Chapter 233 – Are You the Legendary Dog-Eared Girl?

“Squeak.”

As dawn broke, Ling Mo had already packed his bag and was ready to leave. He opened the door quietly, preparing to depart.

Passing through the living room, he and Ye Lian and the three girls didn’t make a sound.

Last night, after helping the survivors clear out a residential building and giving Bai Yu and Zhang Jie a map to the Survival Base, Ling Mo felt he had done enough.

A whole night had passed, and it was time for them to leave.

However, just as Ling Mo gently opened the security door, the little girl sleeping on the nearby sofa opened her eyes.

She stared wide-eyed at the backs of Ling Mo and his companions, then quietly crawled off the sofa.

“Let’s go,” Ling Mo whispered.

Ye Lian and the three girls immediately slipped through the door. Just as Ling Mo was about to follow, he suddenly felt a small body latch onto his left leg.

“Tongtong.” Ling Mo’s heart softened. He turned around and hugged the little girl, then squatted down to her level.

After being cleaned up, the little girl looked very delicate.

She seemed to be around the same age as Ouyang Lian, but their personalities were completely different.

Ouyang Lian was strong-willed and very smart.

Tongtong, on the other hand, was like a typical little girl—kind, timid, and very well-behaved.

“Ling Mo…”

“Shh.” Ling Mo put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

Tongtong hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and asked, “Are you leaving?”

“Yes,” Ling Mo nodded.

“But you beat the bad guys for me, and I haven’t thanked you yet.”

Tongtong stared at Ling Mo for a while, then reached out and hugged his head. “How about this—you have to live and wait for Tongtong to grow up…”

“Okay…”

Unexpectedly, the little girl was quite understanding. Ling Mo glanced back at Ye Lian and the three girls standing behind him, especially at Xia Na and Li Yalin, who often teased him about being a loli lover.

See? I did all this out of kindness!

Tongtong paused, then said seriously, “And then… I can marry you!”

“Poof!”

Kids these days… But hearing that felt surprisingly nice!

Ling Mo reached out and pinched Tongtong’s cheek. “You have to take good care of yourself and protect your mom. Understand?”

After Ling Mo closed the door and stepped outside, he noticed Li Yalin and the other two girls looking at him with teasing expressions.

“She’s just a little girl. Don’t take it seriously, okay?” Ling Mo said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Ling Mo thought he had made a discreet exit, but as soon as he reached the ground floor, he bumped into Zhang Jie and Bai Yu.

Now clean and dressed in fresh clothes, Bai Yu and Zhang Jie looked significantly different from the day before.

One appeared intellectual and graceful, while the other was quite eye-catching.

They seemed to have anticipated Ling Mo’s quiet departure and had been waiting at the entrance for him.

“You helped us so much, and you were just going to leave without saying a word?” Bai Yu asked with a hint of reproach.

Though not as striking as Zhang Jie, Bai Yu had a charm in her every move, exuding a sense of comfort without any hint of frivolity.

In short, she was someone who made people feel at ease.

“Uh…” Ling Mo scratched his head awkwardly. “I’m not really good at farewells.”

Zhang Jie looked at Ling Mo with some surprise. She seemed fully recovered and her demeanor had completely transformed.

Having seen Ling Mo’s fierce combat skills just the previous day, it was hard to reconcile this with his current normal appearance. This contrast made Zhang Jie stare at him a bit longer.

“If we make it to the Survival Base, we should have a chance to meet again, right?” Zhang Jie asked.

Ling Mo hesitated briefly, then nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Then there’s no need to waste time on goodbyes. I believe we will meet again. Perhaps by then, we will be able to repay you,” Zhang Jie said firmly, making it clear she wasn’t just saying it for the sake of it.

Bai Yu nodded in agreement and then extended her hand to Ling Mo. “But still, I want to say thank you, and thank your… um… girlfriends.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ling Mo felt no embarrassment about the “girlfriends” comment.

After shaking hands with Bai Yu, he waved and left with Ye Lian and the three girls.

Once they turned a corner and were out of Bai Yu and Zhang Jie’s sight, a dark figure suddenly leaped out from the nearby greenery.

After a night of hunting and digesting the Leader-Level Zombie and Virus Gel, Black Silk’s body seemed to have undergone some changes. Even its fur appeared shinier.

As soon as Black Silk saw Ling Mo, it affectionately approached him, allowing Ling Mo to finally notice the direction of its physical changes.

“Why do you seem shorter?”

Ling Mo reached out and patted Black Silk’s head, measuring its height.

Previously, Black Silk’s head could easily reach above Ling Mo’s waist, but now it seemed to have shrunk by a few centimeters.

If it hadn’t been so close and if Ling Mo wasn’t so observant, he might not have noticed the change.

Could it be muscle contraction? Ling Mo’s eyes flashed with confusion.

When Black Silk was with Ban Yue, it seemed to be growing larger and larger. At that time, its primary food source was zombies, so its diet shouldn’t have changed much now.

The only difference was that it had just consumed a Leader-Level Zombie containing a virus load possibly equivalent to thousands or even tens of thousands of regular zombies, as well as a piece of Virus Gel.

These zombie viruses might be more than all the viruses it had absorbed up until now.

From observing Li Yalin and Ban Yue’s situations, Ling Mo had deduced the relationship between zombie viruses, Mutation Beast viruses, and even variation viruses.

They either fused or repelled each other—simple as that.

Ban Yue’s situation was repulsion, while Li Yalin’s was fusion.

In the case of fusion, if the Mutation Beast virus or variation virus was dominant, the host might exhibit some mutations. The reverse was also true.

Black Silk’s case was clearly one of fusion.

Could it be that the Mutation Beast virus in Black Silk was losing ground?

Ling Mo wondered what Black Silk would turn into after absorbing more zombie viruses, though it was already showing some signs.

Since Li Yalin is gradually becoming more like a snake-woman, could Black Silk also become more human-like?

In the past, Ling Mo would have scoffed at such an idea, dismissing it with a “that’s not scientific” sneer. But now, considering the Spider Queen, a variation zombie, exists…

Who knows what these virus fusions and mutations will ultimately turn their hosts into!

Perhaps, a legendary dog-eared girl with an appealing figure might just emerge!

Ling Mo’s mind immediately conjured up certain images he had seen before, and a hint of an expectant smile appeared on his face.

“Woof!”

Black Silk opened its massive maw and let out a low growl, then suddenly leaped up, seemingly trying to show affection and get close to Ling Mo…

“Thud!”

With an overwhelming force knocking him over, Ling Mo let out a suppressed cry of pain.

After pushing Black Silk away and struggling to get up from the grass, Ling Mo’s face darkened.

Looking at the gigantic Black Silk, with its blood-red eyes filled with a frenzy that made it look like a terrifying fierce beast, Ling Mo’s fantasy of a dog-eared girl was instantly shattered!

“Go scout ahead.”

Ling Mo glared at it and said grumpily.

“Woof!”

Black Silk let out a whimper of protest but then leaped forward, quickly disappearing into the buildings ahead.

Ling Mo was standing there, brushing the dew off his clothes, when he suddenly heard Ye Lian let out a startled cry.

“Ah, look at the bird.”

Ling Mo’s first reaction was to look down… but he quickly realized what she meant.

By then, Xia Na and Li Yalin had already gathered around, staring at the white pigeon in Ye Lian’s hand.

“Could Test Subject Number Two have made it?” Ling Mo hurried over.

While Black Silk could scout ahead, a mutation bird would be a better alarm system.

The white pigeon in Ye Lian’s palm had its eyes glowing red, but Ling Mo was disappointed after just one glance.

The poor bird’s wings trembled, and several feathers fell out with a “swish.”

Ye Lian and the three girls were excited because the bird was shedding feathers.

But could a bald bird still fly?

Though it had survived in a sense, it was far from Ling Mo’s expectations.

It seemed that smaller creatures, no matter how the virus was diluted, had a hard time surviving.

“Forget it, maybe we’ll find a large bird like an eagle at the zoo later!”

Ling Mo thought with some anticipation.