"That went well," James stated once the Colonel left their tent. He dropped into the previously occupied chair and crossed his arms. "We get to fight the mutants and clear out another Quarantine. I say that's a good deal."

"It is," Tyler agreed, turning to Isaac. "You sure you don't want to go with us? We don't have to accept everything Williams orders. As you said, we work with him, not for him."

Isaac shrugged. "I wasn't lying. I'm curious about the animals there, so I might as well check it out. Besides, I want to see how they match against the mutants. Who knows, maybe they will be an even better challenge."

"Of course you would say that," Elaine muttered. "Just be careful, okay? Remember your promise. No dying until then."

Isaac chuckled as he moved toward the tent's exit. "You got it." He glanced at the others. "I will join you once I deal with the Zoo. Shouldn't take long."

Without waiting for a response, he pushed the tent flap aside and stepped out. There, his gaze instantly fell on the woman waiting close by. He approached her.

"Hey, Williams said you would show me where the zoo is," he said.

Linda nodded. "Of course. Follow me, please, sir."

The Sacramento Zoo wasn't as far away as Isaac initially thought. Well, at least not for someone who could fly and avoid all the obstacles on the ground. Having the place south of Midtown made navigation even easier. As such, he found himself circling above it within about fifteen minutes. He checked on the phase two timer.

Still, he didn't descend just yet. The Colonel's warning about other survivors rang out loud in his mind, and he didn't plan to ignore it. That said, the old man also could have been lying, and the place might be completely abandoned.

Thus, he quickly scouted the area.

At least he was honest about the monsters here, Isaac thought, his gaze fixed on the various animals below.

Despite being a zoo, most creatures he spotted were just dogs and cats. From this angle, it was hard to see how the Broken Strain had altered them, but he definitely caught a glint of yellow in their eyes. The fact that Analyze worked on them and marked them as Low Threat was further proof that these weren't ordinary animals.

No Wretched, though… Meaning either the Zoo was closed when the Breakout happened, or different species of monsters don't always get along.

That said, Isaac remembered his time in the Pioneer Trial well. There, the slugs and spiders were quite friendly. The same went for mutants and normal Wretched. Maybe hostility only existed between humanoid creatures and animals?

Possible, but it required more proof.

Whatever, it's not that important now, he thought, his enhanced eyes scanning the area beyond the Zoo. Where are the survivors? There are no Wretched close by so someone definitely was here. But where?

He clicked his tongue and flew lower to get a better angle on the remaining buildings in the area. Knowing his luck, they were hiding just somewhere out of his sight. And while he didn't worry about a confrontation, he would be happy if he could avoid one altogether.

Just then, a flicker of movement caught his attention, a brief glint in a window of a partially ruined shopping center next to the Zoo.

Got you.

The building had clearly seen better days, but the group inside didn't seem to mind. And honestly, he couldn't blame them. This spot had a clear view of a small part of the Zoo.

Means I have to avoid it.

Nodding to himself, Isaac turned around and flew toward the opposite side of the Zoo. It wasn't until he reached an exhibit filled with a pack of sleeping dogs that he landed on a tree. As soon as his feet touched the bark, the familiar weight of a Quarantine pressed against him, accompanied by a standard Interface notification.

He grimaced. Williams was right; the corruption here was almost as bad as at the core of the double layer.

Let's do this.

Blood Daggers manifested around him and shot toward the sleeping pack. Pained whines filled the area, alerting every beast close by. Roars, croaks, and all kinds of hisses joined the symphony a moment later, almost bursting Isaac's eardrums.

Still, he barely flinched. Now was not the time to get distracted.

Down.

He dropped from the tree and transformed mid-air, landing in the middle of the waking pack with the Root drawn. Before any of the beasts could react to his presence, he spun, a wave of blood following his movement and cutting through everything in its way. Another swing finished the few that his first attack couldn't reach.

Sorry doggies. I have no choice here.

[Wretched Canine x9 slain.]

Isaac barely had time to read that notification before a black blur lunged at him. He leaned to the side and snatched the creature mid-air by its furry neck.

It was a cat. An angry adult cat that didn't give up after getting caught. Its claws slashed at him in a frenzy while its sickly glowing yellow eyes glared at him.

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Isaac averted his gaze and plunged the Root into its body.

[Wretched Feline (LVL. 4) slain.]

Decent level. May—

His thought was cut short as more fur balls appeared in his vision. They jumped into the enclosure, their eyes burning with hate. The noises of different creatures also grew louder, and he winced when he heard a roar that sounded distinctly like a lion or a tiger.

That's what I get for wanting to see animals…

The Root pulsed in his grasp as if trying to tell him something. For once, he understood and drew on the fuel waiting in his Bloodbank. Symphony of Blood also came alive. A grin crept onto his lips.

"Just so you all know," he muttered. "It's nothing personal."

The horde of animals responded with growls and hisses. Isaac rewarded them with a quick salvo of Blood Daggers, marking the official start of the Battle of Sacramento Zoo.

The cats rushed in first, only to be consumed by a wave of Blood Draw. A group of monkeys followed, swept away by the next wave. A couple of snakes joined them in death after the final strike.

Yet, the fight was far from over.

More animals flooded in—mostly dogs and cats—but among them were a pair of lions and a single tiger. The other monsters parted before the trio, letting them join the fight right away.

Yeah, I don't think so…

As the pair of lions lunged, Isaac transformed and shot into the sky. A couple of cats tried to catch him, but they never reached him. The same went for the remaining monkeys, or were those lemurs?

Either way, time to kick it up a notch. Freedom mode.

Immortal Mana replaced Viron in his body, already beginning to burn him from the inside out. He pushed past the pain and reached for the only ability that could make this battle somewhat balanced.

Crimson Flock. Attack!

Ravens of blood descended upon the Zoo, and Isaac followed them. Daggers fueled by Immortal Mana manifested at his sides. They shot for the lions, killing the pair on the spot. This just left the tiger out of the bigger animals.

Not for long.

With enhanced Blood Draw swirling around him, he folded his wings and dove at the last large feline. It saw him coming and leaped to meet him head-on.

A mistake.

The moment the fire-like aura of Blood Draw touched its body, the tiger exploded in a violent shower of gore. Still, Isaac continued onward. He tore through everything in his path, leaving a trail of blood and bodies in his wake.

It was good that PETA didn't exist anymore…

As the mana-enhanced Blood Draw faded, Isaac transformed back, rolling to soften his landing. A dog came at him before he could recover, but a blood raven swept in just in time, striking the canine in the side. That allowed him to summon a dagger and plunge it into the creature's skull.

Thanks.

The Root fell into his hand again, and without any hesitation, he threw himself at the nearest pack of animals trying to defeat his ravens. The entire Zoo was chaos, and he loved it.

Symphony of Blood agreed and began to play a new tune.

Beautiful…

Well done, Hosts. You have managed to neutralize this Quarantine Site. Purging in progress. Your reward shall arrive soon. Level progression will be distributed between all contributors.

Blood Draw has advanced a tier. Blood Dagger has reached its maximum tier.

Good timing! Isaac yelled internally as he sliced through another flying cat and dived for the chest that materialized next to him. A quick salvo cleared out the remaining animals nearby, giving him enough time to grab his rewards—a small cloth sack and a single blueprint.

After shoving all that into his bag, he transformed and soared high, flying away as fast as he could. Some might wonder why he was running. After all, he had just cleared over eighty percent of the Zoo.

Well, not exactly.

About halfway through the cleanup, gunfire and other sounds had joined the dying cries of monsters. The nearby group had finally gotten tired of waiting and joined the fun. Good for them, not so much for Isaac, who didn't want to deal with survivors who might be holding a grudge against him and his team.

Thus, the moment the Quarantine Site was neutralized, he made his exit.

Okay, should be far enough, he thought, landing on the tallest building in the area. A part of a college campus? It sure looked like it, even if some buildings in the area lay in ruins.

Shifting back into his human form, Isaac reached for his new loot.

The gems—five of them—just like he had expected were of Normal-grade. The blueprint, however, turned out to be useless. It taught one of the three basic filtration skills he had already learned. It seemed like, at this point, the Interface wouldn't give them anything else.

Don't want us getting too strong from the get-go. Weird…

Isaac shrugged and consumed the gems one by one. When he reached the last one, another Interface message greeted him.

Congratulations! Your Virus has entered the fourth Phase of development.

Fourth? He frowned. Last time, there were only three before maturity. Huh. So it changes with stages. Good to know.

Isaac waved away the notification and sat down at the edge of the roof. As much as he wanted to join his team in Midtown right now, he needed a minute or ten to catch a breather. He had used a lot of Viron in the Quarantine Site, and then there was the Crimson Flock.

"At least I didn't break anything this time," he muttered, glancing at the various cuts on his arms. They were all already half healed.

He looked toward the horizon. "Wonder how the—"

Whatever was supposed to leave his mouth got cut off as the building underneath him trembled. He shot to his feet, transforming as cracks spread across the rooftop. With a couple of powerful flaps of his wings, he was back in the sky, getting the front-row seat for what obviously was the next earthquake.

Within seconds of it all beginning, buildings around him started to collapse, filling the streets with dust. Screams and distant wails joined in with the sounds of destruction, drowning out any cries for help.

Isaac growled internally. Why now? Why not wait until the task is over? We were so damn close.

For the first time since the earthquakes had begun, the Interface had an answer for him. A very long one, too.

To all surviving Hosts of the Sacramento Contamination Zone. You have successfully eliminated 60% of the Wretched in your territory. To assist you, the Overseer has decided to grant you a boon.

An additional 5% of the Wretched have been eliminated. Their strength will be used to summon a Guardian from the low-ranked levels of the Broken Realm. Defeat it to instantly advance the Second Phase Task by the 5% used to summon it.

Failure to do so within the remaining time will mark the task as failed, regardless of reaching 70% progress. In addition, the Contamination Barrier will remain active as long as the Guardian is alive.

Good Luck, Hosts. The Guardian shall appear at the core of the neutralized Double-layered Quarantine Site.

Isaac narrowed his eyes as the blood within his veins boiled.

You lied to us again.

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