Chapter 663 – Foolishness is an Incurable Disease
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Whoos.h.!.+
As a gust of wind blew past, the billboard hanging by the roadside swayed back and forth, producing a faint “creak” sound.
Below the billboard was a deserted pedestrian street.
The once-bustling shops now stood with their doors wide open, shattered gla.s.s fragments with traces of brown dotted the ground, mingled with some dirty shards.
Inside the shops, it was dim, and merchandise was scattered everywhere.
A high-heeled shoe hung by the door of one store, its decorations already rusted. It seemed as if it was still waiting for the foot that once wore it, but that foot would evidently never return…
Clang!
A pebble was suddenly thrown near the high-heeled shoe, landing on the concrete with a crisp sound.
Clack, clack…
Two nearby Zombies immediately turned their heads, their gaze following the direction of the pebble.
At that moment, another pebble landed, this time a bit further away.
The two Zombies, who had just lost their target, instantly found a new direction and lunged forward almost simultaneously.
Thud! Thud!
As if suddenly losing power, both Zombies collapsed to the ground, motionless.
A few seconds later, the two face-down Zombies suddenly twitched, then slowly moved sideways, finally being dragged by an invisible force into a nearby store.
“Two more down.”
Inside the store, Ling Mo rubbed his temples and said.
After being dragged inside, the two Zombies were dumped to the side.
The floor was already littered with Zombie corpses…
Gulp.
Ye Lian, who was staring wide-eyed at the bodies, couldn’t help but swallow.
Xia Na, meanwhile, kept glancing outside while sneaking peeks at the corpses.
Li Yalin also watched the scene without blinking, but the most intense reaction came from Xu Shuhan.
This half-Zombie was struggling desperately against Xia Na, her red eyes fixed on the Zombie corpses, her mouth emitting a grinding sound from her clenched teeth.
However, intermittently, she would suddenly retreat, as if repulsed by the bodies.
Occasionally, a hint of struggle could be seen in her eyes, fleeting but evident.
Mu Chen hid in the corner, his gaze towards Xu Shuhan tinged with complexity.
This was his first time witnessing a situation like this. If a team member had been infected, they would be killed immediately for the safety of the group and to ease the infected’s suffering.
There weren’t many who faced death resolutely, but what could their cries for help change?
However, someone like Xu Shuhan, it was difficult to judge whether she was fully infected or still retained some consciousness, still considered human.
“Judging by her expressions and eyes, she seems more human… but this state…”
This thought only lingered for a moment before Mu Chen shook his head to dismiss it.
Since Ling Mo had said he would try to help Xu Shuhan, he definitely wouldn’t go back on his word.
For them, infection usually meant a 100% mutation rate. Any glimmer of hope was a miraculous blessing.
Mu Chen thought that if Xu Shuhan still had the ability to think, she would be grateful to Ling Mo…
Or perhaps, she might go crazy over the “ugly” state she was exposing in front of Ling Mo…
“But why don’t we just rush through?” Mu Chen suddenly asked.
He looked somewhat frustrated. Although Ling Mo’s methodical approach wasn’t exactly slow, with their abilities, they could pa.s.s through quieter routes more quickly.
If they moved fast enough, they could leave before other Zombies were drawn to them.
They were in the central area of Xinlan Town, and once they got through these streets, they would enter the Cuihu City region.
At this point, they should be speeding up!
When they entered Xinlan Town, Mu Chen realized he had underestimated the difficulty of the journey.
Once they reached the town center, driving became nearly impossible. This was after Ling Mo had guided Xia Na to take several detours based on the map, barely making it this far.
It seemed that the off-road vehicle was originally found by Song Jinsen and the others nearby. Once they reached areas accessible by car again, they might find more vehicles left by them.
But this stretch that required walking was proving to be quite troublesome.
The area they were pa.s.sing through was not the same one Song Jinsen and his team had used. In towns like this, cleared roads often attracted more Zombies.
“Oh, this? It’s safer this way,” Ling Mo provided an answer that made Mu Chen want to bang his head against a wall.
Why seek safety now when it hadn’t been a priority before?
But this time, Ling Mo wasn’t just brus.h.i.+ng him off. He was genuinely concerned about their safety.
The file they found in the Air Force Corps headquarters clearly indicated the danger level of Cuihu. Although Xinlan Town wasn’t mentioned in the file, its proximity to Cuihu implied it was also very dangerous.
Additionally, the file was several months old, so the current situation was likely very different.
While Ling Mo’s goal in coming to Cuihu was to help Ye Lian and the others evolve and grow before they encountered Niepan headquarters, it was wise to proceed cautiously when the situation was unclear.
This careful approach also served as a way to test the environment.
Such subtle movements wouldn’t attract regular Zombies but might not escape the enhanced senses of Senior Zombies.
On the other hand, the longer they stayed in Xinlan Town, the more likely it was that Li Yalin might remember something.
Since entering Xinlan, Ling Mo had been observing Li Yalin’s reactions.
The Senior Sister seemed curious, constantly looking around. She would stop to look at some of the more iconic buildings, but her reactions were mostly driven by the Zombie’s intense curiosity about unfamiliar things.
Whenever Ling Mo asked her questions, her answers had nothing to do with memories.
“No rush, no rush…” Ling Mo muttered to himself, then turned to the exasperated Mu Chen, “This is the route with the fewest Zombies. Weren’t you against going to headquarters before? Now you’re in such a hurry.”
“Of course, you’re not worried about getting bitten! She’s like a tigress right now!” Mu Chen was referring to Xu Shuhan.
His low shout triggered Xu Shuhan again, and she lunged at him with her mouth open.
Though she couldn’t break free from Xia Na’s single-handed grip, her frenzied eyes still gave Mu Chen a scare.
“See, even when you talk bad about her, she still reacts,” Ling Mo said.
“You’re a tiger too, the kind that eats people alive!” Mu Chen retorted angrily. These two, despite not being in the same situation, had somehow managed to team up against him.
“You’re all tigers!” Mu Chen grumbled, turning his gaze towards Ye Lian and the others.
Xia Na scoffed, while Li Yalin and Ye Lian had the same reaction.
“Tigers? Can we eat them?”
“Tiger… tiger…?”
Mu Chen rolled his eyes. Was this group conspiring to drive him crazy? Looking around, he felt he was the only normal one among the six of them.
While they talked, Ling Mo noticed a few Zombies approaching from a distance and swiftly dealt with them.
He threw the last stone back into the dry fish tank inside the shop, then clapped his hands, “Let’s go.”
By now, the entire street was empty, devoid of any blood scent, with the shop being the only place filled with corpses.
After stepping out, Ling Mo closed the door behind him, sealing the last trace of odor inside.
Ten minutes had pa.s.sed without attracting anything, indicating that this route was safe.
But Mu Chen was puzzled by Ling Mo’s actions. After thinking it over, he could only come to one conclusion.
Masters are different; even their methods of handling corpses are cautious…
However, on further reflection, it seemed like Ling Mo was wary of attracting something.
The more Mu Chen thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Realizing this, he felt like he had once again fallen into some kind of trap…
“Aaaah!”
Ye Lian and Li Yalin both tugged at Xia Na, asking, “What’s wrong with him?”
Xia Na glanced at Ling Mo walking in front, then at Mu Chen who was glaring at Ling Mo’s back while scratching his head vigorously. She whispered, “Forgot to take his meds? I remember some humans suffer from a condition called ‘being an idiot’…”
“Ah… can it be cured?” Li Yalin asked curiously.
Xia Na shook her head, “It’s incurable…”