Chapter 8 – Transformation

Ling Mo chose a temporary resting place in a small family-run inn. The room was relatively clean, and the smell of blood wasn’t too strong. The location was also key. He deliberately poured some disinfectant at the entrance, and almost no zombies noticed this place.

This method worked somewhat in areas with sparse zombie populations, but in zombie-infested urban areas, it might actually attract more zombies…

After eating a little and carefully checking the doors and windows, Ling Mo sat down in front of Ye Lian and took out the Gel from his pocket.

Maybe it had been exposed to the air for too long, but the originally faint pungent smell had become much stronger. As soon as he took it out, it made Ye Lian’s eyes water. If not for the strong Psychic Link between them, she might have resisted.

But the smell was torturous for Ling Mo. He didn’t immediately feed it to Ye Lian because he found the color of the Gel extremely strange. It looked like a real blood clot and seemed very fresh. Unexpectedly, the Virus even had a preservative effect…

At that moment, Ye Lian’s instinctual need became very strong. Ling Mo didn’t want to push her further, so he placed the Gel at her lips.

Ye Lian’s lips were cold. When she opened her mouth to swallow the Gel, her warm tongue gently brushed against Ling Mo’s fingers, making his heart skip a beat. Seeing Ye Lian’s eyes gradually calm down, Ling Mo even felt an impulse to kiss her…

However, just as Ling Mo was slowly cupping her face, Ye Lian suddenly closed her eyes and frowned slightly.

This shocked Ling Mo. It was the first time he had seen any expression on Ye Lian’s face since her mutation. Although Ye Lian kept her eyes tightly shut, the dangerous aura she exuded made Ling Mo feel like the temperature around them had dropped.

At the same time, a alternating sensation of heat and cold swept over Ling Mo’s body. He shivered and then felt a sharp pain from every pore, as if his head was about to explode.

“Ah…”

Unable to suppress a groan of pain, Ling Mo curled up, while Ye Lian, whom he had let go of, fell back onto the bed.

The indescribable pain came from every cell in Ling Mo’s body. It felt like his body was being torn apart and then pieced back together. If he was in such agony just from the Psychic Link, he couldn’t imagine how much pain Ye Lian was in, who was directly affected.

Bloodshot and trembling uncontrollably, Ling Mo knelt by the bed, his eyes fixed on Ye Lian.

If Ye Lian can endure this, how can I, a grown man, not withstand it…

It took a full half hour for the intense pain to gradually subside, though to Ling Mo it felt like three days and nights had passed.

Fortunately, the subsequent wave of relief greatly alleviated the aftereffects of the pain. He could feel the subtle changes he had accumulated over time being consolidated and elevated through this episode of intense pain. It was as if he had been reborn. The hidden strength in his muscles and the unprecedented clarity in his mind excited Ling Mo immensely.

Like the Mutation Zombies, he had undergone some form of evolution… Although it wasn’t visible on the outside, Ling Mo could clearly sense it. He wondered if it was his imagination, but he felt that enduring the pain while conscious had granted him more evolution in Psychic Power than even Ye Lian had received.

Whether this was true could only be determined through practice.

Ye Lian, however, remained unconscious throughout the night. She lay there with a slight frown, occasionally shivering. Ling Mo stayed by her side, filled with both pity and anticipation. After absorbing the Gel from the Mutation Zombie’s brain, how much would Ye Lian evolve…

“Damn, I actually fell asleep…”

Extreme physical exhaustion had finally overtaken Ling Mo after a night of vigil, sending him into a brief slumber. However, the special skills he had developed during the Apocalypse roused him after just a few minutes.

This unique sleep pattern was likely something all survivors of the Apocalypse had mastered. An almost instinctive hyper-vigilance that kept one alert even in sleep, where just a few minutes of deep sleep were enough to relieve strained nerves.

But as a Puppeteer, Ling Mo rarely entered deep sleep due to maintaining the Psychic Link with his Zombie Puppets. This was the first time…

Ling Mo opened his eyes nervously and was shocked to find that Ye Lian was gone!

Did she break free from his control in just those few minutes? But as he calmed down, Ling Mo realized that wasn’t the case. After his evolution, his Psychic Power had become much stronger, transforming from deliberate control to effortless manipulation—a qualitative change.

Even though Ye Lian wasn’t in front of him, Ling Mo could clearly feel that their Psychic Link was still intact.

Since he had begun controlling her, Ye Lian rarely acted on her own except during battles or outings. So why suddenly today…

Thinking this, the puzzled Ling Mo quickly shifted his perspective to Ye Lian’s viewpoint.

Fortunately, Ye Lian was still in the inn, but her behavior was strange. Usually, aside from attacking and eating, Ye Lian wouldn’t perform any actions with self-awareness. But now she was wandering around the inn.

She even paused in some places to look around quietly.

What was going on? Ling Mo hurried out of the room and quickly found Ye Lian in the hallway downstairs.

At first sight of Ye Lian, Ling Mo almost cried out. The morning sunlight streamed through the window, and standing in the light, Ye Lian turned to look at him, a trace of confusion on her face. This slight display of emotion made Ling Mo tremble with excitement.

“Ye Lian!” Ling Mo rushed to her, grabbing her shoulders and shouting in delight.

He hadn’t expected her to regain consciousness so quickly…

Wait… After shaking Ye Lian a few times, Ling Mo felt a cold splash of reality. In her eyes, he saw only occasional flashes of confusion and the usual indifference.

Perhaps the Virus’s evolution had loosened the grip on Ye Lian’s rationality, but it was far from full recovery. It was also possible that the Virus’s evolution had sparked new consciousness in the otherwise blank Ye Lian…

“Ye Lian?” Ling Mo called her name a few more times, unwilling to give up, but eventually, he accepted that Ye Lian hadn’t fully recovered.

However, Ye Lian at least showed a hint of emotion and started acting on her own. Whether this was a sign of her recovery or a new evolution of the Virus, it at least indicated that Ling Mo’s hopes still had a chance of being realized.