Chapter 674 – Creative Appearance

“But wait, if those are wings, why didn’t it just fly?”

Ling Mo quickly snapped out of his shock and identified a flaw in his initial assumption.

Evolutionary mutations typically have specific functions suited to the organism, so there must be a purpose related to this particular purple-eyed zombie.

Just judging by sight alone, it was difficult to determine the function of those membranes.

Additionally, the appearance of this purple-eyed zombie was quite… unique.

It was hard to determine its gender based on looks alone.

However, in terms of distinctiveness, this purple-eyed zombie scored incredibly high.

Its skin was deathly pale, clinging tightly to its bones and muscles.

The muscles appeared as if they had been forcibly stuffed into the skin, making them look conspicuously out of place, bulging with vein patterns resembling worms.

This unusual combination of skinniness and muscular build left a lasting impression.

But the most distinctive feature of all was its face.

Hollowed cheeks, bulging eyes, white teeth and crimson gums visible when it opened its mouth, and long hair flowing down its back, making its head appear even smaller.

Its hands, at first glance, looked just like those of a mummy.

Translucent, elongated nails filled with dark brown blood, as if the nails were permanently stained with blood.

“Quite a creative look…” Ling Mo thought indifferently.

He had developed a high tolerance for bizarre appearances; after all, he had seen all sorts of peculiar zombies.

But it was still surprising to see a Senior Zombie—the highest level of zombie known—looking like this.

“What are you staring at?” the Birdman seemed surprised, wondering since when humans started analyzing it with such scrutinizing eyes.

Moreover, the lack of fear in Ling Mo’s gaze made the Birdman feel uneasy.

It was like a lamb staring calmly at a hungry wolf—something was definitely off!

“What is that thing?” Ling Mo straightforwardly asked, pointing to the Birdman’s arm.

The Birdman was genuinely stunned this time. It had never encountered such prey before!

No, actually, in its eyes, humans like Ling Mo didn’t even count as proper prey, more like a snack at best.

And yet, this human-shaped snack not only dared to stand in its way, injuring its sole of the foot, but was also seriously pointing at its advanced evolution and asking what it was!

But as the Birdman opened its mouth and thought for a moment, it was stumped.

Yeah… what exactly should it be called?

“Seriously? You don’t even know?” Ling Mo blinked and asked.

With his hand behind his back, he waved slightly, silently urging them, “Keep moving.”

At this moment, Ling Mo’s psychic power was being heavily consumed, and due to his intense concentration, he also felt very weak. But the recent successful attack on the sole of the foot gave him a shred of confidence.

This monstrosity had incredible speed and strength, and even something akin to wings. But if it was just for stalling, it might be possible.

Moreover, its curiosity was evidently quite strong. By taking advantage of this trait, they might be able to buy even more time.

Once Ye Lian and the others’ evolution stabilized, they might just stand a chance!

In any case, Ling Mo couldn’t let this gender-ambiguous Birdman get near Ye Lian and the others before that!

Ye Lian noticed Ling Mo’s small gesture right away. She glanced at the Birdman eyes, seeing that its attention was almost entirely drawn to Ling Mo. She then stealthily led Xiao Bai along the wall, slowly making their way behind Ling Mo.

Ling Mo kept staring at the Birdman while gradually shifting his position to maintain a protective stance in front of them.

“How about I give you a name?” Ling Mo suggested.

The Birdman rolled its eyes, “A name? I don’t need human trinkets.”

“Really? Then I’ll just call you Hey, or Zombie.” Ling Mo nodded, “But with so many zombies around, that name is way too common, not advanced at all.”

The Birdman seemed to mentally repeat after him, then suddenly shook his head, “No way.”

“Then how about Bird Zombie? You can even give yourself a nickname, like… Little Bird.” Ling Mo continued to talk nonsense while sensing Ye Lian’s position.

Just as Ye Lian managed to completely circle around to his rear, Ling Mo’s vigilance reached its peak.

“Little Bird…” The Birdman clearly had no taste in naming things. It repeated the name and accepted it just like that!

“So casual… If I’d known it would be that easy, I would have made up an even sillier name.”

Ling Mo felt a tinge of regret.

After exchanging a few sentences, the Bird Zombie seemed to develop an interest in talking. It paid no mind to its injured sole of the foot and asked with genuine curiosity, “Human, why are you with zombies? And what’s the deal with those zombies over there?”

Of course!

Aside from Ye Lian, who was a normal-turned zombie, the other female zombies were quite unique.

For a Bird Zombie with intelligence and the ability to think, this must have been incredibly shocking.

Its earlier behavior didn’t suggest it wanted to charge at them immediately. It had been rather curious, observing and testing.

Thinking of this, Ling Mo’s newly built confidence wavered once more.

The opponent hadn’t even shown its true abilities yet…

But neither had he reached his limit.

“What does it matter to you?” Ling Mo retorted, subtly probing for information.

He also wanted to figure out this Bird Zombie’s intentions-it couldn’t have come just to enjoy the show, right?

The Bird Zombie chuckled strangely and said, “At first, I smelled a delicious meal. But when I came, I saw a human. And even more bizarre food.”

“Who are you calling bizarre food!”

Ling Mo felt a twinge of annoyance.

So this Bird Zombie was like someone discovering entirely new culinary delights, full of enthusiasm and curiosity!

The Bird Zombie’s gaze shifted towards Ye Lian and the others.

As soon as its eyes met Ye Lian’s, Xiao Bai immediately turned around and dashed towards the alley entrance.

The Bird Zombie’s eyes widened in surprise and then turned to glare angrily at Ling Mo, “Human, you deceived me!”

With that, its throat emitted a strange growl, and its body suddenly blurred.

Ling Mo felt his vision blur, unable to see clearly for a moment.

Luckily, he was prepared. As the Bird Zombie disappeared, his focus instantly sharpened.

“Bang, Bang, Bang!”

Within a mere second, Ling Mo felt a series of afterimages flash before his eyes. His psychic tentacles, which formed a dense protective barrier, burst one after another, scattering energy into a red mist.

It felt as if someone was hammering at his head repeatedly with a tiny mallet.

Though the pain wasn’t intense, the increasingly blinding blur and the sensation of dizziness grew more severe.

Too fast!

Ling Mo tried his previous strategy again, but this time, it was much less effective.

The Bird Zombie had learned from its earlier mistake; each time Ling Mo almost caught it, the creature would escape instantly, moving even faster than before by a third.

As a result, Ling Mo’s reaction speed was starting to lag. Yet, he wasn’t about to let this Birdman break through his defenses that easily.

Though the tentacles couldn’t restrain it, Ling Mo had other plans.

Hearing the Bird Zombie’s fragmented, shrill laughter as it dodged at high speed, Ling Mo’s eyes remained calm.

“Let’s see how long you can keep laughing!”

With that, he suddenly stretched out both hands and clenched them forcefully in the Birdman’s direction.

Simultaneously, the invisible tentacles vibrated intensely.

A massive influx of mental energy surged into them, and almost in unison, all the tentacles shot towards the center!

The purpose of the psychic tentacles wasn’t merely to defend; they were designed for both offense and defense!

Despite the Bird Zombie’s incredible speed, it couldn’t evade the countless tentacles emerging from all directions.

Moreover, the tentacles ranged from materialized to those capable of inducing psychic interference.

Amidst the chaotic weaving of tentacles, sparks began to fly out sporadically.

Finally, amidst those sparks, a drop of blood appeared!

“Argh…”

The Bird Zombie let out a muffled groan, its figure suddenly becoming visible.

A scar, like a skeletal mark, ran down its face, stretching from the lower eyelid to the cheek.

The wound targeted primarily the fragile lower eyelid.

Its eye also showed signs of hemorrhage; the white area bore numerous blood vessels, as if someone had landed a solid punch, causing fine red lines to appear.

This momentary lapse granted Ling Mo an opportunity.

More tentacles crazily shot towards the Bird Zombie, while it swiftly raised its arm in defense.

“Bang, Bang, Bang!”

The sound of metal clashing echoed nonstop!