Two men stepped up, holding the cage carefully. Inside, the zombie snarled and slammed against the metal bars. Its skin was grey and peeling, and its eyes were cloudy and lifeless. But it didn't try to bite anyone. It just growled like it was angry… or in pain.
The people at the gate didn't flinch. They had seen zombies before. Plenty of them.
"What's this supposed to mean?" one Hope Base guard asked, unimpressed.
"This zombie," Leader Zhang said, voice low but clear, "was Zhao. He used to be a member of Luna Moon Base. He's one of the ones who left to join Hope Base."
Everyone froze.
The air grew quiet.
One of the guards looked at the zombie more closely. "That's… a big claim," he muttered.
"See for yourselves," Leader Zhang said and nodded at one of his team.
A man stepped forward and pulled out a photo from his pocket. It was old and slightly creased, but clear enough to see the face of a young man smiling awkwardly at the camera.
