Chapter 186 – Physical Intimacy is the Most Direct Way to Communicate

For the next hour or so, everyone was busy with their tasks.

Old Wang drove the Jeep parked outside right up to the building, while Zhang Haoyu and the others immediately began loading the supplies into the vehicle.

Ling Mo changed out of his bloodstained clothes and into a military uniform. Although his appearance was rather ordinary, the growing strength of his Psychic Power gave his gaze a piercing depth. Wearing the uniform, he cut quite an impressive figure.

When he walked out of the building in his new attire, almost everyone was momentarily stunned.

Li Yalin stared intently at Ling Mo for a while before running to the Off-road Vehicle they were loading. She rummaged through the supplies and pulled out a military uniform.

“I… I like… this too…”

“That’s men’s clothing…”

But in the end, Li Yalin insisted on finding a smaller size and put it on. Though a bit large, the length was suitable, given her tall and slender figure.

With a pleased expression, Li Yalin positioned herself next to Ling Mo and said haltingly, “This way… we’re the same.”

Her words made Ling Mo’s heart skip a beat; it seemed Li Yalin was beginning to accept him.

Indeed, physical intimacy is always the most direct form of communication. He had previously considered deepening their Psychic Link…

Ahem, actually, it was a combination of both that had this effect…

Meanwhile, Old Wang and 2 checked out the areas they hadn’t searched before.

They also drove back a modified vehicle, which seemed to have been well-tuned, clearly showing Hu Chuan’s meticulous efforts.

For Ling Mo, however, vehicles weren’t particularly useful. The city center was mostly inaccessible to cars.

Still, having a good vehicle at their disposal was advantageous, especially since Ling Mo planned to head to the Biological Research Institute next.

Originally, they thought that Guo Chao’s death would force them to abandon the plan. Unexpectedly, Meng Jiayu actually knew the route.

According to her, Guo Chao used to discuss matters with her and Old Wang most of the time. Before they met Ling Mo, Guo Chao had already mentioned this place.

At that time, however, they didn’t have the strength, so it remained just an idea.

Though Meng Jiayu only knew a rough direction, it was enough.

Xia Na threw Ling Mo’s backpack into the new vehicle and placed the Submachine Gun inside as well.

Old Wang also helped by bringing over a box of bullets and loading them into the car. Additionally, he set aside a box of canned food and a large box of bottled water.

The Base had a well, specifically a hand-pump well, so the water source wasn’t exposed to the surface and not contaminated. It was, therefore, safe to use.

Old Wang originally intended to give all the bottled water to Ling Mo and his group.

“No need, I can’t carry that much. There’s still plenty to find in the city, so I usually just keep five or six bottles on hand.”

Ling Mo had a favorable impression of Old Wang. Although Old Wang was taciturn, he was always considerate in his actions.

Since Meng Jiayu’s car was filled to the brim with supplies, other than Old Wang driving and Zhang Haoyu sitting in the passenger seat, 2 and Meng Jiayu decided to join Ling Mo and his group in the new vehicle.

Both Xia Na and 2 offered to drive, but one was an Advanced Zombie, and the other was a Psychopath…

It seemed dangerous no matter who got behind the wheel!

“I’ll drive,” Meng Jiayu volunteered, settling into the driver’s seat and freeing Ling Mo from his dilemma.

After familiarizing herself with the controls for a moment, she pressed the gas pedal, turning towards the gate and driving out.

Old Wang followed closely behind, driving their vehicle, and the two cars gradually picked up speed as they hit the road.

Originally, they thought it would take at least half a day to find the Biological Research Institute while searching along the route.

Surprisingly, just over an hour later, they found the Biological Research Institute at the end of a road.

The place seemed heavily guarded, with a watch post even at the entrance, and more posts visible at the main gate.

From the outside, they could only see a few buildings. Looking in from the gate, everything was obscured by greenery.

Glancing up at the security cameras at the entrance, 2 exclaimed in surprise, “Is this place that legendary Umbrella Corporation? Could the Virus have leaked from here? Am I about to become a hero and save the world?”

“That’s from American movies…” Zhang Haoyu replied with some exasperation after getting out of the car, “This is just an important facility.”

“How could the Virus come from here? Stop talking nonsense,” Meng Jiayu glared at him.

Given the Virus’s bizarre and brutal nature, it seemed unlikely to have emerged from a facility like this.

Assuming someone was conducting dangerous Virus research, it would certainly be in a highly secluded and secure location.

After all, this Virus had caused a global catastrophe!

Old Wang, surveying the surroundings, said, “Not sure, but they might conduct dangerous experiments here. Otherwise, there’d be no need to set it up in such a remote place. But the idea that the Virus originated here… that’s impossible.”

Indeed, the area was surrounded by large tracts of forest, accessible by only this one road leading to the facility.

People normally wouldn’t venture here, and even if they did pass by, the watch posts would likely stop them. There could’ve even been heavy military presence before.

When Ling Mo shared his thoughts, Old Wang shook his head, “There’d definitely be security, but heavy military presence seems unnecessary. A Squad of special forces would be enough.”

That made sense, given the strict weapons control in the country. Citizens wouldn’t venture here to cause trouble.

Ling Mo had lived in X City for over two decades and had never heard of this place. If it weren’t for Guo Chao mentioning it to Meng Jiayu, they probably wouldn’t have found it.

Coming here so smoothly was largely thanks to Meng Jiayu’s memory.

“I just remembered a few landmarks, like where to turn and enter… Captain Guo didn’t know much either. He never actually came here. So, it’s hard to say what’s inside,” Meng Jiayu said, looking inside with some concern.

The entrance had an ID swipe station, indicating that access was likely controlled by identification in the past. But now, everyone walked straight through.

Being in such a “secret Base” for the first time, Ling Mo couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of curiosity and excitement.

After all, he was still a young man…

Unfortunately, as he looked around, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

“Crap, I got carried away…”

He nearly let out a scream but managed to grit his teeth and hold it in.

“Are… are you okay?” Ye Lian asked, turning her head in concern.

As an Advanced Zombie, her sense of smell was extremely sharp. Ling Mo’s sudden movement had clearly reopened his wound, causing fresh blood to seep out.

Ling Mo exhaled and said, “I’m fine. I wonder if they do medical research here. Some decent medicine would be great.”

“Do you want another painkiller?” Xia Na, also concerned about Ling Mo’s injury, quickly suggested.

Ling Mo hesitated for a moment, then shook his head firmly, “No, the side effects are too strong. The instructions say one every six hours. How long has it been? I can endure it.”

At this moment, 2 turned his head and chuckled, “In our hospital, painkillers are practically hard currency. A bottle of painkillers can get you a ton of stuff… Tsk tsk.”

He licked his lips as if reminiscing about something.

The Biological Research Institute was surprisingly quiet. There were no signs of Zombies or Mutation Beasts.

If the group hadn’t approached cautiously, they might not have realized the potential danger here.

“Since there were guards, they should have had some means of defense when people started turning into Zombies, right? So, it’s possible there are Survivors here,” Ling Mo speculated.

Zhang Haoyu held a handgun and cautiously walked along the side, whispering to Ling Mo.

With his right hand out of commission and without any weapons on him, Ling Mo was surprisingly the least vulnerable among them, thanks to being surrounded by Ye Lian and the three girls.

After being shot before, the group moved carefully through the floral arrangements, making it difficult for any distant gunman to target them accurately.

In a place like this, there shouldn’t be any snipers.

“Very likely.” Ling Mo was now fully alert. Although they had gathered some intel from Hu Chuan, it wasn’t much different from what he had speculated.

As an ordinary person, understanding the Virus’s intricacies required insight from professionals.

The Researchers here ought to be quite capable. If there were Survivors, they could at least answer some of Ling Mo’s questions.

Zhang Haoyu sighed and said hopefully, “If only we could find a vaccine…”

“How could there be a vaccine? With the lack of equipment, professional teams, and sufficient samples… there’s nothing here to conduct such research. If a vaccine could have been found, the world wouldn’t be in this state.”

Ling Mo thought for a moment but decided against saying this out loud.

It was better to let them hold onto some hope, although deep down, they probably understood the reality.

Finding a vaccine here was virtually impossible.

At the entrance of the nearest building, labeled “Building 1,” a metal sign was nailed above the door.

From what they could observe, it was still unclear what kind of research took place here.

“Let’s go in.”

Old Wang led the group, gun in hand. The glass door required a keycard for entry, but there was a small gap left open for them to pass through.