A few moments earlier, a few miles away from the Scorpion Tribe camp, the silver moonlight slowly reflected off the ground, revealing ten vehicles cobbled together from scrap, looking as if they might collapse at any moment. In front of them stood a thin man in white robes, holding something that resembled binoculars as he scanned the horizon for a while.

"Our chance for revenge against those filthy creatures has come," he murmured. "Hey, Ethan, don't blame me for destroying your tribe. That arrogant successor of yours deserves it." He muttered some more, then set the binoculars aside and commanded the scattered men around him, "Let's move out. Kill them all; I don't want to see a single one alive."

Everyone climbed into the vehicles and headed toward the camp visible in the distant horizon.

At the edges of the camp, a loud scream pierced the air, tearing through the quiet night and sending fear into the hearts of the guards stationed along the perimeter. The guards, unprepared for such a sound, turned in terror toward its source, which seemed to come from the depths of the surrounding darkness. Their gazes shifted toward a creature slowly walking across the sand. The light from the scattered torches shone eerily on its blood-stained face.

Its decayed body parts followed, defying death itself. It walked with heavy steps as if it belonged to another world. Before them, the body of a guard lay motionless, silent, bearing witness to the fate of the guards who failed to escape. As they exchanged frightened glances, screams of terror erupted from various parts of the camp, as if this disfigured creature wasn't alone. Other horrifying beings emerged from the darkness, bearing similarly grotesque forms.

Meanwhile, near the prison cart, Kieran was fiercely fighting, attempting to subdue the last guard standing in his way. His face bore a bitter expression, as the guards were adamant about preventing his escape. But the sound of terrified screams from the other side of the camp caught his attention. He turned to see the decayed creatures approaching.

With a look of fear in his eyes, Kieran seized the escalating chaos as an opportunity to escape, leaving the guards behind, while the creatures crawling from the lake continued to appear one by one. The foul stench filled the air, thick and saturated with the scent of death and toxic radiation. The air grew denser, as if nature itself was trying to repel these strange beings.

As for Oliver, he stood at the entrance of his tent, staring at the dark horizon with suppressed terror. His face was tense, unlike his usual self. The appearance of these creatures wasn't part of his plan, and Rian's disappearance added to his anxiety. Asher approached him slowly and quietly asked, "Is this part of the plan?"

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Oliver forced a tense smile, his face displaying a look of artificial confidence, and replied, "Nothing is outside the plan… though things seem to be getting a bit complicated." Then, with a stern tone, he added, "These creatures will obliterate anyone who stands in our way. Let the guards handle it; we'll head toward the mountains immediately."

Asher, unsatisfied with Oliver's response, burst out loudly, breaking the silence, "How will you deal with Rian's loss? He's the only one who knows, and we need him!"

Oliver glared coldly at Asher, unaffected by his outburst, then calmly said, "If necessary, I'll ask that person to find him. He won't be far." He continued in a frosty tone, "Spread my orders: let the guards and those able to fight remain, while clearing the way forward. Any violation will be punished by death."

"Very well. Handle this matter; take the personal guards and wait for me near the mountain path. I'll be there in a few minutes," Asher spoke quickly before leaving.

"Honorable one, could you help me find Rian? He's the key to controlling the remains of the stranger, Zane," Oliver murmured as he bent toward the dark area behind him.

"Fool, you can't get anything right. If I didn't need you, I would have killed you," a furious voice thundered from the shadows before continuing, "Humph. I'll get him tomorrow; there's no need to wait. I'll find you in my own way."

Elsewhere, in the pitch-black darkness, Rian was running as fast as he could, as if fleeing from a nightmare chasing him. Anxiety surged within him with every step, his heart pounding wildly as if it wanted to escape his chest. At that moment, nothing mattered to him but survival. The gusts of dry wind whipped against his face, but he didn't stop, running toward the distant mountain peak that appeared to be his only refuge.

While running through the darkness, he noticed a faint light emanating from a small cave among the rocks. He hesitated for a moment, but realized he had no other choice. He entered the cave cautiously, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. The place was cold and dark, and the sound of the wind outside echoed with an overwhelming emptiness, mirroring his sense of isolation and confusion in this strange world.

He sat there for a while, trying to gather his scattered thoughts, but his mind was weighed down with exhaustion and fear. He remembered Kieran, the man who risked his life to help him escape, and wondered to himself, "Was Kieran alright? Did he survive those decayed creatures?"

As his mind drifted in thoughts, his eyes began to grow heavy with sleep until he gradually succumbed, trying to escape the grim reality of his surroundings.

The next morning, Rian awoke to find himself surrounded by strangers. They wore simple clothes, but their faces bore signs of hardship and bitterness. One of them, who seemed to be their leader, approached with a stern face and piercing eyes, and spoke in a harsh tone, "You are now on our land. Don't worry… we're just trying to survive, like you."

Stunned, Rian couldn't respond, but his gaze was filled with fear and mistrust. The man, who was named Valor, continued, "My name is Valor. We're a group of survivors living in this cave for years, scraping together resources to avoid the areas contaminated with radiation."

But there was a suspicious glint in Valor's eyes, as though he was hiding something. Rian noticed this sly glimmer but was too exhausted to move or think clearly.

Valor gestured to a man standing at the side of the cave and, with a cold smile, said, "This is Darin, the man who helped me create this haven. We do whatever it takes to survive and get our food from here and there…" He then leaned toward Darin and said in a calm tone, "What do you think, Darin… maybe our guest would make an excellent addition to tonight's meal?"

Upon hearing this, Rian felt his blood run cold as he began to slowly back away, desperately trying to suppress the panic rising within him.