Chapter 750 – Dark Cuisine

The Researcher’s expression finally turned tense. He stared at Ling Mo in disbelief while reaching out and slapping the faucet twice more.

The grey gas in the room was increasing, but Ling Mo remained standing at the door, blankly watching him.

Although it was impossible to see any expression on the Zombie’s face, the Researcher felt enormous pressure from Ling Mo’s gaze.

Cold sweat had started to break out on his forehead, and his originally pale face had turned bright red.

“What on earth is going on?!” the Researcher panicked, while Lan Lan was completely frozen.

The reason she dared to bring Ling Mo here was because of this last line of defense.

But now, this final measure was completely ineffective!

Lan Lan’s heart sank instantly, thinking, “I’m done for…”

She couldn’t help but feel her eyes well up at the thought of being torn apart soon.

Unable to fathom her bad luck, Lan Lan despaired over her consecutive failures… It was like she was courting death herself…

“Impossible! This is impossible! Just inhaling a little bit should knock anyone out. I’ve used it many times before!” The Researcher was about to break the faucet from hitting it so much.

Ling Mo, who had been completely puzzled, suddenly understood after hearing this.

The problem wasn’t the gas, but himself…

The Researcher’s earlier confidence was apparent; he clearly had great faith in this gas.

The fact that he used it in such a situation indicated at least two things: one, the gas was harmless to humans, and two, it was supposed to be highly effective…

Perhaps the moment he released the gas, the Researcher was inwardly gloating and thinking, “Fall!”

Unfortunately for him, Ling Mo didn’t so much as flinch! Curious, Ling Mo quickly checked his body for any abnormalities. After a thorough search, an odd expression crept onto his face.

The grey gas did indeed have an effect; in fact, its impact was quite astonishing! The exact composition of the gas was unknown, but once inhaled by Zombies, it induced a hallucination-like state in them. Upon inhalation, the Zombies’ psychic activity immediately encountered issues, rendering them temporarily incapable of resistance.

This method worked wonders on Low-Level Zombies, but for Ling Mo, it wasn’t a problem at all. In fact, it inadvertently helped him!

Initially, due to increased interference, Ling Mo found controlling his Zombie Puppets more difficult. However, with the Zombies themselves being hypnotized, Ling Mo’s psychic tentacles-being an external source of mental energy-found it much easier!

Ling Mo’s control became more efficient, which meant these two people were in even deeper trouble…

“Although this guy’s ability is quite powerful, this gas isn’t very effective on Senior Zombies. But since the main group of Zombies consists of Low-Level ones, this gas is incredibly useful for Survivors…”

Meanwhile, the Researcher was drenched in sweat, his legs even trembling slightly. He glanced at Ling Mo again, then turned his gaze towards a red Alarm nearby.

“Don’t move,” Ling Mo said sharply, having keenly noticed his movement.

As he spoke, he pulled Lan Lan closer to him. “Or I’ll eat her.”

“No!” The Researcher’s body tensed up instantly. Panicking, he quickly emptied his pockets.

Ling Mo didn’t stop him, and the man didn’t rashly reach into his pockets either, clearly trying to avoid any misunderstanding with Ling Mo.

A bunch of random items fell to the ground. The Researcher carefully squatted down, grabbed a small bag, and shook it in front of Ling Mo.

“Here… take this, just don’t eat my daughter.” The Researcher’s voice was raspy, clearly the result of too much smoking.

Ling Mo glanced at the contents of the bag and was at a loss for words.

A piece of gel… This Researcher actually offered gel in exchange… Did he think Zombies were foodies?

But on second thought, his own group at home did seem to be foodies…

Wait… Daughter?!

These two bore no resemblance to each other!

However, on closer inspection, their personalities were quite similar!

Only a father like this would let his daughter play with Zombies outside…

“Come to think of it, those Zombies outside… were they his special amusement park for his daughter?”

Ling Mo shuddered at the thought, finding the Researcher’s expression even more perplexing. “I don’t eat this.”

The gel didn’t even tempt him, an unusual behavior for a Zombie.

Given the excuse of being a Brain Mutant, Ling Mo didn’t bother maintaining his Zombie facade.

The Researcher looked at Lan Lan nervously, then said, “Then…eat me!”

“Who wants to eat you?! If I were to liken it to cooking, your daughter would be undercooked, but you are the epitome of dark cuisine!”

Especially since the Researcher had dramatically torn his collar open, exposing his scrawny skin and some mysterious stains…

Ling Mo felt uncomfortable and averted his gaze. “Just come out here.”

Both the Researcher and Lan Lan were momentarily stunned, surprised at this Zombie’s unexpectedly reasonable behavior.

Also, why had his demeanor become somewhat… gentler?

“Sit here,” Ling Mo said, pulling a chair to the center of the room.

This was to ensure the Researcher’s every move was under Ling Mo’s watchful eye, preventing access to any other items.

Though he seemed compliant, Ling Mo hadn’t forgotten the strong performance he had given earlier.

The Researcher obediently sat down, while Ling Mo held Lan Lan in front of him.

Seeing his daughter being held like a kitten, the Researcher’s expression was complex.

On the bright side, the Zombie hadn’t eaten her yet. But on the downside… it was still a Zombie!

Still, since this Zombie hadn’t acted immediately, there seemed to be room for negotiation.

“So… what do you want?” the Researcher asked.

“I have a few questions,” Ling Mo said after a moment of thought. “I want to know everything about myself.”

The Researcher paused for a moment, then a look of realization crossed his face. “Oh, I get it…”

“He’s a Brain Mutant,” Lan Lan interjected.

“Noticed that…” the Researcher nodded.

He stared at Ling Mo for a couple of seconds, and then his eyes involuntarily began to light up. “To mutate to this extent while still being so Low-Level, it’s truly remarkable. It’s a pity I didn’t discover you sooner… Do you know? Actually, I’m the one who created you! Although I don’t really know how it happened, I am indeed a genius! And you, did you sense a special connection with me, which is why you…”

“Who’s asking who here?” Ling Mo retorted irritably.

This father and daughter duo truly had unconventional minds. Unless their lives were at stake, they couldn’t seem to stop their brains from spinning!

Especially this Researcher, is this really the time to be excited and proud?! Special connection my foot…

Ling Mo decided to cut to the chase. “Tell me about the virus and your research.”

“If I tell you, will you promise not to eat us?” the Researcher inquired.

“Yes.” Ling Mo nodded.

The Researcher eagerly rubbed his hands together and nodded. “Good, as long as you promise!”

Even Lan Lan let out a sigh of relief. Not eating them was a start!

As for the details… If it were any typical Survivor asking, those details would be top secret. But since it was a Zombie asking, things were different.

Even if he disclosed the information, could the Zombie really run around leaking secrets?

“Start with the virus,” Ling Mo said.

“Ah, the virus… To talk about this virus, we must first discuss its origins. But it’s quite odd; this virus seems to have appeared out of nowhere. I initially speculated that it might be a mutation of some pre-existing virus, but after various experiments, I found that it truly is a novel virus.”

When talking about the virus, the Researcher became very animated, especially when his audience was a Zombie.

“Frankly, I’ve been in this field for nearly thirty years, both domestically and abroad, and I’ve never seen a virus like this!”

“Uh… who exactly are you?” Ling Mo suddenly asked.

“Me? Oh, it’s not worth mentioning. I’m just the deputy director of a branch of the Academy of Sciences here. I oversee a national key laboratory, have published a few papers abroad, served as a guest professor at XX University, and I’m also a committee member of the XX International Committee…” The Researcher spoke nonchalantly.

However, Ling Mo tuned out after hearing “deputy director.”

Even with the “deputy” prefix, it sounded impressive!

No wonder Niepan could develop to this extent; they found an actual living deputy director!

But it was only Ling Mo’s main body that was surprised; his Zombie Puppet remained expressionless.

“Oh, go on,” Ling Mo said.

The Researcher chuckled awkwardly and continued, “This new type of virus is a highly mutative virus. I think you’ve already seen this in yourself. Its mutations possess endless possibilities, and that’s the most fascinating aspect…”

According to the Researcher, Niepan’s headquarters focused their studies primarily on how to exploit the virus.

They aimed to harness the virus’s ability to bestow incredible combat capabilities on creatures, working towards developing bio-weapons that could be controlled by humans.

But that was only one aspect; they also hoped to find a way to eradicate the virus during their experiments.

“Is that your hope, or the Boss’s hope?” Ling Mo asked.

The Researcher looked at Ling Mo with some surprise and said, “He surely hopes so too; at least he doesn’t want to mutate himself.”

“Then why are you conducting this research?” Ling Mo glanced around.

The Researcher held a high status at Niepan’s headquarters, yet his living conditions were quite poor. Even the cigarettes on the table were not of a good brand…

“Because it’s interesting,” the Researcher replied with a grin.