Chapter 379 – The Potion That Might Cause Pregnancy

“Combining the original potion with a transfusion led to an imperfect creation. What about a new potion forged from a blend of various zombie blood types? Judging by Xia Na’s expression, it might just have some miraculous effect…”

As Ling Mo pondered, he pulled out a bottle and syringe from his backpack: “Give me a hand with this.”

Yu Shiran pressed down on the arm of the experimental subject, and without much visible effort, blood began to ooze steadily from the wound.

Ling Mo hurriedly began to collect the blood with the syringe, while Xia Na stood by with the bottle ready to catch the flow.

After about ten minutes of busy work, when no more blood could be squeezed out, Yu Shiran released her hold and said, “That should be about enough, your bottle is full.”

“Mhm, this much should suffice,” Ling Mo nodded contently, shaking the bottle slightly.

The thick blood in the bottle was somewhat like ketchup, albeit much more translucent.

“Are we going to give this directly to sister Ye Lian?” Xia Na asked.

Ling Mo shook his head: “How could we? We must first verify the potency of the potion. Unfortunately, there’s not a single living zombie in sight nearby.”

“That’s rather impolite to say…”

“Don’t just dismiss us so naturally…”

Ling Mo chuckled awkwardly: “Sorry, no offense meant.”

He did not really see Ye Lian and the others as mere zombies, and in some ways, Yu Shiran was benefiting from their company.

However, these thoughts were not to be voiced out loud. Imagine a sheep telling a person, “Baa, in my eyes you’re not a human, baa, you’re just like me, a sheep, baa…”

Wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?

After collecting the blood, Ling Mo meticulously examined the corpse once more.

The dangers of forced growth were significant. The Virus Nest had matured prematurely, leading to a surge in power, but the body’s durability failed to keep pace.

The experimental subject’s nails were peeled back, even revealing the stark white of bones underneath.

Considering how tough a zombie’s fingers are, it was astounding to see such damage – it was almost inconceivable.

If it was just this one area, it could be overlooked, but his shoulder was dislocated, and there were hidden internal injuries on his leg. Many parts seemed unnatural, possibly indicating torn tendons or even fractures.

“He exerted himself too much,” Xia Na observed and concluded after looking over the injuries.

“Mhm. No wonder the lab disposed of him so quickly. It seems he couldn’t last much longer on his own,” Ling Mo mused, nodding thoughtfully.

This made it clear that the potion could not be carelessly used on Ye Lian.

Though it might not cause such severe consequences after being neutralized and purified, it was still best to proceed with caution.

Three hours later, Ye Lian suddenly said, “Someone’s coming…”

Ling Mo turned to see Ban Yue standing there with two figures in tow.

She was covered in leaves, her hair dewy, a sign of her trek through the woods. Though it was her second time making the trip, it definitely took much less time than the journey there.

“You got here pretty fast,” Ling Mo remarked, reluctantly leaving Ye Lian’s lap pillow and throwing off the blanket that covered him as he stood up with a smile. He had thought he’d have to wait until morning.

“I run fast,” Ban Yue replied, “and there are many humans heading into the mountains, but they can’t catch up to me.”

Xia Na eyed Ban Yue with a scrutinizing look and snorted coldly, “I heard about you from Ling Mo on the way here, but seeing you still irks me.”

“The feeling is mutual. It bothers me how you… how you are the same kind, yet you choose to stay with a human,” Ban Yue retorted.

Having been mentored by the old lady zombie, Ban Yue’s bantering skills had improved, though her method of speaking one second after thinking gave her an odd demeanor…

“Do I need your approval?” Xia Na responded defiantly.

Ban Yue was taken aback and hesitated for a long time, unable to think of a comeback, “Well…”

“Guess your combat power is still below 5. But there’s a place where your combat ability is rapidly increasing, surpassing Xia Na…”

“Enough Xia Na, stop teasing her.”

Ling Mo coughed to interrupt and turned his attention to the two figures Ban Yue had brought with her. One was obviously the body of the old lady zombie, but the other was…

A maid girl!

When Ling Mo had used her to ambush the old lady zombie, a single slap had severed the psychic connection between him and the maid girl, leaving her fate unknown.

Due to the urgency of the situation and considering she was just a shell for Black Silk, Ling Mo couldn’t spare a third hand to take her along, so he left her behind.

Surprisingly, Ban Yue had brought her along.

Yu Shiran was visibly excited to see Ban Yue, but due to Black Silk’s interference, she couldn’t speak or move. All she could do was stand there, gesticulating and mouthing words without sound.

“Shiran really is with you…” Ban Yue looked at Yu Shiran with some concern and asked, “What have you done with her?”

“Look,” Ling Mo pulled Yu Shiran forward and pinched her cheek, “she’s jumping around, healthy as can be!”

Yu Shiran managed an exaggerated smile, though clearly against her will.

“No, there’s the scent of an unknown being on her,” Ban Yue said, frowning.

Ling Mo’s face showed a hint of surprise, “You can tell that?! Worthy of a leader level… cough, you’re right. Shiran was taken by my pet, and I can’t give her back to you for the time being.”

Ling Mo then briefly explained the symbiotic relationship between Black Silk and Yu Shiran, especially emphasizing that if he got hurt, Shiran would be affected and could die.

Of course, that last part was a complete fabrication. But for Ling Mo, as long as he could fool Ban Yue, that was all that mattered.

Ban Yue glared at Ling Mo for a while, seemingly furious but unable to find the right words to express her feelings, ultimately just puffing up with indignation, “If you can’t give her back, why should I listen to you? Don’t think zombies are that easy to fool!”

“If you don’t listen, I’ll never give her back. Can you take us on, five against one?” Ling Mo retorted with a cold snort.

“Ah?”

Though feeling something was amiss, Ban Yue was ultimately swayed by Ling Mo’s bluff.

Stomping her foot in frustration, she set the maid girl down on the ground.

To Ling Mo’s surprise, the spare parasite host dressed in Black Silk was still alive.

After spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood, she crouched on the ground, motionless and oblivious to everything until Ban Yue dragged her up: “She’s the one you left behind, right? Whenever you give Shiran back to me, I’ll return her to you.”

Her gaze shifted to Ye Lian with complexity: “Or perhaps I could take her instead…”

“Stop right there. You two really are a pair, lacking any normal aspirations. You do realize that’s just a shell without consciousness, an empty vessel, right?” Ling Mo massaged his temples and asked.

Ban Yue snorted and pulled the maid girl to her side, glaring defiantly at Ling Mo: “I won’t believe you.”

“Forget it, suit yourself. After all, we have all the time in the world. By the way,” Ling Mo suddenly took out a vial of medicine from his bag, “why not treat her wounds?”

After a ten-minute break, during which Ban Yue gave the old lady zombie and her spouse a burial at sea, they set off.

The slipper truck, loaded with zombies and one human, traveled a distance under the overpass before taking a sharp turn onto a side road.

This road led to City S, their destination.

Sitting in the vehicle, Ling Mo checked his personal belongings, discarding the useless items into the roadside bushes, leaving only a small bundle of essentials.

A quick-dry shirt, a tactical knife, a first aid kit, a Swiss Army knife, a tactical flashlight, six glowing capsules, thirteen alarm devices, a Communicator exclusive to Yuwen Xuan, and a hand-cranked charger for a camera phone, along with the Dark Bible (notes from a half-competent Falcon Laboratory researcher).

Additionally, there was half a bottle of the Spider Queen’s concoction left, a piece of a newly acquired, yet damaged Virus Nest, a completely worn-out old Virus Nest, and a vial of experimental subject’s blood.

“Humans are such a hassle.”

Ban Yue casually grabbed a small pouch and bit into it, disdainfully asking, “Human, what is this?”

Ling Mo glanced at her amusedly and replied, “An essential artifact, a condom.”

“Don’t understand, is it edible?” Ban Yue inquired.

“Eating it will get you pregnant. Hey, don’t tear it—I’m kidding…”