Chapter 352 – The Scent of Burning

About ten minutes later, a whistling sound came from the direction of the concrete wall.

“Alright, let’s head over,” Ling Mo gestured with a wave of his hand, leading everyone to a brisk jog toward the wall.

“Was it necessary to whistle the tune of ‘The Hero’s Song’? Just for a signal?” Ling Mo couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he saw Yuwen Xuan puffing his cheeks, blowing with great enthusiasm.

“It’s to cheer you guys up…” Yuwen Xuan chuckled, “But to get to the point, I’ve taken care of the cameras, though it’s only a temporary disruption. They’ll be back to normal soon enough.”

“That sounds pretty high-end… What method did you use?” Wu Pengfei exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s complicated to explain,” Yuwen Xuan said, reluctant to elaborate.

Ling Mo nodded and pressed on, “What about the patrol team?”

“They’re gone for now. To sum it up, we have three minutes. It all depends on you now. Is the psychic nearby?”

Yuwen Xuan rubbed his hands together in anticipation, looking at Ling Mo.

He was quite familiar with Ling Mo’s current methods of attack.

However, it was uncommon for mental ability users to mix attacking and sensing. The reason was simple: insufficient mental power.

Someone like Ling Mo, who not only improved alongside a female zombie but also used the Glandular Fluid as a stimulant and even had the mutated zombie potion, was truly one of a kind.

Ling Mo knew he wasn’t particularly gifted; his progress to this day was largely due to his personality trait that Wu Pengfei often complained about: being “emotional.” This trait played a significant role in his journey.

If he hadn’t been looking for Ye Lian, he wouldn’t have discovered that zombie saliva containing traces of the virus could act as a stimulant; nor would he have gone out of his way to help a Zombie Puppet evolve, which led to discovering a way to improve together.

Who else would bother kissing a Zombie Puppet?!

He had protected Ye Lian and the others, but hadn’t they also played a part in his achievements?

“Got it.”

Ling Mo nodded, then closed his eyes.

Mental Tentacles shot out violently from the center of Ling Mo’s being.

Only Black Silk seemed to sense the presence of the mental tentacles, reaching out into the void to grab at them.

Her action was like that of Dog Girl spotting a flying disc. If Xia Na hadn’t silently pulled her back, Black Silk might have actually chased after the mental tendrils.

“Does the high consumption for detection come from my lack of specialization, or is it because this method inherently drains a lot of mental power?” Ling Mo slowly furrowed his brow.

Of course, he wouldn’t naively use mental tentacles to search for the enemy’s location. He only needed to check for the presence of mental energy nearby.

“Good, no psychic detection. Let’s hurry through.”

As soon as Ling Mo opened his eyes, he immediately instructed, “Yuwen, carry Wu Pengfei on your back. Ronnie, you…”

“I don’t need you to carry me!” Ronnie quickly protested.

“As if you had a choice… Black Silk, grab her.”

As soon as Ling Mo finished speaking, Black Silk swiftly grabbed Ronnie, tossed her onto her back, and retreated a few steps amidst Ronnie’s cries of surprise. With a short run-up, Black Silk leaped mightily into the air.

A nearly three-person-tall concrete wall lay before them. If she were in her giant hound form, she might have cleared it in one jump, but relying on the parasite, she could only make it a bit more than halfway up.

Nevertheless, Black Silk had a tactic. Her toes found purchase on the concrete wall, and just as she was about to land, Xia Na sprang up, using her scythe to give them an assist.

“Ah!”

Ronnie let out a scream, shaking her head as if she couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

Once Black Silk was up, Ye Lian and the other two women followed effortlessly with her help.

Ling Mo, with the aid of his materialized mental Tentacles, also easily took his place atop the wall.

“Are you seated comfortably?” Yuwen Xuan asked, carrying Wu Pengfei on his back, a smile in his voice.

“No… no…”

Wu Pengfei struggled to spread his legs and lift himself up, one hand painfully covering his groin.

His face pale, he turned to Ling Mo, about to plead for help, when he felt a surge of heat from below.

“Ahhh!”

After a muffled scream, Yuwen Xuan and Wu Pengfei landed next to Ling Mo.

Just having jumped off Yuwen Xuan, Wu Pengfei hurriedly checked his crotch.

“Hey, why go to all that trouble… Don’t worry, my control over the flames is top-notch; I definitely won’t burn you…”

Yuwen Xuan said with ease, still smiling.

“I…” Wu Pengfei, with a mournful expression, whispered, “I think I smell something burning…”

“Illusion,” Yuwen Xuan coughed, stating matter-of-factly.

Looking out from atop the concrete wall, the long streets seemed deserted and wide, a profound desolation setting in.

The difference here from City X was stark – no skeletons were scattered about.

But the fallen lightboxes, the crooked billboards hanging off shops, and the bicycles locked on the street side, now covered in dust and rust… each abandoned item emitted the scent of disaster.

A feeling that the world of humans had been destroyed was almost overwhelming.

For some reason, Ling Mo felt that this scene, devoid of any zombies like the streets of City X, was somehow even more terrifying.

“Let’s go.”

They passed several cameras along the way, and Yuwen Xuan’s memory was clearly excellent, the entire defense system of City A etched firmly in his mind.

Although the path was clear, Ling Mo remained vigilant, always wary of their surroundings.

The zombie zone was fraught with danger, but, in the end, it was a matter of life or death combat, where strength dictated everything.

Most importantly, at least Ye Lian and the others were safe there.

But in the human Isolation Zone, the situation was much more complicated…

After detouring through several alleys, the group had completely left the main road.

“I’m taking you to the weakest point of the second line of defense, don’t worry.”

Yuwen Xuan explained with a smile.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Ling Mo suddenly pulled him back: “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

Wu Pengfei and Ronnie immediately tensed up at his serious expression.

“Could it be a mental detection?” Yuwen Xuan excitedly speculated, looking as if he relished the chaos.

“No, but it seems like someone’s here,” Ling Mo said, frowning.

Black Silk seemed to have smelled something and quickly grabbed his sleeve.

Considering that zombies couldn’t possibly appear here, it had to be a human without a doubt.

But what kind of person would venture into this godforsaken place? Surely, no one else would sneak into the Isolation Zone like them?

“I’ll go with Black Silk to check it out,” Ling Mo quickly decided.

“I’m coming too,” Xia Na immediately said.

“You girls stay here; a bigger group makes an easier target. The rest of you, stay put. We’ll be back soon,” Ling Mo said, smiling at them.

Accompanied by a Leader Class Zombie, it was safer than going alone. Ling Mo took Xia Na’s hand and, guided by Black Silk, quickly ran forward.

“We should be close now; I can smell it too,” Xia Na suddenly spoke.

Ling Mo immediately slowed down. The area had clearly seen fierce battles, with many buildings collapsed and debris almost blocking the path.

The direction indicated by Black Silk and Xia Na led to a cluster of ruined buildings, making a stealthy approach somewhat challenging.

With his mental power focused, Ling Mo’s senses became much sharper, clearly discerning each piece of debris underfoot.

Which pieces could be stepped on and which would collapse were judged accurately.

Being a former Mutated Beast, Black Silk could move silently even in more complex environments.

As for Xia Na… ambushes were a High-level Zombie’s forte. She tiptoed, leapt gracefully, and landed lightly on a steel bar several meters away.

The bar wobbled slightly, but before any issue could arise, she had already jumped forward.

Ling Mo watched, astounded, wondering how she managed that. It must be a racial talent…

As Ling Mo and his companions quietly approached, a furniture store open on all sides started making a “creak-creak” sound.

In the silent ruins, the noise seemed eerily out of place.

“Could someone be having a secret tryst here? This place is too well-hidden, more secure than having five bodyguards watching…”

Ling Mo couldn’t help but imagine some scenarios. He pressed himself against a broken wall and slowly peeked out.

“Clang!”

A flash of cold light came chopping down directly at his head!