Chapter 8: Change
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
The temporary shelter Ling Mo picked was a small family hotel. The room was rather clean and the smell of blood wasn’t strong. The best part of it was that its location was great. He found a few bottles of disinfectant and almost no zombies noticed this place.
However, this method wouldn’t be effective at all in an area full of zombies. If they were in the city, it would probably attract more zombies over…
Ling Mo ate a little and carefully checked the door and windows before sitting down in front of Ye Lian and took out the gel-like thing from his pocket.
He didn’t know if it was because the gel-like part was exposed in the air for too long, the light pungent smell had become stronger. As soon as he took it out, Ye Lian’s eyes turned red from its smell. If it wasn’t for their tight spiritual connection, perhaps she would be trying to break free from him already.
The smell was a type of torture to Ling Mo. The reason why he didn’t put it into her mouth immediately was that he discovered that the thing’s colour was too odd. It looked like a real blood clot and extremely fresh. It was unexpected that the virus could keep it fresh…
Ye Lian’s instinctive desire was strong and Ling Mo didn’t continue to tease her as he put the clot next to her mouth.
Ye Lian’s lips were cold and when she opened her mouth to eat it, her warm tongue slightly swept Ling Mo’s finger, making his heart tremble. As he watched Ye Lian’s eyes gradually calming down, he had the urge to kiss her…
But when Ling Mo cupped her face slowly, Ye Lian, who was expressionless, suddenly closed her eyes and frowned.
Ling Mo was shocked. It was his first time to see expressions on her face after the mutation. Although she closed her eyes tightly, the dangerous aura she emitted made him feel like the temperature around him lowered even more.
At the same time. A mixture of heat and coldness engulfed his body. He trembled as felt every single pore on his body was stinging, and his head felt like exploding.
“Argh…”
Ling Mo couldn’t help but groan painfully as he curled up. He let go of Ye Lian and she limply fell back on the bed.
Inexpressible sharp pain screamed from every cell of his body and he felt like his body was getting ripped apart bit by bit, then reconstructed together. He was in such pain under the mere influence of the spiritual connection, not to mention how much pain Ye Lian was in from undergoing the change directly.
Ling Mo shakingly knelt on the bed with bloodshot eyes, but he fixed his gaze on Ye Lian.
If Ye Lian could bear it, he could definitely bear it as a man…
The pain gradually ceased after half an hour, but it felt like three days and nights to Ling Mo.
Luckily the refreshingness relieved the immense lingering pain. He could feel the small changes he accumulated over the past few days elevating him to a different level as if he had been reborn. The hidden strength in his muscles and a head clearer than ever made him extremely excited.
Just like mutated zombies, he also evolved in a way… Although it didn’t make a difference in his appearance, Ling Mo could feel the change clearly. He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but because he bore the pain when he was conscious, he strengthened his conscious world more than his physical body.
But whether this was the case or not, he had to find out during fights.
However, Ye Lian didn’t wake up that night keeping a constant frown and occasionally trembling. Ling Mo guarded beside her, feeling sympathetic yet eager. How much could she grow after digesting the gel-like part of a mutated zombie…
“Oh my, how did I fall asleep…”
Ling Mo finally fell asleep after guarding her during the night as his body was extremely exhausted. But because of the special skill he adapted to in the apocalypse, he woke up after a mere few minutes.
This kind of special sleeping method was probably learnt by every survivor in the apocalypse. They were extremely vigilant and even stayed on guard when they slept. A few minutes of deep sleep was enough to ease their tensed mental state.
Ling Mo as a zombie puppet controller, needed to maintain the spiritual connection between him and the puppets and he rarely entered the state of deep sleep. It was his first time…
After he opened his eyes nervously, he discovered a terrifying reality: Ye Lian was missing!
Did Ye Lian break free from his control in those few minutes?! But after he calmed down, Ling Mo realised that it wasn’t the truth. After the evolution, Ling Mo’s consciousness world became stronger and it was a big change from controlling zombie puppets deliberately to controlling them however he wanted to.
Although Ye Lian wasn’t in front of his eyes, he could clearly detect that her conscious world was still attached to his.
However, since he had been controlling her, she never acted herself other than in combat and going out, why did she suddenly do that today…
Ling Mo quickly changed the view to Ye Lian’s perspective…
Luckily, Ye Lian was still in the hotel, but she was acting somewhat strange. Usually, Ye Lian wouldn’t act with self-awareness other than attack and eat, but she was wandering around in the hotel.
She even stopped occasionally at some places, looking around quietly.
What was happening? Ling Mo quickly rushed out of the door and found Ye Lian in the corridor below.
Ling Mo almost cried out in surprise at first glance. Morning sunlight shone through the window, Ye Lian stood in the sun and her head was turned toward him, looking at him with the slightest confusion. The tiny amount of emotion made Ling Mo tremble in happiness.
“Ye Lian!” Ling Mo dashed in front of her and cried as he grabbed her shoulders with both hands.
He didn’t expect her intellect to return so soon…
No… After shaking her, Ling Mo suddenly felt like a bucket of cold water pouring down on his head. In Ye Lian’s eyes, he could only see occasional flashes of confusion and the usual coldness.
Perhaps the evolving virus temporarily loosened the shackles that locked her intellect, but she was far from recovery. Perhaps, the evolution of virus made Ye Lian who was blank right now, create a new consciousness…
“Ye Lian?” Ling Mo unwillingly asked a few times before accepting the fact that she wasn’t fully recovered.
At least, she showed some emotions and began to move around herself. Whether it was foreshadowing her recovery or a new evolution of the virus, Ling Mo’s expectations could still come true.