Chapter 56 – Zombie Concentration Camp

As soon as the three of them entered, Ling Mo, Xia Na, and Ye Lian encountered two zombies. However, Ling Mo immediately took control of them, and with lightning speed, Xia Na and Ye Lian each snapped one of the zombies’ necks. Almost simultaneously, they dropped the bodies to the ground. It was clear that when these two Mutation Zombies teamed up with him, their coordination was impeccable.

Just as Ling Mo had suspected, the first floor of the New Era Mall was packed with zombies. However, the upper floors appeared somewhat empty.

This large mall, with its nine floors, should have housed a considerable number of Mutation Zombies.

Ling Mo understood the habits of Mutation Zombies better than anyone. After all, he had a genuine Mutation Zombie, Ye Lian, by his side.

When hungry, Ye Lian would attack ordinary zombies, but once satisfied, her desire to attack them would noticeably decrease.

However, there was one exception: when other Mutation Zombies were nearby, Ye Lian would immediately become extremely eager. It was as if there was some kind of resonance between these Mutation Zombies.

It probably had something to do with the Virus Gel they all produced…

Compared to ordinary zombies, the pure virus contained within Mutation Zombies was more likely to trigger Ye Lian’s aggression.

Other Mutation Zombies behaved similarly. For example, several times when Ling Mo encountered Mutation Zombies, their primary target was Ye Lian, their kind, rather than him, a living human.

But what puzzled Ling Mo was that neither Ye Lian nor Xia Na reacted upon entering this place. Moreover, there was no noise from the zombies; although the mall seemed infested with zombies, it was eerily silent and terrifying. This place could no longer be called a mall; it was more fitting to call it a zombie concentration camp.

This unsettling quiet made Ling Mo grip his Short Knife tighter.

With such a large number of zombies gathered here, there had to be Mutation Zombies among them. Had they all left? Or had they killed each other off?

Various speculations continuously flashed through Ling Mo’s mind, and that faint sense of unease grew stronger.

“Looks like I’m still not calm enough… So what if there are lots of zombies? What’s there to be scared of?”

Ling Mo silently cursed himself, and his tense mood gradually calmed down a bit. Although he had abilities, his strength was far from the level where he could ignore those terrifying zombies.

Adventure into dangerous places, even if there were potentially huge rewards ahead, feeling nervous and scared was inevitable. On the other hand, this also gave Ling Mo a strange sense of excitement. He even felt his mind had never been so focused, and every nerve seemed to be on edge. Indeed, pressure could turn into motivation and more easily unleash potential…

And the concentration of his Psychic Power resulted in sharper observation skills and stronger Puppet Control Ability.

Although he hadn’t attacked any zombies yet, Ling Mo had already noticed that his connection with Xia Na seemed to have a breakthrough due to this opportunity.

Previously, his Tentacle had only touched the surface of Xia Na’s Psychic Light Cluster, but now it seemed to have forcibly penetrated a bit deeper. As for the resistance coming from Xia Na’s mental depths, it didn’t pose as much of an obstacle to Ling Mo as before.

“This is an unexpected benefit,” Ling Mo thought with a hint of joy. Although this level wasn’t enough to control Xia Na, when he looked at her, he clearly saw Xia Na first glance at him with confusion, then show a hint of closeness.

Indeed, strengthening the connection could make her more attached to him, just like Ye Lian.

Could this be considered increasing favorability? Such a thought suddenly flashed through Ling Mo’s mind. When the favorability reached a certain level, he could successfully win over that lovely body…

The number of zombies in the emergency exit was much fewer than outside, but to avoid alarming the zombies in the first-floor hall, Ling Mo still had to put in some effort.

The more prosperous a place used to be, the harder it was to survive now. Ling Mo experienced this feeling up close.

A large Mall like this was bustling in the past, but now it had become a forbidden zone for the living. If it weren’t for the employee passageways, even Ling Mo wouldn’t dare to charge right in.

Taking a risk and courting death were, after all, two different concepts.

By this time, Ling Mo and his companions had reached the third floor. The number of zombies here had significantly decreased, making them bolder in their actions. However, to Ling Mo’s frustration, neither Xia Na nor Ye Lian sensed the presence of any Mutation Zombies. Yet that unsettling feeling continued to loom over Ling Mo, even making him a bit irritable.

“Could it be that there really aren’t any Mutation Zombies here? Damn, what a wasted trip.”

As they went further up, the number of zombies decreased even more, and Ling Mo has given up hope.

Ling Mo couldn’t believe it. Venturing into this mall and not even encountering a single Mutation Zombie was such bad luck!

Was he really going to turn back now? Ling Mo felt a sense of unwillingness. He thought for a moment and decided to venture a bit deeper inside.

Most of the counters on the third floor sold jewelry, with a section converted into a supermarket selling small household appliances and miscellaneous items, which weren’t particularly valuable to collect.

The number of zombies wandering here wasn’t large, and most of them were concentrated in the middle. Additionally, there were plenty of objects to use as cover, so as long as they didn’t make loud noises, they wouldn’t attract much attention.

To avoid getting surrounded by zombies, Ling Mo deliberately stuck to the walls, slowly moving forward. His target was the restroom ahead, located in the middle of the third floor.

He had thought it through. If they reached the restroom and Ye Lian and Xia Na still didn’t react, they would have to concede and return the way they came.

Fortunately, this was a bustling area. Even if they couldn’t find a Mutation Zombie in this mall, there were still other places to search.

But as they got closer to the restroom, Ling Mo’s disappointment grew. It seemed this trip was going to be fruitless…

However, just when Ling Mo was about to turn back, Xia Na suddenly stopped and said in a low voice, “I… don’t feel good…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a shadow suddenly darted out from the restroom, and before Ling Mo’s eyes, it dragged Xia Na back into the restroom!

“Shit!”

Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat. The shadow had just brushed past him, and he didn’t even get a clear look at it! Ling Mo considered his speed to be quite fast after his enhancements, but this shadow was clearly faster, even quicker than Ye Lian!

If its target had been him instead of Xia Na…

But regardless of what this shadow was, Ling Mo knew one thing: he was furious! Someone had snatched Xia Na right under his nose, and he didn’t even have a chance to stop it!

As Xia Na was dragged away, Ling Mo immediately rushed after her! Under his control, Ye Lian followed like an agile leopard.