Head-splitting Monster

Good heavens!

The captain's words made Zai Zong immediately understand something, and he exclaimed "Wow!" in the live stream.

"I get it, bros!"

"Now I understand what's going on!"

"No wonder the captain and the command center emphasized that investigation should be the primary focus and rescue should be secondary."

"Given the nature of this forest's rampant growth, and the fact that it was clearly stated earlier that all other passages were destroyed by tree roots, it seems this team never intended to come out alive from the beginning?"

"Damn, no wonder the captain had such a strong sense of mission. He knew he might die on this mission."

At that moment, a striking message worth 30 yuan appeared.

The higher-ups said: Is it possible that their sense of mission stems from orders given from above?

Zai Zong saw this, he shook his head and explained.

"Brothers, think about it. Didn't we say that all the other passages were destroyed by tree roots? Only Channel 21 was not destroyed by tree roots, but before the passage was completed, the construction workers became vegetative. Doesn't this mean that Channel 21 was also abandoned during construction because of tree roots? All the other passages were not spared, so it was only a matter of time before Channel 21 was destroyed by tree roots."

"Then the other passages could not be constructed because of the tree roots, which shows that modern technology cannot solve the characteristics of the forest. By the time this Special Task Force entered, the tree roots destroyed the passages, and they could only wait to die in the forest."

"So, I guess they never intended to come out alive. They were prepared to die. In that case, who would they save? If they couldn't even save themselves, how could anyone else save them? Therefore, the investigation should be the priority."

At that moment, another eye-catching message worth 30 yuan floated by.

The message above says: Okay, stop imagining things, hurry up and serve the food, okay? My takeout has arrived, I'm just waiting to see you suffer while eating, okay?

Upon seeing the comment, Zai Zong scoffed and obediently started playing the game.

"But to be honest, I originally thought this side quest was just a way for players to experience how NPCs die. I didn't expect it to have such a mission and significance. This makes me feel a great sense of responsibility."

"As expected of Special Task Force belonging to the Control Bureau, excellent!"

"It's a bit of a pity, knowing they might die or go missing, sigh."

Zai Zong controlled the captain to move forward in Channel 21.

The tree roots covering the stone walls on both sides were becoming more and more numerous, and thicker and heavier.

Even the wooden planks that were originally laid on the ground were gradually covered by tree roots, making the soldiers walking on them almost touch the top of the passage.

Soon, a faint cry for help came from the VR device's headphones.

Upon Zai Zong immediately perked up.

"Coming! Stop calling! I'm here!"

The Special Task Force in the game also noticed this commotion.

The two at the front immediately raised one hand, making a gesture to signal to stop.

Then, they raised their guns, aimed, and cautiously advanced step by step, using the light of their tactical Flashlight.

Under the Flashlight beam of the character "Zai Zong," their figures could only be seen slowly swallowed by the darkness and disappear from sight.

Obviously, the Flashlight beam can't shine very far.

But this animated demonstration made Zai Zong feel at ease.

"Great, really great, guys, look at this, now that's what teammates are all about."

"If we encounter something unknown, we will go forward in a group to investigate, while the others wait for support in the rear, instead of all rushing in at once, and we will not send me up alone just to create a scary atmosphere."

"It's great to have reliable NPC teammates like this; you rarely see that in Horror Games!"

Zai Zong spoke, the team members' horror immediately came through the radio.

[Oh God.]

What exactly is this?

The Zai Zong a glance that the thing calling for help was definitely not ordinary.

He immediately rushed forward, and soon, under the gradual illumination of the Flashlight, the two teammates who had scouted ahead came back into view.

Immediately afterward, not far ahead, on the ground near the tree roots, lay a group of workers, at least twenty or so, lying stiffly in the passageway, the scene crowded and eerie.

Their clothes were tattered and dirty, and everyone lay motionless on the ground, clearly cold corpses, showing no sign of having tried to call for help via radio.

Or perhaps it was someone else who called for help?

[Oh my god, it really is a construction crew, why did they die here?]

[But that's impossible! The construction crew were all transferred out for treatment!]

[Could it be someone who didn't have time to evacuate?]

[They didn't have time to evacuate? Look at the obstacles or detours we encountered along the way. We didn't even use a single bullet. As the construction team, they knew the structure of Channel 21 very well. What prevented them from evacuating this safe and smooth section of the road in time?]

[1231518202527 There are 27 corpses; it seems something terrible happened here.]

[Could it be that something attacked them, preventing this group from leaving?]

[Then why is there no blood? These corpses are intact, with no fatal external injuries. If they had been attacked, there should be a strong smell of blood here.]

Faced with this situation, C-1, as the team leader, did not participate in the team members' discussion, but instead contacted the command center directly.

And at this moment, the game also entered real-time calculation.

In the footage, two team members step forward and begin examining the condition of the body.

The captain, however, spoke seriously.

[Command center, this is Captain C-1. Please respond.]

[Command Center received, Zeta-9 'Mole' Team C, please report the situation.]

[Command Center, our team has found the remaining construction workers in Channel 21. They are dead, cause of death unknown, and their bodies...]

The captain paused, and the team member examining the body seemed to understand, shaking his head at the captain.

The captain understood immediately and returned.

[No injuries have been found on the body yet. We will carefully check for survivors, and then...]

The captain's words were interrupted at this moment.

[Team C captain, what did you just say? What did you say you discovered?]

The voice on the radio was no longer female, but a deep and authoritative male voice.

When asked a question, C-1, the team leader, paused for a moment before answering.

[Captain, we've found the bodies of the remaining construction workers; they're dead.]

[Team Leader C, the construction team at Channel 21 had 27 people. They were all sent to the hospital without exception. My records show exactly 27, no more, no less. Where did the extra workers come from? What did you find?]

Both the Zai Zong and the captain were stunned.

Because one of the team members had previously counted the bodies, and there were exactly 27.

That.

[We did find the construction crew members, and the number is 27, just as the documents state. Captain, we will examine the bodies carefully.]

[Understood. I'll arrange for someone to go to the hospital to inquire about the workers' condition. This must be some kind of Anomaly Trait that led you to see the bodies of the rescued personnel. Anyway, be careful in everything. Over.]

[Understood, all done.]

In real-time, the captain cut off radio communication and signaled to his team to carefully examine the body.

One of the team members was ordered to quickly remove the work clothes from a corpse, exposing its dirty skin.

The team members then began checking for any fatal injuries.

But it was at this moment that a terrifying scene unfolded.

The upper body of the corpse suddenly split open from the neck downwards, revealing serrated teeth like a mouth, and bit off the soldier's right hand with lightning speed.

Blood spurted out immediately.

A scream followed by a wail.

Everyone, including the Zai Zong, was shocked by this sudden scene.

The Special Task Force soldier also collapsed helplessly onto the pile of corpses, bleeding profusely. He held up his right arm, which had lost its hand, and screamed in agony, writhing in pain.

But because of the Mask, his voice was muffled and hysterical.

But the truly terrifying part is yet to come.

The corpse, its upper body split open, stood up shakily, its left and right halves pressed tightly together, chewing on the soldier's hand.

As the monster got up, the other corpses that were lying on the ground also stood up.

Their upper bodies split open one after another, oozing dark red blood and revealing what lay behind them.

The edges of the crack were covered with jagged teeth, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Some of those heads swayed on the left side, while others drooped on the right.

Its body was devoid of organs and bones; all that remained was a thin, long red tongue protruding from it.

The upper half of these corpses had become a mouth!

After it splits open, you can even see what's behind it.

And Zai Zong called out their names.

"Holy crap, it's Head-splitting Monster!"