Zack stood his ground, flexing his fingers. "Did you catch all that, Ego?" his attacks was so decisive that he hadn't gotten a clear look at the shadowy figure.
"Sir, the 3D model is ready," Ego's voice chimed in, pulling up a holographic projection. The scan revealed the shadow was humanoid—standing an imposing five meters tall. Its size was too large for the corridor, forcing it to crawl on all fours like a beast. The creature resembled a grotesque, enlarged version of a female Night Stalker, but with a horrifying twist. Its lower body bulged into a swollen, spider-like abdomen, covered with fist-sized tumors.
Inside each tumor, curled up like fetuses, were smaller Night Stalkers. "Just great. My worst fears confirmed," Zack muttered as he stepped forward, his face grim. He barked an order to the fearless warriors stationed at the other end of the corridor: "Do not let anything escape. No exceptions!"
"Yes, sir!" they replied, their voices echoing like thunder in the narrow space. Zack continued down the corridor, which opened into a larger room. The area was filled with rows of cultivation tanks and petri dishes, most shattered or spilling their gruesome contents across the floor.
The moment Zack entered, sharp roars erupted around him. His HUD lit up, marking several thin figures sprinting toward him. Zack, prepared for the ambush, uncoiled an electromagnetic whip from his belt. The whip sparked and crackled as it activated, radiating heat hot enough to slice through steel.
With one smooth motion, he swung the whip in a wide arc. The electrified cord cut through the oncoming shadows effortlessly, severing them at the waist. Their bisected bodies collapsed to the ground with sickening thuds. "Roar!" A piercing scream echoed from the far end of the room. This time, the voice sounded weak, almost desperate.
"Looks like it's time to meet the real boss," Zack muttered, gripping the crackling whip tightly as he moved toward the sound. The light from the whip illuminated the space ahead, and Zack finally got a good look at the massive creature. It matched the scan results, but now it was visibly battered. Both arms hung limply, broken from the earlier impact. Bone spurs jutted out at odd angles, and blood covered its mangled body.
Despite its injuries, the creature exuded an air of menace. Zack didn't care. "Ego, start a scan," he ordered coldly, stepping closer.
"Roar!" The creature's hollow eyes fixated on Zack. It let out a guttural cry and spat a stream of acid at him.
Crack! Zack snapped the whip without hesitation, striking the creature's jaw. The electrified cord tore through flesh and bone, ripping off half its chin. The acid meant for Zack spilled harmlessly onto the creature itself, though it seemed immune to its own corrosive attack.
The creature let out a distorted, ear-piercing scream. Then, it did something Zack didn't expect. "You… I… save…" it rasped, its voice garbled and wet, as though it were choking on its own fluids.
Zack froze, stunned. "Did you hear that, Ego? It just… spoke!"
This was the first time Zack had encountered a Night Stalker capable of speech. "Sir, the scan is complete," Ego replied. "And there's more. This creature—temporary designation: Night Queen—is carrying two types of Zeta in its body."
"Go on," Zack said, his gaze locked on the grotesque figure in front of him.
"One strain is the standard Zeta responsible for the infection. The other is an ancient variant, recently discovered in the Freshwater Banshee. The combination has granted the Night Queen significant growth potential. She's asexual and capable of producing offspring without a mate." Ego's tone turned serious. "This level of threat is unprecedented. Recommend immediate termination."
"I was already planning on it," Zack replied, his voice cold. He took a step closer, still gripping the whip.
"Can you understand me?" he asked, addressing the Night Queen directly.
"Save… I… escape…" it rasped again, its voice shrill and broken.
"She's imitating," Ego observed. "She's copying the words she's heard." Zack nodded slowly, realizing Ego was right. The creature wasn't truly speaking—it was mimicking human language. Even so, its ability to imitate speech so quickly hinted at a terrifying level of intelligence.
"With enough time, it might actually learn to talk," Zack muttered, a shadow passing over his face. "But too bad… you're out of time." The Night Queen let out another chilling scream, her swollen abdomen pulsing as if trying to produce more offspring. Zack didn't hesitate. Raising his right arm, he aimed the laser emitter at the creature.
"Save…" the Night Queen rasped one final time. Although the creature uttered words that sounded like a plea for mercy, its snarling face and furious, hate-filled eyes betrayed its true emotions. It wasn't begging—it was consumed by an overwhelming hatred, the kind only a mother could feel after losing her young. Before now, zombies only killed out of instinct, driven by an unrelenting hunger for flesh. But this was different. For the first time, Zack was witnessing a zombie roar at a human out of sheer hatred.
The next moment, a red laser beam sliced through the air, cleanly cutting the Night Queen's head in two. Her grotesque face froze in place for a second before the top half of her head fell to the floor, rolling twice before stopping at Zack's feet. Her massive body collapsed against the wall, twitching a few times before falling still. But just as Zack thought it was over, several black tumors on her bloated abdomen burst open.
From inside, a dozen or more underdeveloped Night Stalker embryos spilled out. Small and incomplete, they instinctively began tearing through the Queen's flesh and feasting on her remains. Among the writhing mass, Zack spotted a juvenile Night Queen, smaller but already showing signs of its deadly potential.
"No wonder the Vanguard Organization abandoned this place," Zack muttered grimly. "If even one of these things escaped…" The thought made his stomach churn. The Night Queen wasn't just another zombie; she was something more. A new species. One that could potentially surpass and replace humanity. Zack turned toward the corridor. "Send in reinforcements. I want every last Night Stalker in this lab wiped out. No survivors!"
"Yes, sir!" came the swift response as a group of fearless warriors moved in, their heavy footsteps echoing through the space. They began systematically clearing out the embryonic Night Stalkers, their saw-chain swords roaring to life.
While they handled the cleanup, Zack moved deeper into the underground base. His search soon led him to a pile of scattered documents, hastily packed but ultimately abandoned. Bloodstains smeared across some of the pages hinted at a violent interruption. "Sir, you should take a look at this," Ego said, highlighting key sections of the documents via holographic projection.