Chapter 602 – Infection Source

It turned out to be real trouble.

Ling Mo quickly moved closer, using the flashlight’s remaining beam to observe Xiao Bai’s condition.

At this moment, the mutation panda was lying limp on the ground, its limbs sprawled out, and it was letting out pained whimpers.

When the light hit it, it opened one eye and glanced at Ling Mo, then lifelessly closed it again.

“What on earth is happening…”

Ling Mo had never seen Zombies or mutation beasts in such a condition; it seemed more like… getting sick?

But wasn’t that absurd? What virus could possibly outdo the Zombie virus?

However, as an “iron-blooded killer” unafraid of pain or adversity, Xiao Bai wasn’t rolling on the ground; it was enduring with all its might.

“Are you injured?”

Ling Mo combed through the thick fur, searching for a while, but found only a few superficial wounds.

These minor injuries were equivalent to scratches for Xiao Bai, impossible to cause such distress.

“Open your mouth, let me see.” Ling Mo reached out to pry open Xiao Bai’s mouth.

“MeGu…”

Xiao Bai opened its mouth wide enough to swallow Ling Mo’s head in one bite.

Anyone else would be scared stiff at the sight of such a gaping maw.

But as the Controller, Ling Mo was completely unfazed by such a situation.

So when the enormous mouth appeared before him, Ling Mo unguardedly leaned in, shining the flashlight inside.

However, immediately…

“Ahhhh!”

Ling Mo suddenly let out a scream and retreated in panic.

“This… this…”

He pointed at Xiao Bai’s wide-open mouth, swallowed hard, and finally said in a trembling voice, “Inside Xiao Bai’s throat…”

It wasn’t unusual for Ling Mo to react dramatically; for any normal human, this scene would be horrifying.

At the moment the light entered, Ling Mo clearly saw at the end of that large mouth a hand extending from within its body!

And the hand’s fingers were spread wide, as if trying to grasp something before it fully slipped inside…

From Ling Mo’s perspective, it looked exactly like a hand from hell trying to drag him in!

After regaining his composure, Ling Mo noticed that Ye Lian and the others were staring at him in bewilderment.

Especially Xia Na, who glanced at it and then shrugged indifferently. “It’s just something stuck while eating…”

“Mm-hmm!” Ye Lian and Li Yalin nodded in agreement.

“…”

Ling Mo was speechless. How come it seemed like he was the only one making a fuss?

“I’ve told you so many times, no hunting! Although it’s a Zombie, it’s still a humanoid Creature. Consider my feelings, okay…”

Ling Mo was still trying to sound calm, but Xia Na had already rolled up her sleeves and said, “Xiao Bai, hang in there… for your unlucky owner.”

“MeGu…” Xiao Bai mumbled indistinctly.

“What are you going to do?”

Ling Mo watched with wide eyes as Xia Na crouched down and then extended her delicate arm into Xiao Bai’s wide-open mouth.

“Ah… got it.” Xia Na said nonchalantly, but her expression suddenly turned strange. “Huh…”

“What’s the matter?” Ling Mo immediately became tense again.

“I don’t know…” Xia Na replied casually, but suddenly withdrew her arm.

She pulled out that hand, and along with it, came a bald head and a body from Xiao Bai’s mouth…

Ling Mo was utterly stunned…

It was an intact Zombie! And… it was quite small!

So small… it looked just like a baby!

To be precise, this Zombie was even smaller than a typical baby, comparable to a newly born kitten.

However, the size of its hands didn’t match its body at all; the hands were almost half the size of its body…

But while Ling Mo was staring in shock, that hand, which had scared him earlier, suddenly grabbed his ankle.

“Ah!”

Out of pure instinct, Ling Mo kicked out as soon as he felt the grip.

“Screeech!”

With a strange cry, the little Zombie hit the wall and landed on all fours, glaring at Ling Mo like a vicious little dog.

Although the little zombie was about the size of a baby, the blood-red eyes shining in its sockets were not filled with innocence but with brutality.

Among the group, it unsurprisingly locked onto the only human, Ling Mo.

“Wow, quick reflexes,” Li Yalin praised.

“We’re not watching a show!” Ling Mo muttered gloomily.

“Wow, it’s really alive!” Xia Na exclaimed excitedly.

This time, Ling Mo finally lost it. “You knew that already, didn’t you?”

“I couldn’t confirm it without pulling it out,” Xia Na said innocently.

Despite just being extracted from Xiao Bai’s esophagus, the zombie infant showed no signs of weakness. It watched Ling Mo warily, quickly bouncing left and right in place.

“He doesn’t really think of me as prey, does he…” Ling Mo mumbled, his mouth twitching.

“Don’t misunderstand. To him, you’re just a big hunk of meat,” Xia Na explained, “He won’t back down because you’re larger; actually, it makes him more excited.”

“…Thanks for the explanation, I feel so much better…”

Ling Mo kept a close eye on the little zombie, while also saying, “Seems like this Infection Source has a pretty wide target range, even including newborn little zombies.”

“What are you talking about…” Xia Na giggled, “This is the Infection Source.”

“What?” Ling Mo was stunned.

This little thing… is the Infection Source?!

Xia Na showed her hand, and Ling Mo finally noticed that she was holding something.

A white, straw-like object…

“I pulled this from his body,” Xia Na said with a smile.

Ling Mo took a closer look at the zombie infant but couldn’t find anything that looked like a wound.

“He tried to bite me earlier,” Xia Na continued.

This made Ling Mo realize what had happened. When the zombie infant opened its mouth again, he indeed saw a similar straw-like object in its mouth.

Come to think of it, maybe Xiao Bai didn’t swallow him on purpose?

Regardless of how the previous scene had played out, the thing Ling Mo most wanted to know now was, had Xiao Bai been infected?

“Squeak!”

In the instant Ling Mo’s gaze shifted, the zombie infant seized the opportunity and leaped forward with astonishing force.

Its unusually large hands were incredibly powerful, propelling it a good two meters into the air as it lunged straight at Ling Mo.

Seeing its attack move, Ling Mo finally understood: this creature’s method of infection, or feeding, involved latching onto faces…

But Xiao Bai had a big head and an even bigger mouth, so it swallowed the thing in a single gulp.

“You really think I’m that easy to mess with?”

Having been scared by the little monster twice, Ling Mo was genuinely angry this time.

Although his psychic power was shielded, it turned out that his Tentacle retained about a tenth of its original function from before.

The zombie infant was fast, but it had an obvious drawback.

Just as it lunged at Ling Mo, it was abruptly intercepted by one of his Tentacles.

“Squeak!”

The lightweight little zombie was sent flying. As it fell, another Tentacle intercepted it from behind…

After about a minute of this back-and-forth volley, the dizzy zombie infant landed on the ground with a thud, where Xia Na promptly grabbed it.

Xia Na shook the baby-like zombie and remarked, “He’s been knocked out.”

With the repetitive bouncing and a mild Psychic Shock, it was no wonder.

“Hm, don’t deal with him just yet, but be careful.” Ling Mo advised.

The zombie infant might look like a baby, but it had absolutely nothing in common with human children.

Even though it was this small, its destructive power was equivalent to a hundred human brats.

“Understood.” Xia Na nodded, lifting the little zombie for closer inspection. Even in its dazed state, the little monster bared its fangs and scowled, making Xia Na burst into laughter.

Ling Mo, meanwhile, turned his attention to Xiao Bai. The mutation panda had been saved but still looked lethargic and downcast, though it was starting to get back on its feet.

“What do we do? It’s quite possible Xiao Bai is infected,” Ling Mo said with concern.

Li Yalin came over, took a sniff, and said, “It’s a small amount; otherwise, he’d be losing his mind by now, right?”

“What do you mean?” Ling Mo asked.

Ye Lian glanced around and interjected, “You… you look…”

Using her perspective, Ling Mo surveyed the surroundings. After pausing for a moment, he finally realized, “You’re right!”