Chapter 53 – Sharing a Bed

Wang Lin had been left in the hotel. Presumably, once she regained her senses, she would leave on her own. Whether she could find Li Yu would depend on their luck.

As for dealing with Wang Cheng, Ling Mo hesitated slightly.

Ling Mo didn’t have much fondness for Wang Cheng, who was cunning and ruthlessly patient. He had initially thought that Wang Cheng would at least behave temporarily after arriving at the Survivor Camp, but he hadn’t expected him to cling to Wang Lin so quickly. With Wang Cheng in the camp, Liu Yuhao wouldn’t have much chance to rise, and might even be exploited to death by Wang Cheng because they were classmates.

Moreover, Wang Cheng knew too much about him. Although Wang Lin’s behavior suggested that Wang Cheng hadn’t revealed the incident of Xia Na turning into a Zombie, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t cause more trouble for Ling Mo in the future.

“Consider it a good deed,” Ling Mo thought to himself, closing his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, the Psychic Link between him and the Zombie Puppet was completely severed.

A Zombie out of control, a person not yet awake鈥”what would happen next didn’t need much imagination…

Perhaps influenced by that Frenzy aura, Ling Mo didn’t feel much panic when he killed for the first time. However, this didn’t mean he would become a maniacal killer from then on. So, as he severed the link, Ling Mo hesitated slightly.

But that hesitation was forcibly pushed to the back of his mind the moment he closed his eyes.

In the Apocalypse, if you aren’t ruthless enough, you’ll be seen as an easy target…

The group cautiously walked for half a day, killing quite a few Zombies along the way, before finally turning into a residential building. This was the resting place Ling Mo had chosen.

Initially, his destination was X City University, but Wang Lin and her group had delayed him. It was impossible to reach X City University today. Fortunately, this place was quite close to the university.

Near the residential building was an abandoned construction site, with the yard converted into a parking lot. The surroundings felt rather eerie. Fortunately, there weren’t many Zombies around, and Ling Mo didn’t intend to clear them all out. Instead, he used the cars as cover to hide his group’s presence as they quietly slipped into the building.

Inside, there weren’t many Zombies, and most of the doors were wide open. Besides some broken furniture, the rooms were mostly makeshift beds on the floor. It seemed that during the construction, these rooms were used as dormitories for the workers. The original residents of the building had likely moved out long ago.

With Ye Lian and Xia Na’s keen senses for Zombies and their swift killing abilities, they quickly cleared the building of Zombies. They then gathered the bodies into one room and securely shut the doors and windows. This prevented the smell of blood from attracting more Zombies. Ling Mo even planned to find some lime or similar material to seal the door cracks completely.

In Ling Mo’s view, this place was perfect for hiding. A hundred meters away was a main street, surrounded by Zombie-infested areas. Yet, this building was under construction, making it a relative “clean zone.”

While Ye Lian and Xia Na were clearing out the Zombies, Ling Mo carefully searched for a suitable room for the three of them to settle in.

Luckily, in an apartment on the third floor, Ling Mo found several barrels of purified water, a gas cylinder, and some pots and pans. Remarkably, they were free of bloodstains, only covered in a bit of dust.

Moreover, he found half a box of instant noodles and a few cups of instant milk tea in the apartment.

The construction site really had some good stuff… Ling Mo excitedly cleaned up the spring beds and began preparing to cook a hot meal of instant noodles. This place was secluded, unlike densely populated areas that easily attracted Zombies. As long as they were a bit careful, there wouldn’t be any problems. Besides, it was still early, and the firelight wouldn’t attract Zombies.

After eating dry rations for so long, Ling Mo was sick of it. Having a hot meal was a rare joy, and he was quite pleased. Unfortunately, Ye Lian and Xia Na were Zombies and had no interest in regular food, or else they could have enjoyed the meal too…

“Smells so good…”

Ling Mo had eaten plenty of instant noodles both before and after the Apocalypse, but post-Apocalypse, he had mostly eaten them dry.

The rich aroma of the food was something he hadn’t smelled in a long time…

This typical pre-Apocalypse staple for the poor was now making Ling Mo’s mouth water in excitement. Even Xia Na and Ye Lian were drawn to the scent, giving it a few extra glances.

As soon as the noodles softened, Ling Mo couldn’t wait. He picked up the noodles with his chopsticks, blew on them to cool them slightly, and then slurped them into his mouth with relish.

“Ah… so satisfying!”

In the Apocalypse, having a hot bowl of instant noodles was an extravagant luxury for any Survivor.

It’s quite ironic when you think about it: before the Apocalypse, there were so many things to worry about. Even though people lived in safe environments, they rarely felt content. Now, in a world full of danger where death could come at any moment, a simple bowl of instant noodles could bring immense joy.

Survival—that’s the only thing all Survivors have to consider. For Ling Mo, more important than just surviving was restoring Ye Lian’s sanity and helping Xia Na gradually return to normal.

After finishing the noodles, Ling Mo tidied up the pots and bowls and then sat down next to Ye Lian.

Although they had been on the move all day, neither Ye Lian nor Xia Na showed any signs of fatigue. This was understandable; Zombies didn’t expend much energy when they weren’t fighting. While Ye Lian and Xia Na had been active throughout the day, Ling Mo had used his Puppet Control Ability to immobilize their enemies before they made the kills, so their energy consumption was minimal.

Xia Na’s performance that day had particularly surprised Ling Mo. Initially, he could only maintain a Psychic Link with her but couldn’t control her actions, which he found somewhat troublesome. Unexpectedly, perhaps because she had regained some rationality, Xia Na had become very cooperative in combat.

Her knife skills, already excellent and almost instinctual, saw a significant boost once she regained some rationality. This improvement greatly enhanced her combat effectiveness, and her skill with the knife became more apparent.

Moreover, due to the Psychic Link between them, their teamwork was seamless, almost as good as the coordination between Ling Mo and Ye Lian. This was an unexpected but welcome surprise.

However, seeing Xia Na wield the Long Knife so effectively, Ling Mo felt a bit reluctant to let Ye Lian continue using just her hands. Although her attack speed was incredibly fast and her fingers were very strong, Ling Mo always felt that those seemingly delicate and tender hands shouldn’t be doing such bloody and violent things鈥”it just didn’t seem right.

He had thought about giving Ye Lian his Dagger, but it was too short and lacked sufficient killing power. It was useful for everyday situations but rather ineffective in combat. Ordinary weapons wouldn’t suit Ye Lian; they wouldn’t provide her with any real help and might even lower her effectiveness.

Wang Lin’s arrival had perfectly solved this problem. That girl was a true godsend…

Thinking about this, Ling Mo couldn’t help but smile. He reached behind his waist and drew out the Curved Knife. This knife seemed perfect for a female’s use: the handle was not long and somewhat narrow, the blade was crescent-shaped, and the overall weight was very light. Just by looking at it, one could sense its sharpness. Although it was a notch below his Short Knife, it was more than adequate for slaying Zombies.

Despite Wang Lin’s arrogance, she had every right to be proud of her skills in weapon crafting. Being so young yet possessing such remarkable craftsmanship, she was likely highly valued in her family. Coupled with her impressive knife skills, it’s no wonder she wouldn’t consider someone like Ling Mo worth her attention.

However, after this encounter, she would likely not only take Ling Mo seriously but also remember him well.

Ling Mo handed the Curved Knife to Ye Lian and then controlled her to swing it a few times. It indeed felt very comfortable in her hands. Finally, Ye Lian wouldn’t have to use her bare hands anymore. No matter how strong her fingers were, they couldn’t compare to a weapon.

Ling Mo didn’t idle away the remaining time before dark. He carefully searched the Construction Site and found some lime powder, which he sprinkled outside the room where they had disposed of the bodies. Not stopping there, he also found a steel pipe and used it to brace the broken unit door of the residential building. This was much more effective than locking it.

By the time Ling Mo finished all these tasks, the sky had already darkened. It was likely that all the Survivors had returned to their hiding places, and the city had once again become a domain for the Zombies.

Inside the room, Ye Lian, under Ling Mo’s control, had managed to piece together two relatively intact spring beds and flipped the mattresses over to make them somewhat more comfortable.

“Tonight, we’ll just have to share one big bed!”