The headquarters meeting room was submerged in white light.
On the large screen, two reports were displayed side-by-side. On the left: data recovered from the abandoned factory in the industrial zone, where Thuong Sinh's team had just withdrawn. On the right: files of the scouting team that went missing three days ago, their last recorded position at the southwest perimeter.
A red line connected the two areas. They were not adjacent, they shared no common route, and there was no logical reason for a recurring phenomenon.
A middle-aged officer stood up, his voice deep. "The zombies at both points share identical characteristics: abnormal concentration and synchronized reactions." He paused. "This means there are at least two points of origin, or perhaps a network."
The atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy. Someone opened a map of the southwest territory; gray zones occupied almost the entire area. "This is the territory controlled by Thanh Xà (Green Snake)."
No one disputed this. Thanh Xà had never been classified as a high-level threat. They were a local survival organization—smuggling supplies, armed, but not excessively so—at least, according to the records.
"The scouting team that lost its signal was also sent to investigate the zombie phenomenon. The timing coincides with the start of the anomalies at the factory."
The room was silent for several seconds. Finally, the man in the presiding seat, Ly Hong Quan, spoke: "It is not a coincidence."
A short sentence, but it finalized everything.
"This phenomenon is no longer an isolated incident. If allowed to persist, the Duong Nam Safe Zone will be in danger. If they truly possess that zombie control device..."
No one in the room said a word. They all understood the eventual fate of the safe zone—it could vanish entirely from the map.
"We can no longer approach this through standard reconnaissance."
The decision was made quickly. No one objected; there was no vote.
"Issue a Red Alert."
"Target: Southwest sector, the entirety of the territory controlled by Thanh Xà."
"Tactics: Dispersed infiltration. Independent combat teams currently outside will approach from multiple directions. Priority: Verify the source of the interference. If necessary... permission to terminate is granted."
The order was encrypted and transmitted immediately. Only those at the outer perimeter, still alive and capable of combat, received the signal.
Outside the Duong Nam Safe Zone, at an unmapped resting point, Thuong Sinh was wiping his blade.
The dried black blood formed dark streaks on the steel, which he scraped away bit by bit—a movement so familiar he didn't need to look. On the other side, Van Thieu was looking at a map when the communication device at his hip vibrated.
One vibration, then a stop.
He glanced down. A few short lines appeared on the screen:
[Target: Red Alert]
[Sector: Southwest]
[Phenomenon matches factory]
[Prepare for infiltration.]
"Everyone, we have instructions from above."
The entire team turned their heads to look at him. He held up the device showing the next mission.
Van Binh spoke excitedly: "Ha, Southwest again? The snake's home."
No one answered him.
Van Thieu shot Van Binh a glance and spoke concisely: "This time is not like the last." He pointed to an area on the map at his feet—a large region in the southwest circled in red. It wasn't just one point, but many scattered locations.
"The old factory we scouted was just one link. The missing scouting team was also investigating this phenomenon in the Southwest."
The atmosphere turned noticeably somber. So Sinh frowned. "So... it's not just one place?"
"Yes," Van Thieu nodded.
Thuong Sinh leaned against the wall, his sword now wiped clean. The steel blade reflected the small light from the campfire. He didn't look at the map, but every word reached his ears.
Thanh Dao looked at the map and whispered, "If that's the case, there's a possibility of more than one interference source."
Before Van Thieu could reply, the device in his hand vibrated again. This time, it wasn't a mission notification; it was a synchronization signal.
"It's not just us. At least four other teams are approaching from different directions. This is a large-scale deployment."
No one said another word. The information was sufficient, and the mission was clear. The rest was preparation and waiting for dawn.
Outside, the night shrouded the entire outskirts of Duong Nam. There were no roars of zombies, nor any unusual movements. It was that very peace that made it hard for anyone to sleep.
Dawn had just broken.
A murky light spilled through the shattered window frames, chasing away the remnants of the shadows within this temporary house. Van Thieu was the first to wake. He glanced at his watch and quietly woke the others.
No one spoke loudly. They ate dry rations and checked their equipment. Every movement was neat and familiar, repeated countless times. The map was spread out once more.
"We will follow this route," Van Thieu pointed. "It's not the shortest, but it avoids densely populated residential areas."
So Sinh nodded. "Fewer zombies, but poorer visibility."
"Agreed," Van Thieu replied.
Thuong Sinh donned his backpack and sheathed his sword. He glanced toward the southwest, where the morning light could not reach.
"Let's go," he said softly.
Team 7 left the resting point. There were no commands or slogans—only six shadows quietly advancing toward the southwest, where more than one team was converging.
The terrain began to change as they left the outer ring. The cracked asphalt roads gradually disappeared, turning into old concrete mixed with stones and wild weeds growing everywhere. The houses grew sparser, replaced by abandoned warehouses and unfinished residential developments—skeletons of a world that died before they could be completed.
Team 7 maintained a stretched formation. Thuong Sinh took point, his pace not fast but steady. Van Thieu followed slightly behind him to the left, constantly checking against the map. The others were dispersed just enough not to step on one another, but not so far as to be separated.
About half an hour later, Thanh Dao raised her hand to signal a halt. "There are traces."
She pointed to the ground. Old tire tracks, not deep, but stretching toward the southwest. Beside them were scrambled footprints; some had been erased by the wind, while others were quite clear. "Not zombies. The footsteps are very regular."
Van Thieu knelt to observe for a few more seconds, then stood up. "At least two groups of people, traveling not far apart."
Van Binh smirked. "One of them might be another team."
"Or not," So Sinh said quietly.
No one disagreed. Thuong Sinh looked ahead down the path. The road in front dipped slightly, flanked by rows of ruined houses; visibility was quite restricted.
"Continue. Stay alert."
They walked for less than ten minutes before they heard a sound. It wasn't a roar, nor was it a gunshot. It was the sound of metal clashing against metal—very faint—and then silence.
The group immediately dispersed, seeking cover.
Thuong Sinh pressed against a cracked wall, his gaze quickly scanning the area ahead. At the end of the street, between two collapsed houses, a shadow flickered.
Three people.
Their equipment was uneven, but they all carried cold weapons and handguns. They moved cautiously, constantly scanning their surroundings.
"Not zombies," Van Thieu whispered. "And not our teams."
Lam Thanh Moc lowered her voice. "Thanh Xà's men?"
"Not sure. Observe further," Thuong Sinh replied.
The three shadows stopped at a turn, exchanged words quickly, and then split in two different directions.
So Sinh cursed softly under his breath. "Splitting up... like an organized group."
Van Thieu checked his watch, then glanced at Thuong Sinh. "The other teams are also approaching. It's highly likely we aren't the only ones encountering this."
Thuong Sinh nodded. "No contact. Circle around."
Team 7 changed direction, quietly leaving that block as if they had never appeared. But from that moment on, the feeling of being watched began to surface. It was unclear if it was zombies, Thanh Xà's men, or another team on the same mission unaware of their presence.
All they knew was that the deeper they went southwest, the thicker the traces of activity became.
Midday passed in silence. There was no longer the hollow whistling of the wind like in the outer regions, nor the chaos of zombies. The southwest sector felt as if it had been "cleaned" once; there were significantly fewer undead, but the traces of humans were the opposite.
Iron doors had been violently pried open, power lines neatly cut, and several high points showed signs of having been used as observation posts.
Van Thieu stopped under the shadow of a ruined gas station and lowered his voice. "Someone is controlling this area."
Thanh Dao glanced at the base of the station where faint footprints remained. "At least three days. They have shift changes."
Van Binh frowned. "Since when did Thanh Xà do things like this?"
No one answered.
Thuong Sinh stood at the edge of the shadows, his gaze fixed on a wall not far away. On the peeling paint, there was a simple black spray-painted symbol—orderly, not a path marker. It was their internal code.
The communication device vibrated again. This time, it wasn't an instruction, but short signals from the combat channel.
[Team 5: Light combat contact – Northwest direction]
[Team 2: Detected abnormal zombie gathering – Withdrawn]
[Team 9: Temporary signal loss – Recovering]
The lines appeared and then vanished. No team specified what they had seen.
"We aren't going in alone, nor are we the first to enter."
Van Thieu nodded, quickly adjusting the route on the map. He pointed to an old complex of buildings located between the approach routes of several teams. "This point. This could be their center."
Thanh Dao looked closely. "That could indeed be the center for Thanh Xà."
"It's secluded enough. Suitable for hiding something they don't want anyone to see."
They did not stay long. The formation shifted to a cautious advance, the distance between each person shortening. Every step was calculated to avoid leaving traces.
As the sun began to tilt, they saw it.
An old residential area, surrounded by a self-built fence—not high, but secluded enough. The iron gate was slightly ajar, and the inside was strangely quiet. There were no zombies wandering nearby.
Van Binh swallowed. "This place... it's too clean."
Thuong Sinh raised his hand to signal a stop. He looked at the area for a long time, then said a sentence that made the entire team tense up: "We've come to the right place."
And at that exact moment, a simultaneous signal flared on the team's communication devices. It wasn't a warning. It was a short, cold notification:
[All Perimeter Teams: Contact with Central Area confirmed]
[Authorized: Free deployment]
[Priority: Survival]
No one said another word.
Van Thieu signaled and led the way by two steps. Thuong Sinh stood parallel to him, Thanh Dao held the left flank, and So Sinh dropped back half a step behind. Van Binh and Lam Thanh Moc were in the middle, just enough to support one another without getting in the way.
The iron gate let out a "creak" as it was pushed open.
Thuong Sinh stopped immediately. He knelt, looking at the hinges. There was no peeling rust like on other abandoned gates. The grease was fresh, which was why it opened so smoothly.
"Someone enters and exits frequently," he whispered.
Inside the old residential area, rows of low houses stood close together. Most windows were covered with wooden planks or tarpaulins. There were no lights, no voices, but the scent of humans remained—the smell of smoke, dry food, and metal.
Thanh Dao frowned slightly. "It doesn't look like a normal survival station."
Van Thieu signaled a stop again. At the head of the alley in front, something hung dangling from a broken power pole: a zombie corpse, its neck strung with wire, its mouth stuffed with cloth.
"Be careful," So Sinh said softly.
Thuong Sinh looked around. His gaze stopped on the roof of a two-story house at the corner of the sector. A shadow had just retreated very quickly—not a zombie.
"We've been seen."
Van Binh lowered his voice. "So they're watching us?"
The communication device vibrated lightly again. This time it was the team channel, a very short signal.
[Team 2: Detected residential area with rudimentary defensive structures]
[No clear Thanh Xà symbols visible]
[Recommendation: Caution]
Thanh Xà.
That name hovered in everyone's minds, but what was before them didn't quite match what they knew about this organization. There were no characteristic green snake spray-paintings, no signs of showing off. It was too quiet.
Thuong Sinh took another step inside.
In that instant, a voice rang out from above—not loud, but clear enough: "Halt."
Everyone immediately raised their weapons, but no one attacked.
On the opposite rooftop, three shadows appeared. They weren't wearing uniforms, and their gear was a mix, but their stances while holding rifles were very disciplined. Further away, there were at least two other positions aiming down.
"You aren't Thanh Xà, but you aren't wanderers either."
Van Thieu stepped forward half a step, raising his hand away from his weapon. "We came to investigate the zombie anomaly."
A short silence. Then the voice chuckled, not in a friendly way.
"So you've been dragged in, too."
Thuong Sinh looked up, his gaze icy. "Too?"
The figure on the roof looked at him. For the first time, the gaze showed clear evaluation.
"You're late," he said. "The thing here is no longer simply Thanh Xà."