Chapter 62: Remnants

Ga! Ga!

On the dense rainforest branches, several brightly colored macaws were flapping their wings, ga-ga calling.

The ground was damp and muddy, thorny shrubs grew thickly, the air humidity was uncomfortable, yet it was very suitable for the survival of flora, fauna, and insects.

Suddenly.

The parrots that had been noisy, as well as birds perched on other branches, immediately stopped their actions and all turned their heads to gaze westward.

"Roar~roar!" The helicopter's engine roar came from afar.

"Whoo——! Whoo——!"

The engine roar grew louder and louder, even the air vortices produced by the rotors made the branches in this area tremble.

"Chirp-chirp!" This thoroughly startled the birds; they chirped loudly, flapped their wings, and fled.

The scene shifted.

Looking westward from above the dense forest, three CH-47D Chinooks carrying huge containers could be seen flying in a triangular formation low over the rainforest.

The CH-47Ds were painted dark black, with red-and-white umbrella symbols printed on the left and right sides of the fuselage, indicating that these three CH-47Ds belonged to Umbrella.

There were six such flight formations, scattered above the Amazon Rainforest within Peru's territory.

Not long after, this flight formation reached the airspace above the designated drop zone.

They separated and hovered.

They lowered altitude.

The ropes were cut.

"Thud——!" (x3)

The three huge containers smashed to the ground in free fall.

Having completed their drop mission, the three CH-47s slowly rose, turned their noses, and began to return.

Soon, the helicopter noise gradually faded, and the rainforest returned to tranquility once more.

But the animals living in the rainforest gathered around the three white-painted containers, as if very curious about these three white "uninvited guests."

This rainforest lies within Peru on the map, but in reality it is rarely visited by humans, or rather, it is a primordial area untouched by foot.

Of course, we cannot rule out the existence of some primitive tribes that have lived in the rainforest since ancient times.

Therefore, when the three modern containers appeared, they did not scare away those animals; instead, they attracted the animals' curious onlookers.

"Click-clack~" (x3)

Accompanied by three crisp sounds, the container doors slowly opened.

"Howl~" Immediately followed, a long, wolf-like howl sounded.

At the instant the leftmost container's door opened, dozens of rotting, exposed zombie dogs surged out.

!!!

Upon discovering that the uninvited guests were ferocious abnormal zombie dogs emitting a putrid stench, the nearby observing animals were instantly frightened away.

However, the zombie dogs, which preferred fresh flesh, chose to ignore those fleeing animals.

They immediately scattered upon emerging from the containers, purposefully exploring the area.

"Cackle…cackle…"

At that moment, twenty Hunter Alphas, their bodies covered in dark green scale armor and their hands and feet bearing sharp blade-like claws, exited the rightmost container.

Like the zombie dogs, they quickly dispersed, using their agile and swift steps to begin a more detailed reconnaissance.

As for the one who emerged from the central container, it was a Stalker T-02, standing nearly three meters tall, with an ugly visage, wearing a "windbreaker."

This time, Umbrella equipped the Stalker not with a rocket launcher but with a 7.62mm caliber M134 minigun, and on its back it carried a large silver ammunition box.

"Grr…grr!" The Stalker growled lowly as it surveyed the surrounding rainforest.

The hot, humid environment, combined with the lack of a clear tracking target, made the Stalker's mood somewhat unstable; its growls seemed to carry anger and irritation.

After scanning around, the Stalker ultimately chose to advance eastward into the rainforest.

"Thud, thud." Its heavy, muffled footsteps filled the rainforest.

Wherever it went, the surroundings seemed to fall into silent mode; perceptive animals and birds, upon seeing it, fled far away to avoid being affected by this temperamental killing god.

———————

…

Meanwhile.

Inside the command center of the temporary base.

"All Hell Dogs are operational, ready to begin diffusing and exploring the area."

"All Hunter Alphas are operational, currently scouting near the landing zone, expected to finish reconnaissance in three hours and then continue diffusing exploration."

"The Stalker T-02's current status is good, its mood relatively stable, and it is presently adapting to the rainforest environment."

"The real-time footage from the drones has been transmitted back, with technical department personnel responsible for detecting anomalies."

The employees sitting at their respective computers were, via the data and images displayed on the screens, orderly reporting the current status.

Inside the command center there were roughly thirty-plus staff wearing black uniforms, with over a hundred display screens, and above the central area hung three large screens.

The left and right screens showed satellite overhead views and real-time information on each B. O. W., while the central screen displayed what the Stalker saw.

Such a rainforest environment greatly affects humans—humidity, getting lost, leeches, mosquitoes, malaria, and so on.

Even reanimated soldiers transformed via the Reanimation Project cannot sustain combat in the rainforest for more than four hours; excessive heat impairs their functions, which is one of the few drawbacks.

As for B. O. W. s, they need not consider those; their efficiency in pathfinding and reconnaissance in the rainforest far surpasses that of humans.

Only the Stalker's mood is poor, but it's no major issue.

The air conditioning in the command room was cool; Sui Bian, having removed his suit jacket and wearing a black shirt, sat inside, slightly raising his head to gaze at the content shown on the three large screens.

The Red Queen also, via the earpiece he wore in his left ear, continuously reported the current situation.

According to the current progress, the Red Queen estimates that the Zombie Dog needs only 170 to 200 hours to roughly run through the Amazon Rainforest in Peru.

The Hunter Alpha, responsible for careful reconnaissance, requires roughly more than 700 hours.

Even so, B. O. W. is still faster than humans.

And if the fact that B. O. W. is used for scouting becomes known to the nations secretly employing B. O. W. in combat, they would certainly say that Umbrella is truly rich and willful.

But it really is useful.

Next, the Zombie Dogs and Hunter Alpha deployed in the rainforest area are gradually expanding the search range as planned.

As for the Stalker…

It wanders aimlessly in the rainforest; without a target, it does not know how to track.

Moreover, its mission is, after B. O. W. detects an anomaly, to engage it immediately, supplying the Command Center with combat data so that the MTF can obtain intelligence early and make targeted preparations.

Forty‑eight hours after deploying B. O. W.

Local time: January 14, 14:14.

During these two days, the B. O. W. s discovered many unknown ruined relics.

However, these relics are extremely small in scale and have no research value.

Yet it seems luck is on Umbrella's side.

Because during these two days, a Zombie Dog deep in the primitive rainforest discovered a sunken area.

Here lies an urban relic unknown to the outside world.

(End of chapter)