Chapter 3 – Reunion with a Childhood Friend

Through the Zombie Puppet’s vision, Ling Mo could vaguely see the situation inside the car.

The interior of the pitch-black car was filled with many blurry figures, all of whom were motionless.

Circling around the front of the car, he saw that the front and rear doors were deformed from the impact and couldn’t be opened.

However, several windows were shattered, though none were large enough for a person to crawl through. Ling Mo controlled the Zombie Puppet to completely break one of the windows and then climbed inside.

The smell inside the car was overwhelming. Even though he was experiencing it through the Zombie Puppet, Ling Mo couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose.

The stench of blood and decay mixed together, making it almost nauseating.

The moment the Zombie Puppet jumped into the car, it landed on a corpse. Looking down, Ling Mo was startled.

Although the body was rotting, its swollen face still had a pair of very red eyes. It was clear that this person had turned into a Zombie before dying.

No one had escaped, and no one had entered. Could this Zombie have starved to death?

Ling Mo quickly controlled the Zombie Puppet to move further into the car, but soon he sensed something was wrong.

The car was covered in large bloodstains and torn clothing, indicating that someone had mutated inside the car and started a massacre.

But now, the bodies lying there were all Zombies, and Ling Mo noticed that their hindbrains had been hollowed out.

Who did this?

A sudden feeling of dread washed over Ling Mo. Just as he was lost in thought, a dark figure suddenly leapt from behind a seat, pouncing onto the Zombie Puppet’s back like an agile leopard.

The figure moved silently and quickly. Though it wasn’t particularly strong, by the time Ling Mo noticed, it had already thrust its hand towards the Zombie Puppet’s hindbrain.

Startled, Ling Mo instinctively controlled the Zombie Puppet to fall backward, using its weight to pin the figure to the ground.

But at the same time, the Zombie Puppet’s hindbrain had already been clawed open, causing blood to gush out.

“Damn… that hand is like a knife!”

Having painstakingly nurtured this young and strong Zombie Puppet, Ling Mo felt a pang of regret, while also being extremely wary of the figure pinned beneath it.

Ling Mo controlled the Zombie Puppet to press its elbow against the dark figure’s neck while gripping the figure’s wrist with the other hand, using the leverage to stand up.

No sooner had he gotten up than the dark figure’s other hand plunged into the Zombie Puppet’s soft abdomen.

Although the Zombie Puppet felt no pain, Ling Mo’s expression grew incredibly complex.

To be precise, at the moment the figure attacked, Ling Mo had already prepared to counter, but he froze when he saw the figure’s face.

“Ye… Ye Lian…”

The dark figure lying beneath, with a hand buried in the Zombie Puppet’s belly, was none other than his target, Ye Lian.

Ling Mo had imagined many scenarios, but he never thought he would find Ye Lian under such circumstances.

After mutating, Ye Lian’s once-beautiful large eyes had turned blood-red, but unlike typical Zombies, her expression was not twisted but rather calm and cold.

For a moment, Ling Mo was dazed, but when Ye Lian pulled her hand out, clutching the Zombie Puppet’s intestines, he snapped back to reality.

Ye Lian’s small hands looked unchanged on the outside, but her nails were extraordinarily hard, and her fingers incredibly strong, capable of piercing flesh. This was clearly different from normal Zombies.

Moreover, ordinary Zombies wouldn’t attack a Zombie Puppet, which was one of their own… Seeing the car full of Zombie corpses and then looking at Ye Lian, Ling Mo suddenly understood something.

After the normal people in the car were devoured, the remaining Zombies, driven by hunger, turned on each other. The last one standing, Ye Lian, seemed to have undergone even more bizarre changes beyond that of a typical Zombie…

While Ling Mo was lost in thought, Ye Lian had already pulled out the Zombie Puppet’s intestines, spraying blood all over herself.

Stimulated by the fresh blood, her eyes seemed to become even redder, and her strength increased. She grabbed the Zombie Puppet’s arm and flung it to the side.

The Zombie Puppet had just hit the ground when Ye Lian pounced, her hands gripping its neck.

Her movements were far more agile than those of an average Zombie. Before Ling Mo could react, Ye Lian had already taken control.

As the Zombie Puppet began to feel the sensation of suffocation, its instincts were immediately triggered, and Ling Mo felt his mind becoming increasingly blank. This indicated that the Zombie Puppet was on the verge of breaking free from his control.

Finally snapping out of his shock at reuniting with Ye Lian, Ling Mo realized that her current state was, to some extent, his responsibility…

While desperately trying to maintain control of the Zombie Puppet, a bold idea suddenly struck Ling Mo.

Since Zombies were merely infected by the Virus, and judging by Ye Lian’s appearance, the Virus in her body had likely mutated. If that were the case, there might be a way to cure her…

Even though this hope was incredibly slim, Ling Mo wanted to try as long as there was even a glimmer of possibility.

With this thought in mind, Ling Mo immediately had the Zombie Puppet lock its gaze onto Ye Lian’s eyes. As Ling Mo’s concentration intensified, Ye Lian’s head soon appeared as a Psychic Light Cluster in his vision.

However, the color of this Psychic Light Cluster was different from that of a typical Zombie. Zombies, influenced by the Virus, had lost their sanity and acted purely on instinct. Consequently, the Psychic Light Clusters representing their mental states were completely static and blurry. But Ye Lian’s Psychic Light Cluster was noticeably brighter and faintly tinged with red.

What was going on?

There was no time for Ling Mo to dwell on this question. He focused all his attention on Ye Lian’s Psychic Light Cluster, attempting to delve into it.

Indeed, her condition was different from that of ordinary Zombies. Whereas Ling Mo had encountered no resistance with typical Zombies, he now felt a faint opposition when trying to penetrate Ye Lian’s mind. Although weak, it made Ling Mo’s heart skip a beat.

Could it be that Ye Lian had regained some of her thoughts? But her behavior didn’t quite match that possibility…

By the time Ling Mo managed to take control of Ye Lian, he was drenched in cold sweat, and the Zombie Puppet had been completely strangled to death by her.

However, as Ling Mo cautiously controlled Ye Lian and attempted to stand up, he suddenly felt a yearning. This desire emanated from Ye Lian’s mental world, and its target was something within the Zombie Puppet’s hindbrain…

When Ling Mo controlled previous Zombie Puppets, he never sensed any emotional fluctuations because, aside from basic instincts, the Zombie Puppets had no other needs.

But now, sensing this desire from Ye Lian, Ling Mo felt both puzzled and thrilled. If her mutation could generate desires, then further mutations might eventually restore her sanity!

With that thought, Ling Mo controlled Ye Lian to pierce the Zombie Puppet’s hindbrain. Guided by this yearning, Ye Lian quickly extracted a small piece of infected gel-like substance from its brain.

This appeared to be a part of the brain tissue infected by the Virus. It was somewhat reddish and had a slightly elastic, rubbery texture when held.

After examining it for a while, Ling Mo, suppressing his nausea, stuffed the gel into Ye Lian’s mouth.

Immediately, a surge of warmth rose from her abdomen and quickly spread throughout her body. Her previously weakened state seemed to be replenished with energy.

Unexpectedly, this disgusting gel had such an effect. Perhaps Ye Lian’s mutation was also due to consuming this gel…

After controlling Ye Lian to jump out of the car and walk to his hiding spot, Ling Mo finally met Ye Lian face-to-face.

Seeing Ye Lian’s blood-splattered body, her pale face, and those eerie red eyes that almost glowed, Ling Mo felt a mix of emotions. Although Ye Lian now seemed to exude an aura of coldness and extreme danger, her familiar face made Ling Mo feel a sense of nostalgia.

He couldn’t help but reach out and wipe the bloodstains from Ye Lian’s face. “Don’t worry, I will find a way to bring you back.”