Chapter 571 – Attention! This is Just a Drill!

“That’s really…,” Ling Mo was somewhat dumbfounded.

These details were things he had never noticed before. As Mu Chen had said, from a human perspective, zombies outside only had one characteristic: danger.

Observing these subtle changes among the dense crowd of zombies was absolutely impossible without a 24-hour stakeout.

Things that one couldn’t even conceive of naturally wouldn’t be experimented upon.

But Niepan was different. Their members were spread across three provinces, scattered among various small Survivor groups.

This model essentially centralized all the information small groups could gather into Niepan’s hands. Moreover, Niepan had its own hunting squads specifically catching Senior Zombies and teams dedicated to virus research.

The resources they had in this area were unmatched by any other organization Ling Mo had known.

Maybe… even in Falcon, they had people? Such things were hard to say for certain…

But at least Ling Mo was sure of one thing: there were definitely no members of Niepan within the Falcon Second Camp. As unreliable as Yuwen Xuan might be, he would never allow their Headquarters to be infiltrated. However, the development of the Falcon Second Camp was still restricted by the Headquarters, which was why Ling Mo chose the F Team to establish a Squad rather than the Falcon Second Camp.

Yuwen Xuan’s place simply couldn’t spare the manpower…

“So, what do you think?” Mu Chen asked smugly, raising his chin. He felt like he had finally scored a point in this regard, regaining a bit of face after being outdone by Ling Mo in various ways.

“What else?” Ling Mo earnestly inquired.

“Hehe…,” Mu Chen was highly satisfied and continued, “Look, although these zombies appear identical, their actions differ once humans are present. Ordinary zombies are driven by that one… let’s call him the Alpha. The Alpha uses sound to direct ordinary zombies to charge first. Other Senior Zombies either hide among the crowd or climb walls to flank. In other words, they already have a basic strategic awareness.”

“They’re using tactics now…” Ling Mo nodded thoughtfully.

“Exactly. We now have reason to believe that even ordinary zombies have evolved a rudimentary Intelligence and can understand simple commands from their Advanced counterparts. As for why they can resonate so well, it must be due to the Homologous Virus…” Mu Chen trailed off, realizing he had let something slip. But considering the person in front of him seemed completely in the dark, he shrugged it off. Little did he know, Ling Mo had keenly picked up on that term: Homologous Virus.

The last time he heard this was from Jianqi, and now again from Mu Chen.

It seemed Jianqi was right; Niepan had indeed made progress in their research. However, the exact extent of their advancements remained unknown.

Ling Mo had already made up his mind that cooperation would be ideal. But if the other side decided to play hardball, he, operating from the shadows, would take special measures to acquire these research results.

These findings were of significant value to Ling Mo. Obtaining them would solve many questions.

Even if it couldn’t provide an immediate solution, it would at least give him a direction.

“I see…” Ling Mo continued nodding, “But now it seems ordinary zombies are no longer ordinary, right?”

Mu Chen cleared his throat and nodded, “Certainly. They are generally close to the level of mutation zombies.”

“Mutation zombies…” Another familiar term reached Ling Mo’s ears.

It was a grading system he initially devised and later handed over to Falcon. He hadn’t expected it to become so widespread…

Communication was so difficult, yet this information spread so quickly!

Ling Mo muttered to himself but then heard Mu Chen further explain: “Mutation zombies are those that have just transitioned from the ordinary zombie state and possess a bit of Intelligence… You can mainly tell from their eyes and expressions. However, distinguishing them from the more Advanced Zombies is tough. You can only tell after an encounter.”

“I invented this grading system, you know…” Ling Mo internally rolled his eyes. While they might have difficulty distinguishing, it was a different story for him. For Ling Mo, merely “looking” at the zombie’s psychic light cluster made its level crystal clear.

Mu Chen talked so much that his mouth went dry and suddenly realized.

Damn!!! Wasn’t he just giving Ling Mo tons of Intelligence?

He was supposed to be an undercover agent, not here to deliver free information!

Mistake! Serious mistake!

Mu Chen wished he could smack himself, but when he thought about it, it was all Ling Mo’s fault. If Ling Mo hadn’t constantly been messing with him, he wouldn’t have gotten caught up in this pointless banter.

As a result, the other party didn’t express any admiration for him; instead, Mu Chen had spilled everything, both what he should and shouldn’t have said…

“Could he have been fishing for information?” Mu Chen suddenly felt a bit distressed.

Looking back, it seemed Ling Mo had indeed led him to say all that…

But how did this guy know so much? Maybe he was overthinking it… Mu Chen puzzled himself while trying to convince himself otherwise.

“We’re back.”

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and three figures walked in one after another, speaking in unison.

These three were none other than Skinny Monkey, Zhang Xincheng, and Ye Kai.

Compared to those inside the room, they appeared much more exhausted. Not only were they drenched in sweat, but their weapons were also blood-stained to varying degrees.

“There were a lot of zombies over there. We cleared the path, but it probably won’t stay clear for long. The neighboring streets are filled with zombies, and they’ll come over as soon as they catch the scent,” Zhang Xincheng said.

“Yeah…” Skinny Monkey also nodded in agreement. He still looked quite shaken, and his legs were trembling.

Seeing this, Ling Mo couldn’t help but remember when he had ordered Skinny Monkey to join the group. The guy was so scared that he almost collapsed on the spot, nearly hugging Ling Mo’s leg and crying.

Ling Mo thought his Superpower was useful, but his personality was too timid. Despite his tearful pleas, Ling Mo still sent him out.

As they were leaving, Skinny Monkey clung to the door frame, staring at Ling Mo with a face full of resentment, which gave Ling Mo chills even now when he thought about it.

“See? I told you it would be fine following them,” Ling Mo walked over, patting Skinny Monkey on the shoulder.

He didn’t use much force, but Skinny Monkey still swayed and shivered as he nodded, “Uh-huh…”

“By the way, didn’t I tell you to try to lure the Zombies away? If you can’t, then kill them inside a building or something? Ye Kai should be good at this,” Ling Mo said.

“That’s what I was doing, but at one point, when I entered a building, two more Zombies popped up out of nowhere, so…” Ye Kai sighed, frustrated. “It was my fault.”

“It was mine and Skinny Monkey’s failure to scout properly,” replied Zhang Xincheng, showing his sense of loyalty.

Skinny Monkey trembled again at being implicated, nervously looking at Ling Mo, fearing he’d be blamed.

“It’s no big deal…” Ling Mo reassured with a generous smile.

Just as Skinny Monkey showed a relieved smile, Ling Mo added, “That was just a drill; the real thing is coming up.”

“What?!” Skinny Monkey almost jumped up.

A drill?!

They had navigated through streets packed with over a hundred Zombies, scouted a route to a Mall, and cleared a path full of near-death experiences that had left Skinny Monkey shaking in his boots, only to find out it was just a drill?!

This was a life-or-death drill!

However, Skinny Monkey was the only one visibly distressed…

Zhang Xincheng remained calm and nodded, while Ye Kai, full of adrenaline, said, “Don’t worry, I won’t make any mistakes this time.”

“Why are you all so enthusiastic…” Skinny Monkey was on the verge of tears. He was the typical follower, never the one to jump out alone to oppose or protest anything. Unfortunately, his teammates didn’t share his mindset and weren’t on the same page at all.

“But I still want to ask, what exactly is our team’s role?” Zhang Xincheng glanced at Ling Mo and inquired.

“Future operations of the F Team will hinge on you guys. Does that feel like too much pressure?” Ling Mo asked.

Ye Kai and Zhang Xincheng’s eyes lit up simultaneously.

Pressure? When has it ever not been stressful to survive? But if this pressure could lead to a better way of living, it’s exactly what they longed for.

Skinny Monkey, on the other hand, stared dumbfounded at them and then looked down at his own hands.

Holding… the fate of the F Team in his hands? Did he really have that kind of ability?