Chapter 178 – Silence is the Prelude to the Storm

“We finally made it out…”

As the two vehicles drove out of Baihua District and entered the Gaoxin Development Zone, they suddenly accelerated, leaving behind the few zombies that were still trailing them. Everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

However, no one cheered because, despite its seemingly quiet and wide roads with only a few abandoned vehicles, the Gaoxin Development Zone was certainly not free of zombies.

Several zombies wandering by the roadside began sprinting towards them, but fortunately, the vehicles could speed up here, leaving the zombies far behind.

“Phew…” Ling Mo exhaled and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

His body, the Tang Sword, and half of the vehicle were covered in blood, with even some pieces of flesh hanging off the rear.

Xia Na stood next to Ling Mo, looking at the Scythe in her hand with an excited expression.

Luckily, her back was to the people inside the vehicle; otherwise, her wickedly smiling face might have scared them.

Meanwhile, Ye Lian and Li Yalin, the two girls, had already sat back in their seats and were quietly cleaning their weapons.

Their combat had been relatively less bloody, and thus, they were less affected, remaining fairly calm.

Watching their composed and somewhat indifferent demeanor, 2 looked at them with curiosity and confusion.

In contrast, his own face was pale and covered in cold sweat, but he seemed not to mind.

“Xiao Ling,” Guo Chao called out after a moment of silence from the front, then shifted his tone, “Ling Mo, thank you all.”

Ling Mo had appeared like a god of death moments ago, unflinching in the face of so many zombies.

Although Guo Chao held considerable power and influence before the apocalypse, in the post-apocalyptic world, strength equates to authority.

At this moment, Guo Chao harbored deep fear towards Ling Mo, and he was well aware that Ling Mo was not particularly fond of him.

In reality, Ling Mo did have thoughts of killing him. If it weren’t for Guo Chao’s potential usefulness…

Thinking about it, Ling Mo snorted coldly and said indifferently, “No need. I just can’t sacrifice women and children to cover our retreat.”

His words were full of sarcasm, making Guo Chao feel uneasy. He smiled awkwardly and didn’t say anything further.

Old Wang, who had been focusing intently on driving, now felt somewhat exhausted, but he still insisted on pushing through.

The Gaoxin Development Zone mainly consisted of electronic manufacturing enterprises, which indeed didn’t have much to offer in terms of scavenging.

However, if urban life were to be restored in the future, this area could be of substantial help.

But, can cities really be restored?

From time to time, abandoned vehicles could be seen along the road, some even tipped over.

For others to escape successfully from the city like Ling Mo and his group, it would be very difficult.

An hour quickly passed, and the roadside buildings began to thin out. As the two vehicles navigated around a flyover leading to the highway, they had completely entered the suburban area.

On both sides were vast, abandoned farmland. The disaster struck around the rice harvest season, and one could still see deserted harvesting machines in the fields.

This was actually a good sign. While a lot of food must have been wasted, the granaries should still be stocked with supplies, which could last a long time considering previous reserves.

It was uncertain if there were any survivors around here…

Following Guo Chao’s directions, the vehicles soon turned onto a side road and, after a short drive, several buildings came into view in the distance.

“That place is the food production base’s farming and office area, but it’s actually just a company name and differs from the geographic concept of a commodity grain base,” Guo Chao explained. “It’s a cooperative enterprise established by local farmers, involved in food production and livestock farming.”

“Oh,” Ling Mo responded indifferently. His main goal was to reach the Biological Research Institute, but unfortunately, he couldn’t rush things.

After parking at the base’s entrance, everyone armed themselves and cautiously got out of the cars.

Ye Lian and the three girls became more alert as well. Seeing their expressions, Ling Mo guessed that there might be higher-level zombies or mutation beasts around.

“Ling Mo…”

“Shh, Lian Lian, be good and stay close to me.”

Meng Jiayu, holding a spear, got out of the car and pulled Ouyang Lian close to her side.

Seeing this, Ling Mo motioned for Meng Jiayu to come over.

She hesitated for a moment but then showed a hint of delight, bringing Ouyang Lian with her as they moved to Ling Mo’s side.

This special treatment immediately sparked envious glances from everyone else around.

After the earlier events, it was clear to everyone that sticking close to Ling Mo was the safest option. However, the others could only try to stay as near to Ling Mo as possible.

The eerie silence around them could be a sign that the sound of the engines had disturbed those terrifying creatures. This quietness actually made the atmosphere even more creepy.

The perimeter of the large courtyard was bordered by a canal, approximately three or four meters wide and nearly two meters deep, providing some level of barrier.

On the other hand, it might also be trapping many of the monsters inside.

The iron gate stood slightly ajar, with a portion caved in from a collision. It was uncertain whether any creatures had escaped, or how many had managed to get out.

“Should we control this concrete bridge and lure all the monsters out, killing them here? After all, we do have guns,” suggested one survivor. Venturing deeper into the courtyard was rather nerve-wracking.

Before anyone could respond, 2 laughed, “Heh, that’s a great idea. Then when the gunfire starts, we’d be surrounded front and back, and we’d all just jump into the canal to escape.”

Ling Mo frowned and added, “That won’t work. The fields seem quiet, but no one knows how many mutation beasts are hiding in there. 2 is right. If we get surrounded, we’re done for.”

Advanced zombies had no deterrent effect on mutation beasts, and Ling Mo was extremely cautious, unwilling to take unnecessary risks.

“Wow, Ling Mo, you actually agreed with me. Does this mean we’re friends now?” 2 excitedly approached, only to be kicked away by Ling Mo.

“So, what do you suggest?” Guo Chao asked worriedly.

At this point, Guo Chao didn’t have much authority left. When it came to combat, it was Ling Mo, who had recently established significant authority and demonstrated formidable strength, who had the right to speak.

At least for the people who came off the off-road vehicle, their gazes towards Ling Mo were nearly fervent.

Saving them was one thing, but witnessing Ling Mo’s prowess firsthand was another reason for their admiration.

Some people also showed considerable respect for Xia Na and the other two girls. Ling Mo was strong, and their performance was equally impressive.

However, these three advanced zombies had cold expressions and stuck close to Ling Mo, which made it difficult for others to approach them too enthusiastically.

“Let’s go in first, leaving some people to guard the bridge,” Ling Mo suggested after a moment’s thought.

He wasn’t claiming to be a genius strategist; this was simply the best plan he could think of at the moment.

2 suddenly chimed in, “There’s gasoline in the car. We could use it to create a blockade. Otherwise, how long can we even hold this bridge?”

“That’s a good idea. The combination of water and fire should be able to block them for a while. Even if it just buys us some time, it’s worth it,” another survivor agreed.

Ling Mo glanced at 2 with some surprise. He hadn’t expected the psychic disorder person to come up with such a practical idea.

Silently, the group poured gasoline at the bridgehead and used a piece of hemp rope as a fuse, ready to pull it to the other side of the bridge.

Once everything was prepared, Guo Chao motioned to Old Wang.

Ideally, Ling Mo could have used a zombie puppet to scout the area, but he was reluctant to reveal the full extent of his abilities.

Holding a rifle, Old Wang cautiously stepped onto the concrete bridge at the entrance.

“Be careful,” someone whispered.

As Old Wang slowly approached the gate with great caution, those following him held their breath.

Zombies were frightening, but mutation beasts were no less formidable! In terms of individual lethality, they were even scarier than ordinary zombies. However, in the city, they were fewer in number.

Here though, this place could very well be considered the den of mutation beasts…

As Old Wang’s figure disappeared into the gate, Ling Mo tensed up immediately.

Guo Chao turned and whispered a few words to some survivors, leaving them at the entrance to guard the bridge.

Ling Mo thought for a moment and decided to leave Li Yalin behind as well.

He couldn’t trust his escape route entirely to these ordinary survivors.

The courtyard seemed fine, but from there, they could already see the ranch in the background.

Not far away, there was a building, probably serving as the office and dormitory…

At that moment, Old Wang’s rifle suddenly opened fire!

“Bang!”

After that shot, a massive black shadow darted out from around the corner of the building.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Three more shots rang out. Old Wang’s final shot finally hit the shadow.

But the shadow didn’t stop; being shot seemed to have no effect on it!

Ye Lian’s pupils contracted slightly as she and Xia Na rushed forward, with Ling Mo’s psychic tentacle following closely behind the two female zombies.

Both of them were fast, and with Ling Mo’s increased agility, he wasn’t far behind.

As Xia Na’s scythe slashed down, the shadow suddenly changed direction, charging towards Ling Mo and Ye Lian.

Ling Mo wasn’t about to confront this shadow head-on. Fortunately, his psychic tentacle momentarily threw it off balance. Seizing this opportunity, he dodged to the side and swung his Tang sword.

Ye Lian’s tiger claw also sliced through the shadow’s head as she leaped to evade it.

Feeling the blade cut into flesh, Ling Mo’s wrist was jarred; the Tang sword almost slipped from his grasp.

“Such thick skin!”

But the quality of the Tang sword was excellent. Though it was tough, he still managed to cut a deep gash.

Ye Lian’s tiger claw had ripped off a chunk of flesh from the shadow’s head.

“Boom!”

With a loud crash, the shadow finally collapsed in front of Old Wang, who then realized his legs were nearly giving out.

“What is this thing?”

“A pig… maybe?” Ling Mo muttered, feeling a chill down his spine. This mutation pig was far more ferocious than any wild boar he’d seen before.

With long, sharp tusks and bristle-like hair that resembled spikes, the creature’s body had swelled, and saliva dripped from its mouth, exuding raw, terrifying power.

Its head had been hit, so Old Wang’s shooting skills were indeed impressive.

After the first mutation pig was killed, the courtyard fell into a deadly silence.

However, everyone knew this was just the prelude to the battle.

“Roar!”

With a fierce growl, a mutation dog suddenly leaped in from a distance, and several mutation pigs appeared simultaneously. They were even joined by a mutation cow.

These animals had undergone significant changes in appearance due to the virus infection; the only common feature was their frenzied, blood-red eyes.

“Get ready! Get ready!” Guo Chao shouted, drawing the pistol from his waist.

In fact, he needn’t have said anything—everyone was already on high alert.

The bloody battle between humans and mutation beasts was about to begin!