Chapter 681: Remember to Close the Door
Just as Ye Lian and the others reached the door, Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan had already come out to greet them.
After listening to Mu Chen recount several hours of “Ling Mo’s Observation Diary,” Xu Shuhan seemed to have stabilized quite a bit.
However, as Mu Chen eagerly rushed ahead to open the door, Xu Shuhan, who was following behind, suddenly swayed and had to steady herself against the wall.
She lowered her head, squinting at the path ahead, and shook her head vigorously.
The red haze clouding her vision grew thicker, impossible to shake off…
She turned her gaze toward a broken mirror on the side and froze.
Pale skin, eyes almost entirely blood-red, a chilling aura emanating from deep within her soul…
Xu Shuhan’s breathing grew rapid. She couldn’t help but touch her face.
Is this still me?
How could the professional-looking female news anchor have turned so sinister…
“You guys took way too long…” Mu Chen complained casually as he opened the door.
Xu Shuhan, however, reacted as if she had heard an unbearable noise. She immediately showed a pained expression and clutched her ears.
Is this the world through a Zombie’s ears? It’s so unbearable… so loud…
Leaning against the wall, Xu Shuhan listened to Mu Chen’s incessant chatter while he dragged the sofa used as a makeshift barricade away from the door.
The scraping sound against the floor was like a cannon blast right next to her ears, making her want to scream in frustration.
Her nails dug deeply into her scalp, but it did nothing to ease her irritation.
Why doesn’t it hurt enough? Why can’t I feel anything real?
Xu Shuhan stared in horror at her reflection, feeling completely alienated.
She was terrified to death, yet the eyes in the mirror were still filled with a craving for blood…
Listening to stories had only kept Xu Shuhan’s mind momentarily clear. But her body, under the Virus’s invasion, reacted all too honestly.
“But why all of a sudden…”
Creaaak—
As the door opened, Xu Shuhan’s body suddenly tensed.
She slowly turned her head, watching as Ye Lian and the others filed in.
“Right… it’s because of this…”
Xu Shuhan felt her legs go weak, her blood almost boiling inside her veins.
This instinctual shiver made Xu Shuhan feel a sudden sense of relief.
Thank goodness I didn’t say it… What would have happened if I had blurted it out?
She squeezed her head hard, reminding herself not to fall into confusion again.
“What’s wrong with the captain?” Mu Chen, looking shocked, watched as Ling Mo was helped in by Ye Lian. He quickly stepped forward to lend a hand.
Ye Lian shook her head, refusing his help, and whispered, “He… he fell asleep…”
“Asleep?!” Mu Chen was dumbfounded. What on earth had happened during this outing?
“Hey, hey, hey, is something on fire?” Mu Chen stepped aside to let Ye Lian and Ling Mo pass, then reached out to stop Xia Na, asking, “And what’s going on with you guys?”
Xia Na and Li Yalin kept their heads down, supporting each other.
Mu Chen was completely bewildered. To him, these people were all experts. How could they come back in such a state from just clearing a road?
Blocked by Mu Chen’s arm, Xia Na stopped silently and lifted her head.
As soon as their eyes met, Mu Chen couldn’t help but shiver all over.
His arm went limp involuntarily, and by the time he came back to his senses, Xia Na and the others had already walked past him.
Gulp…
Mu Chen swallowed hard, finally managing to calm his racing heart.
“So… so terrifying…” Mu Chen watched Xia Na’s retreating figure with lingering fear. If he hadn’t spent some time with Ling Mo’s group, he wouldn’t have believed that such a look could come from this slender, long-haired high school girl.
Wait a minute, what’s that ball?
He hadn’t noticed it clearly from upstairs, but now Mu Chen saw it trailing behind Xia Na.
He stared wide-eyed at the large white ball Xia Na was dragging behind her and couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, what’s that…”
Xia Na raised her hand above her shoulder and gave it a gentle shake.
The rest of Mu Chen’s words got stuck in his throat. He closed his mouth, and Xia Na stopped shaking her hand, giving him a thumbs-up instead.
“Hey, don’t give me a thumbs-up! What did I say wrong?” Mu Chen muttered, feeling deeply aggrieved.
Xu Shuhan, pressed against the wall, nervously watched Ye Lian walk past her, and then turned her gaze to the approaching Xia Na and Li Yalin.
Just as Xia Na was about to pass by, she suddenly paused and lifted her hand.
Her target seemed to be Xu Shuhan’s shoulder, but with Xu Shuhan’s body tensed up, Xia Na extended her arm without making a sound. Even with her fingers stretched out, she could only weakly tap Xu Shuhan on the chest.
Slap!
Xu Shuhan’s nerves went taut, her red eyes staring in panic at the top of Xia Na’s head.
Slap, slap!
Xia Na sighed and patted her gently twice more.
“You’ll get used to it eventually,” she said softly, then hesitated and added, “I mean those feelings, not just now…”
Xu Shuhan blinked, then stiffly nodded.
She watched as Xia Na and the others ascended the stairs, still trying to calm her racing heart from that sudden burst of anxiety.
“Hey, are you okay?” Mu Chen asked cautiously as he closed the door and approached her.
Xu Shuhan, with her back to him, opened her mouth wide, her face contorted with pain.
She bit her lip, then suddenly turned around and shouted in a hoarse, violent voice, “Shut up!”
After yelling, Xu Shuhan bolted up the stairs and quickly disappeared around the corner.
Mu Chen stood there, stunned, taking a moment to recover from the shock. He slapped his forehead with one hand and squatted down helplessly. “Do I have it easy? No, I don’t…”
“Come on…”
Ye Lian gently pushed open the door and carefully helped Ling Mo into the room.
After laying him down, Ling Mo’s lips moved unconsciously, but no sound came out.
Ye Lian remained bent over, tucking her long hair behind her ear as she quietly watched Ling Mo sleep.
It was already evening, and the setting sun shone through the glass window, casting its warm light on both of them.
In the warm, golden sunlight, Ling Mo’s slightly parted lips and his long, deep breaths, mingling with the gentle breeze, were clearly audible to Ye Lian.
She stared blankly for a moment, then reached out to touch Ling Mo’s cheek.
The memory of Ling Mo grabbing her wrist flashed before her eyes again. Looking at the sleeping Ling Mo, she couldn’t help but recall the look in his eyes at that moment.
That gaze, more piercing than ever before, seemed devoid of any other thoughts, as though everything else in the world had ceased to exist except for her.
Though it lasted only a moment, Ye Lian firmly remembered that feeling.
“Is this… human… emotion?”
Ye Lian’s hand slowly moved down, finally resting over Ling Mo’s heart.
Thump!
The feeling of his heartbeat, transmitted through his clothes, reached her palm.
Ye Lian’s lips curled into a slight smile. Her eyes shifted to Ling Mo’s lips, and she slowly leaned down…
“What are you doing?”
Xia Na’s voice suddenly came from the doorway, causing Ye Lian to jump as if electrocuted. She stood up quickly, hiding her hands behind her back, and stared wide-eyed at Xia Na, who was standing by the door. “I was just…”
“Just stealing a kiss, huh…” Xia Na gave a mischievous smile, pulling Li Yalin in with her and kicking the door shut behind them. “But Ye Lian, when you do something like this… remember to close the door.”
Ye Lian stood there, flustered. She understood what Xia Na meant but didn’t know how to respond.
“But I never thought Ye Lian would actually…” Xia Na plopped Li Yalin onto the couch, then kicked the large white ball she had dragged behind her into a corner before sitting down next to Li Yalin, grinning at Ye Lian.
“Is it… really okay?” Ye Lian’s gaze followed the rolling white ball until it hit the wall, wobbled, and finally came to a stop.
“It’s fine, it rolled all the way back with us.”
Xia Na said with a smile.
However, her pale face and the quickly changing color of her eyes clearly indicated that her condition was far from stable.
As soon as Xia Na sat down, her hand casually grasped the armrest. But within a fraction of a second, there was a sharp “crack” sound, and suddenly, the area beneath Xia Na’s hand was empty.
Wood chips scattered everywhere. Xia Na tugged at the corner of her mouth and muttered, “What kind of quality is this…”
“It’s… your… strength…” Ye Lian stammered, quickly bending down to cover Ling Mo’s ears.
“Okay, okay, it’s my uncontrolled strength,” Xia Na said, raising both hands in front of her. “How about this?”
Just as she finished speaking, Li Yalin, lying beside her, let out a soft “hmm” and then turned over.
“Ah…” Ye Lian, quick-eyed, reached out to grab Li Yalin but hesitated, not wanting to let go of Ling Mo.
Xia Na, a bit disoriented in various ways, reacted a beat too slow.
By the time she turned her head, the sofa beneath her had completely collapsed with a loud “thud.”
Ye Lian quickly covered Ling Mo’s ears again, watching as Xia Na and Li Yalin simultaneously fell into the wreckage.
“What was that noise…” Mu Chen, climbing the stairs with a look of despair, suddenly felt a vibration under his feet, followed by a muffled sound from above.
In the hallway, Xu Shuhan’s voice immediately followed, yelling, “Shut up!”
“It wasn’t me this time!” Mu Chen cried out, tears streaming down his face. This time, he was truly innocent…
“Sorry…” Xia Na clumsily crawled out of the ruined sofa and reached back to drag Li Yalin out as well.
Li Yalin, showing no awareness of the chaos she had caused, immediately lunged toward the wall upon emerging. Xia Na quickly grabbed her, stuffing a cushion into her hands, “Here, take this…”