Sparks flew everywhere, mingled with a few drops of blood.
But the Bird Zombieâs thin wings acted as a specialized shield.
With a raise of its arms, its entire upper body, including its head, was completely shielded.
Ling Moâs physical attacks had little effect, each strike felt like hitting a steel plate. Not only were they ineffective, but they also made his head spin with each impact.
âHa ha ha ha!â
The Bird Zombie maintained its head-covering posture, letting out a series of mocking, bizarre laughs.
Watching this human jumping around in frustration clearly amused the Bird Zombie.
Its attitude seemed more like it was having fun rather than being in a hurry to eat.
However, Ling Mo did not appreciate being toyed with like a mouse.
Before it could continue gloating, the Bird Zombieâs laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by a scream: âAh!â
Simultaneously, its body jerked, and its arms dropped uncontrollably.
Almost the instant its face was exposed, a burst of firelight exploded on it.
It looked as if someone had thrown a live firework directly at its face.
âBeing mocked by a Birdman? Who can tolerate that?â
Ling Mo, his face pale, let out a cold snort.
The physical tentacles couldnât break through that membrane, but the invisible mental energy could.
The Bird Zombieâs Psychic Light Cluster was tough to penetrate, but not impossible if a flaw was found.
Just moments ago, Ling Mo had keenly sensed a lapse in the Bird Zombieâs focus and decisively converted his physical tentacles back into pure mental energy.
When the intense mental assault caused the Bird Zombie to act erratically, the pre-prepared physical tentacles struck again.
Twice in quick succession, the seamless attacks hit the Bird Zombie square in the face. Its head was spinning, and its face burned.
The Bird Zombie swiftly retreated about ten meters, wiping its face with its hand.
Seeing the blood on its palm and feeling the burning pain from its face, the Bird Zombieâs expression suddenly changed.
The Bird Zombie lifted its head suddenly, its eyes bulging as if they might pop out of their sockets, and its mouth stretched wide, revealing eerily white teeth.
âAhhhhhhh!â
As the Bird Zombie screamed, Ling Moâs attention involuntarily drifted to its throat.
Watching that constantly trembling uvula, Ling Mo felt as if the sound was crawling out from the depths of that pitch-black throatâ¦
Just the sound alone made Ling Moâs scalp tingle with dread.
Much like the Screamers, this sound seemed to have a certain effect.
After hearing it a few times, Ling Mo felt his legs start to go weak.
He tried to move his feet but was horrified to find that he could barely moveâ¦
âDamn it, even though my willpower can resist, my body isnât respondingâ¦â
And this was with his fairly decent physical condition. Imagine if he were an average person, they might have collapsed by now.
âMy face!â
The Bird Zombie dug its nails into its own hand and scratched down its cheek, producing a screeching sound.
âEven a face like sandpaper, and you still care about it, huh?â
Ling Mo, his body stiff, spoke naturally while glancing at his feet out of the corner of his eye.
This situation was hard to explain, roughly akin to some emergency mechanism in the body. When sensing an extreme threat, the body would automatically react to protect itself.
Like a shutdown and rebootâfainting, or entering a sleep modeâgoing blank.
But this feeling of weakness all over, Ling Mo had never heard of beforeâ¦
This wasnât protection; this was sabotage!
âCould it be that if the scream surpasses human tolerance, it would cause blood vessels to burst, leading to death by explosion?â
Ling Mo speculated wildly, glancing back again.
In just a few seconds, Xiao Baiâs massive figure had completely disappeared.
A quick sense revealed that they had already dashed into Central Avenue.
In a place filled with intersections and Zombies at every turn, with their abilities, escaping wouldnât be too difficult.
Ye Lian being discovered was clearly due to her aura leaking entirely when she broke through.
If they deliberately concealed and restrained themselves, the chances of being discovered would be much lower.
But if the distance between them and their pursuers wasnât far enough, then it was hard to say.
âHow much longer can I hold out?â
Ling Moâs palms began to sweat slightly again. He wasnât at his limit yet, but he was close.
Especially considering his current physical condition, it was hard to say how much longer he could last.
The Bird Zombie had come for the sole purpose of feeding. Although its curiosity had been piqued by the uniqueness of its âfood,â that curiosity had likely been replaced entirely by anger by now.
âHuman! You hurt my face!â the Bird Zombie screamed in rage.
Its bony fingers scraped against its specimen-like face, and with that twisted expression, it looked utterly horrifying.
âIâm upholding justice!â Ling Mo replied righteously.
Since he needed to buy time, he might as well completely draw its attention to himself!
Ling Mo pressed his fingers against his chest, occasionally glancing at his body. âCome on, give me some reaction! Donât break down on me at a time like this, okay?â
Whether this psychological suggestion and self-encouragement would work, Ling Mo wasnât sure.
But it was better than nothing!
If it really didnât work⦠Ling Mo glanced at his leg, and his expression steadied considerably.
The Bird Zombieâs face was smeared with blood, and its anger was being further inflamed by Ling Moâs provocations.
âJustice? Does my face really look evil?â the Bird Zombie remembered these two words and used them quite aptly.
âYes,â Ling Mo nodded.
âWhere do you see the evil?â the Bird Zombie snarled, baring its teeth.
As it spoke, its fingers continued to scratch at its face.
If those claws were used on someone else, one scratch would likely leave the other person faceless.
Only its own leathery skin could withstand the assault of its claws.
Listening to that grating âscritch-scratchâ sound, Ling Mo found himself at a loss for words for a moment.
A Birdman that looked like a dried-up corpse, with a blood-covered face, continuously scratching at its own leathery skinâ¦
The real question should be, what part of it isnât evil?
The Bird Zombie had completely lost its patience. With a sudden scream, it lunged forward.
At its speed, Ling Mo barely had time to blink before he saw a dark shadow rapidly enlarging in front of him.
âWhew!â
The gust of wind hit Ling Moâs face, and from the sound of it, if he got hit, heâd likely end up as a headless corpse.
Ling Mo felt a sudden chill rush through his body, and his heartbeat momentarily halted.
His legs still wouldnât move!
But just as the dark shadow closed in, Ling Mo managed to turn his head to the side and leaped backward with a sudden burst of speed.
His toes barely touched the ground, yet he moved astonishingly fast, putting distance between himself and the Bird Zombie in the blink of an eye.
Without pausing, he suddenly leapt upward, landing nimbly on the sign of a nearby shop. After a brief moment, he jumped down, disappearing behind the corner of the wall.
The Bird Zombieâs attack missed, and in an instant, Ling Mo had vanished from sight again, leaving the Bird Zombie wide-eyed with surprise.
However, this time, despite its curiosity, the Bird Zombie didnât stop moving.
Using his Psychic Tentacle to pull himself along at high speed, Ling Mo frowned as he glanced behind him.
The shadowy figure kept flickering in and out of view, and it seemed to be getting closer.
âPersistent, arenât youâ¦â
Ling Mo calculated his current consumption and the amount of mental energy he could safely use.
The result wasnât promising. If he maintained this speed, he could only last another ten minutes at most.
Running continuously was one thing, but he also had to consider the distance between himself and Ye Lian.
This made shaking off the Bird Zombie much more difficult.
âHuman, running is useless! Hahahaâ¦ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The Bird Zombie began to emit a piercing, cackling laugh. The wounds on its feet and face had already stopped bleeding.
But because the blood had stimulated it, its tone sounded both manic and excited.
âDonât run and die instead?â
Ling Mo retorted bluntly, though his attention remained sharp.
Using his Psychic Tentacle to latch onto streetlights or utility poles to swing himself forwardâsaying it was easy enough.
But accurately spotting the next target while moving at high speed and reacting instantly upon seeing it was not an easy task.
If he got distracted, it would be a disasterâ¦