Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 449: The Silent Zone

"But if the research direction is compromised, for instance, if someone tries to use it to reanimate the dead, the results would be catastrophic. If this bio-repair enzyme is used on a large scale without control, the consequences will be extremely dangerous."

As Barry finished speaking, he shifted a half-step to the right without a word. His broad frame acted as a silent barrier, precisely blocking the cold draft that had been blowing toward Nancy.

Nancy immediately thought of several scenarios. "Like those bio-experiments that go wrong in the movies?"

"Close enough." Jorgan nodded and pulled up several gruesome images of animal carcasses. The positions they had died in were twisted and violent.

"Three months ago, the project director discovered something. The suspect, Langstrom, had been siphoning off early-stage extracts. He had been mixing them with unverified reagents he developed in private, without any safety testing. Then, he performed what he called resurrection attempts on several animal remains found in the forest."

Nancy felt a cold sweat break out as she listened to Jorgan’s description. Simon’s gaze fell on Langstrom’s file, which noted that the professor had lost a daughter to a rare congenital disease when she was only three years old.

"And the results of these unauthorized experiments?" Simon asked.

Jorgan’s expression soured. "The bodies did regain basic metabolic functions. They could move. But there was no consciousness, just empty shells. And they exhibited uncontrollable aggression. The project team deemed it a severe violation of both ethics and safety protocols, so Langstrom was fired. We thought that was the end of it, but then the reagents were stolen."

Nancy felt goosebumps crawling up her arms.

Simon closed the file. "It seems Langstrom never let go of his mad obsession with resurrection."

With the briefing complete, Nancy turned toward the window. The snow had let up slightly.

"The snow is thinning out. Perfect." She stood up. "I am going to look around the perimeter. I will see if I can find any witnesses to talk to."

"I am going with you."

Two voices rang out at once. Simon and Barry locked eyes.

Barry offered a perfectly calm, open smile. "Simon, recovering those reagents as fast as possible is the priority. The case is complex and the environment is brutal. The three of us should move with Antonio."

Simon was irritated by the familiar tone, but since Barry was the victim of the theft and needed the samples recovered for his research, he could not argue. He looked at Antonio with a dark expression. "Antonio, lead the way."

"Right away. This way," Antonio said, nodding.

The group of four stepped out into the snowy expanse. Simon opened a large umbrella and held it silently over Nancy’s head, shielding her from the stray flakes. Four sets of footprints stretched out behind them in the deep snow.

As they moved through the wilderness, Nancy used binoculars and sensors to scan the area, while Master Crow and Snowball set off in different directions to look for animal tracks. The world was vast and white. Aside from the wind and the crunch of snow under their boots, the silence was unnerving.

In any other case, finding an animal witness to chat with would have been simple. But the further Nancy looked, the more wrong it felt. She stopped in her tracks and strained her ears.

There was no rustle of squirrels in the branches, no movement of snowshoe hares, and not a single bird call.

"Maybe it is just too cold?" Nancy guessed, frowning. "Maybe they are all in hiding."

Antonio’s face clouded with suspicion. "Now that you mention it, Nancy, I have been processing the scene since yesterday morning and I have not seen the shadow of a single animal."

Just then, Master Crow fluttered back, his landing a bit unsteady. He shook his head, sounding uncharacteristically confused. "Strange... so strange! I flew nearly two miles in every direction and did not see a single living thing! Not even a woodpecker!"

Winter was usually the best time to spot woodpeckers since the trees were bare. The crow tapped his head with the tip of his wing in frustration. "And the longer I stayed out there, the more my head started buzzing. It feels like a swarm of bees is having a meeting inside my skull. I can not think straight. I just want to turn around and head back to the station."

"Fall back! Something is wrong with this place!"

Nancy made a snap decision. She pulled off her scarf and quickly wrapped it around Master Crow’s head to shield him. Based on his symptoms, the buzzing and the urge to flee, she realized immediately what was happening. His nerves were being scrambled by specific frequencies of infrasound. It was the same method large-scale agricultural sites used to drive away flocks of birds using soundwaves humans could not hear.