Chapter 683: Headlong into the Wall
Chapter 683: Headlong into the Wall
“I didn’t expect you to be this badly hurt. How long has it been since we parted…”
The figure slowly approached, finally squatting down in front of the Bird Zombie, and reached out to cover its head.
From this angle, the figure’s arm extended out of the shadows, with the back of the hand directly exposed to the sunlight. The stark white skin and distinct red veins formed a sharp contrast with the Bird Zombie’s charred complexion.
“Was it done by your kind?” The figure’s slender fingers lightly scraped the Bird Zombie’s head, producing a teeth-grating “kak-kak” sound.
The Bird Zombie moaned for a while before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence: “Humans… and… my kind…”
“One after the other?” The figure’s hand movements halted immediately.
The Bird Zombie shook its head and moaned twice more.
“Together?” The figure was somewhat surprised.“Man… human…” the Bird Zombie said with difficulty.
Compared to the female of its kind, the Bird Zombie had a much deeper impression of that human.
Even the ordinary kind that drove it mad and the one that later set it on fire had the scent of that human on them.
At this moment, more than a feast, it wanted to tear that human apart first.
But being burned like this, it had lost most of its strength and had no ability to pursue them for now.
“Ahhh…”
The Bird Zombie strained to lift its head and reached out to grab the figure’s arm.
The fused skin and flesh tore apart bit by bit, resembling a live skinning process.
“I understand.” The figure’s palm remained pressed on the Bird Zombie’s head, restricting its movements.
After rubbing the charred skin for a moment, the figure’s bony fingers suddenly pressed down the back of the Bird Zombie’s head, forcing their way into its brain.
The Bird Zombie’s body stiffened instantly, its mouth opening wide to emit an unintelligible sound.
Its hand froze in mid-air, trembling just a few centimeters away from the figure’s arm.
“You’re already crippled. Who knows how long it will take for you to recover. According to our survival rules, you should be eliminated. It’s the natural order.”
The figure spoke calmly as their fingers slowly and completely pressed in.
Throughout this process, the Bird Zombie’s body kept trembling.
It seemed like a reflex, or perhaps a reflection of some inner feeling… if it had such feelings.
As the figure’s fingers gradually withdrew, the Bird Zombie’s body suddenly went rigid.
Splat!
Accompanied by a spray of blood and various fluids, a flash of purple light fell into the figure’s palm.
“You’re too weak, but you will become my foundation, making me stronger.” The figure patted the Bird Zombie’s head with their blood-soaked hand.
When the figure stood up, the Bird Zombie collapsed powerlessly to the ground. Its bulging eyes were still wide open, but they were gradually losing their life.
“What a pity, the meat is inedible now…”
The figure sighed faintly.
As the slanting rays of light slowly disappeared in the narrow alley, the figure’s gaze shifted towards another direction in the town.
“What kind of human poses such a great threat…” the figure murmured to themselves.
At the same moment, Ling Mo, who was in a deep sleep, suddenly gasped and sat up abruptly.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Lian asked, staring at him in surprise.
Ling Mo’s face looked pale, and cold sweat was breaking out on his forehead.
He seemed dazed for a while until Ye Lian reached out to touch his forehead, snapping him back to reality.
“Nothing…” Ling Mo wiped his face and blinked hard.
“A nightmare?” Ling Mo was somewhat bewildered.
Just now, in his sleep, he suddenly felt as if a pair of eyes had appeared in his mind.
The sensation of being watched was so real that it made Ling Mo break out in a cold sweat.
“There’s no way they can see into my mind…” Ling Mo thought, pressing his wildly beating heart.
Moreover, for some reason, just before he woke up, he felt as if he saw the Spider Queen…
It seemed as if she had always been lurking within him, and when this external stimulus appeared, she emerged.
This feeling… felt almost like defending her territory.
Ling Mo shivered and patted himself all over, trying to reassure himself, “That’s even less likely. How could a spider that big hide in my body?”
“Are you really… okay?” Ye Lian couldn’t help but ask again.
Seeing Ling Mo fumbling around and looking so out of it right after waking up, Ye Lian was naturally worried.
“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Ling Mo forced a smile. Such inexplicable things were better left unsaid to avoid worrying Ye Lian.
He turned his gaze towards the room and was instantly startled.
These two are demolition experts!
No wonder he had a nightmare; it was a wonder he could sleep in such a wrecked place…
“They…” Ye Lian stammered, trying to explain the situation.
“I know,” Ling Mo said, holding his forehead, “They’re not fully upgraded yet.”
During the upgrading process, Zombies were entirely driven by instinct and impulse. The fact that they only tore apart this room and didn’t demolish the whole building was already quite restrained.
If he upgraded them one by one, Ling Mo could use the Psychic Link to strengthen control and soothe them.
But with this simultaneous upgrading situation, even Ling Mo couldn’t manage…
“Are we at that hotel?” Ling Mo wobbled as he sat up, looking around.
“Yeah…” Ye Lian nodded.
“How is Xu Shuhan, the semi-mutated one?” Ling Mo thought about his current “client.” His original plan was to return after Ye Lian and the others had upgraded, but they ended up being delayed.
He wondered if Xu Shuhan could hold on. According to his initial estimation, it shouldn’t be too big of a problem…
“At most, she might go from fifty percent mutation to eighty percent? As long as it’s not a hundred percent, she can be pulled back…”
Ling Mo’s head was still a bit dizzy, but his thoughts were already clear.
He had no choice; he was purely scared awake…
“Seems like…” Ye Lian recalled Xu Shuhan’s appearance earlier. Although she looked both cowering and terrified, clutching her head with her hands…
“She seems… okay… I guess,” Ye Lian replied uncertainly.
“I’ll go check.”
Ling Mo grabbed Ye Lian’s arm to help himself stand up, then staggered towards the door. “Stay here and keep an eye on them, don’t let them tear down all the doors and windows.”
As he passed by Xia Na, he gave her head a light tap. “Stop pinching your face with alternating hands… Give it up. No matter how hard you pinch, you won’t be able to tell a difference.”
“Mm-mm-mm…” Xia Na mumbled indistinctly.
“Once you guys decide who gets to speak, come talk to me…”
Ling Mo pulled open the door and walked out, closing it behind him.
The hallway he stepped into was not only dim but also uneven underfoot. Even the walls seemed to undulate, giving off a wavy motion, almost as if he were drunk.
However, his unusually clear mind made Ling Mo feel a bit peculiar.
His body hadn’t recovered from exhaustion, but his Psychic Power had somewhat restored. This asynchronous sensation was quite bizarre.
“Mu Chen? Xu Shuhan?”
Ling Mo called out as he made his way down the hall, using the wall for support.
“Huh, you’re awake?” Mu Chen emerged from the end of the hallway, surprised.
Ling Mo shook his head to clear his vision and finally managed to make out Mu Chen’s blurry figure.
As Mu Chen approached Ling Mo, he seized the opportunity and eagerly asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask, what was with that fire? How did you fall asleep on the road, and what about that ball…”
“Where’s Xu Shuhan?” Ling Mo interrupted him without mercy.
Mu Chen paused, then answered, “I’m looking for her too. This place is pretty big. Plus, she’s really angry; I’m afraid to even call out to her…”
“Then keep looking, let’s split up.”
Ling Mo continued down the hallway, adding, “I need to help her with something else…”
“Uh…” Mu Chen had barely taken a few steps in the opposite direction when he suddenly realized something and turned back to ask, “That fire…” He stopped mid-sentence, slapping his forehead in frustration. “Forget it! I’ll ask next time!”
“Am I the only one who knows nothing?” Mu Chen shouted indignantly.
A muffled roar immediately echoed through the building: “Shut up!”
“She made a sound, hurry and find her!” Ling Mo waved his hand without looking back.
Mu Chen felt like crying but had no tears left. Why did all the bad luck fall on him?
“Ah!”
Xu Shuhan sat in a corner, clutching her head and shaking it vigorously in frustration.
It’s too painful… At this rate, I might as well…
No, no!
Once she fell into the abyss, there would be no climbing back out…
“Xu Shuhan?”
She froze for a moment, then lifted her head from her knees, looking towards the eerie darkness of the staircase.
“Ling Mo?”
That voice sounded somewhat familiar…
“That’s right, Ling Mo can save me!”
Xu Shuhan struggled to her feet, stumbled to the staircase, and began tumbling down.
“Xu Shuhan, are you up there?”
Earlier, the voice had driven her to despair, but coming from Ling Mo, it now filled her with hope.
If Mu Chen knew about this stark contrast in treatment, he’d probably want to bang his head against a wall.
Ling Mo, gripping the handrail, climbed the stairs unsteadily.
After pinpointing the direction of the sound, he gradually sensed Xu Shuhan’s Psychic Light Cluster.
However, the fluctuations were too intense, and combined with his physical discomfort, he couldn’t precisely locate her.
Helpless, he resorted to the most primitive method…
One called out while the other listened for the voice, and soon they met on the stairs.
“Ling Mo…” As soon as they saw each other, Xu Shuhan hurried towards him.
Ling Mo, seeing a red-eyed woman rushing at him, instinctively jumped aside in fright.
As a result, Xu Shuhan brushed past him, and a loud “thud” followed, with the ground shaking slightly.
“Uh… are you okay?” Ling Mo asked awkwardly.
Xu Shuhan, pressed against the wall, muttered, “You jerk…”