A man and a zombie raced through narrow streets and dense buildings, their speed so fast it produced a whooshing sound.
From time to time, zombies would leap out, but they either failed to catch Ling Mo or were swiftly dealt with by the Bird Zombie following behind.
Seeing how it could easily toss those regular zombies aside like chicks while moving at high speed made Ling Moâs heart sink.
âI thought letting it pass would buy me some timeâ¦â
Ling Mo felt a bit helpless as he maintained his speed, contemplating a strategy.
âWhoosh!â
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by his side, catching Ling Moâs eye and startling him.
When did the Bird Zombie get to his side?!
Moreover, it was clinging to the wall like a gecko, using both its hands and feet to crawl forward swiftly.
Behind it trailed a cloud of âexhaust,â dust kicked up by its claws digging into the wall.
A zombie leaving dust in its wake!
âHow is it more agile on the wall than on the ground?!â
Ling Moâs heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly veered to the other side of the street.
Just as he thought he had gained some distance, the Bird Zombieâs shadow appeared within his line of sight again!
What was going on?!
Wait⦠a look of shock flashed across Ling Moâs eyes.
This Bird Zombie⦠it could actually fly!
Seeing Ling Mo dart across the road, the Bird Zombie spread its arms like a glider and effortlessly followed.
As it was about to crash into the opposite wall, it arched its body backward, gripping the wall securely with both hands and feet.
In the instant it stabilized, it propelled itself forward with the momentum, continuing the chase.
This way, it saved much more time compared to pursuing on the groundâ¦
âNo wonder its body is shaped that way; it was designed for gliding.â
As Ling Mo snapped back to reality, he immediately realized this.
In fact, while trying to buy time, Ling Mo had been carefully observing this Bird Zombie.
This was the first Zombie he had encountered that surpassed the dominant level. After some thought, he decided to name this level: King level.
While the name might not be very creative, Ling Mo felt it was quite fitting.
Though its intelligence hadnât shown any exceptional advantage, in terms of strength, this Bird Zombie was indeed formidable.
Judging by the thin membranes it had mutated, it was clear that this aspect had also reached a mature stage.
The various attributes of this Bird Zombie provided Ling Mo with a wealth of valuable information.
Someday, Ye Lian and the others would also advance to this levelâ¦
Having prior experience would be far better than being completely in the dark when the time came.
In truth, Ling Mo still had many doubts about the King levelâ¦
The Bird Zombie was strong, but it wasnât strong in every aspect.
â⦠Did the Air Force Corps designate Cuihu City as a high-risk level area just because thereâs a powerful gliding Zombie here?â
Ling Mo harbored a faint sense of doubt about this.
âWhoosh!â
A dark shadow suddenly hurtled from behind. Ling Mo sharply tilted his head, feeling a gust of wind brush past his neck.
âBoom!â
The shadow crashed into the ground like a cannonball, sending dirt and tiles flying.
âItâs even learned to throw things at peopleâ¦â
A chill ran down Ling Moâs spine. He had to come up with a solution within these ten minutesâ¦
â
On Central Avenue, a massive white shadow was barreling down the middle of the road.
Zombies on the roadside continuously lunged at it but were left behind.
One Zombie came at it head-on, but the white shadow didnât slow down. When they were within ten meters, it suddenly leaped and swiped with a powerful paw.
âThud!â
Amidst a splatter of blood, the white shadow landed lightly and continued running forward without missing a beat.
Sitting on its back was a figure that stood out starkly.
Brushing back her wind-tossed hair, Ye Lianâs slightly dazed eyes stayed fixed on the far end of the street.
She gripped Thorâs Gun tightly and suddenly patted the Mutation panda: âXiao Bai⦠stop.â
Ye Lianâs voice was soft and slow, but very clear.
Xiao Bai, still galloping in the wind, immediately halted, letting out a questioning grunt, âMeGu?â
Ye Lian jumped to the ground, her large eyes fixed on Xiao Bai. âTake them⦠and go ahead.â
As she spoke, she gently patted Xiao Baiâs head.
Xiao Bai, initially unresponsive, suddenly shivered and slowly lowered its head.
âGo on.â Ye Lian patted Xiao Baiâs back.
The Mutation panda shuddered, then sprang forward and quickly disappeared among the abandoned vehicles scattered across the street.
Left alone, Ye Lian gripped her gun with both hands and turned to face the direction they had come from.
A hint of struggle flickered in her eyes as she gently shook her head.
âAh⦠right.â Ye Lian suddenly recalled, âHe told me to leave⦠but⦠he didnât say where to go.â
Finding a loophole in the mental command, Ye Lianâs lips curled into a slight smile.
As soon as the smile appeared, she hastily covered her mouth in a bit of panic.
âNo⦠I canât do that.â
Shaking her head, Ye Lian wrinkled her nose slightly. âButâ¦â
The street in front of her was filled with car wreckages from traffic accidents and numerous Zombies.
Although she couldnât see it, she could sense a powerful presence nearby.
Sniffing again, Ye Lian recalled the smell of blood.
The purity of the Virus in that blood was an irresistible lure for Zombies.
But what truly intrigued Ye Lian wasnât the Virus; it was the human scent she sensed.
âIt really smells⦠like foodâ¦â
Ye Lian took another deep breath. This was probably the most appetizing human scent sheâd ever encountered.
Unfortunately, it wasnât edibleâ¦
âAnd it canât⦠be eaten.â
A determined glint suddenly flashed in Ye Lianâs eyes. She leapt up and landed silently on the roof of a car.
As soon as her toes touched the car roof, her body sprang up again, landing on the next vehicle.
In just a second or two, Ye Lian had leapt across a dozen car roofs, moving swiftly like a nimble sprite towards the direction they had come from.
â
âI think Iâm dying.â
Inside the hotel, Mu Chen gulped down a large mouthful of water, his voice weary.
âMy enthusiasm for talking has been completely obliterated. I feel like Iâve said more today than in my entire life. Especially talking about another manâitâs a huge blow to my self-esteem!â
Mu Chen continued to complain weakly, still pouring water into his mouth.
âHuff⦠huffâ¦â
Opposite him, Xu Shuhan, her eyes red, was panting heavily. Her fingers were digging into the wall, leaving deep gouges.
The sight of those gouges, accompanied by the falling plaster dust, made Mu Chenâs scalp tingle.
He seemed to foresee his possible fateâ¦
âWait, wait! Donât get excited⦠let me catch my breath.â
Mu Chen, tears streaming down his face, shrank back a little more, only to realize he was already backed into a corner.
âOkay, okay, Iâll talk! Iâll talk!â
In the past few hours, he had already exhausted every topic he could think of.
But the only thing that seemed to calm Xu Shuhan was talking about Ling Mo.
Mu Chen was internally frustratedâhow could he have paid so much attention to Ling Mo?!
But it was just him and Xu Shuhan in the hotel, and her attitude was clear.
Talk or dieâ¦
Obviously, Mu Chen had no choiceâ¦
âWhy are these the only two options?!â Mu Chen continued to be exasperated.
After several hours of talking, he felt like he was about to break down just from saying Ling Moâs name repeatedly.
In fact, he had even embellished a lot of the stories.
âConsidering her mind is affected by the Virus, she probably canât tell,â Mu Chen thought.
And indeed, Xu Shuhan didnât seem to notice.
As long as he talked about Ling Mo, she would quietly lean against the wall, seemingly listening intently.
âYouâre actually infected by the Ling Mo Virus, arenât you?!â Mu Chen had to bite back the words several times.
In reality, Xu Shuhanâs thoughts were on a completely different trackâ¦
She believed that only Ling Mo seemed capable of turning Zombies into someone like Ye Lian and her companions.
If she could learn more about Ling Mo, maybe she could achieve the same!
âKeep⦠talking,â Xu Shuhan prompted hoarsely.
Mu Chen, on the verge of collapse, muttered, âLing Mo, where are you?!â