Regressed with Omnipotent AI on Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 170: Night Stalkers Nest?

Zack barely had time to react. His arms instinctively raised, releasing twin particle beams that illuminated the lab in blinding flashes. The shots missed, slamming into the walls and leaving smoldering craters. But the brief light revealed the creature.

It was humanoid but grotesquely decayed, its pale skin stretched tightly over a skeletal frame. Slender limbs moved unnaturally, and its pale, glowing eyes seemed to burn with intent. Spines jutted from its back, and its elongated arms morphed into flexible, tentacle-like appendages. As it moved, the creature used its arms to latch onto walls, evading attacks with uncanny agility.

"Roar!" The creature's jaw stretched wide, unnaturally so, its dislocated mouth seemingly able to engulf a human head. Yet it hesitated, observing Zack and his team with unsettling intelligence. "Oh, great. You're uglier than I thought," Zack muttered, disgust flickering across his face. He waved off the idea of dealing with it personally. "Alright, line up. Push it back. Keep it alive if you can."

The fearless warriors immediately responded, pulling saw-chain swords from their backs. The lab filled with the grinding sound of the blades spinning to life. A wall of ten warriors began advancing methodically, cutting through anything in their path.

The creature snarled, stepping back, before spitting a stream of acidic green liquid. The corrosive spit splattered onto one warrior's armor, sizzling and eating away at the alloy. But the armor was thick enough to withstand the assault, and the warriors continued their advance undeterred. "When did these things start spitting acid?" Zack muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The creature, frustrated by its failed attack, roared again and lunged. Its tentacle-like arms swung with lethal precision, claws slicing deep into the armor of one warrior, leaving jagged marks. "Target's position changed," a warrior noted calmly, reacting with trained precision.

The two warriors at the flanks moved swiftly, cutting off the creature's retreat. "Block its escape route!" one barked. The remaining three advanced, their saw-chain swords forming an impenetrable line. The creature growled, its glowing eyes darting between them, calculating an escape. Realizing it was trapped, it launched into a desperate attack.

"Roar!" In a blur of motion, it darted forward, aiming for one of the warriors. Despite their size and heavy armor, the creature's speed allowed it to dodge the slashing blades. It collided with a warrior's chest with a resounding crash, forcing the massive soldier to stagger back.

"Damn, it's strong," Zack muttered. His expression darkened.

Taking the chance, the Night Stalker jumped onto the wall, dropped to all fours, and bolted toward the corridor, aiming to escape. But then— Buzz—! A red laser cut through the air.

Thud! Thud! The Night Stalker, mid-sprint along the wall, suddenly stopped as its body split cleanly into two halves. Both chunks hit the ground with a sickening thud. "No matter how fast you are, you're not faster than light," Zack muttered. He calmly detached the disposable battery from his laser emitter and tossed it onto the severed remains of the creature.

"Arghhhh!" The halved Night Stalker writhed on the ground, its guttural screams echoing through the lab. It didn't pay attention to Zack or the fearless warriors. Its pale eyes fixated on the corridor at the far end of the laboratory, even as its worm-like entrails spilled from its torso and squirmed briefly before going still in the open air.

"Sir, based on its performance, this one's far beyond ordinary Night Stalkers!" Ego's voice chimed in. "Its strength rivals that of a fearless warrior, and its speed is almost at your level!"

"You're missing one detail, Ego," Zack said coldly. "It's smarter than the rest." He took a step toward the bisected creature. Suddenly— "Roar!" Another deep, guttural cry echoed from the corridor ahead. It was strange, almost like a woman crying.

Zack stopped, a strange thought crossing his mind. "Hey, Zack, do you think zombies... can feel emotions?"

Zack scoffed, but Ego chimed in before he could reply. "Sir, any creature with high intelligence has the potential for emotions."

"That's not exactly comforting," Zack muttered, his expression growing darker. Something about this situation felt increasingly off. He didn't know what the Vanguard organization had done to these Night Stalkers, but whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Stay here. Don't let anything—or anyone—get out," Zack ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The ten fearless warriors responded in unison, their voices booming through the confined underground lab like thunder.

"Ego, full scan mode," Zack instructed as he stepped alone toward the corridor. Real-time data flooded his HUD through the Apex's display, even picking up a cockroach scuttling across the floor.

"This place had living quarters," Zack noted aloud as he progressed. Midway down the corridor, two paths split off—one leading to dormitories, the other to a lounge area. He inspected both. The dormitory was a chaotic mess, with discarded items littering the floor and bloodstains marking every surface. The lounge area was no better. Bullet casings and more blood painted a grim picture of the events that had unfolded.

"Looks like they abandoned this base because something went wrong in the lab," Zack muttered after inspecting a corpse.

"Likely, sir," Ego responded. "There's a lot of data left in the lab. We might find answers there."

"Not yet. Let's deal with the remaining Night Stalkers first," Zack replied. He returned to the main corridor and continued forward.

Suddenly, Ego's voice warned, "Multiple fast-moving humanoid entities detected!"

Boom! Boom!

Two particle beams fired from Zack's palms, lighting up the dark corridor. The shots hit two small figures dead-on, their heads bursting like overripe melons.

"Roar! Roar!" The surviving figures scattered, their shrieks echoing as they fled. Zack stepped closer to inspect the remains and froze.

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The two bodies were small—childlike. The Night Stalkers he'd just killed were no taller than a child, their bone spurs only partially developed. Zack's expression hardened. "If zombies are smart, that's bad enough. But if they can reproduce... I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered. Before Ego could respond, a deafening roar erupted from the end of the corridor. It was high-pitched and angry, carrying a primal rage that made the walls vibrate.

The next moment, a massive black shadow barreled toward him, reeking of rot and decay. Zack, thankfully, had scent feedback turned off. As the shadow rushed closer, Zack fired two palm cannons without hesitation.

Boom! Boom! The beams hit the creature, tearing through its flesh and spilling dark blood everywhere. But the beast barely slowed. With an ear-splitting roar, it lunged, claws extended, aiming directly for Zack.

"Bring it on!" Zack growled. He deactivated the palm cannons, clenched his fist, and met the attack head-on. His punch connected with a sickening crunch, sending shockwaves down the corridor. The impact was like a freight train hitting a wall.

Boom! The creature flew backward, its massive body slamming into the far wall. Bone and flesh splattered across the corridor as its claws shattered on impact.