Chapter 625 – Breakout
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At this moment, Ling Mo and the others had already rushed to the window.
As the fireworks burst into the sky, they also caught sight of the silhouette standing on the rooftop.
However, as Ye Lian raised her gun, the figure had already calmly slid open the terrace door.
The angle perfectly obscured his figure, leaving Ye Lian no choice but to reluctantly lower her arm.
Xu Shuhan did the same, but her movements were clearly a beat slower than Ye Lian’s.
Unlike Mu Chen’s frantic rage, her expression became significantly more complex at the sight of Xia Zhi.
Just then, the slowly closing door hesitated for a moment.
In the gaze of the onlookers, a hand suddenly lifted above the doorframe, then slowly waved in the direction where Ling Mo and his group were.
“d.a.m.n!”
Mu Chen lunged forward furiously, cursing aloud.
“Bang!”
Another firework exploded timely, and when the dazzling sparks dispersed, the rooftop was empty.
“d.a.m.n it!” Mu Chen cursed through clenched teeth, “He even dared to come back!”
“Why wouldn’t he dare? He was prepared and extremely cautious,” Ling Mo said, squinting towards the opposite rooftop, “No need to say it, he surely knows you inside out. And these days, he’s been with us every day, at least he’s got a basic understanding of the situation.”
As he spoke, Ling Mo suddenly leaned out, reaching to grab a thick electrical wire from the side of the window. With the help of the firelight, it was clear to see the wire stretching down towards the ground.
“He even cut the wires between the two buildings. It seems he’s not only cautious but also meticulous.”
Whether it was Ling Mo or the three female zombies, they could use such wires to easily climb to the opposite building. They had shown this trick while avoiding zombies, but in such a tense moment, the adversary still managed to remember every detail, which spoke volumes about how terrifyingly composed he was.
“One last thing,” Ling Mo turned around, a cold smile on his lips, “Since he decided to make a return strike, it means his plan is far more than just escaping and taking you out.”
“What else does he want to do?” Mu Chen asked, eyes widening.
Ling Mo pointed at himself and said, “To eliminate me.”
“But…” Xu Shuhan opened her mouth and in a low voice said, “Maybe it’s just to hold you back?”
“Heh,” Ling Mo looked up at the sky and said, “With the fireworks making such a commotion, do you think they’re only attracting zombies?”
With those words, the atmosphere instantly became tense.
Mu Chen’s expression turned even more shocked, while Xu Shuhan sighed and lowered her head.
Only Ye Lian and the two other female zombies were turning their heads to watch the flames below and the fireworks bursting continuously.
Although in their human memories they surely had experiences of watching fireworks, the feelings they had while watching them as mutated zombies were definitely completely different.
Normal humans watching fireworks would probably never feel bloodthirsty, but zombies would…
Three murderous female zombies stood in front of the window, staring with wide eyes at the fireworks in the night sky…
“He’s insane,” Mu Chen finally managed to say after a while.
“Simply taking you out just provides him with an opportunity to climb up within the Niepan Branch, and it also carries some risks. But by taking me out, he could eliminate the risks and earn rewards. Weighing it, the benefits outweigh the risks,” Ling Mo said.
Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan both fell silent at these words. Although they had already thought of this, hearing Ling Mo say it out loud still made them feel a sense of heaviness in their chests.
“We better hurry, or it’ll really be too late,” Ling Mo said, looking down.
Mu Chen and the others also looked out and their expressions immediately became extremely grim.
The fire was burning more and more intensely, and more and more zombies were gathering from the surrounding area. Although these zombies had not yet noticed them, the light from the fire had drawn them close to the café.
Once they showed themselves, they would face a ma.s.s a.s.sault from a large number of zombies.
It was like a new game of Whac-A-Mole, except they had become the unfortunate moles and the mallets were not just simple hammers but the talons of zombies.
“But Xia Zhi…” Mu Chen clenched his teeth and said, even in this situation, he was not willing to let Xia Zhi go.
The thought of struggling to survive amidst the encirclement of zombies, while Xia Zhi smugly returned to the Niepan Branch, was something Mu Chen couldn’t swallow.
However, when he turned to look at Ling Mo, he was shocked to find that the guy still had a smile on his face.
How could he still smile in a situation like this?!
Facing Mu Chen’s almost glaring eyes, Ling Mo simply said, “He won’t get away.”
“…How are you going to stop him? We can hardly save ourselves…”
Mu Chen was muttering to himself when suddenly, Ling Mo spoke up, “I haven’t forgotten the things you’ve done to me. For now, let’s work together…”
“Let’s settle our scores later,” Xu Shuhan interjected. She looked up at Ling Mo and said, “Whatever your conditions are, just bring them up when the time comes. As long as you’re satisfied. But if we don’t survive tonight, all of this talk is meaningless.”
After she spoke, Xu Shuhan didn’t wait for a response from Ling Mo and walked past him.
As they brushed shoulders, Ling Mo faintly heard her whisper, “I never wanted to kill you.”
“Ha…” Ling Mo touched his nose with a strange expression and turned to look at Xu Shuhan’s retreating figure.
Looking at Xu Shuhan now seemed very different from when he first saw her; the footsteps that seemed normal now appeared much heavier…
The building housing the cafe was completely surrounded by flames and zombies. Ling Mo and the others had just run up to the second floor when they were forced back by black smoke and a few flaming zombies.
“To the roof!” Ling Mo immediately led the group in a turnabout.
The flickering flashlight illuminated the dark corridor while all sorts of noisy sounds came from outside.
“Boom!”
A sudden m.u.f.fled sound from behind caused Mu Chen, who was at the back, to reflexively bend down, covering his head with one hand and gripping the handrail with the other: “d.a.m.n!! What was that noise?”
“Just the gla.s.s exploding. This type of building burns quickly, hurry up!” Ling Mo urged.
“Wait for me!” Mu Chen pressed his stomach, crying out with a contorted expression.
Despite the urgency, Mu Chen couldn’t afford to stop his feet. Whether it was becoming a meal for zombies or being burnt to a crisp, neither sounded like a pleasant experience.
The door to the rooftop was wide open, which saved them some time. However, as Ling Mo stepped on a clump of fabric sc.r.a.ps frozen to the ground, he couldn’t help but frown.
It was clear that a gruesome scene had unfolded here, and all that was left aside from a broken door were these suspicious remnants on the floor.
If they didn’t hurry, they might soon become part of the debris.
The air was thick with the smell of burning, so potent it was almost suffocating. Black smoke had already begun to billow up, punctuated by a series of explosive cracks.
The footsteps of zombies echoed up the stairs. Ye Lian quickly shut the rusty metal door and leaned against it, temporarily holding them back.
“Over here.”
Ling Mo quickly scanned the rooftop with his flashlight and chose a spot. He then turned to the others and asked, “You’re all physical enhancement types, so a long jump shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan hurried over to Ling Mo’s side, then looked across at the gap that was about four or five meters wide: “No problem… probably.”
The gap wasn’t just wide; the rooftop of the other building was also a meter or two higher, significantly increasing the difficulty of the jump.
But if they didn’t jump now, they wouldn’t even have the chance to try.
The iron door behind Ye Lian was shaking violently, clanging nonstop, and even the walls were trembling, with plaster raining down.
The door latch also showed signs of coming loose. Even with Ye Lian’s strength, it wouldn’t hold for long.
What use was a door that’s come off its hinges?
“Quickly!” Ling Mo urged.
Li Ya Lin and Shana positioned themselves at the edge of the rooftop, furiously smas.h.i.+ng at zombies climbing up the drainpipe, their bodies engulfed in flames.
These zombies, wrapped in fire, still managed to emit eerie screams, reaching out with hands that bubbled blood and skin peeling away to a charred black, toward them.
“You first,” Ling Mo said, glancing at Xu Shuhan.