Chapter 29: Fight in the Underground Research Facilities

Lynn and Alice exchanged a resolute glance. The only path forward was down, straight into the frenzied horde.

Gripping his sword, Lynn led the way as they swiftly exited the room and headed for the central stairwell. As they jogged down the steps, the echoes of crazed roaring and screaming grew louder.

Reaching the bottom, Lynn slowly cracked open the door leading to the second floor and peeked out. Just as on their floor, zombies were emerging from rooms and staggering down the hallway. But rather than attack, they lumbered right past Lynn and Alice's position towards the descending stairwell.

"They're being drawn downwards like moths to a flame," Lynn muttered.

Lynn and Alice observed from a distance the chaotic stream of undead bodies. As long as they avoided sudden movements, the frenzied creatures paid them no mind.

"Stay close," Lynn whispered to Alice. They moved cautiously, following the zombie mob towards the next stairwell down.

Lynn kept his sword raised, ready to strike if any of the crazed zombies took notice of them. But the creatures seemed solely focused on responding to whatever force was summoning them below. They jostled and pushed past each other, emitting haunting wails, as they funneled down the steps.

"This manic desperation is unnatural," Lynn muttered. "It's like they're in a trance."

Alice nodded. "Yes, something is manipulating them"

Upon reaching the first floor, an even more shocking sight greeted them. The entire floor was devoid of any zombies aside from the horde they secretly followed. It seemed every undead creature had already answered the summons below.

"The first floor has been completely emptied," Alice remarked, glancing around at the deserted halls branching off on either side.

Lynn nodded grimly. "Whatever's happening down there, it's pulled in every zombie within range."

The frenzied mob in front of them continued shambling forward, oblivious to all else. The horde pressed onward with single-minded determination towards whatever lay in the basement depths.

They followed this horde because they didn't know where the entrance of the underground research facilities was located. As they drew nearer to the entrance, the thunderous roar of the worked-up horde echoed from below. The cement walls seemed to vibrate from the sheer volume.

Lynn and Alice exchanged an uneasy glance. There was no telling what awaited them down there in the midst of that chaos. But it was their only lead to unraveling the secrets of this hospital. They had to press on.

"Here we go," Lynn muttered, gripping his sword tightly.

Side by side, they descended into the madness below.

The basement opening was crammed with a seething mass of bodies. The zombies were clawing and crawling over each other in maddened desperation.

The massive subterranean space was filled wall to wall with a teeming horde of zombies. There had to be hundreds of them packed together. And every single creature seemed to be in a frenzied rage, shoving towards the center in a riotous mass.

"This is insane," Lynn breathed. "I've never seen so many zombies in one place."

Even in the low light, they could glimpse what could be the remains of towering machinery and large glass tubes lining the walls and reaching up to the distant ceiling. This was clearly the research lab referenced in Dr. Stein's hidden documents.

Lynn's eyes narrowed, trying to pierce the gloom. Up ahead, the zombie throng seemed fixated on something at the chamber's center. He could just make out sounds of a scuffle - roars, screams, and thunderous impacts.

"There's some kind of fight happening up ahead!" Lynn muttered to Alice. She gave a tense nod in reply.

They trailed the oblivious mob of zombies towards the source of the commotion. As they drew closer, the sounds of battle grew louder and more ferocious.

Suddenly, a body came hurtling through the air right past them, smashing into the wall with bone-snapping force. Lynn's eyes widened at the mangled corpse of a brawler zombie sliding to the floor.

Moments later, another massive form crashed down near them - the remains of an armored zombie, its head caved in.

"What the hell could do that to those mutants?" Lynn said in dismay. Whatever was up ahead seemed powerful enough to ragdoll the formidable zombie variants they had struggled against.

They continued edging through the horde, towards the ongoing sounds of combat. More dismembered bodies of mutant zombies flew past, tossed aside like playthings.

Lynn felt his adrenaline spike. Whatever was battling the frenzied zombie mob was certainly dangerous. But it also represented their best chance of finding the source of the outbreak. They had to keep going.

As they pushed closer through the teeming zombie horde, Alice noticed something ahead - a massive cylindrical tank that had toppled over, providing a raised vantage point above the heads of the undead throng.

"Up there, we can get a better view," Alice said, pointing it out to Lynn.

Lynn followed her gaze and nodded. "Good idea."

With some effort, they managed to clamber up the fallen tank, gaining an elevated perspective over the sea of zombies below.

"Here, let me give you a hand," Lynn said, grasping Alice's wrist and helping pull her up beside him.

Now with the advantage of height, they had a clear view towards the center of the expansive basement lab. Lynn's eyes widened as the scene came into focus.

There were two figures at the epicenter of the chaos that stood out from the rest.

One was a massive, egg-shaped fleshy mass suspended from the ceiling by thick ropy tendrils. The surface seemed to pulse and undulate subtly. Lynn guessed this must be the calamity source - the [Distorted Flesh] or something related to it.

Just below the dangling the flesh mass was a towering, hulking creature being swarmed by the frenzied zombies. At first glance, it appeared to be another mutant zombie. But looking closer, Lynn realized this was something far more horrific.

The thing was composed of multiple corpses crudely stitched together in a patchwork fashion. The limbs were a mismatch of different sizes, the head a bloated mass of melted flesh. Jagged bone spikes jutted from the shoulders and forearms.

Most disturbingly, the chest was ripped open, revealing a gaping cavity within. This was no mutated zombie.