Chapter 261 – The Deadly Porcelain Doll

In the afternoon, the flames finally began to fade.

However, the entire sky was filled with black smoke, and a strange odor, along with visible dust, permeated the air.

“Do you think there might be ashes mixed in this?” one team member asked, frowning.

Another person muffled a groan with their hand over their mouth, “And you’re still talking with your mouth open?”

“Geez!” He quickly covered his mouth with his hand but then turned his gaze toward Ling Mo and his group. “That superhuman seems to be leaving.”

“Yeah, but I heard he’s going to have a long-term cooperation with our Camp…”

Another person nodded in agreement.

“Hey, did you notice? Captain Sun blushed a few times while talking to him. She never used to do that. Do you think… Ouch!”

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly jumped up, clutching his calf in pain.

When he turned around, he saw Sun Zeya standing behind him with a smile on her face, one hand resting on his shoulder. “Do you think what?”

“Nothing… Ouch! Captain Sun, I’m sorry… I don’t know anything!”

His shoulder immediately dropped under the pressure, and a look of pain crossed his face.

Sun Zeya’s thumb was pressing into his shoulder blade, her knuckle slightly white from the force.

“If I hear you gossiping again, you know the consequences.”

Sun Zeya let go of him and started to turn away.

But just as he was about to relax, Sun Zeya turned back and kicked him again.

“Ouch! What was that for this time…”

“I’m annoyed.”

As Sun Zeya walked away, she muttered under her breath, “Couldn’t get any information out of him… Annoying!”

Ling Mo was wearing a mask, observing the street outside.

After the fire diminished, the entire street was shrouded in black smoke, and a few zombies seemed to be drawn to the area, but their numbers were not significant.

“This area is too open. The black smoke is visible from a long distance… but we can still leave.”

After several hours of rest and absorbing some saliva from Ye Lian, Ling Mo’s Psychic Power had nearly recovered.

As soon as Ling Mo turned around, he saw a dark figure lunging toward him. He quickly sidestepped.

Tom, having missed his target, shrugged helplessly and extended his hand again. “Take care.”

“You too.”

The team members also came up to bid Ling Mo farewell, and even the survivors gathered around.

However, Yang Ying stayed in the corner, seemingly too afraid to talk to Ling Mo again.

The team members were friendly and somewhat grateful toward Ling Mo, which was exactly what he hoped for.

These elites would undoubtedly become the backbone of the Falcon Survival Camp in the future. Building a good relationship with them could only be beneficial.

“We will definitely clear out the Quarantine Zone. If you still want to join us then, it won’t be a problem,” Sun Zeya said, extending her hand to Ling Mo.

Ling Mo smiled, “I wish you success.”

“We have to succeed.” Sun Zeya gripped Ling Mo’s hand and suddenly flashed a sly smile, pulling him forward abruptly.

But Ling Mo was prepared, and Sun Zeya ended up tumbling into his arms instead.

“Hug! Hug!” The crowd immediately erupted in cheers. Ye Lian and the three girls were trying out the Infrared Night Vision Goggles one by one, apparently not inclined to stop the commotion, which only made the cheering louder.

People crowded around, pushing Ling Mo and Sun Zeya together, making it impossible for them to separate.

The cheering persisted, and Sun Zeya, pressed against Ling Mo’s chest, whispered, “You hugged me when I was naked, but now you won’t make a move? Does my charm drop by half when I’m clothed?”

As she spoke, she slid her hands around Ling Mo’s waist and hugged him tightly.

A chorus of boos erupted, and Ling Mo had no choice but to hug Sun Zeya back.

After all, if a girl made such a forward move and he didn’t respond, it would be embarrassing for her.

Though they quickly separated after just a second, the onlookers’ attention made both Ling Mo and Sun Zeya a bit self-conscious.

“Um…” Ling Mo looked at Sun Zeya, whose face was flushed, and felt he should say something.

“Actually, you look pretty good in clothes too… It’s just that they don’t highlight your figure…” Ling Mo thought that since Sun Zeya was so straightforward, he might as well be direct too. “You should wear something more fitting. You have a great figure.”

Even though Ling Mo spoke in a low voice, his words reached Sun Zeya’s ears clearly. After all, they were less than ten centimeters apart.

Sun Zeya stared at Ling Mo for a couple of seconds, then silently reached out and pinched his waist.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“You’re… you’re welcome…”

As Ling Mo, grimacing, walked towards Ye Lian and the three girls, Ye Lian had just put on the Infrared Night Vision Goggles.

She turned her head, smiled at Ling Mo, and then asked curiously, “Ling-Ge… what’s wrong with you?”

She was also wearing a Bulletproof Vest, which surprisingly suited her quite well.

“Nothing…” Ling Mo reached out to ruffle her hair. “Ye Lian, your Psychic Light Cluster seems to be nearing an upgrade, right?”

“Yeah… but let Xia Na go first…” Ye Lian glanced at Xia Na.

Xia Na looked up and smiled slightly, zipping up the backpack she was holding.

However, she didn’t control her strength well, and the zipper almost broke.

Seeing her seriously trying to fix it, it was clear she was in her Silly Na persona.

“I’ve been thinking about how to integrate her personalities, but I’m not a psychological expert. I’m really at a loss… But I have some ideas. Once we leave here, I’ll find a safe place to try them out.”

With that in mind, Ling Mo nodded, then helped Ye Lian take off the Infrared Night Vision Goggles.

“Are you planning to wear this?” Li Yalin asked curiously.

Ling Mo gave a sly smile, “Of course not. I have other plans for it.”

“Peeping?”

“Do I have to?”

“With the military moving in, the situation in X City should change. What worries me the most is you guys…”

Ling Mo shook his head and then left with Ye Lian and the three girls.

Black Silk had already been sent ahead to scout the path…

Tom and Sun Zeya, along with the others, stood at the door to see them off. After the intense battle they had just endured, they still needed some time to rest before they could continue their search.

“Things are looking pretty good now, but I wonder how the other two teams are doing,” Tom said in a low voice, watching Ling Mo and his group disappear around a corner.

Sun Zeya nodded, “Yeah… I remember one of the teams headed towards the Gaoxin Development Zone, right? Their task was to look for some essential mechanical components?”

“Yeah, their mission isn’t too difficult; they should be fine,” Tom replied, glancing in the direction of the Gaoxin Development Zone.

While Sun Zeya and the others were talking, gunfire had just ceased within the Gaoxin Development Zone.

On the roof of a factory building, several team members were aiming their guns forward.

Although they still managed to hold their shooting stances, the beads of sweat on their foreheads and their pale faces indicated they were on the verge of mental collapse.

Below them, a large group of Zombies was frantically trying to climb up.

Some Zombies were crouched on the ground, and blood occasionally splattered as their comrades were being torn apart and devoured…

One Zombie had already climbed up a pillar, its hands clinging to it like suction cups, ascending rapidly.

“Bang!”

One of the team members took aim and shot the Zombie in the forehead, knocking it down.

As the Zombie hit the ground, its palms revealed a layer of peculiar flesh pads…

The moment it landed, it was quickly swarmed by other Zombies, which not only exhibited strange features but also seemed even more frenzied.

However, most of the team members weren’t aiming at the Zombies; instead, they were focused on the opposite rooftop.

“Are we gonna die here today?” one person suddenly asked, his voice trembling. “I… I thought I was prepared for this, but…”

“It’s normal to be afraid of dying,” another person replied with a shaky laugh. “But we have no reinforcements and no way out. If you kill one, you’ve evened the score; kill two, and you’ve made a profit…”

“We thought we had it easy, that we’d be the least equipped team. But it turns out… it turns out this place is full of these monsters! What kind of Zombies are they?”

One person shouted in frustration, “Vice Captain, do we have a signal or not? Even if we die, at least we should send the intel back! I don’t want to die without anyone knowing why!”

“Everyone shut up, I’m looking for it!”

Behind them, a man was frantically searching for a signal on a phone.

This phone was identical to the one Ling Mo had gotten…

“I got it!” the Vice Captain exclaimed in surprise, then put the phone to his ear. “Hello! Hello! Can you hear me? This is the Seventh Rescue Squad, we’re in trouble… No… No need to rescue us… It’s too late… Listen to me, in the Gaoxin Development Zone of X City, there are abnormal Zombies. And among them, there’s one that’s the strongest. She has…”

Before he could finish, a figure slowly rose on the opposite rooftop.

She was wearing a tattered dress, her long black hair almost reaching her waist. Her face, expressionless yet strikingly tender, looked as if she were only fifteen or sixteen years old.

Despite her delicate appearance, her body was curiously well-proportioned. Yet, she still seemed extremely fragile, like a porcelain doll that could shatter at any moment.

Her blood-red eyes occasionally contracted slightly, making the blood appear to gather in her pupils, giving her an eerie look.

As she stood up, countless blood threads spread out like a spider’s web.

It wasn’t disgusting, nor did it seem out of place; it was as if she was meant to have these traits.

In fact, the moment she appeared, one could even feel a peculiar sense of beauty.

However, the team members’ eyes widened in horror, their expressions instantly turning to sheer terror.

As the blood threads shot forward, gunfire erupted, and the Vice Captain’s remaining words were drowned out by the sound of the guns…