Chapter 842: Chapter 606 - 606 – The Temperature of Blood

“Hurry, hurry!”

Ling Mo urged as he pushed open the massive, dark door in front of him.

Creak!

As the door swung open, a gust of cold air poured in.

“Phew!”

Ling Mo took a deep breath, his mind clearing significantly. The ventilation here was decent, at least much better than the parking lot. If he had stayed in there any longer, he began to doubt whether his respiratory system would have survived…

With a quick sweep of his flashlight, he chose a path from the crisscrossing corridors: “This way.”

“The zombies are catching up fast, and there are more of them,” Shana glanced back and said.

“No worries, the shielding strength here is weakening. Even if those brain mutants appear again, we can handle them.” Ling Mo had already started moving forward, nonchalantly pushing aside a clothes rack in the middle of the way.

But the rack, long decayed, collapsed under his light touch. The lower half fell apart with a clatter, scattering amongst a pile of clothes that resembled torn rags.

A ghastly white object also emerged from the heap. Ling Mo shone his flashlight on it and suddenly found himself staring into a pair of dark holes.

“There’s a corpse here too…” Ling Mo’s scalp tingled.

“This place must have been bustling before. It’s not surprising to find corpses. Besides, you’ve seen plenty…” Shana shook her head, stepping over it with long strides as she spoke.

Ling Mo steadied himself and quickly followed, muttering, “I thought this place wasn’t open either… And yes, I’ve seen many, but it still feels uncomfortable every time.”

“Why?” Li Ya Lin asked from behind.

“It’s empathy, I guess. I always think about whether friends and family have become like this…” Ling Mo said softly.

“But you kill too, don’t you? Humans feel a sense of pleasure when they see their enemies fall, right?” Shana asked sharply.

Ling Mo paused, then let out a self-deprecating laugh: “Yeah, that’s why I say humans are complex.”

“So they have compassion, but also a cold-blooded side? That is indeed complex,” Shana said.

This left Ling Mo momentarily at a loss for words. This is how zombies view humans…

Just then, Ling Mo felt a tug at his sleeve.

Turning around, he saw the faintly red glowing eyes of Ye Lian in the darkness. Her eyes didn’t look bloody, but rather carried a mysterious aura.

She blinked, seeming to gaze intently at Ling Mo.

“What’s wrong?” Ling Mo asked gently.

“Ling Mo, you…” Ye Lian’s speech was somewhat stilted, but her enunciation was clear, “This is… good.”

“Uh-huh.” Ling Mo couldn’t help but smile.

That sounded familiar, didn’t it?

“Ah, right!” Shana suddenly turned back, “Watch out, don’t step on…”

*Creak…*

Ling Mo’s body immediately froze as if hit by an immobilization spell, including the expression on his face.

“Corpse…” Shana spread her hands innocently.

“Thanks… for the… reminder…” Ling Mo squeezed out four words through clenched teeth.

The zombies that followed from the underground parking lot numbered around ten. So many mutated zombies were a big problem wherever they were thrown.

But luckily, most of them were fresh out of the oven, not only unfamiliar with their own bodies but also at a lower level of evolution.

These zombies were essentially all that was left inside the zombie factory. Thanks to Shana, the juvenile zombies were especially vigorous in their calls…

“Don’t rush to get out, take them for a spin here. Right, Senior Sister, go find those things I told you about just now,” Ling Mo instructed.

“Got it!” Li Ya Lin answered and then vanished in a flash.

“They’re coming!” Shana called out softly.

The sound of the door being smashed open came from not far behind them, accompanied by the roaring of zombies.

“Go!”

Ling Mo hoisted the backpack on his back with force and grabbed Ye Lian by his side, starting to run wildly through the darkness.

Only a faint distance ahead was lit by the residual light of the flashlight, and Ling Mo’s speed was not fast.

Ye Lian, being pulled along, looked up at Ling Mo in confusion, suddenly curious.

With zombies in hot pursuit behind him, why was there still a smile on his lips? Aren’t humans supposed to fear danger and death?

Come to think of it, it’s rare to see him lose his temper over the hardships of life, nor has he ever been heard complaining…

Even when he curses, there’s always a hint of amusement in his eyes…

“Humans… are so strange,” a thought suddenly popped into Ye Lian’s head.

Fleeting memories flickered before her eyes…

It seems they’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t they?

Although recalling those memories never evoked any emotional response or mental fluctuation, for some reason, she was quite content to reminisce.

…

Back then, he would always have a scruffy face, bloodshot eyes, a cigarette in his mouth upon opening the door, and an utterly exhausted demeanor.

But the moment he saw her, a relaxed smile would instantly grace his face.

“Did you bring anything tasty?” His large hand would reach out, messing up her neatly arranged hair.

“You’re eating instant noodles again? How many times have I told you it’s bad for your stomach? Can’t you make something on your own?” she would push his hand away and say.

“My cooking is never as good as yours.”

“I have classes, I can only come over on the weekends!” she muttered as she walked inside.

“I made something,” he would follow her, and without looking she knew he was drooling over the lunchbox in her hands.

“What did you make?” she began tidying up the cluttered coffee table and tossed his jacket into the washing machine.

“Boiled noodles…”

“Instant noodles, right?”

“With vegetables added.”

She sighed lightly, turned to look at him, and said, “You’re always like this…”

“Well, I have you to take care of me, Housekeeper,” he chuckled.

“I’m not that old!” she feigned anger, “Besides, I can’t take care of you forever!”

“Hey, hey, that won’t do, you promised my mom you’d take care of me for life.” He shamelessly declared.

“You… that’s not fair! Anyway, it’s good as long as you stay like this, just don’t become more disobedient…”

Back then, he always seemed so relaxed…

Ye Lian remembered other fragments too, memories that had surfaced intermittently in recent days, but she hadn’t spoken of them to anyone yet.

Perhaps… those were from the time when memory first began to form…

She felt disoriented, sometimes able to remember things, sometimes knowing nothing at all.

But no matter what, every time she opened her eyes, amidst the haze of red, his face would appear.

The urge to bite, to see his blood spurt from his neck, to tear out his entrails…

So hungry… so thirsty…

But… why couldn’t she move?!

She wanted to lash out, but couldn’t control herself…

So uncomfortable!

“Ah ah…” She struggled fiercely, staring intently at the human in front of her.

“Ye Lian, don’t move, let me wipe your face.” The human approached cautiously with a handkerchief in hand.

“Ao!” The intense irritation drove Ye Lian mad, but she could only watch helplessly as he came closer.

That desirable scent drilled into her nostrils, even sprayed on her face, on her neck.

“My Ye Lian is indeed the prettiest, but it’s not so good with blood on you… Hey, hey, stop moving, you make my head hurt…”

Such a noisy… such a noisy voice…

But his touch was gentle, and his gaze was soft…

Why? He was clearly prey…

Sometimes, when his palm touched her face, it conveyed a restlessness within her…

…

“That’s right, this is human warmth.”

Ye Lian’s thoughts returned to the underground mall, to this corridor.

She was still looking at the hand held by Ling Mo, and a flicker of unusual color suddenly passed through her blank eyes.

“Body temperature…” She moved her fingers slightly, slowly and gently, and clasped Ling Mo’s fingers in return.

In the faint light, Ling Mo continued to run, oblivious to Ye Lian’s subtle movement.

He vaguely felt that her hand had grown colder, yet he did not let go; instead, he gripped it even tighter.

“The warmth of humans… feels so comfortable,” Ye Lian slightly moved the corners of her mouth. This was the first time since she became a zombie that she actually wanted to smile genuinely like a human, her smile in the darkness seemed forced, but her eyes were softer than ever…

She suddenly realized that for cold, bloodthirsty zombies, perhaps the human body temperature, whether it’s the warmth of the organs or the blood, is what truly attracts them.

They had lost these sensations, yet they still chased after them…

“Ling Mo,” Ye Lian suddenly spoke up.

“Hmm?” Ling Mo asked without turning his head.

The zombies were in hot pursuit behind them, and the sound of thumping could be heard from time to time.

However, in such a complex environment, they couldn’t catch up immediately.

“You’re taking care of me now, aren’t you?” Ye Lian asked softly.

“Ah? Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Not really…” Ling Mo tightened his grip on Ye Lian’s hand, swiftly turned a corner with her, and said with a bit of breathlessness, “I wouldn’t have survived up to this point without you guys. Plus, the more advanced your evolution, the less you need my care, right? Now you can even dress yourself, and it’s underwear at that!”

His last sentence was clearly said with some resentment…

“I… we… can take care… of you,” Ye Lian said haltingly.

As she spoke, a loud crash came from behind them, and then a large glass cabinet smashed heavily to the ground less than ten meters behind them.

“Damn!”

Ling Mo instinctively pulled Ye Lian into his arms, and his mental tentacles immediately spread out.

The shattered glass pieces hit the tentacles and were ricocheted back to the ground.

“Are you okay?” Ling Mo asked with a frown, his chest heaving, “What were you saying just now?”

Ye Lian lifted her head from Ling Mo’s embrace and slowly shook her head, “No… I said, we can take care of you.”

“Huh? Becoming obedient, huh? Heh heh, just listen to me, that’s taking care of me…”

Shana’s voice came from ahead: “Ling Mo?”

“Hmm?”

“You do know we can’t actually be cut by glass, right?”

“…Hahaha, it’s just instinct, right?”