Chapter 679 – Are You Guys in Cahoots?

“So that’s how it is…”

Ling Mo quickly picked up the rag he had thrown on the ground and then turned to walk towards the large hole, leaping into it without hesitation.

The ground rapidly approached in his vision, the wind whistling past his ears, while muffled crashing sounds continued to emanate from inside the mall behind him.

Ling Mo landed lightly on the road but didn’t act immediately; instead, he casually rubbed his temples.

A zombie, attracted by the noise, spotted Ling Mo and was just about to pounce, but hesitated.

“Howl?”

It stopped about ten meters away, staring with suspicion at Ling Mo, who was rubbing his temples, and curiously eyeing the rag hovering around him.

This zombie seemed conflicted; by appearance, this was indeed a human!

But the scent he gave off smelled like a desiccated corpse devoid of any appetite appeal.

And that floating thing in the air clearly wasn’t a creature either…

Zombies are most interested in fresh flesh and blood, and if conditions are bad, some rotten, dried-up goods could also be acceptable.

But something completely devoid of moisture, with only a layer of skin remaining, would even disgust a zombie.

The assumption that “zombies aren’t picky eaters” is fundamentally wrong…

Zombies, too, have their dignity and pride…

Ling Mo had noticed the zombie the moment he landed, but the significant psychic power he expended during the jump made him feel extremely dizzy, so he didn’t have time to pay it any attention.

After rubbing his temples a few more times, he reached into his pocket and took out a few potion bottles.

“Not this one, this is No.0… right, this one.”

Dizzy and light-headed, Ling Mo selected one small bottle and eagerly unscrewed it, downing its contents.

He had not had the chance to take the potion earlier, but now finally found the moment.

“Done?”

Ling Mo finished the last bit of potion in the bottle and then shook the empty bottle vigorously.

“The base liquid is also gone…”

The basic solution used to dilute the virus had also been completely exhausted.

With this situation, Ling Mo couldn’t continue crafting by himself. He wasn’t short on virus, but he had no idea about the composition and production method of that base liquid.

The one left by No.0 had little effect on him, and in the blink of an eye, Ling Mo found his supply of recovery potions completely exhausted.

“Sigh…” Ling Mo sighed, still holding the empty bottle.

A cool sensation surged from his abdomen, quickly spreading to his head.

Ling Mo blinked hard, and the dizziness significantly subsided.

While he drank the potion, the zombie nearby kept tilting its head, staring at him.

Especially when Ling Mo tilted his neck back and gulped down the potion with loud “gulu gulu” sounds, the zombie slightly opened its mouth, blankly watching Ling Mo’s Adam’s apple move up and down.

When Ling Mo shook the empty bottle, the zombie sniffed the air intensely.

It hesitated for a moment, then suddenly widened its eyes.

“Howl!”

The scent of the virus stimulated the zombie, and it suddenly dashed towards Ling Mo after a quick step.

“Whoosh!”

Ling Mo forced his eyes open wide and reacted swiftly, raising his palm towards the charging zombie.

The zombie, in its rush, abruptly hit an invisible barrier, flipping over and falling heavily to the ground on its back.

Before it could get up, its body stiffened abruptly, staring blankly at the sky.

A few seconds later, the zombie mechanically twitched, then slowly stood up.

“That should do it… Though I haven’t recovered much psychic power, the fatigue has lessened a lot…” Ling Mo shook his head, then looked at the new Zombie Puppet.

After staring at it for a couple of seconds, Ling Mo cautiously scanned the surroundings and then, with the new Zombie Puppet in tow, dashed across the road.

Keeping close to the wall, they quickly moved forward.

“Where did Ye Lian say it was…” Ling Mo glanced anxiously around while running; he didn’t have much time left…

“Hate it! Weak trash! So annoying!”

The Bird Zombie screeched, spun around swiftly, and swept its rebar-like arm.

“Bang!”

Half a table leg and some splinters flew out, simultaneously knocking back the Zombie Puppet Ling Mo had been controlling.

The Zombie Puppet looked utterly miserable; it was almost entirely covered in blood, with a bloody, concave wound on its face. One eye was half-closed, caked with sticky blood, and its once red pupil now resembled a murky glass marble.

The Bird Zombie’s recent sweep had caused blood to gush from the Zombie Puppet’s shoulder.

Glancing at his cracked hand and arm, the Zombie Puppet shakily hurled the remaining half of the table leg he held.

The Bird Zombie tilted its head to dodge it, but its purple eyes now blazed with fury, “Annoying! How dare this lowest trash…”

Before it could finish cursing, a nearby cabinet came flying towards it with a “whoosh.”

This time, the Bird Zombie didn’t even bother dodging. The cabinet landed about three meters away and shattered with a loud “clang.”

Debris splattered over the Bird Zombie but didn’t even scratch its skin.

“Waah! Waahhh!” The Bird Zombie screeched, sounding more like a deranged bird. This fellow zombie couldn’t pose a serious threat to it, but had already ignited its anger to unprecedented levels.

A delicious dinner was just downstairs, yet it was being entangled by this worthless, trashy cabbage fit only for a trash can.

Normally, such common zombies were no different from mosquitoes in its eyes, but today, this one was causing such a huge hassle.

What infuriated the Bird Zombie even more was that it could vaguely sense that irritating human’s presence on this zombie!

“In cahoots! In cahoots!”

Furious, the Bird Zombie lunged forward with a blur of motion.

But the zombie had already cunningly scampered off, heading specifically towards the corners of the cubicles.

This environment was perfect for a delay tactic; as long as it moved quickly, there were plenty of places to hide.

Along the way, it could grab whatever was at hand to throw, avoiding close combat and certain death.

As time ticked away, the Zombie Puppet’s stamina plummeted to a dangerously critical level.

The wounds on its back remained unhealed, delivering waves of tearing pain.

Its stamina was about to run out, and the Infection could flare up at any moment.

Despite the limited time, the Zombie Puppet, under Ling Mo’s skillful and flexible Control, continued dragging the Bird Zombie around the Mall, performing its duty diligently.

However, the disparity in strength was indeed too great. The Zombie Puppet had just turned a corner when it felt a sudden pulling force on its arm.

“Crack!”

Blood splattered as the Zombie Puppet’s body staggered.

Seeing the Zombie Puppet continue to run forward, the Bird Zombie angrily threw the torn-off arm to the ground, “You are not even fit to be a Zombie!”

“Being human is good enough…” Ling Mo’s main body thought.

Ye Lian continued to stand guard at the entrance. Her seemingly fragile and slender figure had achieved the effect of “One Zombie Puppet holding the fort, ten thousand Zombies unable to advance.”

With Thor in her hand and her eyes constantly auto-focusing, any approaching Zombies were blasted into bloody pieces.

Even if some Zombies managed to get close, Ye Lian would easily dispose of them.

Since breaking through to dominant level, her gains included not only the mutation in her eyes but also a comprehensive enhancement of her physical attributes.

Although she was still somewhat unstable, dealing with these Low-Level ones was a piece of cake.

After putting down Thor once more, she reached into her backpack and pulled out another handful of bullets.

“Continue… come on.” Ye Lian’s slightly bewildered eyes gazed at the vast interior of the Mall, watching her kind continuously vault over the railings.

Some struck Zombies plummeted from heights, splattering blood everywhere upon impact. Some hung from the railings, while others were flung into stores, becoming meals for passing fellow Zombies.

The stench of blood grew increasingly pungent, and Ye Lian’s eyes shone brighter and brighter.

The dominant level Zombie aura around her kept surging…

“Waaah!” The Bird Zombie screeched, launching frantic attacks at the relentlessly pursued Zombie Puppet.

With one arm missing, the Zombie Puppet’s stamina drained even faster, and its pace grew slower and slower.

It didn’t get far before its other arm was ripped off.

Blood trailed behind, and the thick scent of gore filled the Mall.

Some Zombies were also drawn to the commotion, wandering like vultures in the dim corners, their cold, glimmering eyes fixed on the Zombie Puppet.

With a frenzied King level Zombie present, they dared not approach.

“Smack!”

The Bird Zombie flung aside another arm and suddenly leaped, hooking its nails into the Ceiling before landing heavily on the Zombie Puppet.

Its claw-like feet stomped down on the Zombie Puppet’s shoulders, slamming it to the ground with a “thud.”

“Tear you apart!”

The Bird Zombie screeched with its mouth wide open, feeling a rush of excitement it hadn’t experienced in previous successful hunts.

The most unbelievable part was that its opponent causing this thrill was just a common zombie.

No, how could this Zombie be common? It was definitely in cahoots with that human!

“Click, click, click, click! I’ll rip you apart!”

The Bird Zombie viciously pinned the struggling Zombie Puppet underfoot, bending down to yank at its Hair.

It couldn’t wait to see this bug’s head torn off by its own hands. For Zombies, witnessing death and bloodshed was the ultimate pleasure.

“Cackle, cackle, cackle!” The Bird Zombie’s maniacal laughter grew louder; it almost forgot about Ye Lian in its enthusiasm.

But just as it bent down, the Bird Zombie sensed something amiss.

Before it could turn, the Zombie Puppet twisted its body in an impossibly painful motion amidst the sound of cracking bones. Biting down on the Bird Zombie’s leg at an incredible angle.

Though the bite didn’t cause significant pain, it was exceptionally firm. The Bird Zombie tried to kick it off, and blood started gushing through the Zombie Puppet’s teeth, but it still wouldn’t let go.