Chapter 449 – On the Lethality of Screaming

Although this was the second time Ling Mo was heading to the zoo, his mindset was completely different from before.

No wonder, the last time he was here, his combat abilities were lacking, and he was chased miserably by a mutation python. But now…

“If I encounter a mutation python again, I’ll tie it into a knot…” Ling Mo thought expectantly.

“I’ve been meaning to ask…”

Lucy quickened her pace and caught up to Ling Mo, asking, “Why are you guys going to the zoo? There’s nothing to collect there, right? Even if you want fresh meat, you can’t eat theirs…”

“Haven’t you seen a mutation beast?” Ling Mo retorted.

“Yes, I have,” Lucy replied. “Although they are rare and not often seen, they are indeed very formidable. After all, they were animals that could hunt humans even before they mutated, and now they are even more powerful. Plus, it seems like their evolution rate is faster than that of zombies.”

“That’s understandable,” Xia Na said. “Compared to human babies who can only lie down and drink milk, many animals can run all over the place as soon as they’re born. They’re not even on the same starting line…”

Her tone was quite normal when she mentioned humans, no longer sounding like she was talking about some delicacy.

When zombies mention “humans,” they either do so with disdain or drool, like food enthusiasts shouting “braised pork.”

When Black Na and Nana are apart, they are very different, but once they merge, they actually become a bit softer than before.

This softness doesn’t refer to their way of speaking or content, but rather to their tone.

“I haven’t seen a mutation beast, so I specifically want to check it out.”

Ling Mo rubbed his nose, lying without a blush or a heartbeat.

Lucy glanced at Ling Mo and muttered, “That subconscious action… It seems you know that lying might make your nose grow longer!”

But since Ling Mo was unwilling to talk, Lucy didn’t ask further.

She was now low on ammunition, had an injured shoulder, and had suffered a severe head injury. Among the group, she looked the most miserable.

Ling Mo was clearly heavily injured as well, but after just two days, he was already lively and energetic. Lucy watched with envy, finding comfort in the thought that “fools don’t catch colds” to make herself feel better.

However, one thing was undeniable: without Ling Mo and his group, she had no way of making it back to the Fire Base alive.

The helicopter had been destroyed, and there was no way the Air Force Corps would calmly send another helicopter to pick her up.

Anyway… Ling Mo and his group already had enough mysteries surrounding them, one more wouldn’t make a difference.

They went from being suspicious individuals to very suspicious individuals…

“Besides reporting the findings, there’s also the actions of the Air Force Corps…”

Lucy clenched her fists, thinking, “Even though it’s supposed to be a cooperation, they took advantage of their position and pushed us around too much.”

“How’s your injury?” Ling Mo suddenly turned back to ask.

“I’m fine…” Lucy adjusted her head, answering, “I just feel a bit feverish sometimes, but I’ve checked with a thermometer, and I don’t have a fever. My hands and feet are a bit cold, though.”

“Maybe it’s because of your wounds…” Ling Mo said, “You should take it easy later. We’ll handle it.”

Hmm.

Ling Mo’s steps suddenly paused. Lucy’s symptoms were quite similar to the early stages of a mutation…

He discreetly probed her with his psychic light cluster and found nothing unusual. Outwardly, she seemed fine…

“I’ve seen her being careful, and I haven’t noticed her coming into contact with the zombie virus… Is she mutating? No, if she were, it wouldn’t take this long. Could the virus have gotten lost in her body? That’s impossible…”

Ling Mo was puzzled and glanced at Lucy again out of the corner of his eye.

For now, nothing was evident, so he could only keep an eye on her…

There weren’t many zombies near the zoo. From a distance, the place looked lush and green due to the many evergreen plants, and with spring approaching, it appeared quite verdant.

But Ling Mo and his group knew that this seemingly idyllic place was fraught with hidden dangers.

The ordinary mutation beasts he had deliberately spared before should have evolved into advanced ones by now.

“I’m here to reap the rewards…”

Letting mutation beasts roam in this kind of place posed little threat to survivors.

Moreover, Ling Mo had no choice but to do this for Li Yalin.

In retrospect, Ling Mo felt fortunate about his decision at that time.

He initially thought that Li Yalin could consume zombie gel, but it turned out she preferred mutation beasts…

To keep the virus in her body as pure as possible, large amounts of mutation beast gel, especially mutation snake gel, were essential.

“I remember sparing a few small snakes back then. They should have grown by now, and considering the elimination rate, there should be two or three that survived. Hopefully, they haven’t wandered off…”

With a mindset of giving it a try, Ling Mo led the group into the zoo…

The zoo was much quieter than it had been initially, looking almost completely deserted at first glance.

However, the air was filled with a strong, rancid stench. Even Black Silk, on Yu Shiran’s neck, squirmed a bit, only to be swiftly held down by Ye Lian.

The female zombies all wrinkled their noses. While their sense of smell wasn’t as strong as Black Silk’s, it was still far superior to that of ordinary humans.

At this moment, it was actually Ling Mo and Lucy who appeared the most normal.

Only Li Yalin seemed excited, like a cat stimulated by catnip. She grabbed Ling Mo’s arm, her ample chest rubbing against him to express her excitement: “It’s a snake… This smell is from snakes…”

“How big must the snake be to release so much venom…” Ling Mo frowned and said.

“What?! Snakes?”

Lucy immediately tensed up, looking around nervously.

“Bam!”

They hadn’t walked far when a loud noise came from not too far away, and a glass wall shattered.

Amidst the flying glass shards, a massive mutation python, as thick as a water barrel, appeared.

“It showed up so quickly!”

Ling Mo was shocked and shouted.

“Ah! It’s a snake!”

Lucy screamed in terror, leaping up and then frantically jumping onto Ling Mo’s back.

With her strength and the weight she was carrying, Ling Mo’s knees buckled under the impact, and he fell to the ground with Lucy on top of him.

Seeing his prey, only to fall flat in front of the mutation python, Ling Mo went from excitement to bewilderment in a split second.

When he struggled to stand up, Lucy was still clinging to him, refusing to let go, her eyes tightly shut as she cried out, “Snake! There’s a snake!”

“We all saw the giant snake, no need to shout…”

Ling Mo’s voice was strained as he spoke. A frightened woman was manageable, but a frightened woman with immense strength and an unyielding grip was another story…

Ling Mo hadn’t even had time to calm Lucy down when the mutation python coiled its body and then lunged at him with its mouth wide open.

“My taunt skill is working again!”

The hissing sound of the snake, accompanied by a nauseating stench, hit them even from a distance.

Ling Mo had no intention of taking it head-on. He rolled on the ground with Lucy, narrowly avoiding the snake’s head, while extending his psychic tentacle to wrap around the snake’s head.

However, the mutation python’s strength was formidable. With a vigorous shake of its head, it broke free from Ling Mo’s hold, leaving him pale-faced.

Li Yalin was already beside the snake’s head in a flash. She swung her Snake Kiss, the blade slicing across the snake’s eye.

Ye Lian had retreated but didn’t shoot immediately. Instead, she aimed at Ling Mo and Lucy.

“Bam!”

With the sound of a gunshot, a mutation python as thick as an arm fell from above, landing right next to Ling Mo and Lucy.

“Ahhhhh! There’s one here too!”

Lucy’s series of high-pitched screams made Ling Mo’s heart race uncontrollably.

Even the mutation python, which had just had its eye slashed and was about to go berserk, paused mid-air, seemingly stunned.