Chapter 677: Hiding Strategy Under the Light
Clang!
Ling Mo curled his body and crashed into a shopping mall.
Landing amidst countless shards of gla.s.s, he immediately sprinted forward, weaving through toppled displays and rus.h.i.+ng into the center of the mall.
“Staying outside probably won’t shake it off, but… let’s see you fly in here!”
Ling Mo nimbly maneuvered through the shattered half of a gla.s.s door, entering the corridor.
Having just slipped inside, he wasn’t familiar with the interior layout and had to stop to observe.
The mall’s lighting was dim, but not enough to hinder Ling Mo.
The entire internal structure resembled a hollowed-out mountain.
The corridor spiraled upwards like a mountain road, leading from the ground floor all the way to the top.
On both sides were semi-open shop cubicles, densely packed into the not-so-large s.p.a.ce.
A transparent box elevator for customers to move up and down was right in front of Ling Mo.
The elevator door was slightly ajar, with a white bone still hanging from a strip of tattered cloth wedged in the gap.
At a glance, the elevator interior was smeared with nearly black bloodstains, and a putrid stench a.s.saulted his nose.
Clearly, the ventilation here was poor.
Ling Mo only glanced at the elevator before peering over the railing below.
In the corridor, he could see some fleeting shadows, obviously zombies attracted by the recent commotion.
In such a large mall, there were bound to be many zombies.
Even though many zombies had wandered outside to hunt, some would still linger inside.
Crunch!
The sound of gla.s.s being stepped on suddenly came from behind.
“Chasing really close!”
Ling Mo glanced back and then looked around.
No time left!
He abruptly turned towards the elevator and squeezed through the gap.
Upon entering the elevator, the intense smell made Ling Mo’s head throb, and even his eyes burned.
It was hard to tell how many skeletons lay beneath his feet. Even standing on the floor felt like stepping on a “carpet.”
But this wasn’t the time to get grossed out. Whether it was fresh intestines and blood or long-dried remains, he had to step on them.
Ling Mo had only taken a couple of steps deeper into the elevator when he locked eyes with a pair of dark, hollow sockets.
The black cavities seemed to “stare” intently at Ling Mo, and the gaping mouth looked as if it might lunge and bite at any moment.
Without a change in his expression, Ling Mo met the dead gaze of the corpse for a brief moment. He then covered his nose and mouth, carefully sidling into a corner of the elevator to avoid the gap.
From his vantage point, he could clearly see a small area outside.
Tap!
Footsteps grew nearer, soon appearing in front of the elevator.
Ling Mo’s scalp tightened, and he hurriedly held his breath.
Tap, tap!
The Bird Zombie paced back and forth outside the elevator, and he could hear it inhaling deeply.
Ling Mo straightened his body, remaining completely still, his eyes fixed on the gap.
He had hidden here partly because he didn’t have enough time, and partly because of an old, reliable principle: hiding in plain sight.
The Bird Zombie wasn’t very intelligent and had been fooled by him several times before. It would never expect Ling Mo to hide right under its nose.
While there was nothing particularly impressive about outsmarting a Zombie with human intelligence, this very fact was the biggest weakness of this King level Zombie.
Despite his confidence, Ling Mo prepared a few Psychic Tentacles, ready to shatter the gla.s.s behind him at a moment’s notice. It’s always wise to have a backup plan.
Tap, tap!
The Bird Zombie continued to loiter outside. The sudden loss of its target clearly frustrated it, and Ling Mo’s ears were filled with the grating sound of its sharp nails sc.r.a.ping against its own skin.
Each sound sent a s.h.i.+ver through Ling Mo, causing gooseb.u.mps to rise.
He forced himself to remain calm. The fact that the Bird Zombie hadn’t immediately discovered him meant that his hiding strategy was working.
The strong odor and nearly sealed environment had completely concealed Ling Mo.
It would be a pity if everything fell apart at this critical moment…
Suddenly, a shadow flashed past the gap.
Ling Mo’s heart leaped into his throat, and he stared intently at the narrow slit.
Tap!
The Bird Zombie’s footsteps stopped, and Ling Mo watched as the shadow gradually filled the entire gap.
Blood-red tentacles rose like poisonous snakes, poised to shatter the gla.s.s at Ling Mo’s command.
“Just a bit longer! Just a bit longer…”
Ling Mo felt his temples pounding, but his tension only sharpened his focus.
The surrounding sounds became incredibly clear, and even his vision seemed brighter.
He could clearly see the shadow outside the door, fully outlining the Bird Zombie’s form. It was inching closer to the elevator, step by step.
“d.a.m.n, is it really coming over?”
Ling Mo calculated the distance between them. If it took two more steps forward, he would have no choice but to flee!
Otherwise, with the Bird Zombie’s speed, he wouldn’t have enough time to escape safely.
“Roar!”
A faint Zombie growl came from downstairs, and Ling Mo’s mind stirred. A Psychic Tentacle silently extended out.
The nearest Psychic Light Cl.u.s.ter was in the corridor just one floor below. Without the sound stimulation, these Zombies should have continued to wander slowly.
But the aura of the high-level Zombie had agitated them into a frenzy of fear, causing them to circle nearby restlessly.
The Zombie that had made the noise was now frantically darting around, as if it needed to tear something apart to vent its terror.
It had no idea that a tentacle was silently approaching from behind.
“Grk…”
Suddenly, its eyes widened and its body tensed.
An invisible tentacle “pierced” into its brain, embedding deeply into its Psychic Light Cl.u.s.ter.
In just a second, the Zombie’s frenzied look turned to bewilderment.
Its expression quickly s.h.i.+fted from rage to calm, and its blood-red eyes looked upward.
“Crack, crack!”
After twisting its neck a few times, the Zombie suddenly crouched, then sprang forward like a coiled spring. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Just as the Zombie was about to crash into the railing, it suddenly leaped, using its feet to push off from the rail.
At the peak of its jump, the Zombie began to fall. But at that moment, it quickly grabbed the upper railing, pulling itself up with ease, and landed in the corridor of the next floor.
“Hmm, Zombies really are agile and powerful…” Ling Mo couldn’t help but marvel from his hiding spot in the elevator.
His body had been modified with a minute amount of the Virus for a long time, but he was still far from matching a real Zombie.
However, since he didn’t want to be infected and lose his mind, he had to take it slowly.
Though he couldn’t compare to Zombies, at least he was more fortunate than ordinary humans.
“Roar!”
As soon as the Zombie landed, it spread its arms and let out a challenging roar, shaking its body.
Tap!
Outside the elevator, the feet that had appeared in the gap suddenly stopped.
“Cluck, cluck, cluck…”
A strange laugh came from the Bird Zombie’s mouth as it slowly moved its feet, turning towards the Zombie.
To the Bird Zombie, such an ordinary Zombie was no different from an ant.
But this insignificant ant dared to challenge it, triggering the Bird Zombie’s instinct to kill.
Its purple eyes locked onto the Zombie, and its fingers curled with a swift motion.
Being stared at with such an insect-like gaze, Ling Mo finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The attention… had been diverted!
Boom!
The Bird Zombie leaned forward slightly, stepped, and rushed towards the Zombie.
Its movements were somewhat casual. After all, in its view, absolute power was enough to dominate.
No technique was needed; such insignificant creatures could be crushed effortlessly.
After dealing with this weak fellow, it would then find that human!
The Bird Zombie was fast, but with Ling Mo’s current Psychic Power, he could synchronize his neural responses with the actions of his Zombie Puppet.
He was prepared. As soon as the Bird Zombie’s heel lifted, he immediately controlled the Zombie to flip over the railing, grabbing it during the descent, and threw itself back to the lower floor.