Chapter 585 – The Darkness Within
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At this moment within Team F, a pair of eyes were covertly observing from behind a sliver of a window, silently watching as Ling Mo and his group departed down the alley.
Lucy kept her gaze on Ling Mo’s retreating figure until he completely vanished from sight, then slowly retracted her eyes.
Standing at a high vantage point, overlooking the vast expanse of the city, Lucy’s eyes no longer held the blankness they once did.
Survival was no longer her sole purpose; there was much more she aspired to fight for…
Ling Mo’s collaboration with Team F had now become a source of motivation for Lucy.
Miracle Team…
Lucy muttered to herself twice.
This squad was a sharp blade Ling Mo had left within Team F, capable of securing greater benefits for him and offering mutual benefits with Lucy.
This understanding was unspoken between Ling Mo and Lucy, but the members of Miracle Team were very clear about it.
However, at least for the current phase, the freshly formed Miracle Team still needed to rely heavily on Lucy, their president.
“Taking it upon herself to leave the trouble with me, and not even a goodbye…,” Lucy suddenly curled her lips, casting a sharp glance in the direction Ling Mo had left, not caring whether he could see her or not…
…
“Szzt~!”
Ling Mo suddenly felt a chill shoot up the back of his neck and couldn’t help but inhale a breath of cold air.
He turned his head with a sense of feeling toward the provincial TV station building left behind, a flicker of complexity crossing his eyes.
But soon enough, his attention returned to Yu s.h.i.+ran and the others.
Relying solely on his senses, Ling Mo could only determine their direction, not their exact location.
Through Black Silk’s perspective, Ling Mo could be sure they were inside a building, but with high-rises everywhere in the vicinity, even within the same direction, there were several buildings standing there.
If it weren’t for Mu Chen and the other two with him, Ling Mo would have already started searching without hesitation. With his speed, it wouldn’t have taken much time.
But with these three in tow, not hurrying on the road and instead heading into buildings…
Such abnormal behavior was as good as shouting, “I have an issue, come suspect me”…
He needed to find a way to resolve this issue…
“I wasn’t thorough enough, I should have made them stay put last night… But how did they even end up in such a place?” Ling Mo was thoroughly puzzled.
And this was just a thought he had; in the past few nights, he hardly had the spare time to deal with these matters…
From Black Silk’s point of view, they had obviously gone down another level, and the mucus around them was becoming more abundant.
Even through Black Silk as a “relay”, Ling Mo could sense a whiff of danger.
It was likely that after pa.s.sing through this sticky corridor, the place they would arrive at wasn’t going to be pleasant…
“It’s so dark inside…” Ling Mo felt a tingling on his scalp and sighed inwardly.
The light around was diminis.h.i.+ng even further, making it even harder to determine the exact location, and without windows on either side, the method of using the outside view for orientation was useless.
However, Black Silk’s mental fluctuations became noticeably excited, as if it had detected some delectable treat and couldn’t wait to pounce on it.
Ling Mo was very familiar with this sensation; every time Black Silk saw him, its mental fluctuations were just like this…
“Indeed it’s hunting… But what exactly are they hunting… Mutated Beasts? Mutated zombies? A new mutated type?” Ling Mo grew increasingly curious. There weren’t many prey that could excite Black Silk. Could it be a leader level zombie? But that doesn’t seem likely… he hadn’t encountered a leader level zombie with such a predilection before.
So… a dominant level?
But if it was a dominant level, the positions of the hunter and the hunted should be reversed…
Moreover, Ling Mo soon made another discovery. As the distance between them narrowed, the connection between Ling Mo and them did not become clearer.
It felt as though the mental link was being obstructed by something, as if a thin membrane was blocking between them.
At first, Ling Mo was somewhat puzzled, but then he noticed the mucus.
This mucus was everywhere, and it certainly had uses other than just being disgusting.
There were no other anomalies around, so if something was indeed causing an interference effect on his Mental Power, it was undoubtedly this mucus.
Considering the proximity to Team F and that it had remained undiscovered for so long, it must also be thanks to this mucus.
After realizing this, Ling Mo’s interest in this “digestive system” was piqued.
As a mental ability user, he never slacked in training his Mental Power, but he had never found any effective means to s.h.i.+eld against other people’s mental detections.
If he could confirm that this mucus indeed had a s.h.i.+elding effect on Mental Power, it would be an invaluable find.
Of course, if he could figure out the principle behind the s.h.i.+elding, that would be even better…
“Have you always traveled at such a slow pace?” Mu Chen finally couldn’t help but ask.
Ling Mo glanced at him and said, “What’s your hurry?”
“My connection to the branch has been cut. You tell me if I should be worried!” Mu Chen said frantically.
This was all thanks to Ling Mo, a little tampering, and the mental seed from Number Zero in his brain was gone.
Not only that, but his mental connection to the branch had also been completely severed.
Of course, his life-saving measures were still in place, something both he and Ling Mo were clearly aware of.
Not just him, but Xu Shuhan and Xia Zhi were in the same boat. Although they didn’t have a mental seed in their brains, their contact had also been cut off.
While frustrated, Mu Chen also deeply feared Ling Mo’s methods.
Indeed, this guy was Number Zero’s nemesis… But how much effort had Number Zero put into his research? And how had this monster managed to counter it…
What Mu Chen didn’t know was that the mysterious technique that baffled him was actually just two simple tricks for Ling Mo.
One was Mental Strangulation, not too strong, but enough to cut off the little tricks in the brains of these non-mental ability users.
Even if it wasn’t a complete severance, they wouldn’t be able to use it again for a short time.
As for Number Zero’s mental seed, dealing with it was even simpler.
Two words: consume.
Unreservedly accepting a very pure cl.u.s.ter of mental power, Ling Mo suddenly found the mental energy he had expended due to the recent anomalies replenished greatly—an unexpected boon.
However, during the consumption process, Ling Mo was acutely aware that he hadn’t been able to completely eradicate the mental seed.
Residues remained, hidden deep within Mu Chen’s consciousness.
Extracting those remnants would inevitably harm Mu Chen’s Mental Sphere, and should Ling Mo attempt this, the mental energy would retaliate against his intrusion—essentially the last-ditch life-saving mechanism Ling Mo had surmised.
This method was pa.s.sive but intrigued Ling Mo nonetheless.
If he could incorporate such a mechanism within his own Mental Sphere, it would add an extra layer of protection against external mental power impacts.
But to achieve this was not so simple; separating one’s own mental power and then reintegrating it into one’s Mental Sphere, while maintaining a certain level of resilience… just the thought was daunting!
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Mu Chen bellowed.
“Considering you were planning to go back anyway…” Ling Mo replied calmly.
Xu Shuhan, who had remained silent, looked at Ling Mo with a meaningful gaze.
Their eyes met, and their smiles shared an unspoken understanding.
“What are you two exchanging looks for…” Mu Chen, now keen-eyed, leaned in to ask Xu Shuhan.
“Mind your words,” Xu Shuhan chided with a glance, “He doesn’t trust us, so he used this measure. Now we’re both his partners and his captives. You still don’t understand that…”
“d.a.m.n!!” Mu Chen let out a low growl, venting his frustration.
“But since he’s still willing to make such moves, it actually proves that he does indeed intend to cooperate,” Xu Shuhan continued.
“That’s supposed to show sincerity?” Mu Chen couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
“Of course, it counts. If he just went along with us without any precautions, I’d be more suspicious of his underlying motives,” Xu Shuhan said, not bothering to lower her voice as if she didn’t mind Ling Mo overhearing.
She gave Mu Chen a teasing look and suddenly added, “But you really should be worried. If Ai Feng thinks you’re dead, how long will it take for him to replace you?”
Mu Chen was speechless for a few seconds before suddenly shouting at Ling Mo, “Brother, how about reconsidering the deal I mentioned last time? Buy one, get one free!”