Chapter 160 – Are You a Hidden Rich Beauty?

Although it’s unclear why Ban Yue specifically has her eyes on Ye Lian, the fact that they have already severely injured her makes it unlikely for her to find Ling Mo and his group easily in such a vast city once she recovers.

Knowing Ling Mo’s character, if he had the confidence and even a bit of strength left, he would definitely have finished off Ban Yue to root out any threats.

Ye Lian wasn’t physically injured; Ban Yue had merely used precise force to temporarily immobilize her, causing temporary weakness.

If it weren’t for Ling Mo’s Psychic Interference, Ban Yue probably would have knocked Ye Lian out and taken her away.

However, she ultimately held back, otherwise, Ye Lian would have suffered some external injuries.

But Ling Mo did genuinely overexert his psychic powers and was now in a semi-conscious, sleepy state.

After asking Xia Na to support Ye Lian, Ling Mo leaned on Li Yalin for support and planned to leave as quickly as possible.

Just then, he noticed something among the grass, stained with fresh blood, presumably left by Ban Yue.

Surprisingly, it was a large chunk of Virus Gel, which had already coagulated into a substantial piece. It seemed to have fallen from her pocket as her clothes were torn.

This gel somewhat compensated for Xia Na’s broken blade, and Ling Mo took it unceremoniously.

He used the tip of his knife to dab a bit of Ban Yue’s blood and brought it to his nose for a careful sniff.

The scent was too enticing… If Ling Mo’s willpower wasn’t strong, he might have been tempted to stick out his tongue and taste it…

Clearly, as his psychic powers became more aligned with Zombies, certain aspects of him were increasingly becoming less human… Ahem, more like a Zombie!

Fortunately, while his psychic powers were indistinguishable from those of a Zombie, they didn’t affect his rationality.

From the scent of the blood, one could infer that as Zombies evolve, their internal Virus purity also increases.

It’s still unknown whether this increase happens naturally or requires external assistance, and whether there are ways to speed up this process.

“We should leave now. She’s not capable of following us secretly anymore; once we shake her off, we’ll be fine.”

Ling Mo glanced in the direction Ban Yue had fled and said.

The battle here had started and ended quickly. Coupled with the strong river winds, no Zombies were immediately attracted by the scent of blood.

During the battle, they lost a broken blade and half a bottle of Venom but gained a large bundle of Virus Gel.

To help Ye Lian recover quickly, Ling Mo put away the Venom and then took out more than a dozen pieces of Gel, giving them to her.

Previously, these things couldn’t be consumed in large quantities, but now they could be eaten without any adverse effects and could significantly restore physical strength.

Since they had collected plenty of Virus Gel, they could eat them like candies if they wanted to.

As Ye Lian devoured the Gel, Ling Mo, without saying a word, pulled Xia Na over and kissed her deeply for a while, relying on absorbing saliva to reduce his dizziness.

He did consider doing the same with Li Yalin, but thinking about how her gaze was too much like a Mutation Snake’s, who knew if her saliva had undergone a second mutation as well?

So Ling Mo had to give up on that idea. However, in his tired state, he didn’t notice that when Li Yalin watched him and Xia Na kiss, a look of longing flashed in her eyes… The group quickly left the area, heading towards Xia Na’s home.

With the pressure exerted by Ban Yue, the speed of the four travelers increased significantly. As night began to fall, they could see a large Community in the distance.

Xia Na’s home was located within this Community. However, what surprised Ling Mo was that this was an extremely upscale residential area, with not just many luxurious apartments but also a large Villa area.

Despite this, the population here seemed sparse, with only a few Zombies wandering on the roads, and even the number of cars on the streets was pitifully low.

A few luxury cars had crashed into each other at an intersection and were abandoned.

One car’s airbag had deployed, and upon closer inspection, a curly-haired woman could be seen pressed against it. The car window was shattered, her body halved, with one part inside the car decayed and shriveled, emitting a pungent, lingering stench.

While driving through here was possible, Ling Mo saw that none of these cars were usable anymore, so he gave up on that plan.

To prevent Ban Yue from tailing them, Ling Mo did his best to avoid killing Zombies along the way, trying not to leave behind any traces.

To deal with these Zombies easily, Ling Mo had Li Yalin walk in front, holding a tree branch. Whenever a Zombie appeared ahead, she would wave the branch to make a slight noise, attracting its attention. Then she would lead the Zombies into nearby buildings and lock them up at the first opportunity.

She seemed very interested in this task, carrying it out with enthusiasm. She even added some playful variations within Ling Mo’s instructions, clearly enjoying herself.

“Xia Na, where’s your home in this Community?” Ling Mo asked.

By now, his Psychic Power had recovered significantly. Although still somewhat dizzy, he felt much better than before.

Zombie saliva works wonders—more effective than any stimulant.

Ordinary people couldn’t use it, but Ling Mo, whose Psychic Power was nearly identical to a Zombie’s, could enjoy it without any harm.

Looking at the luxurious exterior of the buildings, the well-maintained and beautiful greenery around, and the astonishing prices written on the enormous real estate ads… No wonder Xia Na couldn’t remember the way! She’s a hidden rich beauty!

And she’s not from the nouveau riche; she’s from a well-established, traditionally wealthy family… “Whoa, how did I not see this before?”

Ling Mo couldn’t help but take another look at Xia Na. Even now, he couldn’t tell. In contrast, the jade sword pendant Wang Lin had given her was obviously quite valuable.

Xia Na merely smiled nonchalantly, “What does it matter where you live?”

“You’re not proud at all. I lived in the suburbs, and my mortgage wasn’t even paid off!” Ling Mo replied indignantly.

Unexpectedly, Ye Lian looked at Ling Mo and said earnestly, “But now, Ling-Ge gets to live more easily, right?”

“Uh…” That was a hard question to answer.

Yes, the previous survival pressures were gone, but now they faced more immediate survival crises.

If it were before meeting Xia Na, Ling Mo would have said without hesitation that he wanted to go back to his old life. That simple life with Ye Lian by his side was more than enough.

But now… He hadn’t developed feelings for Xia Na initially, but they’d since shared life-and-death experiences. “It’s not exactly easier, but I’m better off than most.”

Ling Mo casually grabbed Ye Lian’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

At this moment, Li Yalin finished another round of tasks and emerged from one of the street-side buildings.

Xia Na looked around for a while before pointing to a towering crescent-moon-shaped sign in the distance, “Over there, Crescent Moon Community.”

“Whoa! That’s the area with insanely high property prices!” Ling Mo exclaimed.

Ye Lian asked, “Ling-Ge, how…how do you know?”

“Well, I did think about buying a house for marriage… just a thought…” Ling Mo rubbed his chin as he answered.

Ye Lian’s memory was coming back in bits and pieces, but unexpectedly, she remembered this part: “Ling-Ge, who…who were you planning to marry?”

If this question had been asked in the past, Ling Mo would’ve been too embarrassed to answer. However, this time, he pulled Ye Lian close and said, “Of course, it was you! Ouch! Xia Na, why did you pinch me…uh, I mean, you too. I’ll marry you too, okay?”

“That’s more like it. Otherwise, I’d eat you,” Xia Na grunted.

Ling Mo felt a shiver run down his spine. That phrase from any other girl would have a teasing undertone, but when a female Zombie says it with a cold, indifferent gaze, a frosty tone, and a slight smile, it’s hard to respond with a laugh, even if you know she’s being playful.

“Let’s get inside quickly. Once we reach your home, I can finally take a proper rest.”

The luxurious gates of Crescent Moon Community left Ling Mo awestruck once more. No wonder it’s one of the most expensive properties in X City; the whole place exuded high-end, prestigious vibes.

A high-end sports car was abandoned at the entrance. Ling Mo took a look inside and surprisingly found a bottle of what seemed to be very expensive perfume.

But spraying that stuff on himself would be akin to signing his own death warrant. What else could it do but attract Zombies?

But for Ling Mo, who could Control Zombie Puppets, this perfume was actually significant. When it came time to lure away Zombie hordes, spraying a bit of this on a Zombie Puppet would be safer and more effective than making noise.

“Ugh, there’s a gold chain too…”

Ling Mo lifted it, glanced at it briefly, and then threw it to the ground without a second thought.

Stuff like this is as worthless as dirt now… The environment inside Crescent Moon Community was exceptionally elegant. The entrance featured a grand fountain, and behind it, a spacious inner lake could be vaguely seen. On either side were Villa areas, making it feel like they were entering some kind of estate.

As Xia Na led Ling Mo and the others deeper into the community, she said, “There’s an elementary school and a kindergarten here, but they’re far from my house. My place is quite secluded. If Ling-Ge feels like we need to rest for a while, it’s a good spot.”

“No need for a long rest, but staying for a day or two is fine. Look, X City already has Leader-Level Zombies. I need to get you all evolved as soon as possible.”

Encountering Ban Yue, the Leader-Level Zombie, had reignited a sense of urgency in Ling Mo. Wasting time would only put him at an increasing disadvantage.

However, this community was absurdly large. Combined with the occasional Zombie encounter, by the time they reached a small Villa, nearly twenty minutes had passed.

Luckily, it wasn’t as grand as he had imagined… Ling Mo felt a bit relieved. This small Villa was indeed secluded, tucked in a corner of Crescent Moon Community with no other buildings nearby. The front of the house faced the man-made lake.