Chapter 17 – Swinging Seven Wooden Sticks, Doing It or Not?

Ye Lian staying behind was something that puzzled Xia Na a bit, but she had to admit that when they retreated, Ling Mo’s calm expression with a smile left a deep impression on her.

As for the others, their thoughts varied…

Nevertheless, Ling Mo’s decision to help despite the significant danger touched many people. Some even began to feel a sense of guilt and regret for their previous exclusionary attitudes towards him.

But at that moment, Ling Mo, who stayed behind, wasn’t thinking about any of this. To him, other people’s opinions, especially those of irrelevant individuals, were completely negligible. What mattered was that he did what he wanted to do, with a clear conscience.

Of course, the most crucial point was whether this task posed any life-threatening danger to Ling Mo.

The answer was, of course, no! Ling Mo wasn’t the type to dive headfirst into danger knowing there was a tiger in the mountain. No matter how strong his hero complex might be, he wouldn’t let it drive him to pointless death.

Only after Xia Na and the others had disappeared did Ling Mo casually touch his nose and stroll into a nearby cellphone store as if he were out for a walk.

When they first arrived here, a few Zombies inside had rushed out at the noise, but Xia Na had swiftly taken them down, leaving their bodies sprawled at the entrance. Ling Mo left Ye Lian outside and stepped over the corpses to enter the store.

Since the Apocalypse began, all public facilities had ceased to function, and communication was no exception. However, Ling Mo wasn’t looking for just any ordinary phone; he was after a powerful, almost portable speaker-like knockoff phone!

Luckily, this cellphone store wasn’t a brand-exclusive one and sold all kinds of off-brand phones. Ling Mo rummaged through the chaotic counters, found a few fully charged phones, and then walked out, satisfied.

The sound system was ready, but simply dropping it on the ground to use would only attract a few Zombies. To draw all the Zombies from the entire street, that would be quite difficult. Moreover, it would be dangerous for him. Imagine the sound blaring and Zombies converging from all directions. While Ye Lian might be safe standing amidst the Zombie horde, where would he run?

Since he had taken the initiative, he needed to do it right. Otherwise, it would be a waste of his abilities.

For ordinary people, such a task, with a ninety percent chance of death, would be a nightmare. But for Ling Mo, it was relatively easy…

He cautiously approached the street and used his Puppet Control Ability to take control of three Zombies.

To avoid being seen by Xia Na and the others, who might be hiding nearby, Ling Mo chose a blind spot. Only then did he summon the three Zombies to his side.

“Here, one for each of you.”

Ling Mo smiled oddly as he distributed the phones to the Zombies.

He specifically chose young, strong Zombies so they could move quickly when needed.

After glancing at the situation on the street, Ling Mo controlled the Zombies holding the phones and sent them back to the street. He and Ye Lian hid in the blind spot, calculating the distance between them and the Zombie Puppets.

Controlling three Zombies at once would normally reduce the control range, but after his evolution, Ling Mo’s Psychic Power had grown significantly.

Thirty meters… fifty meters… one hundred meters… one hundred fifty… three hundred!

With a frown and a pale face, Ling Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Three hundred meters is the limit… and they’re about to break free from control. But it’s enough.”

Ling Mo turned his gaze to the nearby hospital and quickly formulated a plan.

The straight-line distance between him and the hospital was no more than one hundred meters…

“It’s time!”

Ling Mo controlled two of the Zombies, making them walk to the other end of the street. Just as his head felt like it was about to explode, they stopped. The moment one of the Zombies pressed the play button, Ling Mo felt like he was about to faint.

These knockoff phones always come with one particular song that’s guaranteed to be loud and clear!

As soon as the play button was pressed, there was a brief moment of silence before an ear-splitting voice blared out: “Swinging seven wooden sticks, doing it or not? Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!”

The moment the music started, this Zombie Puppet immediately bolted towards the hospital entrance like an arrow shot from a bow.

The Zombies wandering the street almost instantly focused their attention on this human-shaped walking speaker. In no time, they let out incomprehensible roars and lunged towards it.

As Ling Mo had anticipated, there were just too many Zombies on the street. The Zombie Puppet was knocked down halfway through, and the music quickly ceased.

But that was no problem. Ling Mo had already relinquished control over this Zombie, and the moment the music stopped, the second phone started playing.

The same music, the same action, but this time it attracted even more Zombies from further away, drawing those that were lingering in the distance closer as well.

In an instant, the area within a hundred meters of Ling Mo was densely packed with Zombies!

When the third phone started playing, the sound didn’t come from the middle of these Zombies but from the hospital entrance!

While controlling the first two Zombies, Ling Mo had also maneuvered the third Zombie to the hospital entrance. The moment the second phone was destroyed, he pressed play on the third phone.

A huge wave of Zombies surged towards the hospital. Observing this spectacle through the third Zombie’s perspective made Ling Mo shudder involuntarily.

These Zombies were nothing like those in movies; they were fast and ferocious. The sheer impact of such a large horde rushing in was overwhelming!

As soon as the Zombie horde began moving together, Ling Mo immediately controlled the third Zombie to dash into the hospital.

The number of Zombies inside the hospital was also significant. Despite Ling Mo’s control, making the third Zombie zigzag and dodge, it was eventually surrounded and blocked in the outpatient hall.

A living person would likely never experience being chased and cornered by hundreds of others, nor would they comprehend the sensation of countless hands reaching for them, let alone the feeling of watching oneself being torn apart. But to buy as much time as possible, Ling Mo had to endure this experience.

Zombies don’t feel pain, which was truly a blessing in disguise…

Though the phone was nearly knocked to the ground several times during this process, Ling Mo fully mobilized his Psychic Power, constantly switching his control targets and managed to drag it out for a few minutes!

A few minutes might seem short, but when you’re surrounded by hundreds of Zombies, it’s enough time for over a hundred people to be torn apart.

For Ling Mo, it was a tremendous test of his Psychic Power and mental reaction speed.

As for Xia Na and the others, the moment the song started playing, they were completely flabbergasted!

“Isn’t this just asking for death?!” Xia Na gritted her teeth in anger. She grabbed her Long Knife and rushed out of the temporarily hidden building. The others didn’t have time to stop her.

But when she saw the scene on the street from a distance, she was stunned!

The sight of hundreds of Zombies rushing in one direction was something she had only seen at the very beginning of the Apocalypse… It was hard to imagine that this was actually orchestrated by someone!

For a moment, Xia Na felt a mix of shock and joy, along with a surge of worry!

But now wasn’t the time for worry… After quickly slashing down a few Zombies that had been attracted by the sound, Xia Na ran back upstairs. “It’s clear, let’s go!”

“So soon?”

“Can we really get through?”

“Stop complaining! Someone risked their life to clear the path for us, so hurry up!”

The street wasn’t completely free of Zombies; in fact, some hidden ones were drawn out. But Ling Mo’s final act of luring most of the Zombies into the hospital minimized the risk of attracting more hidden Zombies.

So the street wasn’t entirely safe, but it was much easier to navigate than before.

When Xia Na and the others rushed onto the street, they didn’t see Ling Mo, only noticing that most of the Zombies had charged into the hospital.

Could Ling Mo and Ye Lian have gone into the hospital? That would be suicide!

Xia Na stomped her foot in frustration, but she couldn’t just abandon the group behind her. As she hesitated, she saw Ling Mo, drenched in sweat, leading a stoic Ye Lian out of an Alley.

“Hurry! Move it! I’m at my limit!”

As soon as Ling Mo finished speaking, a loud crash came from the hospital. Countless shards of glass fell from the second floor, along with a dozen Zombies. At the same time, the hospital doors were completely shattered, and some Zombies immediately noticed Xia Na and the others, charging straight at them.

“Go!”

Xia Na didn’t have time to ask any questions. In this situation, even if she didn’t urge them, the group would run for their lives.

Getting held up would mean being surrounded by hundreds of Zombies!