"Heh heh..."
"Alright, since Brad is thinking so much for all of us, let him stay and guard the helicopter. Even if we forced him to come with us, he'd only be a burden. So why bother?"
"I'll take the lead. Whether it's a cult, a serial killer, or some huge beast, none of them can survive one blast from my shotgun. If one blast isn't enough, I'll give them two more!"
Seeing how cowardly Brad was, Joseph, the most easygoing member of the Alpha Team, clapped his hands and laughed to lighten the mood. While he had good intentions, his words were mostly mocking his teammate. After all, Brad was the one that everyone in the team disliked.
At the same time, Joseph raised his police riot gun high, a confident smile on his face. With his red bandana, camouflage pants, and a look of pride on his face, he was about to become cannon fodder for the zombie dogs. The riot gun he held was a standard issue from the Raccoon City Police Department, and it was equipped with a nuclear-powered flashlight at the front. The flashlight was an amazing piece of tech. If he had a weapon, it would short circuit and turn off. But if he ran out of ammo or had no weapon at all, it would stay on forever. It was a mysterious weapon of law.
And at this moment, Joseph, this carefree guy, was holding the riot gun and flashlight and leading the team into the Arklay Mountains forest.
Although Joseph was reckless, his skills were decent. The Alpha Team had carried out many missions, and Joseph was always at the front, personally clearing the way. This proved his combat ability and experience, as well as his fearless personality. On the battlefield, this kind of fearlessness is a valuable trait. As the saying goes, "the brave will win," and Joseph, with his daredevil attitude, had already won half the battle. Of course... this was assuming he didn't become arrogant or careless.
"Whoosh..."
The Alpha Team moved forward in a diamond formation. Joseph was at the very front, a few meters away from the others. His teammates were on alert, their eyes fixed on the depths of the dark forest. Their years of experience told them that there was a scent of a large beast here.
However, Joseph at the front didn't care. He swung his flashlight around, not believing there were any large beasts here. Even if there were, they would be no match for his gun. He had hunted many wild animals before, and none of them could survive a few shots.
But Joseph didn't notice that he was getting farther and farther away from his team. The other Alpha Team members were cautiously moving, while Joseph was walking fearlessly at the very front. This was a surefire way to die quickly.
The next second...
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
Sure enough, as the rest of the Alpha Team was on alert, a rapid sound of footsteps came from the dark forest, as if some beast was charging at them.
"Be alert!"
"Watch out!"
Hearing the rapid footsteps, the young Chris and Jill shouted a reminder. Their flashlights swept across the dark forest, and their formation began to get chaotic. It wasn't because they lacked experience or training. It was because the combination of factors—the night, the mountains, the forest, an unknown beast, and an uncertain location—would make even a professional soldier a bit panicked, let alone a few of them.
"Hiss... Woof—!!!"
A low growl came from the dark forest, and a T-virus-infected Doberman zombie dog suddenly rushed out, barking loudly in front of them.
The Alpha Team members were stunned for a moment and quickly raised their guns, shooting at the zombie dog.
"Bang, bang, bang—!!!"
A few messy gunshots pushed back the zombie dog. A bullet hit its abdomen, and with a wail, the dog turned and fled into the forest.
"Damn it!"
"I thought it was some kind of large beast. It was just a dog. You guys made me so nervous!"
Joseph, who was at the front, was panting, his chest heaving up and down. Looking at the fleeing zombie dog, he couldn't help but curse angrily. Although he was the farthest from the team, the large beast he saw was just a Doberman. He felt like a fool. He knew there were no large beasts in the Arklay Mountains. A group of people were almost scared out of their wits by a dog. If this got out, they would be a laughingstock!
"Something's not right," Jill said, putting down her gun. "That was a Doberman, but I clearly saw many festering wounds on its body. Why would a dog so badly injured come out and attack people? It should have been hiding. In nature, being injured is as good as half-dead!"
"Heh heh..." Joseph sneered at Jill's hesitation. "Jill, being careful isn't a bad thing, but being too careful is. It's just a wild dog. No matter how strange it is, it can't be a threat to us." He could easily kill it with a small knife, let alone a gun.
But just as Joseph was about to continue his bragging, a strange noise came again.
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
The sound of rapid footsteps returned. This time, Joseph was busy arguing with Jill and had no time to guard against his surroundings. A black shadow quickly darted out, with a clear purpose. The shadow went straight for Joseph's calf.
"Hiss... Woof—!!!"
With a bark, the T-virus-infected Doberman zombie dog opened its foul-smelling, sharp fangs and bit down on Joseph's calf. Even before being infected, Dobermans were aggressive, and now it was even worse. The fangs were like steel needles, instantly piercing through the flesh and bone of Joseph's calf.
"Ah!!!"
"My leg! Damn it... that damned dog—!"
With a scream, Joseph felt a sharp pain in his calf. Seeing the Doberman holding on to his leg, he didn't hesitate. With rage in his eyes, he pressed the riot gun against the dog's neck and pulled the trigger.
"Click... Bang—!!!"
"Squelch..."
The riot gun was still powerful. One shot blew the lower half of the zombie dog apart, and its body lay lifeless on the ground, its head falling off.
However, just when Joseph thought it was over...
"..."
"Jill, hurry! Get the first-aid kit and bandage me! I feel like my calf is about to give out," Joseph said, his lips trembling as he begged Jill for help. Yes, Jill was the medic for the Alpha Team. Although she wasn't a professional combat medic like Rebecca, she was responsible for the team's medical care. That's why Joseph turned to her. After all, only Jill would carry a first-aid kit.
As Jill was about to help Joseph, another rapid sound of footsteps came.
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
"Whoosh—whoosh—!!!"
Two black shadows rushed out from the dark forest. One high and one low, two more Doberman zombie dogs opened their sharp fangs and bit down on Joseph's neck and arm!
"Squelch..."
The sharp fangs pierced his flesh once more. This time, Joseph was truly beyond saving. His neck was pierced. He struggled on the ground for a moment and then fell silent, his eyes wide in shock as he lay on the ground, his body lifeless.
"Joseph----!!!"
The entire Alpha Team panicked and shouted. Their guns quickly opened fire, shooting at the zombie dogs that had killed Joseph. But the zombie dogs ignored them. "We couldn't deal with those two bastards in the forest, but we can definitely deal with you fools," they thought.
At this point, the zombie dogs' clouded eyes flashed with fear. The day before, two terrifying zombie hunters had appeared in the Arklay Mountains. One was big and one was small. The big one was all in black, wearing a helmet, armor, and a big backpack. The old-timers in the forest called him the "Big Black Mouse." The other was a small girl with a baby face, like a tomboy. The tomboy was the most despicable one. She would use her shotgun and large-caliber pistol to beat up their pack, not caring about wasting a single bullet. As soon as the zombie dogs made a sound, the tomboy's bullets would rain down on them. It didn't matter if the bullets hit them or not; she would just shoot where she heard a sound. This bizarre fighting style caused them to suffer heavy losses. They would often be killed by the overwhelming gunfire before they even showed themselves.
Of course, the most horrifying thing was the "Big Black Mouse." He used some kind of sorcery. He had the most common pistol, and he would shoot it without even aiming. But the bullets seemed to have eyes of their own. They would follow wherever the dogs hid, and even if they hid behind a tree, the bullets would curve and hit them. It was a dog-life experience beyond comprehension.
So, facing the two zombie hunters in the forest, the Doberman zombie dogs could only give up and turn their attention to these new recruits who had just gotten off the helicopter. "We couldn't deal with those two bastards, but dealing with you should be easy!"
Javier and Rebecca, the people in question, had no idea that a bounty had been placed on their heads by the zombie dog clan. They had become notorious zombie hunters... no, dog hunters! You must be very, very careful!
Cough, cough...
The above is a bit exaggerated. If it happens to be the same, please do not take it seriously.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!!"
And so, facing the panicked shooting of the Alpha Team, the Doberman zombie dogs were completely fearless. They quickly retreated and once again disappeared into the forest. Even if a bullet hit a zombie dog's body, it didn't do much. As long as the limbs and head weren't hit, the zombie dogs were still full of life and able to bite. As for the abdomen... even three or four shots wouldn't do anything.
Seeing the two or three zombie dogs quickly flee into the dark forest, the Alpha Team members were helpless. They could only let these vicious dogs escape. After all, in the dark forest, if they didn't stick together, they would end up just like Joseph, who was already dead on the ground. So even though the Alpha Team members were eager for revenge, they couldn't act quickly. They could only take it one step at a time.
But... at that moment, their helicopter started up for no reason.
"Buzz... dada dada dada—!!!"
The rotor blades spun at high speed, creating another gust of wind in the forest.
The large helicopter instantly took off. Its searchlight swept the ground, shining on the Alpha Team members. But Brad, the pilot, didn't show any sign of stopping. He just piloted the helicopter with a look of horror, quickly escaping the Arklay Mountains forest!