After the initial shock, Ling Mo immediately adjusted his tactics.
He swiftly transitioned from offense to defense, with the two female zombies shifting from relentless assault to evasive disruption.
The intensity of the battle cooled down instantaneously; Mu Chen and the others could only watch as the frenzied creature was led by the nose, darting chaotically near the crossroads.
âWhat are they doing?â Mu Chen was confused, noticing the growing brightness of the fire nearby. This was no time to be wasting timeâ¦
Shana, keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings, replied, âJust wait and see, it wonât last much longer.â
âWhat do you mean?â Mu Chen was still lost.
Shana glanced at him as if looking at an idiot and said, âYour injuries arenât in your brain⦠Forget it, Iâll tell you. Havenât you noticed itâs become much more fierce than before?â
âI haveâ¦â Mu Chen replied with tears streaming down his face, although he still didnât understand. Was it really necessary to point out something so obvious?
âDo you think thatâs normal?â Shana said to him with a sense of helplessness.
Mu Chen paused for a moment, then had an epiphany and nodded, âOh⦠I see.â
The creatureâs sudden rampage was clearly triggered by pain, sending it into a state of hysteria.
In such a state, it would undoubtedly consume much more energy than under normal circumstances.
Ling Mo and his party had obviously noticed this right away. Instead of choosing to clash head-on, they adopted a âwalking the dogâ strategy, continuously provoking it to grow more berserk.
âThatâs cunningâ¦â Mu Chen had just finished his thought when he noticed Shana staring at him coldly.
His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly put on an apologetic smile, âActually, I was praising him⦠Itâs no wonder you few have survived until now, your combat experience is too strong.â
âDomesticated ones can never compare to the wild ones,â Shana responded.
Mu Chen, who had wanted to argue, suddenly felt an unusual sensation. He glanced at Xu Shuhan, who was silently leaning against the wall not saying a word, and then thought about himself.
âDomestication⦠Itâs pretty much the same, isnât it? Work, get rewarded, and return to the cageâ¦â Mu Chen thought bitterly.
This reflection made him realize that almost every member of Niepan operated similarly.
The stark distinctions in status and levels, along with the different privileges, provided them with the motivation to keep risking their lives.
In essence, it was simply pooling together everyoneâs flesh and blood, allowing a stronger subset of individuals to feed off the rest.
Those who were consumed fought desperately to reverse their roles and become the consumers themselves.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Under such circumstances, where was the room for true companionship?
To those of a lower level, the ones higher up might just seem like stumbling blocks.
Take Xia Zhi, for example, thatâs how he viewed themâ¦
And to the higher-ups, those doggedly pursuing lower-level members were nothing but potential threats.
This competitive mechanism fueled Niepanâs rapid expansion and development, but Mu Chen had already tasted the pitfalls and bitterness that came with itâ¦
With this in mind, he suddenly felt less angry about Xia Zhiâs betrayal.
It wasnât betrayal; it was just a pitiful way to live, much like his former selfâ¦
Meanwhile, Ling Mo and the others were still engaged with the monster.
The creature, having lost its sense, couldnât grasp Ling Moâs tactics and was being toyed with like a spinning top.
The rapid depletion of its physical strength only seemed to exacerbate its fury. However, angry as it was, its movements had noticeably begun to slow down.
Shen Le, who had been acting like a human-shaped soap bubbleâpopping up only to be burstâcouldnât stay put for long.
When he reappeared, it was right behind the monster.
This strategy bought him a bit of time.
âWhistle!â
But just as he whistled, Ling Moâs mental Tentacles reached him again.
Shen Le was furious, yet he had no counter for Ling Moâs impressively quick neural reactions.
Nevertheless, the whistle had some effect; the monster suddenly let out a shrill roar and leapt high into the air.
Ling Mo immediately sensed danger. Before he could retreat, the monster had already appeared right in front of him.
âSuch speed!â
Just when it seemed like the monsterâs rampage had reached its limit, it quickly became apparent that this wasnât the case at all.
Although Ling Moâs body couldnât retreat in time, his mental Tentacles instantly formed a barrier in front of him.
Before Ling Mo could even catch a glimpse of the monsterâs shadow, its attack was already upon him.
Its legs, wound up like clockworks, kicked at Ling Mo in rapid succession with an incredibly high frequency.
In just a second, Ling Mo felt his Mental power draining away like running water.
At this moment, Li Ya Lin and Ye Lian had finally arrived. With their reaction speed, blocking the monster shouldnât be a problemâ¦
But just as Ling Mo breathed a sigh of relief, the multiple shadows of the monsterâs soles disappeared from his view, followed by a sudden gust of wind hitting him from behind.
âItâs too fast!â
When it moved, there was not the slightest hint of stagnationâsimply put, it was flawless!
The monster kept changing directions, dodging both Li Ya Linâs and Ye Lianâs attacks, and putting immense pressure on Ling Mo.
Ling Mo hadnât expected to find himself on the receiving end of such a passive beating so quickly.
Although he wouldnât sustain countless wounds like the monster, this rate of Mental power consumption was unsustainableâ¦
âNo, it shouldnât be able to keep rampaging like this. Whatâs going on? And that whistleâ¦â
Ling Mo furrowed his brow, searching for a chance to escape while trying to analyze the situation.
For some reason, a crazy thought flashed through his mindâ¦
But thinking of the monster, Ling Mo couldnât help but shake his head internally.
Impossible, right?
âWhoosh!â
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared behind Ye Lian.
A cold gleam lashed out towards Ye Lianâs back like a venomous snake, accompanied by Shen Leâs chilling smile.
In his view, this girl with the vacant gaze should have the slowest reaction time.
Moreover, her attention was entirely focused on Ling Mo and the monster, how could she possibly notice Shen Le appearing and disappearing like a ghost?
By the time she realized it, Shen Leâs knife would have already pierced her heartâ¦
Just the thought of warm blood splashing onto his face made Shen Leâs eyes gleam with excitement.
âYouâre supposed to be protecting them, right? Iâm going to kill them right in front of you just to make you angry, just because youâre too arrogant!â
âClang!â
A cold light barely grazed Ye Lianâs back, blocking Shen Leâs knife tip.
Before Shen Le could react, the cold light flicked his knife away, followed by a scythe-shaped slash aimed at his head.
Shen Le was startled and immediately dodged backward.
The long-haired girl missed her target but didnât pause at all, immediately turning the blade sideways and, with a graceful spin, the blade swept horizontally towards him.
âDamnâ¦â
This time Shen Leâs dodge was awkward, and he nearly tumbled to the ground.
âDo you think I donât exist?â Shana said with a sneer, as she swung her blade again.
âThis womanâs expression is even more twisted than mine!â Shen Le had just straightened up when he saw a flash of cold light above him.
âLing Mo told me to keep an eye on you,â Shana said with a grin.
âYouâre the one protecting them, arenât you?â Shen Le quickly stepped back, shouting.
âDonât you understand priorities?â Shana rolled her eyes.
Before Shen Le could dodge, a figure silently appeared behind him.
With a flash of cold light, he disappeared in an instant.
âTchâ¦â Shana put down her scythe and looked around before retreating back to Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan.
Mu Chen, with a pale face, wobbled as he lowered his knife, then, feeling awkward, raised it again.
He always knew being protected was just an illusion, but the illusion had shattered too quicklyâ¦
âWhy do I feel like our presence is actually aiding her sneak attacks? Like just now, Shen Le didnât realize she would moveâ¦â
Considering this possibility, Mu Chen suddenly felt his life was indeed filled with tragediesâ¦
Ling Mo had also witnessed Shen Leâs sneak attack, his eyes growing colder, and he calculated in his mind: âJust as I suspected⦠Now I have a clear idea of his special abilities. Want to be invisible? Wait until youâre dragged out!â
Meanwhile, with Ling Mo and Ye Lianâs joint efforts, the rampaging monster finally showed a moment of vulnerability.
In the midst of changing directions, its body was slightly obstructed by Ye Lianâ¦