Chapter 187 – Survivors Inside the Biological Research Institute

“Why does it feel like there’s no danger here at all…”

At first, Zhang Haoyu cowered behind Old Wang, but as they finished searching an entire building, the anxiety gripping his throat gradually eased.

The first building was filled with offices, where Ling Mo and his companions found numerous documents. Most of them were packed with professional jargon. Ling Mo felt dizzy from reading them and couldn’t make heads or tails of the contents.

However, one document revealed the nature of this place. It turned out to be a Biological Research Institute under the X City branch of the China Academy of Sciences, primarily focusing on cell biology. Yet, from some of the descriptions, the research here seemed quite varied, though it was mainly related to biological studies.

Ling Mo thought they had indeed come to the right place. If there were any survivors here who could study virus cells, identifying some basic characteristics would be far better than Ling Mo fumbling around on his own. Maybe his current feeding strategy was incorrect and could delay the growth of Ye Lian and the three girls.

What concerned him the most was that all three were evolving in different directions, leaving Ling Mo somewhat at a loss.

Upon entering the second building, they finally encountered some bloodstains on the floor, but still found no trace of zombies. Ling Mo also noticed there were no skeletal remains left behind. Zombies wouldn’t gnaw bones clean, nor would they tidy up after a meal, so this must have been done by humans.

“It seems there are indeed survivors here. But they might be armed, so everyone, be careful,” Ling Mo said.

His voice was tinged with pain, hoping they could find some medicine. Ye Lian and Xia Na supported him on either side, with Ye Lian’s cool and smooth hand clasping tightly into his. Though Ling Mo would reflexively clench his fingers from the pain, Ye Lian showed no sign of resistance. Her expression remained calm, and she would gaze at him with concern if he showed any discomfort.

However, her intelligence had only partially returned, and her ability to communicate was limited. Apart from pressing closer to Ling Mo like a cat to make him more comfortable, she couldn’t offer any other solace in words.

Xia Na, on the other hand, kept talking to Ling Mo, trying to distract him.

Li Yalin was walking ahead, her eerie dagger occasionally reflecting a cold glint. Judging from her psychic fluctuations, she was also quite concerned about Ling Mo.

“Hey, Senior Sister, it seems like you’ve made significant progress… By the way, you’ve been pretty quiet these past few days. What’s on your mind?” Ling Mo asked.

As soon as he spoke, Li Yalin turned around. She looked at Ling Mo for a couple of seconds, her gaze then shifting downward. She then seriously said, “There’s something… I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time…”

“Huh? Go ahead,” Ling Mo replied, quickly glancing around. Fortunately, the group was somewhat scattered, each searching the rooms on either side.

Could it be a confession? Although her behavior today indeed seemed a bit out of the ordinary to Ling Mo… Previously, Li Yalin was somewhat distant towards Ling Mo. Despite establishing a deep psychic link, she occasionally showed signs of resistance.

To be honest, until the moment Ling Mo and Li Yalin made love, his feelings for her were more of fondness rather than profound affection. But Ling Mo, being an ordinary guy, naturally considered Li Yalin his woman after becoming intimate with her. Their emotional connection gradually deepened over time.

In the aftermath, Ling Mo became more attentive and concerned about Li Yalin’s every move. However, one thing puzzled him: while Ye Lian and Xia Na were highly dependent on him, he had no clue about Li Yalin’s true feelings.

Did she engage with him out of an awakened instinct, or did she develop some genuine emotion…?

“Ahem, if… if you want to confess…” Ling Mo felt his tongue getting tied.

Calm down. Although he never imagined being confessed to by Senior Sister, it was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

“Huh?” Li Yalin paused for a moment, then asked in a very serious tone, “Confess… I’m asking when… you can recover…”

She continued confidently, “Since… we’ve already done it once… there must be a second time! The ancients said… over and over again!”

That’s not what the ancients meant at all!

Ling Mo was stunned at first, then felt the urge to bang his head against the wall!

She had raised her voice just enough for Meng Jiayu to hear as she emerged from a room behind Li Yalin! Not only that, but the vigilant Old Wang also poked his head out, but quickly turned away, pretending he hadn’t heard a thing with a serious expression on his face.

However, Meng Jiayu’s eyes widened in shock, darting between Li Yalin and Ling Mo.

“Um…”

A blush quickly spread across Meng Jiayu’s classical beauty. She immediately recalled the faint noises she heard that night in the villa and Li Yalin’s slightly peculiar walking posture the following day…

Ling Mo couldn’t blame Li Yalin. For a zombie, following instincts was in her nature! In her eyes, there was nothing wrong with what she said…

The issue was that Ling Mo suddenly decided to ask about her thoughts. Due to the Psychic Link, Li Yalin would naturally answer any question truthfully…

Just as Ling Mo was awkwardly looking at Meng Jiayu, he noticed a slight smile forming at the corner of her mouth, before she quickly turned and walked ahead.

At this moment, Zhang Haoyu and 2 emerged from another room, with 2 holding an empty test tube.

“Did something happen?”

Sensing the odd atmosphere, Zhang Haoyu asked in confusion.

“Nothing…” Ling Mo quickly covered it up.

2 stepped forward with a grin, “Ling Mo, since you’re bleeding anyway, could you give me a bit?”

“Get lost.”

“Come on, Ling Mo, I’ll even share some of mine with you. Which part do you fancy?”

2 pleaded, licking his lips.

“Then why don’t you draw some blood from your dick…”

Ling Mo was feeling dejected but then let out a mischievous smile and said, “Well, peeing would be pretty painful if you did that… but to satisfy my great curiosity, I’m willing to make the sacrifice. Hang on a sec…”

“What the hell! Grab your zipper and I’ll kill you right now if you dare to pull it down!”

However, at that moment, Ling Mo suddenly felt a chill creep up his back.

Simultaneously, Ye Lian and the three girls also turned their heads, their eyes filled with an icy glare.

Clearly, they sensed danger too.

A figure had appeared behind them at some point, and there was something very peculiar about this person. Unlike the superhumans they had encountered before, this individual’s presence seemed different, as evidenced by Ye Lian and the three girls’ reactions—they looked puzzled.

The moment he turned, Ling Mo scanned the figure with his psychic power.

This individual’s psychic fluctuations were stable…

But having learned a lesson from the Hu Chuan incident, Ling Mo knew that psychic power alone couldn’t be the sole basis for identifying someone. Caution was paramount.

“Holy crap!”

The first to react was, surprisingly, 2. He immediately forgot about trading blood and stared wide-eyed at the person before them.

“Everyone be careful, this guy’s hands are soaked in blood; he’s watched countless lives end right in front of him. His heart is ice-cold, merciless, and utterly inhuman… Wait, that’s not right.”

He took several steps back in alarm before suddenly realizing something and asking, “Wait, are you a psychiatrist?!”

The figure seemed equally perplexed by 2’s words, taking a moment to respond before shaking his head.

He slowly raised a hand, revealing overly pale skin. Then he pointed to his mouth and shook his head.

“You can’t speak?”

Seeing the person nod, Ling Mo finally understood why he hadn’t uttered a word.

But even if you can’t speak, could you at least make some noise?

Old Wang had his gun trained on the figure, and even Zhang Haoyu, startled, nearly pulled the trigger.

Are there disabled researchers? But then again, there’s that famous scientist who communicates using a single finger on a computer…

The figure quickly started signing, but none of Ling Mo’s group understood sign language!

Clearly frustrated, the figure made a gesture of surrender with both hands, then motioned for them to lower their weapons.

“Put the guns down,” Ling Mo said without turning his head.

This man in a lab coat and hat was likely a surviving researcher. He could potentially be a superhuman; though it wasn’t certain, caution was still wise.

On the surface, he didn’t seem to pose any threat or carry any weapons.

When Old Wang and Zhang Haoyu lowered their guns, the figure smiled slightly and began approaching them.

As he moved closer, Ling Mo’s psychic tentacles continuously surrounded him, creating an invisible psychic net that enveloped him entirely. If he made any sudden moves, the net would immediately spring into action, delivering a devastating attack.

Though the net couldn’t directly harm him, a momentary slip-up would be deadly, given Ye Lian and the three girls’ combined strike power.

As he approached, the figure extended a hand toward Ling Mo, seemingly to express friendship.

With his right hand out of commission, Ling Mo reluctantly extended his left. The figure hesitated but awkwardly shook Ling Mo’s hand, his gaze lingering on Ling Mo’s left shoulder.

Though Ling Mo had changed clothes, the blood had still seeped through. Such a severe injury wasn’t easy to stop from bleeding…

The researcher glanced at Ling Mo’s shoulder before gesturing at it, then motioning behind him, indicating he could help and asking them to follow.

To go or not to go?

While Ling Mo was still deliberating, the figure smiled, turned, and walked ahead, soon disappearing around a corner.

“Ling Mo, do you think he’s going to treat your injury?” Meng Jiayu, overcoming her embarrassment, asked excitedly.

“Then why are we just standing around?” Zhang Haoyu was equally enthused; after all, Ling Mo had saved his life.

Only 2 muttered, “I swear I see the shadow of a psychiatrist in him. You know, the kind who engages in close combat with us every day and supposedly studied grappling and fighting for ten years just to outdo us great psychopaths. But then again, the skills I have today are all thanks to his guidance.”

Despite the discomfort in his shoulder, Ling Mo felt that this man’s demeanor suggested he was probably quite strong but was behaving very gently. Even his gaze held a genuine hint of joy.

Perhaps he hadn’t encountered any strangers in a long time…

Noticing the man’s return, Ling Mo saw that he was aware of their wariness. The man willingly pulled both hands out of his pockets, spreading them in a non-threatening gesture and offering another light smile.

“Let’s go.”

Why hesitate when accompanied by three advanced female zombies? All they needed was a bit of caution.

Ling Mo made up his mind and waved everyone forward to follow the man.