Chapter 354 – You Can’t Escape

“Help! Help!”

As soon as Yu Shiran started to run, the chubby man began struggling desperately, his muffled cries for help coming through his gagged mouth.

But Ling Mo had no time to pay attention to him; his mental power was entirely focused on Yu Shiran.

The strength of a Leader Class Zombie was indeed extraordinary. Despite being in ruins, Yu Shiran was incredibly fast, almost vanishing at the end of the alley.

Ling Mo suddenly closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, Yu Shiran had already crashed into a wall with a “Ouch!” She was too late to turn and hit it head-on.

A muffled “thud” sounded, and Ling Mo felt the ground shake slightly.

This second Mental Strangulation was much more effective than the first. Yu Shiran shook her head, struggling several times but failing to get up.

However, Ling Mo also felt dizzy, a sharp pain emanating from his head, making him almost collapse to the ground.

Xia Na quickly supported him, and he stubbornly took out a potion, pouring a large gulp into his mouth.

A warm sensation quickly spread throughout his body from his stomach, easing the pain in his head a bit.

“Cough cough, it seems difficult to deal with a Leader Class Zombie using Mental Strangulation alone… But this intensity should be enough to handle a regular advanced zombie. However, it’s too draining to use frequently.”

Ling Mo’s Mental Strangulation was essentially a pure clash of mental energy.

Unlike the physical manifestation of mental Tentacles, this form of attack wouldn’t kill but would completely destroy the opponent’s consciousness, turning them into a mere shell, even less than a regular zombie.

While Ling Mo was taking his medicine, Black Silk had already run over to Yu Shiran, dragging her back.

She acted like a loyal hound. However, unlike a regular dog, Black Silk’s chest bounced as she ran, showcasing the allure of a Dog Girl.

“But I still miss my Cool Wind Giant Dog…” Ling Mo sighed inwardly.

Yu Shiran was thrown in front of Ling Mo by Black Silk. She seemed to want to say something, but waves of dizziness made her appear less threatening.

Looking at her half-open, dazed eyes, Ling Mo felt she wasn’t as terrifying anymore. She had less of a zombie vibe and more of a little loli feel.

“I told you, you couldn’t escape,” Ling Mo said as he squatted beside her.

The Loli Zombie, as if triggered, suddenly lunged at Ling Mo’s groin with her mouth open.

“Clang!”

Her teeth clamped onto the tactical knife Ling Mo had extended, her strong bite force shattering the blade.

“Damn, this is high-grade steel!”

Ling Mo felt a chill, imagining the consequences if she had bitten his groin instead!

After discarding the tactical knife, Yu Shiran tried to pounce again but was met with another mild Mental Strangulation from Ling Mo.

It was mild but enough to knock her down again…

Considering the strong recovery ability of a Leader Class Zombie, Ling Mo decided it was time to get to the point.

Spouses share a kind of mental connection, an empathic bond. When Yu Shiran is injured, Ban Yue can sense it.

This was something Li Ya Lin and Xia Na had mentioned before, which is why Ling Mo opted for Mental Strangulation rather than directly attacking Yu Shiran.

Of course, not wanting to deal with the rampage of a wounded Leader Class Zombie was another reason.

A direct headshot? As a zombie loli known for betraying her own team, her survival was of great value.

As for the recent wall collision… for a Leader Class Zombie, running into a steel plate wouldn’t be much of a problem. Their skin’s toughness and resistance to blows is not something humans can match.

“Give it up, you were never destined to enjoy the finer things like sausage.”

Despite saying this, Ling Mo still silently stepped back and squatted at a distance: “Now you’re my prisoner. You’ll answer whatever I ask.”

“No answer!” Yu Shiran grunted, shaking her head vigorously, her speech slurred.

It sounded like she bit her tongue with an “ouch”…

“What about the one who brought you here? What are they like? How strong?” Ling Mo asked, as if he hadn’t heard Yu Shiran’s definitive refusal.

“Hmph, of course they’re strong!” Yu Shiran immediately said with pride, “Stronger than me and Ban Yue!”

“To be outdone completely… what’s there to be proud of?”

Ling Mo felt the pressure trying to understand the thinking of a senseless zombie and an underage little loli.

But the skill of betraying teammates wasn’t for nothing…

“But this fellow of yours must be injured, right?” Ling Mo continued, “If so, why sneak in here?”

“They didn’t tell me, just left me here to wait, and left me some food,” Yu Shiran said with difficulty, pointing at the fat man. Speaking of food, her mental fluctuations intensified, and the Virus Nest within her stimulated a faster recovery rate. Quietly, Ling Mo gifted her another dose of Mental Strangulation.

The fat man struggled again but was once again ignored.

“But this food smells awful! You taste much better… I must have a bite this time…”

Yu Shiran opened her mouth wide, and as Ling Mo peered in, he discovered the zombie loli’s craving had driven her to bite the tip of her tongue.

Fortunately, it happened inside her mouth, and she swallowed the blood. Otherwise, Ling Mo would have had to restrain a frenzied Xia Na and Black Silk.

“Have you forgotten you’re a prisoner… But am I really that delicious?” Ling Mo looked up to Xia Na and Black Silk, unable to contain his curiosity.

Black Silk made a “yum” sound and nodded vigorously.

Xia Na, twirling the end of her hair and sporting a mischievous smile, whispered, “Ling Mo, you’re not a zombie, so you might not understand. Let’s put it this way: the taste of Mutated Beasts and low-level counterparts is like plain white buns—they can fill you up but are tasteless. Of course, Virus Gel is an exception; it can rival the taste of ordinary humans. Pure virus and pure human…”

“And then, the taste of ordinary people is like a feast! However, different humans have different scents. If I had to describe it… it’s all about how well it’s cooked! But you, Ling Mo, your body is special; you know that, right? I used to think only the purest things tasted good, but I never imagined that when a human body is gradually permeated by the virus, it could be so sweet and delicious…”

As Xia Na spoke, her eyes slowly began to change color, and her grip on the scythe tightened.

“Snap out of it…” Ling Mo felt a tingling on his scalp and quickly flicked Xia Na’s forehead with a tentacle, pulling her back from her daydream.

A girlfriend not fantasizing about being with her boyfriend but instead how to devour him… Talk about unsettling!

“However, Yu Shiran may not know Ban Yue’s whereabouts or her intentions, but she still knows a lot. Black Silk, go stall Yuwen Xuan and the others; I’ll come over after I’ve finished questioning.”

For now, that was the only approach Ling Mo could think of. He wanted to try using control, but that would at least require Yu Shiran to be severely injured first.

In terms of evolutionary level, she was about on par with Xia Na. But Ling Mo was well aware that his ability to control two Leader Class Zombies, a mysterious creature, and Ye Lian, who was almost at pseudo leader class, was all because he had established a mental connection with them when they were still at a lower level.

Along the way, this mental connection had grown stronger and had not wavered despite their growth.

Ling Mo thought that his Puppet Control Ability must be a kind of growth ability. If someone else had it, they would likely abandon their initial Zombie Puppets upon increasing their own strength, opting for stronger ones.

Little did they know that helping Zombie Puppets evolve together, complementing each other, was the true puppet control path.

Replacing Zombie Puppets for a quick power boost might work in the short term, but Ling Mo’s current achievements far surpassed such a strategy.

Even if one had sufficient mental power, were Leader Class Zombies that easy to control?

The biggest factor involved is the zombie’s will to resist.

The higher the level of evolution, the higher the intelligence, and naturally, the stronger the resistance.

If an attempt to control is met with too strong a resistance from the zombie, both parties are likely to end up in a mutually destructive outcome.

This is also why, despite humans being weaker, Ling Mo dares not easily attempt to control them.