Chapter 512 – The Upgrade

Interrupted by Tom and Yuwen Xuan, Lucy, who had been leading the way, fell behind.

Once their conversation was nearly over, Lucy took a moment to calm herself before slowly walking up to Ling Mo, feeling a bit awkward as she stood in front of him. “Um…”

“Uh…” Ling Mo thought for a second and then opened his arms. “Come on.”

“…” Lucy stared at him for a moment and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Weren’t you just rushing to the front like you were about to hug me… Ah! What the… are you a cat? Scratching all the time!” Ling Mo took two steps back, grimacing in pain.

Under the amused gazes of those around them, Lucy’s cheeks flushed red.

If it was just a joke, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but the problem was… he was right.

Lucy didn’t even know what was going on with her. Despite having her own mutation issues unresolved, she was more worried about this annoying man in front of her…

When she learned that Zhen Zhiyuan had led people to ambush him, Lucy was both angry and anxious.

She listened to her companions’ discussions, wanting to refute them and say that Ling Mo would never be defeated, but her anxiety and worry only grew.

Finally seeing Ling Mo safe and sound in front of her, the weight on Lucy’s heart lifted, and her emotions got the better of her…

“We fire… you…” Lucy glanced coldly at the people around them, then looked back at Ling Mo, conflicted.

“I know,” Ling Mo nodded.

“Then…” Lucy hesitated.

“It’s alright, I understand. Don’t take it to heart,” Ling Mo said.

They exchanged a few cryptic words, and Lucy’s expression seemed much more relaxed.

Since Ling Mo understood, her other worry vanished.

At this point, another person emerged from the crowd and said, “This must be Ling Mo, right?”

Ling Mo turned his gaze to the newcomer. The man was dressed casually and looked quite ordinary, the kind of person who would blend into a crowd.

But if you looked closely, you would notice his eyes were calm, not in a deliberately disguised way.

“Hello, I’m Jianqi, a member of the F Team.” The man grinned and extended his hand toward Ling Mo.

Ling Mo also smiled and shook his hand. “Hello, I’m Ling Mo.”

However, the moment their palms touched, Ling Mo suddenly felt a tingling sensation down his spine and instinctively let go.

Jianqi awkwardly lowered his hand, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face.

His expression seemed to suggest he felt a bit unwelcome by Ling Mo.

To onlookers, it might seem that Ling Mo still harbored some resentment. After all, those who ambushed him were members of the F Team. Even if he didn’t mention it, it didn’t mean he had no feelings about it.

In reality, Ling Mo didn’t mind at all.

No matter what, they had come to his rescue.

Whether they had been observing cautiously before or had been driven by the threat posed by this Falcon Squad, at least in the end, they hadn’t harmed Ling Mo.

The strange sensation just now had nothing to do with these matters…

“Just now…”

Ling Mo looked at Jianqi with a complex expression. Jianqi’s face was normal, revealing nothing unusual, but that momentary feeling…

“We’ll be entering the Air Force Corps with Jianqi.”

Yuwen Xuan walked over, pulling Ling Mo aside and asked excitedly, “Ling Mo, is everything ready on your end?”

“Yeah, just waiting for you guys,” Ling Mo nodded, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart.

“Hehehe…”

“Act normal!”

…

As Ling Mo had said, although Yuwen Xuan was nicknamed “Mad Xuan,” he could be reliable at times…

Before meeting Ling Mo, he had already dispatched some Falcon members, along with most of the F Team, to escort the Air Force Corps member and lie in wait near the airport.

This was partly to prevent any unexpected situations and partly to guard against the F Team.

Who knew if the F Team had any other plans? Only by completely taking down the Air Force Corps could everything be considered settled.

More importantly, Yuwen Xuan was well aware that Ling Mo harbored some unspeakable secrets.

Whether it was for Li Yalin or Ling Mo himself, Yuwen Xuan would do his utmost to keep Ling Mo’s secrets.

This was exactly why Ling Mo had confidently invited him over. Only someone as unpredictable as Yuwen Xuan would rush over with a squad to challenge the Air Force Corps just because Ling Mo shouted for help.

Anyone else wouldn’t dare to do such a thing without the approval of the Falcon Camp.

…

When Yuwen Xuan led the remaining Falcon members to the Air Force Corps, Lucy stayed behind.

“You know, does this count as me sending you back to the F Team?” Ling Mo asked.

Lucy rolled her eyes at him and then nodded. “I guess it does.”

In the next second, Ling Mo asked, “So, where’s my reward?”

“…Don’t you have anything else to ask?”

When Ling Mo took out the small bottle, Lucy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is this… something you got from Zhen Zhiyuan?”

“Zhen Zhiyuan… should be one of the names of the ambushers, right?”

Ling Mo carefully observed Lucy’s expression and nodded. “Yes, there were three of them, and each had a bottle. But this doesn’t look like any ordinary elixir… One of them even tried to use it for a final counterattack after their ambush failed.”

Of course, he wouldn’t mention that he had seen diluted Zombie Potion before or that he had a half bottle of it in his bag, nor would he talk about the virus scent inside…

However, Lucy’s reaction made him suspect that this matter wasn’t so simple.

According to Lucy, she was a core member of the F Team, yet she seemed unfamiliar with this potion.

“Is this a standard issue for your F Team?” Ling Mo asked tentatively.

Lucy shook her head, frowning. “No, I’ve only seen it once… and it should still be in the research phase. How did those three get so much? Could it be stolen…”

“Research phase? You’re still researching this?”

Ling Mo was shocked. The Biological Research Institute had professional knowledge, equipment, and test subjects, which allowed them to concoct the Zombie Potion, albeit with high instability and significant risks.

If Ling Mo’s body hadn’t already been progressing towards a zombie state, he wouldn’t have dared to drink the Spider Queen Elixir like any ordinary potion.

However, in terms of virus content, the potion that the F Team possessed had much lower levels than the Zombie Potion.

Originally, Ling Mo thought they had obtained it from somewhere, but to his surprise, they had developed it themselves…

“Yeah! Actually, I didn’t tell you everything before. We came to X City not just for resources, but also to acquire more experimental equipment and materials. And… it was also the Researcher’s idea. He said that only in a place like X City, where zombies and superhumans are densely concentrated, can the research progress faster,” Lucy whispered.

“Can I ask who the Researcher is?” Ling Mo inquired.

“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but it’s part of the mysterious reward…” Lucy said.

“Part of it?”

“Yes. It’s still in the research phase, but if it succeeds, it will greatly benefit you.”

At this point, Lucy’s eyes sparkled:

“Tell me, why did superhumans emerge after the appearance of zombies? What’s the connection between the two? Also, the zombies we used to know should have been the living dead, but now they are virus mutations. With evolution, they regain intelligence and memory, have high survival and reproduction rates, and possess formidable combat abilities. They’re practically an upgraded version of humans!”

Ling Mo stared at Lucy and nodded. “Go on.”

However, Ling Mo didn’t notice that Ye Lian was standing behind him, her confused eyes fixed on Lucy, her nostrils slightly flaring as though drawn in by Lucy’s words…