Echo One hastened their pace and returned to the embankment where the corpses remained stuck.
The smell of rotting flesh welcomed them again.
The Scouts had no choice but to raise their masks as they passed. None of them stopped to inspect the bodies this time.
"Tch," Echo One-One cursed. "No wonder there are dead bodies here. That automated system must have killed these folks."
"They're infected," Echo One-Two argued. "No need to pity them."
"One-One, switch places and take point," Dmitri ordered, cutting their chatter. "One-Three, watch our rear."
The formation shifted without slowing down.
Dmitri glanced toward the concrete channel behind them.
It did not pursue us? He narrowed his eyes.
No mechanical footsteps echoed between the utility structures. No additional machine appeared along the embankment either. Still, he did not allow himself nor the squad to relax.
"We return through the same route," he said. "No unnecessary stops."
