In the midst of exchanging bewildered glances, Lan Lan finally asked, âWhat isâ¦that sound? It shouldnât be a zombie, right?â
They had cleared out quite a few zombies on their way up, and given how hidden the entrance to the stairs was, how could zombies follow so quickly?
Even if they were zombies, it seemed unlikely they could make such a noise.
This sound wasnât something a single creature or two could produceâ¦
It wasnât just Lan Lan; others quickly came to similar conclusions.
Yet, under these circumstances, they all looked towards Ling Mo, awaiting his decision.
ââ¦They arenât even trying to hide the noise? But there are quite a few of them, so Xiao Bai and the others canât intercept themâ¦ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ling Mo pondered for a couple of seconds, then suddenly shouted, âMove! As long as we reach the rooftop, weâll have the advantage temporarily!â
âBut thatâs a dead endâ¦â Old Lan reminded him.
âI know⦠No time to explain, go!â
With Ling Moâs commanding shout, everyone sprang into action again.
Lan Lan had just turned her gaze away when she suddenly felt someone grasp her arm. In an instant, she was being pulled along.
She glanced up to see that it was Xu Shuhan, who rarely spoke, pulling her along. However, this female host was wearing a strange sunshade mask, obscuring any expression on her faceâ¦
On the other side, Old Zheng suddenly let out a cry as his collar was hooked by a scythe, and Xia Na was roughly but efficiently dragging him upwards.
Even the sunglasses man was snatched up by Mu Chen, who freed a hand for him, instantly accelerating their pace significantly.
In the blink of an eye, Ling Moâs groupâs speed up the stairs nearly doubled.
This sudden action left the sunglasses man in shock⦠Ling Mo had planned this response all along?
Ling Moâs team included four members who lacked stamina, and having the others constantly accelerate with them for five days was impractical. However, in critical moments like this, using the current strategy was entirely feasible. Moreover, this allowed them to maximize their advantages and be ready for any sudden developments.
For instance, at the moment, the only one who had exhausted a significant amount of strength was Mu Chen. Yet those who were truly combat-effective had hardly suffered any substantial depletion.
Among them, Old Zhengâs situation was somewhat unique. Although he had used a lot of physical strength, his superpower didnât rely on physical energyâ¦
It might seem like a simple escape, but Ling Mo had already made meticulous plans.
It was only now that the sunglasses man began to see thisâ¦
âHowever, there are still many suspicious aspects in his actions. The reason heâs keeping things hidden is probably due to a lack of trust in me?â the sunglasses man mused. âHeh, it makes sense. After all, Iâm essentially the one who was sent to hunt him down, right? Escaping right under the enemyâs nose, it seems heâs quite the daredevilâ¦â
No matter what the sounds from below were, everyone present felt an intense sense of danger, and Ling Moâs response further confirmed thisâ¦
During their five-day journey, even Old Zheng and Wang Lin, who were initially unaware, had come to understand much of the truth. After their initial shock, they both calmly accepted the reality. Given what happened with He Hongyan, they were already facing pursuit from Niepan, and now it was just that the scale of the pursuit had increased. ð
But the fact that the pursuers had caught up so quickly still left them somewhat shaken.
âHow did they get here so fast?â Old Zheng said with difficulty, his mouth finally opening to speak.
By this point, Ling Mo, who had moved to the back with Ye Lian, replied, âBecause this route is the shortest and itâs the one most frequently used by Niepanâs people. Just think of it as their dedicated route!â
âWhat? Then arenât we justâ¦â Wang Lin was startled. She hesitated for a moment, but couldnât help but say, âIsnât this a suicide run?â
Her words echoed Old Zheng and the othersâ thoughts⦠Who escapes like this?!
âOn the surface, it seems like that, but if you think carefully, the teams sent to hunt us down are certainly more than one, and theyâre all superhumans. Itâs likely that many can roughly deduce our whereabouts. So no matter which path we take, these people will follow us; taking a detour is hardly meaningful.â
âMoreover, no matter how we try to avoid them, weâll inevitably end up on the main roads. Taking a wild route is simply unrealistic for us. Around Heishui City, they have the home advantage and are more familiar with the routes. Given that, we might as well take the shortest path to reach our destination and shake them off sooner.â
Ling Mo explained hastily. At such a critical moment, he didnât want his companions to panic too much.
While Old Zheng and the others were still deep in thought, the sunglasses man suddenly realized what was going on.
Since they were at a disadvantage anyway, they might as well use this approach to level the playing field⦠This was Ling Moâs expressed intention.
Though he didnât want to admit it, it was hard to deny that Ling Moâs straightforward approach was indeed the most suitableâ¦
Howeverâ¦
âWhere exactly is our destination? Is it right here?â Lan Lan couldnât help but ask again.
And just then, urgent footsteps could be faintly heard from below.
âOld Zheng!â Ling Mo immediately called out.
Old Zheng, called back to attention, responded quickly and his gaze suddenly sharpened.
The stairway behind Ling Mo immediately began to ripple, and the light dimmed rapidly. With a light âclick,â large cracks and spiders suddenly appeared.
Terrifying screams echoed continuously from the cracks, accompanied by humanoid dark shadows crawling out, leaving half their bodies struggling painfully within the walls. These screams seemed to pierce directly into the brain, sending shivers down oneâs spineâ¦
Even though they had seen it many times, witnessing the formation of the illusion again left everyone marveling in awe.
As the illusion gradually formed, Old Zhengâs dark circles deepened considerably. He said tiredly, âThe environment here is too simple. If the opponent also has mental abilities, I wonât be able to sustain it for long! Moreover, since itâs causing indiscriminate effects, the impact will definitely be significantly reduced.â
âIndiscriminate effectsâ was Old Zhengâs specialized term, referring to an illusion without anyone specifically controlling it. Otherwise, with his command, the illusion could change in countless ways and even become an independent âsmall worldââ¦
âItâs okay, save your psychic power; Iâll need your help later,â Ling Mo said.
âHow many floors are left?â Mu Chen suddenly couldnât help but ask.
âEight more floors,â Old Lan confidently replied. For now, this was his chance to showcase the usefulness of his academic prowessâ¦
âEight floorsâ¦â Ling Mo calculated in his mind and glanced down at the device in his hand. âIt should be enoughâ¦â
âSh-should?â Mu Chen exclaimed in frustration, but his speed did not slow downâ¦
âShouldâ was certainly better than âdefinitely notâ!
Seven floorsâ¦
Five floorsâ¦
âAh!â
A sudden scream echoed from below, followed by a series of shouts. But upon hearing the noise, the expressions of those above didnât lighten; instead, they grew more grave.
âThey only managed to scare one or two of themâ¦â Old Zheng said, looking displeased.
âNo surprise there. You set it up casually, but those bold enough to chase me must be skilled; otherwise, thereâs no way they could catch up so quickly,â Ling Mo said, shaking his head. He wasnât trying to comfort Old Zheng but was merely making an objective analysis. Assessing the opponentâs strength accurately is crucial in battle.
Xia Na suddenly spoke up as well, âLing-Ge isnât trying to hold them back with the illusion; heâs just trying to slow them down. If theyâre more cautious, itâll buy us more time.â
âI see⦠Butâ¦â Old Zheng frowned with concern. What exactly was on the rooftop?
Two floors!
Seconds later, the iron door appeared in front of Ling Moâs group.
âGet inside!â
Ling Mo stopped just before the iron door opened, turned, and grabbed Ye Lian. âYe Lian, you guard the entrance,â he said, looking at Old Zheng, who had just been set down. âOld Zheng, follow me. Yalin, you stay too. The rest, get inside.â