Chapter 454 – Don’t Jump If You’re Overweight

Ling Mo’s stamina was rapidly depleting after being chased for several hundred meters by the mutation panda.

Whenever the National Treasure saw an opportunity, it would grab anything from the roadside and hurl it at Ling Mo, not giving him a moment to catch his breath.

Stones, tree trunks, paving slabs…

“Whoosh!”

A gust of wind suddenly pursued him. Ling Mo looked up and saw the sky above was blocked by a massive shadow.

“What the hell is that?!”

The bloody, massive body looked somewhat familiar, like a giant belt…

“Isn’t that the largest Barrel Mutation Python?!”

The mutation panda had pulled the python’s carcass out from the wall and was swinging it like a Nine-Section Whip.

This mutation python was much sturdier than an ordinary Nine-Section Whip long, tough, with strong defensive capability, and flexible joints…

Its wide-open mouth could act like a barbed hook, and getting hit by its fangs was no joke.

The purple-red snake tongue dangling outside didn’t look like something you could casually touch either.

Purple-red… Just looking at that color gave Ling Mo a bad feeling. Even if it wasn’t highly toxic, it was certainly not something good.

The mutation panda’s wild flailing of the python’s carcass also blocked Ye Lian and the others who were chasing closely behind.

“…Can’t get a clear shot…”

Ye Lian lowered her sniper rifle and said with a frown.

Although the panda hadn’t developed an S-shaped body, it was moving in an S-shaped path as it advanced.

With the mutation python’s body interfering with her line of sight, even a sharpshooter as talented as Ye Lian was struggling.

There were times she managed to get a bead on the panda, but whether intentionally or not, it was always in a straight line with Ling Mo at those moments.

Given the power of the sniper rifle, even if she managed to hit the panda, Ling Mo, who was not far from it, would likely get caught in the blast.

If the panda dodged the shot, then their long-awaited Ling Mo meat would only be fit for roasting.

“Tch, almost got slapped…”

Xia Na leaped sharply as the snake head swept past her feet.

Although her spiritual body, Nana, had separated from her shadow, Nana was powerless against the lifeless mutation python.

Nana couldn’t stray too far from Black Na either. While the spiritual body was immune to the mutation python’s attacks, approaching the mutation panda’s main body on her own was nearly impossible.

The mutation python was over ten meters long, and the maximum distance Nana and Black Na could separate was around ten meters.

“Just perfectly limited, you damn panda. Why don’t you just roll? You might even be faster that way!” Black Na squinted and cursed.

“I can’t get through either.”

Li Yalin flashed and appeared beside Xia Na, frustrated.

She had tried several times to dodge quickly, but couldn’t get past the swinging snake carcass.

The snake carcass was being wielded by the mutation panda with impeccable precision, and its speed was only increasing. Even with their racial talents, finding an opening was becoming extremely difficult.

Lucy, struggling to keep up with Yu Shiran, muttered to herself:

“I didn’t expect Ling Mo to be so fast… But this mutation panda is incredibly powerful… Can Ling Mo handle this mutation panda with his strength?”

She glanced ahead at Ye Lian and the three girls, thinking that although they were formidable, their movements were completely blocked now.

Apart from Ling Mo, the superhuman with mental abilities, their combat effectiveness was significantly limited.

And Ling Mo would never opt for an all-out, mutually destructive fight.

But could Ling Mo’s psychic power alone really handle this berserk panda?

Lucy was unsure. Unlike Ye Lian and the others, she didn’t have that blind faith in Ling Mo…

These female zombies were anxious but not panicked.

Even if they couldn’t break through the blockade and reunite with Ling Mo for now, they wouldn’t lose their composure.

However, the distance between them and Ling Mo remained unclosed.

The mutation panda swung the snake carcass and kept making sharp noises: “MeGu~!”

“What the hell!”

Ling Mo was already giving his all, trying to find obstacles to circle around and free up his hands.

Ling Mo thought the last time he was chased in the zoo was a thing of the past. He never expected history to repeat itself so vividly.

Last time, it was just a snake following him. This time, it was a panda wielding a snake carcass in pursuit.

A creature known for its cuteness had somehow become even more terrifying!

Several times, Ling Mo considered turning to face his pursuer, but the “whoosh” of the wind behind him reminded him that even a slight slowdown would mean… No, it would certainly mean getting hit by the snake carcass.

Being cut in half would be a light punishment. Ling Mo estimated the odds of being smashed into pieces were much higher!

“Before mutation, you were a National Treasure. After mutation, you’re still this formidable… I really underestimated you. I thought your only skill was looking cute, but your combat prowess is astonishing… Gnawing on bamboo all day must be such an injustice for you! You should be patrolling the zoo with a giant axe instead…”

Ling Mo had no idea where he had run to amid this frantic escape.

It seemed to be somewhere in the zoo… The place was full of rock gardens and green belts, and Ling Mo had no time to look at the occasional signposts along the way.

Ahead, there was a large pond with a not-so-wide corridor in the middle.

“In a place like that, your Nine-Section Whip should be useless…”

Ling Mo focused on the corridor, listening to the increasingly close wind behind him.

Barely blocking the attacks with his psychic tentacle, Ling Mo sped up and dashed toward the corridor.

“MeGu!”

The mutation panda seemed to understand Ling Mo’s intention. It suddenly changed direction, running along the edge of the pond.

Ling Mo had already rushed into the corridor, advancing more than ten meters, when he realized in horror that the panda, swinging the snake carcass, had appeared on his side.

“Shit! Are you defying the laws of nature?!”

At this rate, Ling Mo would be cornered by the mutation panda. Retreating would likely result in the same outcome.

“No choice…”

Despite having no way out, Ling Mo quickly regained his composure.

In the middle of the pond was an artificial island, which could be a monkey mountain or something similar, with a large open space.

There weren’t many obstacles, but the animal enclosures and the ten-meter-high terrain differences could serve as useful features.

“Let’s engage in close combat! It’s just a slightly bigger, stronger panda!”

As Ling Mo rushed onto Huxin Island, Ye Lian and the others reached the pond’s edge.

Should they chase the panda or go after Ling Mo?

Before they could decide, the panda made its move.

It had been running along the artificial lake, with about ten meters between it and Huxin Island. Suddenly, it accelerated its arm movements.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

The spinning snake carcass acted like the rotor of a helicopter, propelling the panda as it leaped toward the lake’s surface, gliding forward.

“Is this… a bamboo dragonfly1? Did Doraemon2 just possess it?”

Ling Mo was stunned. This panda was quite intelligent!

Mutation beasts with such high intelligence weren’t just twice as difficult to deal with; the challenge was exponential.

“But… during its glide, it’s completely defenseless!”

Realizing this, Ling Mo was overjoyed. “Scared me for a second, but it’s just a dumb panda after all…”

Thinking it was being clever, the panda was actually in a completely vulnerable state!

Not only Ling Mo, but Ye Lian also reacted quickly, raising her gun to aim at the mutation panda.

From the moment the panda leaped, only a second had passed.

Just as Ling Mo was about to use his tentacle and Ye Lian was about to pull the trigger, the panda suddenly accelerated.

“Splosh!”

A massive splash erupted, as if a bomb had been thrown into the lake, creating a huge, deep black hole in the water…

“Uh… damn, it’s too heavy!”

Ling Mo froze for a fraction of a second before realizing what had happened.

Due to its terrifying weight, the mutation panda, along with the snake carcass, sank straight to the bottom of the pond.

Though the water’s surface was still violently agitated, there was no sign of them…

Footnote:

1. Bamboo Dragonfly(竹蜻蜓): The term Bamboo Dragonfly refers to a traditional Japanese toy made from bamboo. It resembles a dragonfly, with a central stick and a pair of wings at the top. By spinning the stick between your fingers, it can fly up into the air. In the Doraemon series, the Bamboo Dragonfly is reimagined as a futuristic gadget that allows a person to fly, symbolizing freedom and adventure.
2. Doraemon(哆啦A梦): Doraemon is the main character of a Japanese manga and anime series created by Fujiko F. Fujio. Doraemon is a blue robotic cat from the 22nd century who is sent back to the 20th century to help a young boy named Nobita Nobi with his everyday problems. Doraemon has a magical pocket that contains various futuristic gadgets to tackle different challenges.