Chapter 727 – Even as a Scapegoat, You Can’t Be Used Like This!

Listening to Mu Chen’s description, the expressions on Team Leader Li and his companion’s faces became incredibly animated.

Just a few people, destroyed the entire Dongming branch, most members dead, and the rest scattered and fled…

This… this is too ridiculous!

But Mu Chen’s expression didn’t seem like he was lying. Many details would be hard to fabricate unless experienced firsthand. Most importantly, from Mu Chen’s standpoint, he had no reason to make this up. Though he wasn’t at the headquarters’ level, as a high-ranking manager of a branch, Mu Chen enjoyed a lifestyle that could be considered luxurious compared to those survivors living like rats, hiding in cracks and constantly under immense mental pressure. Just the fact that he risked coming to Heishui indicated he wasn’t willing to abandon this lifestyle easily.

“Free agents” with actual strength like Ling Mo were uncommon among human survivors.

After all, individual strength is quite insignificant compared to the zombies infesting the city. Sometimes, just collecting a bit of food could be fatal. In a situation surrounded by zombies, it’s impossible even to sleep soundly. Such immense mental pressure is not something everyone can endure.

Of course, small groups of survivors haven’t disappeared altogether. With so many towns in the West, there are only a few major forces, with limited coverage.

Groups like Falcon and F Team, including Niepan, are all based around a large city and then gradually expand their influence. Although Niepan is somewhat special, it can’t affect all survivors.

Some survivors probably aren’t even aware of these camps’ existence, and even if they wanted to find such “safe zones,” they lack the strength to travel between towns.

However, even for those survivors who haven’t joined any camp, they try their best to survive in groups.

An individual’s power is really too limited…

Mu Chen wasn’t talking about just one person, but still, three to five people… three to five people couldn’t possibly have that kind of power!

For a moment, Team Leader Li and his companion felt torn. On one hand, they couldn’t find a reason for Mu Chen to lie, but on the other hand, they couldn’t believe this description.

At that moment, Team Leader Li suddenly remembered something: “Number 1… didn’t Number 1 go to your Dongming?!”

As he asked, a cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

He had been so shocked by Mu Chen’s account that he almost forgot about this!

Number 1 Experimental Subject, this was an S-level task issued by the Experimental Group!

Although the Experimental Group had produced many monsters, very few were important enough to be given numbers.

Of course, the prefix “Number 1” didn’t necessarily mean it was the top product of the Experimental Group, but it definitely held significant value!

Seeing Team Leader Li so tense, Ling Mo thought nonchalantly, “Looks like experimental subjects are more important than people…”

Although Team Leader Li had been shocked earlier, he hadn’t been this alarmed.

Dongming truly was a low-tier branch, even less valuable than Number 1…

Joining such a place might provide a good life based on strength, but in the eyes of the higher-ups, you’re just a pawn…

“Uh…” Mu Chen pondered for a moment before delivering the pre-arranged answer, “I don’t know…”

“Be specific, do you not know if they’re dead, or did you not see anything?” Team Leader Li’s body shook with agitation as he pressed on.

Damn!

Mu Chen rolled his eyes internally: “I don’t know, it seemed like it escaped. Then I took the opportunity to run, and I happened to meet Ling Ge, so we teamed up.”

“You…” Team Leader Li initially wanted to scold him for not helping, but then he remembered Number 1’s speed-there’s no way he could have caught up…

Absorbing so much at once, Team Leader Li slumped back into his chair.

In Niepan’s management, he was only mid-to-low level. He couldn’t handle these matters at all.

Mu Chen then glanced at Ling Mo. Although he had performed masterfully just now, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Hiding the death of Number 1 was something Ling Mo specifically requested.

According to Ling Mo, the destruction of the Dongming branch would aggravate the headquarters, but losing Number 1 would drive them insane…

If Niepan’s headquarters were provoked too much, Ling Mo and Mu Chen might both end up being confined.

Even if it didn’t go that far, they would be endlessly interrogated about the details, which would completely derail Ling Mo’s plan.

Instead, it was better to use the uncertain fate of Number 1 to divert the headquarters’ attention.

Using even a dead monster for their advantage-Ling Mo’s cunning knew no bounds!

However, Mu Chen still had some doubts. After all, what was destroyed was a branch, not just some insignificant thing…

Unexpectedly, Ling Mo had guessed it all correctly!

As Mu Chen sighed in relief, he also felt a surge of disgust toward Niepan’s headquarters.

Are human lives so worthless? In the eyes of the higher-ups, everyone else’s lives were trash.

If they could truly create monsters that obeyed them completely, even the superhumans at the headquarters would become irrelevant in their eyes.

“Captain Li… please take them… I need to go upstairs for a bit,” Team Leader Li said, his mind in turmoil, as he stood up and spoke disjointedly.

“They might come to ask you questions later…” He glanced at Ling Mo and Mu Chen before adding.

Ling Mo didn’t mind; they probably wouldn’t even have the energy to compare his story. But Mu Chen looked distressed. He knew coming in meant being used as a laborer and a shield, but he didn’t expect it to be this thorough!

Captain Li, still in shock, only regained his composure after Team Leader Li left.

“Follow me…”

Niepan’s headquarters wasn’t exactly large, but it had more than enough space for its members.

Ling Mo and Mu Chen followed the middle-aged man through a series of twists and turns until they reached a building located on the left side of the headquarters.

After registering with the staff in the first-floor lobby, the middle-aged man handed over two room keys to Ling Mo and Mu Chen.

“This is the dormitory building. You can explore the area if you have nothing to do… The building next door is for leisure activities, but it requires contribution points to enter. The cafeteria is to the left of the lobby… normally it also requires contribution points, but you don’t need any for the first three days. No killing is allowed here, and it’s best not to get into fights. There are other restricted areas… well, you’ll be stopped if you try anyway, so I won’t bother mentioning them.”

The middle-aged man was clearly still processing what he had just learned, and his gaze toward Ling Mo and Mu Chen was complicated.

“Hold on,” Mu Chen, not needing a prompt from Ling Mo, already had his mouth open to ask, “Can you still tell us which places are off-limits? Where are they? And why can’t we enter?”

The middle-aged man looked exasperated. This guy was like a walking encyclopedia of a hundred thousand whys!

“Back there, the last three buildings, they are all off-limits…”

“Oh, what are those buildings, and why can’t we go in?”

“The Experimental Group and the bosses are there. Regular members aren’t allowed!” Seeing that Mu Chen still wanted to ask more, the middle-aged man quickly added, “I have things to do, I have to go now.”

He turned and left, fearing that if he didn’t hurry, Mu Chen would keep badgering him. He had thought these two would be nervous right now, but they turned out to be so chatty…

“Damn, he kept asking questions, I didn’t even get to ask mine!” The middle-aged man originally wanted to gossip a bit too…

“Do you really think we won’t become a spectacle?” Mu Chen asked in a low voice as they found themselves alone while heading upstairs.

“At most, they’ll watch you. No one’s going to watch me-I’m a newcomer,” Ling Mo said calmly.

Mu Chen was speechless. Ling Mo was right… Thinking about it, Mu Chen felt like crying again.

This was too much. Even using someone as a scapegoat shouldn’t be this blatant…

“Don’t worry, I don’t think we’ll attract much attention,” Ling Mo reassured him, giving Mu Chen a glimmer of hope.

“What makes you say that?” With all the troublemakers in Niepan’s headquarters, Mu Chen definitely didn’t want to be targeted by them.

Even if there was no real loss, constant harassment would still be unbearable.

“You’ll be despised because you’re from a branch. Once they know you’re a survivor from a destroyed branch, they won’t bother to even despise you,” Ling Mo analyzed seriously.

Mu Chen was stunned for a moment before exploding in anger: “Damn it, that’s not comforting at all!”

There weren’t many people going in and out of the Dormitory Building. Besides a few male superhumans, they saw just one woman.

Given these conditions, a gender-segregated living arrangement was unlikely. This mixed living situation was pretty common.

However, upon arriving, Mu Chen felt quite frustrated. “I wonder how many more women like that Shamate one there are…”

“What are you afraid of?” Ling Mo’s boastful comment flew out, and before Mu Chen could praise him, he continued, “We won’t be staying here for long anyway.”

Mu Chen was once again speechless; this guy was really a rogue!

But on second thought, Mu Chen was actually looking forward to people trying to provoke them.

They would be thinking they’re bullying newcomers, only to find out they were never regarded as significant at all. Wonder how they’ll feel then…

In such a place, it wasn’t ideal for Ling Mo to conduct a psychic probe, but figuring out a rough estimate of the number of people wasn’t too difficult.

“If we assume an 80% occupancy rate, there are nearly a hundred superhumans here alone. That’s pretty impressive… But with so many members heading out on missions these days, it’s probably at its weakest now. Even so, about a third of the superhumans remain. It’s uncertain whether more will be leaving in the next few days…”

The fewer superhumans left behind, the better… Ling Mo had a decent idea of the firepower distribution and superhuman numbers, but the exact location of the Experimental Group remained a mystery. It’s unrealistic to expect to pinpoint the Experimental Group’s specifics in one go.

As the room door opened, both Ling Mo and Mu Chen froze for a moment.

It took Mu Chen several seconds to shake off the shock, and he expressed his amazement in a simple yet powerful way: “Damn!”

This was no ordinary Dormitory; it was a high-end Hotel!