Chapter 753 – Just Before the Explosion

“Already passed out?”

Ling Mo was just about to control the zombie to take another swing when he noticed the person had already fallen unconscious.

It’s not surprising his mental resilience is so weak; although these Experimental Group members deal with zombies, those zombies are entirely incapable of resistance.

To suddenly see these Experimental Subjects moving freely must have scared him silly.

Ling Mo had no intention of killing them. After dragging them aside, he controlled all the zombies to go downstairs.

It was just past 3 a.m., and the Niepan headquarters was completely silent.

Only the guards were still diligently at their posts, boredly watching their surroundings.

No one realized that right behind them, right under their noses, the entire Laboratory Building had transformed from the heart of Niepan headquarters into a ticking time bomb.

And the fuse had already been lit…

“Ling-Ge’s signal came through,” Xia Na suddenly stopped in her tracks in a dimly lit corridor, whispering.

Ye Lian and Yu Shiran immediately exchanged glances. Another signal?

“There’s been a change in plans,” Xia Na slyly grinned, “We have some fun coming up.”

“Fun…” Ye Lian mulled over the word, vaguely feeling it didn’t quite sound like something Ling Mo would say.

“Great!” Yu Shiran nodded vigorously, her eyes instantly lighting up with excitement.

She had already grown bored of wandering around these buildings…

What was so interesting about those messy zombies, anyway?

But fun was different. Anything that Xia Na found fun was bound to be interesting!

Xia Na smiled at her and said, “Calm down, your eyes are changing color.”

“Hmph, are you being serious?” Yu Shiran snorted, refusing to back down.

But in reality, she involuntarily stepped back, putting some distance between herself and Xia Na.

She didn’t dare provoke Ye Lian, but her greatest fear was still Xia Na. Compared to her, even the Sausage Humans felt more approachable…

“No, he’s the worst!” Yu Shiran quickly shook her head angrily.

Fortunately, Xia Na’s attention had already shifted to the main matter at hand: “In any case, the essence of what we do doesn’t change, it’s about coordinating inside and out. Ling-Ge mentioned that when the situation inside changes, our approach outside needs to adapt as well.”

“Ah… I understand,” Ye Lian nodded. She paused for a moment, then hesitantly asked, “So… which method are we using now?”

“…,” Xia Na was momentarily stunned, “Ye Lian, we’re definitely not talking about the same thing…”

“Really?” Ye Lian looked puzzled.

The corridor fell silent, but a few seconds later, they suddenly heard unclear footsteps coming from downstairs.

As the sound drew closer, Xia Na’s eyes narrowed slightly, “The first thing we need to do is deal with these dorm supervisors.”

…

Meanwhile, Ling Mo, having delivered the signal, shifted his perspective back to the Zombie Puppet.

Only two or three minutes had passed, so the situation in the room remained unchanged.

Old Lan was still sitting in the chair, deep in thought, while Lan Lan looked helpless as she was held by him.

This girl really had a strong nerve. When Ling Mo shifted his focus, he almost spit out in surprise.

She was actually playing with her fingernails, utterly bored, despite being held by a zombie!

But this also indicated that they hadn’t sensed anything unusual, nor did they know that Ling Mo’s attention had been elsewhere.

“So, have you thought it through?” Ling Mo observed for a moment, then broke the silence.

His question made Old Lan sit up straight immediately, and Lan Lan’s expression turned tense as she let out a breath.

Old Lan took a deep breath, grabbed a handful of hair, then raised his head, his expression uncertain as he asked, “If I follow you, how will we live? And if I leave, Lan Lan can’t stay here either. I don’t care about myself, but having Lan Lan stay with zombies… To be honest, I don’t trust your instincts. You will continue to evolve, and each evolution is dangerous. I can’t help but think about these things.”

He clearly found it hard to figure out, even his eyes were a bit red.

But hearing this, Ling Mo revealed a slight smile.

As expected, Old Lan’s curiosity was even greater than a cat’s; he was already tempted.

But in the face of such a significant and risky decision, he had to consider his daughter.

“I have plans,” Ling Mo said, presenting his prepared argument, “but I can’t tell you now.”

“But what if you’re tricking me?” Old Lan gritted his teeth and asked.

“That depends on how you interpret it,” Ling Mo replied.

Having figured out Old Lan’s weak point, Ling Mo’s attitude became much more casual.

His identity was the biggest decoy, not fearing that the big fish wouldn’t bite.

“Dad…” Lan Lan finally addressed him seriously, but her eyes were filled with obvious hesitation and complexity.

Of course, she knew what her father was pursuing, and she knew that this opportunity was indeed too rare to pass up.

“The door to the new world may be open, but don’t just walk through it without thinking. Really think it through,” Lan Lan said urgently.

Ling Mo felt exasperated. How could this girl describe it so wildly…

What’s this about a new world? Where is this door?

“Yes…” Old Lan’s eyes flashed with a hint of hope.

Seeing this expression on Old Lan’s face, Lan Lan sighed deeply.

She tried hard to lift her head, looking at Ling Mo: “Tell us, what exactly are your plans?”

“I’ll definitely make sure you’re safe. If I had ill intentions, I could just take you by force; could you resist?” Ling Mo stated candidly.

Lan Lan was momentarily stunned, then rolled her eyes and let out a heavy scoff.

Old Lan’s eyes brightened. Yes! This zombie could completely tear them apart or take them away by force; why bother negotiating?

With this thought, Old Lan’s mind became even more enthusiastic.

What kind of zombie was this? This was a zombie capable of luring humans!

Just this fact alone proved its humanity!

If he could team up with this kind of zombie, he might be able to find the source of the virus…

“I won’t make you live with zombies either, don’t worry,” Ling Mo added.

Old Lan didn’t quite understand what that meant.

But his expression had already turned fervent, and his mouth opened slightly, almost exposing a hint of a smile.

“Madman.”

The word simultaneously popped into the minds of both Ling Mo and Lan Lan…

“When are we leaving?” After a moment, Old Lan nervously asked.

“No rush.” Ling Mo then turned to look around the room, quickly fixing his gaze on the faucet, “Why don’t you pack some bags first?”

Lan Lan was initially stunned, then she remembered how Ling Mo took the gel, and her face immediately showed a hint of disdain.

“You’re not at all like a zombie!” Lan Lan said.

“Want to try me?” Ling Mo blinked and said.

“…”

Meanwhile, in the lobby in front of the Laboratory Building, a few guards stood on duty.

These guards were responsible for watching over three buildings, but they had all gathered in one spot.

From 2 to 4 AM, that was when people were in their deepest sleep.

These guards were among Niepan headquarters’ innermost security layer, and their workload was the lightest.

Everyone appeared a bit fatigued, naturally becoming more lax.

Several of them gathered to smoke, with one leaning against the wall, squinting at the others and saying, “Do you think those two are slacking off?”

“Could be…” another guard yawned and replied.

“If I had known, I would have gone too. My legs are numb from standing,” another guard remarked, “At least there aren’t any drafts over there; it’s freezing here.”

“Watch out for the captain’s wrath,” someone chuckled.

“Whoever rats us out is an idiot. Besides… ah ah…” That previous guard let out another yawn before continuing, “It’s the same every day…”

His words prompted more laughter: “You’re not trying to sneak a nap, are you? Just say it; I’m not covering for you.”

“Right, right, unless you offer a pack of smokes each.”

“Why don’t you just rob me!” The guard cursed, “You guys are worse than zombies!”

As he spoke, he wobbled around and mumbled, “Forget it, I’d rather get some fresh air…”

But before he could finish, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.