Chapter 696: The Disappearing Path
Yu s.h.i.+ran stood motionless, but two silver threads had already begun to move subtly—one reaching for the ceiling, the other crawling along the floor behind her.
The zombie Loli might not be very intelligent, but Black Silk was there…
The silver threads swept around the area, finding nothing, and slowly retracted.
Yu s.h.i.+ran, however, blinked defiantly, took a step back, and turned to face the mirror.
The mirror was covered in a layer of dust, making it difficult to see clearly. Coupled with the dim light, it would have been nearly impossible to discern the vague reflection if she weren’t a zombie.
“Huh, how could it be… Black Silk, shut up, I did not see it wrong!”
After staring at the mirror for a moment, Yu s.h.i.+ran pouted and retorted, then decided to roll up her sleeves and start wiping the mirror.
As the dust was gradually wiped away, the reflection of Yu s.h.i.+ran in the mirror became clearer.
On her fair little face, the most striking feature was her eyes, which were so red they seemed to glow, while the whites of her eyes were completely devoid of blood, resembling fine white porcelain. This stark contrast appeared extremely eerie in the mirror, yet carried a certain b.l.o.o.d.y beauty.
Her delicate features, youthful yet refined, carried an innocent but slightly sinister and cold aura. Behind her, around ten silver threads moved autonomously despite the lack of wind…
However, for most survivors, a zombie’s appearance didn’t matter. The only thing worth noting was their eyes, as that directly related to their survival rate or speed of death.
Zombies themselves didn’t care much about their looks either. Their species operated under a strict hierarchy; without power, even a superstar model turned zombie would be forced to hunt at the bottom level with a twisted face, constantly at risk of becoming prey.
Senior Zombies, while still engaged in relentless battles, had it somewhat better.
At the very least, they didn’t need to shuffle around like puppets to conserve energy like ordinary zombies…
In reality, the higher the level, the more frequently Zombies hunted.
Unlike Ye Lian and the others who stayed by Ling Mo’s side, wild Zombies basically had no rest time.
Their entire existence revolved around one thing: killing.
Every action had a single purpose: evolution, constant evolution.
Yu s.h.i.+ran’s previous life was similar. Although following Ban Yue, a Zombie with bizarre thoughts, made life slightly different, the general path was the same.
But ever since she started following Ling Mo, she had taken a completely different path.
Of course, Yu s.h.i.+ran hadn’t realized this yet. She hadn’t even noticed that since she was captured, Ling Mo had handed over his two new pets to her…
“Tsk…”
Yu s.h.i.+ran looked around the mirror, seeing no shadows, and let out a dissatisfied snort.
The ten or so silver threads quivered in unison as if silently mocking her, looking extremely eerie.
Luckily, there were no survivors around. Otherwise, even if they didn’t know Yu s.h.i.+ran’s level, just seeing those silver threads would terrify them.
“What are you laughing at…”
Yu s.h.i.+ran felt frustrated and was about to walk away when she instinctively sensed a hint of danger.
Immediately, the scene in the mirror began to change…
A figure slowly emerged from behind Yu s.h.i.+ran’s head, almost matching her height, with messy hair, paper-white skin, and a slightly lowered head.
Eventually, the figure’s head appeared completely beside Yu s.h.i.+ran’s face, as if someone was leaning over her shoulder, looking at the mirror with her.
This scene, although creepy, shouldn’t have any effect on a Zombie…
But at that moment, Yu s.h.i.+ran remained expressionless, staring intently at the figure’s head!
She hadn’t sensed anything!
The silver threads hadn’t detected any figure behind her, and her shoulder was empty…
This scene, beyond Yu s.h.i.+ran’s understanding, left the Zombie Loli frozen in place.
She desperately wanted to know what was going on…
Just then, the figure’s head slowly lifted its chin, and the hair hanging over its face parted to the sides.
A blood-stained mouth, a pair of completely red and extremely chaotic eyes, and a twisted, violent face…
…
The contrast between the figure and Yu s.h.i.+ran was stark!
Yet, when Yu s.h.i.+ran saw this face, she couldn’t help but take a step back.
Despite the different expression and the significant change in the eyes, it was unmistakably her face…
“Bang!”
Several silver threads shot out, instantly shattering the mirror.
Watching the fragmented reflection scatter to the ground, Yu s.h.i.+ran, bewildered, took several steps back, then turned to look deeper down the corridor.
But as soon as she turned, Yu s.h.i.+ran froze.
In the darkness ahead, a pair of blood-red eyes stared directly at her.
It was the figure from the mirror… it was her former self…
“What is going on…”
Yu s.h.i.+ran stood there, dumbfounded, for two seconds. When she snapped out of it, the figure had already retreated back into the darkness, its gaze locked on her the entire time…
“Don’t run!”
Yu s.h.i.+ran couldn’t understand what was happening, but this inexplicable figure had successfully captured her attention.
This didn’t violate Ling Mo’s psychic directives; he had only instructed her to enter and cautiously search, to be wary of danger… This suddenly appeared “past self” was clearly one of the targets to be wary of…
With this thought, Yu s.h.i.+ran unhesitatingly chased after it…
However, the Zombie Loli hadn’t noticed that the previously dim environment had now turned pitch black… and her eyes, which normally ignored the darkness, couldn’t see what lay ahead in the inky pa.s.sage…
“Bang!”
A sharp sound came from a distance, accompanied by some rustling noises.
Ling Mo, who was fully focused on controlling the Zombie Puppet and his tentacles, immediately looked up, alert.
“There’s movement…”
He had already sensed that Yu s.h.i.+ran had entered, but first, he had no time to switch perspectives, and second, ever since the psychic light cl.u.s.ters of Black Silk and Yu s.h.i.+ran had become muddled, each switch exhausted him…
However, if there was any danger, he could still notify Yu s.h.i.+ran immediately, and vice versa.
Could it be Mu Chen?
If Mu Chen was injured and accidentally b.u.mped into something, it was indeed possible.
But there were only those lockers left in the corridor. To b.u.mp into those…
“Wait…”
Ling Mo suddenly stopped and slowly turned his head.
After glancing around, Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
d.a.m.n, his attention had been so focused on searching for the Psychic Light Cl.u.s.ter and watching the bloodstains on the ground that he had neglected his surroundings.
Although the lighting hadn’t changed much, when did it become so unfathomable…
“I’ve been tricked…” Ling Mo’s expression changed slightly.
He stood still and had the Zombie Puppet in front of him stop as well.
The sound he had just heard wasn’t particularly far away, and in his memory, the employee corridor wasn’t long with only a few turns. If the Zombie Puppet sped up, it should have seen what was happening ahead by now.
But as soon as Ling Mo heard the noise, he had it accelerate, yet it still hadn’t found the scene of the incident.
Now that he realized the environment was off, this conventional search method was completely meaningless.
However, Ling Mo didn’t panic. If he had fallen into a trap, panicking would only lead to a quicker death.
Judging by the situation, it was most likely a mental ability user.
But despite his significant improvement, there was still a mental ability user capable of silently trapping him like this—it was no simple feat…
Mu Chen had clearly been trapped too, and Yu s.h.i.+ran…
“Wait… I can’t sense her?”
Ling Mo’s expression finally turned grim. The Psychic Link hadn’t been severed, but he couldn’t locate Yu s.h.i.+ran.
Not just Yu s.h.i.+ran, even Ye Lian and the others were the same…
“Completely without my noticing…”
Ling Mo gritted his teeth. This was a ruthless opponent who also had some understanding of him!
At the very least, they knew he was a mental ability user and that he had detection capabilities!
“First, they used some method to lure Mu Chen over, and then when I came to search, naturally focusing my attention, I ended up falling for it because I was too focused…”
Putting it all together, that was the only possibility.
No matter whether Ling Mo would bring everyone over or not, one thing was certain: he wouldn’t stay away…
Ling Mo actually felt a bit relieved; fortunately, he had left Ye Lian and the others behind.
Given the opponent’s capabilities, even if Ye Lian and the others came in, the result would be the same, if not worse.
At that point, Ling Mo would be distracted, and his combat effectiveness would be significantly reduced.
Now that he had stepped into the opponent’s trap, this person was specifically targeting him, so Ye Lian and the others wouldn’t be in danger.
Even if the opponent had companions, non-mental ability users would find it hard to gain the upper hand against Ye Lian and the others.
Moreover, there were hundreds of zombies on the ground floor, whose presence could also provide cover for Ye Lian and the others…
But despite these thoughts, Ling Mo couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety.
Especially since Yu s.h.i.+ran had already entered the trap…
“I need to think of a solution quickly! First, I need to determine if this is an illusion…”
Ling Mo looked back; the path he had come from was engulfed in darkness.
Since he had realized the trap, the light had dimmed significantly.
Being in the opponent’s trap, hiding was pointless. Ling Mo decisively turned on his flashlight again.
Tap tap…
After tapping it a couple of times, the dim flashlight failed to brighten. Ling Mo had no choice but to accept it.
“Of all times… I thought it would last a few more days.”
Ling Mo was speechless. Why did today feel particularly unlucky, like he was out of sync?
Was it due to that unsettling feeling?
Come to think of it, ever since Mu Chen went missing, he had struggled to stay in his usual state…
“I can’t be so concerned about him that it clouds my judgment, can I? How frustrating…” Ling Mo frowned as he thought, while controlling the Zombie Puppet to slowly approach him along the wall.
Her sharp nails scratched his palm, and with a bloodstained hand, she traced the wall as she moved…
Although Ling Mo was anxious, he knew that panicking and running around or desperately searching for others would be a sure way to get killed.
Only by understanding the opponent’s superpower could he find a way to counter it.