Chapter 138 – The Figure at the Stairway

Ling Mo nodded in response to Luo Heng’s question.

This wasn’t something that needed to be kept secret, as long as others didn’t easily find out the exact nature of his superhuman ability.

Moreover, Ling Mo’s ability was indeed hard to guess. The versatile applications of his Puppet Control Ability gave him a significant advantage in this regard.

Luo Heng’s team already had two superhumans: one was Wang Lin, and the other was a skinny young man who used short rebar.

The young man’s strength seemed decent, but Wang Lin’s ability was somewhat useless. It was unclear if she had improved after being apart for so long.

“I knew it…” Luo Heng’s gaze towards Ling Mo suddenly became fervent. “I know this might be a bit abrupt… but I still want to invite you to join our team! Right now, we have four people in our team. We used to have more, but we’ve suffered heavy losses recently…”

At this, his expression darkened slightly, showing some sadness. But he quickly perked up: “We have superhumans in our team, like Wang Lin. Being together increases everyone’s chances of survival. How about it? It’s not easy for you to take care of two girls alone. Why not join us? You and Wang Lin know each other, and you’ve saved our lives, so you can completely trust us. With us, we’ll treat you like family, and we would never do anything to betray you.”

“I know some people have gone crazy and act recklessly now, but Luo Heng and my companions are not like that. Plus, there’s no hierarchy in our team; everyone is equal.”

“Once we gather enough supplies here, we plan to head to the countryside. There’s a river near my home, with large farmlands surrounding it, and only a few households nearby. As long as we deal with the zombies, we can live a self-sufficient life there for a while. Once the Army recaptures X City, we can return.”

As he painted the picture of his envisioned future, Luo Heng’s expression was filled with anticipation. Though his words had a hint of idealism, with enough luck and some strength, it might not be too difficult to achieve.

The real challenge might lie in the interactions between survivors. Coordinating everyone’s interests and finding a harmonious balance is not an easy task.

For instance, Ling Mo thought that Luo Heng’s idea of “no hierarchy” was impractical. A team still needs an authoritative voice to make decisions.

However, Luo Heng’s vision was indeed tempting for ordinary people, and even Ling Mo felt a momentary lapse.

But Ling Mo quickly regained his composure. With three female zombies in tow, he was destined to stay in the zombie-infested city.

For Ling Mo, this decision was voluntary. He did it for Ye Lian and Xia Na, and to maximize his own strength.

Most importantly, Ling Mo felt that the zombies were evolving rapidly. Although their numbers would decrease due to internal fighting, given the world’s population base of billions, the remaining zombies would still vastly outnumber humans.

Moreover, the surviving zombies would be evolved elites, against whom ordinary humans would stand little chance.

Of course, humans have weapons and superhumans, but who knows what the zombies above the evolved zombies, or even higher-level zombies, would be like?

What worried Ling Mo the most was whether zombies could reproduce.

Their bodies were full of the virus, but no one had the chance to study whether they still retained the ability to reproduce.

Ling Mo considered that he could try it out after solving the issue of intimacy. However, he only wanted to treat Ye Lian and Xia Na gently and didn’t want to hurt them at all.

If he really needed to experiment… Li Yalin’s voluptuous figure suddenly flashed through his mind. This senior sister was mature enough and of childbearing age… but he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Could zombies and humans have children?

This question was indeed uncertain. After all, the virus shouldn’t alter DNA, right? Ling Mo shook his head at this thought and said to Luo Heng, “What you’re saying… sounds pretty good, and I hope you can achieve it. But, sorry, I don’t plan to go to the countryside for now.”

Luo Heng was taken aback: “Why? It’s hard to survive in the city. To be honest, I started with several comrades, but they’ve all sacrificed themselves. Even though you’re a superhuman, with so many zombies around, it’s still difficult to survive safely, right? And the supplies will eventually run out. If you don’t escape now, it will be even harder later.”

At this moment, Xia Na, standing at the door, turned around and snorted impatiently, saying, “What’s so good about being with humans?”

Her words were clearly directed at Ling Mo, probably worried that he might be persuaded by Luo Heng, so she couldn’t help but speak up.

However, Luo Heng misunderstood Xia Na’s meaning: “Not everyone has gone crazy. At least we wouldn’t do anything to harm you…”

Ling Mo felt a headache coming on, thinking, “You guys probably won’t harm us, but the problem is, the three female zombies with me might want to tear you apart and devour you alive…” “Thanks for your offer, but I have some special reasons for staying in the city,” Ling Mo quickly interrupted Luo Heng, saying.

At the same time, he turned his head to look at Xia Na and made a gesture of closing his fingers.

Xia Na reflexively covered her breasts with her hands, then quickly hid behind Ye Lian and didn’t speak up again.

Ye Lian, on the other hand, showed no interest in Ling Mo and Luo Heng’s conversation and didn’t react. However, her appearance left Luo Heng stunned for a moment, as if he found her very stunning.

But Luo Heng, being a decent guy, showed a hint of admiration without any desire and quickly shifted his gaze back to Ling Mo naturally.

“If you insist on doing this…”

Just then, Ling Mo’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he turned towards the door.

Xia Na and Ye Lian immediately turned their gazes toward the staircase. The other party hadn’t deliberately hidden their presence, so both of them instantly sensed the aura of a superhuman.

Generally, Advanced Zombies tend to hide, so Ling Mo had deduced a pattern. Only superhumans, especially those who don’t intentionally conceal themselves, can be detected by Advanced Zombies.

Li Yalin also reacted, but she seemed much more agitated, almost uncontrollably wanting to attack the intruder.

As Ling Mo stood up, he sent a command to Li Yalin, telling her to stay calm. She was sitting on the stairs leading to the third floor, and as long as the intruder didn’t come up, they wouldn’t find her.

Noticing Ling Mo’s unusual reaction, Luo Heng struggled to stand up. However, his injured thigh made it difficult to stay upright, and he had lost too much blood. He could only lean against the bed, following Ling Mo’s gaze towards the door.

Soon, a figure appeared at the stairway entrance. Ling Mo immediately recognized him as the superhuman who had attacked his Zombie Puppet on the rooftop earlier.

While Ling Mo recognized this superhuman, the reverse wasn’t true. So, after a moment of surprise, Ling Mo maintained his composure.

The fact that this person found them indicated he had seen Ling Mo’s Zombie Puppet rescue Luo Heng and Wang Lin.

Ling Mo hadn’t deliberately concealed his tracks, so Ding Yu’s arrival wasn’t particularly surprising. Finding them here only required a bit of effort.

Even if Ding Yu discovered the Zombie Puppet’s body, he wouldn’t likely suspect Ling Mo. He’d probably think the zombie took the two and then Ling Mo rescued them. So, Ling Mo suppressed his urge to attack after a brief hesitation.

Luo Heng also noticed Ding Yu’s appearance. Initially stunned, he then showed a delighted smile and called out loudly, “Ding Yu! this is my companion. He’s here to find us.”

Luo Heng quickly turned to Ling Mo, explaining. Despite being surprised and impressed by Ling Mo’s heightened alertness, Luo Heng was too happy about Ding Yu’s arrival to think deeply about it.

Ding Yu, although not hiding his presence, was tense, gripping a short rebar, ready to attack at any moment.

He didn’t expect that the first thing he’d see upon coming upstairs would be two beautiful girls. Though they both looked cold, they didn’t have the zombies’ characteristic red eyes, so his tension eased slightly.

However, he remained highly vigilant, inching forward until he heard Luo Heng’s shout.

Stunned for a moment, he then quickened his pace. As he passed by Ye Lian and Xia Na, he couldn’t help but feel a chill.

The way these two girls looked at him made him very uncomfortable, like being stared at by bloodthirsty zombies…