Early next morning, the unremarkable small building became a hive of activity.
Liu Yuhao distributed the stored food among everyone, even Ling Mo and Ye Lian were not excluded.
Of course, for Ling Mo, who already had a backpack full of food, two bottles of mineral water and a few snack packs were of no use to him. And it goes without saying for Ye Lian, who had no interest in the food of ordinary people.
However, when the others received their meager share of food and saw Ling Mo's indifferent expression, they all looked somewhat displeased.
Lu Xin, whose cheeks were still swollen, whispered resentfully to someone beside her, "He doesn't care about us at all, and yet he's still taking our stuff!"
"Stop talking, do you want to get hit again..." the man with glasses turned his head back and frowned as he spoke.
"It's because you are all cowards!" Lu Xin's face flushed red in anger, and after whispering a curse, she abruptly shut her mouth.
Even though Ling Mo didn't even give her a proper glance, Lu Xin still kept her mouth shut when she saw him coming in.
"What weapons do you all have?" Ling Mo, unconcerned about people like Lu Xin, went straight to Liu Yuhao and asked.
Liu Yuhao was rummaging through some large backpacks and, looking somewhat embarrassed, pulled out a kitchen knife, "This is the best we have."
In reality, it's incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to chop off a zombie's head with a kitchen knife or deliver a fatal blow in one stroke to stop the zombie in its tracks.
Moreover, close combat, even with a weapon, hugely tests the willpower and reaction ability of an ordinary person. If it weren't for the help of the Puppet Control Ability, Ling Mo would have found it difficult to improve through combat.
But having something is better than nothing; a knife is definitely better than bare hands.
"Try to have one per person. A single ordinary zombie is only a bit tougher than an ordinary person, so with a bit of bravery, you're not entirely defenseless. After all, zombies win by numbers,"
Ling Mo said nonchalantly. A single ordinary zombie can indeed be tackled by a normal person, which is why Ling Mo looked down on the healthy, capable group relying on a little girl.
"It sounds easier said than done!"
Although someone muttered discontentedly, everyone quickly gathered around Liu Yuhao to get their weapons.
Judging by Ling Mo's attitude, even if they were in danger, he probably wouldn't lift a finger to help. If Xia Na and Liu Yuhao couldn't spare the attention to help them later, they surely couldn't just wait to die...
Soon, both the food and weapons had been distributed, and Xia Na, carrying a blood-stained long knife, returned.
She had gone out early to clear any nearby zombies, paving their way ahead.
"Let's go. We must reach Third Middle School before the afternoon," Xia Na stood at the door, her proud countenance showing a trace of determination.
Upon Xia Na's command, the group exchanged glances and followed behind Liu Yuhao downstairs, with Ling Mo and Ye Lian trailing at the back.
The moment the door was pushed open, two dead zombie bodies lying outside came into view, causing several girls to scream out.
"Be quiet! You'll attract the zombies!" Xia Na turned her head back and frowned as she spoke.
The girls immediately covered their mouths, while the several men, though silent, had rather grim expressions. Observing this scene, Ling Mo shook his head internally. After being parasites for too long, even ordinary survivors seemed better than them. At this stage, few survivors would probably be scared just by corpses.
"Third Middle School is in this direction. We have to pass through three residential areas, two main streets, and a hospital on the way. There are many zombies. You just need to help out when I can't manage on my own," Xia Na turned her head to Ling Mo and spoke.
Ling Mo nodded indifferently and took Ye Lian's hand without changing his expression. There were many reasons why he agreed to Xia Na's request. While he admired and felt sorry for this girl, Ling Mo also wanted to do something for Wang Lin since the short knife was indeed very useful. However, Wang Lin was already dead, so all he could do was help her relatives...
On the other hand, this was also an opportunity for Ling Mo. It would not only allow him to learn about the situation in the city, but also to hone his Puppet Control Ability and gain experience in combat.
Actually, when cooperating with Ye Lian on a daily basis and trying to control multiple zombies at once yesterday, Ling Mo had faintly sensed that although his Puppet Control Ability was getting more and more proficient, there always seemed to be a barrier. This must be what they usually call a bottleneck...
He wondered what level he could reach after breaking through this bottleneck. The faster his own strength improved, the faster he could help Ye Lian evolve, and maybe even help her regain consciousness sooner.
Ever since consuming the brain gel of a Mutated Zombie and showing a slight sign of regaining consciousness, Ye Lian showed little interest in the brain gel of ordinary zombies, and the effects after consuming it were not significant.
This meant that he had to take Ye Lian to find more Mutated Zombies...
Based on his experiences encountering Mutated Zombies twice and his own analysis, Ling Mo felt that Mutated Zombies usually appeared in more enclosed areas with a certain number of people.
Whether it was a hospital or a school, especially a full-time boarding school, it was very likely that Mutated Zombies would appear!
The moment he agreed to Xia Na's request, Ling Mo had already decided that once they reached the school gate, he would split up from Xia Na and the others. They would go for the rescue, while he would take Ye Lian to find Mutated Zombies in the campus!
With a large group of burdens, Xia Na and her group weren't advancing fast. However, seeing Xia Na handling her knife with ease and killing zombies, the people around her also felt less fearful. Although Liu Yuhao's combat ability was not as good as Xia Na's, he coordinated well with her attacks. Every time Xia Na repelled several zombies, he would suddenly rush forward to finish off one or two, and then immediately retreat behind her.
In contrast, the others, even if armed, didn't dare to make a move...
After smoothly passing the first residential area, the first casualty finally occurred.
When passing by a shop, a hand suddenly reached out from behind a collapsed shelf and grabbed one of the male students.
The male student could only let out a cry of surprise before he was yanked into the shelves with a "bang."
When Ling Mo kicked the shelves away, the student had already been bitten in the throat by a Little Zombie about seven or eight years old. With his eyes wide open and blood bubbling from his mouth, he couldn't even speak. In just a split second, his neck was torn open, exposing even his trachea.
The Little Zombie, with its mouth bloody, raised its head and through its dirty, messy hair, its red eyes stared coldly at Ling Mo like looking at a dead man, and suddenly leaped over.
Dealing with a single zombie was easy for Ling Mo, especially knowing how to instantly influence one using his Puppet Control Ability.
The moment his eyes met the Little Zombie's, Ling Mo had already momentarily controlled it, and even the charging movement was controlled by Ling Mo.
Seeing the Little Zombie about to collide with him, while the people behind him screamed in shock, Ling Mo expressionlessly swung his short knife.
"Plop!"
A stream of blood followed Ling Mo's movement and splattered on the wall, and the Little Zombie fell heavily to the ground, landing at Ling Mo's feet.
"He's dead."
Ling Mo didn't bother to look at the zombie's body again but looked towards the male student lying in a pool of blood and said succinctly.
Everyone immediately fell silent, and a few seconds later, a girl suddenly burst into tears but due to fear of zombies, she quickly covered her mouth, muffling her cries into unclear sobs.
The other girls also looked terrified at the body still twitching slightly, their eyes nearly turning red. The boys weren't doing much better either.