Chapter 387 – Brake System Halt

Ban Yue’s proposed solution was actually quite straightforward.

Either let Li Ya Lin voraciously consume the zombies’ Virus Gel to allow the zombie virus within her to regain dominance, or simply let her absorb more of the Mutated Snake Virus to become a true beauty with the body of a woman and the heart of a snake.

“Ling Mo, with your sister’s current intelligence almost on par with an average person, it’s just her common sense that needs catching up. But regarding her own evolution, she must have some ideas, right?” Ling Mo pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Li Ya Lin.

Li Ya Lin took just a second to think before responding, “I actually quite like how things are now, but if I have to choose, I’d prefer to consume more Mutated Snake Virus Gel. Remember that giant mutant python? It was really strong.” As she spoke, a look of longing appeared on her face, “And don’t you think that form is incredibly majestic? Plus, who knows, becoming a snake might even allow me to have children with you.”

“Turning into that is even less likely to allow childbirth, isn’t it? It’s already difficult enough crossing species, let alone doing it twice?”

Ling Mo scratched his somewhat numb scalp and continued, “I’ve thought about it too. Sister’s last evolution already showed traits that were different from ordinary zombies. Trying to correct it now seems too late. Besides, evolution is full of possibilities; there’s no need to stick to the conventional path.”

With that, he looked towards Ban Yue and then at Yu Shiran, “You two evolved step by step from a horde of a million zombies to leader level. But before you broke through, you were just unremarkable members of those frenzied, battling hordes of zombies. Although you successfully advanced, that process was fraught with risk—just a tiny mistake and you could have been stepping stones for others by now…”

“Ling Mo means that even for those like you who advanced the normal way, the process was still full of risks,” Xia Na agreed. “Evolution feels a lot like college entrance exams, with so many cramming onto a narrow bridge, but maybe only one or two from each town make it into a prestigious university.”

“I’m not fond of rote education, and as a top student, you shouldn’t use that analogy; it might awaken some painful memories…” Ling Mo waved his hand dismissively, adding, “Besides, evolution probably involves more chance.”

“Actually, there are many parallels between the two that I could exemplify,” Xia Na shrugged and said.

“Black Na, it’s not yet time for you to work…”

While they talked, the group entered the interior of the factory.

Various machines and lathes obstructed most of their view, and under the dim lighting, red stains were visible everywhere—it was hard to tell if they were rust or blood.

Exploded mechanical debris was scattered all around, not just on the walls, but the ceiling was also blackened from smoke.

Right at the entrance lay a corpse whose skull had been crushed; his legs were nowhere to be seen, and one arm stretched toward the direction of the iron gate.

Ling Mo glanced back at the factory’s side iron door and noticed the clear signs of damage around the lock core. It dawned on him in an instant, and a vivid image formed in his mind.

Amidst the explosion sounds and flames leaping everywhere, a human was screaming and rushing towards the iron gate. Behind him were his co-workers, now with grotesque expressions and blood-red eyes after mutating. However, the first to escape and close the door behind him did so in a futile attempt to evade the pursuing zombies.

The survivor yelled in panic, but just as he reached the door, he was tackled to the ground, his legs gruesomely torn off in the struggle.

Driven by the instinct to survive, he continued to scream, dragging his mangled half-body towards the door.

Then, a more violent explosion sounded, hitting the zombies devouring him hard, granting him a painful release from his suffering…

Once the smoke cleared, the disfigured zombies, battered but not destroyed, staggered up and charged towards the iron gate, frantically pounding against it…

“So much comes to mind… Those who died at the onset of the disaster were probably the most panicked and resentful,” Ling Mo sighed, stepping around the corpse.

“Looking at your face, it seems like you have sympathy for the dead?” Ban Yue asked curiously. “Why? He’s been dead for a while, and you didn’t even know him.”

“It’s not exactly sympathy; it’s just being moved by the scene. Consider it a unique human emotion. Maybe one day you’ll remember this feeling,” Ling Mo explained.

Ban Yue showed a look of contemplation. In fact, she had been observing Ling Mo all along.

Why would one of her kind be so attached to mere prey…

Now it seemed to her that this human was indeed very different from the zombies, and the way he acted was both hard to understand and strangely intriguing.

She didn’t even realize her hostility towards Ling Mo had lessened. It wasn’t because of any special charm Ling Mo had, but rather because Ban Yue was filled with curiosity about the first human she had come into contact with and had even communicated with deeply…

This was the largest factory building within the aluminum plant, and there wasn’t a single zombie inside.

If the dominant level zombie that had perhaps reached the factory was indeed there, Ling Mo felt this would most likely be its lair.

“Clang!”

Ling Mo stepped on a piece of jagged metal, the sound echoing piercingly through the silent factory, causing even his own heartbeat to pause momentarily.

The female zombies immediately stopped, looking around alertly.

“Instead of worrying about it ambushing us, let’s use the noise to draw it out and be ready for it,” Ling Mo quickly regained his composure and said nonchalantly.

“So that was your plan…” Ye Lian said with a naive smile, “I thought Ling Mo was just clumsy and stepped on it by accident.”

Indeed, even the naturally ditsy ones have their dark side…

Just as Ling Mo was about to say something, he felt the atmosphere change. Although his psychic detection sensed nothing, his exposed skin tingled with a prickling sensation.

“It’s here!”

Ling Mo immediately tensed up, and to be cautious, he drew his tactical knife.

Several female zombies consciously gathered around, forming a defense as tight as a barrel.

Before the opponent appeared, various scenarios uncontrollably ran through Ling Mo’s mind…

“Heh heh heh!”

A chilly laugh suddenly came from above, followed by a shadow that pounced down fiercely, landing about thirty meters away from Ling Mo and the others.

This was a middle-aged male zombie with a thin body and a Mediterranean hairstyle, which wasn’t uncommon among zombies. However, the fact that he had dyed the few remaining strands of hair yellow was indeed a rarity, even during the peaceful times that Ling Mo had experienced.

He was wearing a pair of beach shorts and lay prostrate on the ground, his upper body arching up like a snake. His eyes were similar to those of the old lady zombie, with the Mental Sphere also appearing chaotic, leaving no doubt that he was indeed a zombie of dominant level.

“This uncle is quite stylish. Um, we came here today…”

Before Ling Mo could finish speaking, the Yellow-haired uncle crawled towards him without a word, moving at a rapid pace. It was then that Ling Mo noticed that his legs were severed at the base of his thighs, and his arms were unusually long, waving high in the air with nails that seemed quite lethal.

“Eh, what is he using to crawl with?”

Despite his curiosity, since the other party was unwilling to communicate…

“Hey, do you know the grandma from City A?” Ban Yue suddenly shouted.

The Yellow-haired uncle was in the midst of moving quickly when he heard this and immediately paused.

This time, Ling Mo noticed that his movements and braking were all achieved with the help of his little buddy…

Unlike any other zombies Ling Mo had seen, this Yellow-haired uncle’s little buddy seemed to be of a special race, possibly the Giant Yin Clan.

The mutations allowed him to move quickly and stop on command.

However, having evolved in such a way, it was unclear if he still retained the ability to reproduce…

When he abruptly braked just now, he even sparked flames off the ground.

Risking the danger of seeing something he’d wish to unsee, Ling Mo stared intently for a while and discovered that the uncle was wearing a uniquely designed pair of aluminum pants underneath his beach shorts.

“A power and braking system in the front, huh…”

After wiping away a cold sweat, Ling Mo turned his attention back to the Yellow-haired zombie: “Um…”

“You pathetic prey, what right do you have to speak to me? That lowly creature of our kind, what do you want to say?”

As soon as the Yellow-haired creature spoke, the expressions of Ling Mo and Ban Yue both darkened.