Chapter 658 – Breaking into an Empty House

The massive fire in Dongming burned throughout the entire night and into the next morning. As Ling Mo and his group emerged from an abandoned motel, they could still see the thick, black smoke rising in the distance.

The sky seemed entirely darkened by the soot, and a faint, pungent smell lingered in the air.

Seeing this scene through the desolate buildings would probably give anyone the feeling that the world was slowly being consumed.

“The fire is intense. It has attracted all the nearby zombies,” Mu Chen remarked, cautiously poking his head out to look up and down the street. He then sighed in relief.

Ling Mo walked out, hands in his pockets, carrying a backpack. He looked somewhat groggy but his eyes were bright and alert. Standing on the steps, he casually reminded, “Don’t forget, we have a half-formed one right here with us. If you want to see a zombie, just turn around.”

“Huh?” Mu Chen instinctively turned back, only to meet a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Xu Shuhan, restrained by Xia Na, was stretching one arm forward, baring her teeth at Ling Mo and Mu Chen. After a few growls, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, and she gradually calmed down.

But the sight still sent chills down Mu Chen’s spine.

If it were just a regular zombie, it would be one thing. But seeing a familiar person in this state was even more horrifying.

Watching Xu Shuhan, Mu Chen couldn’t help but feel that the chances of her recovery were slim. Yet, if Ling Mo hadn’t given up, how could he so easily jump to conclusions?

Feeling suddenly uneasy, he grumbled, “Why does she only act hostile towards the two of us?!”

He glanced over at Ye Lian and the three girls.

These three girls always stood close to Xu Shuhan without any hesitation, and Xia Na even took on the duty of restraining her. Yet Xu Shuhan seemed to ignore the three girls beside her, directing her aggression solely at the two of them.

This just didn’t add up!

Ling Mo thought for a moment and said earnestly, “Maybe it’s just the attraction of opposites…”

“Don’t mess with me!” Mu Chen grumbled in irritation.

“Alright, let’s get going. The branch is currently empty, and we need to head to the Niepan headquarters soon. It’s a good idea to stock up on supplies,” Ling Mo said.

Mu Chen’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! It’s the perfect time to break in!”

“But there are two parts to the branch: the living quarters and… let’s call it the office,” Mu Chen explained.

Before Ling Mo could respond, Mu Chen continued, “Let’s go to the office; most of the supplies are stored there.”

This time, without having to take any detours, Mu Chen led Ling Mo and the others to a hospital entrance within an hour.

“This is it?” Ling Mo asked, somewhat surprised.

No wonder he asked – the hospital looked incredibly outdated.

It was like something from decades ago, and now it looked even more desolate.

The fragmented curtains flapped through the open windows, and the red brick exterior was covered in yellowing plants. These vines looked quite different from the old ivy, appearing more menacing and emitting a strange odor.

These plants had grown due to the virus infection. At first glance, they seemed harmless, but when they covered an entire building, it looked as if countless hands were reaching out from the walls.

The blackened entrance was also in complete disarray, making it hard to imagine that this place was affiliated with Niepan, let alone its branch in Dongming.

For a moment, Ling Mo thought there wasn’t any need for Mu Chen to have taken him on a detour earlier. Even if they had wandered nearby, he would never have guessed this place was the Dongming branch of Niepan.

“This is it,” Mu Chen confirmed. “Don’t just look at the ground level; the actual branch is underground. These old buildings have large basements that were perfect for our use.”

“True, it offers great concealment,” Ling Mo nodded in agreement.

Although it didn’t match his expectations, the group still followed Mu Chen inside.

As soon as Ling Mo stepped through the door, he felt the temperature drop several degrees.

Behind the door was a dim corridor. The lower half of the walls were painted green, with large bloodstains splattered against them, making the stains even more conspicuous.

The yellow wooden doors on both sides of the corridor were wide open, allowing the wind to blow through from one end to the other. The entire corridor was filled with creaking and howling wind sounds, which combined to create a rather eerie atmosphere.

“I thought the place you guys stayed in would be better,” Ling Mo couldn’t help but remark, following behind.

Since this was a branch of Niepan, there were no zombies. However, the environment made it hard not to stay on high alert.

“Safety comes first,” Mu Chen said, leading them straight through the corridor and down a staircase. “Besides, the conditions here are much better than what most survivors have. But this place can’t be compared to the headquarters. I’ve never been to the headquarters, but you could tell from the member we saw last night. The headquarters consolidates resources from several branches like ours.”

“Basically, you all serve the headquarters,” Ling Mo said bluntly.

Mu Chen opened his mouth and then sighed, “It’s a matter of willing participation. But now that I think about it, it is exhausting.”

Seeing Mu Chen express such an emotion was surprising to Ling Mo.

However, Mu Chen’s sincerity was evident. After resting for half the night, he had completely calmed down.

Initially, Mu Chen had approached the task of helping Ling Mo train the Miracle Squad with a transactional mindset. But now, he genuinely felt passionate about it.

At least he didn’t need to worry about being stabbed in the back or getting caught up in competitive scheming anymore.

Although Ling Mo had many secrets, Mu Chen understood one thing clearly.

As long as no one posed a threat to him, there would be no issues. But the moment anyone tried to harm him or his girlfriends, he wouldn’t show any mercy.

“Everything being out in the open makes interactions easier,” Mu Chen thought to himself.

After descending the stairs, a large iron door appeared in front of them.

Ling Mo looked up and was immediately speechless.

A wooden sign hung beside the door, with large characters spelling out: “Morgue Entrance.”

Mu Chen followed Ling Mo’s gaze and was momentarily stunned as well.

When they had left the sign up, most people found it amusing.

But now, it seemed quite ironic…

“Click, click, click…” Mu Chen forcefully pushed open the door.

This office wasn’t just a storage site for supplies; it was also where No. 0 used to be.

However, the place now appeared incredibly dim, with discarded items scattered all over the floor. Most of the doors were wide open. It was clear that anyone who remained here had left after last night.

This wasn’t surprising. Even if people didn’t know about the branch’s downfall, they had certainly witnessed No. 0’s death.

As they passed the laboratory, Ling Mo took a quick look inside and found a bluish body in an incubator.

Contrary to his expectations, the infant looked quite normal, though its head was slightly larger in proportion.

It was unclear where Niepan had found this human baby, but considering they had sacrificed an innocent life so readily for an experiment…

Ling Mo frowned slightly and thought to himself, “This is truly despicable.”

If the sacrifice for No. 0 was this significant, the birth of Number 1 must have been accompanied by countless deaths and immense suffering.

“Ling-Ge, come look here!” Xia Na suddenly called out.

Turning around, Ling Mo saw the three female zombies pulling Xu Shuhan to a cabinet, with Xia Na waving her hand at him.

He quickly walked over to find several drawers already open, exposing a variety of miscellaneous bottles and jars.

But the most noticeable item was a half-burned notebook on the table.

When the people left, they had seemingly intended to burn the notebook, but only managed to scorch one corner, leaving the rest intact.

Furrowing his brows, Ling Mo flipped through a few pages, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

These were the notes of the researchers!

Moreover, most of them focused on the study of psychic power…