Chapter 614 – The Secret Rendezvous in the Restroom
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“Huh?”
Ye Lian, who had just reached the corner, turned back and glanced at the manhole cover.
“What’s up?” Ling Mo looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked.
Ye Lian tilted her head, seemingly in thought, before slowly shaking her head.
At that moment, Mu Chen caught up, arriving right in front of Ling Mo and slapped him heavily on the shoulder: “d.a.m.n, you really did it!”
His expression was indescribable, as if he was plotting how to give Ling Mo a good beating while reminding himself that he couldn’t win.
“Seriously, I thought you were on a suicide mission, but you really do have some tricks up your sleeve. Next time though, let’s keep it down, alright? No, no, no… better yet, let there be no next time.” Mu Chen’s smile was forced, but his tone lost its sarcasm when he spoke of Ling Mo’s resourcefulness.
“Are you done squeezing? Can you let go now?” Ling Mo glared at Mu Chen with annoyance.
“Cough cough…” Mu Chen let go awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, “We shouldn’t stay here long, shall we talk while we walk?”
“Let’s go this way then.” Xu Shuhan pointed towards a nearby alley, “It’s a bit roundabout, but with so many of us, it’s safer to take the back streets. I’ve just checked the street signs, we shouldn’t have any problems going this way.”
“I’m cool with that.” Ling Mo agreed readily.
His words immediately reignited Mu Chen’s displeasure, remembering who it was that kept finding excuses to take detours!
As the group entered the alley, the zombie skirmish on the street had reached a gruesome stage, with blood and flesh strewn everywhere. Just one glance at the scene was enough to make their legs wobble.
If they hadn’t experienced it firsthand, they could never have imagined that these creatures, hardly distinguishable from humans at a glance, could tear their own kind into pieces of raw flesh.
And humans, much weaker than them, were extremely fragile in their presence.
Even though the witnesses were all seasoned survivors, their complexions turned pale at the sight.
It was only after they had followed the alley into another small street that they felt some relief.
Thanks to the alarm, the street was completely deserted, not a single zombie in sight.
“Now can we talk? How exactly did you guys run from the mall to there?” Mu Chen looked around anxiously and couldn’t wait to ask.
“We saw a few shadows, then chased after them…” Ling Mo replied calmly.
“What a casual answer… But this means we all had similar experiences, right? But…how did you chase them for nearly two blocks? That’s quite persistent!” Mu Chen said, rolling his eyes.
Ling Mo didn’t respond to the question, and after Mu Chen finished his complaint, he didn’t continue to press either.
Suddenly, the atmosphere of the team became silent. On the desolate street, only the hurried footsteps of the group could be heard.
However, at the back of the group, Xia Zhi, who had been silent all along, now lowered his head and suddenly twisted his mouth into a smile.
It was an ugly and eerie smile that slowly surfaced on his face…
…
Dongming City, nearly two hundred kilometers away from the provincial capital City X and bordering the neighboring province, is a second-tier city known for its pharmaceutical production.
When Ling Mo finally got the name of the city from Mu Chen, he fell silent for a while.
A city of pharmaceuticals! How had he not thought of that?
What place could be more suitable for the Niepan Branch than Dongming City?!
It took Ling Mo and his group five days of hurrying along the road to finally arrive in Dongming City.
It wasn’t that they were slow walkers; it was just that the number of zombies on the road was overwhelming.
Moreover, the longer they traveled, the more intense the feeling of a nationwide zombie evolution became.
Coupled with the difficulty of securing supplies, just finding food and changing to appropriate transportation took up a lot of their time.
However, when Ling Mo checked the map on his phone, he noticed something else.
Dongming City was not too far from Cuihu City…
Although Cuihu City was further south, looking at the map, the two cities were almost adjacent to each other.
“Enhanced zombies… Niepan Branch…” Ling Mo mentally weighed these two terms together, but still couldn’t draw any conclusions.
Maybe it’s just because they’re close by?
After all, not everyone is like him, capable of helping zombies evolve quickly.
The actions of organizations like Niepan and Falcon Research Inst.i.tute could at best be called interventions.
“This is as far as we go, get off.” Mu Chen was the first to jump off the vehicle, he said.
Ling Mo also stopped the car, then waited for Ye Lian to get off before he hopped down and glanced at his mode of transport: “Can’t even ride a bike in?”
The sedan they had found previously had its hood flattened by a zombie at the city toll booth, and then the door was torn off by another zombie wearing a toll collector’s uniform.
“The toll collection here is really straightforward…” Ling Mo had remarked at the time.
As a result, the group had to find some abandoned bicycles by the roadside. Although the tires were flat, they were still rideable…
After wobbling along for nearly an hour, they finally officially entered Dongming City.
In fact, they had just pa.s.sed a huge, old billboard: “Welcome to Dongming.”
“No, that won’t work. Dongming has a large population, you know.” Mu Chen tossed the bicycle aside, he said.
“I thought since it was your branch, it would surely be an empty city just for you guys.” Ling Mo looked around and said.
They got off at the yard of an old guesthouse, which not only looked deserted but even the building itself was covered in dust.
However, the high walls concealed them well; looking out from here, nothing could be seen except the buildings on either side.
“Heh…” Mu Chen seemed to want to say something, but it turned into a cough when he reached his lips.
Seeing Ling Mo staring at him, he wiped sweat from his brow with a hint of annoyance and said, “Anyway, the presence of zombies is also very important.”
“Ah… I see.” Ling Mo had an epiphany, “You need experimental products.”
“Not entirely…” Mu Chen hesitated for a moment, then swallowed back the words he was about to say. “Let’s rest for a bit before we head out. I’m going to check if I can find some water inside.”
With that said, he pulled out his knife and headed towards the guesthouse.
Ling Mo was genuinely surprised and said, “Isn’t this place your usual rest stop?!”
“Of course not! Why would you say that?” Mu Chen asked as he turned around.
“There are no zombies here,” Ling Mo said, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Xu Shuhan interjected, “Do you think a place like this would have good business? I’m not going inside though, it’s pretty dirty… I’ll keep watch.”
She said this and walked towards the gate, appearing quite natural, but Ling Mo couldn’t help but want to laugh.
This woman really was afraid of places like this…
Xia Zhi had just returned from checking the surroundings and followed her to the gate.
Shana approached Ling Mo and asked, “Shall we go?”
Ling Mo glanced at Ye Lian and Li Ya Lin, who were staring intently at the guesthouse, and nodded helplessly, “Let’s go.”
In reality, the water supply Ling Mo had brought with him was quite limited. Water was essential, but it took up s.p.a.ce and was heavy, so no matter how much he carried, it couldn’t be much.
But in a place like this, could there be water?
Moreover, another question crossed Ling Mo’s mind…
They were almost at Niepan, so why worry about collecting supplies at this time?
Something was fishy…
“Screech—!”
Mu Chen pushed open the ajar door, next to which and on the floor lay deep brown bloodstains and a long drag mark.
However, he didn’t linger to look at it and immediately entered sideways with his knife ready.
The lobby setup was simple: a reception desk, a computer lying on the floor covered in dust, a sofa to the side, and potted plants that had long since withered into straw.
“There are no zombies here… nor here…”
Mu Chen quickly searched the two adjacent small rooms and a bathroom, then suddenly sprang out, grabbing Xia Zhi, who was looking around, and dragged him into the bathroom.
“Bang!”
Mu Chen shut the door of the bathroom with a swift motion, and the cramped, dim room suddenly became very quiet.