Chapter 434 – Black and White Pieces

In a building with such a complex structure and special background, naturally, there were plenty of zombies.

Even if Ling Mo had lured away most of the zombies, there was no guarantee that every dark, enclosed corner was safe.

There were always zombies wandering somewhere within the building, waiting…

Thinking about this made Lucy shiver a little. She involuntarily moved closer to Ling Mo.

As a purely offensive superhuman, she was as vulnerable as an ordinary survivor when facing hidden threats.

At times like this, a companion like Ling Mo, who had some probing abilities, seemed particularly reliable.

Following him gave her a slight sense of security. At least she didn’t have to keep nervously watching every shadow around her, anxiously guarding against zombies that might jump out at any moment…

“…There are indeed many types of superhuman abilities, and even if there are similarities, there are never two that are exactly the same. Indeed, they are unique abilities… Everyone has their own differences…”

Ling Mo said casually as he walked slowly forward with a flashlight, “Lulu, don’t you think so?”

Just a moment ago, he was sighing about how the eerie, dark corridor felt like a scene from a horror movie, and in the next moment, he was chatting away without a care…

“You’re so unreliable!” Lucy glared at Ling Mo, shouting as she followed behind him, “We’re all depending on you right now.”

She immediately regretted saying that, as Ye Lian and the others seemed even more relaxed than Ling Mo, as if they weren’t worried at all.

The girls were curiously looking around, and Lucy couldn’t help but feel that their eyes seemed particularly bright in the darkness.

“What’s there to be worried about? I’m keeping an eye on everything around us.”

Ling Mo replied casually, then suddenly extended his fist and knocked on the wall.

—Boom!

The dull sound startled Lucy. Just as she was about to question him with a frown, she saw a door not far away start to shake slightly.

“Roar!”

A human head suddenly squeezed out through the crack in the door. The flashlight beam immediately illuminated the grotesque, twisted face.

Caught off guard, Lucy’s pupils contracted, and her heartbeat paused for a moment.

This unlucky zombie was stuck in the deformed door crack, barely able to extend its head.

Even though it tried its hardest, determined to stretch out even if it meant breaking its neck, the nearly one-meter distance was an insurmountable gap…

It opened its mouth in vain, its sharp teeth and the blood and flesh stuck to them looking no different from a beast’s in the pale flashlight beam.

“Bang!”

Suddenly, a bullet hole appeared on its forehead, causing the head to stop moving and droop lifelessly.

Lucy looked at the grotesque head wedged in the door and couldn’t help but purse her lips.

“See? These potential enemies are all within my control,” Ling Mo said.

“Just luck…” Lucy rolled her eyes at him.

Ling Mo smirked strangely and then reached out to slap another wall.

“You can’t be serious…”

Lucy’s face changed, and she mumbled.

Before she could finish, a loud “bang bang” echoed from somewhere in the corridor.

“…You’re ruthless.”

As they cleared out these stray zombies, Ling Mo also tried to extract more information from Lucy to complete the intelligence he had gathered.

Lucy was initially very principled, but under Ling Mo’s constant banter, she soon spilled the details…

“It seems like Falcon Camp and the Air Force Corps are like an old married couple, and your F Team is trying to break them up… You and Falcon Camp are competing for the Air Force Corps: you have fewer people but are stronger, while Falcon Camp has a diverse background and deep resources. The Air Force Corps is trying to satisfy everyone involved.”

Ling Mo said thoughtfully.

“Although you’re not wrong, could you use a more normal analogy…” Lucy glared at him and said, “Right now is when human forces are just starting to grow. If you have ambitions in this area, now is the best time to act. No one knows what will happen with the zombies in the future, but resources are something that will only become scarcer. The sooner you seize and stockpile them, the sooner you’ll have an edge over others.”

Lucy saw that Ling Mo remained silent and continued, “If you want to join another faction, now is the best time. Joining now would make you a founding hero no matter what…”

“Still trying to recruit me, huh…”

It seemed that tonight, Lucy had decided to temporarily set aside her reserve…

But seeing her cold, stern face, it was clear that this roundabout persuasion was also a kind of torture for her…

“Did all those superhumans get recruited this way…? Her face does make it hard to refuse…”

Playing dumb, Ling Mo changed the subject and asked, “So your goal is to carve out an area for yourselves to live in?”

Lucy gave him a deep look and shook her head. “That’s why I said, this is just the beginning… When resources truly start to run out, that’s when the game will really begin. At the start, everyone is just securing their position on the board. The true contest will probably start when spring arrives…”

“Just pieces on a board… So who are the players?” Ling Mo’s expression changed slightly, and he asked seriously.

“This world.”

Lucy’s answer, though seemingly profound at first, hit the mark perfectly.

If zombies were the black pieces, then humans were the white pieces. This world was both the board and the hand guiding the pieces.

“What about me and Ye Lian… We don’t belong to the black pieces or the white pieces, but we haven’t stepped off the board either…”

Though it was just a casual chat, Ling Mo suddenly felt as if a layer of fog had been lifted from his eyes.

Whether it was survival or helping Ye Lian regain her memories and human emotions, these were Ling Mo’s goals.

But looking at these goals from a higher perspective, for the first time, Ling Mo saw things more clearly.

Though he couldn’t articulate his thoughts just yet, Ling Mo felt he was seeing his existence from a broader, clearer perspective, understanding his problems more thoroughly…

When the black and white pieces start their game, where should he stand to protect himself and his girlfriends?

“Springtime…”

Indeed, when spring arrives, the weather warms up, and the consumption of food accelerates, all conflicts will intensify…

For both humans and zombies, it will be a new turning point…

While they chatted, Ye Lian and the others listened quietly.

These theories and concepts were quite new to them, as female zombies.

“Ordinary zombies… are just pieces, but Senior Zombies, they rise step by step from ordinary pawns, right?” Xia Na said in a low voice, “Could they possibly rise to the position of the player?”

“Don’t… don’t know…” Ye Lian shook her head.

Li Yalin also had an expression of awe, but after thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, “Anyway, I don’t want to be a piece.”

“But… but I’m not even as good as a piece…” Yu Shiran said dejectedly, touching her neck, “I’m completely bullied by your pet!”

“You can also choose to be bullied by Ling-Ge, or by us,” Xia Na suggested.

“Really…” Yu Shiran actually considered it for a few seconds and then suddenly realized, stomping her foot, “Hey, saying that is already bullying me!”

“Quiet down… shh.”

Ling Mo turned around helplessly, pretending to be angry.

Except for Yu Shiran, Ye Lian and the others exchanged glances and couldn’t help but snicker.

Although they lacked many human emotions, they could still share a knowing smile…

Hearing their low laughter, Ling Mo pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, saying, “Sigh, having so many girlfriends is really exhausting…”

“…You really deserve a beating for saying that…”

Lucy glared at him speechlessly, “And they’re still laughing!”

“Do you think being in the F Team makes you special?”

“How long are you going to hold onto that coincidence! By the way… what do you think about what I just said… hey, why are you turning away!”