The Northern Settlement was located on the far northern edge of the city, built right along the banks of the Seattle River.
The wide, murky body of water acted as a natural barricade against zombie invasions.
For reasons no one understood, no zombie ever dared to venture into the depths of the Seattle River.
They had no problem diving into lakes, swimming across flooded streets, or wading through smaller water bodies in search of living prey.
But the moment a zombie approached the bank of the Seattle River, it would freeze, screech in terror, and back away.
Although this strange phenomenon reduced the defensive pressure on the military, the unknown terror lurking beneath the water loomed over the settlement like impending doom.
The military had tried multiple times to find out what was in the river. Every specialized squad sent to dive into the water vanished without a trace, their communication signals cutting off within seconds.
Eventually, all underwater exploration was banned. No one dared to explore it anymore.
Inside a large makeshift tent at the center of the camp, a man in his fifties sat behind a heavy wooden desk, reading through a bundle of fresh casualty reports.
Stack after stack of paper on his table almost reached the canvas ceiling. His deep brow furrowed every time he turned a page.
His name was Vincious Jerald, the Mayor of the city and the acting General of the Northern Settlement. He rubbed his aching temples, letting out a tired sigh.
Lancity was a Tier 1 city with a population of more than ten million people. It was a famous port city, possessing a military presence larger than any other Tier 1 city in the country.
However, after the outbreak a week ago, that military advantage never helped. The sheer speed of the infection had turned millions of citizens into mindless monsters overnight.
There were a total of four settlements, the so-called safe zones, established across Lancity. The Northern Settlement was the largest among them, with surviving civilians reaching barely twenty thousand.
The situation in the other three settlements was far more dire, with constant zombie waves attacking them from all directions.
At least the Northern Settlement only had to worry about frontal assaults because of its geography. The river at their back held off half the city’s horde, even if it brought a different kind of dread.
"Report!" A soldier called out from outside the tent, pulling back the flap and saluting sharply. "Leader Imani has returned to camp!"
Vincious looked up, a wave of genuine relief washing over his tired face. "She’s back? Is she injured?"
"Minor bruises, sir, but she is alive," the soldier reported.
Imani was one of his most capable Major officers before the outbreak. After the catastrophe hit, she had Awakened a powerful talent, making her an irreplaceable asset to the settlement’s defense.
Losing her squad would have been a devastating blow to their remaining forces.
"Send her in immediately," Vincious ordered.
A moment later, Leader Imani walked into the tent alone. Dirt and dried blood still smudged her dark skin, and her dark orange, curly hair was tied back tightly.
Her face carried a heavy, serious expression.
"Mayor Vincious," Imani addressed him, standing at attention.
"Drop the formal title, Imani. I am now just an old man with a title," the older man said, leaning back in his chair. "I heard your armored vehicle was destroyed. What happened out there? Did you encounter a High-Tier Feral?"
"We did," Imani replied flatly. "It was a Psychokinetic Feral Boss. It wiped out most of my squad, destroyed our vehicle, and trapped me under an overturned truck."
Vincious tightened his grip on his pen. "A Psychokinetic Boss... how did you survive?"
"We didn’t kill it," Imani said, looking directly into his eyes. "Another zombie killed it. Single-handedly."
Vincious froze. "Another zombie?"
"Yes. But this one is different," Imani said, taking a step closer to the desk. "She possesses complete rationality, emotional intelligence, and speech. She commands a horde of over forty controlled zombies. And she saved our lives."
Vincious listened in silence as Imani detailed the battle at the ruined intersection.
He frowned when she mentioned the zombie’s appearance, but when Imani finally spoke the name of the zombie girl, the pen in his hand slipped and fell onto the desk.
"Her name is Summer," Imani said, her voice dropping.
Vincious sat motionless. His eyes widened slightly as a deep, heavy thought took hold of his mind. He recalled the face of the young girl from three years ago.
Seeing the disgusted expression on Imani’s face as she spoke the name, a sharp wave of guilt passed through the General’s eyes.
Imani still believed the official report from back then. She believed Summer was a greedy, shameless orphan who had taken money from enemy intelligence to ruin the Supreme Commander’s career.
But Vincious was among the very few who knew the dark reality of that incident.
Summer had been telling the truth.
The Supreme Commander had indeed assaulted her. But the military upper echelon could not afford to let a national hero fall during a delicate political shift.
They had fabricated the foreign bribe narrative, crushed the helpless orphan girl under a mountain of fake evidence, and wiped her name from history.
He had stayed silent back then to protect his own position as Mayor. And that silence had haunted him ever since.
"Summer..." Vincious muttered, his voice barely audible. "She turned into a zombie..."
"She doesn’t remember her past," Imani added, misinterpreting his heavy tone. "She asked me who she was. I told her the truth about her scandal. Whatever she was as a human, right now she is an intelligent zombie who can be reasoned with."
Vincious quickly masked the guilt in his eyes, his military mindset taking control once again. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his crossed hands.
"An intelligent zombie with command over a horde..." Vincious pondered aloud.
If this girl retained her mind, she was no longer just a threat. She was a weapon.
A weapon that did not tire, did not contract the virus, and could move among the zombies without drawing natural hostility.
His mind worked rapidly, calculating the tactical advantages. They were running low on ammunition, their soldiers were exhausted, and the frontal zombie waves were growing larger every day.
If they could utilize Summer’s strength and her horde, the Northern Settlement’s survival rate would skyrocket.
As he considered the possibilities, Vincious turned his head toward the open window of his tent.
His gaze moved past the row of military tents, past the barbed-wire perimeter fences, and settled directly on the wide, dark expanse of the Seattle River flowing silently under the night sky.
His eyes suddenly brightened with an intense, sharp light.
The Seattle River.
The one place no living soldier could explore. The one place where every human dive team had been slaughtered by whatever horror lurked beneath the surface.
Zombies avoided the river out of natural fear. But what about her?
"General, the rogues returned..." A sudden exclamation came from the tent door, freezing the calculations churning inside the old Mayor’s head.
Imani’s expression also changed a bit.
"Never ever tell her about the Professor," Vincious said gravely.
"General, it seems the rogues are starting a fight with the little girl Leader brought with her..."
"Damn it." Vincious rose from his chair and rushed out...