Chapter 143 – This Is Purely to Exhaust Me

At this moment, the fire at the mall on the street corner had mostly died down, leaving only a few weak sparks flickering among the ruins.

About a hundred zombies, drawn by the towering flames, were slowly wandering near the street corner.

Whenever a spark burst out, a zombie that had previously looked like a wax figure would suddenly pounce and crash into the debris, making a dull “thump” sound.

Ding Yu was sitting by a floor-to-ceiling window facing the street, holding a deformed can of beer. He was sipping it slowly, somewhat lost in thought as he watched the scene outside.

He had a small waist bag strapped to his front, bulging with short rebar pieces protruding from it, ready to be pulled out at any moment.

Behind him was an armchair, and he was leaning back on it, with a cushion he had picked up from somewhere supporting his head. The cushion was stained with dirty blood, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Luo Heng and Wang Lin’s injuries aren’t too severe, otherwise, they would have been a burden… The overall strength of this team is still a bit lacking, always facing various problems…”

Ding Yu seemed to enjoy talking to himself, as if it helped him organize his thoughts.

“But Luo Heng is still very useful, with his extensive knowledge of wilderness survival techniques and some military know-how. Only he could come up with such plans. It’s important to be self-aware; I couldn’t do these things. Even with my superpower, it would be hard to establish a survival base on my own… If only I were a bit stronger. Like that Ling Mo’s team, even though they have two women, their strength is really impressive…”

After muttering a few more sentences, Ding Yu suddenly took a big gulp of beer, then exhaled a long breath.

At that moment, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he instinctively turned his head.

As he turned, a figure suddenly rose from behind the armchair, its blood-red eyes particularly striking in the dim night.

“Zombie?!”

Ding Yu reached for his waist bag with one hand while pushing the armchair forward, attempting to knock over the zombie that had suddenly appeared inside the room.

But just as his attention was fully focused on this zombie, another zombie suddenly charged out from a corner by the door, holding a long table leg it had picked up from somewhere.

“Whoosh!”

The zombie leaped high, swinging the table leg directly at Ding Yu’s head. Ding Yu quickly dodged to the side while still pushing the armchair, but he couldn’t entirely avoid the attack.

The table leg grazed Ding Yu’s shoulder, causing him to let out a grunt of pain.

By this time, he had pulled out a short rebar. As he got up and retreated, he threw it forcefully forward.

The short rebar seemed to have eyes of its own, and without much effort from Ding Yu, it whistled sharply through the air, aiming directly at the zombie with the table leg.

To Ding Yu’s horror, the zombie seemed to anticipate his attack. It ducked just in time, dodging the rebar. The other zombie took advantage of this moment, rushing forward and, just as it was about to reach Ding Yu, spun around. A dirty, smelly foot, driven by a spinning kick, slammed into Ding Yu’s waist.

Ding Yu never expected the zombie to use such an unconventional attack. The element of surprise made the assault incredibly effective.

“Ugh!”

Ding Yu grunted as he was knocked sideways. The zombie that had dodged his attack swung the table leg again, this time targeting Ding Yu’s other side.

It was as if the zombie intended to beat him into exhaustion… Ding Yu’s pupils contracted, and he let out a low growl, throwing two rebars simultaneously while twisting his body backward.

The table leg brushed against his side and abdomen, the pain causing him to frown. The two rebars he had thrown flew like darts, striking the table-leg-wielding zombie in the arm and abdomen.

However, since they didn’t hit any vital spots, the zombie wasn’t significantly affected.

“An advanced zombie?”

Although only a few seconds had passed since the confrontation began, cold sweat was already forming on Ding Yu’s forehead. What he referred to was, of course, what Ling Mo called “evolved zombies.”

He had never encountered zombies that coordinated so well. Even the more highly evolved zombies he had seen didn’t exhibit such mutual cooperation.

Despite their strange and highly intelligent behavior, these two zombies had distorted faces and eyes that didn’t resemble those of intelligent zombies. Instead, their eyes were still filled with mindless frenzy and bloodlust.

“What is going on…?”

Ding Yu kept his eyes on the two zombies while drawing out the rest of his rebar. He felt a strong sense of life-and-death crisis… These two zombies’ behavior was very similar to the one he saw earlier today. Could it be that they were here to avenge their fallen comrade?

But it was Ling Mo, not him, who killed that zombie! If they were seeking revenge, they should be after Ling Mo!

Ding Yu thought angrily. However, his expression remained composed, though his eyes had become very serious, revealing his true state of mind.

If Ling Mo knew what Ding Yu was thinking, he would surely applaud Ding Yu’s keen observation and vivid imagination.

On the surface, this seemingly impossible conclusion was the only way to explain the current situation… But in reality, the situation was very simple. All these “highly evolved zombies” were just Ling Mo’s zombie puppets.

At this moment, Ling Mo was in the next room, while Xia Na had already run to the balcony connected to the adjacent room, secretly watching the commotion.

Ye Lian was still clinging to Ling Mo’s side. She had been quite stimulated by the scene Luo Heng and Zhang Ning had inadvertently created, and since a zombie’s emotions are never hidden, she was gripping Ling Mo’s waist tightly. However, she was also very interested in what was happening in the next room, so she occasionally asked in a soft voice. Ling Mo, feeling a tickle in his heart from her gentle voice, had to manage both controlling the two zombies and suppressing his own rising emotions. He thought to himself how challenging his situation was… The perfect coordination between the two zombies was natural, as they were essentially extensions of Ling Mo himself. Coordinating with oneself was hardly difficult.

If Ling Mo’s psychic power could advance further and completely eliminate the delay in Psychic commands, his zombie puppets could perform even better.

Ling Mo was also intrigued. Finding an opportunity to simultaneously control two zombie puppets and battle a superhuman wasn’t something that came by often. The best part was that he could go all out without worrying about causing damage, which was much more thrilling compared to sparring with Xia Na and Ye Lian.

As Ling Mo’s interest piqued, Ding Yu found himself in an increasingly dire situation. He had taken two hits in a row, yet had only managed to inflict minor injuries on one of the zombie puppets.

To make matters worse, the injuries seemed to have stimulated the two zombies, instantly changing their demeanor. Their attacks became fiercer, and their coordination grew even more seamless. The most disheartening part for Ding Yu was when one of the zombies, after being pushed back, clenched its fists, took a couple of steps on the spot, and assumed a perfect boxing stance.

Where on earth did this zombie come from? Could it be a newly evolved type of zombie?

Ding Yu was completely bewildered. He thought to himself how incredibly unlucky he was! In a city this large, it was obvious there would be more advanced zombies evolving, but he never expected to be ambushed like this!

For the first time, Ding Yu thought about calling for help from his companions. However, he had always kept his distance from them, which led to him staying alone on the top floor tonight… Should he call for help? A hint of hesitation appeared in Ding Yu’s eyes.

If he called for help, it would mean admitting he could become a burden to others… But Luo Heng and Zhang Ning had guns; if they came to his rescue, they might be able to save him.

Just as Ding Yu was struggling internally, the two zombies, seemingly pumped up, launched another round of attacks. Their tactics were unpredictable, making it extremely difficult for Ding Yu to defend himself.

For some reason, both zombies focused their attacks on his sides, as if their goal was to completely incapacitate him by targeting his kidneys.

Ding Yu’s defenses were increasingly stretched thin. These zombies were exceptionally troublesome, and he never had the chance to land a fatal blow on them.

Though he had inflicted several injuries on the zombies, it was clear that, at this rate, he would be the one to fall first.

Oddly, Ding Yu felt like the zombies were toying with him rather than fighting for their lives. They seemed to be experimenting with different attack methods. This realization frustrated him greatly, but he was too overwhelmed to do anything but continue struggling against them.

Soon, he exhausted his supply of rebar. Without a weapon, Ding Yu was at a significant disadvantage.

He had been reusing the rebar, but now, most of it was either on the floor or embedded in the zombies’ bodies. They had him cornered, leaving him no chance to retrieve his makeshift weapons.

Ding Yu’s expression turned grim. He reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a pocket knife, eyeing the two zombies warily.

No survivor wants to engage zombies in close combat unless absolutely necessary, as it is extremely dangerous.

Finally, Ding Yu made a decision. Pressing his back against the window, he called out, “Luo Heng!”

His voice wasn’t loud; shouting might attract distant zombies.

Under normal circumstances, Luo Heng and Zhang Ning would have heard his deliberately subdued cry for help. However, at this moment, they were panting heavily, wrapped around each other, producing a series of “slap, slap, slap” sounds. The poor-quality sofa beneath them was creaking violently…