Chapter 158 – I Need a Mate

The behavior of this Leader-Level Zombie struck Ling Mo as somewhat peculiar, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly what was strange about it.

Perhaps it was because her attention was mostly fixated on Ye Lian… If it weren’t for this, it probably wouldn’t have been so easy to wound her.

Both sides returned to a standoff. A probing exchange had left Ling Mo with a throbbing pain at his temples.

The Leader-Level Zombie had her clothes torn, exposing a bloody gash on her body and a bloodline on her neck.

Although the wounds weren’t deep, a significant amount of blood was flowing out. Her blood was exceptionally bright red, distinct from the color of ordinary human blood.

Ling Mo had roughly figured it out: the higher the purity of the Virus in the flesh, the stronger the Zombie. Outwardly, this manifested as more normal facial expressions and changes in the eyes.

Ordinary Zombies had twisted facial expressions, Mutation Zombies had normal facial expressions, but their crimson eyes still showed no signs of intelligence.

Advanced Zombies had markedly different eyes, and their behavior was influenced by increased Intelligence.

As for Leader-Level Zombies, they completely transformed Ling Mo’s perception of Zombies. Their eyes were no longer entirely blood-red; the whites of their eyes were restored, and their pupils became an even deeper crimson.

This change made them look less frenzied but added an eerie quality.

Zombie evolution seemed to be a process of transforming from mindless monsters into intelligent monsters! This was a qualitative leap… And the internal manifestation of this evolution was the color of their blood and the faint, enticing Virus scent that Ling Mo found somewhat alluring.

The higher the level of evolution, the more Virus content there was in the flesh, with varied purity. Naturally, the blood color became brighter, and the Virus scent grew stronger.

This Leader-Level Zombie before him had indeed expanded Ling Mo’s understanding of Zombie evolution.

However, this was only theoretical knowledge. The actual strength improvement post-evolution varied for different Zombies.

For instance, this Leader-Level Zombie had an incredibly fast reaction speed. Although her movement speed wasn’t particularly quick, during combat, she displayed extreme agility.

Ling Mo even started to suspect that this Leader-Level Zombie might have been a martial artist in her previous life, considering how incredibly flexible her body was.

Though Zombies could theoretically perform any extreme physical feats, such agile maneuvering in a fight was no easy feat… Too bad he didn’t know if the Venom would work on her… Thinking of this, Ling Mo immediately regretted not applying a layer of Venom to his blade beforehand.

He had assumed he wouldn’t encounter such a troublesome enemy anytime soon, so he had been hesitant to use the precious and dangerous Venom.

But now it seemed that being prepared for contingencies was essential.

If he had applied the Venom, this Leader-Level Zombie would already be affected, and even if she didn’t surrender immediately, her combat capability would have significantly decreased.

“The most unexpected thing is that a Zombie actually came here to spy on us!”

Ling Mo thought resentfully. If he had discovered her earlier, he could have made some preparations in advance.

The Leader-Level Zombie seemed more apprehensive of Ling Mo’s group after being injured, taking several steps back to create some distance between them.

The brief skirmish had made Ling Mo realize that this Leader-Level Zombie wasn’t going to be easy to handle.

Curious to test the Intelligence recovery of such Senior Zombies, Ling Mo decided to ask directly, “What do you want?”

Sure enough, as soon as Ling Mo spoke, the Leader-Level Zombie’s gaze shifted to him. It was clear that she had a strong hostility toward him, similar to how Li Yalin used to look at him.

Having mutated, she probably hadn’t spoken much since then. After staring at Ling Mo for a while, she finally managed to open her mouth and, with some effort, said, “Human…”

Alright, as long as she hasn’t lost the ability to communicate and still has some judgment and recognition abilities, they might be able to talk…

“Come on, you’ve evolved this much and you still can’t speak fluently? That’s pretty disappointing.”

Ling Mo rolled his eyes as he said this. However, despite his casual tone, he remained mentally vigilant.

In fact, teasing the Leader-Level Zombie was Ling Mo’s way of alleviating the immense mental pressure and soothing the Frenzy bubbling in the depths of his soul.

“You… human…”

The Leader-Level Zombie stammered for a while before her speech became smoother, although her tone remained cold, her pitch somewhat odd, and her pace noticeably slow. “Why are you with them? They’re just humans…”

She seemed puzzled by this, but for some reason, despite addressing Ling Mo, her gaze shifted back to Ye Lian.

Damn, do you even know what manners are… Ling Mo cursed inwardly but responded aloud, “I don’t need to answer that. The question was mine first, so let’s hear it, what exactly do you want? You voyeur.”

While talking, Ling Mo was both testing and stalling for time. As the Leader-Level Zombie focused on Ye Lian, he discreetly reached into his backpack to feel for the small bottle of Venom.

“You’re just a human… If it weren’t for them, I would have killed you already.”

The Leader-Level Zombie frowned slightly as she spoke.

Her attitude wasn’t entirely surprising. Being from different species, Zombies viewed humans purely as prey.

Only Zombies like Ye Lian and the three girls, who had established a Psychic Link with Ling Mo, treated him differently.

Conversely, except for Ling Mo, other Survivors likely viewed Zombies with both fear and disdain.

Ling Mo glared at her and retorted, “Yeah, you’re a Senior Zombie, so impressive, but didn’t I still manage to tear your clothes off? And now, the one who’s injured is you, not me.”

Xia Na also sneered and interjected, “Put some clothes on before you come back! Wanna kill Ling-Ge? Give it a shot.”

“You are my kind…”

“Like hell I am. Weren’t you just about to attack Ye Lian? Don’t think that just because you’re slightly more evolved, we’re afraid of you!”

“You… speak slower…”

“Why should I? You can barely talk, and you have the nerve to call Ling-Ge just a human?”

“You…”

“Like hell!”

Ye Lian, who seemed to have been preparing for a while, finally seized the chance to chime in, “Exactly, you’re just a sissy!”

“Pfft!”

Though it was somewhat amusing to watch Zombies argue, Ling Mo finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Uh, just so you know, she’s female…” Ling Mo said, now holding the Venom bottle discreetly while trying not to laugh.

Ye Lian looked surprised, and even Li Yalin gazed at the Leader-Level Zombie in astonishment. She then glanced down at herself and finally couldn’t help but say, “But her chest… it’s so low in combat ability!”

Good, she quickly grasped the knowledge. As expected of an Advanced Zombie with significantly enhanced Intelligence.

“Exactly, her combat capability is practically zero, even worse than an A-cup.”

“What does it mean? Is it really that bad?”

“Yup! In this regard, her evolution is much lower than yours.”

Ling Mo’s affirmation helped lift the spirits of the three female Zombies slightly. Since the opponent was inferior to them in some aspects, there was no need to be overly wary.

A flicker of something crossed the Leader-Level Zombie’s eyes. She didn’t understand what Ling Mo and the others meant by “combat ability,” but she could sense a clear change in her fellow Zombies’ attitudes toward her.

Earlier, their fearful and apprehensive gazes had suddenly turned aggressive, especially Ye Lian, who, after a silent comparison of their chest sizes, began to look at her provocatively!

Unfortunately, as a Zombie who hadn’t engaged in any communication for a long time, this Leader-Level Zombie’s language capabilities were severely limited. She couldn’t keep up with the pace of the four people’s conversation at all!

Even Li Yalin was outpacing her!

Holding the Venom in his hand, Ling Mo felt a little more confident as the aftereffects of his earlier Psychic Power strain had somewhat eased during the delay.

Feeling a sense of assurance, Ling Mo subtly opened the bottle cap and then asked with a cold smile, “So, you’re here to chat with us, huh?”

“No… I’m here for them… I’m here for her.”

The Leader-Level Zombie raised her hand, pointing at Ye Lian. Then, to Ling Mo’s shock, she slowly and seriously said, “I need a mate.”