The group entered a large house in the village.
In the main hall, a hot meal was already prepared, filling the room with a delicious aroma.
Harold rubbed his hands together, somewhat embarrassed. “Leo, the conditions in the mountain village are simple. We only have these wild foods. Please forgive us.”
Leo smiled. “Chief Newman, you’re too polite. These wild foods are all organic. You can’t even get them in the city. How could I complain?”
“That’s good to hear.” Harold breathed a sigh of relief.
His subordinates only knew that Leo was a special envoy sent to solve the problem. Only he and Deputy Director Gil Freeman knew Leo’s true identity.
To be honest, the mystery and privileges of WONDER made him look up to them immensely.
He was afraid that Leo, this great figure, would be difficult to serve, but now he was finally at ease.
The group sat down, but no one touched their chopsticks, all eyes on Leo.
Leo smiled wryly. It was another officialdom rule. Naturally, he held the highest status here. If he didn’t eat first, who would dare?
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Leo still smiled and picked up his chopsticks. “Isn’t anyone hungry? I’m starving, so I’ll start.”
With that, he picked up a piece of chicken with wild mushrooms and put it in his mouth.
Immediately, Leo felt a burst of flavor and his eyes lit up. He smiled and said, “It really is delicious, truly organic and natural.”
“Leo, you’re too kind. It’s just some wild dishes.” Everyone laughed and finally picked up their chopsticks to eat.
During the meal, Harold, as the host, was enthusiastic in his hospitality-serving dishes, introducing them, and complimenting Leo-keeping himself very busy and showcasing the complexities of officialdom.
The uncomfortable meal finally ended.
Leo sighed in relief. “Chief Newman, the situation is urgent. I think we should get to work first. I’ve already got a general understanding of what’s happening here. I’d like to see the bodies now, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” Harold was even more eager than Leo to solve the problem and quickly stood up. “Please follow me.”
The group got up and headed straight to a secluded side room in the large house.
As soon as they opened the door, a nauseating stench of decay hit them.
It seemed this was the morgue.
Leo fought back his nausea and scanned the room. Inside were more than ten bodies, all covered with white cloths.
Steadying himself, he walked towards one of the bodies and prepared to lift the cloth.
Gil Freeman quickly stopped him. “Leo, please wait a moment. It’s better to use gloves.”
He handed over a pair of forensic gloves.
“Thank you.” Leo smiled, took the gloves, put them on, and then lifted the cloth to examine the wounds on the deceased.
The wounds were on the neck, with two sharp punctures. The muscle was torn as if something sharp had been forcibly driven in.
Additionally, the area around the wound was an eerie blackish-blue and rotting, emitting a foul stench as if poisoned by something extremely toxic.
Leo frowned, covered the body again, and moved on to the second one.
The wounds on the second body were identical to those on the first.
Leo nodded slightly and covered the body again.
Harold quickly asked, “Leo, have you figured something out? Can you tell us what caused this?”
Leo looked around at everyone and said slowly, “Zombie!”
The police officers present immediately felt their hair stand on end.
Harold’s face changed color in shock. “Leo, are you serious?”
Leo nodded solemnly. “Yes, the wounds on the deceased match exactly with those described in ancient texts about zombie bites.”
Everyone looked at each other in horror, feeling a chill run from their heels to their foreheads.
Gil Freeman involuntarily swallowed. “It really is some kind of monster causing trouble. No wonder we couldn’t find anything despite our efforts.”
Leo nodded. “For ordinary people to deal with zombies, especially powerful ones, is indeed an impossible task.”
Harold was a bit panicked. “So Leo, now that we know it’s zombies causing trouble, what should we do?”
Leo smiled. “You can’t do much about this. Don’t worry; leave everything to me.”
Knowing the prowess of WONDER personnel, Harold felt reassured and quickly said, “Alright then, we’ll follow your instructions. Just tell us what to do.”
“Okay.” Leo accepted without hesitation. “Chief Newman, please accompany me around the village. I want to understand the terrain.”
“No problem. This way.” Harold nodded quickly and led the way.
Accompanied by everyone, Leo closely observed the small mountain village.
Underfoot were smooth and ancient green stone slabs. Walking on them felt like touching distant history, stirring his heart gently.
On either side were simple and rustic houses with blue bricks and red tiles, eaves and columns. Walking among them felt like traveling back in time.
In a daze, Leo felt countless eyes watching him from behind doors and windows-some curious, others hopeful.
Leo felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the eastern entrance of the village. This small village of just over a hundred households had been thoroughly inspected by Leo and his companions.
Harold looked at Leo and asked, “Leo, this is the layout of the village. Do you have any further instructions?”
Leo thought for a moment and said, “Chief Newman, this village runs east to west with two entrances at either end. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Harold was puzzled. “What are you thinking?”
Leo nodded. “I want to set up two arrays at these entrances. Ordinary people can pass through without issue, but if a zombie tries to enter, it will trigger an alarm, ensuring the village’s safety at night.”
“If a zombie dares to cause trouble tonight, it will be its last day.”
“That would be perfect.” Harold was delighted to hear this. “Now we can sleep peacefully at night; we’ve been on edge all this time.”
Leo smiled. “I’ll set up the arrays right away. Chief Newman, please inform the villagers not to go out at night.”
“Don’t worry; the villagers are already scared out of their wits. Even if you called them out at night, they wouldn’t dare come out.”
“Alright then, everyone step back while I set up the array.”
Harold quickly led the police officers back. They all watched with wide eyes, eager to see what kind of abilities Leo had.
Leo looked around. In this mountainous area, stones were abundant. He selected nine appropriately sized stones.