บท 62: The Licker Appears

"Oh, God, what is this?"

"This is too brutal! Did someone carry out a massacre here?"

"To be capable of such an atrocity—these beasts are simply inhuman!"

"Captain Sam, we must report the situation here."

Sam nodded in response to his subordinate's suggestion. "It will be reported, but first, we need to figure out exactly what happened here. Let's keep moving."

After a brief moment, the group got back into their off-road vehicles and continued their journey. As Sam glanced back at the nearby towering pile of skulls, a sense of foreboding washed over him. He feared this mission would be far more complicated than it seemed on the surface.

*Rumble, rumble…*

Thunder echoed in the distance as the moon disappeared behind the clouds, plunging the world into even deeper darkness. Sam looked up at the sky and muttered in a low voice, "It's going to rain."

Sure enough, a light rain began to fall shortly after. The three open-topped off-road vehicles immediately covered their roofs, preventing everyone from getting soaked.

As they pressed forward, the headlights of their vehicles illuminated more and more piles of skulls, each one larger than the last. A heavy gloom settled over the team.

The number of dead in the mounds they passed had to be at least in the thousands.

It was a massacre of unimaginable cruelty. And to think that S.H.I.E.L.D. had no prior reports of these gruesome structures suggested that someone had intentionally suppressed this information.

After about ten more minutes, the group finally arrived at what could only be described as the remnants of a village. To call it a ruin would be too generous—there was nothing left but fragments of walls and collapsed roofs, the only signs that a village had once existed here.

"Everyone, spread out and search for clues."

After giving the order, Sam donned his waterproof cloak and stepped out of the vehicle to explore the surroundings. Despite his unease, he returned to the car briefly to grab two rifles.

As he prepared to search, he noticed that everyone had turned on their flashlights and started combing through the area, except for Logan and Victor, who remained in the vehicle, motionless.

"You two, come with me."

Sam decided to call them over. Perhaps, being new recruits to S.H.I.E.L.D., they felt a bit lost and isolated. With some camaraderie, he hoped they could become good teammates.

Logan and Victor exchanged a glance, then quietly followed Sam out into the rain.

"Why did he call us?" Victor asked.

"I don't know. I don't even know why he wants us to work together," Logan replied.

"Let's go and see what he wants."

"Yeah."

In truth, neither of them knew why they had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. or why they were doing missions together. It was as if a voice in their heads had told them to go along with it, guiding them toward some forgotten memory.

So, for now, they kept their temper in check, not even bothering with umbrellas or rain gear. They followed Sam silently through the downpour.

Half an hour passed as they searched, but aside from the ruins, they found nothing. Even the cellars they discovered had been burned out, leaving only waterlogged ashes and blackened debris.

"Is there really no clue left behind?" Sam muttered as he looked at the pouring rain. He felt a chill, not just from the weather but from the foreboding atmosphere.

As Sam was about to head back, he suddenly noticed an odd sound beneath his feet. It seemed hollow. While an ordinary person might not have noticed it, Sam's sharp ears picked up the difference.

"Quick! Here! Start digging!"

Without waiting, Sam tossed down his flashlight, grabbed a shovel, and began to dig. Logan and Victor joined in without hesitation.

The rain grew heavier as they dug, and after a while, Sam's shovel struck something hard. He put the shovel aside, and together with Logan and Victor, they pulled open what appeared to be a trapdoor.

*Rumble…*

Lightning flashed overhead, briefly illuminating the scene. What they saw inside made the three of them gasp in horror.

Inside the chamber were several dried-up corpses. Their hair had fallen out, and their pale skin clung tightly to their bones. They looked like they'd been mummified by time.

But in the next instant, the corpses opened their eyes.

"Hun...Hungry…"

"Zombies!" Sam cried out in shock.

However, these zombies had clearly been starved for too long, their movements sluggish and weak. They were nothing like the fast-moving zombies they had encountered on Kyushu Island.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air in the distance, though the rain muffled the sound, making it seem almost unreal.

Sam quickly shut the trapdoor, preventing the zombies from emerging. "Did you hear something?"

Victor shook his head. Logan, looking puzzled, said, "I think I heard someone scream."

"Help me! Ah!"

Another scream echoed, this time closer, and even Victor heard it now.

"Someone's calling for help," Victor remarked.

Sam grabbed his rifle, his face serious. "I heard it. Get ready for combat!"

Logan raised his hands, and his Adamantium claws sprang forth, gleaming menacingly. Victor crouched low, his sharp claws extending from his fingers as he scanned the surroundings warily.

More screams soon followed, their number increasing. Clearly, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents searching the area were being ambushed by something deadly.

"Everyone, fall back to my position!" Sam shouted, but the moment the words left his mouth, the screams abruptly stopped, leaving only the sound of the rain.

*Rumble…*

Another flash of lightning lit up the sky. With his eagle-like vision, Sam caught a glimpse of a creature in the distance.

The monster was crouched low to the ground, its entire body exposed—no skin, only raw, red muscle and bone. Even its brain was visible, and a long tongue hung from its gaping maw. Its sharp claws were outstretched, ready to strike.

"Oh, God, what kind of monster is that?"

As the lightning faded, so too did the creature, vanishing from Sam's sight. But he could feel it approaching.

"Logan, Victor, back to the car!"

Sam's wingsuit was still in the vehicle; he needed to retrieve it to stand a chance in battle.

As they cautiously made their way back to the car, Sam's flashlight beam caught a figure in the distance. He didn't immediately fire, recognizing the person as one of his own—an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

The agent's eyes lit up with hope when he saw Sam. "Captain Sam, save me!"

Before Sam could rush to help, a red tongue shot out from the darkness, wrapping around the agent's waist and yanking him back.

"Help me! Ahh!"

With a scream and the sickening sound of bones being crushed, Sam's face went pale, and he stopped in his tracks.

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