Chapter 715: Infiltrating the Headquarters
Pitter-patter…
The fine raindrops washed over the rusty road sign, making the blotchy characters for “Heishui City” seem even more obscure.
A white mist enveloped the skies over Heishui City, with streams of murky water continuously flowing into the sewers along the low curbs.
For a moment, it seemed the entire city was enveloped in the sound of rain.
On a street shrouded in the rain, vague shadows flickered. At a glance, there seemed to be countless figures.
At this moment, a few shadows suddenly appeared around the corner of a wide street in the northern part of Heishui City.
But they only glanced inside from a distance before quickly disappearing into the rain.
A few minutes later, these figures reappeared inside a building a few hundred meters away from that street.
“Can you confirm if that place is the Niepan headquarters?” Mu Chen gently lifted the curtain and peered through a slit, asking. After helping clear out the Zombies from the building and piling the bodies in a room, Mu Chen looked somewhat fatigued.
However, when mentioning the Niepan headquarters, a hint of excitement gleamed in his eyes.
Behind him, Ling Mo was studying a local map.
“We can’t be sure, but rus.h.i.+ng in too close won’t work either. Although we’re here to seek refuge with them, we need to observe and understand the situation before entering,” Ling Mo said.
Upon entering Heishui City, the first thing Ling Mo did was find a bookstore and obtain the detailed map in his hand.
The navigational records left in Shen Le’s Mobile Phone showed Heishui City as the first stop.
But whether this was indeed the location of the Niepan headquarters couldn’t be confirmed just by looking at the records.
Moreover, the map within the navigation system wasn’t detailed enough, with many incomplete bits of information.
It wasn’t until Ling Mo had the map that he could finally confirm-
The surrounding towns weren’t as prosperous as Heishui City and were quite far away. Unless Niepan had no other option, it wouldn’t make sense for them to set up their headquarters in such places.
Aside from the difficulties with supplies, the transportation would also be inconvenient…
Even if they could solve the supply issues, it wouldn’t make sense not to use navigation until arriving in Heishui City if they had traveled such a long distance.
Moreover, if the starting point was indeed those small towns, there was no need to specifically travel to Heishui City.
After all, survivors like Ling Mo, who deliberately ventured into cities full of Zombies, were in the minority…
But even if Heishui City was confirmed, finding the exact location of the Niepan headquarters within such a large city would still be a daunting task.
Running around like headless chickens might not yield results even after several days and nights…
Even though Ling Mo’s group was delayed for two days in Cuihu, their travel speed had already been extraordinarily fast. However, if they continued to delay, it was possible that the Niepan headquarters might react and send people to Dongming to investigate.
Although it would take some days for their people to return with information, the longer they stayed at Niepan headquarters, the more Intelligence Ling Mo could gather.
“But there are a lot of Zombies around here too…” Xu Shuhan said with some uncertainty.
In her view, the Niepan headquarters should be located in a much safer place.
Although a branch in Dongming was being established, its concealment was very strong.
This street seemed too ostentatious…
“The Niepan headquarters isn’t an ordinary Survivor Camp; safety is probably not their top priority. They have a special Experimental Group, so location and environment are crucial,” Ling Mo said patiently. “First, we can rule out the Industrial Park on the outskirts. The Experimental Group needs professional equipment and a specialized experimental environment, which none of the factories in the Industrial Park can provide.”
“Secondly, one of their main experimental subjects would be Zombies. The number and level of Zombies in the suburbs can’t compare to those in the city. The number of Zombies in Heishui City hasn’t decreased significantly, which is similar to Dongming.”
“However, Dongming has the entire city as its testing ground. Here, they might just be purposely breeding Zombies. Of course, cleaning out millions of Zombies is a ma.s.sive project, and I doubt they have the capability to do that.”
As Ling Mo spoke, he spread out the map he was holding and laid it on the coffee table behind him. “On this street, there’s a Heishui Medical University and a neighboring affiliated hospital… There’s no more suitable place in the whole of Heishui City…”
Xu Shuhan and Mu Chen exchanged glances. Although they were members of Niepan, their knowledge of the Niepan headquarters was limited to hearsay. Yet, Ling Mo was able to a.n.a.lyze and pinpoint the possible location of the headquarters just from what he knew…
Impressive!
However, Ling Mo didn’t think much of it. While his psychic power had enhanced, it didn’t turn him into a genius overnight, but it did significantly improve his memory.
He could now keenly observe details that he previously might have missed. Applying this to pure a.n.a.lysis yielded quite effective results…
While he mentioned they’d first observe the situation from afar, Ling Mo had already s.h.i.+fted his focus to Xiao Bai.
There was no need for Yu s.h.i.+ran or Black Silk to handle this; Xiao Bai could manage it.
As a mutation beast, Xiao Bai’s stealth abilities were even superior to those of Zombies.
Despite its large size, its fur had evolved to blend perfectly with the urban environment.
While Ling Mo’s group secured a suitable hiding spot, Xiao Bai darted out from its cover, using the rain as camouflage, and quickly leaped over the walls of the Medical University.
Despite not being a prestigious school, the Medical University covered a substantial area.
The campus had many green areas which, after the Cataclysm, had wildly mutated and grown, making it resemble a primeval forest.
Xiao Bai’s ma.s.sive body remained completely concealed upon entering it…
The rain provided cover, but it also dulled the hearing and smell of both Zombies and mutated beasts.
However, Xiao Bai could sense ground vibrations with its paws, allowing it to detect any nearby movement.
“If it’s really here, they probably chose a few buildings as their headquarters, right? If not, we’ll have to check the hospital next…”
Despite being confident in his a.n.a.lysis, Ling Mo couldn’t help but feel somewhat anxious as Xiao Bai entered the Medical University.
If they couldn’t find the Niepan headquarters here, it meant his a.n.a.lytical direction was wrong, and they would waste a lot of time…
“Li-Ge, wait…”
A faint voice suddenly emerged from the rain. Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly instructed Xiao Bai to hide.
Xiao Bai had just arrived near a Laboratory Building when he heard the voice and immediately jumped into the nearby greenbelt.
Two men in raincoats emerged from the building, one following the other, and it was the one in the back who had spoken.
As they walked, they conversed: “Li-Ge, what mission did you choose?”
“A standard one… collecting some kind of medicine. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find it in the city,” replied the man called Li-Ge.
His voice was so low that Xiao Bai had to press close to the edge of the greenbelt to barely catch what he was saying.
“Mission… this is definitely the Niepan headquarters!” Ling Mo felt relieved instantly.
Members of the Niepan headquarters had to complete missions to improve their status and get supplies. These two appeared to be ordinary members making a living by taking on such tasks.
However, while they seemed “ordinary” here, they were certainly superhumans.
Ling Mo hadn’t expected that the Niepan headquarters lacked any kind of sentry, which allowed Xiao Bai to roam so far without being noticed.
As the two men drew closer, Ling Mo hastily instructed Xiao Bai to slowly retreat.
Though large, Xiao Bai moved more silently than a cheetah.
But, just as the distance between them increased, the man named Li suddenly looked over.
Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately ordered Xiao Bai to stop.
Through Xiao Bai’s vision, Ling Mo observed the man through the gaps in the gra.s.s.
Was he a mental ability user?
Xiao Bai remained utterly still, holding his breath but ready to flee at the slightest hint of being discovered.
Though the Niepan headquarters was not quite what Ling Mo had imagined, it was certain that it was full of superhumans.
He wasn’t familiar with any of their abilities, and a sudden confrontation would definitely put him at a disadvantage.
“Li-Ge, what’s wrong?” The other man continued to chatter but stopped when he noticed Li-Ge had paused. He followed Li-Ge’s gaze, looking over in the same direction.
Ling Mo’s nerves were taut, his gaze unwavering.