Chapter 635: A Diary is Always Part of a Psychopaths Standard Equipment

“I’m not entirely sure about this either, so let me think carefully about how to proceed.”

Ling Mo gave Ye Lian a look, signaling her to drag Number 1 aside, then turned his gaze back to Shen Le: “Let’s deal with your issue first.”

Feeling the unfriendly shift in Ling Mo’s gaze, Shen Le’s heart skipped a beat: “No, no, no… We had an agreement! You can’t kill me, I… I can offer you a lot of benefits… Ah! Wait! Don’t you want to know how I control Number 1?”

He had planned to use this bargaining chip a little later, but Ling Mo had turned hostile so quickly.

Had he guessed wrong? Was Ling Mo not keeping Number 1 around because he wanted this ability? No… That couldn’t be possible! Controlling zombies, that’s a huge temptation! Zombies are terrifying and feared, but having an obedient zombie by one’s side would greatly increase survival capabilities. Surely many people would want such an advantage?

Ling Mo looked at Shen Le, then spoke amidst his anxious gaze: “Speak.”

Shen Le’s heart, which had risen to his throat, suddenly fell back into place: “I can’t just tell you for nothing, you have to give me some assurance.”

“Want to trade for your life? How do I know this isn’t a personal ability that others simply can’t learn?” Ling Mo said calmly.

Shen Le was taken aback for a moment, then began to shake his head vigorously: “Didn’t I just say? I’m merely Number 1’s guide, this isn’t some exclusive special ability!”

“Then you’ll have to prove it.” Ling Mo remained unmoved.

Shen Le was plunged into a dilemma. What Ling Mo said was reasonable; although he had never considered the possibility of a special ability to control zombies, he couldn’t control Ling Mo’s thoughts! And at this point, it seemed to be his only chance to stay alive.

“Alright…” Shen Le said through gritted teeth, “It’s really not some exclusive special ability… As you know, these aren’t ordinary zombies; they were all humans before. And unlike regular zombies, their mutation process is very slow. During this process, just like taming a wild beast…”

“That whistle of yours, is it a command that you used to get him gradually accustomed to during the process?” Ling Mo interjected with a question.

Shen Le nodded slowly: “That’s right.”

“The process isn’t easy, is it?” Ling Mo asked again.

Shen Le’s complexion shifted slightly, but under Ling Mo’s watchful eyes, he had no choice but to nod: “Yes…”

“I thought as much.” Ling Mo said coldly.

Whether it was through beatings or something else, during Number 1’s transformation from human to zombie, he must have endured a lot of suffering.

“So, it’s not an exclusive special ability after all. At the very least, one needs to have decent skills. And besides, Number 1 has already been tamed…”

As Ling Mo finished speaking, he noticed Shen Le’s gaze shifting to the side.

Following Shen Le’s line of sight, he saw the young man staring at Xu Shuhan.

Mu Chen also looked over and after a moment of stunned silence, he exploded in anger: “What the hell do you mean? You want Ling Mo to turn Xu Shuhan into another Number 1?!”

Shen Le didn’t speak. Mu Chen quickly turned to Ling Mo: “Don’t… You can’t…”

“Splat!”

Droplets of blood suddenly splattered onto Mu Chen’s face, causing him to instinctively shut his eyes.

When he opened them again, he saw Shen Le slowly collapsing to the ground. His eyes were still wide open, seemingly in disbelief that Ling Mo had actually taken action.

Mu Chen was also stunned. He looked at Shen Le, then widened his eyes towards Ling Mo, forgetting even to wipe the blood off his face.

“I thought you…”

“Thought what?” Ling Mo crouched down and began searching Shen Le’s corpse, speaking as he did, “Would I be interested in a method of taming filled with flaws? His words were full of holes, and it was clear there was much he left unsaid. And have you not noticed that besides during combat, he always maintained a distance from Number 1. And why do you think Niepan chose him? Wasn’t it because of his special ability?”

“Ah?” Mu Chen looked utterly bewildered.

“Can’t understand? His special ability isn’t about creating illusions or phantoms; there’s only one entity from start to finish. I suspect he was able to vanish from our sight due to some kind of visual influence, like a trick of the eye. But with Number 1 around, we can’t just close our eyes, so we haven’t had the chance to verify this. But it’s probably something along those lines… In any case, with such an ability, he could ensure he wouldn’t be killed by Number 1.”

As Ling Mo rummaged through the corpse, he analyzed, “The method he mentioned isn’t comprehensive, but the principle should be like that. Planting commands during the process when their consciousness is fading is indeed one approach. And beings like Number 1, who have Mutated, their mental state is not completely the same as ordinary zombies. Even if they can respond to commands, their execution is probably not 100% reliable…”

“You’ve figured out so much…” Mu Chen listened, wide-eyed. It sounded exactly like someone who specialized in zombie research!

“Wait, what you just said… Could it be… If that method were flawless, would you be interested?!” Mu Chen suddenly asked in shock.

Ling Mo glanced at him, then lowered his head to continue searching the corpse. There were words in his heart he didn’t speak aloud; he had his own Puppet Control ability, so why would he need domestication methods? To him, it was merely a bout of ‘curiosity’. Besides that, there was perhaps a vague sense of crisis…

If there were other ways to control zombies, would Ye Lian and the others become targets?

“Hey, why aren’t you answering?”

“Found it.” Ling Mo pulled out a cellphone from the inside pocket of Shen Le’s jacket, “Most likely, it has a map to headquarters, right?”

“Eh, how did you know?” Mu Chen asked.

“How could a minor know the routes better than I do?” Ling Mo said.

“…So confidently put, but you’re basically admitting you have a poor sense of direction!” Mu Chen rolled his eyes and said.

But apart from that, Ling Mo didn’t find anything else of value.

“Ugh, not even a diary or something,” Ling Mo said, clearly annoyed.

“Do minors have to keep diaries?” Mu Chen retorted angrily.

Ling Mo gave him a look as if he were an idiot: “What kind of logic is that? It’s clearly because he’s a pervert, okay?”

Mu Chen fell silent, at a loss for words. After a pause, he asked, “You want to go to our… I mean, you want to go to Niepan headquarters?”

“Yep,” Ling Mo nodded.

“For Xu Shuhan?” Mu Chen continued.

“Half for her,” Ling Mo admitted.

He might disdain those domestication methods, but they still unsettled him.

“I never took you for a good guy before…” Mu Chen couldn’t help but say.

Ling Mo looked up at him, surprised, and said, “Don’t speak so soon, I haven’t finished… But we’ll talk about the reward later.”

“I knew it. But why am I the one paying?!”

“You’re accomplices. By the way, from what Shen Le said, there are others chasing after us. Let’s hide nearby for now and find a place to take care of Xu Shuhan.” As he spoke, Ling Mo reached out to help Xu Shuhan up.

They looked around and Shana pointed to a building across the street: “Let’s head over there; it shouldn’t catch fire.”

“Let’s go!”

Ling Mo, supporting Xu Shuhan, led the way, while Ye Lian and Li Ya Lin dragged Number 1 by the legs, following behind.

Mu Chen opened his mouth several times to ask, but in the end, he held back.

This man always had a strange curiosity about zombies, and there was no stopping him…

And at this moment, Mu Chen himself was quite conflicted.

Whether he liked it or not, he was now completely severed from Niepan. He felt a mix of regret and a faint sense of relief in his heart.

But what about the road ahead… What should he do now?

…

“Panting heavily!”

In the alley, a figure was sprinting at full speed.

Looking back at the distant glow of the fire, Xia Zhi’s face showed a hint of relief.

By now, the branch members should have arrived…

No plan is ever perfect, but regardless of what errors occur, under these circumstances, they wouldn’t survive.

Xia Zhi couldn’t shake a lingering unease.

Perhaps it was because he wasn’t at the scene… Even though he had orchestrated everything and the events were unfolding smoothly, without witnessing their struggles and deaths firsthand, Xia Zhi felt he couldn’t be at peace.

“No, I can’t just go back like this,” Xia Zhi thought and quickly dismissed his initial decision.

He needed to ensure that things were proceeding as he had envisioned, only then could he secure his victory.

And the thought of seeing their faces — full of resentment yet utterly powerless — was thrilling to him.

The idea that someone insignificant was being led by the nose towards death must be infuriating, painful even.

It’s like being stepped on by a shadow, filled with rage and fear of being trampled.

While Mu Chen, an obstacle in his path, was certainly annoying, it was Ling Mo’s presumption of controlling their fate that Xia Zhi found repugnant.

However, it was precisely this sense of theirs, believing they were in control, only to realize in the end that they were mere pawns and tools in the eyes of others, that brought Xia Zhi sheer joy and a peculiar kind of pleasure.

“Find the people from the branch…”

Xia Zhi glanced once more towards the glow of the fire, sneered, and then turned his attention to another alley.

Just having to stand in the path of those coming from the branch would suffice. After all, in such times, he held the upper hand; he just needed to hasten their demise.

“Click.”

A sudden light sound came from behind, causing Xia Zhi to focus intently and turn around.

No one was there.

The dim alley remained eerily silent, save for the shadows of weeds on the wall that shook on the ground as if countless figures were spying on anyone passing by.

“Did I hear wrong? Maybe something over there exploded from the heat.”

Xia Zhi watched the alley warily for a while, then slowly turned back around.

“Crack!”

Another light sound echoed from nearby.