Chapter 721: Venturing into the Tigers Den
The afternoon sun was scorching, the highway had long dried out, and the air was permeated with a strange odor.
“What’s that smell?” Mu Chen took a breath, then covered his mouth and nose with a grim expression.
“Virus,” Ling Mo said calmly.
“d.a.m.n it…” Mu Chen frowned but remained relatively composed.
Non-mutated viruses aren’t transmitted through the respiratory tract. Even a mutated virus like the one self-secreted by the “Wig” takes a long time to show infection symptoms in humans.
In cities, strange smells are quite common after rain.
Bodies swollen with water, blood mixed in the water after battles, rotting meat flushed out from corners, clothes soaked with various strange liquids…
When the sun s.h.i.+nes, any kind of smell can emanate.
The reason the odor is so strong here must be because Niepan headquarters is nearby.
There aren’t many zombies around here, clearly the area has been cleared. However, inside Niepan headquarters, the number of dead zombies must be numerous.
Ling Mo glanced in the direction of the Medical University. Behind the fence, there were various plants crowded together, with some twisted branches creeping through the gaps, resembling the hands of countless dry corpses trying to grab pa.s.sersby. Spotting this suddenly at midnight would be quite a fright.
The way these plants had grown was definitely related to the weather.
When it rains, their roots soak in the virus, causing variation to be natural…
“At a place like Falcon, whether the grown food is edible is questionable. But as long as it can fill their stomachs and won’t cause immediate variation, the survivors probably accept it…” Ling Mo’s thoughts wandered far.
“A place like this… Is it possible for us to make a move?” Mu Chen suddenly asked.
In fact, he wasn’t even sure if Niepan headquarters was inside. However, when it was Ye Lian’s and the others’ turn to keep watch, Xia Na claimed she saw people coming out from over there.
Ling Mo didn’t ask much, and the next day he decided they would infiltrate.
Mu Chen had no way to change the situation; once Ling Mo made a decision, his opinions didn’t matter much.
Fortunately, despite many of Ling Mo’s incomprehensible decisions, they had safely made it this far.
But the thought of infiltrating Niepan headquarters left Mu Chen feeling a bit anxious.
This was Niepan headquarters, after all… Unlike Ling Mo, he had heard many rumors about this place and was quite apprehensive.
“Yes, it’s extremely difficult,” Ling Mo nodded.
Just from the external firepower, one could infer the level of vigilance inside. Additionally, both of them were unfamiliar faces, making it easy to attract attention. Moving around would be difficult, let alone sabotaging anything.
“d.a.m.n…” Couldn’t you be a bit more subtle? Too blunt!
After pondering for a moment, Mu Chen suddenly asked in a low voice, “Now that it’s just the two of us, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…”
“Stop being sneaky, just say it,” Ling Mo said, keeping his distance.
Avoiding hara.s.sment, staying away from the goofball…
Unfortunately, they were traveling together, so Mu Chen would likely continue to pester him.
Ling Mo didn’t plan to infiltrate Niepan headquarters immediately; it was better to scout the perimeter and understand the environment first.
The scenes viewed through Xiao Bai were limited; seeing it with his own eyes would provide a more comprehensive understanding.
“Why are you so interested in zombies?” Mu Chen asked with a frown. “Entering Niepan headquarters to help Xu Shuhan is just one reason, right?”
After asking, he observed Ling Mo’s expression, with a look that suggested, “I’ve figured you out.”
Ling Mo rolled his eyes; Mu Chen was way too nosy!
Seeing Ling Mo merely glance at him without intending to answer, Mu Chen chuckled. “I guessed right, didn’t I? But why are you interested? Do you want to gain the power of zombies like those in Niepan?”
After thinking it over, this seemed the most plausible explanation. Ever since he saw Ling Mo helping Xu Shuhan retain her rationality, he felt that Ling Mo must have substantial knowledge about the virus…
If he also had theoretical knowledge, his interest in Niepan headquarters’ experiments would be understandable.
“Shut up,” Ling Mo said irritably.
“Haha, you’re getting angry because you’re embarra.s.sed!” Mu Chen laughed.
“You’re a refugee, yet you’re so happy. Try to act a bit more miserable,” Ling Mo said.
“Don’t set your standards so high… Ouch! d.a.m.n it… Ling Mo, you…”
Mu Chen clutched his stomach, his face contorted in pain.
…
Zhang Yan was having a rough time. After getting soaked in the rain all day yesterday, today he was still on duty.
The Canine Zombie crawled slowly under the restraint of the iron chain, which only made him more irritated.
Staring at the back of the zombie’s neck, Zhang Yan felt a wave of nausea wash over him.
The chain was welded directly to the zombie’s neck. Its burnt skin and flesh had completely healed, but had fused with the chain.
Just looking at it was a strong visual a.s.sault, let alone staring at it continuously.
“It’s become a zombie, but still looks human. Disgusting.”
As Zhang Yan muttered these words, the Canine Zombie suddenly lifted its head.
It stared ahead, issuing a low growl from its toothless mouth.
“What now!”
Zhang Yan frowned impatiently, but he immediately drew his short knife from behind his back.
Although he was on the lowest level mission, he was still an enhancement ability superhuman. If one or two zombies managed to sneak in, he could easily deal with them.
“Smelled everything for hours yesterday, and again today…”
Just as Zhang Yan complained, the Canine Zombie suddenly lunged forward, nearly yanking the iron chain from his grip.
“d.a.m.n it!”
Zhang Yan yanked the chain hard, delivering two quick electric shocks to the zombie.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from not far away.
“Someone?”
This area was a side entrance to the Medical University, occasionally used by people from Niepan headquarters.
If there were footsteps, it surely wasn’t a zombie.
Zhang Yan sheathed his knife and dragged the Canine Zombie towards the sound.
As he turned the corner, he spotted two figures in the distance.
What puzzled him was that they seemed to just glance at the Medical University and then continued walking, without any intention of entering through the side gate.
“Hey!”
Zhang Yan, full of suspicion, decided to call out to them.
Since these survivors were wandering around Heishui City, they were surely from Niepan headquarters. Zhang Yan had no doubt about that.
However, the two of them appeared in dire straits. Their steps were heavy, and they looked filthy.
Their backpacks were barely filled, not typical of those returning from a mission.
Both individuals stopped simultaneously and looked back in Zhang Yan’s direction.
Holding the Canine Zombie by its chain, Zhang Yan stepped out from behind the bushes, calling out, “Over here!”
“Someone…”
“Did they find us?”
But for some reason, instead of approaching, they took two steps back.
Zhang Yan faintly heard them talking and was immediately annoyed.
d.a.m.n, am I invisible?
However, if they were on a scavenging mission, their ranks must be higher than his…
Thinking this, Zhang Yan rolled his eyes and said, “I’m Zhang Yan, Level 5, on patrol duty. This way is a shortcut. Are you two planning to enter through the main gate?”
His tone wasn’t exactly polite, but given his current situation, he couldn’t afford to be.
The Canine Zombie was struggling violently, and it took a lot of effort just to hold onto it.
“What is that?” Ling Mo feigned surprise, but Mu Chen was genuinely shocked and whispered to Ling Mo.
“It’s an experimental subject, similar to Number 1.” Ling Mo also felt uneasy seeing the Canine Zombie’s intense reaction.
It seemed only someone like Xiao Bai could escape the zombie’s keen sense of smell…
He could feel the Canine Zombie staring at him, clearly driven mad by his unique scent…
“d.a.m.n it, so annoying…” Zhang Yan squeezed the handle hard, and the Canine Zombie let out a wail before finally lying down, though it continued to stare at Ling Mo with blood-red eyes.
Though Ling Mo and Mu Chen seemed surprised by Zhang Yan’s appearance, it was actually part of Ling Mo’s plan. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have headed this way.
Entering the Medical University directly could arouse suspicion, so using his psychic probe to locate a patroller first seemed more natural.
“Hey, are you two mute or something?” Zhang Yan muttered gloomily, regretting getting involved with them in the first place.
“Um… are you from Niepan headquarters?” Mu Chen, after receiving a glare from Ling Mo, had no choice but to step forward and ask.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. That was painfully obvious!