Chapter 939: Captive

“See? It’s different, isn’t it?” Li Yalin said with a smile.

Ling Mo lowered his head and compared the bite marks on the bone, suddenly realizing, “You’re right!”

Typically, zombie bite marks, when compared to human ones, are only deeper at most, but still generally similar. However, the bite marks on this bone were more like clusters of sharp punctures. A closer inspection revealed subtle differences. However, the overlapping impressions made it difficult to notice these distinctions without someone pointing them out.

“Also, their teeth seem to be more numerous than ours. And then there’s the way they eat… If it’s one of their own kind, they’d usually just snap the bones. Even if they bit into the bones themselves, it wouldn’t look like this,” Li Yalin said as she licked her lips and added.

Judging from the bones, the eating habits of this creature seemed excessively savage. Even though these corpses were no longer human to begin with, just imagining the scene gave Ling Mo a slight chill down his spine.

“Furthermore, a lot of bones are missing from here… If you had the time to piece them together, you’d notice that,” Li Yalin continued.

Ling Mo twitched his eye and said, “No need for that… But how did you figure it out at a glance?”

Li Yalin giggled and suddenly winked at him. “You could call it instinct! Zombies understand their bodies better than humans do. Xia Na said that many wild creatures have this kind of ability. Since our zombie bodies are quite similar to those of humans, if the target is a human, we can tell the growth condition of their muscles and bones just by looking at their appearance. If we catch the scent of blood, we can even deduce their physical state-whether there’s an issue with their internal organs or any blood-related diseases… Basically, every person emits a unique scent. It’s just like the saying goes: no two individuals in the world are completely alike…”

“As for why you can’t figure it out, that’s because you only inherited this zombie puppet’s body, but none of the abilities it originally had…”

“I’ve never had them! Never, I tell you! And… that’s not what that phrase originally means,” Ling Mo growled twice under his breath, then glanced again at the long, narrow passage ahead. “Though I’m not sure what these creatures are, one thing is certain-they can’t be ordinary Zombies. If they’re variation zombies, the number of mutated parts on their bodies is way too much…”

To be able to survive and move around in a place like this for a prolonged period, relying solely on crawling wouldn’t cut it. In terms of physical energy, crawling expends far more effort than walking. And all creatures, without exception, evolve towards better adapting to their environments-especially these “evolution machines” that have been transformed by the virus.

So, whatever these creatures are, their physical structure couldn’t be anything similar to that of common zombies. Yet, based on the silhouette Ling Mo saw earlier, they could at least still be described as a “humanoid creature.”

“So, what we’re up against next is a kind of creature that could emerge from any other exit at any moment, equipped with a powerful biting ability, and is honestly better suited to survive in this environment than we are. If we’re even more cautious about it,” Ling Mo added grimly, “another thing to note is that they excel at stealth and spying.”

Before resuming their crawl, Ling Mo told Li Yalin everything that he had just encountered. Compared to his Zombie Puppet, Li Yalin clearly had a much bigger advantage. For their current operation, it was evident that she would have to bear the brunt of the fighting.

Upon hearing that they were already being targeted by such creatures, Li Yalin immediately perked up, her excitement unmistakable.

Her eyes quickly changed color, but she was slightly disappointed just a few seconds later. “No good, the remaining heat is too faint. As expected, the energy they expend while crawling must be very low. It’s probably comparable to our normal walking. And if they stay still, their consumption might even be less than ours in a dormant state. No wonder they can survive here thanks to those little critters outside…”

“But this will help us track Xia Na’s scent more quickly. Let’s go,” Li Yalin said cheerfully again, urging him on.

“Mm,” Ling Mo responded, following behind her as he stared at the swaying curves in front of him. He couldn’t help but think, “Why does this feel like a viper entering a rat’s nest…”

…

As the two moved forward in their crawl, Ling Mo’s main body had already led Xiao Bai and Tang Hao to the vicinity of a small building.

Just as he turned a corner from one of the alleys, an arm suddenly shot out from the side, lightning-fast, reaching for him.

“Who’s there?”

Though Ling Mo appeared completely unprepared, he instinctively leaned backward, and a tentacle shot out in response almost simultaneously.

“Ah!”

A startled cry rang in his ears, and Ling Mo immediately turned his head to look. The tentacle dissipated mid-attack the moment he saw the source.

“Don’t scare people like that,” Ling Mo said flatly.

Xu Shuhan, wearing a mask, was plastered against the wall, still shaken and clutching her chest with both arms. At his words, she froze for a beat before snapping back angrily: “Don’t you dare play the victim! You were the one who almost attacked me!” 𝐑𝒶₦𝘖BƐṩ

“I had perfect control,” Ling Mo replied as if it was the most natural thing. Then, pointing at her current posture, he added with a straight face, “But… that pose of yours, it’s prone to… misunderstanding.”

Xu Shuhan, confused, lowered her gaze to look at herself. It was then that she noticed Ling Mo’s playful smirk, paired with Tang Hao’s obviously intrigued expression.

She let out another startled cry, then quickly scrambled to regain her composure, hands fumbling as she stood upright.

“And honestly, the way you’re dressed, if someone were to get robbed of their honor, shouldn’t it be me?” Ling Mo added mischievously.

The trench coat, the mask, the earpiece…

Xu Shuhan froze for two full seconds before erupting in exasperation. “Go to hell!”

“Heh… Right, what are you doing here?” Ling Mo’s playful demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression as he questioned her.

Xu Shuhan puffed out a breath, clearly still frustrated, and replied grudgingly, “You know exactly why. Just seeing me here, you should already know things haven’t gone completely south, shouldn’t you? After all, I used to be…”

She trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly clamping her mouth shut. A few seconds later, she diverted awkwardly and asked, “Who’s that guy?”

“I’m…” Tang Hao started, visibly excited.

Finally! A normal human being!

Sure, her outfit might suggest she’s a bit odd, but her demeanor screams bunny!

If he could just strike up a proper conversation, maybe…

“A captive. Don’t worry about him,” Ling Mo interrupted coolly.

Tang Hao immediately froze. A captive?!

Who made you the boss of this group? Do you think you can just decide that? Tang Hao’s frustration began to bubble up.

“Whatever, you’re the captain anyway,” Xu Shuhan replied dismissively.

Tang Hao stood there stunned for a moment. “What the hell…”

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