In a daze, Ling Mo felt a continuous surge of coolness flowing throughout his entire body.
He had no idea how much time had passed, but Ling Mo eventually snapped out of his daze.
His mind became much clearer, and the abnormal conditions in his body had significantly lessened.
Even the residual effects left by the Spider Queen were alleviated considerably in an instant.
As he opened his eyes, he found himself staring straight into Ye Lianâs slightly confused but deeply unsettling black eyes.
âWhat is thisâ¦â
Ling Mo was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his senses.
He grabbed Ye Lianâs shoulders, trying his best to control his excitement and asked as calmly as possible, âThis⦠whatâs going on?â
Ye Lian blinked and tilted her head, âHuh? Wha⦠whatâ¦â
Huh?!
Ling Mo was taken aback again. Isnât she still a little stutterer?
Although itâs not a physical defect, it does indicate that her thinking and reactions are not in sync.
To put it bluntly, her reactions were relatively slowâ¦
Butâ¦
âGirl, did you advance, right?â
Ling Moâs expectant gaze locked onto Ye Lian as he shook her arms and asked.
Ye Lian swayed with his movements and then suddenly smiled dumbly, âWonât⦠wonât fallâ¦â
âThis isnât about playing Weeble Wobble!â Ling Mo slapped his forehead.
Since asking wasnât working, he had to check it himself.
Ling Mo pulled Ye Lian around to look her over from head to toe, and Ye Lian obediently turned her body as he directed.
Just by looking at her appearance, there wasnât much to tellâ¦
If he had to point out something, there were two things that particularly caught Ling Moâs attention.
One was Ye Lianâs psychic fluctuations. Due to the psychic link between them, he wouldnât experience the same situation as when probing those dominant level zombies, but there were some similarities.
For example, when Ling Mo wasnât fully concentrating his psychic power, he could sense that outside of Ye Lianâs psychic light cluster, there seemed to be a membrane, preventing him from immediately sensing her psychic fluctuations.
The other was Ye Lianâs eyes.
Although they still looked as confused as ever, within that confusion, there was clearly something else hiddenâ¦
But looking at Ye Lianâs behavior, it seemed like nothing much had changed.
âSo, did she break through or not?â
Apart from this dilemma, another issue troubling Ling Mo was: Ye Lian clearly had the lowest evolution level, so why did she become the first to step onto the dominant level threshold at a time like this?
âMaybe itâs because sheâs still in the transitional phase of her advancementâ¦â
As Ling Mo pondered this, he reached out towards Ye Lianâs cheek.
This move was quite sudden, and Ling Moâs eyes became somewhat sharp in that instant.
Almost instinctively, Ye Lian tilted her head to the side, naturally dodging his hand.
âAs expected!â
Ling Mo, excited, didnât stop. His missed hand moved down smoothly, aiming for Ye Lianâs shoulder. âWatch your step!â
Ye Lianâs attention was focused on Ling Moâs hand, and when he suddenly shouted, she couldnât help but look down, âHuh?â
âGotcha.â Ling Mo smirked, his fingers just about to touch Ye Lianâs shoulder.
Ye Lian looked down only to find nothing there, realizing she had been tricked.
Ling Mo had good physical fitness and strong psychic reaction abilities. If he were still a leader-level zombie, this move would be hard to avoid, and sheâd at least get grazed.
Moreover, when Ye Lian looked up, Ling Mo suddenly leaned forward, which also served as a distraction. No matter how fast her reaction was, there would inevitably be a split second of hesitation, and that moment was enough for Ling Mo to complete his âattackâ move.
With his psychic power enhanced and his physical fitness slightly improved, Ling Mo felt that his body and psychic reaction speeds seemed more coordinated.
At the very least, performing the same action now felt much smoother than before.
This difference might not be noticeable to others, but from Ling Moâs perspective, it was significant.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch Ye Lianâs body, Ye Lianâs pupils suddenly contracted sharply, then slowly dilated again, resembling a true âkaleidoscope.â
Immediately after, she dodged to the side at an extremely tricky angle, and Ling Moâs hand missed her completely.
âEh?â
Ling Mo was a bit stunned. He clearly saw what happened and could keep up with Ye Lianâs speed, but he just couldnât adjust his movements in time.
Ye Lian had chosen an angle he never would have expected, evading in such a manner.
This was a perfect dodge!
Even though Ling Mo knew he would miss, and had time to change his move, in his current state, he simply couldnât adjust to the direction Ye Lian had dodged.
If this were under normal circumstances, Ling Mo might have thought it was a coincidence.
But he had clearly seen Ye Lianâs eyes just nowâ¦
Was this a mutation in her eyes?
Unlike superpower users, a zombieâs partial mutations are not always the same. As they continue to evolve, their organs might completely change from what they originally were.
Although Ling Mo had mentally prepared for this, seeing his female zombie companion undergo a physical mutation still felt a bit unbelievable. He was momentarily dumbfounded.
âLing-Ge, why⦠why did you trick meâ¦â Ye Lian said, pouting slightly.
âDominant levelâ¦â
Ling Mo was completely absorbed in shock. After a long while, he finally snapped out of it and, with a sudden move, pulled Ye Lian into his arms.
âGirl!â
Ling Mo had countless things to say, but when he opened his mouth, only these two words came out.
Ye Lianâs chin rested on Ling Moâs shoulder. Her eyes were wide open, staring ahead.
She was dazed for a moment, then slowly lifted her hand and gently patted Ling Mo on the back.
âWhew~â
Ye Lian took a deep breath and buried her head in Ling Moâs shoulder, greedily savoring the moment.
This moment seemed both fleeting and endless.
It wasnât until he felt his shoulder getting wet that Ling Mo released Ye Lian. With a slight smile, he wiped the corner of her mouth. âDonât drool on me at a time like thisâ¦â
Meanwhile, his eyes remained fixed on Ye Lianâs.
The change had only lasted an instant. Now, looking at Ye Lian, she seemed almost the same as usualâ¦
But âalmostâ is not âexactly.â Upon closer inspection, there was still a slight, dizzying illusion.
This is the biggest difference between zombies and mutation beasts, and superpower users. Superpower users, when not using their abilities, are completely indistinguishable from normal people, and their abilities are only used for a short duration.
In their normal states, whether itâs the suddenly bulging muscles of enhancement types or the psychic power in the brains of mental ability users, all of it is invisible to the naked eye.
But zombie mutations are physiological and always present.
âThankfully, itâs not too conspicuousâ¦â
Ling Mo examined Ye Lian from all angles for a while, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
He had imagined various scenarios, but the current situation was better than he had expected.
âBut what determines this kind of mutation? Is it the virus randomly? Orâ¦â
Ling Mo furrowed his brow in thought, then suddenly had a flash of insight.
Could it be because Ye Lian often uses a sniper rifle?
No matter how precise her shooting is, she still relies on her eyes for aiming.
Using them frequently, did her instincts naturally choose this part to enhance?
That seems possible. After all, every mutation and enhancement is for the sake of further evolution.
And the mutations that occur in this process must be to improve the bodyâs survival and competitiveness.
âYes, that must be itâ¦â
Ling Mo couldnât help but smile, then took Ye Lian for another look around. âWhat should we call it? âFlowers in the Eyesâ? âFlower Eyesâ?â
âN-no⦠no.â Ye Lian immediately shook her head like a rattle.
Even by her zombie aesthetic standards, that name was awful!
Not expecting his naming ability to be despised by the ever-innocent Ye Lian, Ling Mo felt incredibly awkwardâ¦
âAlright then⦠weâll reconsider. But these eyes, theyâre mainly to see from all angles and quickly choose the best one for you, right?â Ling Mo asked tentatively.
Ye Lian thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
âSo it isâ¦â Ling Mo thoughtfully glanced at her. He had seen the effectiveness of these eyes in dodging, but he wasnât sure about their performance in attacks.
But now wasnât the best time to test it. Ye Lian had come out, but the other three female zombies and a mutation beast were still struggling to enhance themselves inside.