Chapter 293

"Move out! Rendezvous at the landing pad in thirty!" Lieutenant Carter's voice crackled through the comms.

Aria Bennett grabbed her backpack, swiftly stuffing it with energy bars and spare magazines. Outside the window, the guttural snarls of zombies grew louder.

"Go!" With a sharp gesture, her squad fell in behind her.

At the landing pad, Dr. Emmett Shaw's lab coat billowed in the rotor wash. Behind him stood three assistants—one of whom made Aria's pupils constrict.

"Kieran?"

The man looked equally stunned. "Aria? You're—"

"You know each other?" Lieutenant Carter's gaze flicked between them.

Aria shrugged. "We've met." She jerked her chin toward the armored SUV parked nearby. "He gave us that ride."

Kieran smiled warmly. "She saved my life, actually."

Dr. Emmett Shaw whirled around, his glasses flashing. "So you're the one who rescued my brother." He extended a hand. "Thank you."

Aria shook the unnaturally cold fingers, her brow creasing almost imperceptibly. These two... looked nothing alike.

"Blended family," Kieran explained, as if reading her thoughts. "Not blood, but closer than most."

The roar of engines cut the conversation short. Dr. Emmett Shaw boarded the first chopper with Kieran and two assistants, followed by a dozen heavily armed special forces operatives.

"You take the wheel," Aria said, sliding into the co-pilot's seat beside Lieutenant Carter while Ronan Caldwell took the controls.

As the helicopter lifted off, a decayed hand suddenly clawed at the door!

BANG! Miles Sutton blew its head off, sending the zombie plummeting.

"Damn things are getting bolder," he growled, slamming the door shut.

Aria feigned nonchalance. "Kieran's part of the research team?"

"Investor," Carter adjusted his headset. "Ran a biotech firm pre-apocalypse. The 'assistant' title's just for show."

Aria exchanged a glance with Ronan.

"Speaking of," Carter turned abruptly, "you can reset the lab's biometric locks, right?"

"Affirmative." Aria nodded. "But..." She hesitated.

"What?"

"If the lab belongs to Dr. Emmett Shaw, why don't he and Kieran have access?"

Carter shrugged. "Some researcher-turned-zombie supposedly changed the codes." His tone darkened. "Command only cares about the research."

Before he finished, Aria suddenly snatched her sniper rifle—

BOOM!

A mutated vulture with a three-meter wingspan exploded midair.

"Holy—!" Carter went pale. Without Aria's reflexes, they'd be a fireball.

The radio erupted with shouts—other choppers were under attack.

The rest of the flight was a gauntlet. When they finally touched down on the lab's roof, everyone was drenched in cold sweat.

The scene in Sublevel -1 made Aria narrow her eyes—

Dozens of foreign special forces were stymied before the lab doors. Their expressions when the Chinese team arrived were priceless.

Most striking was the blond leader in front, his breached explosive device still smoking.

"Scheiße," he stared at Aria, mangling the Chinese, "how you get in?"

Aria didn't answer. Her gaze fixed past the crowd to the crimson handprint on the lab door—

Fresh blood.