Bai Mu saw the scalpel tossed by Misty Rain. A bloody gleam flashed in the darkness, and he heard a wet, squelching sound.
However, there were no signs of enemy movement around them. That crying sound was still some distance away from the two of them. Aside from the noise they made themselves, it was completely quiet in all directions.
If the Zombies had noticed them, it would be impossible for him not to hear their footsteps. From the moment he walked in, he had noticed a layer of soft foam mats covering the tiles in the children's playground—likely a safety measure to keep kids from getting hurt if they fell. Walking on these mats produced a fair amount of noise; if one moved quickly, they would hear the distinct squeak and squish of the foam compressing.
But there was no such sound. Misty Rain had just experienced a stress reaction, spooked by something.
Bai Mu squeezed Misty Rain's shoulder with a bit of force, afraid that the commander might cause a huge commotion and draw the attention of whatever was truly hiding in the corner crying.
Misty Rain eventually calmed down. She realized she had lost her composure a moment ago; nothing was actually attacking her. She had merely stepped on some dead object.
She crouched down and took out her medical flashlight, wanting to shine a light to retrieve her scalpel.
A faint light shone from her palm. She very carefully cupped her hands around the flashlight to prevent the beam from scattering and provoking whatever lurked in the dark.
Finally, she could see exactly what it was. It was a headless Corpse. Her shoe had stepped squarely on its back, tearing off a patch of putrid skin as she pulled away.
Her shoe print was left on the Corpse, and that scalpel was lodged into its spine.
Misty Rain couldn't help but cover her mouth, forcing down the nauseating urge to vomit. This thing was far more disgusting than the Zombies outside. At least the Zombies outside still retained a bit of human shape, whereas this thing had swollen to the point of oozing fluid.
While Misty Rain took a moment to compose herself, Bai Mu crouched down, yanked the scalpel free, and held it out to her.
In a very gentlemanly manner, Bai Mu gripped the blade, offering the handle to her.
Misty Rain froze for a second before taking the scalpel.
Bai Mu pointed at the Corpse and then at the hand holding the flashlight, gesturing for her to illuminate it for him. Misty Rain intuitively understood that he wanted to examine the Corpse closely, so she adjusted the beam to give him a better look.
It gave off the distinct vibe of an attending physician and his assistant nurse. Bai Mu examined the scene at close range, reaching out to directly touch the highly decomposed dead body, feeling along the severed spine.
Just watching him do this made Misty Rain's stomach turn.
But Bai Mu remained as calm as ever. Misty Rain couldn't help but wonder if this man had been a professional Forensic Doctor before coming to Paradise. Only Forensic Doctors who professionally autopsied Corpses could be this unfazed, right?
The more she watched, the more she believed it to be true. Feeling that Bai Mu might have noticed something, she became very cooperative in lighting the area for him.
Bai Mu had indeed noticed something. Although he had never received formal training as a Forensic Doctor, in terms of practical experience, a professional Forensic Doctor couldn't possibly see as many Corpses in a single lifetime as he had.
He could confidently declare to any modern-day Forensic Doctor: I have seen more dead bodies than you've had hot meals.
The state of decomposition and the wounds on the Corpse were silently speaking to Bai Mu.
The fracture on the spine was incredibly jagged; it had been forcibly snapped by immense strength. Even though the skin was rotting, he could still make out gouges that looked as if they had been carved by a sharp weapon.
Or rather, marks that looked like they had been left by a cat's claws.
It was as if the sharp claws of some vicious beast had violently slashed at the Corpse. Many areas were torn to shreds. Bai Mu reached right in and peeled back the rotting flesh; it felt cold and squishy.
Like digging through cotton, he pulled apart the rotting meat and organ tissue. Misty Rain felt a chill run down her spine watching this. She was wearing a nurse outfit, but she wasn't a real nurse.
Killing Zombies was one thing; she could grit her teeth and power through it. But this naked autopsy scene made her feel as if her own internal organs and blood vessels were being stroked. A deep chill welled up from the depths of her heart.
Fortunately, she wasn't the one doing it, so she just had to endure it.
She watched as the Corpse's bones were exposed one by one. The spine, the ribs, the pelvis—the large bones all bore scratch marks. Some of the bones were broken, as if they couldn't withstand the force.
Not far away, Bai Mu also found the Corpse's head. He picked it up like a stray ball, focusing on the severed cervical spine, noting a distinct twist to the right.
Putting all the clues together, he could picture exactly what kind of enemy this victim had encountered.
A monster acting like a wild beast, with enough strength to twist a person's head right off. It possessed sharp claws capable of piercing skin and damaging bone.
Its method of attack was incredibly frenzied. Many of the wounds had been inflicted after the victim was already dead. The monster had a habit of mutilating corpses; twisting the victim's head off simply wasn't enough. It had crouched over the body, delivering flurry after flurry of claw strikes until the victim was completely mutilated into a puddle of mush before finally leaving.
This gruesome sight filled Misty Rain with dread. The urge to retreat began to sprout in her mind; lingering any longer in this enclosed, pitch-black space left her incredibly on edge.
She made hand gestures, trying to signal Bai Mu to fall back. The two of them would head out together, first regrouping with the two brothers on the first floor to exchange information before considering their next move.
But Bai Mu pointed toward a direction in the children's playground. He pressed down on Misty Rain's hand, using her fingers to turn off the flashlight.
Even without the flashlight's beam, they could see what was walking over there, because a shaft of sunlight was illuminating the spot.
A short, frail silhouette passed through the beam of light. Judging by its size, it was merely a child—a young girl. They could clearly make out the outline of a dress.
The girl stood with her back to the two of them, looking like a lost child unable to find her mother.
However, her skin didn't look human in the slightest. The sunlight revealed an unhealthy purplish-black hue, with dense, root-like veins spreading across her neck and arms.
The most abnormal part was her arms, or rather, the nails growing out of her ten fingers.
Those razor-sharp nails were as long as iron spikes, gleaming with a metallic luster. Perhaps Misty Rain couldn't see it, but Bai Mu could spot the rotting flesh, bone fragments, and strands of hair wedged beneath her fingernails.
A faint, eerie crying sound drifted from the girl.
She was the one crying in the children's playground, weeping with such helplessness and sorrow.
She was starkly different from the Zombies outside. Her body wasn't rotting, and her disheveled hair made her look like a terrifying wraith.
This was a Mutant. She was the one who had created the headless Corpse beneath Misty Rain's feet.
And the two of them finally saw where the gasoline was located. The girl wandered around, crying, and moved out of that beam of sunlight. She cleared their line of sight, revealing a generator right behind her.
As if intentionally reminding them, the interface panel for the gasoline can popped up before their eyes.
[Name: Gasoline Can]
[Type: Item]
[Quality: Common]
[Note: A can containing gasoline, quite rare to find inside a shopping mall.]
It was placed right in front of the generator, lying there quietly, emitting its distinct odor.
And there wasn't just one can; there were a full three cans.