Chapter 57 – Zombie, Your Underwear Fell Off

From the moment the shadow appeared to the moment Xia Na was dragged away, it was just a brief instant.

But by the time Ling Mo and Ye Lian rushed in, the shadow had already pulled Xia Na completely into the women’s restroom.

The door to the restroom had long been shattered, and the once tidy interior now looked like the gutted belly of a zombie. The walls, floor, and even the ceiling were smeared with dark brown bloodstains.

Bright sunlight streamed through the open window, but instead of bringing any warmth, it made the place seem even more eerie and terrifying.

Xia Na was pinned to the ground by the shadow. However, being attacked triggered her Mutation Zombie instincts. Her eyes had already turned blood-red, and she held her Long Knife in front of her, pressing it against the shadow with all her might.

But judging by Xia Na’s trembling arms, it was clear that the shadow’s strength was overwhelming. She wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

Fast and incredibly strong—Ling Mo quickly assessed the shadow’s abilities as he took in the scene.

Without needing any direction from Ling Mo, Ye Lian had already charged forward, driven by her zombie instincts. Her eyes were also glowing red, and as she suddenly closed in on the shadow, she swung her Curved Knife, sending a cold flash slicing through the air.

To Ling Mo’s surprise, Ye Lian’s fierce assault missed!

The shadow’s reaction was astonishingly quick, its movements nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. As Ye Lian’s Curved Knife came down, the shadow dodged, pressing itself against the corner of the wall.

A zombie that evades… Even Mutation Zombies don’t dodge attacks; it’s against their nature.

Could this shadow be more than just an ordinary Mutation Zombie?!

Despite his shock, Ling Mo was relieved to see Xia Na finally freed. He quickly pulled her to his side while directing Ye Lian to slowly retreat, adopting a defensive stance.

This zombie was no ordinary foe. Allowing Ye Lian to attack recklessly would surely lead to a dire outcome!

Ling Mo finally understood why he had felt a sense of unease as soon as they entered the Mall. The source of that feeling was likely the formidable zombie before them.

His Psychic Power was far stronger than that of an average person, making his senses particularly sharp. That sense of unease was probably an instinctive reaction to being near such a powerful enemy.

Realizing that there were no Mutation Zombies in such a large Mall, Ling Mo had already begun to piece together the origin of the zombie before him.

It must have hunted down all the Mutation Zombies in the Mall, eventually becoming this terrifying monster… Stronger than a Mutation Zombie! More intelligent! It had completely evolved to a new level!

It could hide, ambush, and even dodge attacks. This was an Advanced Zombie!

This Advanced Zombie not only had power far beyond that of an ordinary Mutation Zombie, but it had also developed a certain level of consciousness beyond mere instinct.

The blood-red eyes flickering beneath its disheveled hair no longer held only the hunger for blood that other zombies displayed. Ling Mo could vaguely see something else in them… Malice!

Yes, malice!

For the first time, Ling Mo saw an emotion other than bloodthirsty frenzy in the eyes of a zombie other than Ye Lian and Xia Na. Under Ling Mo’s gaze, this Advanced Zombie maintained a very strange posture. Its body was lowered, knees slightly bent, like a hungry wolf ready to pounce at any moment.

After a few seconds of tense standoff, the Advanced Zombie began to stir.

As the Advanced Zombie slowly stepped forward from the corner, Ling Mo finally got a clear look at her.

Her hair was a tangled mess of large, wavy curls. Her face, smeared with blood and grime, still bore traces of heavy makeup. The dress she wore was tattered and barely held together, exposing her bare buttocks and thighs. What caught Ling Mo’s eye, though, was the pair of underwear hanging from her left ankle, so stained it was impossible to discern its original color.

“It seems that when the disaster struck, this female zombie didn’t have time to put on her underwear before mutating…”

Ling Mo glanced at the zombie’s unkempt nether region and then let out a cold chuckle.

Despite the immense pressure he felt from this panty-less female zombie, Ling Mo found himself growing calmer.

Though she was strong and had a degree of rationality, she was not invincible. She was just more troublesome than the average Mutation Zombie.

If Ling Mo weren’t concerned about Ye Lian and Xia Na getting hurt, he could have simply let the two Mutation Zombies pounce together. In such a confined space, this Advanced Zombie would be dead for sure. But using such a mutually destructive method was out of the question for Ling Mo.

Besides, there were no other zombies in this bathroom that he could manipulate. Otherwise, with his Puppet Control Ability, Ling Mo was confident he could overwhelm her with sheer numbers.

As the Advanced Zombie continued to cautiously inch forward, Ling Mo’s pupils suddenly contracted. His psychic power formed an invisible tentacle that swiftly lashed out towards her. However, as soon as the tentacle touched her Psychic Light Cluster, a powerful recoil force immediately struck back. The tentacle was repelled, sending a sharp pain through Ling Mo’s head, causing him to wince.

As expected, this Mutation Zombie had regained more rationality than Ye Lian. With his current Puppet Control Ability, he couldn’t control her at all.

Ling Mo’s action infuriated the panty-less female zombie. She let out a hoarse, low “grrr” from her throat, took a slight step back, and then suddenly lunged forward, targeting Ling Mo directly!

“Damn!” Ling Mo only felt a gust of wind rushing at him. Though he quickly dodged to the side, while also directing Ye Lian to swing her curved knife to block, and Xia Na to slash forward with both hands gripping her knife, the female zombie’s reaction speed was far superior!

Ye Lian and Xia Na’s attacks were a fraction too slow. As Ling Mo shifted his body, he felt a tremendous force hit him. The female zombie had spread her legs and pressed her hands on his shoulders, pinning him to the ground.

Hitting the floor hard, Ling Mo’s stomach churned, as if his internal organs were shattered. His head smacked against the hard ground, making him dizzy. Even his short knife slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.

However, in the face of life and death, Ling Mo summoned an immense willpower, managing to suppress the urge to vomit blood. He gripped the female zombie’s throat with both hands, preventing her from biting down immediately. While Ling Mo withstood the pressure, Ye Lian and Xia Na had already pounced, their blades flashing as they simultaneously struck at the female zombie.

The female zombie had a sharp sense of danger, but Ling Mo was nearly killed by her. There was no way he would let her escape so easily. Though his arms felt like they were about to break, Ling Mo refused to let go. Not only that, but he also managed to free one hand, gritting his teeth as he mustered all his strength to deliver a powerful punch to the female zombie’s face.

“Bam!”

The force of the punch caused the female zombie’s head to snap to the side involuntarily, and a mouthful of foul blood sprayed from her mouth, mixed with fragments of teeth.

However, this punch didn’t knock her out. Instead, it drove her into a frenzy. Her hands, which were gripping Ling Mo’s shoulders, suddenly pressed down with even greater force. If Ling Mo hadn’t been resisting with all his might, her razor-sharp nails might have torn through his flesh.

Even so, the crushing weight bore down on him. The excruciating pain was immediate, and Ling Mo could hear the sickening crack of his shoulder blades. His arms went limp, and the female zombie seized this opportunity to leap over his head. Her pale buttocks flashed before his eyes as she narrowly dodged the two incoming blades.

The searing pain nearly caused Ling Mo to black out, but he gritted his teeth and reached for the short knife that had fallen nearby. He quickly rolled over and got to his feet.

No sooner had he stood up than he saw Xia Na rushing past him.

Her eyes flashed with a sudden hint of bloodlust. With a swift thrust of her long knife, she twisted her waist gracefully, spinning around the female zombie’s body in an incredibly elegant and fluid motion.

At this moment, the importance of skill became evident. In such close quarters, the Female Zombie’s attack speed was fast, but her techniques were limited. Xia Na, utilizing her exceptional agility, not only dodged the Female Zombie’s attack but also landed a strike with her long knife!

Originally aimed at the Female Zombie’s heart, Xia Na’s long knife was dodged just in time, grazing under the Female Zombie’s left armpit. Although it left a deep wound with blood gushing out, it did not deal a fatal blow.

The critical issue was that Xia Na’s reaction speed was far inferior to the Female Zombie’s!

Before Xia Na could regain her footing, the Female Zombie, ignoring her own injury, swiftly turned and swung her arm back as she spun around.

“Bam!”

Xia Na’s body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. However, being a Mutation Zombie herself, Xia Na adjusted her posture mid-air and landed lightly on the ground, seemingly unscathed.

But the fact that Xia Na was knocked away indicated the sheer strength of this Female Zombie!

Seeing Xia Na sent flying, Ling Mo and Ye Lian immediately charged forward. Seizing the precious moment when the Female Zombie was out of strength and slowed by her injury, they both swung their blades at her.

With two streams of blood shooting out, the Female Zombie’s body was almost cleaved in half. Before her body even hit the ground, Ye Lian had already circled behind her, skillfully extracting the virus gel from her brain with a swift flick of her curved knife.

“Thud!”

As the body hit the floor, a torrent of blood sprayed out.

“Let’s get out of here!”

Ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder, Ling Mo quickly led Xia Na and Ye Lian back the way they came. By the time they dashed into the stairwell, the zombies on the third floor had already been alerted and were rushing towards the bathroom.

The previously ghostly silent zombies soon filled the bathroom, frantically tearing apart the female Zombie’s corpse. Blood and flesh flew everywhere in a macabre frenzy…