Chapter 101 – You or Me?

After leaving the School Hospital, Ling Mo and his group followed the route Lin Luanqiu had hand-drawn on the map, heading towards the Peace Theater.

The main reason he came to X City University was to help Ye Lian and Xia Na get stronger. As they grew more powerful, Ling Mo’s own strength would also increase more rapidly.

Although they occasionally encountered Mutation Zombies along the way, the chances were slim. Ling Mo preferred to hunt stronger Advanced Zombies.

Such targets were more likely to be found in relatively enclosed environments with a large number of zombies.

He felt that after days of becoming more familiar with his Psychic Tentacle, he had at least a basic ability to protect himself when facing Advanced Zombies. At the very least, he wouldn’t be knocked to the ground again.

The memory of that pants less zombie woman straddling him still sent a shiver down his spine… such a shadowy memory…

“Let’s go this way. The route is longer, but there are fewer zombies, so we’re less likely to get surrounded.”

Ling Mo carefully folded the map and stuffed it into his pocket. He then chose a path with fewer zombies, leading Ye Lian and Xia Na quickly away from the vicinity of the School Hospital.

What Ling Mo didn’t know was that shortly after he and his group left, a figure suddenly appeared at the side entrance of the School Hospital…

“You or me?”

Behind the eerily quiet main door of the School Hospital, in a dimly lit corridor, Tang Xiaoxue stared at the decapitated corpse for a long moment, frowning, before asking in a hoarse voice.

Blood was gushing from the clean cut, quickly soaking the entire body in a pool of blood. The stench of blood filled the air, with a faint metallic smell. But both he and He Pengpeng knew that the seemingly ordinary blood contained the deadly Virus, the cause of their upheaved living environment.

They had been staring at the corpse for a full minute. Ever since Ling Mo had warned them about the dangers of smearing such substances on themselves, they had outwardly shown indifference but were actually quite worried inside.

And to be honest, the process was still very disgusting…

However, with their level of ability, if they wanted any chance of making it back alive, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and go through with it. There was simply no other way.

The two exchanged a glance, and He Pengpeng pinched his nose before taking a deep breath. Resolutely, he stepped forward, saying, “I’ll do it. I’m already filthy enough anyway.”

“Mmm…” Tang Xiaoxue immediately recalled the image of He Pengpeng sitting in urine and nodded subconsciously in agreement.

With that, He Pengpeng reached out towards the pool of blood on the ground…

“Don’t touch it.”

A woman’s voice suddenly rang out, startling He Pengpeng so much that he nearly fell onto the corpse.

Tang Xiaoxue also stiffened abruptly, quickly turning around to see who it was. His eyes widened, “You… didn’t you already leave?”

Standing behind them was Lin Luanqiu, who had just entered through the side door.

Seeing Lin Luanqiu, who was supposed to have already left, return, not only was Tang Xiaoxue shocked, but He Pengpeng also looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

Lin Luanqiu appeared much better than before; at least her lips had some color now. However, her movements were still slow, and her left hand seemed weak. She looked every bit like a frail patient.

Yet, as she faced Tang Xiaoxue, He Pengpeng, and the corpse on the ground, Lin Luanqiu’s expression remained calm. This calmness wasn’t feigned; it was genuine fearlessness.

“You should have already left. How are you here?” He Pengpeng asked in surprise.

Lin Luanqiu smiled slightly and said, “I did leave, but I came back.”

“But why? If you didn’t want to leave, you could have just stayed.”

Lin Luanqiu’s expression suddenly turned serious. She said earnestly, “I thought about it all night, and I’ve decided to go back with you.”

“Why… why?” He Pengpeng asked, puzzled. Then, after taking a closer look at Lin Luanqiu, he chuckled, “You don’t expect us to protect you, do you? Hahaha… Ah!”

He had barely laughed twice when Tang Xiaoxue smacked him hard on the hindbrain. “Are you a pig? The two of us together couldn’t take her down. Do you think Ling Mo would let her leave alone if she weren’t capable?”

“This…” He Pengpeng wanted to retort but realized it made sense. Despite her frail appearance, Lin Luanqiu’s calm demeanor suggested she wasn’t a helpless girl.

Lin Luanqiu glanced at Tang Xiaoxue with some surprise, then smiled and waved the iron piece in her right hand. “Glad you understand, saves me the effort. Don’t worry, I won’t cause you trouble when we go back. In fact… I’m coming to save you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Tang Xiaoxue asked, his scalp tingling as he eyed the iron piece. He thought, this girl isn’t to be trifled with. If he hadn’t stopped He Pengpeng just now, they wouldn’t have died, but they’d definitely have suffered.

“You just lead the way. And don’t smear that blood on yourselves. It might work on ordinary zombies, but you’ll be dead meat against stronger ones. Besides, I don’t want to have the two of you trailing me like that.”

Lin Luanqiu sighed. Talking too much seemed to tire her, and she frowned slightly. Despite resting all night, her energy hadn’t fully returned.

She thought that if Ling Mo hadn’t refused her proposal, she wouldn’t have had to resort to this plan. For some reason, she felt a twinge of envy towards Xia Na and Ye Lian…

“What am I thinking…” She blushed slightly, coughing softly to dispel the awkward thoughts from her mind.

Lin Luanqiu didn’t elaborate, and Tang Xiaoxue didn’t press further. He knew that he and He Pengpeng couldn’t handle her.

Fortunately, the scumbag couple hadn’t forbidden them from bringing back survivors. He just hoped she wouldn’t cause any trouble…

As for her claim of saving them, Tang Xiaoxue was skeptical. No matter how strong Lin Luanqiu was, at most she could take down the scumbag couple and their followers. But what about the superhumans behind them?

He dared not voice this thought, having learned his lesson from provoking Ling Mo. Now, he was much more cautious. Lin Luanqiu clearly had a plan, but as long as it didn’t harm the ordinary survivors, he didn’t care.

He Pengpeng hesitated for a moment, glancing at Lin Luanqiu and then at Tang Xiaoxue. Though he was often stubborn, he knew better than to mess with Lin Luanqiu, so he decided to give up resisting.

“Alright, you’re our leader now. But it’s a shame to leave this zombie here after Ling Mo went through so much trouble to bring it back.”

As he spoke, He Pengpeng downed the rest of his bottled water and carefully began to collect the blood.

Lin Luanqiu frowned but ultimately said nothing. She didn’t correct He Pengpeng’s misunderstanding nor did she stop him from collecting the blood.

“Once you’re done, let’s move. Where are you staying?” Lin Luanqiu asked after He Pengpeng had filled a bottle with zombie blood.

“Not far, just at the Ruiwen Building,” Tang Xiaoxue replied.

Lin Luanqiu was familiar with this building. She had once attended an elective course there. It was a retro-style building surrounded by open lawns. While its location wasn’t ideal, it had a spacious interior.

“Let’s use the side door. Given the amount of blood, zombies will be attracted here soon. If we use the main entrance, we might run into them.”

Lin Luanqiu’s casual remark sent a shiver down He Pengpeng’s spine just as he was about to open the main door. He quickly pulled his hand back and hurried to stick close to Tang Xiaoxue, following Lin Luanqiu out through the side door.

Sure enough, within two or three minutes, a few zombies, attracted by the blood, crashed through the main door. The sickening sound of chewing immediately filled the air. This once zombie-free school hospital would soon become another haunt for the undead…