Chapter 155 – Getting to Know One’s Own Body

Talking with Ye Lian and the three girls made Ling Mo suddenly realize a very serious problem.

The threat to survival not only comes from the broader environment but also lurks right by his side.

Zombie Puppets are both his allies and potential ticking time bombs.

There is only one way to solve this problem once and for all: on one hand, enhance his own strength as much as possible, and on the other hand, help Ye Lian and the three girls level up quickly.

Since they gained a certain level of intelligence after becoming Advanced Zombies, further advancement should give them a full range of emotional awareness and judgment capabilities.

This proved once again that his goal was correct. The most urgent task now is to quickly figure out how to evolve Advanced Zombies further.

Gel is not very effective, so what method will allow them to continue evolving? The current level is far from enough… After crossing the Jade Belt Bridge, they arrived at a fairly large Commercial Plaza.

In the center, there was even a small garden with a bridge and flowing water. Apart from some bloodstains, all that was left were some already rotten and shriveled remnants of limbs.

Ling Mo glanced at the pond and surprisingly saw a few ornamental fish inside, which seemed unaffected by the Virus.

Perhaps influenced by Xia Na’s foodie nature, Ling Mo’s first thought upon seeing those fish was: Can these be eaten?

“Forget it. They might not be entirely free from infection. Maybe they only have a mild infection due to dilution by the water?”

Ling Mo thought for a moment and controlled the experimental Zombie Puppet to walk over, squatting down and dipping its blood-stained hand into the surface of the water.

As soon as the Zombie Puppet’s fingers neared the water’s surface, the fish were immediately attracted.

What surprised Ling Mo was that they directly leaped out from underwater, attempting to attack the Zombie Puppet’s fingers.

These ornamental fish shouldn’t be so aggressive, right? But as they leaped up, Ling Mo also noticed that the fishes’ scales seemed to be shedding, with exposed areas showing signs of decay.

One of the fish fell back into the water with a “plop” and immediately flipped belly-up.

Controlling the Zombie Puppet, Ling Mo grabbed the dead fish and used its nails to slice open the fish’s belly.

As soon as the fish’s belly was opened, a mass of black matter and a foul odor mixed with the faint scent of the Virus wafted out. It was indeed beginning to rot… It seemed that even after diluting the Virus, organisms as small as these fish still couldn’t withstand it. However, compared to those that absorbed an excessive amount of Virus in one go, these fish decayed at a much slower rate.

“Still, we can’t be sure whether it’s because of their size or their vitality. Maybe some highly resilient small animal could withstand the Virus? But insects seem unlikely… In any case, caution is necessary.”

To survive in this world, acquiring as much information as possible is crucial. Otherwise, one might eventually fall prey to some unknown danger.

This was why Ling Mo valued the notebook given by Luo Heng. No matter how strong one’s powers are, recklessly charging forward without reflecting and improving is bound to end in disaster.

With this firmly in mind, Ling Mo led the group around the small Garden and, guided by Xia Na’s painstaking memories, headed towards the residential area she mentioned.

However, during their progress, Ling Mo couldn’t shake a vague feeling of unease, as if his scalp was tingling.

This sensation made him extremely uncomfortable, like someone was watching him.

Several times, he turned his head abruptly or controlled the Zombie Puppet to use its perspective to silently observe their surroundings, but he still found nothing.

“Could it just be my imagination?”

The area was indeed eerily quiet. Although it was a Commercial Plaza, most of the establishments were beauty salons and similar businesses. Such places didn’t have a large population when the disaster struck, so naturally, there weren’t many zombies left behind.

Even so, Ling Mo found the number of zombies around here unusually low.

After all, this was still an urban area. Even if it was close to the outskirts, the population shouldn’t be this sparse. Ling Mo knew this well, as he had traveled from the suburbs to the city, fully aware of the conditions along the way.

Yet now, there were only about a hundred zombies wandering around here. From the scattered bones, it was evident that these zombies had been attracted from elsewhere.

“This place either still has survivors or once had them. Otherwise, there could be zombies like you…” Ling Mo concluded. “But I think survivors are more likely. Advanced Zombies don’t massacre their kind unless necessary for feeding. Yet here, there’s been at least one fierce battle, leaving many corpses behind. Even though they’ve been gnawed into bones, skulls are the most telling. We can count the skulls.”

Xia Na’s eyes lit up, and she immediately began counting the skulls scattered on the ground. As an Advanced Zombie, she wasn’t afraid of exposing herself, so she confidently walked into the Square and started counting.

Ye Lian glanced at Ling Mo and curiously asked, “So… are they strong?”

“Not necessarily,” Ling Mo shook his head, explaining, “Look at Luo Heng’s group. Their strength isn’t particularly high, but with Luo Heng’s expertise and two superhumans assisting, and by using the terrain to their advantage, they managed to kill over a thousand zombies with just four people.”

Ling Mo thought to himself that his current control range was quite extensive. In fact, he could easily replicate what Luo Heng’s group did without any harm, using his Zombie Puppets. But for ordinary survivors like Luo Heng, they had to take enormous risks, even being prepared to sacrifice themselves.

However, Ling Mo wasn’t interested in being a hero for the common good or restoring the city with his Advanced Zombie companions just to save the world. He was doing this for survival.

Could he single-handedly kill the millions of zombies in X City?

And after killing them, what would Ye Lian, Xia Na, and Li Yalin eat?

With these thoughts, Ling Mo controlled a nearby zombie and used it as an Avatar to mingle with the horde, searching for a Mutation Zombie.

Xia Na quickly finished counting the skulls and returned to Ling Mo with an excited expression. “There are about three hundred! But many are shattered, and some of these zombies were blocking my view.” As she said this, she cast a chilling glance at the zombies, “If we could just get rid of them…”

Ling Mo quickly made a shushing gesture. “Shh, unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t stir up trouble. I have a feeling something’s off here, and we don’t want to attract more problems. Besides, dealing with these zombies won’t be easy. Let’s keep a low profile.”

“Hmph…” Li Yalin snorted disdainfully from the side, which earned her a quick slap on her rear from Ling Mo.

This action made Li Yalin jump and slide back several steps, looking at Ling Mo with extreme vigilance. However, unlike before, she didn’t show any aggressive intent towards him, only a defensive stance.

Ling Mo wasn’t bothered by her reaction and rolled his eyes. “Senior Sister, if you keep ignoring what I say, I’ll keep spanking you!”

“You…”

Li Yalin didn’t fully understand the significance of the gesture, but the sharp smack and the sensation of being touched by Ling Mo’s hand made her feel something strange. She vaguely remembered the feeling of squeezing her own rear, and it wasn’t the same as when Ling Mo did it… Her body was reacting negatively, but deep down, she felt a craving, almost like the one she had for the Virus Gel.

So, Li Yalin stared at Ling Mo for a while but didn’t say a word.

Her reaction pleased Ling Mo immensely. He mused that he still held some authority… although he couldn’t have known that the reason Li Yalin didn’t protest was because zombies as a species were very attuned to their instincts, and her instincts were faintly desiring the spanking.

As the Zombie Puppet searched the horde for the Mutation Zombie, Ling Mo, with his main body, led the three female zombies into a clothing store, looking for some fresh clothes along the way.

Ling Mo left the experimental Zombie Puppet at the entrance to stand guard. His multitasking was quite adept by now, and although there was a slight delay in the sequence of actions, the “selfless sparring” with Ding Yu had allowed Ling Mo to get the hang of it.

As he helped the three girls change clothes, a mischievous smile played on Ling Mo’s lips.

“Perfect for autumn… Elegant on the outside, but with a seductive, sexy body hidden under the coat. That’s the best kind of dress!”

Xia Na and Ye Lian had long since learned how to change clothes by themselves. So by the time Ling Mo had picked out some heart-racing outfits, he saw that the two little ladies had already snuck off to a corner to change.

“How dare you hide from me!” Ling Mo was about to drag them out for a good scolding when he noticed Li Yalin standing in front of a fitting mirror, looking dazed.

Li Yalin’s gaze seemed confused and somewhat unfamiliar with the reflection staring back at her.

Those eyes, which had the coldness of a Mutation Snake, shifted to Ling Mo and, in a low voice, she suddenly asked, “Is… Is this… me in here?”

“Haven’t you even seen a mirror before?” Ling Mo sighed inwardly and walked over to the mirror, standing beside Li Yalin. “Take a good look. That dopey-looking one in there, that’s you.”

“Ah…” Confirmed by Ling Mo, Li Yalin suddenly leaned closer to the mirror, reaching out to touch the cheek of her reflection.

Her eyes showed a tinge of redness as she murmured, “Really…” Then she placed her hand against the mirror, matching her reflection’s hand, her curiosity evident.

Ling Mo exhaled softly, slowly moving behind Li Yalin and reaching under her arms. He began to unzip her jacket.

“In that case, let’s just change clothes here. Get to know yourself better—from the outside in, inside out. Completely understand what you’re like…”