Chapter 683 – Crashed into the Wall

“I’ve already arrived,” the figure said again.

The Bird Zombie couldn’t even close its mouth before it began crawling towards the figure.

“I didn’t expect you to be this injured. How long have we been separated…”

The figure also slowly approached, finally squatting down in front of the Bird Zombie and reaching out to cover its head.

At this angle, the figure’s Arm extended just out of the shadows, with the back of the hand exposed directly to the sunlight. The ghastly pale color and the clear red blood vessels created a sharp contrast with the Bird Zombie’s charred skin.

“Was it done by the same kind?” The figure’s slender fingers lightly scratched the Bird Zombie’s head, producing a teeth-grating “click” sound.

The Bird Zombie whimpered for a moment before finally squeezing out a few words: “Human… and… Zombie…”

“Together?” The figure’s hand stopped moving instantly.

The Bird Zombie shook its head and whimpered a few more times.

“Together?” The figure was somewhat shocked.

“Man… human…” the Bird Zombie said with difficulty.

Compared to that female Zombie, the Bird Zombie had a much more profound impression of that human.

Even the ordinary similar types that drove it mad and the ones who later set it on fire all had traces of that human.

At this moment, more than a big meal, it wanted to tear that human to pieces first.

But being burned like this, it barely survived and lost most of its strength. It was not able to hunt for now.

“Ahh…”

The Bird Zombie strained to lift its neck and reached out to grab the figure’s Arm.

The skin and flesh, glued together, were torn apart bit by bit, a process akin to being flayed alive.

“I know.” The figure’s palm remained pressed on the Bird Zombie’s head, restricting its movement in place.

After stroking the charred skin a couple of times, the figure’s bony fingers suddenly pressed down the nape of the Bird Zombie’s neck, sliding into its Hindbrain.

The Bird Zombie’s body stiffened immediately, and it opened its mouth to let out an unintelligible sound.

Its hand also stopped mid-air, trembling just a few centimeters away from the figure’s Arm.

“You are already useless. Who knows how long it will take for you to recover. According to our survival rules, you should be eliminated. This is the law of nature.”

The figure spoke calmly, and the fingers continued to press in completely.

During this process, the Bird Zombie’s body kept trembling.

Whether it was a reflex or a reflection of some emotion it had… if it had such emotions.

As the figure’s fingers gradually retracted, the Bird Zombie’s body stiffened abruptly.

Splat!

Accompanied by splattering blood and various liquids, a glimmer of purple also fell into the figure’s palm.

“You are too weak, but you will become my stepping stone, making me stronger.” The figure patted the Bird Zombie’s head with a blood-soaked hand.

When the figure stood up, the Bird Zombie collapsed to the ground, its bulging eyes still wide open, but they gradually lost their life.

“What a pity, the meat is inedible…”

The figure sighed faintly.

As the slanting sunlight gradually disappeared in this narrow alley, the figure’s gaze turned in another direction of the town.

“What kind of human could pose such a threat…” the figure muttered to itself.

At the same moment, Ling Mo, who was in a deep sleep, suddenly gasped and abruptly sat up with wide-open eyes.

“… What’s wrong?” Ye Lian asked, staring at him in surprise.

Ling Mo looked pale, and a layer of cold sweat had formed on his forehead.

He appeared dazed for a moment, and it wasn’t until Ye Lian reached out to touch his forehead that Ling Mo snapped out of it.

“It’s nothing…” Ling Mo wiped his face with a hand and blinked his eyes hard.

“A nightmare?” Ling Mo was bewildered.

Just now, in his sleep, he suddenly felt as if a pair of eyes had appeared in his mind.

That feeling of being watched was too real, causing Ling Mo to break out in a cold sweat.

“Couldn’t have seen into my mind…” Ling Mo wondered, as he tried to calm his wildly beating heart.

Moreover, for some reason, at the moment before he woke up, he felt as if he saw the Spider Queen…

It seemed like she was always lurking inside him, and when there was an external stimulus, she would emerge.

This feeling… was somewhat like defending her territory?

Ling Mo shivered and rubbed his body all over, reassuring himself, “That’s impossible. There’s no way a spider that big could be hiding inside my body…”

“Are you sure… you’re okay?” Ye Lian couldn’t help but ask again.

Ling Mo had been fussing with himself non-stop since he woke up and looked completely out of it, which naturally made Ye Lian uneasy.

“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Ling Mo forced a smile. There was no point in voicing such vague concerns and making Ye Lian worry too.

He glanced around the room and was immediately startled.

These two have practically demolished the place!

No wonder I had nightmares; I actually managed to sleep in such a wreck…

“They…” Ye Lian stammered, trying to explain the situation.

“I know,” Ling Mo said, holding his forehead, “They haven’t fully completed their enhancement yet.”

During the enhancement process, Zombies are entirely influenced and controlled by their instincts. The fact that they only dismantled the room instead of the entire building showed remarkable restraint.

If they had enhanced one by one, Ling Mo could have used his psychic link to strengthen control and offer comfort.

But with everyone enhancing at the same time, even Ling Mo struggled to keep up…

“Are we at that Hotel?” Ling Mo wobbled as he sat up and looked around.

“Yes…” Ye Lian nodded.

“And… how is Xu Shuhan, the half-mutated one?” Ling Mo thought of his most recent “client.” His original plan was to return after Ye Lian and the others completed their enhancement, but things had taken longer than expected.

He wasn’t sure if Xu Shuhan could hold on, although according to his initial estimate, there shouldn’t be any major issues…

“At most, she could go from 50% mutation to 80%. As long as it doesn’t reach 100%, she should be salvageable…”

Ling Mo’s head was still a bit dizzy, but his thoughts were already clear.

He had been scared awake, after all…

“Seems like…” Ye Lian recalled Xu Shuhan’s appearance earlier. Although she looked both cowering and terrified, holding her head with her hands…

“She… looks fine… I guess,” Ye Lian said uncertainly.

“I’ll go check on her.”

Ling Mo grabbed Ye Lian’s arm to steady himself as he stood up and staggered towards the door. “Ye Lian, stay here and watch them. Don’t let them tear down the doors and windows.”

As he passed by Xia Na, Ling Mo gave her head a light pat. “Stop squeezing your face alternately with your left and right hands… give it up. The pressure is the same. Even if your face swells, there will be no winner.”

“Mmm… mmm…” Xia Na mumbled incoherently.

“Let me know once you’ve settled your speaking rights…”

Ling Mo pulled open the door and stepped out, closing it behind him.

The Corridor in front of him appeared not only dim but also uneven, with the floor undulating and the walls waving, giving him a distinct feeling of being drunk.

Yet, his unusually clear mind made Ling Mo feel rather odd.

His body hadn’t fully recovered from exhaustion, but his psychic power had somewhat returned. This out-of-sync sensation felt incredibly strange.

“Mu Chen? Xu Shuhan?”

Ling Mo walked forward, leaning against the wall for support, calling out as he went.

“Hey, you’re awake?” Mu Chen emerged from the end of the Corridor, astonished.

Ling Mo shook his head, managing to get a clearer view of the blurry figure.

As Mu Chen approached Ling Mo, he felt it was finally his chance and couldn’t wait to ask, “By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask: What was up with that fire? Why did you fall asleep on the way? And that orb…”

“Where is Xu Shuhan?” Ling Mo interrupted him impatiently.

Mu Chen paused, then answered, “I’m looking for her too. This place is pretty big. Plus, she’s so angry I didn’t dare call out…”

“Then keep looking. We’ll split up to search.”

Ling Mo continued forward, adding, “I need to help her with another issue…”

“Oh…” Mu Chen had barely taken a couple of steps in the opposite direction when he suddenly turned back and asked, “That fire…” Halfway through his sentence, he smacked his forehead in frustration. “Never mind! I’ll ask next time!”

“Am I the only one who knows nothing around here?”

Mu Chen shouted in frustration.

Immediately, a muffled roar echoed through the building, “Shut up!”

“She made a noise, hurry up and find her!” Ling Mo waved his hand without looking back and continued.

Mu Chen felt like crying without tears. Why did all the bad luck have to happen to him?

“Ugh!”

Xu Shuhan was huddled in a corner, clutching her head and shaking it violently in distress.

It’s too painful… I’d rather…

No, no!

Once she falls into the abyss, there would be no climbing back…

“Xu Shuhan?”

She froze for a moment and then lifted her head off her knees, staring at the dark, ominous staircase.

“Ling Mo?”

That voice sounded somewhat familiar…

“Right, Ling Mo can save me!”

Xu Shuhan struggled to stand up and staggered towards the stairs, nearly tumbling as she hurried down.

“Xu Shuhan, are you upstairs?”

The voice, which had felt unbearable just moments ago, now gave her a sense of hope when it came from Ling Mo.

If Mu Chen knew about this obvious preferential treatment, he’d be banging his head against the wall out of frustration.

Ling Mo grabbed the handrail, slowly making his way up the stairs.

After hearing her voice and finding the direction, he gradually began Sensing Xu Shuhan’s psychic light cluster.

But the fluctuations were too intense, and combined with his physical discomfort, he couldn’t precisely pinpoint her location.

Left with no choice, he resorted to the most basic method…

One called out, the other listened, and before long, they met on the stairs.

“Ling Mo…” As soon as she saw him, Xu Shuhan dashed towards him eagerly.

In his daze, Ling Mo saw a woman with red eyes rushing at him, instinctively startling him, and reflexively sidestepped.

As a result, Xu Shuhan brushed past him, and moments later, a thud sounded behind him as the ground shook slightly.

“Uh… Are you okay?” Ling Mo asked awkwardly.

Xu Shuhan, now plastered against the wall, mumbled, “You jerk…”