Chapter 48: Mutant Waterbirds

Bullets whistled through the damp air, and several waterfowl dropped out of the sky, plunging heavily into the turbid, muddy water. Their eyes were an alarming shade of red, looking as though they had been soaked in blood, staring fixedly at the group. Even after being shot and falling to the ground, their fierce intensity remained undiminished.

"Damn, these birds look ominous," Zhang Yu spat, snapping in a fresh magazine. "That look in their eyes—it's like they're zombies."

Wang Yu chimed in, "Exactly. Ordinary birds are scared to death of people; why would they actively attack us? And so many of them coming at once—it gives me the creeps."

Jiang Qiyu jumped down from the vehicle, walked over to a dead bird, and gently nudged it with the tip of her boot.

The bird's carcass still retained some warmth. Its damp feathers were stained with mud, clinging messily to its emaciated body, making it look utterly pathetic. Its red eyes remained wide open, resembling two burning coals, filled with lingering grievance and hatred.

"Pick it up. Meat is meat after all," Jiang Qiyu said, her tone devoid of any emotion. "In the apocalypse, nothing can be wasted."

Zhao Hu hesitated. "Boss, do you think this thing... has it mutated? Will something go wrong if we eat it?"

Jiang Qiyu glanced at him sideways. "If you don't eat, you stay hungry."

Zhao Hu instantly shut his mouth and obediently went to gather the birds.

Jiang Qiyu watched Zhao Hu's retreating back and fell into deep thought.

In her past life, while animal mutations did exist, the probability of occurrence was extremely low—much like a rare and precious oasis in the desert. Moreover, mutated species were mostly mammals, such as fierce beasts like tigers and lions; she had almost never heard of bird mutations.

This was the first time she had ever witnessed such large-scale mutation among waterfowl. Furthermore, the attack pattern of these birds did not resemble ordinary mutated animals; it felt more like... organized and premeditated. Could it be...

"Sister, there seems to be something happening over there," Lu Yao suddenly spoke up, interrupting Jiang Qiyu's train of thought.

Jiang Qiyu looked in the direction Lu Yao was pointing, her gaze first sweeping across a stretch of withered, yellow reeds. The reed tassels swayed rhythmically in the wind, making a rustling sound as if whispering secrets. Beyond this desolate reed bed, a low, brick-built guardhouse came into view, standing solitary in the barren wilderness like a forgotten sentinel, silently guarding this dead silence.

The exterior walls of the guardhouse were mottled and peeling, revealing the grayish-white bricks underneath, making it appear exceptionally dreary under the gloomy sky. A faded sign hung crookedly by the entrance, covered in rust, upon which the words "Wetland Park Management Office" were faintly discernible. Eroded by wind and rain, the script was blurred, as if it could vanish at any moment.

It looked particularly desolate beneath the overcast sky. The windows of the guardhouse were pitch-black like closed eyes, concealing whatever lay inside. Yet, through the dust-covered glass, one could sense a faint movement—perhaps the rustling of wind through leaves, or perhaps the low respiration of some creature.

"Let's go take a look," Jiang Qiyu said.

The group cautiously approached the guardhouse. Just as they were about to reach the entrance, the door creaked open on its own, and an emaciated figure tumbled out from within.

"What the hell is that?!" Zhang Yu exclaimed, instinctively taking a step back and raising his gun, pointing the muzzle directly at the figure. The others hastily raised their weapons as well, tense and treating the situation as a formidable enemy.

Wang Yu's lips trembled, his face turning pale. "A zombie? Th-this is too... terrifying..." He had seen zombies before, but never one so... "emaciated." It looked simply like a moving skeleton, as if a gust of wind could scatter its bones.

Zhao Hu was so scared he retreated several steps, hiding behind Old Li. With a trembling voice, he said, "B-Boss... th-this thing..." He didn't even dare utter the word "zombie," terrified that saying it aloud would draw the attention of this terrifying monster.

The figure lay motionless on the ground, its bony limbs twisted at a bizarre angle, as though they could snap at any second. Tattered clothes hung loosely on its frame, emphasizing its thinness and fragility, making it resemble a discarded rag doll.

Jiang Qiyu had also readied herself for combat, but right at that moment—

The waterfowl that had previously panicked and scattered in all directions suddenly reassembled as if following a command, forming a massive black vortex. They circled incessantly above that figure, their shrill cries echoing one after another, as if warning the approaching people or perhaps protecting the entity below.

The figure's movements were slow and rigid, like a rusted machine, as it raised its head bit by bit. Beneath a mop of filth-matted hair was a pale, hollowed-out face with sunken eye sockets and turbid eyeballs, covered as if by a thin gray film.

That face could almost be described as a skull. Skin and flesh tightly clung to bone, the eye sockets deeply recessed, with only two dim, ghostly fires seemingly burning within the hollow orbits. The lips were chapped, showing hardly any sign of life. Yet, it was undeniably a human face.

Jiang Qiyu abruptly raised her right hand, signaling the group to halt. "Fall back!" she commanded in a low, deep voice that echoed over the open wetland park. Immediately afterward, she sidestepped, shielding Lu Yao behind her while her vigilant gaze swept the surroundings, guarding against any potential danger. A tense atmosphere permeated the cold air.

The group retreated in a disciplined manner, keeping the dark muzzles of their guns consistently trained on the skeletal man. With vigilant eyes and cautious expressions, their weapons tracked his subtle movements, not daring to drop their guard for an instant.

Jiang Qiyu and Lu Yao exchanged a glance, mutually confirming their next course of action. They were the first to step forward, walking toward the fallen figure. Lu Yao shifted sideways, placing half her body in front of Jiang Qiyu to form a protective barrier.

Lu Yao slowly bent down, her knees slightly flexed and upper body leaning forward, while her right hand gripped her dagger tightly, scanning the surroundings with alert eyes. Satisfied that there was no immediate danger, she focused her attention on the person on the ground, carefully observing his condition.

He did not look human; he looked more like a skeleton draped in human skin. Yet his consciousness, his gaze, and his plea for help clearly revealed that he was a normal human being. This bizarre contrast planted a seed of doubt in Lu Yao's heart.

Lu Yao turned her head, her gaze passing over her shoulder to look at Jiang Qiyu behind her. She raised an eyebrow slightly, silently asking for her next instruction and waiting for her final judgment.

The group looked at one another, a sense of unease spreading through the ranks. Gripping their weapons tightly, their hearts pounded in their chests, unsure of what to do next. Was this a human, a zombie, or some kind of monster they had never seen before?