Chapter 157 – Don’t judge people with small breasts.

Ling Mo led the female zombies and sprinted nearly a kilometer away. Only when he was certain they had distanced themselves from the horde did he stop in a relatively open area within the riverside greenbelt.

Beside them flowed the broad expanse of Jade Belt River, and this happened to be a bend in the river. The greenbelt covered a wide area, and several high-rise buildings stood not too far away.

A male zombie had just rushed over, only to have its throat slashed by Ye Lian’s curved knife.

The other dozen zombies emerging from various corners, or those just catching up, were also taken down one by one.

Ling Mo didn’t engage in the battle; he was conserving his energy, waiting for the Leader-Level Zombie to catch up.

Running? Besides the fact that escaping was a dangerous skill in itself, in terms of stamina, Ling Mo, being human, could never outlast a Leader-Level Zombie whose strength clearly exceeded that of an Advanced Zombie.

Rather than running until exhaustion and being caught, it was better to conserve energy and choose a suitable battleground.

The environment here was relatively complex with plenty of room to maneuver. The three female zombies surrounded Ling Mo, benefiting from his Psychic Tentacles for protection while preventing any sneaky attacks on him.

By this time, the Leader-Level Zombie had already appeared before Ling Mo’s group. It seemed quite cautious, not charging directly but hiding half its body behind some bushes, only revealing its upper body. Its eerie red and white eyes stared intently at Ling Mo and his team.

If this zombie had existed before the apocalypse, it would have attracted many admirers. Ignoring its eyes, its appearance was indeed quite handsome, with rosy lips and bright teeth.

However, under the oversized school uniform, its body appeared frail, and its skin was unnaturally pale… A pretty boy… Ling Mo cursed silently in his mind.

Now, without deliberately hiding its aura, the Leader-Level Zombie’s imposing presence was fully revealed. Even Ling Mo felt the frenzy within him, which he had been suppressing, start to stir.

The three female zombies were even more affected, their eyes turning completely blood-red.

Clearly, they were under significant pressure. However, as Advanced Zombies, they didn’t see the Leader-Level Zombie as an Alpha to the extent that ordinary zombies would.

Nevertheless, they remained highly vigilant, showing no signs of attacking rashly.

This was the strongest zombie Ling Mo had encountered so far, and he had no way of knowing its exact strength.

Fighting an unknown, powerful entity head-on was not wise. However, Ling Mo’s Puppet Control Ability was an unknown weapon to the opponent. As long as he seized the right moment to use it, his chances of victory should increase.

It was absolutely impossible to control the Leader-Level Zombie completely; Ling Mo had already realized his current limits when controlling Li Yalin.

Attempting to control a Leader-Level Zombie would likely drain his psychic energy completely, without success.

But the Puppet Control Ability wasn’t just about control. Psychic Tentacles and even Psychic Interference through Telekinesis—these unexpected psychic attacks were the lethal surprise Ling Mo had prepared for his enemy!

So, Ling Mo raised his short knife before him, his gaze locked tightly on the Leader-Level Zombie.

As a Senior Zombie, it exerted a certain level of suppression over the three female zombies. The key to winning this skirmish lay with Ling Mo.

Of course, Ling Mo had a backup plan: if it got too dangerous, they would retreat. The high-rises not far away provided a potential escape route.

On another note, Ling Mo was quite eager to see how the Leader-Level Zombie would perform!

This was the level Ye Lian and the other two girls could achieve after their next evolution. The changes in Xia Na were yet to be seen, but the current state of this Leader-Level Zombie should closely resemble Ye Lian’s post-upgrade state!

Therefore, Ling Mo’s primary concern was how this Leader-Level Zombie had evolved. What distinguished it from Advanced Zombies now?

Danger and opportunity coexisted; encountering this zombie gave Ling Mo a strong sense of crisis. But if he could seize this chance to study the zombie, he could find a clear path for improvement!

The Leader-Level Zombie seemed to sense the vigilance of Ling Mo and his companions. It stood behind the flowerbed, its eerie eyes slowly scanning the four of them.

Under its gaze, Ling Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

It was certain that if any ordinary survivor encountered this zombie, they would have no chance of survival.

However, such Leader-Level Zombies were rare even in the vast expanse of X City. Coming across one in such a large city wasn’t something that happened easily.

At least, despite his anticipation, Ling Mo hadn’t seen any trace of this type of zombie until now.

The Leader-Level Zombie wasn’t just standing still; Ling Mo could sense that despite having his gaze locked on it, the zombie’s body kept making quick, subtle movements, creating the illusion of a mere afterimage.

Even if someone was armed, unless they fired wildly or were an expert marksman, they would have no chance of hitting it.

And even then, it would essentially mean mutual destruction. In such an open area, the sound of gunfire would undoubtedly attract an unknown number of zombies, forcing the shooter to potentially jump into the river to escape.

“Damn it, make a move already!”

After about a minute of stalemate with the Leader-Level Zombie, Ling Mo felt cold sweat forming on his forehead. The zombie, seemingly sensing something was amiss, was equally hesitant to make a move.

Ling Mo had indeed prepared to collaborate on an attack the moment the zombie charged at them. With the opponent’s strength being unknown, lying in wait was a better strategy than striking first.

“What is this…”

Ye Lian gripped her curved knife tightly, her other hand already spread out, body slightly leaning forward, and her blood-red eyes were fixed on the Leader-Level Zombie.

Suddenly, the Leader-Level Zombie focused all its attention on Ye Lian, causing Ling Mo’s heart to skip a beat.

Almost at the same moment Ling Mo sensed the danger, the zombie lunged forward.

Its frail body leaped high with powerful jumping ability that compensated for its lack of speed, and it landed right in front of the four of them.

In its eyes, it didn’t seem to notice Ling Mo, a human, nor the slightly stronger Li Yalin. Its target was locked solely on Ye Lian.

Seeing it reach out to grab Ye Lian, a rush of blood surged to Ling Mo’s head.

How dare you touch Ye Lian?!

Instantly, Ling Mo’s Psychic Tentacles unfurled, wrapping around the Leader-Level Zombie in layers, forming an invisible Psychic Net.

As the Leader-Level Zombie charged into the Psychic Net, numerous interferences swarmed it immediately.

Its vision distorted, its sense of smell misled, ears filled with buzzing sounds, and even its sense of direction was greatly impacted temporarily!

Ling Mo had been preparing for this, and he unleashed his full strength in one go.

The Leader-Level Zombie, caught off guard, was ensnared. The three female zombies attacked simultaneously. Ye Lian, closest to the zombie, slashed her curved knife towards its throat. Li Yalin, having learned quickly, aimed a kick at its side.

Xia Na’s short knife stabbed towards its underarm from the other side, and Ling Mo’s short knife aimed for its abdomen.

In just a fraction of a second, they completed a coordinated attack!

Although Ling Mo’s goal was to study the zombie, that would come after incapacitating it! If it happened to die in the process, Ling Mo would consider it unfortunate but better than risking their lives.

The Leader-Level Zombie regained its senses instantly, breaking free from the Psychic Net. Ling Mo felt a backlash, causing his wrist to tremble.

Despite the disruption, the Leader-Level Zombie’s reaction speed was extraordinary. Even as it faced imminent harm, it remained unflustered.

That was one of a zombie’s advantages—they were unaffected by negative emotions. It twisted its body agilely, avoiding the fatal blows. Although Ye Lian’s curved knife left a bloody line on its neck, it dodged the critical injury.

As the zombie turned, Li Yalin’s kick narrowly missed its body, and Xia Na’s knife merely tore through its clothing.

The only real damage inflicted on the Leader-Level Zombie came from Ling Mo’s Short Knife. However, due to the backlash from using his Psychic Power, Ling Mo’s movements were slightly delayed, giving the zombie just enough time to lean backward.

“Slash!”

The Short Knife barely pierced the surface of the zombie’s skin. As it retreated, Ling Mo couldn’t quickly form another Psychic Net to control it, so he followed through by tilting the knife upwards.

A stream of blood spurted out, creating a shallow cut while also further ripping the zombie’s clothing open.

Although the zombie agilely retreated several steps, its clothes were now a messy tangle from the combined efforts of Ling Mo and Xia Na.

Blood flowed from its neck down to its chest, connecting to the long wound Ling Mo had made.

However, Ling Mo then noticed something peculiar.

It wasn’t just the zombie’s pale face, but why was it wearing an undershirt? Even though it was discolored and stained with old blood, it was still clearly a white, strawberry-print undershirt!

Previously, they had only focused on its eyes and relatively clean appearance. Now, with the school uniform torn open, the undershirt revealed two small bumps beneath.

As the saying goes, “even small bread counts as food,” and Ling Mo realized—it was a tomboy…

From its appearance alone, there was no way to tell that this Leader-Level Zombie was female, because its features were so androgynous.

But female or not, it didn’t really matter. Ling Mo was only momentarily surprised before he stepped back carefully.

He had expected the Leader-Level Zombie to become enraged, but instead, it simply touched the wound running from its abdomen to its chest, then fixed its icy, eerie eyes on Ling Mo.

But the next moment, its gaze shifted back to Ye Lian, as if it found her particularly interesting…