the 32 team members resting inside the granary, preparing to take over the patrol.

By now, the night had grown deep. It was ten o'clock in the evening, and the night mist in the air was thicker than before. The distant scenery was wrapped in a blurry white shroud, and even the outlines of objects had become indistinct.

Following Luo Kuke's instructions, Garcia led his men to the riverbank first and clicked on his flashlight, sweeping the beam across the ground.

The fluorescent band formed by the tracking powder remained eye-catching. The long, unbroken line glowed in the dark, bringing a slight sense of relief. But after walking just a few steps forward, he suddenly furrowed his brows, and the flashlight's beam subconsciously shifted toward the surface of the water.

It was a very strange feeling.

In that brief moment, he distinctly felt something staring at him from beneath the water, no more than a few meters away.

However, when the beam of light pierced through the mist and illuminated the water, he only saw the surging river current flowing forward. There wasn't a single shadow to be seen.

"These damn things..." he cursed silently in his heart. Unwilling to take any risks, he immediately signaled everyone. "Don't walk along the riverbank anymore. Everyone, retreat to the small path over here! Don't look for anomalies with your bare eyes; just use the flashlights to check if the fluorescent powder has been disturbed from a distance."

The group backed away and followed the small path, inspecting nearly a kilometer of the riverbank.

The fluorescent powder was perfectly intact, without any signs of being touched. "Alright, let's go check the other parts around the town!"

After a hasty observation, the hair-raising feeling in his heart became increasingly pronounced.

Garcia simply turned his head and quickly led his men away toward the side of the town farthest from the river.

When they reached the vicinity of the Blue Zone's Supermarket, he deliberately slowed his pace and looked toward the modular units in the parking lot.

Dim yellow light seeped through the cracks of the units, accompanied by the rising and falling sounds of snoring. It was filled with a reassuring sleepiness.

Compared to the Red Zone residents crammed into stuffy, oppressive basements, the people in the Blue Zone were clearly much more comfortable.

After watching for a moment, he couldn't help but laugh at himself in self-deprecation.

If he were a Resident, he would probably prefer to come to the Blue Zone as well. Who would want to stay in a cramped underground space?

But after walking just a few steps forward, his feet suddenly came to a halt. At the base of the Supermarket wall, Cheng Ye was leaning there in his combat armor. Like a silent scarecrow, he stood motionless, guarding the surroundings.

'Is he resting while standing?'

Garcia's eyes widened in disbelief, almost doubting what he was seeing.

It wasn't until Cheng Ye seemingly sensed his gaze and lifted his head to look over.

The moment their eyes briefly met, Garcia reacted like a frightened rabbit, immediately shifting his gaze and hurriedly leading his team on a detour around him.

Even after walking hundreds of paces away, the shock in his heart still hadn't faded, leaving behind only a complex, indescribable emotion.

It was hard to imagine. He couldn't help but think back to when he was still a Trainee Inspector.

Back then, the Inspection Station still had night shifts running from 10 PM to 6 AM the following day.

At that time, let alone standing guard alone at night, he had been filled with terror even when patrolling alongside veteran Inspectors.

Yet now, this guy whom Luo Kuke called a "genius" was actually standing guard outside all by himself while everyone else rested?

By the time the patrol ended and he returned to the granary for the shift change, the daze on Garcia's face still hadn't dissipated.

"What's wrong?" Seeing that his expression was off, Luo Kuke paused and asked.

"N-nothing," Garcia forced a stiff smile. "It's just that we need to be more vigilant in the second half of the night. He still hasn't gone to rest; he's still standing guard over by the Supermarket."

"Oh, I thought some trouble had happened." Luo Kuke breathed a sigh of relief before chasing after the main point, "You didn't find any anomalies by the riverbank, did you?"

"The riverbank..." Garcia paused, his tone growing solemn. "When I was walking by the water, I kept feeling like something underwater was staring at me. I don't know what kind of monstrous thing it is. When you patrol later, don't go near the bank. Just use your flashlight from the small path to check the fluorescent powder."

"Mm."

Luo Kuke nodded slightly.

Experiencing inexplicable feelings of being watched was commonplace in the Wilderness. Most of the time, it was due to an Infection Source roaming nearby.

Normally, one would need to get away as quickly as possible in such situations. However, this was a crucial period for Pioneering. Even knowing there was danger in the river, they couldn't just abandon their patrol based purely on a "feeling."

Once Garcia took his team to rest, Luo Kuke led his own squad out.

He didn't bother trying to verify whether Garcia's feeling was real or not. Following the advice, he directly led his men onto the small path and swept his flashlight toward the fluorescent powder on the riverbank.

The glowing band was exceptionally intact, without even a single gap that warranted a closer look.

'That makes sense. Perhaps that Poisonous Water Crystal really did just wash down from upstream,' Luo Kuke breathed a secret sigh of relief. 'Dabo Town has been abandoned for so many years without a single soul around. Why would there be so many Infection Sources staring at this place?'

He led his men on a complete inspection around the town. Finding no anomalies, they quickly headed back to the granary.

Passing by the Blue Zone parking lot, he recalled Garcia's words and couldn't help but stop to take a look. Sure enough, Cheng Ye was still leaning against the Supermarket wall. Even at this hour, he still hadn't gone inside to rest.

Furthermore, he was truly standing guard with meticulous attention. The moment he sensed his gaze, Cheng Ye immediately lifted his head, and the two briefly made eye contact.

Luo Kuke froze for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hand, signaling that he was merely passing by and that nothing had happened, before rushing away.

By the time he returned to the granary for the next shift change, it was nearly midnight.

The dark clouds overhead had grown thicker, tightly obscuring most of the moon. The night became increasingly dense and pitch-black.

After confirming that neither had discovered any anomalies, the two smoothly swapped shifts.

This kind of night patrol wasn't particularly exhausting physically, but it was terrifying. The invisible pressure forced one to keep their mind taut at all times.

Come 2:00 AM, it would be time for the people from the Blue Zone to take over the next shift.

When Luo Kuke led his men back to the granary, Garcia was sprawled on the ground, dozing. Hearing the noise, he jolted awake instantly, forcing himself past his exhaustion to stand up and take over.

"Are you still holding up?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired from being busy all day," Garcia shook his head. If he couldn't even handle a minor task like a night patrol, he would truly be unworthy of the position of a Happiness City Inspector.

Leading the team out along the previous route, he headed to the riverbank for inspection first.

By now it was the dead of night. The river mist had completely enveloped the entire White Water River. It was so hazy that even the outline of the river's surface was obscured, let alone anything beneath the water.

Garcia became even more afraid to approach the bank. He simply led his men close to the inner side of the small path, sweeping the flashlight over the fluorescent powder from a distance.

"Nothing's wrong..."

Confirming that the glowing band was completely intact, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

In truth, after midnight, the probability of encountering danger in the second half of the night grew smaller and smaller. However, that previous feeling of "being stared at" had been so awful that just thinking about it still made his heart pound.

The team continued forward all the way to the dock. The fluorescent powder remained perfectly untouched.

But just as Garcia was about to give the order to check other areas, a series of alarmed cries suddenly rang out from the team members behind him:

"Sir! Look over there!"

'Huh?'

Garcia didn't turn his head. His first reaction was to grip the pistol at his waist and dart to the side without a second thought.

Only after retreating to a safe distance did he vigilantly turn around.

The team members were pointing toward the distant dock, their eyes filled with curiosity, as if they had seen something emerge from the water.

However, looking in the direction they were pointing, Garcia frowned. He couldn't see anything at all.

But the very next second.

He abruptly looked down, his heart violently clenching.

Sometime without his knowing, water had accumulated on the ground at his feet, even rising past his ankles!

Boom.

It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his brain.

All his daze vanished in an instant. He forcefully shook his head, only to realize that as he walked, he had strayed from the small path and was now standing on the steps of the dock's Drainage Outlet.

Meanwhile, the 32 team members who were originally following him were now all standing in the water. Holding hands to form a continuous line, they walked toward the depths of the river with vacant, glazed-over eyes.

Had it not been for that instinctive vigilance that made him dart back a step just a moment ago, he would likely have already stepped into the water and ended up exactly like his team members!

Sensing that Garcia had halted his steps, the team member at the very back suddenly turned his head. With a bizarre smile on his face, he waved at him, "Sir, the water feels so nice. Why don't you come over?"

Between life and death, there lies Great Terror!

Almost the instant the voice fell, the brief moment of clarity Garcia had just regained vanished.

His vision blurred, and the accumulated water at his feet vanished into thin air. The team members standing in the water completely disappeared, and the scene abruptly shifted back to the edge of the small path.

All the team members turned around, their gazes fixed on him in unison, their tones tinged with confusion, "Sir, why are you standing by the water?"

1

Goosebumps erupted all over Garcia's body. He subconsciously glanced backward from the corner of his eye, and that single look nearly made his scalp explode.

Right behind him were the steps leading down to the dock's water!

Even though the team members were clearly standing on the safe path, he had somehow drifted over to the dangerous edge of the dock without realizing it. One more step forward, and he would plunge into the White Water River.

Realizing this, his cognitive perception felt like a crumpled ball of paper, blurring and scrambling madly in his mind.

However, under the gaze of all the team members, Garcia paused. Suddenly, a ruthless, feral grin flashed across his face:

"To hell with your fucking hallucinations!"

He didn't fire at the team members in front of him. Instead, he pulled out a palm-sized square alloy box from his waist and pressed the switch.

A ghostly green orb of light popped out with a snap.

"You want to play these games with me? I'll play with you to the end!"

Grinning maliciously, he flipped open the visor of his combat armor, grabbed the orb of light, and shoved it straight into his mouth.

In an instant, countless green veins crawled up his throat and covered his skin. The scene before his eyes shattered like a broken mirror. Taking another look—where were the team members?

He was entirely surrounded by ashen-faced corpses, their bodies wrapped in rings of purple veins. Pairs of ferocious blue-gray crab claws had unfurled from their backs.

These "people" lowered their heads slightly, forming a circle around him, staring fixedly at him with hollow eyes.

Looking again—where was the dock?

He was clearly stepping on the last two steps of the stairs. His waist was already submerged in the water, and it was solely thanks to the isolation provided by his combat armor that the river water hadn't invaded his body.

"Sir, why haven't you come over yet?"

"Sir, why haven't you gotten into the water yet?"

"Sir, why haven't you died yet?"

"Sir..."

The dense, overlapping voices rang out once more. Garcia felt a wave of dizziness wash over his mind, and his expression changed drastically.

Even though his body had already been occupied by an Infection Source and had entered an explosive state, those hallucinations were still eroding him.

'Just what kind of power is this?'

'What the hell are those purple veins?'

He fiercely grabbed his two-way radio and roared, "Luo Kuke! There's danger by the river! Everyone has been parasitized!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he clamped his flashlight onto his chest. Regardless of whether the message had been transmitted or not, he turned around and dove straight into the water.

With a loud splash, the heavy combat armor dragged him down toward the bottom of the White Water River. The rushing water instantly submerged his head, wrapping around him and sweeping him toward the middle and lower reaches.

Relying on the beam of light from the flashlight on his chest, Garcia widened his eyes and stared ahead before his visor could fill with water.

That single glance made him freeze completely!

Without his knowing, the area beneath the surface had become completely piled with corpses!

Stacked layer upon layer, they were piled a full several meters high. At first glance, there were at least several hundred—nearly a thousand of them.

The corpses clung to the concrete of the river embankment. Like stretched-out noodles, they pulled and tugged at one another, swaying up and down with the waves in the river.

Everyone's faces were covered in a layer of un-washable mud, yet the feral grins stretching the corners of their mouths were vividly clear.

They turned their heads, their pale, whitened eyes filled with unconcealed greed and a hint of unwillingness.

"This is..."

Fragments of intelligence reports he had seen somewhere suddenly exploded in his mind, instantly snapping Garcia fully awake.

Time rewound to two months prior.

June 14th. A sudden flash flood occurred in a tributary of the Linjiang River in the early hours of the morning. The water level surged by seven meters, and the corpses of all the drifters became wedged under the broken bridge thirty kilometers outside of Yun City...

June 17th. The broken bridge was washed away. The corpses flowed down the tributary of the Linjiang River and converged into the main trunk of the Linjiang River...

3:00 AM.

The alarm on the Defense Terminal rang out. Cheng Ye opened his eyes, feeling the exhaustion across his body had mostly dissipated.

"So refreshing!"

He stood up and stretched a few times, his focus instantly sharpening.

Even though he had to "sleep" standing up, leaning against the wall in his combat armor wasn't much different from lying down to rest. In fact, it was even slightly more comfortable.

Moreover, likely because he had consumed too much Vigor yesterday, he slept exceptionally deeply and comfortably.

Furthermore, with Little Flame keeping watch, he didn't need to worry at all about Infection Sources or Infected Bodies approaching from inside or outside. He was even able to react instantly to the mid-patrol peeks from Luo Kuke and Garcia.

After briefly stretching his body, Cheng Ye rolled his head and neck, making his way toward Unit Three.

However, before he even reached the door, he saw it swing open. Huang Liang, having woken up at some unknown time, was leading out the designated night patrol members in a single file.

"Where is Li Jie?"

"Sir, Li Jie still hasn't woken up, so I took it upon myself to cover a shift for him first." Huang Liang chuckled, reaching up to scratch his head.

"Don't tell me you didn't sleep at all?" Cheng Ye looked him up and down, a glimmer of appreciation flashing through his eyes.

"It's not that! My Vigor recovers quickly. Sleeping four hours a day is plenty for me!" Huang Liang patted his chest.

"Oh?"

Cheng Ye nodded lightly, silently making a note of this. Could it be that Huang Liang also possessed a skill for recovering Vigor?

However, now wasn't the time to press for details. He signaled for Huang Liang to bring everyone out first.

Headcount and equipment check!

Although the Blue Zone had 62 Able-bodied Youths, not too many were needed for a night patrol. Sixteen people were enough.

Divided into two squads, even if they encountered danger, he would be able to watch over them in time.

Moreover, they still needed to keep hands available for daytime construction. Dragging too many people out for night duty now would easily trap them in a vicious cycle of having "no one to work"

during the day.

Very quickly, everyone's weapons and bullets were fully inspected.

Huang Liang brought out the pre-prepared nutrient paste, distributing two pouches per person. They squatted on the ground, drinking water while squeezing down the nutrient paste to replenish their stamina.

But before Cheng Ye could even lift his visor, he spotted Luo Kuke rushing over with several people through the distant darkness, his footsteps conveying an obvious panic.

Coming closer.

Seeing Luo Kuke's pale face and uncontrollably twitching lips, Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly stood up.

The two parties didn't immediately close the distance. Instead, they first raised their flashlights to exchange signals: three flashes up, three flashes down, and then two flashes each to the left and right.

Confirming the signals were correct, Cheng Ye finally let out a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to meet him. "What happened?"

"Garcia is missing!" Luo Kuke rushed over, clearing the distance in wide strides, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremble. "The four patrol squads he was leading, a full 32 people, are all gone!"

"What?" Cheng Ye's expression darkened instantly.

"We agreed to swap shifts every hour. Two o'clock was my last shift, and he was responsible for the patrol from two to three o'clock.

Logically speaking, he should have returned a long time ago. But I just took some men out to search around, and we didn't catch a single glimpse of them. It's exactly the same as the two people who suddenly vanished during the day!"

Luo Kuke spoke extremely fast, his tone brimming with anxiety.

"You didn't try contacting him via the two-way radio?" Cheng Ye paused, his gaze falling upon the radio hanging from Luo Kuke's waist. "That's the most troublesome part! Look at your own radio; the signal has been completely blocked!" Luo Kuke said anxiously.

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye was taken aback. He immediately turned around and pulled out the emergency rescue radio that was distributed during the day from his Backpack.

This was the most convenient way to observe the signal.

When there was an active signal connection, the emergency distress button in the center would flash a green light every thirty seconds.

During use, a short press would establish contact with the two-way radio in Wang Kang's hands, while a long press would send a long-distance distress signal to Wu Rui.

But now...

"There's no problem?"

Looking at the green light that was still flashing rhythmically, Cheng Ye raised his head, his gaze meeting Luo Kuke's stunned expression.

Both of them retreated two steps almost simultaneously, without showing any emotion on their faces. The air instantly thickened with vigilance.

"Are you seeing a red light?" Cheng Ye asked in a deep voice.

"Look at mine." Luo Kuke held up his own two-way radio. After a few seconds, the emergency distress button in the center also lit up with a green halo. "What color is it now?"

"Green."

"But I see red."

"Press the button in the center." Cheng Ye stepped back another two paces, his hand instinctively falling onto the Bison Combat Pistol at his waist.

'Good lord.'

'Cognitive alteration? A hallucination? Or has he already been parasitized by an Infection Source?'

"Alright!" Luo Kuke didn't hesitate and immediately pressed the contact button.

The very next second, a shrill, tragic voice exploded from the two-way radio: "Luo Kuke! There's danger by the river! Everyone has been parasitized!"

It was Garcia's voice!

'Huh?'

Cheng Ye shuddered, but what made his heart race even faster than the message itself was the fact that the people beside Luo Kuke showed absolutely no reaction.

He turned his head. Huang Liang and his group, who were already standing behind him, also looked as if they hadn't heard a thing. Their faces were full of bewilderment.

'Am I the only one who can hear it?'

Cheng Ye suddenly froze and turned around, waving to Huang Liang. "Huang Liang, look at this communicator of mine. What color is the center?"

Huang Liang hastily leaned closer and peered at it for a few seconds before answering without hesitation, "Sir, it's red!"

Boom!

An indescribable sense of dread instantly surged from the bottom of his heart. Cheng Ye stiffened in place, feeling a chilling sensation shoot straight from the soles of his feet up to his scalp. The signal color he saw was different from Luo Kuke's, what Huang Liang saw was different from what he saw, and he was the only one who could even hear the voice on the radio!

"Inspector Luo."

"Yes?" Luo Kuke had clearly realized that something was wrong as well. His expression was grave, but he didn't dare make a rash judgment.

"Shall we go look by the river?"

"Let's go." Luo Kuke nodded. The group immediately rushed toward the riverbank. Not daring to approach the water's edge, they all stood on the small path situated far away from the bank.

He turned on his flashlight, aiming the beam at the row of Crab-men standing along the riverbank that stretched as far as the eye could see.

At the same time, he rapidly called out in a low voice, "Can you see it? I scattered a line of fluorescent tracking powder by the river, and it's all still completely intact!"