Chapter 695: The Eerie Blood Stain

The Zombie Puppet was being controlled to head towards the pa.s.sage leading to Zone B, while Ling Mo himself retraced his steps with a puzzled expression.

Could it be that something was left behind on the way?

Even though the possibility was slim Even if it were true, it wouldnt just quietly go back to look for it

Unclear of the situation, Ling Mo didnt turn on his flashlight.

Having grown accustomed to this dim environment, with his current vision, although not as sharp as a Zombies, he could still make out the general shapes.

As Ling Mo was searching and moving through the mall, a figure silently slipped into the stairwell door.

The door gently closed and then began to sway slightly.

Creak Creak

Ling Mo immediately directed his gaze towards the stairwell.

The sound was faint; if it were a more crowded time, he definitely wouldnt have caught it.

But now, fully focused, Ling Mos senses were much sharper.

He could only vaguely hear some noise, like the sound of furniture expanding and contracting in a large dark s.p.a.ce.

Regardless of the source of the sound, under these circ.u.mstances, it had to be checked out.

Ling Mo quickly picked up his pace and soon reached the stairwell door.

The door was slightly ajar and had stopped moving.

Frowning, Ling Mo stared at the dark gap. Although he didnt detect anything behind the door, a strange feeling of being watched crept over him.

Could I have caught Xu Shuhans paranoia? Ling Mo quickly snapped out of it, mocking himself inwardly.

Just as he was about to grab the doork.n.o.b, his hand suddenly froze.

Blood?

Although the light was dim, with a bit of attention, he could see that there were indeed some bloodstains on the doork.n.o.b

And they were fresh.

Someone had just pa.s.sed through here, and their hand was bleeding

Glancing at the floor, Ling Mo indeed found a few drops of blood.

He quietly pushed open the door and looked at the floor inside.

Sure enough, the blood trail continued down the stairs

Is Mu Chen injured? Or did he hurt someone? Ling Mo wondered, puzzled.

While inside the mall, he had stopped using his tentacles for further probing, focusing mainly on controlling the Zombie Puppet for the lower-level search.

But with Ye Lian and the other two women also in the mall, they should have noticed if anyone was bleeding to some extent

Yet, there was no blood trail along the way until here

The stairwell was located in a corner of the mall, so it was normal that Ye Lian and the others might not have noticed. Even Zombies, with their sharp sense of smell, had their limits; otherwise, there wouldnt be any room left for human survivors

Could there have been some commotion in the stairwell? Did Mu Chen discover something and encounter a Zombie? This was the only plausible explanation Ling Mo could come up with instantly.

After all, the chances of b.u.mping into something by accident were incredibly slim. An ability user wouldnt be so careless

Especially for those with enhanced abilities, regardless of the type, their skins toughness was far superior to that of an ordinary person. And through years of close combat, even if they had no prior fighting experience, their physical reflexes would be quite sharp by now.

The kind of ouch, I b.u.mped my head mishap would probably only happen to those with mental abilities

But without seeing the facts, nothing could be concluded.

Before entering Cuihu, that report had given Ling Mo a preconceived notion Cuihu couldnt possibly have survivors.

Such true human ghost towns were actually not uncommon, especially in small towns. Along the way, it was rare to find survivors.

Ling Mo figured there were likely two reasons for this phenomenon. One was that it was increasingly difficult for lone survivors to make it, and the other was that Survivor Camps like Niepans headquarters were becoming more established, serving as the main gathering places for survivors.

For a moment, an eerie thought popped into Ling Mos mind.

Would there come a day when he walked down the street, and in the vast city, he was the only human left

If that time came, what kind of feeling would it be?

Focus, focus Strange, why am I so distracted today

Ling Mo felt like slapping his forehead. Staring at the bloodstains, his mind wandered to such far-off places.

Moreover, once he started thinking, those imagined scenes kept popping up in his mind, each with an uncanny sense of realism.

When he thought about being the only human left in the entire city, an extremely complex emotion surged within Ling Mo

Maybe the pressure has been too much lately Ling Mo shook his head and focused his gaze back on the bloodstains.

Theres another possibility a human survivor might be here too.

Thats right, this place isnt too far from Niepans headquarters

Ling Mo instantly became alert. He moved to the side of the door, carefully peeking inside, and then extended a few tentacles in before reaching out to the door.

As soon as his fingers touched the cold metal, a tingling sensation suddenly shot up his hand from the back of his wrist.

Ling Mos scalp tingled, and almost reflexively, he wrapped his tentacles around while quickly pulling his hand back.

The tentacles didnt catch anything, and there were no marks left on the back of Ling Mos hand.

However, the sensation he felt was too real, as if someone had lightly grazed his hand with their fingertips.

Ling Mo stood still, taking a moment to steady his breathing.

The tentacles had searched the stairwell thoroughly but found nothing

Yet Ling Mo was certain it wasnt his imagination.

Xu Shuhan might have hallucinations due to fear, but as a mental ability user who survives on willpower, he shouldnt experience this

Somethings wrong

Ling Mo pressed against the wall, his eyes glancing towards the dark gap.

In this situation, he should probably call Ye Lian and the others

However, Xu Shuhans condition was very unstable. Even if she could control herself, the adrenaline rush from fear might make her lose control entirely.

That would be more trouble than its worth

Also, as Xia Na mentioned, splitting them up and leaving only one or two behind made Ling Mo worry about their safety.

Call Yu s.h.i.+ran

After sending the mental command, Ling Mo stood by the door for a few more seconds.

Soon, a glimmer of red appeared in the darkness, swiftly approaching Ling Mo.

When the eerie version of the little zombie approached, Ling Mos main body and the Zombie Puppet exchanged a glance, sending chills down his spine.

That twisted expression

No wonder zombies are driven to evolveall for the sake of escaping that ghastly face

The little Zombie Puppet once again reached for the iron door. After waiting for two seconds without any incident, it slipped inside.

A minute or two later, Ling Mo himself followed suit

Rustle

After a slight rustling sound, a black nose emerged from the dense gra.s.s.

Sniffing the air twice, a pair of blood-red eyes soon appeared through the gra.s.s blades.

The sharp, serrated gra.s.s leaves brushed against the thick white fur but didnt manage to pull out a single hair, let alone cause any harm

Be careful. Dont let those of your kind discover you.

A small hand parted the gra.s.s, revealing Yu s.h.i.+ran sitting atop the Mutation panda, staring intently at the iron door not far away.

This was Ling Mos arrangement. If there was something in the employee pa.s.sage, they could execute a pincer movement.

Additionally, they could search outside to see if Mu Chen had already left.

No fresh blood scent but lots of food smells

Yu s.h.i.+ran took a deep breath, a look of delight crossing her face.

The panda, Xiao Bai, also shook its head, closing its eyes in enjoyment.

Smack!

A quick slap to its head made Xiao Bai behave instantly.

I told you to be careful. Its called stealth, you get it? Stealth

After a brief lecture, Yu s.h.i.+ran glanced at the door and then down at Xiao Bai.

Wait a minute! You cant fit through that door!

Given Xiao Bais size, squeezing through the iron door would require it to slim down by two or three sizes.

Right now it could barely fit its head through

Forcing it was an optionafter all, a mere door would fly off with a single hit.

But Ling Mos instructions were for them to sneak in quietly

Feeling annoyed, Yu s.h.i.+ran jumped down and patted Xiao Bai: You guard here. Ill go in myself.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu s.h.i.+ran rolled her eyes and added in an annoyed tone, I Ill go in with Black Silk Seriously, you pay attention to these details, but go tell that to the Sausage Humans if you dare. Its their fault, not yours

Even after entering the door, Yu s.h.i.+ran continued to mutter under her breath

Upon first glance, she saw no sign of anyone, nor any trace of Ling Mo.

Yu s.h.i.+ran sniffed the air, and a few strands of silver thread appeared around her, flickering in and out of sight.

She glanced around, gently closed the door behind her, and began to walk slowly down the pa.s.sage.

Pa.s.sing by a mirror hanging on the wall, Yu s.h.i.+ran actually stopped to make a face at the dusty mirror.

Bite me, bite me You keep saying my Ban Yue isnt good, and that human is a better master Just because you get better food with him? Hmph, all you think about is eating. Look at what youve become now Me? Im not here just for the food!

Yu s.h.i.+ran shook her fist at the mirror: Stop arguing, or Ill tell the Sausage Humans its all your fault Just a mere pet Hey!

The zombie Loli suddenly pinched her own nose. She was about to use her other hand to grab her wrist, but that hand quickly moved to the side and tugged at her ear.

Stop it, stop it

After playfully slapping her hands together, Yu s.h.i.+ran wrinkled her nose and looked at the mirror again.

Just as she was about to walk away, she stopped suddenly.

Huh?

In the instant she turned around, it seemed like a shadow appeared in the mirror