Chapter 16 – This Damn Hero Complex

Xia Na walked up to the corpse with a somewhat grim expression, a trace of sorrow flickering in her eyes.

But she quickly looked away and turned, speaking softly, “Let’s go.”

“But…” A girl hesitated, glancing at Xia Na, but ultimately said nothing.

The unexpected incident made the atmosphere heavy, causing everyone to be more tense and cautious. They realized that despite Xia Na and Liu Yuhao leading the way and Ling Mo guarding the rear, no one could guarantee that situations like the one just now wouldn’t happen again.

After all, their goal was to travel, not to clear mines. Other than the zombies that actively charged at them, Xia Na and the others had no intention of searching the shops along the way.

Xia Na’s attitude towards the incident gave Ling Mo a deeper understanding of her. She was indeed nurturing leeches and stubbornly taking risks, but she still made the necessary decisions when crucial moments arrived.

This was probably why she could survive with such a large group of freeloaders who only demanded food and drink.

“Wang Cheng, it’s all your fault for suggesting we come along! Otherwise, no one would have died!” Lu Xin glanced back at Ling Mo, who appeared calm and composed, unlike the rest who were on edge. This made Lu Xin show a hint of disgust. However, having suffered and lost face, he didn’t dare to provoke Ling Mo and instead walked over to the glasses man, angrily muttering under his breath.

Wang Cheng adjusted his glasses and responded in a low voice, “Without Xia Na and Liu Yuhao, how would you survive? And you saw it yourself, that Ling Mo looks down on us. What if he convinces Xia Na? The most important thing is, if those people hadn’t died, could Xia Na and Liu Yuhao support so many of us?”

“This…” Lu Xin looked at Wang Cheng in surprise, then frowned and asked, “Then what’s the point of us following? Damn it, if this was before, I wouldn’t have to put up with this girl, let alone that obviously poor Ling Mo! Damn it, he even dared to hit me…”

Behind his glasses, Wang Cheng’s eyes flashed with a cold light as he interrupted Lu Xin’s cursing. “Why did we come along? Don’t you realize that the fewer people there are, the better it is for us? Just keep Xia Na happy. She is your lifeline now. If I were you, I’d drop any ideas about her. You couldn’t get her before, and you sure as hell can’t get her now. As for that Ling Mo, forget about him. He’s out of your league.”

Lu Xin was stunned. When he looked up at Wang Cheng, he felt a chill in his heart. Who would have thought that the seemingly gentle Wang Cheng had such a sinister and vicious plan…

But before Lu Xin could react, Wang Cheng had already gripped his kitchen knife and moved to Xia Na’s side, looking as if he intended to fight alongside them.

Coming to his senses, Lu Xin couldn’t help but curse under his breath, “Hypocrite! If it weren’t for all this, I’d just give Xia Na a few gifts and she’d be mine. And that Ling Mo, he wouldn’t even be worthy to lick my boots!”

The drastic change in his status before and after the apocalypse left Lu Xin feeling deeply unbalanced. Humiliated by Ling Mo and looked down upon by Wang Cheng, his eyes filled with rage. But what could he do? As Wang Cheng said, he couldn’t even touch Xia Na’s hem now, and Ling Mo could easily crush him.

“Damn! Damn! Damn!” He spat out curses three times, feeling slightly less suffocated.

“But he’s right…” Lu Xin thought, scanning his classmates. He began to secretly calculate who could be sacrificed…

The following stretch of the journey, heightened by their increased vigilance due to the earlier casualty, passed without any further injuries. Any zombies that appeared from behind were promptly dealt with by Ling Mo, without even needing Ye Lian’s assistance.

However, their reprieve was short-lived. Soon, they arrived near the hospital.

Without needing a reminder from Xia Na, everyone knew that the area around the hospital was extremely dangerous.

This place was originally a bustling area, and with the hospital being a densely populated spot, just imagining the number of zombies that might be there was enough to make their legs go weak. Some were already thinking about retreating, but a single glare from Xia Na stopped them in their tracks.

Sure enough, as soon as they turned the corner and stepped onto the main street, the scene before them made their scalps tingle and their bodies tremble.

Countless wrecked cars, either abandoned or crashed into each other, were piled up on the street. Among these obstacles, at least hundreds of zombies were wandering aimlessly.

In a nearby luxury sports car, a twisted, swollen face was pressed against the front windshield, with the rest of the body having been yanked out through a side window by zombies, leaving only bloodstains smeared across half the car’s body.

“How are we supposed to get through…”

The group was already ashen-faced. Even Wang Cheng had sweat on his forehead as he subtly moved closer to Xia Na.

Staying close to Xia Na was actually safer than cowering at the back, though it was more nerve-wracking…

Even Xia Na found this situation challenging. Ling Mo, on the other hand, remained calm. The street was crowded with zombies, but it wasn’t impossible to get through. Xia Na’s concern mainly stemmed from the burden of the dead weight they were carrying…

“I’ll find a way to distract them. Ling Mo, you lead them…” Xia Na gripped her knife handle tightly and spoke resolutely.

“I’ll draw the zombies’ attention.”

Ling Mo’s sudden words stunned everyone, even Xia Na looked incredulous.

“You?”

It wasn’t that she doubted Ling Mo’s ability, but the idea of him stepping up to solve their problem was hard to digest.

“Forcing our way through would be even more dangerous. You all should find a place to hide. As soon as the zombies start gathering towards me, you make a run for it.”

Attracting the attention of zombies wasn’t particularly difficult. Ling Mo had previously used firecrackers and similar items to try it out. Whether it was noise or a strong smell, both could draw zombies’ attention. Of course, to attract a large group of zombies at once, a loud noise was the most effective.

However, with so many zombies on the street, attracting them all wasn’t hard, but the person setting the bait would be in a very dangerous situation—unless they had something like a timed bomb. Even with such a device, relying on just one explosion might not hold the zombies’ attention for long. They might lose interest and stop halfway before gathering.

Ling Mo didn’t have such deadly tools, but he had a safer and more ingenious plan.

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Xia Na asked hesitantly. “Maybe I should go instead…”

“Just go,” Ling Mo replied with a calm smile.

Liu Yuhao looked at Ling Mo with immense admiration, patting his shoulder. “Ling Mo, you’re incredibly brave! On behalf of everyone, thank you.”

You’re welcome, Ling Mo thought sarcastically. He wasn’t doing it for these people; he just couldn’t stand the idea of letting a girl take the risk. Anyone could see that if Xia Na went, her chances of coming back alive were slim. Besides, he didn’t want to stay behind as this group’s babysitter.

After all, Ling Mo was just an ordinary person. Even though he had a selfish side, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of that damn hero complex within his capabilities.

Moreover, this wasn’t just to help Xia Na; it was also to help himself. Following them without contributing much effort and reaching this point meant it was time for him to take action.

Still… he was truly born with a poor fate, never learning to be obedient or content as a burden.

Even if reality forced him to bow his head in many ways, he still clung to some ridiculous but unshakable principles.

Like this damn hero complex… At least this time, it wasn’t leading him to his death, since he was quite confident in his plan.

Wang Cheng and the others, their eyes shining, were about to say some polite words when Xia Na, gritting her teeth, said, “We’ll hide first, then.”

“Alright, I’ll give you five minutes,” Ling Mo said, waving his hand.

In five minutes, this area would be swarming with zombies.