Within seconds, Kaelen and the others reached the edge of the forest—and came to an abrupt halt.
No one rushed in. They exchanged glances, each seeing the same confusion mirrored in the others' eyes.
"This is the edge of the Exile Zone, right? Shouldn't it be barren out here? Why the hell is there a forest?" one of them asked, frowning.
"Maybe there's an underground water source that hasn't been contaminated yet," another offered, half-guessing.
All eyes turned to Kaelen. As a top graduate of Pinnacle Academy, he had a reputation for sharp judgment and solid decision-making.
"Ever since we ran into those three zombies, nothing's made sense," Kaelen muttered, brows furrowed.
The others nodded in agreement. That much was true.
The woman in their group—a psychic-type Awakener—spoke up. "I can still sense the four zombies. They've stopped moving. Probably hiding in a tree hollow or something, thinking we won't find them."
"How far?" Kaelen asked.
