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However, with fewer people, their pace of progress indeed made a qualitative leap.
No longer needing to consciously look after these people, they would naturally learn to keep up with Xia Na and Liu Yuhao just like Wang Cheng did. As a result, not only did their speed increase, but the safety factor also significantly improved; no casualties occurred again until the building of the Third Middle School came into view.
"Third Middle School is just ahead." Xia Na chopped down a zombie in front of her and turned back to tell everyone. Although a lot had happened today, she appeared somewhat excited now that they had finally arrived here.
But Ling Mo's brow furrowed slightly, guessing from the intense desire for battle emanating from Ye Lian that as he had anticipated, there indeed were Mutated Zombies in the school, and possibly not just a few but far more than one.
It goes without saying how difficult it would be to survive in such an environment; Xia Na and the others would probably have come in vain.
What surprised Ling Mo, however, was that the entrance was not crammed with zombies as he had expected, but eerily empty instead. Other than a few zombies that had clearly wandered over from other places, there was no threat at all.
Seeing Ling Mo's puzzled expression, Liu Yuhao whispered, "When the disaster first broke out, many people fled outside... but those of us stayed on, and only after the initial chaos did we send some people out to look for new places to settle down. There are quite a few zombies in the school, but it's not a problem if we're careful."
After hearing this, Ling Mo immediately showed an understanding look. As many people fled outside, even if there were zombies at the entrance, they would have likely been drawn out. Schools like this one, with residential facilities, were bound to be major zombie dens, a fact that Ling Mo could figure out without needing Liu Yuhao to say so.
As for why the zombies didn't leave the school... in the absence of prey, zombies typically roam aimlessly, and the school was mostly sealed off, with only one main gate leading outside and numerous buildings within. Unless survivors appeared to stir them up, they would keep wandering around here indefinitely.
But what would they do when they got hungry? They would kill each other! This was also why Ling Mo was certain that there must be Mutated Zombies in the school.
Perhaps there weren't any when Liu Yuhao and the others left, but by now, many days had passed, and coupled with Ye Lian's response, Ling Mo could be completely sure of his speculation.
"Wait a minute." Just arriving at the main gate, Ling Mo called out to Xia Na and the others to stop, "Our agreement was to reach the main gate, so let's part ways here."
Xia Na's expression immediately became complicated, and a look of reluctance appeared in Liu Yuhao's eyes. Although their time together was short, besides Ling Mo saving them, they had also fought side by side with him, so it was hard to let go at this moment.
"Thank you all!" Xia Na bit her lip lightly and said.
Ling Mo glanced at her, nodded, and responded, "Mm, we might still run into each other since I have some things to do in this school as well."
This surprised both Xia Na and Liu Yuhao, but seeing that Ling Mo didn't seem inclined to elaborate, they didn't press further. As they were parting, Liu Yuhao took some food from the already limited supplies and offered it to Ling Mo, "Take it, you've had a hard time helping us on this journey."
Without the help of Ling Mo and Ye Lian, it was possible they could have been wiped out, especially passing through the hospital route which would have been extremely difficult.
But Ling Mo didn't take it, instead smiling and shaking his head, indicating he didn't need it.
Liu Yuhao wanted to press the issue, but Wang Cheng discreetly stopped him, saying with a smile, "Ling is so strong, how could he possibly need our food, right? If he doesn't want it, let it be."
Seeing Ling Mo's firm stance, Liu Yuhao had no choice but to back down discontentedly.
```
As soon as they parted ways, Ling Mo immediately took Ye Lian and headed for the science and education building not far from the main gate.
Given Xia Na's skills, she should be able to take care of herself in this very familiar environment, so Ling Mo wasn't worried. Moreover, considering their way of doing things, it was inevitable that they wouldn't stick with him to survive. Hiding Ye Lian's identity would not be difficult for a short time, but it would inevitably be exposed over time.
Upon entering the science and education building, they saw the elevator doors tightly closed, which immediately brought a surge of elation to Ling Mo. If it was in such a sealed state, there must be Mutated Zombies upstairs!
Finding the safety passage, that is, the stairs, was not difficult. They just needed to push open the nearby door. But as soon as they approached the door, Ling Mo sensed the inherent ferocity in Ye Lian, and at the same time, a muffled noise came from behind the door.
Ling Mo's eyes lit up immediately—it seemed that behind this door was a Mutated Zombie!
Although Mutated Zombies have rapid attacks, they lack intelligence and do not know how to turn a doorknob. The connection between the door and the wall had many cracks, but it would be difficult to break through immediately.
Peering through the cracks, Ling Mo could vaguely see a brawny man behind the door, who was a Mutated Zombie, and there were no other Mutated Zombies besides him.
Just one would be easy... A fierce smile appeared on Ling Mo's lips as he grabbed the doorknob and raised his short knife, while Ye Lian positioned herself beside the door.
With a "click," the door had just been opened when a strong force crashed against it. Fortunately, Ling Mo was prepared and dodged to the side in an instant.
The Mutated Zombie charged out immediately, but as soon as it showed itself, Ling Mo's short knife slashed down.
However, the reaction speed of this Mutated Zombie was astoundingly fast; it grabbed Ling Mo's short knife and yanked hard towards itself. Ling Mo lost his balance and in the moment he stumbled, the other hand of the Mutated Zombie reached for his chest.
But at the critical moment, Ling Mo was not about to surrender. He nearly instantaneously gained control of the Mutated Zombie, and although he quickly reached his limit, he still took advantage of this brief moment to retrieve his short knife and fiercely stabbed the Mutated Zombie. At the same time, Ye Lian reached out and grabbed the arm of the Mutated Zombie, twisting it off forcefully.
But this Mutated Zombie truly was different, with faster reactions and stronger resistance to control.
In this life-and-death fight, Ling Mo couldn't attempt a second try, but seeing one arm of the Mutated Zombie twisted off and his short knife piercing the creature, he thought the battle was over...
What Ling Mo didn't expect was that this brawny Mutated Zombie could still resist even as its arm was torn off. It didn't dodge but instead leaped directly at Ling Mo.
At such a close range, the sound of the knife penetrating flesh was heard, and as the Mutated Zombie was stabbed in its vital spot, it also closed in on Ling Mo completely. The sharp and tough hand reached for Ling Mo's neck...
At this crucial moment, Ling Mo's expression remained calm, while Ye Lian acted in an instant, grabbing hold of the hand with another "snap."
Fortunately, by the time the blood spurted out, Ling Mo had already withdrawn his short knife and dodged to the side; otherwise, his face would have definitely been sprayed with blood.
"That was close..." Ling Mo finally felt a bit drained. This Mutated Zombie, just like the one in the supermarket, was stronger than the Mutated Zombies they had encountered before. It wasn't hard to understand; there were more people in the urban area, and presumably more zombies were trapped with them at the time.
The more brain Gel a Mutated Zombie consumes, the higher its level of Evolution, and the stronger its combat capabilities.