Bab 61: Searching for Clues
After sending Robert off, Adam immediately heard Red Queen's voice.
"Master, Erica has returned with the target."
"Take her to the lab. I want to closely examine what kind of enhancement Masanobu Tanigawa has undergone."
"Yes, Master."
A few minutes later.
Adam arrived at the underground lab and saw Erica and the members of Zeta Squad, along with Masanobu Tanigawa, tied up like a bundle.
Beside them was another man, cowering in fear—probably the traitor, Yutaka Ozaki.
Erica stepped forward, "Master, both traitors have been brought."
Upon hearing this, Yutaka Ozaki trembled and muttered in a shaky voice, "I... I'm not a traitor..."
But no one paid him any attention.
"Bring Felia here."
"Yes."
Moments later, Felia arrived, wearing glasses, a white lab coat, and high heels. She first curiously glanced at the members of Zeta Squad before turning to Adam.
"Boss."
"Take them for a full-body examination."
"Yes."
Under the escort of Zeta Squad, Masanobu Tanigawa and Yutaka Ozaki did not dare to resist and were obediently taken away.
An hour later, Adam received the examination results.
The genetic makeup of both men was identical to that of regular humans, with no signs of enhancement.
This immediately piqued his interest.
Perhaps, this could open up a new research avenue.
...
Mexico, Hapas State~
As the morning sun slowly rose, Banner walked dejectedly along the street, shirtless but wearing his mysteriously unbreakable pants.
After a while, exhausted, he sat down to rest in a corner of the street.
At that moment, he had no money and no idea where to go. He wasn't even sure when or if he would have his next meal.
He felt utterly hopeless.
He didn't know how much time passed, but eventually, someone took pity on his miserable appearance and tossed a few coins in front of him.
Looking at the coins, hope flashed in Banner's eyes. He lifted his gaze to look at the people around him.
There was hope.
Thus began his life as a beggar.
It was as if he had discovered a shortcut in life. The money came surprisingly fast.
All he had to do was approach women, relying on his handsome appearance and playing the part of a pitiful soul. Most would give him a little something.
Especially the ones who were overweight or unattractive—they tended to be particularly generous.
He even encountered a woman who wanted to keep him as a "pet."
If she hadn't been over 300 kilograms with a body covered in black hair, he might not have continued his begging routine.
Once he had some money, he bought clothes and food, then boarded a train, beginning his journey to the United States.
He needed to find Dr. Stern and solve the problem lurking within him.
.....
One week later, at noon~
In Herat City, Middle East.
Sam, Logan, Victor, and a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were meeting in a secret base.
"Captain Sam, we haven't found any clues about Baru Village."
"But I did hear that a few villages in the area did disappear about three years ago."
"Yes, but you know how chaotic it's been here for the past few years. Almost every day, villages vanish."
"So, we can't be certain where the Baru Village we're looking for is."
After listening to his subordinates' report, Sam stroked his dark chin, deep in thought.
He hadn't expected this mission to be so troublesome. Director Nick had tasked him with investigating the zombie virus, but now they couldn't even find Baru Village.
However, it wasn't entirely their fault. In a war-torn region like this, people frequently relocated. It was normal for villages to vanish.
Aside from the major cities, villages were rarely marked on maps. Searching city by city was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
What should they do?
"Captain Sam, should we try searching another city?"
"No, we can't keep wandering aimlessly like this. We need to contact the local underground groups."
"But the Director instructed us to keep a low profile."
"I'll request permission from the Director."
Seeing that his subordinates weren't fully trusting him, Sam felt a headache coming on.
Thinking of this, Sam glanced over at Logan and Victor. These two mutants had been quiet and compliant, never questioning him.
But they were too solitary and didn't fit in with the group.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have brought them along.
A moment later, Sam took out his communicator and, in front of everyone, began reporting to Director Nick, expressing his desire to make contact with the local underground groups.
After a brief hesitation, Nick eventually agreed to the proposal.
With the go-ahead, Sam led his team in searching for the local underground contacts.
And sure enough, this approach proved very effective.
Upon revealing their S.H.I.E.L.D. affiliation, the underground contacts told them everything they knew.
About 50 kilometers north of Herat City, in the mountainous region, there was indeed a place called Baru Village, which had disappeared three years ago.
However, it was rumored to be haunted, leading to its abandonment and isolation.
Upon hearing this, Sam wasted no time in heading out that afternoon with his team.
Night fell in the mountainous area.
Three tan-colored, camouflaged open-top jeeps made their way along the mountain road.
The rumbling engines were especially loud in the quiet night.
With the help of the headlights and the moonlight overhead, the jeeps moved slowly forward.
Suddenly, there was a loud "bang!" and the lead vehicle rocked back and forth.
Sam, who was sitting in the passenger seat, grumbled in frustration, "Damn these roads. How many potholes is that now?"
The driver next to him nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, no wonder this place is always at war. They're too poor to fix anything."
Just then, Sam noticed something and immediately ordered his men to stop the vehicles.
"Stop!"
As the vehicles halted, Sam jumped out and approached a pole by the side of the road.
The pole was bare, but there was a warning sign on the ground.
Wiping away the dust on the sign with his foot, the letters gradually became visible.
"Danger ahead. Do not proceed."
The sign was in English, clearly left by some American soldiers or other personnel who had passed through here.
This further confirmed Sam's belief that they were in the right place.
"Keep moving forward!"
As the vehicles resumed their journey, Sam began noticing more signs of destruction.
Despite the three years of weathering, there were still scorch marks visible on the ground. And as they continued, the scorched areas became more frequent.
It even seemed as if something had been spread across the ground, preventing any vegetation from growing.
Sam also realized that the usual sounds of insects had stopped as soon as they entered this area.
At that moment, he spotted something white on the roadside and ordered the convoy to stop once more.
Jumping out of the vehicle, Sam and his men approached the white objects, and he immediately gasped in shock.
The white objects turned out to be skulls, piled together to form a grotesque mound.
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