Chapter 197 – Not Just a Traitor, But Also Despicable

Ling Mo and his group stepped out of the elevator without hesitation. Stella bit her lip and finally mustered the courage to follow them.

The lighting on B3 seemed much dimmer. Overhead, various pipes cast shadows, and the only sound in the deathly quiet corridor was the “drip, drip” of water.

Ling Mo held a crossbow bolt in one hand and walked at the front, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Although his Psychic Tentacle could detect mental energy fluctuations and serve as a rudimentary life detector, it consumed too much Psychic Power.

To conserve his strength for potential battles, they had to proceed slowly and cautiously.

Ye Lian and Xia Na followed closely behind him, while Li Yalin took up the rear.

The three of them looked much more at ease; zombies didn’t know fear.

Even if faced with mountains of knives and seas of fire, they remained calm, a mindset that Ling Mo couldn’t help but envy.

Humans, after all, were prone to emotional fluctuations, to tension and fear. Ling Mo could only manage to control these feelings to a certain extent, but he couldn’t prevent them entirely.

Stella trailed at the very back, about five or six meters behind Li Yalin.

Her expression was equally tense; one hand pressed against her chest as if to calm her racing heart.

Navigating through the intersecting corridors for over ten minutes, Ling Mo finally noticed signs of their previous battles.

Blood was everywhere, severed tentacles scattered about, and a dismembered arm hung on the wall, completely drained of blood—likely twisted and crushed by tentacles before being sucked dry.

This arm was unmistakably Zhao Zhi’s. Mo Da Hai’s arm had been cut off by Zhang Teng, with a completely different wound pattern.

“Such violence… It’s incredible that such thin tentacles could possess such power.”

Ling Mo picked up a severed tentacle and inspected it, marveling.

The Spider Queen’s tentacles had grown quite thin. Just imagining those dense, sprawling tentacles made one think of a bloody spider.

“That… zombie woman, was she originally a researcher here?”

Ling Mo asked as he stepped over the tentacles scattered on the floor.

“Huh?”

Stella was covering her mouth and wide-eyed, taking several seconds to respond, “You’re asking me? Ah… Her name is Song Zili; she was here for an internship, just like me.”

“So, she was quite young?” Ling Mo asked.

Stella nodded, “Yes. She had a promising future, but then…”

“Alright, no use talking about her future now.”

Ling Mo’s attention shifted to a large mass of tentacles ahead, blocking almost the entire corridor. He approached cautiously, frowning.

Before getting too close, he fired a crossbow bolt at the mass.

No reaction…

“Go!”

Ling Mo signaled Xia Na, who smirked and charged forward, swinging her scythe.

In seconds, the tentacles were chopped into fragments.

The corridor beyond was splattered with blood, evidence of a brutal battle.

Ling Mo silently marveled at the strength displayed here. He hadn’t expected Zhao Zhi to be so powerful.

It seemed like locking the Spider Queen on B3 was the right move. Otherwise, after a deadly battle with the Spider Queen, they would have faced serious casualties encountering Zhao Zhi next, leading to a dire situation.

Ever since encountering the Leader-Level Zombie Ban Yue, Ling Mo realized his own strength was insufficient, and Ye Lian and the three girls were also not strong enough.

Zhao Zhi was the first superhuman to give Ling Mo’s group a tough time, indicating his formidable individual combat strength.

In a direct confrontation, Ling Mo estimated that even with Ye Lian and the three girls, they couldn’t guarantee victory.

However, after being outsmarted by Ling Mo, Zhao Zhi was now likely on the brink of death, if not already dead.

At that moment, Ling Mo suddenly felt his blood circulation speed up dramatically.

“What the heck!”

The scene here was so bloody, Ling Mo couldn’t believe that after such a fierce battle, Zhao Zhi still had fighting capabilities!

Moreover, his superpower was truly insidious!

Ling Mo immediately focused his mind, taking several deep breaths. Although his physical constitution was better than most, he still had a wound…

Blood began to seep out once again, and Ye Lian quickly pressed down on Ling Mo’s shoulder with her hand, her eyes starting to faintly glow red.

She was fully activating her zombie nature, using the virus to resist the effects of the superpower.

And it seemed to be quite effective…

Xia Na and Li Yalin did the same. Unlike humans, their bodies were better adapted to respond to such crises.

The same tactic might work on them once, but it wouldn’t necessarily be effective every time.

However, Ling Mo also sensed that Zhao Zhi’s attack power had weakened…

But Stella collapsed to the ground instantly, her face flushed, chest heaving, her mouth slightly open, emitting faint breaths…

At that moment, a shadow emerged from behind a door ahead—it was Zhao Zhi.

If not for still being under the effect of his superpower, Ling Mo wouldn’t have believed that the person before him was Zhao Zhi.

Could this still be considered a living person?

His neck had taken a hit, and half of his shoulder was a bloody mess. His face was so disfigured by some attack that it was nearly unrecognizable, save for a pair of faintly red eyes still visible.

One arm was missing, while the other grasped an iron rod of unknown origin.

He was covered in blood, making it impossible to gauge the severity of his injuries.

In such a condition, any normal person would be dead for sure, yet he was still standing…

Ling Mo immediately thought of the special potion—no doubt Zhao Zhi had taken more of it, causing an explosion of both fighting power and vitality.

But that was akin to drinking poison to quench thirst; the side effects would be severe.

“You…”

Zhao Zhi stood unsteadily, shock etched on his face. His mouth opened in realization, a look of malice flashing in his eyes: “I get it. You deliberately let the Spider Queen loose to cause mutual destruction between us, didn’t you? Heh, what a plan. Who would’ve thought you’d be so young yet so ruthless?”

“I used to think you were merely a cunning person, but now it’s clear—you’re nothing but a despicable scoundrel.”

Ling Mo rolled his eyes and slowly got to his feet, supporting his body.

Without any warning, he fired a crossbow bolt, and Zhao Zhi immediately raised his hand.

The bolt whizzed towards Zhao Zhi but veered off as if hitting an invisible wall. Nevertheless, it still grazed his side, causing him some damage.

“Ye Lian, support Ling-Ge.”

Xia Na, wielding her scythe, charged forward. As she neared Zhao Zhi, she accelerated and leaped high, slashing down with her weapon.

However, Zhao Zhi’s strength was formidable. With a push of his hand, Xia Na was forced back slightly. Though she still managed to strike as she landed, Zhao Zhi had already taken two steps back.

The curved blade sliced his shoulder, causing Zhao Zhi to groan in pain.

But then he clenched his fist tightly, and Xia Na, as if caught by an invisible force, was pulled forward.

Meanwhile, he raised the iron rod high, a vicious grin appearing on his deformed face.

“Die!”

Ling Mo’s pupils contracted. Ignoring his weakened state, he sent out his psychic tentacle.

The powerful psychic interference caused Zhao Zhi to hesitate, giving Xia Na the chance to get close.

“Clang!”

The iron rod came down, but Xia Na had used the opening to block it completely with her scythe.

At the same time, she pulled horizontally, slicing a deep gash in Zhao Zhi’s abdomen.

Originally, Zhao Zhi could have used his superpower to dodge, but at that moment, he saw Xia Na’s blood-red eyes.

Bright red, like two magnificent rubies…

“You…”

Realizing he had been stabbed in the abdomen, Zhao Zhi quickly reactivated his superpower.

Xia Na wanted to press the advantage, but she suddenly felt like her blood was boiling inside her.

Even Li Yalin, who had followed closely, felt her body go weak and grabbed onto a nearby pipe for support.

Simultaneously, Zhao Zhi swung his palm towards Xia Na. Barely ten centimeters from Xia Na’s face, she was sent flying backward, landing right in Li Yalin’s arms.

“Oof, I think I hit two soft balls…”

Although Xia Na wasn’t hurt, seeing her being knocked away made Ling Mo incredibly furious!

Zhao Zhi turned and ran. Despite his injuries, he was surprisingly fast, but Ling Mo was almost fully recovered by now.

He slung the crossbow bolt over his shoulder and drew his Tang Sword.

Walking at a steady pace, Ling Mo adjusted his breathing while recovering the psychic power he had just expended.

Zhao Zhi was undoubtedly the strongest superhuman Ling Mo had encountered so far. The fact that he could survive so many injuries was clearly due to the potent regenerative abilities of the variation virus.

Moreover, his superpower seemed well-researched and developed, capable of multiple applications.

However, this power wasn’t of the psychic type. It felt as though his main body had become some sort of force field.

He could act like a massive magnet, disrupting their internal bodies or concentrate the force on a single person to pull them completely towards him.

When Xia Na was pulled toward him earlier, the blood flow in her entire body surged to its highest speed, draining all her strength instantly.

Otherwise, she could have finished off Zhao Zhi directly.

On the other hand, he could also generate repulsive forces, sending his opponent flying.

This capability was both offensive and defensive, even able to weaken the enemy beforehand.

But Ling Mo knew, after such an intense battle, Zhao Zhi’s strength had significantly worn down.

This was just a desperate last stand!

“I want to see how long you can hold out.”

Feeling that he had recovered enough, Ling Mo suddenly sped up and caught up with Zhao Zhi!

With higher agility and speed, Ling Mo, even with just one hand, exhibited no hesitation in his strikes.

Zhao Zhi let out a scream, instantly gaining a fresh wound on his back. However, he turned around quickly and swung his hand towards Ling Mo.

Ling Mo felt an invisible force strike his chest, causing him to stumble back several steps and crash into a pipe behind him with a “thud.”

The pain cleared Ling Mo’s head, and the accelerated blood flow quickly slowed down.

Just then, Ye Lian caught up. With a leap forward, she aimed her tiger claw directly at Zhao Zhi’s head.

Zhao Zhi used the same trick again, forcing Ye Lian to retreat. Immediately, he dashed into a nearby room.

Ling Mo hurried after him, but as soon as he entered, he heard a loud “bang.”

Zhao Zhi had slammed the door shut, his palm facing it…

“Superhuman…” Zhao Zhi fixed his gaze on Ling Mo and said, “I didn’t expect you to control zombies… Interesting, very interesting… you’ve piqued my curiosity.”

“Shut up.” Ling Mo spat out a single word.

“Haha, afraid now that those zombie girls aren’t here to help? Your superpower is interesting, but without them, you’re nothing but trash.”

Zhao Zhi kept his hand aimed at the thick door. It was sturdy enough that Ye Lian and the other two girls would need time to break through.

“You’re the one at the end of your rope, aren’t you? Too tired to keep up the act?” Ling Mo sneered, slowly straightening his back.

To be honest, Zhao Zhi’s words hit a sore spot for him. But Ling Mo had anticipated this long ago.

If he were controlling other zombie puppets, he might not feel the same way because, with his superpower, zombie puppets are part of his arsenal.

But those he had established a psychic link with were Ye Lian, Xia Na, and his senior sister. They were irreplaceable, unlike other zombie puppets that could be switched out when worn out.

And sooner or later, enemies would realize this and try to separate them intentionally.

That’s why, from early on, Ling Mo had been training himself. Because of this, he painstakingly studied his abilities to enhance his main body’s combat skills.

“Don’t talk like you’re so noble, relying only on yourself. Without virus potions, you wouldn’t be this strong either. Let’s see who’s really the waste here.”

Ling Mo smiled as he spoke.

Upon hearing “virus potion,” Zhao Zhi immediately tensed. However, a cold smile soon crept across his face.