Chapter 777 – Do You Want a Pheasant to Turn into a Phoenix?

Faced with the suddenly rampaging Xu Shuhan, Ye Lian and Li Yalin were at a bit of a loss.

It wasn’t because they weren’t strong enough… In fact, although Xu Shuhan erupted with an incredibly powerful force in that instant, almost comparable to a mutation zombie, she was still far from matching the strength of two Senior Zombies.

If it weren’t for the fact that they needed to keep her fixed in that position, Ye Lian could have handled her with one hand.

But this was exactly what troubled the two female zombies. By merely grabbing Xu Shuhan’s shoulders, they could only keep her pinned in place…

However, there were still many parts of her body that could move.

Fortunately, Xu Shuhan’s intelligence level had also plummeted at this moment. Although she was trying hard to stretch her neck to bite the bottle, her legs stayed obediently in place. Otherwise, if she started kicking and struggling, even Ling Mo would have found it difficult to manage.

This scene, however, seemed to be anticipated by Ling Mo. His expression remained calm, and he didn’t even flinch, let alone step back.

As he glanced at Xu Shuhan, a strange gleam flashed in Ling Mo’s eyes.

Psychic interference!

This attack method, like Ling Mo’s other techniques, could vary in effectiveness depending on how much energy he expended.

Theoretically, as long as he could control the output of his psychic power, he could fluctuate between two values of destructive power.

However, the human brain doesn’t have a control lever to adjust this output; it all relies on one’s willpower.

If Ling Mo weren’t so exceptionally skilled at controlling his psychic power, he wouldn’t dare to recklessly use this move on Xu Shuhan.

It was crucial to understand that Xu Shuhan’s current state was extremely hazardous.

A small mistake, and she would completely mutate, starting from the lowest level as a common zombie.

Losing a human-like body and losing one’s sanity is a painful thing to imagine.

Although once mutated, the person would no longer have such feelings, Ling Mo would.

He no longer wanted to see such things happen.

“Ah…”

Xu Shuhan suddenly let out a low growl, and a moment of confusion flashed in her eyes.

Using psychic interference on Xu Shuhan was essentially a weaker version.

At most, it could momentarily daze Xu Shuhan for less than a second. It might sound somewhat trivial.

But for Xu Shuhan, at that very moment, what she needed was that fleeting moment of clarity.

“Help… help me…”

Xu Shuhan’s expression was pained, clearly showing that her innate instincts were surging once again.

Just squeezing out those two words seemed to almost overwhelm her.

“Remember what I told you? Think about something else,” Ling Mo said again.

Although Xu Shuhan was a superhuman, her psychic power wasn’t any stronger than that of an average person. And when it came to resisting innate instincts, enhancement abilities were practically useless; the only thing she could rely on was her willpower.

However, the impact of the mutation was extraordinarily strong. Even though Xu Shuhan had spent a considerable amount of time in a state of almost-mutating, developing some resistance to the sensation, it wouldn’t be enough to just grit her teeth and endure. Ling Mo’s suggestion of diverting her attention might actually be more effective.

“I’ll keep monitoring your condition, but you mustn’t give up on yourself,” Ling Mo continued.

Xu Shuhan nodded with difficulty and then slowly averted her gaze from the bottle.

Achieving that was incredibly hard because the bottle of blood looked as essential to her as her own life at that moment.

An inexplicable primal urge seemed to be working within her, like a voice screaming incessantly in her mind, “Take it! It’s yours, yours!”

“Think, don’t be afraid,” Ling Mo said.

“Mm…” Xu Shuhan’s eyes began to well up with tears.

She was genuinely frightened. As the zombie instincts started to replace her humanity, she felt as though she were dying.

Had it not been for her time spent with Ye Lian and the others, gaining a deeper understanding of zombies, she might have completely broken down in that moment of clarity.

Ling Mo’s voice, however, gave her immense comfort at this critical time.

Although Ling Mo’s voice was gentle and he didn’t say much, the meaning behind his words reassured Xu Shuhan considerably.

At least she could still get help, at least there was still hope…

Seeing Xu Shuhan calming down, a slight change appeared in Ling Mo’s expression.

“Don’t worry,” Ling Mo said again.

He opened the bottle completely and took out some tools from his pocket, then began his work…

While he was busy, Ye Lian kept her eyes on him.

After staring at Ling Mo for a while, her gaze shifted to Xu Shuhan.

This time, her look was no longer confused but rather filled with a curious expression.

She then glanced at her own pocket and lightly patted it with her free hand…

“Ye Lian.”

Ling Mo suddenly called out, and Ye Lian immediately removed her hand.

However, Ling Mo, focused on his task, didn’t seem to notice Ye Lian’s little gesture. He continued, “Hold this for me.”

Ye Lian absentmindedly took the gel, watching as Ling Mo placed a straw at Xu Shuhan’s lips.

“When I say ‘absorb,’ you start. When I say ‘stop,’ you also have to stop immediately. Can you do that? If you can’t react in time, I will forcibly make you stop and let you rest for a while. But that would reduce the success rate, so it’s best if you can do it yourself,” Ling Mo instructed Xu Shuhan.

Xu Shuhan continued staring at the ceiling, but she knew without looking what was at the other end of the straw.

She had a vague understanding of Ling Mo’s method. He probably wanted her to absorb the blood while remaining conscious…

However, she nearly succumbed just by smelling it. Would she really manage to absorb it?

As Xu Shuhan didn’t respond, Ling Mo didn’t rush her. Instead, he reached out and patted her head.

He had intended to pat her shoulder, but both sides were already occupied…

“You need to have some confidence in yourself. If you had the courage to break free from Niepan back then, why can’t you muster the courage to fight against yourself now? Besides, I’m here with you,” Ling Mo still spoke with a calm and gentle voice.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. The evolution and mutation of zombies are closely linked to your own thoughts. You could think of it as whatever you want to become or whatever impresses you deeply; your eventual mutation will likely lean in that direction…” Ling Mo said.

“What…what are you saying this for?” Xu Shuhan finally responded.

Impressions? Thoughts? The first image that popped into her mind was Red Wolf1 and her frying pan!

Xu Shuhan felt an instinctual fear; she didn’t want to mutate into that wolf, nor did she want to turn into a frying pan…

“What exactly are you trying to say?” She was on the verge of tears.

“What I mean is, your mental state can significantly influence the virus’s effect. If even zombies that have already mutated and evolved can be influenced mentally, then it’s even more significant for you, who are still human from the neck up. I understand you’re afraid of mutating, but fear alone won’t solve the problem,” Ling Mo said seriously.

Xu Shuhan was stunned for a second, then forced a weak smile: “I… I understand. Thank…”

“If you’re really that scared, you might as well think about your future mutation goals. If you fail, you might just evolve into something like a phoenix…” Ling Mo continued.

Xu Shuhan almost laughed out loud and suddenly started speaking fluently: “Are you implying I’m a pheasant now?”

“Pheasant sounds too crude…” Ling Mo replied.

“So that’s what you mean! Ling Mo, just you wait!”

Cursing, Xu Shuhan took a determined sip.

Bright red blood flowed directly into Xu Shuhan’s mouth through the transparent straw, immediately triggering an explosive reaction inside her, like a virus bomb going off.

The balance was instantly disrupted, and the blood-red hue in Xu Shuhan’s eyes deepened!

“Thud! Thud!”

Her ten fingers pierced through the outer layer of the couch and dug in deeply!

“Stay conscious. I just mentioned pheasants; your mind is probably full of them now, right? If you mutate in this state, you’ll really evolve into a Birdman, with feathers and everything,” Ling Mo said while observing Xu Shuhan’s psychic fluctuations.

The moment Xu Shuhan swallowed the blood, her psychic fluctuations seemed to stop all of a sudden.

This situation indicated that her brain was being affected by the virus.

However, as Ling Mo spoke, a resilient will erupted from the depths of Xu Shuhan’s consciousness.

The psychic light cluster also became active, and she mumbled, “I will definitely bite you to death…”

“Uh…actually, if you do mutate, you’d probably become one of my stalkers…just one of many,” Ling Mo thoughtfully said.

“Ah!”

Xu Shuhan’s struggle became more intense, and her gaze returned from the frenzy…

But what replaced it was another kind of fierce brutality: “Who’s going to stalk you? Who would!”

“They really exist, and they’re quite beautiful…” Ling Mo said seriously.

“Right, how about another sip?”

…

In the next room, Old Lan rolled over, taking his eyes off the mutation koi fish, and sighed: “What a commotion…”

Meanwhile, in another room, Lan Lan, also staring at the ceiling, had an excited smile on her face, listening intently…

“You seem very curious. Want me to give you a book to read?” Xia Na, lying next to her, turned slightly and whispered.

Lan Lan was startled, but before she could get up, a magazine suddenly fell from above, landing right on her face.

As a thin ray of light illuminated the scene, Lan Lan, having just picked up the magazine, realized what was on the cover.

“Ah…it’s a dirty magazine!”

Footnote:

Red Wolf(红太狼): In Chinese popular culture, there’s a well-known animated series called ‘Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf’ (‘喜羊羊与灰太狼’). One of the main characters is Red Wolf (红太狼), who is known for frequently hitting her husband, Big Big Wolf (灰太狼), with a frying pan.