Chapter 616 – Different Agendas

In this old building of the hostel, Ling Mo did find something.

The small storeroom on the third floor reeked of a musty odor once the door was pushed open, with lots of dust flying around.

The boxes piled inside were covered in mold, and suspicious black particles were scattered in some places.

Ignoring these details, the sports drinks and snacks Ling Mo picked out were still quite appealing.

“And still within their expiration dates!”

This discovery immediately lifted Mu Chen’s spirits, who had arrived feeling dejected. He even chose to ignore what Ling Mo had said: “You know you can’t depend on these, right?”

“There’re a few more boxes here. Have you checked them?” After packing everything into his bag, Mu Chen noticed a corner of the room with keen eyes.

Apart from the boxes, there was also a spring bed in the room. Judging by the dirty bedding on it, it was likely an employee’s former dormitory.

“Just some toiletries, mainly for the hotel.” Ling Mo glanced over indifferently, “You Niepan guys shouldn’t be lacking in this stuff, right?”

“Not lacking…” Mu Chen quickly replied, “Actually, talcum powder and similar things are more popular, you know.”

“Speaking of Niepan… where is your headquarters located?” Ling Mo suddenly asked.

This question made Mu Chen’s body stiffen. He froze for a moment, then discarded the small bar of soap he was examining: “I’m not really sure.”

“That denial lacked sincerity.” Ling Mo shook his head.

“Heh, maybe if you cooperate with us long enough, you might become an associate of the headquarters?” Mu Chen awkwardly laughed.

“Well… we’ll see.” Ling Mo responded nonchalantly.

“By the way,” Ling Mo broke the silence after barely two seconds, “have you figured out what to tell your branch?”

“Have you figured out… how to handle things once you get to the branch?” Mu Chen’s heart skipped a beat, but he couldn’t help but ask.

Mu Chen’s question carried a sense of desperation, especially after sharing his plan with Xia Zhi. He felt as though he had a fallback strategy now.

Anyway, asking didn’t count as a reckless move. Gathering more information could provide the escapee with a better chance.

However, Ling Mo didn’t seem surprised at all. He just smiled slightly, “You don’t have an answer in your heart?”

“If I had one, I wouldn’t be asking you!”

Mu Chen’s anxiety and anticipation instantly vanished, but he managed to suppress the roar within him.

This was a critical moment; he had to avoid being looked down upon.

“Heh…” Mu Chen’s laugh was faint and indifferent.

This kind of answer was probably louder than words… he thought to himself.

But frustratingly, he still couldn’t get anything useful out of Ling Mo.

Seeing that Ling Mo finally ceased his questioning, Mu Chen secretly sighed in relief, though he couldn’t help rolling his eyes: “He keeps trying to get information out of me, yet he won’t say anything when I ask him…”

Then he couldn’t help but start to worry again, arduously carrying his backpack while sneaking glances at Ling Mo and his group.

They said two hours, but how could he stall them that long…

And in fact, there wasn’t nearly enough time. He hadn’t even factored in the time for the chosen person to make their escape!

“By the way, if I say I have a stomachache now, could I delay them for two hours?” Mu Chen wondered, then glanced at an open box nearby.

Among the gnawed boxes, a few bags of damaged cookies lay lonely…

Mu Chen stared at them for a couple of seconds, then craned his neck and swallowed: “Forget it!”

…

“Bang!”

In a side alley of the hostel, an oversized Panda was squeezed tightly between two walls, while a bored little girl perched on its head.

Not far from them were about a dozen zombies, but the little girl acted as though she didn’t see them at all.

She was chewing on a piece of gel, her eyes fixed on an old iron door ahead.

The iron door was almost entirely sealed, with only a palm-wide gap at the bottom, making it impossible to see inside from her vantage point.

However, as soon as a silver thread extended from her neck, the girl immediately showed a disappointed expression: “Ah, it’s that woman.”

“MeGu!” The mutation panda drooped its eyelids, looking somewhat listless.

“Speaking of which, Xiao Bai, how exactly are you mutating?” Without much movement, the little girl suddenly leaped forward, then leaned over, placing her head in front of the mutation panda and facing it head-on. “Are you turning into someone like me, or like Black Silk? Or perhaps like that little monster that infected you?”

Xiao Bai shook its head and grunted, “MeGu…”

“Since you’re a National Treasure, why is your mutation so slow? No wonder you’ve been like this for eight million years… Even after being infected by the virus, all you did was change color.”

The zombie loli’s eyes turned slightly red as she sighed, “Even with a color change, it’s obvious you’re still a panda.”

“MeGu…” This time, Xiao Bai’s call sounded a bit aggrieved.

…

Meanwhile, Xu Shuhan never expected that there would be three pairs of eyes watching her from outside the main gate.

Although she had voluntarily stayed behind to guard and keep watch, she had never considered using this as an opportunity to escape.

Among the three, she had the lowest mobility and the poorest stamina.

And truth be told, it was possible that the other two companions might even join in chasing her if she tried to run.

Xu Shuhan understood this clearly, but despite that, she still felt a bit strange.

“They really trust me…” Xu Shuhan muttered as she sat on the bicycle, staring at the main gate. After a moment, she turned her gaze upward towards the building.

The whole courtyard was empty, with only her in it.

“This Ling Mo… I thought he would be watching me from upstairs.” Seeing no signs of surveillance, she lowered her head, but couldn’t help but smile. “What’s wrong with me? Feeling uneasy when no one’s watching me? No, no, this won’t do…”

However, as she looked up again, she noticed a person standing at the entrance of the hostel.

“Xia Zhi?” Xu Shuhan looked at him in surprise, then glanced up the stairs. “Aren’t you supposed to be looking for something?”

Xia Zhi looked the same as always, but he followed Xu Shuhan’s gaze and glanced up as well.

“Do you need to talk to me about something?” Xu Shuhan asked, puzzled, as she reached up to remove her headphones.

Xia Zhi looked at her and moved his lips, but then shook his head.

Xu Shuhan smiled, “Is Mu Chen being too annoying?”

This time, Xia Zhi nodded and glanced upward again.

“I find him annoying too, but haven’t you noticed that Ling Mo can be quite the talker too?” Xu Shuhan asked. “I’ve gotten used to it, actually. It’s kind of nice, not as oppressive.”

“Are you listening?” Xu Shuhan asked.

Xia Zhi slowly lowered his head, then turned to Xu Shuhan and nodded.

Xu Shuhan didn’t look up, still smiling as she continued to chat.

But if she had looked up, she would have noticed that a curtain upstairs was slightly trembling.

“Sending the least noticeable Xia Zhi as the messenger was a wise decision!”

Behind the curtain, Mu Chen’s face was full of excitement. “If it were me or Xu Shuhan out there, Ling Mo and the others would definitely pay attention.”

Although choosing Xia Zhi to discuss matters was a necessity today, Ling Mo and the others’ surveillance was indeed a significant factor.

In this regard, Xia Zhi had a natural advantage.

In fact, even Mu Chen, as his companion, often forgot Xia Zhi’s presence. On the contrary, Ling Mo frequently noticed his gestures and expressions, which both surprised Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan.

But still… they probably wouldn’t be too wary of him, right?

“Xia Zhi, you really are naturally inconspicuous but useful!” Mu Chen chuckled.

“Bang!”

A muffled sound suddenly came from behind, making Mu Chen shiver all over.

“Hey, you’re taking too long. Got a prostate issue?” Ling Mo’s voice came from outside the door.

Mu Chen hurriedly cleared his throat, frowned, and maneuvered around a skeleton in the corner of the restroom, shouting, “Why don’t you try being watched by a dead person? Can’t I have issues if I have them? Jeez!”