Chapter 135 – The Unlucky Shield

Ling Mo was momentarily stunned.

But then, a louder muffled sound followed!

At the same time, a blast of heat swept out. Although it hadn’t yet reached the stairwell, the temperature around them noticeably spiked!

After Luo Heng fired his gun, he immediately collapsed, utterly exhausted, with no strength left to run.

“Damn it…”

The explosion was truly spectacular, mainly because Ling Mo’s Zombie Puppet was inside this Mall, making the experience particularly vivid for him.

Even his own body couldn’t help but shiver, which drew curious glances from Ye Lian and Xia Na.

“Ling-Ge, are you… are you okay?” Ye Lian asked with concern.

Ling Mo shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Ling Mo had become very adept at quickly switching between his own body and his Zombie Puppet, ensuring that he never accidentally sent a Psychic command to the wrong one.

This skill was honed through practice. From a long time ago, when he first started controlling Zombie Puppets in battle, he would also fight alongside them.

So not only could he multitask, but he could also handle multiple tasks simultaneously, though there was a limit to how many “tasks” he could manage.

Ye Lian and Xia Na exchanged glances, vaguely guessing what Ling Mo was doing. They had some indirect connection with the Zombie Puppet before, so they could sense a bit of what was happening.

Hearing Ling Mo speak, Li Yalin gave him a cold look before turning her attention back to the Mall.

It was clear she was still unhappy with Ling Mo, but since she was now under his control and unable to resist, she remained silent.

Ling Mo couldn’t be bothered with her. Over time, she would naturally become more obedient.

To Ling Mo, she was just a powerful Zombie Puppet. If they hadn’t known each other, he might have used more extreme methods to train her “loyalty.”

But since they were acquaintances, taking some extra time was no big deal.

From their vantage point, the Mall had suddenly turned a fiery red. Terrifying flames leaped out from the entrance, immediately engulfing some zombies still outside.

The first floor of the Mall seemed to turn into a massive fireball in an instant. Judging by the intensity of the flames, it wouldn’t be long before the entire building was engulfed.

The sheer magnitude of the fire exceeded even Ling Mo’s expectations. He silently cursed, thinking that with such high temperatures, the Gel might actually get incinerated. But then he reconsidered—he hadn’t really lost anything, so he might as well enjoy the show.

Of course, if there were any gains to be had, that would be ideal. At the very least, he could gather some necessary supplies on this street before the other survivors got to them.

These people needed food, while Ling Mo needed daily essentials like toilet paper.

In the Apocalypse, such items were actually hard to come by. Food was scarce, but these essentials were also in short supply.

So, while he could gather these items elsewhere, if he could safely exchange a Zombie Puppet for them, it was undoubtedly the best option.

Coming to his senses, Ling Mo hesitated for a moment, then peeked at Luo Heng a few times before finally rushing in.

Although he had only met Luo Heng once, he had left a good impression on Ling Mo.

Especially his willingness to sacrifice himself for his companions—it was truly admirable. What really moved Ling Mo was that, despite being scared and terrified, Luo Heng still persisted.

This kind of willpower and self-sacrifice was rare, not just in the Apocalypse, but even before. Both soldiers and ordinary people sometimes survived on this kind of spirit and faith.

Some people didn’t understand this, even ridiculing them as fools or idiots.

While Ling Mo himself wouldn’t do the same for others, he could still respect this type of person.

There were few unselfish people left in this world… Luo Heng, utterly exhausted and dizzy, knew that staying here was a dead end. But as he heard the continuous explosions from the Mall and felt the approaching waves of heat behind him, he found he couldn’t get up.

Luo Heng didn’t seem to want to die either, but despite his repeated struggles, he couldn’t manage to stand up.

The more anxious he became, the more he felt his strength slipping away. Crawling out was no simple task, let alone walking.

At this moment, when he saw a figure suddenly appear in front of him, a glimmer of hope flashed across his face. But when he saw the blood-red eyes of Ling Mo’s Zombie Puppet, his expression turned to one of hopeless despair.

It’s over… His face showed utter desolation as he slowly raised his gun, aiming it at Ling Mo.

But before he could pull the trigger, Ling Mo lunged forward and kicked him in the face. “Sorry about this.”

“Thud!”

With the Zombie Puppet’s kick to his face, Luo Heng let out a groan, slamming into the door behind him.

Taking a direct hit from a Zombie, and then having the back of his head collide with the door, on top of already being on the verge of collapse, he fell unconscious without a sound.

As the door was kicked open, the terrifying sea of flames inside the Mall made Ling Mo’s scalp tingle.

These Survivors had clearly put a lot of thought into this. After gasoline was ignited, it took less than a minute for the entire Mall to be engulfed in flames. This effect could only be achieved through careful planning.

Thousands of zombies were instantly devoured by the fire. Though they continued to struggle, the sight of countless burning figures crashing through the flames was even more horrifying.

Then, some other electrical appliance exploded, sending another blast through the air. The nearby flames had already reached the doorway, nearly scorching the eyebrows of Ling Mo’s Zombie Puppet.

For Ling Mo, who had never experienced a fire before, this scene was incredibly shocking.

He snapped out of his daze, hurriedly using his broken arm to drag Luo Heng up, tucking him under his arm. He then returned to the stairwell and used his only good hand to lift Wang Lin.

Explosions continued to echo, and the flames quickly surged through the doorway, almost instantly setting the door ablaze.

“Damn it, this is really a trap!”

Ling Mo could risk running through the wall of fire, as it was just a Zombie Puppet—getting a bit singed wouldn’t matter. But Luo Heng and Wang Lin were very much alive… “No time to think!”

After awkwardly shielding Wang Lin in his arms, Ling Mo took a couple of steps back and then shot out of the side door like an arrow.

As Ling Mo burst through the doorway, a large wave of flames followed closely behind, instantly scorching Luo Heng’s hair.

Fortunately, Ling Mo didn’t stop immediately after exiting but continued rushing forward several more steps, avoiding the frenzied flames from devouring them.

Looking around, Ling Mo considered taking the two to the underground parking lot. But as soon as he moved a couple of steps forward, the Mall’s glass windows shattered beside him.

The upper part of the Mall’s walls was covered with glass windows, and countless shards flew out, hitting Ling Mo’s Zombie Puppet a few times.

Luckily, such minor injuries didn’t affect the Zombie Puppet, but it was uncertain whether Luo Heng and Wang Lin were hurt.

“Saving your lives is good enough; if you’re injured, that’s just bad luck.”

“Boom!”

The Survivors had indeed put a lot of effort into containing the Zombies. But as Ling Mo looked at the flames surging in front of him, only one word came to mind: Damn!

Moreover, with just a moment’s hesitation, the fire grew even larger, making it impossible to pass through.

No wonder that woman named Zhang Ning had gone upstairs earlier; their escape route must lead through the rooftop. But returning now was impossible. Even if someone on the rooftop was waiting to help, Ling Mo couldn’t get Wang Lin and Luo Heng up there.

Of course, this wasn’t Ling Mo’s fault. He wasn’t part of their group and had no way of knowing their plans or that they had placed flammable materials all over the Mall’s lower levels.

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to be near a fire unless you’ve seen one firsthand. Even without being directly burned by flames, the intense heat alone was enough to be fatal.

Not to mention the thick smoke billowing out and the various fragments flying from explosions caused by burning materials.

Ling Mo pondered for a moment and ultimately abandoned the idea of taking a risk. Instead, he turned and ran towards the street.

By this time, the flames were already soaring high. Ling Mo sprinted with his head down, and by the time he passed through the alley, his scalp felt like it was nearly roasted.

Controlling the Zombie Puppet, Ling Mo dashed forward for dozens of meters. It was only after he had distanced himself from the Mall that he finally felt a sense of relief.

Even though it was just the Zombie Puppet that had been burned, the experience still left Ling Mo feeling terrified. “Should I just leave them here?”

Ling Mo glanced around. Although some zombies had managed to escape from the Mall, most of them were badly burned and likely wouldn’t last long.

However, if he really left them here, they probably wouldn’t survive either. Even if the zombies’ faces were burned off, they wouldn’t spare their prey.

Originally, Ling Mo thought about stuffing them into a nearby shop, but as soon as he took a step, he noticed a few drops of blood falling onto his feet.

He quickly checked them over and was stunned.

These two seemed to have the worst luck… Luo Heng had been pierced by several glass shards, with one palm-sized piece embedded deeply in his thigh.

Blood dripped down his pant leg, pooling on the Zombie Puppet’s feet.

Wang Lin hadn’t escaped unscathed either. Carried on Ling Mo’s shoulder, her back and buttocks were also riddled with glass shards. Even in her unconscious state, she frowned in pain.

“Uh…”

Ling Mo wanted to comment on how their luck seemed even worse than his, but then he realized that both Wang Lin and Luo Heng had inadvertently acted as his shields…