Chapter 694 – The Missing Team Member

“Ling-Ge, look.”

A few minutes later, Ye Lian and the three girls found their way back. Compared to Xu Shuhan, who didn’t dare to act alone, these three female Zombies were utterly fearless.

Judging by their new outfits, they must have scoured the entire floor of the Mall.

Ling Mo froze the moment he looked at them. There was no way to tell that they were Zombies from their appearance.

When did Zombies develop such a human-level sense of aesthetics?

However, seeing Xia Na covering her mouth and snickering nearby, Ling Mo understood. So it was her…

She was also carrying a bag of clothes, and Ling Mo guessed it was for Yu Shiran.

Yu Shiran and Xiao Bai were currently resting at a hidden spot in the distance, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

But the fact that the female Zombies still thought about her at this moment gave Ling Mo the illusion that they had regained their humanity.

“This outfit looks like cosplay; it even has two transparent little wings and a magic wand…” Xia Na whispered into Ling Mo’s ear.

The mental image from her description made Ling Mo’s forehead twitch with black lines.

He knew it, she was interested in Yu Shiran purely for the fun of it…

“You guys look so good that if we weren’t surrounded by Zombies, you’d attract a crowd,” Ling Mo said with a smile.

Xia Na herself was in a school uniform, looking lively and youthful. With her long hair cascading behind her and a book in hand, she completely resembled a campus goddess.

However, the sly look in her eyes created a stark contrast with her image, making her even more eye-catching.

Ye Lian, with her exceptional looks and a touch of fragility, could make any outfit look charming, aided by her perfect figure. This time, Xia Na had chosen a set of pink clothes for her, making her look even sweeter. Ling Mo found it almost hard to look away.

In contrast, Li Yalin was the most strikingly dressed among the three.

With her model-like height, long legs, and pretty face, she wore denim shorts.

Her top was a simple black t-shirt, but on her, it highlighted her explosive figure perfectly.

Her flexible waist and seductive walk transformed what was supposed to be a casual attire into an eye-popping sight.

Ling Mo’s words weren’t an exaggeration. If this were before the Cataclysm, three distinct beauties walking down the street would definitely draw everyone’s attention.

And Ling Mo, walking beside them, would undoubtedly find himself the target of countless envious stares from other guys.

Xu Shuhan stood to the side, her expression involuntarily a bit somber.

She used to be very confident in her appearance and figure. After the Cataclysm, she had awakened a Superpower, making her a target of envy at Niepan’s branch where many Survivors aspired to be with her.

Due to her strength and high Member ranking, while many nurtured unrealistic fantasies, few dared to approach her.

Xu Shuhan’s attitude remained somewhat haughty; after all, power had become the sole currency of authority in these times – straightforward and brutal, much simpler than before the Cataclysm.

Most Survivors understood that staying alive was the utmost priority, so such fantasies were rare.

Especially in the semi-exile environment of the Dongming branch, it was even more pronounced…

But spending this period with Ye Lian and the others made her realize she was just ordinary.

Especially the way Ling Mo looked at them, a gaze she never felt when his eyes were on her…

Suddenly coming to her senses, Xu Shuhan’s cheeks flushed with heat.

Why did she care about how Ling Mo looked at her? It wasn’t like there was anything between them…

Moreover, he had three female Zombies following him everywhere… he’d tire himself out sooner or later!

Xu Shuhan gave a light scoff and cleared her throat to pull Ling Mo out of his reverie: “Isn’t it time to go? This area is all clothing stores; for daily necessities, I’m afraid we need to head to Zone B.”

“Right,” Ling Mo replied, unfazed by the awkwardness. There’s nothing wrong with admiring his own girlfriend…

But Xu Shuhan’s disdainful look still made him feel somewhat uneasy.

He averted his gaze and looked around again: “Where’s Mu Chen? Why isn’t he back yet?”

“Yeah, that’s odd. He’s a grown man, how long could it take to change clothes?” Xu Shuhan suddenly realized as well.

Although Mu Chen was quite the chatterbox, Xu Shuhan had genuinely not noticed he was missing…

Ye Lian and the others certainly wouldn’t have noticed either, but while Ling Mo seemed deeply absorbed, he had been observant.

Seeing Ling Mo glance at her, Xia Na shook her head and said, “We didn’t run into him. Men’s and women’s clothing aren’t in the same area.”

“Then you all wait here. I’ll go look for him.”

“Shall we go together?” Xu Shuhan quickly asked.

Ling Mo waved her off, “No, it’s too dark, and you’re too slow. Too many people make more noise.”

He recalled the direction Mu Chen had gone and started walking that way.

Xu Shuhan’s face flushed with embarrassment. Fear of the dark was her biggest weakness. While she could control herself not to scream, she couldn’t help but be cautious, a reflex she couldn’t overcome quickly.

Ye Lian and the others would be the most help to Ling Mo, but Xu Shuhan knew her current state was unstable. Ling Mo had them stay behind to keep an eye on her.

Though feeling like a burden made Xu Shuhan uncomfortable, she was more concerned about Ling Mo going alone…

“Maybe… Ye Lian could come with me…”

Before she could finish, Ling Mo had already waved without looking back, disappearing into the darkness.

“Don’t worry, Ling-Ge thinks it’s safer for us to stay together. If we scatter, it could be worse. If he’s alone and anything happens, at least he can retreat,” Xia Na said softly beside Xu Shuhan.

“Is that so…” Xu Shuhan blushed again, realizing she hadn’t thought this through.

Looking at the three Zombies, who were much stronger than her, Xu Shuhan felt the virus in her blood starting to react again.

An instinctual sense of smallness made her feel a deep-seated unease around them.

“By the way, aren’t you afraid of the dark? Let me teach you a perfect way to deal with it,” Xia Na said mysteriously after a few seconds.

“What way?” Xu Shuhan asked, intrigued.

“When you fully mutate, go to a place filled with Zombies, and take them all out with your bare hands. After that, you’ll develop a habitual mindset… whether they can move or not, just tear them apart. What’s there to be afraid of?” Xia Na winked at her playfully.

Xu Shuhan’s face turned pale instantly. What a brutal method…

“By then, everything you see will be prey. Do you get scared of a turkey served on your plate? Probably not, it just makes your mouth water, right?” As she said this, Xia Na stuck out her tongue and lightly licked her lips.

Xu Shuhan felt a chill run down her spine. What appeared in her mind wasn’t a turkey, but a bloody and horrifying scene…

“Ugh…” Covering her mouth, Xu Shuhan couldn’t help but dry heave.

“Scared already…” Li Yalin couldn’t help but smile.

Xia Na’s expression quickly turned serious, and she leaned in close to Xu Shuhan’s ear to whisper, “If you want to retain your current mindset, you have to endure this. Of course, it’s not certain whether you’ll keep your humanity at that point… the odds are probably very low, wouldn’t you agree?”

Xu Shuhan looked up at Xia Na with a pale face, then glanced at the unchanging expressions of Li Yalin and Ye Lian.

She suddenly understood why Zombies completely lose their humanity…

The conflict between human nature and Zombie instincts is too severe…

At the initial stage of Infection, is it this intense conflict that causes the chaotic thinking, leading to the complete loss of cognitive ability?

As they evolve, their instincts deeply root within, gradually suppressing their humanity, and during this process, Zombies start to regain their rationality…

But if that’s the case, the more they evolve, the harder it is to regain humanity, isn’t it?

Yet at the Low-Level stage, they lack rationality altogether, so human nature isn’t even in question…

Xu Shuhan was just speculating, but if she knew that Ling Mo’s goal was to help Ye Lian and the others regain their humanity, she would surely feel how challenging it was for him.

It’s such a difficult goal, and achieving it is incredibly hard…

Of course, Ling Mo wouldn’t search the enormous Square alone. Since his Little Zombie Puppet found nothing on the lower floor, he had her come upstairs to search the other side of the men’s section.

With the Little Zombie’s sense of smell and Ling Mo’s psychic probe, their search sped up considerably.

However, Ling Mo still felt a bit puzzled. Although Mu Chen could be unreliable in many ways, he was definitely someone with rich survival experience and a cautious approach.

All the Zombies on this floor had been cleared, allowing Mu Chen to safely and boldly act alone. So why had he been gone for so long?

Based on Ling Mo’s guess, Mu Chen should have been the first to regroup with him.

This guy can’t keep his mouth shut; how long could he possibly wander around by himself?

“Strange…”

Ling Mo had already circled around the counters but still couldn’t find any trace of Mu Chen.

The little zombie had just come up from the lower floor and could confirm that Mu Chen hadn’t gone downstairs.

As she walked around sniffing, she didn’t catch any human scent. There was blood scent, but it wasn’t fresh.

“And I can’t call out for him…”

Ling Mo felt a bit helpless.

If a superhuman deliberately conceals themselves, a psychic probe can miss them. However, with Ling Mo’s current level of psychic power, the chances of that happening should be low.

But why would he hide?

“Could something have happened? That doesn’t make sense…”

Ling Mo stood still, thinking for a moment as his thoughts began to scatter.

If he’s not here, then could he have left?

There was a main entrance, partially closed, possibly to prevent Zombies from escaping during the Cataclysm.

But the heavy bloodstains seen nearby indicated the effort hadn’t been successful.

With a swarm of Zombies outside, it seemed unlikely that Mu Chen would have gone out seeking death.

The remaining possibilities were a path leading downwards and a passage to Zone B.

Or perhaps the route they had just taken to get here…