The wound showed signs of healing. Cai Lu endured the pain and sprayed it twice more before putting the spray into the card slot.
She sat down to rest, waiting for her wound to heal completely, and began to wonder where Lin Yong would go with Cheng Mushen.
According to the analysis of the data photos taken by Lu Cai's mobile phone, the spotted hyena should be an important clue. In addition to the notice at the entrance of the zoo, they will most likely go to the spotted hyena viewing area.
What are the characteristics of spotted hyenas? Lu Cai really doesn't know. But she does know a little about them, thanks largely to the plot of the movie "The Lion King."
Scavengers, social animals, fierce and smiling...
Cai Lu paused, took out a pen and paper, and added "The Lion King - cartoon" after the clue he had written down earlier.
My arms feel like they're on fire, with intermittent pain and itching. I guess they're growing flesh.
It seems that this trauma spray is really effective.
——
The buildings looked even more ghostly at night, the streets were messy and dilapidated, the walls were stained with blood, and the fences, doors and windows were twisted and crooked from being hit.
Two figures moved quickly in the narrow alley, shuttling between houses.
Lin Yong followed Cheng Mushen. He originally suggested going to the spotted hyena exhibition stand, but Cheng Mushen said that the animal exhibition stand was dangerous and unpredictable, and they should collect more information.
Finally, Lin Yong told Lu Cai the information he had found out. After they discussed it, they decided to go to the administrative building of the consultation center.
With Cheng Mushen leading the way, his journey was much smoother. Even if he encountered one or two zombies occasionally, he could quickly deal with them and leave the scene.
The two of them arrived at the administrative office. Building 2 next door was already surrounded by zombies, making a terrifyingly loud noise. Cheng Mushen said a helicopter had landed in Building 2 that morning, making such a loud noise that it had attracted the zombies.
On the third floor of the administrative building, they searched the hallways and offices one by one. There were no signs of zombies on the third floor, proving Cheng Mushen's words were true: the zombies had all gone to the next door.
Lin Yong was searching the second office on the left when he saw a "keeper's work log" in the drawer. On the cover, in the "area" column, "spotted hyena" was written, and the date was June.
He quickly opened it and turned directly to number 14.
——On June 14, after they injured someone, we received a notice that we were not allowed to approach again, and Dr. Qiao took over the spotted hyena area.
Start hurting people? Lin Yong flipped back two pages and finally saw it.
On June 12th, Qiao Sen wasn't acting right. We drove the other spotted hyenas to the exhibition stand and tranquilized Qiao Sen. During the inspection, Qiao Sen bit Xiao He on the calf. Fortunately, Qiao Sen was anesthetic, and Xiao He was wearing protective clothing.
Qiao Sen was circled in red and marked with "No. 1".
——Continued on June 12, Xiao He started to have a fever. He had gone to the hospital to get a rabies vaccine before, but he bit a security guard.
——On June 13, Xiao He did not come back, and Annie and Robert also started to have fever.
Anne corresponds to number 4 and Robert is number 5.
Lin Yong called Cheng Mushen over. Combining the information from Lu Cai, the two of them were able to determine that the spotted hyena suddenly fell ill and bit Xiao He. Xiao He then fell ill and bit the security guard.
There is also a Dr. Joe in it.
So how did the spotted hyenas get infected with the zombie virus?
Lin Yong guessed that it was a flying bird. Otherwise, how could it be possible for it to bypass so many barriers in the park and directly make a group of spotted hyenas sick?
"We need some other information." Cheng Mushen put down the work log and said, "Let's see if there are any other documents."
Lin Yong followed his instructions and looked through the drawer, but didn't find any other useful information.
Cheng Mushen turned on his computer. The desktop was clean, with only a few shortcut icons for system programs and a "Work" folder. He opened the folder and found several folders arranged by year, the most recent of which was titled "June 21 - Spotted Hyena Incident."
There were no new files, but there were two new screenshots. He clicked them and saw they were screenshots of online news.
"H City Animal World—Hyaenas eat people?"
"Zoo animal shows, no buying, no harm—"
"Is this zoo going to be closed?" Lin Yong also came over.
Cheng Mushen paid special attention to the screenshots of "hyenas eating people", which were also taken on June 12. He said that many tourists saw spotted hyenas gnawing on human hands and took several blurry photos, but the zoo explained that it was a light illusion.
Lin Yong thought to himself, "Oh!" This seemingly plausible news is likely to be true.
"Spotted hyenas have the habit of eating scavengers." Cheng Mushen suddenly said, "I have a guess at the moment—"
Lin Yong looked up at Cheng Mushen, waiting for him to continue.
"A person infected with the zombie virus fell into the hyena area and was eaten by spotted hyenas. The zoo was already in danger, and the zoo managers were worried that this news would affect the zoo's operations, so they concealed the news. Later, the hyenas became ill, and the staff were bitten. Dr. Qiao was brought in to conduct virus research—"
Lin Yong thought it made sense: "So the source of the virus is the person who was infected with the zombie virus and fell into the hyena area?"
Cheng Mushen nodded: "It seems we still have to go to the hyena area."
Lin Yong did not complain. Their trip was not in vain. At least they knew the purpose of the operation.
Lin Yong was ready to go as soon as he said he would, but suddenly he remembered Lu Cai who was left on the observation deck.
"Let's go back to the observation deck and see if Lu Cai is awake."
Cheng Mushen nodded.
——
Lu Cai waited for a while, feeling uneasy as she watched the wound on her arm heal at an exaggerated speed without even leaving a scar.
After her wound healed, she opened the door and walked to the observation deck. Beneath the black sky, a few stars twinkled.
She cast her gaze below the observation deck. The lights in the information center complex were scattered and weak, and a large area was plunged into darkness.
There were two green light spots hovering above the building complex. Lu Cai stared at one of them. She was very familiar with the number arrangement. It was the trace of Lin Yong's system.
They were actually at the information station.
Lu Cai was relieved and was about to enter the house when she heard a low chuckle. A pistol immediately appeared in her hand and she aimed in the direction of the laughter.
She only saw a thin man's body lying on the steps. The "clucking" sound did not stop. Could it be a zombie? This was a zombie apocalypse, not a ghost hunt, right?
As she looked closely, the body seemed to be moving slightly. In the dim light, the laughter was particularly clear. The laughter entered her ears, the sound was crisp, but the breath was very weak.
She frowned and stepped forward. The laughter began to stutter, turning into a low mutter, as if choking and retreating.
When she got completely close, the corpse's abdomen moved noticeably. Lu Cai stood still and luckily refrained from firing, otherwise the gunshot would have attracted the zombies and she would not have been able to handle it.
The corpse's abdomen continued to move twice, and a furry head emerged.
The first thing she saw were two large, erect ears. The fur was white with a hint of yellow, almost beige.
Lu Cai took two more steps closer, and the little thing shrank its head and squeezed in, making a continuous "chuckling" sound that sounded like laughter. It was pressed into the triangular gap formed by the corpse and the steps.
Maybe it was easier to get out than to get in, so it squeezed for a long time, but not only did it fail to squeeze itself in, it ended up exposing its entire face.
Its eyes were like two black glass beads, and its mouth was black, a bit like a dog's. It looked up at the approaching Lu Cai, and although it was clearly afraid, it still had a ferocious grin on its face.
A low snoring sound came from afar. The little thing shuddered and rushed out, running towards the wide-open iron gate.
Only then did Lu Cai see clearly that its body was covered with black spots. The upper part of its forelegs and thighs connected to its neck was beige fur, while the fur below its forelegs and its two hind legs was dark black.
Its hind legs are slightly bent, its shoulders are high and its hips are low. These features are obvious, it is actually a hyena cub.
As the snoring sound approached, Lu Cai turned around with his gun in hand and ran towards the iron gate behind him. After entering, he quickly closed the door and locked it.
She leaned against the door frame, nervously listening for any noises outside. After a long while, there was no sound of even a knock on the door. She relaxed her shoulders and turned to look at the stool that had fallen to the ground. The little hyena was hiding beside it, shivering.
It didn't get infected by the bite...
After a while, the little hyena gradually relaxed. Lu Cai trusted its animal instincts, and the thing making the snoring sound must have left.
She leaned against the door frame and didn't move, nor did she look at the little hyena. Instead, the little hyena, after its fright subsided, began to raise its little head and look at her with its big eyes.
After a while, the little hyena moved and ran to Lu Cai's side, lying down against the back of her drooping hand.
Lu Cai......
Where is the most ferocious predator on the African grasslands?
Seeing it being so cautious, Lu Cai did not avoid it. He guessed that it was born and raised in a zoo, and had daily contact with the keepers, which is why it felt close to humans.
"Bang--"
The little hyena was so frightened that it trembled and crawled under Lu Cai's palm.
Lu Cai held his breath. The sound just now came from the outer door. It was the sound of bullets hitting the iron door.
It’s Lin Yong and the others.
Lu Cai squatted down and was about to stand up when she heard a soft, trembling "cluck" sound nearby. She hesitated for a moment, picked up the little hyena, and directly put it headfirst on her shoulder.
With those tiny arms and legs, she didn't know if they could hold on firmly. She held the little thing on her shoulder with her left hand and walked to the iron gate with the gun in her right hand.
After listening to the noise for a while, Lu Cai turned off the lights in the room and adjusted himself to the situation before opening the iron door. Two zombies were lurking in the distance outside, too far away for her to squeeze through the crack in the door by leaning sideways.
A furious roar echoed from the side, and the little hyena on his shoulder trembled. Lu Cai dodged the zombie's pounce and raised his gun, pressing the trigger. The expected gunshot didn't rang out, and □□ suddenly rushed back, causing his palm to numb.
The zombie pounced on her again. She didn't have time to think, so she clenched her fist with the gun and punched it hard on the chin.
Lu Cai stumbled a few steps, only to see the zombie's head jerked sideways by the punch, crashing directly into the iron railing. She heard a barely perceptible sound of bones breaking.
The zombies behind her were roaring from far away and getting closer. She checked the gun in her hand while running.
Oh shit! Not loaded!
She let go of the little hyena, quickly reloaded her gun, turned around and aimed at the approaching zombie. She took aim and fired a shot. The zombie's head exploded and its body fell to the ground.
I only loaded the gun when I first got it, and used it straight away after that, so why did I need to reload it this time? It could be due to a time limit or the number of bullets, or perhaps the system backpack slot has a reset function.
Gunshots were heard in the distance, faint and unclear. She held on to the staggering little hyena and ran towards the sound of the gunshots.
——
Lin Yong was running wildly on the mountain path. Who would have thought that as soon as he and Cheng Mushen returned to the observation deck, they would encounter zombie spotted hyenas.
Although there was only one, it was obvious that the spotted hyena was not like other zombies. It knew how to dodge.
The most terrifying thing is that zombies can think. If you want to shoot it in the head, it will understand the meaning of your raising the gun, which breaks the setting that zombies only know how to bite and eat flesh.
Cheng Mushen attracted the zombie hyena away. Lin Yong knew that it was not a good idea to run away alone, but his physical strength and speed were not enough to catch up with Cheng Mushen.
See you in the spotted hyena area.
Lin Yong recalled Cheng Mushen's words, his mind full of thoughts about where to go in the spotted hyena area -
Throughout the day, he only ate a pack of biscuits while distributing food from backpacks to the group of tourists at the delivery station that morning. Although players wouldn't die of starvation, being hungry did affect their combat stamina.
He was so exhausted that he stopped and looked around. Once he was sure it was safe, he covered his stomach. There was still a lot of food in the car, and he would definitely eat a big meal after the side story.
It was only then that Lin Yong noticed what Cheng Mushen had stuffed into his hand. It was a white silk handkerchief with a map of the carnivore area on it.
He turned around and glanced back at the way he had come. He didn't know what had happened to Lu Cai... He shook his head and decided to find a way out first, then go back and get Lu Cai. Besides, she was so strong, she would definitely be able to survive.
Even if she died as an NPC, she would be reincarnated and resurrected after the dungeon was reset, returning to her job as a supermarket cashier.
Using the flickering lights on the roadside, Lin Yong found his current location, then used the map to find a suitable route. After memorizing the route, he put the map into the system card slot.
He continued to hide and advance, encountering a wave of zombies along the way. Fortunately, there weren't many of them, and he could barely handle them alone. When he reached the spotted hyena area, he looked at the empty animal exhibition stand not far away, then tentatively entered through the iron mesh door on the side.
After passing an open path, the lights became farther and farther away, and it became pitch black before his eyes. He entered a cave.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could roughly see the outlines of the scenery before him. He moved forward cautiously and finally came out of the cave.
He put one foot on a patch of compacted earth.
A faint fluorescent light shone down from overhead, casting a chilling white light on the ground. A few broken bones lay in the middle of the mud, and a strong stench of decay filled the air.
Lin Yong walked to the muddy ground and looked up. He saw that it was a small circular venue surrounded by rocks. The stone wall was about five or six meters high, and there was a two-meter-high electric fence above it.
The source of the light is a small bungalow built on a rock. On one side of the bungalow is a platform surrounded by a high fence.
Lin Yong was a little confused, and saw six half-person-high stone tunnels on the mountain wall below the flat platform.
He took two steps back, intending to retrace his steps, when a loud bang erupted behind him. The blast blew him away, sending him crashing to the ground. The cave he had come from was now filled with rocks and dirt.
Lin Yong stood up and looked at the collapsed cave. He realized something was wrong. He took out the map and checked carefully. He was sure he had gone to the right entrance.
From deep within the six half-human-high caves came a low, intermittent snoring sound, as if someone was humming a tune.
He stood up hurriedly and held the submachine gun firmly in his hand.
The snoring sound was getting closer and closer, and the thing was slowly moving outward. Its footsteps were very light, but you could hear the sound of hard objects gently rubbing against the stone wall.
——
Shooting all the way, the gunshots were particularly clear in the night.
Lu Cai walked past the corpse lying on the ground in front of her. The roars behind her kept coming, but she ignored them and just focused on clearing the way.
The only downside to the carnivore viewing area was that the mountain road was difficult to walk on. She tried walking through the woods, but every time she walked, she would reach the cliff of the exhibition stand, and if she changed direction, she would run into the blocking electric fence.
Finally, she ran onto the smooth and barrier-free asphalt road.
This, in turn, attracted a large group of zombies that followed closely behind. The little hyena on his shoulder tilted its head back, witnessing the group of ferocious zombies, and shook non-stop.
She saw a wooden sign on the side of the road - Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta): ...
There was a small path on one side, and a small four-wheeled electric vehicle had overturned at the intersection. A little further into the path, there was a large iron gate half-open, and blood and flesh were scattered all over the ground.
Lu Cai dodged and ran inside, and the little hyena on his shoulder trembled.
She didn't care about so much, she squeezed into the big iron gate and inserted the bolt with her backhand. She didn't hear the sound of zombies banging on the iron gate, but the roar was getting closer behind her.
Bend your arms and thrust your elbows back. Hitting the chin or temples—any one is always a good option—is what Lu Cai has learned from his close combat experience.
His elbow rammed into the other's chin and throat, and the zombie grunted, fell back, and fell to the ground. The iron door banged, and Lu Cai quickly fired, shooting the zombie in the head.
As the gunshot rang out, I felt the little thing on my shoulder struggle.
She also felt that the little hyena was in the way, so she put it down. The black-spotted figure trembled and scurried away into the bushes nearby.
Suddenly, she heard a deep snoring sound clearly, which she had heard from a young hyena before. However, the snoring sound of the young hyena was just funny to her ears, and there was no sense of deterrence at all.
The sounds now came in waves that were completely different, their pitch low and hoarse, like a ghost crawling along her neck, leaving a cool, sticky feeling. It was like she had stepped into a muddy trap, doomed to be powerless to struggle.
Lu Cai replaced the gun in her hand with a one-meter-long steel bar, which she had picked up near an exhibition stand under construction while running around. There happened to be a card slot, so she put it in.
It is too difficult to use bullets to attack the zombies that have transformed into carnivorous animals. If you have companions to attack them from both sides, you still have a chance of winning, but if you face it alone, you can only kill it by stabbing it in the head with a stick, just like the golden tiger did.
Holding the steel bar in his hand, he was about to turn around slowly when the bushes on the right shook and a beast more than one meter long came out. In the dim light, he could see a body with yellow hair and black spots.
The spotted hyena's back was covered in fat, pale yellow bugs, burrowing in and out, so densely packed they looked like a piece of flesh embedded in its back. A large piece of flesh had fallen off its front shoulder, exposing its white bones. The corners of its mouth were raised strangely, as if in a twisted smile. The skin above its teeth had been completely gnawed away, and the skin under its eye sockets was sagging.
Another spotted hyena came up from the left. Half of its face was gone, leaving only black rotten flesh. Its eyeballs were still stuck in its sockets, rolling around.
She was surrounded by three spotted hyenas.
Aren't they zombies? Why are they cooperating in the hunting plan?
The spotted hyena that had been snoring softly behind him changed its tone, and in an instant, two spotted hyenas on the left and right pounced at the same time.
Lu Cai aimed at the spotted hyena on the left with half of its face exposed, straightened the steel bar, and stabbed it directly into its wide-open mouth.
The sound of flesh twisting and breaking passed by her ears. Thick black mucus stained the steel bars that rushed out from the top of its head. A bunch of soft maggots fell from the rotten flesh.
Lu Cai released the steel bar in his hand and grasped the end that passed through its head. He pushed hard with his hand to support the steel bar on the ground, and jumped off the ground with both feet, avoiding the other figure that was pouncing on him.
After she steadied herself, she twitched her hand vigorously, sending blood splattering everywhere. Beneath the white bandage, her right hand, gripping the steel bar, felt faintly warm.
Looking at the half-faced spotted hyena lying motionless on the ground with most of its belly exposed, the rotten flesh on its belly was full of piles of insects.
Lu Cai suppressed a retching urge. She chose to attack the half-face first because she saw few maggots on it. Who knew this guy was so hidden?
It was a bad idea.
The snoring became more and more rapid, and Lu Cai finally saw the one that was giving the orders.
This one is taller than the previous two, and its white eyes and full smiling face make it look even more sinister.
Two spotted hyenas pounced on her side by side. If she used the same trick as before, it would be difficult to change the direction of the direct attack and she would be bitten by the other one.
Do they actually want to use this "one for one" method?
Lu Cai snorted coldly. She would not change.
Thinking of this, she picked up the steel bar, the veins on her arms bulged, a faint red light rolled over her, and she felt endless warmth running through her body.
Under the dim light, the steel bar swept across, striking the side of the larger spotted hyena's face. It even swerved and bumped into its companion nearby.
Lu Cai took advantage of the momentum and moved to the other side, barely avoiding their attacks. At that moment, he could even see a slight movement under its stained fur.
She didn't think about how much fat insect body would be revealed if she cut the fur with a knife.
Standing at the edge, she watched the two figures stumbling across from her. She lifted the steel bar. Since she was already dead, she could just be a corpse in peace.
The thin girl leaped over like a shadow, the branches above her head swayed slightly, lights flickered in the distance, there were a few scattered snoring sounds, and a series of soft sounds of a sharp weapon piercing flesh.
After a long time, the little hyena poked its head out from the grass and saw a slender figure holding a bloody steel bar in its hand, walking steadily towards the depths of the path.
It pounced outwards, as if hesitant, and made a gurgling sound.
Finally, the little hyena suddenly jumped out of the grass, staggering and jumping after the girl's back.
Lu Cai walked along the road and came to the door of the breeder's studio, but the door was tightly closed. She kicked it twice, but the door did not budge at all.
She was trying to climb over the wall when something tugged at her trouser leg. Looking down, she saw it was the little hyena that had escaped.
When the little hyena saw her lower her head, it growled twice and then ran and jumped two steps towards her left.
Lu Cai watched its little body jumping and almost falling over, and finally understood what it meant.
Following the little hyena, she crawled into a bush, brushed aside the weeds, and after walking for two or three minutes, she saw a cave with a stone wall.
The little hyena jumped happily twice, motioning her to follow.
Lu Cai bent over, finally crouching down to crawl through the narrow, half-meter-high cave. Fortunately, the cave grew wider as she went deeper. She gradually stood up, only to find it was pitch black inside. She could only pull out her phone and use the remaining 44% battery.
The light from the mobile phone's flashlight illuminated the little hyena jumping on the road, and finally reached the bottom of the cave.
Following the little hyena's gesture, she saw an irregular small hole on the wall at knee height, which was just enough to accommodate the little hyena's small body.
This little thing actually knows how to climb over the wall, drill holes, and run away from home—
Lu Cai turned off the flashlight on his phone, squatted down and looked out of the small hole.
Outside was a muddy field, still bright, cast by a dim light. Her gaze fell on the nearby corpse of a spotted hyena, lying on one side. Under the dim light, a tall, twisted figure stood in the middle of the mud, the sounds of chewing and biting echoing in the lonely yard.
Lu Cai passed the tall, twisted figure and saw Cheng Mushen. He was moving cautiously, keeping an eye on the figure gnawing as he moved in one direction.
Lu Cai tilted his head. Where is Lin Yong?
As his eyes searched around, the beast moved away and a head appeared at its feet.
That thin, pale face was tilted with a look of despair. As the beast tore at him, his lips slightly opened, his eyelids drooped, and tears overflowed from the corners of his eyes, flowing across his muddy temples and merging into the stinking mud.
He saw Lu Cai, even if it was just a pair of eyes peeking out from the black hole in the stone wall. He could see the astonishment in those bright eyes. If a zombie appeared behind her at this moment, it would definitely knock her over in one fell swoop.
Lin Yong pulled the corners of his mouth and showed a slight smile, his eyes full of despair, mixed with a hint of comfort.
At least someone knows where he was buried——
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