"It Smells..."

In a world corroded by death, the ones truly out of place were the living—the "rare animals." "Honestly, in this godforsaken place, once you get even a little distance away from the base, corpses, skeletons, and the like will keep crawling out of the ground. Keep your eyes peeled when you walk—"

Yan Zhengguan, Master Yan, who was probably around Old Li's age—somewhere in his thirties or forties—was clearly a bit of a chatterbox. "Especially when you run into terrain like this. Go around it from the side, or backtrack and find another route. Don't just wander in. When I first got here yesterday, I was chasing a Skeleton and nearly ran straight into a swamp without noticing—"

"Solid ground is better. With soft soil, you never know what might be underneath."

Master Yan hunched over as he stepped across the slightly yielding purple-black mud, taking every step with extreme care. The dozen or so people behind him followed suit, stepping in his footprints.

Even the air in this godforsaken place carried a fishy, rotten stench. Breathing it into their lungs made them feel deeply uncomfortable.

"If you notice any unusual changes in temperature around you, or a strange smell, that usually means something's up—yeah, just like this."

Not far ahead, something staggered out from a patch of collapsed low brush. Calling its movements walking would have been generous; it was more like it was dragging itself along on the remnants of instinct.

It might once have been human, but now its skin was bloated and blue-black from soaking in water too long. Large patches had rotted away, exposing dark, moldy bones beneath. Its ugliness made the newcomers behind them scream at the sight!

"I told you before, don't fucking scream! Screaming in a place like this will get people