Chapter 367 – The Finisher

The battle wasn’t over yet!

Even though flames had completely obscured his vision, Ling Mo kept his focus locked on the Mental Sphere.

As long as it continued to fluctuate, that meant the core was still alive!

The moment the flames died down, Ling Mo didn’t hesitate to charge forward.

His mental power was nearly depleted, but he still had physical strength! Even though his limbs were starting to disobey his brain, only making his movements a bit awkward, he could still keep going.

This was precisely why Ling Mo had put so much effort into improving his physical fitness. Even if he ran out of mental power, he wouldn’t become helpless like other mental ability users, easy prey on the chopping board.

Without his psychic abilities, Ling Mo was left with only some basic combat skills, but his physical conditioning was on par with special forces like Tom.

Quickly approaching the old lady zombie, Ling Mo launched a kick at her smoking head, striking her right in the temple.

The old lady zombie’s hair had been completely burnt off, and her skin was severely burned, presenting a terrifying sight.

But Ling Mo knew that because she had protected her head in time, she was still alive.

His kick sent the old lady zombie tumbling right in front of Yuwen Xuan, who, after exhausting all his strength, couldn’t even manage to dodge and could only watch as the charred body fell at his feet.

“That’s just brutal… no need to beat a dead horse, right…?” Yuwen Xuan said weakly, but a man like him, as long as he was still breathing, wouldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Ling Mo ignored him, leaping forward to press the old lady zombie beneath his knee, while drawing his tactical knife from his waist.

A tactical knife forged from high-grade steel was far more useful in combat compared to ordinary blades.

It could chop, carve, saw, and slice, and was incredibly sharp, able to cut through hard materials. Against zombies with tough skin and astonishing defensive capabilities, it had impressive lethality.

The reason it wasn’t valued by many was mainly due to its short length. Using it to kill zombies felt as secure as wielding a toothpick, lacking a sense of safety.

Even Ling Mo himself wouldn’t recklessly engage in close combat with a high-level zombie using such a short blade. A regular zombie could exert a hundred percent of its strength with ease, tearing people apart without any difficulty. The horror of a high-level zombie, its body strengthened and enhanced time and again, was beyond words.

Moreover, zombie blood could transmit the virus.

Most zombies’ hands were never washed, and the dirt under their nails was like carrying concentrated poison, capable of infecting a person with a mere scratch. Bites worked the same way.

Ling Mo dared to jump onto the old lady zombie, unafraid of the blood constantly oozing from her, because he had discovered a certain immunity to the virus from leader level zombies after combining with Xia Na.

In this situation, the tactical knife was the ultimate finisher. Before the old lady zombie could recover, Ling Mo plunged the blade into her throat, thrusting upward and twisting it with force.

Blood immediately gushed out, and the old lady zombie’s body convulsed violently as her eyes suddenly bulged wide open.

Yuwen Xuan was startled by this change, a wave of fear washing over him. If Ling Mo had made the same assumption as him—that the old lady zombie was beyond saving—then just a couple of minutes for her to catch her breath would have meant certain death for them.

It was then that Ling Mo noticed something peculiar about the old lady zombie’s eyes—they were a distinctive red, crystal-like in their clarity, evidently different from the typical leader level zombies.

Upon closer inspection, he realized her eyeballs were covered with a thin film that was only visible up close.

He prodded her eye with his finger and found, to his surprise, that her eyeball was protected, feeling like he was pressing against glass, causing no damage to the eye. However, compared to her tough skin, the eye was a weak spot, and Ling Mo knew that with a bit more force, he could breach this filmy layer of defense.

“The level of evolution is truly high… But even with the old lady zombie’s advanced state, it’s not the epitome of a fully evolved perfect creature. You can tell just by looking at the eyes…” Ling Mo mused to himself.

Their success in taking down the old lady zombie was partly due to the seamless cooperation between him and Yuwen Xuan, and partly because the terrain also posed certain limitations for her. However, the most crucial aspect was that she was already injured. After some of her clothes were burned away, Ling Mo noticed bullet holes and even ghastly wounds from grenade blasts all over her body.

Although the wounds had scabbed over, they tore open again after some activity.

When a leader level zombie is injured, the Virus Nest secretes viruses to stimulate rapid cell division and regeneration to heal the wounds. But parts that cannot regenerate will never grow back no matter what. Clearly, the old lady zombie had sustained multiple internal injuries, and while they had healed, her bodily functions had significantly diminished.

Perhaps it was because of the severity of her injuries that she had snuck into this building at night. Unfortunately, plans do not always keep up with changes, and this building unexpectedly housed two more variables.

Moreover, the old lady zombie failed to make an accurate assessment of the strength of Ling Mo and Yuwen Xuan, the two Psychics.

Had she not given Ling Mo the opportunity to ambush her and instead engaged him in close combat, Ling Mo would have had no choice but to flee.

But that’s the thing about plans—what seems watertight often unravels when put into action, and nothing goes as expected.

When you realize you’ve strayed from the path, even if you shout, “This isn’t how the script was supposed to go!” it’s of no use.

The old lady zombie never expected to be outwitted and killed by a mere human, and Ling Mo never anticipated such a thrilling night would unfold.

“Despite such severe injuries, she still managed to put up such a formidable fight. No wonder she’s been able to attack Falcon Camp multiple times and survive. Her existence also proves Yuwen Xuan’s theory correct. The virus’s mutated infection has little to do with the host’s pre-zombie human state. The strength of the mutation isn’t based on the original physical condition of the individual.”

Ling Mo thoughtfully considered the situation.

“Gurgle…” The old lady zombie glared at Ling Mo with bulging eyes, a hoarse growl emanating from her throat.

As a high-level zombie with a significant degree of intelligence, she seemed unwilling to die so easily: “My… my… spouse…”

“Huh? Could it really be that she has an old partner?”

Ling Mo paused, and although he hadn’t released his grip, a strange feeling began to take root in his heart.

Usually, high-level zombies didn’t have the concept of “leaving last words” because they did not fear death, nor did they harbor any regrets.

But the old lady zombie before him, despite the lack of any emotional turbulence in her eyes, sounded incredibly sorrowful, which subtly moved Ling Mo.

“Spouse… spouse…” The body of the old lady zombie stopped twitching, and her mouth ceased moving.

Yuwen Xuan, with his mouth agape, looked down at Ling Mo and asked, “What is she ranting about? She’s not asking you to pay her a compensation of two hundred thousand, is she?”

“Stop talking nonsense, you better rest up a bit, we’ve got the experimental subjects, let’s get out of here soon!” Ling Mo sighed and spoke.

“I’m afraid once I sit down, I won’t be able to get up again.”

Yuwen Xuan turned around with difficulty, his hands bracing against the wall as he slowly sank down. He indeed needed a rest; at that moment, his legs were trembling nonstop.

Taking advantage of Yuwen Xuan’s diverted gaze, Ling Mo quickly extracted the Virus Nest from the old lady zombie.

A peculiar fragrance hit his nose instantly, and the appearance of the Virus Nest also took Ling Mo by surprise.

It was as large as a pigeon’s egg, yet its interior was densely filled with blood vessels, resembling a real honeycomb.

In the center was a black spot, as if a massive amount of blood vessels had been compressed into a small area to create that color.

Although there was no fundamental difference from the Virus Nest Ling Mo had obtained previously, its appearance had changed significantly.

Not only had its shape and color transformed, but its exterior had also become smoother.

Ling Mo estimated that if he strung the Virus Nest on a rope and wore it around his neck, most people would never recognize what it was; they might even mistake it for a rare gem.