Chapter 6

After the shock, Ling Mo felt an overwhelming joy!

If his eyes could recover to the appearance of a normal person, it meant that his hypothesis might become a reality! As the virus evolved, perhaps Ye Lian would gradually regain her sanity...

However, after her eyes returned to normal, the speed of the virus's evolution in Ye Lian's body significantly slowed down. After three full days of hunting over a hundred zombies, Ye Lian's strength had only increased slightly. The mental changes Ling Mo had hoped for did not appear at all.

What was worth celebrating, on the other hand, was the changes in Ling Mo himself. As his mental power grew stronger, Ling Mo tried to control other zombies while partially controlling Ye Lian. Unexpectedly, after several failures, he actually succeeded. The more he practiced, the more proficient he became with his puppeteer ability.

Not only that, but his own combat strength also increased. Although his movements were not as swift as Ye Lian's, in a state of rationality, he could make more flexible responses than Ye Lian. Now, he was confident that he could protect himself even if Ye Lian lost control.

But just at this moment, Ling Mo discovered something quite frustrating. His food supplies were running out...

Previously, he had relied entirely on the zombie puppet for combat and food gathering, so his own consumption was minimal. However, as he began to participate in the battles, his physical energy consumption increased significantly, and he ate more.

This area was originally a suburb, and when the apocalypse broke out, much of the food had already been looted. The remaining supplies were limited, and after repeated searches by survivors, there was very little food left to be found.

After failing to find anything in two small supermarkets, Ling Mo finally decided to take Ye Lian to the city center.

Compared to the suburban areas, the city center had a much more abundant supply of resources. However, due to the large population, the number of zombies would be terrifying...

If it weren't for Ye Lian, Ling Mo would have another option, which would be to retreat to the countryside or the mountains. But in that case, Ye Lian would likely starve to death.

A city with many zombies was the best place for both Ye Lian and Ling Mo to continue evolving.

However, to go to the city center, they needed to prepare thoroughly. Suitable transportation, portable food, and weapons...

Ling Mo already had a bicycle prepared for transportation and food. But the weapons were a headache for him.

Ordinary household knives would quickly become chipped or dull, making them very impractical. A suitable knife was clearly very necessary.

"Right, Wang Lin's family makes handmade knives..."

Wang Lin was a young girl who lived in the same building as Ling Mo. She had a pretty face, and whenever they met, Ling Mo couldn't help but look at her a few times. However, after the apocalypse, he never saw her again. Thinking about her now, he felt a bit uneasy. A girl as gentle and weak as her, even if she hadn't mutated and had survived by chance, would likely have a very difficult life...

Early in the morning, Ling Mo packed his luggage and set off with Ye Lian, heading towards Wang Lin's handmade knife shop.

Even though Ling Mo deliberately chose a relatively safe route, he still had to kill over a dozen zombies along the way before finally reaching the store, which was already completely desolate.

The bloodstains on the glass display windows, the shattered glass door, and the dark, eerie interior of the store were all quite terrifying. However, in the apocalypse, this was a very common sight.

In this situation, it was natural to let Ye Lian go in first. Although she would attack zombies, the zombies would not attack her.

However, there were no zombies inside, and Ye Lian and Ling Mo entered without any trouble.

There were many knives in the store, but they were all for collection and had not been sharpened. However, Ling Mo had once been commissioned by a friend to buy a knife here and knew that the store actually had sharpened knives, just not displayed openly.

"I remember the workshop should be back here..."

Ling Mo went around to a security door behind the counter, but when he turned the doorknob, he realized something was wrong.

Normally, this door could be opened with a pull, but when Ling Mo turned the doorknob, he found it was locked.

Could the people in the store have escaped into the workshop? If so, there might be survivors inside! Perhaps Wang Lin was still alive, right here!

Thinking of this, Ling Mo became excited. He quickly knocked on the door and called out softly, "Is anyone inside?"

"Bang!"

After a moment of silence, a dull thud came from inside, as if something had been knocked over.

"Someone is really in there!"

Ling Mo was taken aback and knocked on the door again, but only the sound of "clanging" came from inside, and the door did not open.

Could they be too weak from hunger? But the sounds from inside gave Ling Mo a bad feeling. Regardless, to get the knives inside, he had to open the door.

Ling Mo's strength alone was not enough to kick open the security door, but with Ye Lian's help, it was not difficult.

With a "bang," the door was forced open, and before Ling Mo could fully open it, a hand reached out from inside.

The first sight of the hand made Ling Mo's pupils involuntarily contract. At first glance, it seemed normal, but the faintly red nails and the "squeak" sound when they gripped the metal of the security door were clearly the same as Ye Lian's!

Could there be another mutated zombie inside?!

Although he had suspected it, seeing a mutated zombie other than Ye Lian still surprised Ling Mo.

Judging by the size of the hand, it belonged to a man, which meant Wang Lin was likely in grave danger...

Thinking of how this hand's owner might have torn Wang Lin into pieces and stuffed her into his stomach, Ling Mo felt a surge of anger. He swung the sharp knife in his hand and with a "clang," cut down. As half a hand fell to the ground, blood splattered everywhere, and the security door was completely forced open.

What appeared behind the door was a scene of extreme bloodshed.

In the small workshop, the walls and floor were almost entirely covered in blood and clothing fragments, with human bones scattered everywhere. There were also two complete corpses, both face down, exposing their hollow back skulls.

The only one still alive was a young man who had been knocked to the ground by the door. As soon as he hit the ground, he leaped up like a flash and charged directly at Ling Mo.

This was the first time Ling Mo faced a direct attack from a mutated zombie. The speed of the attack was so fast that it left no time to react. If it were the old Ling Mo, he would have been knocked down and killed instantly. But after his enhancement, Ling Mo remained exceptionally calm.

Although the mutated zombie's speed was very fast, Ling Mo's reaction was not slow. Almost as soon as the mutated zombie moved, Ling Mo did too.

He took a half-step back, shifted his body to the side, and swung his arm holding the sharp knife towards the mutated zombie.

"Thud!"

A large spray of blood burst out as the two crossed paths. In the process, Ling Mo completed a ninety-degree turn, and as he raised the knife to slash the mutated zombie's abdomen, he forcefully cut downward.

If it were a regular zombie, it would have been hit directly by Ling Mo's fluid attack, but the mutated zombie's speed was indeed fast. As Ling Mo turned, the mutated zombie crouched and turned, not only avoiding the downward cut but also charging directly at Ling Mo, reaching for his chest.

Being grabbed by the powerful fingers of the mutated zombie would not be a simple surface wound, and at this angle, Ye Lian could not intervene.

"Looking for death!"

At this critical moment, the fierce and brutal side of Ling Mo was unleashed. Instead of dodging, he turned his wrist and cut down again. At the same time, he raised his knee and hit the mutated zombie's chin, causing a momentary pause in his movements.

Even a split second of vulnerability in a fight could be fatal, and in that brief moment, Ling Mo's sharp knife forcefully pierced the back of the mutated zombie's neck.

"Click!"

A light sound was heard, and the mutated zombie's movements instantly stopped. Ling Mo gritted his teeth and twisted the knife.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the knife's blade broke, and the part left in the mutated zombie's body ended its life.

Holding the broken half of the knife, Ling Mo felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he couldn't help but breathe heavily.