Chapter 688: If I Cant Hold On, Its Definitely Your Fault
Clang…
A piece of charred metal fell from the ruins of the devastated building, rolling to a stop at Ling Mo’s feet.
Ling Mo stood still, gazing at the mall in the distance that was still smoldering. His expression was not a pleasant one.
Who would have thought that this fire would spread almost half a street? The entire night, the sky was illuminated by the flames.
It wasn’t until dawn that the fire began to diminish.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Ling Mo and his group were still stunned when they arrived and saw the scene.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Ling Mo muttered, slapping his forehead.
With the fire this intense, and almost all the Zombies in the city attracted to it, whether the Bird Zombie was dead or not, there was no way to find it now.
“What’s the matter? Heartbroken over the mother hive?” Xia Na’s voice suddenly came from the side.
Ling Mo glanced at her and replied frankly, “Yeah, it’s King level…”
“A lousy naming sense finds its use again… But on a serious note, the mother hive is important, but what’s more important is that you and Ye Lian made it out safely. So, look on the bright side,” Xia Na said with a slight smile.
“That’s true…” Ling Mo also smiled.
After her enhancement, Xia Na seemed to show more of her human side than before…
“Besides, if such a pure piece of the mother hive appeared, which ordinary Zombie could guard it? Even if they swallowed it, they’d be gutted by others immediately.”
Xia Na’s expression suddenly turned eerie, and her voice lowered.
Ling Mo was momentarily stunned. That change in expression was too quick…
But the key was what Xia Na had said. Thinking it over, it made sense…
“Zombies in this town… There are a lot of them, right? But as for truly high-level ones, there’s only that one. It’s clear that once any slightly advanced Zombie emerges, it automatically becomes its snack. Plus, most of the mid-level Zombies have been hunted by us. So, right now, there’s no Zombie in this town’s horde capable of swallowing that piece of mother hive in plain sight.”
“So, this King level Zombie is probably still alive.”
After her analysis, Xia Na playfully winked at Ling Mo.
Ling Mo looked at Xia Na in surprise. She displayed a level of rationality and intelligence after shedding her humanity. It’s not that Xia Na wasn’t smart when she was human, but her overly considerate nature often led her to make decisions that Ling Mo found foolish.
Now, as a Zombie, the two personas complemented each other perfectly.
At least her analytical skills were strong. She hadn’t experienced many things firsthand during the chaos, but just by listening to Ling Mo’s brief recount and observing the scene, she could deduce so much.
Most importantly, she wasn’t affected by emotions, unlike Ling Mo, who would feel frustrated about it.
“It makes sense… But unfortunately, the stealth ability of King level Zombies is too advanced; they’re hard to find. If it’s injured, it’ll probably hide even better,” Ling Mo said regretfully.
“If it’s really not dead, it definitely won’t let you go. Don’t worry.”
Xia Na giggled as she spoke.
“No matter how I reply to that, it sounds weird…” Ling Mo’s eye twitched.
As Ling Mo and Xia Na walked back from the broken wall, Mu Chen and the others, who were hiding in a narrow alley, immediately came forward.
“How is it?” Mu Chen asked.
“There are Zombies everywhere ahead. We can’t go that way. But the good news is that almost all the Zombies in the town are concentrated in that area now, so we can safely take a detour,” Ling Mo explained briefly.
“That’s your way to clear the path? Pretty good,” Mu Chen praised.
“Yeah…” Ling Mo nodded, holding back a laugh.
This was a side benefit. After carefully leaving the area, they entered a “safe zone” with no Zombies in sight. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Mu Chen, who was used to sneaking around like a rat while traveling, finally got to enjoy walking down the middle of the road. He was just short of shouting out loud to express his excitement.
Ling Mo felt considerably more relaxed after confirming that Xiao Bai and Yu Shiran were still safely following along.
A seemingly endless long street, devoid of any Zombies, allowed them to stride forward without worry. This carefree feeling was indeed pleasant.
However, such a situation could only be seen in a small town like Xinlan. In a large city like X City, the Zombies would only gather in greater numbers, making encounters unavoidable wherever one went.
“I wonder how Niepan’s headquarters is doing…” Ling Mo couldn’t help but think.
With Ye Lian’s breakthrough, the female Zombies and the Mutation Beast had all received enhancements, boosting Ling Mo’s confidence significantly.
His encounters with Niepan had sparked a strong curiosity about the organization’s mystery and power.
What kind of place would such a base be rooted in?
He reached back to touch his backpack, his mind drifting to that notebook again.
Who could the person who wrote it be…?
“By the way,” Xu Shuhan, who had remained mostly silent, suddenly spoke hesitantly, “could we find a clothing store later…?”
As she spoke, she awkwardly tugged at her tattered jacket.
In her confused state, she had nearly torn her undergarments. Were these people seriously planning to let her walk to headquarters like this?
Was everyone just going to ignore it?!
It made sense for the three female Zombies to lack such common sense, but Mu Chen, that idiot, probably hadn’t considered this at all…
Xu Shuhan looked at Ling Mo with a mix of embarrassment and frustration, covering her collar and clearing her throat.
“Oh right, my clothes are pretty worn out too…” Ling Mo said, patting his fraying jacket.
“…Why did I even get to know this idiot!” Xu Shuhan gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening a bit more. She felt that if she didn’t make it to headquarters, it would probably be because this jerk drove her mad…
“However, this street is pretty much the border between Xinlan and Cuihu. Where would we find a clothing store here… Let’s wait until we get to Cuihu,” Ling Mo said, casually tossing a jacket to Xu Shuhan. “Make do with this.”
Xu Shuhan caught it, her face suddenly flushing.
She had just been cursing him in her mind…
“Thanks,” Xu Shuhan said softly.
“No problem. I was going to change it anyway,” Ling Mo replied generously.
“…” Xu Shuhan bit her lower lip repeatedly. Ling Mo’s attitude clearly showed he didn’t see her as a girl at all…
For some reason, Xu Shuhan suddenly remembered the scene on the staircase.
Ye Lian had her head down, and Ling Mo was whispering something softly in her ear. That gentle expression was one Xu Shuhan had never seen on Ling Mo’s face before…
Ling Mo only had that look when he was with Ye Lian and the other two.
“Are Zombies no different from humans in his eyes?” Xu Shuhan thought, and suddenly, her anger dissipated.
Even if she mutated, there’d still be someone who didn’t see her as a monster.
As for Mu Chen… just thinking about his jumpy behavior made Xu Shuhan roll her eyes.
If she had to eat someone, it wouldn’t be him!
After walking and stopping for over two hours, the group finally entered Cuihu City.
Zombies began to appear sporadically along the way. Initially, they thought the small numbers could easily be cleared, but as soon as they made a move, they realized these Zombies were much fiercer than the average ones from other areas.
Although these Zombies were still at the bottom tier of the Zombie hierarchy, their instinctual abilities were clearly a notch above those from other regions.
Their first reaction upon spotting prey wasn’t to attack immediately, but to… scream!
Their hoarse, desperate screams would instantly echo within hundreds of meters. Considering the Zombies’ sharp hearing, even those farther away might be drawn over.
Ling Mo and the others were caught off guard at first. By the time Ling Mo’s tentacle pierced through that Zombie, it had already managed to scream.
More Zombies immediately surged from every crevice, their calls resounding one after another.
“This is a damn chorus!”
Mu Chen held his gun, cautiously on alert.
When it came down to it, he still had the necessary composure.
Ling Mo continued to take down the Zombies that rushed at them, and the group fought while retreating, quickly nearing a roadside auto repair shop.
More and more Zombies appeared on the road. Having learned from the previous encounter, these Zombies seemed to grow cunning, not rushing in but instead gathering to tighten their encirclement.
Ling Mo glanced at the bodies and noticed that most of the Zombies showed no interest in them.
“Is this really happening…”
Frowning, Ling Mo took down another Zombie and, spurred by Mu Chen’s urges, swiftly retreated into the repair shop.
Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan, already prepared, simultaneously yanked down the roll-up door. Though it was rusty, the combined strength of the two, neither of whom were ordinary people, brought it down with a clatter, cutting off the outside light.
“This will only block their view temporarily. We need to get out through the back,” Mu Chen urged.
These repair shops typically had a parking lot at the back, with the front area serving mainly as a reception room. Ling Mo wasn’t as familiar with these places as Mu Chen, so he extended his Psychic Tentacle to follow behind.
“This way! I used to come to places like this for car repairs…” Mu Chen said, leading the way and not missing a chance to flaunt his experience.
“Had a car and a house, huh? You were doing pretty well…” Ling Mo replied casually.
“And then it all got wiped out in an instant…” Xia Na added.
Mu Chen nearly bit his tongue, turning back to look at Xia Na with a pained expression.
“What? I used to have a villa. Just being alive is good enough; what’s the point of thinking about the past?” Xia Na said with a snort.
“Did you have to be so harsh? I thought I finally found something to feel confident about…” Mu Chen said, exasperated.
The group quickly moved toward the back, but the sound of banging on the roll-up door had already begun.