Chapter 684 – One of the Advantages of Zombies Is Their Durability

In the dim and silent corridor, two figures sat facing each other.

Ling Mo initially wanted to take Xu Shuhan to the room, but when he saw her on the verge of a breakdown and considered his dreadful state, he decided against it.

Besides his physical exhaustion, Ling Mo was also dealing with the side effects of the female Zombies’ advancements.

Not only did he experience intense dizziness, but his muscles also twitched sporadically as if injected with hormones, causing his mind to continually produce a “Gulu” sound.

“Did you get drunk?” Xu Shuhan curled up in a corner, looking at Ling Mo sitting on the steps, she asked.

With his head resting against the wall and his eyes blankly staring at her, Ling Mo indeed looked like someone who had had too much to drink.

“How could I be?” Ling Mo waved his hand and said, “Don’t you feel a shared plight with me?”

“Tsk…” Xu Shuhan snorted coldly.

He had left her in the Hotel for so long and then made her bump into a wall the moment they met again. How could that be called “shared plight”? Although it was a transaction, she had never encountered such an arrogant “partner” before!

“Uh… I guess Mu Chen hasn’t told you yet…” After a two-second silence, Xu Shuhan hesitated for a moment and murmured softly, “Thank you.”

“Huh?” Ling Mo lifted his head dizzily; those dull eyes really didn’t look like they belonged to someone who was sober.

“Never mind!” Xu Shuhan snapped.

“There’s a reward for it…” Ling Mo leaned back again and said with half-closed eyes.

Xu Shuhan was first taken aback, then angrily searched around her for a weapon to throw: “You… You’re such an idiot!”

“Do you really think the reward you gave can match the value of my life? Or do you truly believe that idiot Mu Chen working for a few days would be enough?”

Xu Shuhan asked furiously.

“That’s just the interest…” Ling Mo corrected.

“That was you taking him in! At most, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. It can’t be called interest!” Xu Shuhan interrupted Ling Mo and continued, “What about me? How much do you think I should give to make saving my life worth it?”

Ling Mo, somewhat stumped, replied, “Well, money is pretty useless now… otherwise, even a small amount would’ve been nice…”

“You idiot!” Xu Shuhan couldn’t take it anymore. She roughly grabbed at herself and yanked something off, throwing it towards Ling Mo.

Although Ling Mo was dizzy from the adverse effects on his body, his psychic power was still functioning fine.

Just as the object was about to hit him in the face, a Tentacle intercepted it, and Ling Mo caught it in his hand.

“Isn’t this the Pendant from your Necklace?” Ling Mo squinted at it to identify, then asked.

The Pendant was made of some synthetic crystal and had evidently been worn for years to become so smooth and glossy.

Xu Shuhan was shocked and quickly felt around her collar, shouting, “Give it back!”

“No way, it’s the deposit.” Ling Mo said as he casually slipped it into his pocket, “Isn’t this pretty good?”

“Good?!” Xu Shuhan almost cursed but held herself back at the last moment.

Ling Mo nodded, “Not bad, you still know how to maintain your image… You’re far from completely mutating; that’s a relief.”

Xu Shuhan glared at him for a while, then finally slumped back in her seat, “Fine, keep it…”

“Honestly, I can’t quite figure you out. Why can’t you admit that, deep down, you’re actually a good person? At least in some things, you’re quite humane…”

“Stop, stop, stop. I don’t accept good guy cards1,” Ling Mo said seriously, waving his hand.

“Be serious!” Xu Shuhan was angry again. How could he always deflect everything?

“Alright, I’ve taken the deposit…” Ling Mo clearly didn’t want to continue this topic and wobbled as he stood up using the wall for support.

“Wait, one last question,” Xu Shuhan bit her lip and asked, “You… you bringing them along… have you thought about what comes next?”

Ling Mo’s movements paused immediately. He quietly watched Xu Shuhan, his eyes suddenly bright but calm.

“I… I don’t know how you manage with them… but what if they lose control in the future? Look at me… it’s really hard to fight against this instinct! Or… what if someone finds out?” Xu Shuhan started off somewhat anxious, but her voice involuntarily grew softer as she spoke.

Ling Mo didn’t interrupt her, but those unusually bright eyes of his made Xu Shuhan suddenly realize she had asked a very foolish question.

What she was asking had probably gone through Ling Mo’s mind countless times already.

As for the answer… his current actions had already made it clear.

“So… are you tired?” Xu Shuhan asked softly.

Ling Mo didn’t answer immediately. A few seconds later, he descended the steps, walked over by holding onto the wall, and squatted in front of Xu Shuhan: “Look, you’re much calmer now than you were a moment ago.”

The shift in topic was too abrupt!

It took Xu Shuhan a good while to finally react.

She slightly opened her mouth, staring at Ling Mo with wide eyes, and nodded incredulously: “It’s true. I’m not as agitated as before… but you haven’t even…”

“It’s just a matter of shifting your focus. Divert your attention a bit, concentrate on something else, and your body will quickly get used to the feeling. Human adaptability is strong, and Zombies are even stronger. The fact that you can regain a clear mind in this situation shows that your willpower is also strong.”

Ling Mo smiled as he spoke.

Xu Shuhan’s eyes flickered. If it weren’t for Xia Na’s reminder, she couldn’t have managed this on her own.

“I see…”

“But the therapy session ends here. We need something more practical.” Ling Mo said as he pulled a bottle of Potion from his pocket.

“What’s this?” Xu Shuhan was shocked.

“A Potion used by No.0. It’s made by diluting the Zombie Virus with a specially prepared concentrate, considered to have a moderate concentration. It should balance out with the virus in your body…” Ling Mo explained as he unscrewed the cap.

“I know this! But why are you bringing it out?” Xu Shuhan asked, her whole body tensing up at the sight of the virus. She absolutely hated the virus now.

Although she had managed to maintain her sanity, Xu Shuhan’s memories were still a jumble.

One could say that most of the things she experienced amidst the chaos were pretty much forgotten.

While Mu Chen had filled her in on a lot, there were still things he didn’t know.

Ling Mo leaned over to the bottle and took a whiff: “Not bad.”

The scent of the virus immediately hit Xu Shuhan’s nostrils, making her breathing quicken and causing her body to tense up.

“Stay away… What are you trying to do!” Xu Shuhan backed away in panic. To her, Ling Mo now seemed like a devil approaching with a syringe and a sinister grin.

“Come on,” Ling Mo approached, “It’s not your first time. Why so nervous…”

“Stay back…” Xu Shuhan pressed herself into the corner, frantically kicking at the ground to keep him away, “Stay away from me.”

Ling Mo almost got kicked and sighed in frustration while squatting where he stood.

This was the downside of maintaining sanity…

He shook the bottle and then blew into the bottle neck a couple of times: “Want it? Still holding back?”

Xu Shuhan wished she could burrow into the wall. Her nails were digging and scratching at the surface.

“You bastard…”

Her rational mind kept screaming “No,” but her body’s instincts were crying out in desperate need.

It was the scent of the virus…

To humans, it was pungent, but to Zombies, it was intoxicatingly aromatic, making their blood boil.

Even if they could resist the craving for the scent, the virus demanded evolution, compelling them to give in.

“Stop kicking! This is good for you. If you don’t want to completely mutate, you have to drink this… Hey, stop kicking…”

Seeing that Xu Shuhan wasn’t listening, Ling Mo resorted to using his Tentacles.

With a snap, her legs were bound together by invisible ropes, and her flailing arms were lifted high.

Xu Shuhan’s red eyes glared anxiously at Ling Mo as he approached, her breathing growing ever more rapid.

“Don’t…”

Xu Shuhan shivered, speaking with a mix of resistance and inner turmoil.

“I won’t hurt you.”

Ling Mo grasped Xu Shuhan’s chin and brought the Potion closer.

As the bottle neared, the scent became increasingly intense, slowly drowning out the warning signals in Xu Shuhan’s mind.

Before the bottle even touched her lips, Xu Shuhan suddenly parted her mouth wide, eagerly leaning forward to bite the bottle.

Ling Mo quickly pulled back his almost bitten hand while tilting the bottle, watching the Liquid flow rapidly into Xu Shuhan’s mouth: “Slow down, don’t bite through the bottle… Oh well, Zombie stomach acid can dissolve anything… probably.”

After Xu Shuhan had drained every last drop, she continued to hold her mouth open, her eyes now a deeper crimson than before.

Ling Mo pinched her cheeks and carefully removed a small shard of glass from her lips: “Don’t mind me, I was afraid you’d bite me…”

But Xu Shuhan didn’t respond. She looked dazed, clearly caught in another intense struggle with the virus.

“This should hold until we reach headquarters.” Ling Mo said, wrapping his arms around Xu Shuhan’s waist and slinging her over his shoulder. He staggered as he braced himself against the wall to stand up. “I thought enhanced physical strength would make it easier to carry three bags of cement… turns out carrying just one is almost too much… At least she’s resilient.”

“By the way… where did that idiot go?”

As Ling Mo struggled to carry Xu Shuhan, holding onto the rail for support, the ‘idiot’ he mentioned was wandering in another stairwell.

Mu Chen formed his hands into a makeshift megaphone and whispered: “Xu Shuhan? Captain? Ling Mo? Ling-Ge? Where are you guys… Someone please answer me…”

Footnote:

1. good guy cards(好人卡): In Chinese internet slang, a “good guy card” (好人卡) is a term used when someone is rejected by the person they are interested in, but is still called a “good person” by the rejecter. It’s a somewhat ironic way of saying that being labeled a “good guy” is often just a polite way of being turned down.