Chapter 667 – Retractable

The tremors of the mutation panda felt as though a more powerful engine had suddenly been installed inside its body, and its body could hardly withstand this newfound power.

However, under the erosion of the virus, its body was adjusting itself, gradually syncing up with this new engine.

Ling Mo watched Xiao Bai with full concentration, fearing to miss even the slightest detail.

“Click click click…”

A series of sounds, as if bones were deforming, came from all over Xiao Bai’s body.

Xiao Bai’s whimpers became more painful, and its tremors grew more intense.

“Is this intense reaction because it’s evolving while still infected?” Ling Mo ran his hand through Xiao Bai’s fine fur, then looked at the sweat in his palm and pondered.

Another dense series of crackling sounds echoed, and the muscles on Xiao Bai’s body swelled up.

Its already enormous body appeared even larger now.

“Although I don’t want you to become miniature, please don’t get any bigger either…” Ling Mo sighed.

If it got any bigger, it would be too conspicuous.

Even if it kept some distance from Ling Mo, there was a risk of being discovered by others.

But there was nothing he could do at the moment!

All he could do was try to calm Xiao Bai to alleviate its pain somewhat.

On the other hand, the more pain Xiao Bai felt, the more it impacted Ling Mo, almost causing him to falter several times, but each time he managed to pull himself together.

After the intense physical reactions, Xiao Bai’s psychic fluctuations changed a bit too.

This was actually a normal reaction; with each evolution, apart from physical changes, there would also be some improvement in intelligence.

However, Ling Mo’s understanding of mutation beasts was not as deep as that of zombies, so all he could do was watch.

Time passed second by second, and Xiao Bai’s tremors turned from intermittent to constant.

The abnormal crackling of bones in its body never ceased, making Ling Mo worry it might suddenly grow again.

But to his surprise, after a sudden “click,” the mutation panda shrank one size down, returning to its previous size.

“Huh?”

Ling Mo wiped his eyes; he thought he was seeing things.

To his surprise, a few seconds later, Xiao Bai repeated the process once again.

Now Ling Mo was shocked—it turned out to be retractable!

Animals already held many mysteries, but after being modified by the virus, the results of their evolution were even more unpredictable.

After a few more attempts, Xiao Bai’s body seemed to gradually adapt to the changes.

It struggled to stand up, and then its body started to inflate bit by bit, like a balloon.

After swelling up to twice its original size, Xiao Bai let out a “MeGu” sound, showed a slight expression of pain, and then “pop”—it returned to its original size.

Ling Mo stared with wide eyes for a full minute, finally confirming that Xiao Bai didn’t have any further tendency to shrink.

“Being able to get bigger would indeed help it fully utilize its advantages.”

Ling Mo thought of the Panda Fall move, which was indeed the mutation panda’s Trump card.

Not only that, but Ling Mo also noticed some changes in Xiao Bai’s fur.

For instance, the fur around its dark circles had deepened, making it look even more like a normal panda. If not for those glaring red eyes, Xiao Bai’s appearance would be almost identical to a regular panda.

However… its size was still noticeably different!

When Xiao Bai raised a paw to scratch its head again, Ling Mo noticed that its body had other changes as well.

The sharp claws looked even sharper now and were better concealed.

Although the changes weren’t dramatic, even these small details could significantly enhance Xiao Bai’s capabilities.

And Ling Mo was quite satisfied with this outcome…

“MeGu!”

Xiao Bai hummed while shaking its head energetically.

Ling Mo was watching in confusion when his expression suddenly turned to one of horror.

Xiao Bai… had vanished!

Although it was right in front of him, he suddenly couldn’t sense it!

Their psychic link was still there, but Xiao Bai’s exact position was completely undetectable.

This feeling was akin to when Xiao Bai and Yu Shiran were in the basement full of watery corpses, where their psychic sensing had been shielded.

At this moment, the feeling was particularly intense, almost making Ling Mo think that the psychic link between him and Xiao Bai had inexplicably severed.

Fortunately, the sensation soon vanished, and Xiao Bai returned to its normal behavior.

It twisted its body, shook off some sweat, and gradually returned to its usual self.

It took Ling Mo a good ten seconds to snap out of it, and he suddenly realized that Xiao Bai had indeed mutated…

But its mutation seemed to share a common trait with those watery corpses.

They could shield themselves from psychic power probes…

Thinking it over carefully, Ling Mo realized that the feeling was stronger because of their psychic link, and because he was caught off guard…

In fact, once that “ability” of Xiao Bai’s disappeared, Ling Mo realized that the shielding effect of Xiao Bai’s ability was still very different from the combined effect of so many watery corpses.

However, in a fight against a mental ability superhuman, using this ability unexpectedly could have an astonishing effect.

By this time, nearly two hours had passed since Xiao Bai first started showing signs of evolution. The area around Ling Mo was littered with Gel, and any female zombies that glanced over would silently leave and continue their hunt.

For zombies, evolving peers and mutation beasts were incredibly alluring.

Furthermore, during those moments, Ling Mo’s control over Xiao Bai was at its weakest, and the mutual influence via their psychic link also diminished.

Even Yu Shiran merely glanced from a distance and then waved her small fist at Ling Mo before reluctantly walking away, constantly looking back.

“She should be satisfied now,” Ling Mo thought to himself.

But honestly, the most satisfied person was Ling Mo himself. He had been worried that Xiao Bai would evolve into some bizarre form, but it turns out Black Silk remained a unique oddity…

“But what exactly did you secrete to achieve this effect?”

Ling Mo circled Xiao Bai, observing carefully for a while. After several more attempts, he finally reached a conclusion: “Sweat…”

This realization made Ling Mo break out in a sweat. Didn’t this mean that each time Xiao Bai wanted to use this “ability,” it would have to sprint in place for a while before it could take effect?

Ling Mo glanced at Xiao Bai somewhat speechlessly and suddenly said with deep meaning, “Thank you for your hard work…”

“MeGu!”

An excited Xiao Bai tried to spin in place, but as soon as it turned around, a streetlamp post it bumped into let out a creaking protest. At a speed visible to the naked eye, and along with Xiao Bai’s cumbersome turning motion, the post bent out of shape…

“MeGu…”

Xiao Bai begrudgingly continued to squeeze.

Ling Mo couldn’t help but sigh, “Just give up…”

…

While Xiao Bai was evolving, Li Yalin was also experiencing anomalies.

As she passed through more and more places, inexplicable snippets of memories flashed through her mind with increasing frequency.

At first, Li Yalin didn’t understand what these snippets meant, but as they became more frequent, she began to realize that she might be remembering something…

These memories were clearly unrelated to her life as a Zombie; they were from her time as a human. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been deemed “useless.”

But should she delve into them, or… should she tell Ling Mo?

Li Yalin was unsure. With her current cognitive abilities, she couldn’t fully grasp such “complex” matters.

“Should I… or shouldn’t I?”

Li Yalin pondered, counting on her fingers.

“Better think about it, so you won’t keep bothering me.” Frustrated by the persistent memories, this prompted her to make a decision.

But simply brooding over it wouldn’t work either, as she had no clues to go on!

“Ah, that’s right!”

A flash of inspiration struck Li Yalin. “That ponytail!”

The only clue that had surfaced in her mind was the blurry silhouette of a Ponytail Girl.

But who that was, and what relationship they had, Li Yalin had no idea.

It felt like she had a brand new book without an index—unless she turned to a specific page, she couldn’t guess the content.

That was exactly Li Yalin’s situation now, so to remember more, she needed to find more clues.