Chapter 22 – The Hunt Begins

With fewer people, their progress indeed made a qualitative leap.

No longer needing to look after the others deliberately, they naturally followed Wang Cheng’s lead, sticking close to Xia Na and Liu Yuhao. As a result, not only did their speed increase, but their safety also improved significantly. They encountered no more casualties until they could finally see the buildings of No. 3 High School.

“That’s No. 3 High School up ahead,” Xia Na said, cutting down a zombie in front of her and turning to the group. Despite all they had been through today, she looked somewhat excited to have finally arrived here.

However, Ling Mo furrowed his brow slightly. The intense battle desire transmitted from Ye Lian made it clear that, as he had suspected, there were Mutation Zombies in the school. There might be more than just one, possibly quite a few.

Surviving in such an environment would be incredibly challenging. Ling Mo guessed that Xia Na and the others might have come here in vain.

To Ling Mo’s surprise, the entrance wasn’t crowded with zombies as he had expected. It was actually quite empty. Apart from a few zombies that had clearly wandered over from elsewhere, there was no immediate threat.

Seeing Ling Mo’s puzzled expression, Liu Yuhao whispered, “When the disaster first broke out, many people fled… but we stayed behind until the initial chaos passed and then sent out some people to find a safe place. There are quite a few zombies in the school, but if we’re careful, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

With this explanation, Ling Mo immediately understood. If many people had fled, any zombies at the entrance were likely drawn away. However, given that this was a boarding school, the inside was undoubtedly a large zombie nest, something Ling Mo had already anticipated without Liu Yuhao’s explanation.

As for why the zombies didn’t leave the school… In the absence of prey, zombies tend to wander aimlessly. The school was largely enclosed, with only one main gate leading outside and numerous buildings within. Unless Survivors appeared to attract the zombies, they would continue wandering inside.

But what happens when zombies get hungry? They start killing each other! This was why Ling Mo was convinced there were Mutation Zombies in the school.

Maybe there weren’t any when Liu Yuhao and the others had left, but so many days had passed since then. Combined with Ye Lian’s reaction, Ling Mo was certain of his conclusion.

“Wait a second.” As they reached the gate, Ling Mo called out to Xia Na and the others. “Our agreement was to get to the gate, so let’s part ways here.”

Xia Na’s expression immediately became complicated, and Liu Yuhao’s eyes showed reluctance. Despite the short time, Ling Mo had not only saved them but also fought alongside them, making it hard to part.

“Thank you!” Xia Na said softly, biting her lip.

Ling Mo glanced at her and nodded. “Yeah, we might meet again because I have some business in this school too.”

Both Xia Na and Liu Yuhao were surprised, but seeing that Ling Mo wasn’t inclined to elaborate, they didn’t press further. As they were about to part, Liu Yuhao took some of their already scarce food and handed it to Ling Mo. “Take this. You’ve had a tough time helping us.”

Without Ling Mo and Ye Lian’s help, they might have been wiped out, especially trying to get past the stretch in front of the hospital.

But Ling Mo didn’t accept the food. He smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn’t need it.

Liu Yuhao tried to insist, but Wang Cheng subtly stopped him, smiling, “Ling Mo is so capable, he wouldn’t need our food, right? If he says no, let’s respect that.”

Seeing Ling Mo’s firm attitude, Liu Yuhao reluctantly gave up.

As soon as they parted ways, Ling Mo immediately led Ye Lian towards the Science and Education Building, not far from the gate.

With Xia Na’s skills, she should be able to protect herself in such a familiar environment, so Ling Mo wasn’t worried. Moreover, given their personalities, they were not likely to survive together with him. Hiding Ye Lian’s identity for a short time was manageable, but it would inevitably be exposed over time.

Upon entering the Science and Education Building, they saw the tightly closed elevator doors, which made Ling Mo feel a surge of joy. In such a sealed state, there must be Mutation Zombies upstairs!

The safety stairs were easy to find; they just needed to push open a nearby door. But as they reached the door, Ling Mo could sense the Frenzy in Ye Lian’s instincts. At the same time, a dull sound came from behind the door.

Ling Mo’s eyes lit up. It seemed a Mutation Zombie was right behind this door!

Although the Mutation Zombie attacked ferociously, it lacked intelligence and didn’t know how to turn the doorknob. Despite the numerous gaps between the door and the wall, it would still be challenging to break through immediately.

Ling Mo peered through the gaps and vaguely saw that the Mutation Zombie behind the door was a burly man. Apart from him, there were no other Mutation Zombies.

“Just one…,” Ling Mo sneered, grabbing the doorknob with one hand while raising the Short Knife with the other. Ye Lian stood to the side of the door, ready to act.

With a “click,” the door had barely opened when a strong force slammed into it. Fortunately, Ling Mo was prepared and quickly dodged to the side.

The Mutation Zombie immediately charged out, but just as it emerged, Ling Mo’s Short Knife slashed down. 

However, this Mutation Zombie’s reaction speed was astonishing. It grabbed Ling Mo’s Short Knife and yanked it towards itself. Ling Mo lost his balance, and in that unsteady moment, the Mutation Zombie’s other hand reached for his chest.

At this critical moment, Ling Mo didn’t plan to surrender. He almost instantly took control of the Mutation Zombie. Though it quickly reached his limit, he managed to reclaim his Short Knife in that brief instant and stabbed the Mutation Zombie forcefully. Simultaneously, Ye Lian reached out and snapped the Mutation Zombie’s arm with a powerful twist.

This Mutation Zombie was indeed different, not only reacting faster but also resisting control more strongly.

In a life-and-death battle, Ling Mo couldn’t afford a second attempt. Seeing the Mutation Zombie’s arm twisted off and his own Short Knife stabbing into the creature, he assumed the fight was over…

To Ling Mo’s complete surprise, the burly Mutation Zombie continued to resist even after having its arm torn off. Instead of dodging, it lunged straight at Ling Mo.

At this close range, the sound of the blade piercing flesh was audible. As the Mutation Zombie was stabbed in a vital spot, it still managed to close in on Ling Mo. Its hand, sharp as a knife and hard as iron, reached for Ling Mo’s neck…

At this critical moment, Ling Mo remained unflustered. Ye Lian swiftly intervened, grabbing the approaching hand and snapping it with another “crack.”

Luckily, by the time blood spurted out, Ling Mo had already withdrawn his Short Knife and dodged to the side, avoiding a face full of blood.

“That was close…” Ling Mo felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. This Mutation Zombie, like the one in the supermarket, was stronger than the ones he had encountered before. It made sense, given the higher population density in the city, which likely meant more zombies were trapped with them initially.

The more brain Gel they consumed, the higher the Mutation Zombies’ evolution level and the stronger their combat abilities.