A wave of unease traveled down his spine.

Fuck...

His heart started beating faster.

Does she want all of it?

He quickly adjusted his offer.

"Alright."

He forced another smile.

"Sixty-forty."

His voice became slightly strained.

"You take sixty percent."

"We’ll take forty."

He nodded repeatedly.

"That’s still a good deal."

"No."

Ivy folded her arms across her chest.

Stephen’s smile became increasingly difficult to maintain.

"Seventy-thirty?"

"No."

The answer arrived instantly.

One of Stephen’s companions finally lost his patience.

"What?!"

The man stormed forward angrily.

"Seventy-thirty?"

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"You might as well give them everything at that point!"

Several others nodded.

The man jabbed a finger toward Stephen.

"What are we supposed to do with thirty percent?"

His expression darkened.

"And what happens if they still refuse?"

He pointed dramatically toward Ivy.

"Are you planning to offer eighty-twenty next?"

Stephen immediately looked embarrassed.

Unfortunately, the angry survivor wasn’t finished.

He turned toward Ivy.

His eyes narrowed.

"Do you want a fight or something?"

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

"You’re only two people."

He gestured toward the ten survivors behind him.

"Just because you have guns doesn’t mean you can defeat all of us."

Several members of the group visibly tensed.

Stephen silently cursed.

The last thing he wanted was a confrontation.

Fortunately, Ivy remained calm.

She didn’t even seem remotely threatened.

Instead, she sighed.

Then she looked directly at the angry man.

"You misunderstand."

The survivor frowned.

"What?"

"I have absolutely no interest in your supplies."

The entire group froze.

Stephen blinked.

The angry survivor blinked.

Even Darren looked surprised.

Ivy pointed toward the farm.

"The supplies you’re arguing over aren’t why we’re here."

Confusion immediately spread through the group.

"Then why are you here?"

Stephen asked cautiously.

Ivy’s gaze shifted toward the deeper parts of the breeding farm.

Areas that none of them seemed willing to approach.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"I want access to the farm."

Silence.

Stephen exchanged glances with his companions.

Then he frowned.

"The farm?"

"Yes."

Ivy nodded.

"I believe none of you have managed to explore the deeper areas yet."

Her statement immediately caused several expressions to change.

Some survivors became nervous.

Others looked away.

Their reactions confirmed her suspicion.

A smile appeared on Ivy’s face.

"I thought so."

She folded her arms again.

"Anyway, my friend and I intend to go deeper inside."

Her gaze swept across the group.

"But don’t worry."

She spoke calmly.

"We’ll wait until you’re finished gathering your supplies."

"I see..."

Stephen scratched the back of his head awkwardly before forcing a smile.

"Well, if you want to go deeper into the farm, you’re free to do so."

He gestured toward the sprawling farmland ahead.

"We’re heading in there ourselves to gather supplies then you can go in after like you said."

His expression became serious again.

"But I really was serious about the cooperation offer."

Ivy simply glanced at him without replying.

The silence made Stephen feel slightly uncomfortable.

After waiting a few seconds and receiving no response, he could only sigh.

"Alright then."

He turned toward the rest of his group.

"Let’s move, everyone."

Without wasting any more time, the ten survivors adjusted their weapons and bags before making their way deeper into the farm.

Soon, they disappeared among the barns, animal pens, and overgrown vegetation.

Meanwhile, Ivy and Darren remained beside the truck.

The two quietly watched them leave.

Several minutes passed.

Then ten minutes.

Then fifteen.

The farm remained eerily silent.

No voices.

No animal sounds.

Nothing.

The atmosphere felt increasingly unsettling.

Just as Darren was beginning to wonder whether they should move forward....

A terrified scream suddenly echoed from deeper inside the farm.

"RUN!"

Another scream followed.

Then another.

Moments later, Stephen and the rest of his group burst out from between two barns.

The sight alone was enough to make anyone pause.

They were running for their lives.

Several of them had dropped their bags.

Others looked pale.

One woman was crying.

Everyone was panting heavily.

"What the actual fuck?!"

Stephen shouted as he stumbled forward.

His face was filled with genuine fear.

"There’s something in there!"

His chest rose and fell rapidly.

"A monster!"

Another survivor nearly collapsed onto the ground.

"No way we’re fighting that thing!"

One of the women looked close to tears.

"We almost died!"

The entire group looked traumatized.

Meanwhile, Ivy simply released a long sigh.

"So there really is something in there."

Darren looked toward the farm entrance.

Since you’re done exploring," Ivy said calmly, "it’s our turn now."

Before Stephen could say anything, Darren stepped on the accelerator.

The truck rolled past the frightened survivors and entered the farm.

****

The truck continued deeper into the farm.

The smell became worse with every meter they traveled.

Rotting animal carcasses littered the area.

Dead pigs.

Dead cows.

Dead chickens.

Dead sheep.

The remains of both animals and humans could be seen scattered across the property.

Many were already far into decomposition.

Flies swarmed everywhere.

The air itself felt toxic.

Even Darren, who had experienced countless horrors during the apocalypse, struggled to tolerate it.

Then....

Movement.

Several monsters suddenly emerged from both sides of the road.

Their distorted bodies staggered toward the truck.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Ivy fired through the open window.

Her bullets accurately pierced their heads.

One after another, the monsters collapsed onto the ground.

None managed to get close.

Darren didn’t even need to slow down.

"Those are probably the monsters Stephen’s group encountered," Darren observed.

"Most likely."

Ivy calmly reloaded her weapon.

"They weren’t particularly strong."

Darren laughed.

"Maybe not for us."

The truck continued forward.

Soon, Ivy suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"Stop the truck."

Darren immediately obeyed.

The vehicle came to a halt.

"What is it?"

Ivy pointed ahead.

Inside a nearby pen, several pigs were moving around.

Alive.

Healthy.

At least from a distance.

"Living pigs."

Darren blinked.

He looked again.

Sure enough.

Several pigs were still alive.

"One..."

Ivy counted carefully.

"Two..."

The pigs snorted nervously.

"Three..."

Another pig wandered into view.

"Four..."

A fifth one emerged from a corner.

"Five."

A smile appeared on Ivy’s face.

"Perfect."

Darren rubbed his forehead.

"What if they’re infected?"

His expression became serious.

"This entire place is practically a biological hazard."

He gestured toward the farm.

"Even if they don’t have Monster Syndrome, they could still be carrying some kind of disease."

The smell alone nearly made him vomit.

Only sheer determination was preventing him from embarrassing himself.

"I know."

Ivy opened the truck door.

"That’s why we’ll inspect them first."

Before Darren could argue further, she climbed out.

With a sigh, he followed.

The two carefully approached the pig pen.

The surviving animals immediately became alert.

Despite everything that had happened around them, they appeared surprisingly healthy.

A warm smile appeared on Ivy’s face.

"I’m here to take you all home."

Bang!

A sharp sound echoed through the area.

Both Ivy and Darren froze.

It wasn’t a gunshot.

It sounded more like something heavy hitting the ground.

Immediately, Ivy turned toward the source.

A wooden chair had fallen over.

The chair had been positioned beside a nearby storage shed.

Now it lay on its side.

The wind wasn’t particularly strong.

Certainly not strong enough to knock over furniture.

Darren’s grip tightened around his rifle.

The playful mood vanished instantly.

Ivy’s expression hardened.

"Something isn’t right."

Every instinct Ivy possessed immediately went on alert.

Darren cocked his weapon.

Just then, something had caught Ivy attention.

Near the fallen chair, partially hidden behind a pile of broken furniture....

A red cap was visible.

Only a small portion could be seen.

But it was definitely there.

Someone was hiding or something