Chapter 235 – The Other Mouth Can Really Bite

Before even stepping through the door, they secured a piece of Third Stage Mutation Panther Gel, which was a good omen.

The term “Third Stage” was coined by Ling Mo, referring to mutation beasts that had undergone three stages of evolution, reaching the level of an Advanced Zombie.

By the same logic, a First Stage Mutation Beast was equivalent to a regular zombie, while a Second Stage Mutation Beast was on par with a Mutation Zombie.

For most people, distinguishing the levels of mutation beasts wasn’t as straightforward as it was for zombies. However, for Ling Mo, who always initiated contact with mental probing, the differences were crystal clear.

“I was planning to use it to lure out more mutation beasts…”

Ling Mo glanced at Black Silk, who was gnawing on the carcass of the Third Stage Mutation Panther, and felt a bit dejected.

Black Silk’s original target had been the gel they just acquired, but unfortunately, in a three-against-one scenario, she lost out.

One would have thought she’d be downcast for a while, but no sooner had Ling Mo looked down to store the gel, half of the Mutation Panther’s body was already gone.

Both her eating speed and biting strength had reached an astonishingly formidable level.

“I should have named you Bei Niang back then…”

Ling Mo said helplessly.

With the bait eaten, they had no choice but to venture into the zoo.

“Stop eating and lead the way,” Ling Mo glared at Black Silk.

She whimpered, tore off one last piece of meat, then tucked her tail and ran into the zoo.

“Damn it, you won’t starve following me, is it really necessary…” Ling Mo was quite displeased with Black Silk’s “pitiful” demeanor, thinking to himself that Ban Yue must have subjected her to various forms of mistreatment, turning a perfectly good Mutation Giant Dog into this state.

Still, despite her usually dumb and greedy behavior, Black Silk worked diligently when it mattered.

She also performed impressively in battles, but against speed-type mutation beasts, she was completely outmatched.

“Whatever, there’s no such thing as a perfect creature. Her main purpose is to clear the path anyway.”

Ling Mo sighed regretfully, then shook his head and continued.

“Well, if it gets cold, you can always have her warm your bed,” Li Yalin commented from the side.

“…Senior Sister, you’ve been too cocky lately. Tonight, I’ve decided to educate you,” Ling Mo said, frowning.

However, the weather was indeed getting colder. This year might even bring X City’s first snowfall in decades.

When that time comes, the challenges for humanity will become even more severe.

Ling Mo couldn’t help but touch his backpack. Last night, he tried using the radio again, but unfortunately, there was still no signal.

If any organizations were still intact, they should take action before winter, right?

Whether it’s gathering food or rescuing survivors, it should all be done before the weather gets even colder.

Of course, this was just Ling Mo’s guess. With the weather being so unpredictable, no one could say for sure which direction things would go.

At that moment, Xia Na sniffed and said, “There should be a lot of living things inside…”

“That’s good! The more, the better!”

Upon hearing this, Ling Mo’s frustration instantly vanished.

His goal today was to gather enough food reserves for Senior Sister, preferably finding a Mutation Bird of the right size.

Xia Na and Ye Lian could always replenish their Virus Gels, since X City had no shortage of terrifyingly numerous zombies.

But for Li Yalin, to prompt her virus mutation and quick advancement, a large amount of Mutation Beast Gel was essential.

Although this was a city, the place with the most mutation beasts was probably here in the zoo.

Especially the crucial Mutation Snake Gel…

Ling Mo silently prayed that the mutation snakes here would be stronger than the two they encountered outside. That way, it would be more beneficial for Li Yalin.

Li Yalin’s eyes also lit up with excitement. Her strange eyes had a sinister, snake-like gleam.

Upon entering the zoo, Ling Mo’s first impression was one of filth.

The ground was littered with mutilated corpses, and signs of building destruction were everywhere.

It seemed the mutation beasts’ destructive power was indeed much greater than that of zombies.

A section of the railing had also been knocked down. Ling Mo surmised that some mutation beasts had probably escaped from there and gone hunting along the streets.

However, most of the mutation beasts should still be here.

While Ling Mo was turning to look in the direction of the railing, a dark shadow suddenly shot out from one of the enclosures.

This shadow was enormous and moved with astonishing speed. Ling Mo could only vaguely see two slender legs.

“What the heck is that!”

It wasn’t just this shadow; two more followed it out of the enclosure.

“Mutation Ostrich,” Xia Na said with a smirk, then swung her scythe and charged forward.

Ye Lian and Li Yalin also rushed in, while Black Silk let out a low growl, took two steps forward, and then leaped high into the air.

However, the Mutation Ostriches were indeed agile. Although Ling Mo considered them to be only First Stage, they were clearly hunting in a pack.

For a First Stage Mutation Beast, Ling Mo’s Puppet Control Ability was a nightmare.

Instant control, instant disconnect. All it took was a second for Ye Lian and the three girls to seize the opportunity and take them down.

No matter how strong their abilities were, they were useless in this situation.

Unfortunately, among the three First Stage Mutation Ostriches, only one yielded a small amount of poor-quality Virus Gel.

Still, something was better than nothing, and Ling Mo pocketed it with a smile.

The deeper they went, the more Mutation Beasts they encountered. The variety of species was eye-opening for Ling Mo.

Initially, he was somewhat apprehensive, but he quickly realized that regardless of the Mutation Beasts’ species or attack methods, they were ineffective against absolute power.

The slightly stronger ones required teamwork to take down, but the weaker ones were easily handled, even by Black Silk.

As Ye Lian and the three girls’ strength increased, the difficulty of hunting significantly decreased.

“However… something doesn’t feel right…”

Two hours later, Ling Mo frowned as he looked at the bag filled with Mutation Beast Gels.

Despite encountering so many Mutation Beasts, apart from the initial Third Stage Mutation Panther, they hadn’t come across any other Third Stage or higher Mutation Beasts.

“Maybe our presence scared them off,” Xia Na said, brushing her hair back.

“A Leader-Level presence?” Ling Mo was initially taken aback but then shook his head. “No, Mutation Beasts don’t fear Senior Zombies.”

“Then maybe there’s a really strong Mutation Beast around here?” Li Yalin speculated.

Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat. That was a possibility. Otherwise, why would the Third Stage Mutation Panther be lurking near the entrance?

On the contrary, the inner central area, which had a much better geographical location, was filled with unthreatening First Stage Mutation Beasts.

It seemed that First Stage Mutation Beasts weren’t as sensitive as Third Stage ones, so they didn’t flee far away.

This meant that the stronger Mutation Beasts either hid on the outskirts or simply left this area and wandered into the city.

However, instead of feeling disappointed, Ling Mo’s face lit up with excitement!

A high-purity Mutation Beast Gel was worth a whole bag of ordinary Gel!

“If there’s a strong Mutation Beast, it should be nearby,” Ling Mo said, glancing around.

There was a pond, though the water had long since turned green and emitted a foul stench. A Mutation Crocodile had just leaped out of it.

On the other side was a large grassy area, with all the fences knocked down.

To the other side was an intimidating but now completely empty snake enclosure…

The environment was complex but spacious.

The ones Ling Mo had just hunted were all First Stage Mutation Beasts, not even a Second Stage in sight.

But this powerful beast was clearly good at hiding its presence…

“Shh, it might come out of the grass at any moment,” Ling Mo warned cautiously.

But Ye Lian and the three girls seemed visibly relaxed.

“Don’t worry, if it shows up, its target will definitely be you, Ling-Ge,” Xia Na said with a smile.

Ling Mo choked at her words. He couldn’t argue with that; after all, he was human.

Both zombies and Mutation Beasts had a preference for human flesh.

“So, let me bite you,” Li Yalin said, licking her lips.

“Sure, with your other mouth?” Ling Mo replied nonchalantly.

Li Yalin’s eyes lit up, and her gaze shifted downward. “Really? I forgot to tell you, my other mouth can actually bite.”

“…” Ling Mo was speechless. After a long pause, he finally managed to say two words: “What the heck!”