Chapter 55 – My Real Target is the Tentacle Monster

Using a steady and methodical approach, Ling Mo managed to clear out two more small supermarkets, reaping substantial rewards.

During this process, he intentionally tested his Puppet Control Ability and found it had indeed improved.

Previously, when he couldn’t see the invisible threads, he had to establish eye contact with the Zombie Puppet to see its Psychic Light Cluster.

But now the invisible threads were becoming increasingly clear to him, almost to the point of being tangible. This significantly reduced the limitations when controlling the Zombie Puppets.

To establish a connection with a Zombie Puppet, he only needed to wrap the invisible thread around the zombie’s empty Psychic Light Cluster. However, to control it, the thread needed to penetrate deeper.

For instance, the connection between him and Xia Na was maintained by merely wrapping the thread, whereas with Ye Lian, it felt as if their Psychic Light Clusters were completely fused together, making control effortless.

Ling Mo gave these threads an apt name: Psychic Tentacles, or simply, Tentacles.

Seeing countless Tentacles radiating from himself, binding Xia Na and Ye Lian closely to him, a sly smile appeared on Ling Mo’s face.

If these Tentacles could materialize… Before he could delve deeper into the thought, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, “It’s just Psychic Power, even if it could materialize… wouldn’t that make me a Tentacle Monster?”

On another note, he discovered something crucial during the battles.

Despite both being Zombie Puppets, Ye Lian and Xia Na got along very well, unlike their aggressive behavior towards other zombies.

However, they didn’t cooperate with each other. This became especially apparent when Ling Mo reduced his control over Ye Lian, allowing her to fight on instinct. They fought independently, and being Mutation Zombies, they focused solely on attacking, which could lead to complications in densely populated zombie areas.

But if Ling Mo took the lead with them supporting him, this issue was easily resolved.

Both Ye Lian and Xia Na would synchronize their attacks with Ling Mo’s movements, significantly boosting their combat efficiency.

“It seems they can’t do without me…”

These two Mutation Zombies only coordinated with Ling Mo, which also posed a considerable challenge to his combat abilities. Fortunately, after enhancing his body, although his strength hadn’t increased, his speed had improved substantially. He could not only keep up with Ye Lian’s attack speed but also guide Xia Na to attack more swiftly.

The teamwork between one human and two Zombie Puppets was seamless. With their cautious advance, they managed to clear a path without anyone getting injured, taking down numerous zombies in the process.

Seeing that they had gathered enough food and that it had been two or three hours since they left, Ling Mo shifted his focus to hunting zombies.

Constantly using his Zombie Puppet ability and maintaining the Psychic Link with the two female zombies was exhausting. Even with his powerful Psychic Tentacles, Ling Mo found himself feeling drained.

Compared to physical enhancements, improving his Psychic Power was clearly more crucial!

Virus Gel was indeed in high demand, and the more he could gather, the better!

However, while regular zombies were everywhere, Mutation Zombies were harder to find. So, Ling Mo kept a lookout as they moved forward.

“New Era Mall…”

From a distance, Ling Mo spotted a large shopping mall. He remembered the New Era Mall well; it was the biggest mall in the area, with a massive daily foot traffic before the Apocalypse.

A place like this was bound to have Mutation Zombies inside!

However, upon reaching the mall, Ling Mo didn’t rush in. Instead, he hid in a corner to catch his breath and observe the situation inside.

A large mall in the city center was teeming with an unimaginable number of zombies. As far as the eye could see, the entire mall was filled with zombies!

But compared to the sheer number of zombies, the mall’s exits seemed too narrow and inconspicuous!

Initially, Ling Mo worried that survivors might have been here before and lured the zombies out. But as he got closer, he realized he was overthinking it.

Survivors clearly avoided large malls like this one. The items sold inside had nothing to do with food. Only survivors with specific purposes, like Ling Mo, would venture near such a place.

However, the absence of survivors didn’t mean there were no signs of slaughter. On the contrary, the area near the mall’s entrance was covered in blood, layers of congealed blood and flesh forming a grotesque, foul-smelling carpet. Torn clothing and scattered human bones were everywhere, indicating a gruesome feast had taken place here.

The interior of the mall was even worse, with hardly a clean spot to be found.

Even Ling Mo couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose at the overpowering stench. Meanwhile, Xia Na and Ye Lian seemed somewhat excited; Xia Na’s eyes even had a faint red glow. In this regard, Xia Na’s restraint was weaker compared to Ye Lian. Ling Mo vaguely felt that although Xia Na had regained more of her sanity, Ye Lian’s evolutionary progress was higher in terms of her nature.

No matter what, the allure of the blood scent to zombies was undeniably strong…

However, with the overwhelming stench, Ling Mo didn’t have to worry about the zombies detecting him through smell. As long as he avoided making noise and kept hidden, this seemingly carnage-filled mall might still be navigable. Moreover, Ling Mo had been to this mall before and knew that the higher floors had more upscale shops, which naturally attracted fewer people.

When the disaster struck, everyone likely rushed downstairs, so while the first and second floors were packed with zombies, the upper levels might be relatively empty.

At the very least, with the numerous staircases in the mall, Ling Mo was confident he could escape if necessary.

After making up his mind, Ling Mo took a deep breath and quietly circled the mall’s perimeter, eventually slipping in through a side employee entrance.

As for Ye Lian and Xia Na, although they could freely move among the zombies, Ling Mo felt uneasy seeing the large number of zombies inside the mall. So, he had the two Mutation Zombies stick close to him instead of barging in through the main entrance.

Inside the employee passage, it was a semi-enclosed space. From the half-open door, they could see into the mall, and they could silently ascend the stairs.

Although they didn’t come into direct contact with the zombies inside the mall, being so close to the zombie horde was still quite nerve-wracking.