Mutagen

Day 251 - 9:16 PM - Central Mountains, Municipality of Viga, Province of Catanduanes

It was already getting late into the night. However, there was no time to rest or sleep for those who wanted to protect the island.

At least a hundred [Mechids] of varying sizes and appearances were released all over the island from the [Giant Mechid] trapped within the mountainous crater.

With that number, even if these [Mechids] were inferior compared to the [Mechids] that fell from space, they should be able to decimate a settlement or more. They might also be equipped with the original weapons like the ones that attacked the Magical Village, which was something that humans would have no way of defending against.

However, considering that that large number of [Mechids] spread out instead of moving in one group, these pathogen-hacked robots might be after a different goal. Even so, it did not make them any less dangerous.

Furthermore, since the [Mechids] spread out, it became harder to keep track of them all. And now, aside from a select few [Mechids], they have to find the others with their own methods.

It was not like they had to find and destroy all the [Mechids] since that would be more or less as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. All they had to do was to prevent the [Mechids] from reaching the important and strategic places on the island. The Rebel Settlement, for example.

And that was why Mark decided to search the northwest areas where the [Mechids] could possibly pass by while avoiding the mountain where the Magical Village was located.

For the [Giant Mechid] to deploy this many [Mechids] the same evening the last [Mechid] was killed, it posed some concerning questions. Did the [Giant Mechid] create all these [Mechids] in just a few hours, or did it already have this large army since the start? Either way, this fact increased the threat the [Giant Mechid] could pose to this island.

With Crimson's help, they soon found their first [Mechid]. It was one with the shape of a grasshopper, the size of a mini scooter bike. It was quite small compared to most of the [Mechids] they had seen since they arrived on this island. But despite its small size, the [Grasshopper Mechid] was not something to be underestimated.

Mimicking a real grasshopper, the [Grasshopper Mechid] moved pretty fast. It could jump high above the trees and travel long distances in each jump. It was the reason how Crimson first saw this [Mechid] as it repeatedly jumped above the trees while it was seemingly looking at its surroundings.

"I'll take care of that."

Feng Zhiruo volunteered.

"Alright."

Mark agreed.

"Be careful."

Mei said as Feng Zhiruo took her first step toward the enemy.

Feng Zhiruo glanced at Mei and nodded before going straight at the enemy at her full speed.

However, the [Grasshopper Mechid], behaving like a real grasshopper, seemingly noticed her after reaching a certain distance. And to their surprise, it tried to flee, opening its back, and showing boosters that the [Mechid] this afternoon had.

The moment that the [Grasshopper Mechid] activated those boosters, it would be able to escape.

However, before the unwanted situation could happen, Feng Zhiruo's body flickered as she ran toward her target. In a blink of an eye, she was already behind the [Grasshopper Mechid], slashing her sword down its body.

SHING!

With the blade of her sword glowing bright with her aura, Feng Zhiruo bisected the [Grasshopper Mechid] from behind, separating the left and right halves of the enemy's body. As the black goo exploded from her attack, her figure flickered as she retreated, avoiding getting splattered with the dangerous goo.

"Okay, that's one down."

Mark said as he and Mei reached Feng Zhiruo's side.

"Won't this affect the forest?"

Mei asked while looking at the bisected [Mechid], and the black goo splattered all over its remains and the ground.

The question also made Feng Zhiruo freeze a bit as she did not consider it before she attacked. She could have just pierced the [Mechid] with her sword to minimize the possible damage.

"It's fine," Mark said as he took out his phone and opened the offline map app. "I'll mark the places where we killed one. We can leave the cleanup to Iraya and her people."

Feng Zhiruo felt relieved hearing that Mark actually had a plan for the aftermath.

"Let's go," Mark said after marking the location on the map. "We have to find as many as possible."

With this, they set off once more to search for the smaller [Mechids] under the command of the [Giant Mechid].

Searching for the [Mechids] scattered all over the forest-covered mountains in the darkness of the night was no easy feat. It would have been something annoying and time-consuming.

Fortunately, the [Mechids] were not proactively hiding. The natural factors like terrain and lighting might hide them, but the [Mechids] did not care about such. It seemed that they were only focusing on their directives, whatever that may be.

After the first one, Mark's group found the second. By the looks of it, the [Mechid] had a body with the shape of a beetle. A click beetle, to be exact. An insect is pretty common on this island. And this one was actually easy to find as it was flying.

[Mechids] capable of flight existed. However, they were as rare as intelligent [Infected]. So far, they had only seen flight-capable [Mechids] using thrusters and something akin to anti-gravity mechanisms. Both of which seemed too incompatible and inefficient to use on Earth due to its gravity. Something that the origin planet of the [Mechids] barely had.

This gravitational incompatibility might also be the reason why [Mechids] capable of flight were rare to see. And it was a good thing. Having a lot of flying [Mechids] around would pose dangers in more ways than the [Infected] that had a larger population.

It was because of these anti-gravity mechanisms that this [Mechid] used to fly that it was easy to find. Both thrusters and the anti-gravity mechanism release a certain amount of light when used. It was the same for the boosters that the [Mechid] they fought this afternoon had. And in the middle of the night, that light was nothing but a beacon to draw attention.

This time, it was Mei who shot the [Mechid] with her sniper rifle. Surely, it caused a loud sound to echo across the mountains. However, it was not done without thought. Seeing that these [Mechids] seemed to be looking around and observing their surroundings, it was better for them to gather as much attention as possible. While there was a chance that the [Mechids] would flee like what the [Grasshopper Mechid] did, there was also a chance they would get attracted instead.

Soon, the answer came. A number of things began to swarm into the area.

There were [Mechids] of various shapes and sizes. The only thing similar to most of them was their uneven colors due to their bodies being made up of mixed metals from Earth. There were also some [Mechids] that originally fell to Earth. They were easily distinguishable due to their color and sleek geometric bodies.

While looking at this lineup in front of them, there was no doubt anymore that the [Giant Mechid] was creating new [Mechids] based on the creatures in its surroundings. Dogs, cats, beetles, and even caterpillars. There was quite a variety of models.

Aside from the [Mechids], the noise Mark's group made actually attracted a handful of [Infected]. And all of them were mutated ones with agility to quickly traverse the dangerous mountain terrain.

And lastly, [Feral Evolved Animals] also joined the fray. These feral, giant versions of their pre-apocalypse counterparts wandered these mountains. From giant insects to cow-sized canine monsters, there was quite a variety to them. It was majorly the thing that made it dangerous to travel the central parts of the island, making the three main human settlements and other smaller settlements on the island inaccessible to one another.

Looking at this situation, this was the answer to the question of why fighting in the middle of the mountains during a zombie apocalypse was extremely dangerous. It was a safe place to hide, as long as people would sit still and stay quiet. Once the cover was blown away, it would become very dangerous.

Fortunately, this was the least of the problems if the fight happened in the magical mountains or areas around it. That place was under the control of the magical creatures, after all, decreasing the dangers a whole lot.

And as the guests gathered, the party began without the hosts. It was not surprising that the [Feral Evolved Animals] would start fighting the [Infected] and the [Mechids]. It was what they were known for. Attacking anything they did not deem one of theirs.

But surprisingly, the new [Mechids] from the [Giant Mechid] were attacking the old and broken original [Mechids]. This was something surprising that no one would expect.

Of course, the old [Mechids] that were neutral towards the new [Mechids]  retaliated after getting attacked. These old [Mechids] were clearly superior in terms of toughness. However, their bodies were broken, and they had lesser numbers than the new [Mechids]. One of the heavily broken ones fell soon after the fight started. And another surprise, the new [Mechids] began butchering the defeated [Mechid], seemingly for parts and materials.

As for the [Infected], they began attacking the [Feral Evolved Animals]. These animals were, after all, alive and not infected by [Mutagen's] [Unstable Strain]. It would be more of a surprise if the [Infected] did not try to turn the animals to their side.

Mark's group looked at the party they started, unfazed. If it was any other regular person, they would be horrified at the pit of death before them. But for Mark's group, it was a good opportunity to deal with many problems at once. Sure, it was dangerous this way. Nonetheless, it was more efficient than scouring the whole island for these dangerous creatures.

Besides, there was no rule that they had to step in and enter the fray in the middle of it. Mark's group could just stay outside, sniping enemies at any given opportunity.

It was what they did.

Mei switched to a silenced sniper that she had inside her ring. It was not as powerful as the [Shooting Moon Blade]. But if Amihan was not around to silence her shots, this suppressed H&K PSG-1 Sniper Rifle they got from the bandits way back in New Jersey would do great work.

As for Feng Zhiruo, she moved around the outskirts of the battlefield. Every time an enemy was forced back into the forest, it was her turn to snuff out the life out of them. Well, if these space robots were also considered as something alive.

Lastly, Mark actually jumped into the fray. Using the [Photokinesis Mental Crystal], he stepped into the battle completely invisible. And with the battle becoming a royal rumble, it would be hard for those with motion and thermal detectors to actually pay attention to him specifically.

Using his enhanced whip-blades, [Slicer] and [Divider], he strafed through the battle killing anything that comes near him.

It was just a matter of time, the battlefield became a pile of corpses and broken metal pieces covered in black goo.

Mark decided to retrieve intact weapons from the [Mechids] and harvest usable materials from the dead animals. They also decided to bring back some of the animal corpses. In the middle of the battle, Mark actually focused on some animals to kill. For example, a jeepney sized boar.

[Feral Evolved Animals] were aggressive due to the negative effects of the changes in their bodies. Nonetheless, their meat could be eaten safely and was one of the stable sources of food nowadays. There was no way that Mark would let that giant boar meat get tainted by the black goo or escape.

After that party of death, Mark's group continued hunting [Mechids], [Infected], and [Feral Evolved Animals] throughout the night. The amount they killed was definitely above hundreds, but the number was the least of their concern.

So far, it seemed that no [Mechid] had reached the far northwestern areas of the island, which meant that they succeeded in intercepting the [Mechids].

It was a good thing for the Rebel Settlement, but definitely not in the other parts of the island.

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