The afternoon sun was scorching, the highway had long dried out, and the air was permeated with a strange odor.
âWhatâs that smell?â Mu Chen took a breath, then covered his mouth and nose with a grim expression.
âVirus,â Ling Mo said calmly.
âDamn itâ¦â Mu Chen frowned but remained relatively composed.
Non-mutated viruses arenât transmitted through the respiratory tract. Even a mutated virus like the one self-secreted by the âWigâ 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 liquidsâ¦
When the sun shines, any kind of smell can emanate.
The reason the odor is so strong here must be because Niepan headquarters is nearby.
There arenât 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 passersby. 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 naturalâ¦
âAt a place like Falcon, whether the grown food is edible is questionable. But as long as it can fill their stomachs and wonât cause immediate variation, the survivors probably accept itâ¦â Ling Moâs thoughts wandered far.
âA place like this⦠Is it possible for us to make a move?â Mu Chen suddenly asked.
In fact, he wasnât even sure if Niepan headquarters was inside. However, when it was Ye Lianâs and the othersâ turn to keep watch, Xia Na claimed she saw people coming out from over there.
Ling Mo didnât 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 didnât matter much.
Fortunately, despite many of Ling Moâs 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.
âYes, itâs extremely difficult,â 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.
âDamnâ¦â Couldnât you be a bit more subtle? Too blunt!
After pondering for a moment, Mu Chen suddenly asked in a low voice, âNow that itâs just the two of us, thereâs something Iâve been meaning to ask youâ¦â
âStop being sneaky, just say it,â Ling Mo said, keeping his distance.
Avoiding harassment, staying away from the goofballâ¦
Unfortunately, they were traveling together, so Mu Chen would likely continue to pester him.
Ling Mo didnât 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.
âWhy are you so interested in zombies?â Mu Chen asked with a frown. âEntering Niepan headquarters to help Xu Shuhan is just one reason, right?â
After asking, he observed Ling Moâs expression, with a look that suggested, âIâve figured you out.â
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. âI guessed right, didnât I? But why are you interested? Do you want to gain the power of zombies like those in Niepan?â
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 virusâ¦
If he also had theoretical knowledge, his interest in Niepan headquartersâ experiments would be understandable.
âShut up,â Ling Mo said irritably.
âHaha, youâre getting angry because youâre embarrassed!â Mu Chen laughed.
âYouâre a refugee, yet youâre so happy. Try to act a bit more miserable,â Ling Mo said.
âDonât set your standards so high⦠Ouch! Damn it⦠Ling Mo, youâ¦â
Mu Chen clutched his stomach, his face contorted in pain.
â¦
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 zombieâs neck, Zhang Yan felt a wave of nausea wash over him.
The chain was welded directly to the zombieâs neck. Its burnt skin and flesh had completely healed, but had fused with the chain.
Just looking at it was a strong visual assault, let alone staring at it continuously.
âItâs become a zombie, but still looks human. Disgusting.â
As Zhang Yan muttered these words, the Canine Zombie suddenly lifted its head.
It stared ahead, issuing a low growl from its toothless mouth.
âWhat now!â
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.
âSmelled everything for hours yesterday, and again todayâ¦â
Just as Zhang Yan complained, the Canine Zombie suddenly lunged forward, nearly yanking the iron chain from his grip.
âDamn it!â
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.
âSomeone?â
This area was a side entrance to the Medical University, occasionally used by people from Niepan headquarters.
If there were footsteps, it surely wasnât 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.
âHey!â
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.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Their backpacks were barely filled, not typical of those returning from a mission.
Both individuals stopped simultaneously and looked back in Zhang Yanâs direction.
Holding the Canine Zombie by its chain, Zhang Yan stepped out from behind the bushes, calling out, âOver here!â
âSomeoneâ¦â
âDid they find us?â
But for some reason, instead of approaching, they took two steps back.
Zhang Yan faintly heard them talking and was immediately annoyed.
Damn, am I invisible?
However, if they were on a scavenging mission, their ranks must be higher than hisâ¦
Thinking this, Zhang Yan rolled his eyes and said, âIâm Zhang Yan, Level 5, on patrol duty. This way is a shortcut. Are you two planning to enter through the main gate?â
His tone wasnât exactly polite, but given his current situation, he couldnât afford to be.
The Canine Zombie was struggling violently, and it took a lot of effort just to hold onto it.
âWhat is that?â Ling Mo feigned surprise, but Mu Chen was genuinely shocked and whispered to Ling Mo.
âItâs an experimental subject, similar to Number 1.â Ling Mo also felt uneasy seeing the Canine Zombieâs intense reaction.
It seemed only someone like Xiao Bai could escape the zombieâs keen sense of smellâ¦
He could feel the Canine Zombie staring at him, clearly driven mad by his unique scentâ¦
âDamn it, so annoyingâ¦â 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 Yanâs appearance, it was actually part of Ling Moâs plan. Otherwise, they wouldnât 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.
âHey, are you two mute or something?â Zhang Yan muttered gloomily, regretting getting involved with them in the first place.
âUm⦠are you from Niepan headquarters?â 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!