Although Greenridge Base had long since compiled information on zombies and evolved beasts above Level 3, most residents had never actually seen such creatures with their own eyes.
So when Alex rode into the base atop the Black Cloud Leopard, it caused little reaction.
"This base is small," Daniel muttered as he followed Alex through the gates, scanning the fortifications. His gaze shifted back to Alex with awe. "But I didn't expect such a place to have an Awakened as strong as you…"
"Mr. Alex, are you the leader here?" Daniel asked after a moment of hesitation.
In the apocalypse, strength defined authority. With Alex's power, it seemed natural he would command the entire base.
"No," Alex said with a small shake of his head. "I'm not the leader of Greenridge."
Daniel blinked in surprise. "Then your base must be far stronger than I thought. If someone like you isn't in charge…"
Alex was about to respond when his eyes suddenly narrowed.
Up ahead, a group of guards carried a body on a stretcher.
Resources were scarce in the apocalypse. There were no sheets to cover the corpse, leaving its mangled remains exposed to the open air.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd that had gathered, fear etched across every face.
"This is the tenth one killed!" someone whispered. "Are the zombies retaliating against us?"
"Don't be ridiculous," another snapped. "Zombies aren't intelligent. How could they retaliate?"
"But Ashen City had a leader-type zombie, didn't it?" a third voice chimed in nervously. "It commanded others in battle. That takes intelligence…"
Alex listened carefully to the frightened whispers around him and quickly pieced the situation together.
A zombie had recently infiltrated the base. This was already the eighteenth person killed, and panic was spreading through Greenridge.
The worst part was that no one knew how the creature had gotten inside — or where it was hiding.
For days, the guards had searched without finding a single trace.
"Huh? That's bizarre!" Daniel muttered, frowning as he overheard the chatter. "A zombie that plays hide-and-seek? What kind of monster is that?"
Zombies weren't supposed to be intelligent. They acted purely on instinct, which usually made them predictable and easier to handle.
So why was a zombie inside Greenridge Base, striking at night and vanishing during the day?
"Could it be…" Alex's face darkened. A grim possibility took shape in his mind.
He remembered what had happened at Silverlight Tower. There had been a zombie there with plant-like abilities — able to bury itself in the ground and spring out to attack without warning.
That creature had a Level 3 Awakener, with a single ambush.
Of course, the plant-type zombie hadn't been intelligent. But if such a beast were being directed by a zombie leader? That was an entirely different matter.
Yes… it was the only explanation that made sense.
A Level 3 zombie hiding inside Greenridge Base — this threat had to be dealt with, and fast.
"Let's head back," Alex said to Daniel, his expression hardening.
He vaulted onto the Black Cloud Leopard's back. With a powerful leap, the beast carried him swiftly through the base streets toward the central residential sector, where Alex's home awaited.
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The central and most comfortable living area of Greenridge Base was naturally reserved for the higher-ups. The fourteen council members all lived in this section.
Next to a two-story building, a woman in loose, comfortable home clothes sat alone on the edge of a bed, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand, radiating quiet elegance.
When she caught sight of Alex passing by not far downstairs, her expression froze slightly.
"Alex? He actually has an Evolved Beast as a mount?" Seeing him ride the Black Cloud Leopard naturally drew her attention. She shook her head, trying to dismiss it.
But after a moment, a flicker of doubt crossed her brow. She murmured, "That leopard… it looks familiar. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before…"
Suddenly, her coffee cup slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor.
She ignored the mess, her face full of shock and disbelief. "That leopard… it's a Black Cloud Leopard? A late-stage third-level Evolved Beast? Impossible… I must be mistaken."
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Alex and Daniel returned directly to their quarters at Greenridge Base. Opening the door, they found Evan and Lily waiting.
Seeing Alex, Evan's face lit up with surprise and delight. "You're back? Alive?"
Lily said nothing at first, but her expression softened into a bright smile. She threw herself into Alex's arms like a whirlwind, her excitement spilling into her embrace.
"Well, Lily, you've grown quite a bit taller," Alex said, caressing her head. She looked around thirteen or fourteen now — how had she grown so much without him noticing?
"By the way, where are Claire and Max?" Alex asked Evan after giving Lily a gentle pat.
Evan's expression darkened at the question, growing serious. "Something's happening inside the base. The others are busy. There's a hidden zombie in the base — it's killed twenty or thirty people over the past few days, all Awakened. The night before last, a councilor died…"
"Twenty or thirty Awakened? And a councilor?" Alex's face hardened. The situation was far more serious than he had imagined.
Outside residents had only heard about ten deaths. It seemed the higher-ups were deliberately keeping information under wraps.
The death of a councilor made the situation even more severe.
"Yes. Almost every Awakened in the base has been mobilized to search for the hidden zombie. Without that, everyone's on edge. Life has become unbearable."
Evan nodded and gave Alex a general update on the current state of Greenridge Base.