Chapter 676 - Chapter 676 – Cyclical Brainwashing
Chapter 676 – Cyclical Brainwashing
A man and a zombie raced through narrow streets and dense buildings, their speed so fast it produced a whooshing sound.
From time to time, zombies would leap out, but they either failed to catch Ling Mo or were swiftly dealt with by the Bird Zombie following behind.
Seeing how it could easily toss those regular zombies aside like chicks while moving at high speed made Ling Mo’s heart sink.
“I thought letting it pass would buy me some time…”
Ling Mo felt a bit helpless as he maintained his speed, contemplating a strategy.
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by his side, catching Ling Mo’s eye and startling him.
When did the Bird Zombie get to his side?!
Moreover, it was clinging to the wall like a gecko, using both its hands and feet to crawl forward swiftly.
Behind it trailed a cloud of “exhaust,” dust kicked up by its claws digging into the wall.
A zombie leaving dust in its wake!
“How is it more agile on the wall than on the ground?!”
Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly veered to the other side of the street.
Just as he thought he had gained some distance, the Bird Zombie’s shadow appeared within his line of sight again!
What was going on?!
Wait… a look of shock flashed across Ling Mo’s eyes.
This Bird Zombie… it could actually fly!
Seeing Ling Mo dart across the road, the Bird Zombie spread its arms like a glider and effortlessly followed.
As it was about to crash into the opposite wall, it arched its body backward, gripping the wall securely with both hands and feet.
In the instant it stabilized, it propelled itself forward with the momentum, continuing the chase.
This way, it saved much more time compared to pursuing on the ground…
“No wonder its body is shaped that way; it was designed for gliding.”
As Ling Mo snapped back to reality, he immediately realized this.
In fact, while trying to buy time, Ling Mo had been carefully observing this Bird Zombie.
This was the first Zombie he had encountered that surpassed the dominant level. After some thought, he decided to name this level: King level.
While the name might not be very creative, Ling Mo felt it was quite fitting.
Though its intelligence hadn’t shown any exceptional advantage, in terms of strength, this Bird Zombie was indeed formidable.
Judging by the thin membranes it had mutated, it was clear that this aspect had also reached a mature stage.
The various attributes of this Bird Zombie provided Ling Mo with a wealth of valuable information.
Someday, Ye Lian and the others would also advance to this level…
Having prior experience would be far better than being completely in the dark when the time came.
In truth, Ling Mo still had many doubts about the King level…
The Bird Zombie was strong, but it wasn’t strong in every aspect.
“… Did the Air Force Corps designate Cuihu City as a high-risk level area just because there’s a powerful gliding Zombie here?”
Ling Mo harbored a faint sense of doubt about this.
“Whoosh!”
A dark shadow suddenly hurtled from behind. Ling Mo sharply tilted his head, feeling a gust of wind brush past his neck.
“Boom!”
The shadow crashed into the ground like a cannonball, sending dirt and tiles flying.
“It’s even learned to throw things at people…”
A chill ran down Ling Mo’s spine. He had to come up with a solution within these ten minutes…
—
On Central Avenue, a massive white shadow was barreling down the middle of the road.
Zombies on the roadside continuously lunged at it but were left behind.
One Zombie came at it head-on, but the white shadow didn’t slow down. When they were within ten meters, it suddenly leaped and swiped with a powerful paw.
“Thud!”
Amidst a splatter of blood, the white shadow landed lightly and continued running forward without missing a beat.
Sitting on its back was a figure that stood out starkly.
Brushing back her wind-tossed hair, Ye Lian’s slightly dazed eyes stayed fixed on the far end of the street.
She gripped Thor’s Gun tightly and suddenly patted the Mutation panda: “Xiao Bai… stop.”
Ye Lian’s voice was soft and slow, but very clear.
Xiao Bai, still galloping in the wind, immediately halted, letting out a questioning grunt, “MeGu?”
Ye Lian jumped to the ground, her large eyes fixed on Xiao Bai. “Take them… and go ahead.”
As she spoke, she gently patted Xiao Bai’s head.
Xiao Bai, initially unresponsive, suddenly shivered and slowly lowered its head.
“Go on.” Ye Lian patted Xiao Bai’s back.
The Mutation panda shuddered, then sprang forward and quickly disappeared among the abandoned vehicles scattered across the street.
Left alone, Ye Lian gripped her gun with both hands and turned to face the direction they had come from.
A hint of struggle flickered in her eyes as she gently shook her head.
“Ah… right.” Ye Lian suddenly recalled, “He told me to leave… but… he didn’t say where to go.”
Finding a loophole in the mental command, Ye Lian’s lips curled into a slight smile.
As soon as the smile appeared, she hastily covered her mouth in a bit of panic.
“No… I can’t do that.”
Shaking her head, Ye Lian wrinkled her nose slightly. “But…”
The street in front of her was filled with car wreckages from traffic accidents and numerous Zombies.
Although she couldn’t see it, she could sense a powerful presence nearby.
Sniffing again, Ye Lian recalled the smell of blood.
The purity of the Virus in that blood was an irresistible lure for Zombies.
But what truly intrigued Ye Lian wasn’t the Virus; it was the human scent she sensed.
“It really smells… like food…”
Ye Lian took another deep breath. This was probably the most appetizing human scent she’d ever encountered.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t edible…
“And it can’t… be eaten.”
A determined glint suddenly flashed in Ye Lian’s eyes. She leapt up and landed silently on the roof of a car.
As soon as her toes touched the car roof, her body sprang up again, landing on the next vehicle.
In just a second or two, Ye Lian had leapt across a dozen car roofs, moving swiftly like a nimble sprite towards the direction they had come from.
—
“I think I’m dying.”
Inside the hotel, Mu Chen gulped down a large mouthful of water, his voice weary.
“My enthusiasm for talking has been completely obliterated. I feel like I’ve said more today than in my entire life. Especially talking about another man—it’s a huge blow to my self-esteem!”
Mu Chen continued to complain weakly, still pouring water into his mouth.
“Huff… huff…”
Opposite him, Xu Shuhan, her eyes red, was panting heavily. Her fingers were digging into the wall, leaving deep gouges.
The sight of those gouges, accompanied by the falling plaster dust, made Mu Chen’s scalp tingle.
He seemed to foresee his possible fate…
“Wait, wait! Don’t get excited… let me catch my breath.”
Mu Chen, tears streaming down his face, shrank back a little more, only to realize he was already backed into a corner.
“Okay, okay, I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
In the past few hours, he had already exhausted every topic he could think of.
But the only thing that seemed to calm Xu Shuhan was talking about Ling Mo.
Mu Chen was internally frustrated—how could he have paid so much attention to Ling Mo?!
But it was just him and Xu Shuhan in the hotel, and her attitude was clear.
Talk or die…
Obviously, Mu Chen had no choice…
“Why are these the only two options?!” Mu Chen continued to be exasperated.
After several hours of talking, he felt like he was about to break down just from saying Ling Mo’s name repeatedly.
In fact, he had even embellished a lot of the stories.
“Considering her mind is affected by the Virus, she probably can’t tell,” Mu Chen thought.
And indeed, Xu Shuhan didn’t seem to notice.
As long as he talked about Ling Mo, she would quietly lean against the wall, seemingly listening intently.
“You’re actually infected by the Ling Mo Virus, aren’t you?!” Mu Chen had to bite back the words several times.
In reality, Xu Shuhan’s thoughts were on a completely different track…
She believed that only Ling Mo seemed capable of turning Zombies into someone like Ye Lian and her companions.
If she could learn more about Ling Mo, maybe she could achieve the same!
“Keep… talking,” Xu Shuhan prompted hoarsely.
Mu Chen, on the verge of collapse, muttered, “Ling Mo, where are you?!”