Chapter 154 – I Think I Can Heal Some More

The Jade Belt Bridge, stretching across the entire river, is a striking hundred meters long and impressively wide. It’s a notable landmark of X City, with its retro architectural style standing out prominently.

As soon as Ling Mo set foot on the bridge, he felt a gust of river wind swirling around, bringing a sharp chill that made him shiver.

However, he didn’t notice that at the very moment he lowered his head and sneezed, a shadow flickered past a window in a tall building on the other side of the bridge.

By the time Ling Mo looked up again, there was nothing there anymore… But even so, Ling Mo still displayed a hint of puzzlement.

Was it really just the cold wind?

With his psychic power becoming increasingly sensitive, sometimes it didn’t feel like a good thing… Ling Mo’s eyes carefully scanned that area before he chuckled at himself for being overly cautious.

For safety’s sake, Ling Mo adjusted the walking posture of his zombie puppet to make it look more normal, avoiding any suspicion from a distance.

Places like this harbor a certain unpredictability regarding survivors, Ling Mo thought it was a good spot for a stronghold, and other survivors would likely think the same.

In non-essential situations, Ling Mo preferred not to engage with other survivors.

“Xia Na, once we cross this bridge, we’ll be in Baihua District. Does this bring back any memories?” Ling Mo sniffed and asked.

Xia Na appeared somewhat dazed, glancing around as if trying hard to recall something.

Although her memory had almost completely returned, Xia Na had always been directionally challenged and never paid attention to landmarks.

As for Ye Lian, it seemed like this area didn’t ring a bell at all. She was focused on the churning waters below, staring intently.

What a female zombie thinks about is beyond Ling Mo’s comprehension. However, daydreaming could be beneficial – maybe these scenic sights could accelerate Ye Lian’s memory recovery?

What Ling Mo wanted to do most right now, aside from continuing to grow stronger and survive tenaciously, was to help Ye Lian fully regain her memory.

In the apocalypse, everyone’s goal is to survive as long as possible, but Ling Mo carried far more responsibilities.

Although Ye Lian’s current state brought Ling Mo considerable comfort, comparing her to Xia Na still made him feel a pang of guilt.

As the first zombie he had found and kept by his side, Ye Lian’s evolution was more advanced than Xia Na’s, yet she lagged significantly in memory recovery… Hearing Ling Mo’s question, Xia Na snapped back to reality and said, “Let’s cross the bridge first. I vaguely remember that we just need to follow the main road, but it’s quite a long walk.”

“That’s really far, huh…” Ling Mo suddenly asked curiously, “Why did you and Wang Lin’s family open your shops in such remote areas? At least you’re still in the city, but Wang Lin’s family is entirely in the suburbs.”

Xia Na paused, then gave a disdainful smile: “They’re meant to stay on the sidelines, while we’re the genuine ones. Besides, my family’s shop was in the city center, but it only sold ornamental swords and knives, meant for collection and display. They weren’t sharpened and weren’t of good quality just for aesthetics.”

“Of course, if customers were willing to pay more or were close friends, we could help sharpen them. They could also take the knives somewhere else for sharpening if they wanted,” Xia Na said as she reminisced. “But we also had some high-quality collectibles at home, much better than the lousy knife Wang Lin treasures so much and wouldn’t give to you easily. If it weren’t for that…”

Xia Na trailed off, her gaze lingering meaningfully on the short knife hanging from Ling Mo’s waist.

But Ling Mo understood her implication. If Wang Lin hadn’t been so reluctant to part with her knife, she probably would’ve stayed with that group of survivors instead of causing so much trouble.

Not having forged anything himself, Ling Mo couldn’t grasp why Wang Lin held onto that short knife so dearly.

Ultimately, it came down to each person’s unique perspective. Trying to interpret someone else’s actions through your own mindset would, of course, seem utterly unreasonable.

Previously, Ling Mo had heard that Wang Lin’s family’s craftsmanship in blade-making had been passed down through generations.

It seemed that internal family competition was quite intense, and the cold relationship between Xia Na and Wang Lin was likely due to this inherent rivalry.

“Xia Na, do you know what it means to have a ‘sharp tongue but a soft heart’?” Ling Mo suddenly asked with a slight smile.

Xia Na’s expression immediately turned a bit peculiar, and that eerie smile appeared on her lips again. “I understand the ‘sharp tongue’ part, but as for the ‘soft heart’… Ling-Ge, do you really think I would have a soft heart?”

She asked this question with an unusually serious expression, but her cold, emotionless eyes reminded Ling Mo of how she looked during battles—smiling and appearing to enjoy it immensely.

“Uh…” Ling Mo glanced at Xia Na carefully, then shook his head involuntarily. “No, definitely not!”

What a joke—how could a female zombie like Xia Na have a soft heart? She thrived on slaughter and violence!

However, on second thought, Ling Mo considered that as a uniquely special zombie, Xia Na’s emotional displays were rather unpredictable.

On one hand, she was cold-blooded and craved bloodshed. On the other, she seemed to retain some human emotions, like standing up for Wang Lin… Even though she had a lame excuse, Ling Mo still believed that the reason she wanted to beat up Ding Yu was entirely for Wang Lin’s sake.

Girls’ thoughts were truly hard to predict, even when they’ve turned into zombies!

Ye Lian, on the other hand, was so much better… Ling Mo couldn’t help but grab Ye Lian’s small hand, feeling a deep sense of appreciation.

Among the three female zombies by his side, Senior Sister Li Yalin still showed some resistance towards him. Although she wouldn’t disobey any orders now, they were far from close.

Xia Na, despite being very close to him, had a fluctuating personality that gave Ling Mo a headache.

Ye Lian, however, always silently supported all of Ling Mo’s decisions. Although recently she had been influenced by Xia Na, overall, Ling Mo could still see traces of the gentle little sister she once was.

The more Ling Mo encountered senior zombies, the stronger a particular feeling in his heart became.

Although infection with the virus rendered people into mindless zombies, with each stage of evolution, these zombies gradually regained memory and intelligence.

While their core nature had completely changed, some faint traces of their former personality traits could still be seen in these senior zombies.

Perhaps these traits were forcibly hidden or suppressed when they were human. For instance, the dark side that awakened in Xia Na… an aspect of her personality amplified by the zombie’s bloodthirsty nature… Ling Mo shuddered at the thought. It seemed the more advanced the zombie, the more troublesome they were.

At that moment, Xia Na had veered off onto another topic: “These past few days, I kept recalling the aroma of cooked meat from that night. No wonder humans like cooked food. Even though the blood is dried out, the meat’s aroma is indeed enticing.”

Ye Lian nodded in agreement. “Yes… roasted… roasted heart…”

Even Li Yalin, who usually didn’t initiate conversations with them, couldn’t help but chime in: “Yes… very aromatic…”

“Especially the smell of roasted kidneys… Actually, each part probably tastes different when roasted, right?”

“Mmm… never… never tasted it…”

“Ling-Ge doesn’t allow us to eat it…” Ye Lian said earnestly, “We… just eat gel… it’s enough…”

“But if we have the chance, I’d love to try it! I wish I had cut off a piece of that snake’s meat and kept it!”

“Hmm… no wonder you smell… like blood… you actually… brought some?”

“Haha, Ye Lian always knows me best.”

Xia Na, like a magician performing a trick, pulled out a piece of meat streaked with blood-red veins from her pocket and waved it in front of Ling Mo like a treasure. “Ling-Ge, you called this a mutation snake, right? Want to roast it and see how it tastes?”

“What are you talking about? When did you cut this? Did you plan to eat it the moment you saw that snake? And could you at least consider my feelings when discussing the taste of human flesh?”

Ling Mo’s expression turned a mix of shock and exasperation, giving his head a quick shake. This team of his was certainly an unpredictable bunch, yet their quirks made them all the more essential to his journey through the apocalypse.

Ling Mo, standing nearby, felt an intense sense of discomfort listening to their conversation. Was this some kind of zombie gourmet exchange convention?

While such topics might be normal for zombies, standing among them as a living human made him feel an immense pressure.

If he were to die, would these three female zombies gather around him, discussing how to divide him up, and then merge with each other permanently?

No… Even if the psychic link were to break, Ye Lian and Xia Na wouldn’t think of eating him, right…? “Ling-Ge, you must taste good too!”

Xia Na suddenly looked at Ling Mo with great interest.

“…”

Ling Mo suddenly felt a massive survival pressure. To avoid being eternally united with his dear girlfriend in such a gruesome way after death, he needed to live resiliently, like a cockroach!

As for the piece of snake meat, under Ling Mo’s strict order, Xia Na had to throw it aside.

Li Yalin kept staring longingly at the meat for quite a while. If it weren’t for Ling Mo glaring at them with a dark expression, the senior sister might have rushed over and eaten it.

“Anyway, let’s try to reach your house by today. I have a bad feeling about this area,” Ling Mo said, tightening his collar.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he had grown so used to seeing zombies everywhere that this suddenly deserted place felt unsettling.

That wasn’t a good sign at all. While he had to stay in zombie-infested cities to ensure the survival and evolution of the three female zombies, treating such a situation as normal would mean that not only had his psychic world been completely infected by the zombies, but even his mindset was starting to change.

“Damn! I need to get myself checked immediately!”