Tang Hao’s heart skipped a beat, and his body instinctively shifted back in a flash.
But just as he moved to evade, a sinking realization struck him-this was bad.
Although Ling Mo had shouted “Watch my punch!” and indeed made the motion of throwing a punch, his feet hadn’t moved an inch. He was still standing on the same spot! The twenty-meter gap between them made it impossible for that punch to actually land, didn’t it?
However, by the time Tang Hao realized this, it was already too late. His body had reacted on its own, and there was no turning back…
“Whoosh!” An invisible force suddenly surged toward him. With no way to dodge, Tang Hao let out a roar as his head and chest transformed. Bulging blood vessels quickly spread across his skin, and his muscles swelled grotesquely. In the blink of an eye, his head had completely morphed, resembling a nightmarish vision: crisscrossed with purplish-red veins like writhing earthworms, leaving only slits for his eyes and gaping nostrils.
A similar transformation overtook his chest. The thin trench coat he wore stretched taut, on the verge of bursting apart. In this state, Tang Hao was unrecognizable from his former cold and stern image. Now, he was pure, unfiltered terror.
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
As Tang Hao’s transformation completed, a stabbing pain, as though struck by nails, erupted on the left side of his face. The bulging blood vessels that had just formed were instantly ruptured, sending blood splattering everywhere. But that wasn’t all. In the brief moment he reeled back, his face endured at least dozens of strikes. By the time he steadied himself and raised an arm to shield his head, his transformed visage was already drenched in blood.
“What kind of attack is this?!”
Tang Hao squinted through the pain, his face throbbing as dread coursed through him. If he had reacted even a fraction slower, his head might’ve been blown clean off!
Ling Mo, on the other hand, was frowning as well. Lowering his fist, he murmured, “Quick reflexes… I really thought the shockwave would work miracles…” As he spoke, he flexed his fingers, a look of mild regret settling on his face.
Within the semi-enclosed space of the restaurant, Tang Hao caught every word of Ling Mo’s muttering. He had initially assumed that the “shockwave” referred to the barrage of invisible attacks he’d just suffered. Instantly, his nerves tightened. Yet, when he noticed Ling Mo’s actions, all his composure unraveled. Wait… was he talking about that punch?!
“Damn it…” Tang Hao gritted his teeth, glaring at Ling Mo through the slits of his bloodied eyes. His facial muscles twitched violently.
First, a sneak attack. Next, some kind of shockwave… This kid was clearly toying with him! No wonder even his pets were craftier than the average mutation beast-it was obvious they’d taken after their master! Tang Hao’s wrist began to rotate slowly as his chest heaved with fury.
“He’s about to strike, huh…” A flicker of intrigue flashed in Ling Mo’s eyes.
In his mind, sneak attacks were indeed a viable attack method-particularly when dealing with someone like Tang Hao. As soon as Ling Mo had caught sight of Tang Hao through Xiao Bai’s perspective, he had already identified the man’s strengths.
Compared to other survivors, Tang Hao had a much more refined understanding of how to fight zombies or mutation beasts. His calm demeanor, combined with his sharp and efficient attacks and evasions, made him stand out. But what was most impressive was his complete lack of fear when facing Xiao Bai. Even the way he used his superhuman abilities was calculated and reserved, saving them for only the most critical moment.
Before that, all his actions were purely observational-and even experimental. Dodging repeatedly to measure Xiao Bai’s reaction speed, identifying its attack blind spots, and then using raw strength to create opportunities… Although he wasn’t leading the fight, the fact that he could progress step by step from a reactive stance spoke volumes about his skill.
But this strength also revealed his glaring weakness: his lack of experience fighting human survivors, especially superhumans. Even after deducing that Ling Mo’s abilities fell under the mental ability category, Tang Hao failed to devise a proper counterstrategy. Had he abandoned his observations earlier and attacked Ling Mo head-on right from the start, the tides of the battle might have turned against Ling Mo instead.
“Too bad. Realizing it now is too late…”
Ling Mo glanced at Xiao Bai from the corner of his eye, then shifted his gaze back to Tang Hao, a faint sneer curling his lips.
Close call…
The reason he hadn’t bothered paying attention to Tang Hao’s self-introduction was simple-he already knew exactly who Tang Hao was before arriving here. ɽАՕβΕŜ
Just a few minutes prior, back at the small two-story building, his main body had been briefing Ye Kai and the others on the situation when he suddenly received a mental communication from Black Silk.
And ringing clearly in his mind was the voice of none other than Yu Shiran.
The zombie Loli had barely waited for Ling Mo to respond with a simple “Hello” before launching into a frantic tirade:
“That… Xiao Bai! We intercepted two humans on the road, and Xiao Bai baited the one called ‘Boss’ away…”
“Ling-Ge, where are you going?”
As a startled cry sounded behind him, Ling Mo’s figure disappeared swiftly through the back window. The moment he heard the words “Xiao Bai,” his face darkened, and he charged out without hesitation.
“So it’s actually their Boss…”
The reason this particular survivor team made Ling Mo uneasy was their extensive expertise in dealing with zombies. If it had been any other member, Yu Shiran and the others could at least have retreated safely. But the team’s Boss? He was guaranteed to be the toughest one to deal with.
“Where are you?” Ling Mo asked Yu Shiran as he sprinted, shifting his perspective between his various connections.
“I’m fine. I’m on my way over there… I just want to know about Xiao Bai’s current condition,” Yu Shiran replied, her tone laced with concern.
“I’m already on my way… This time, it was my miscalculation,” Ling Mo said abruptly. Although keeping Xiao Bai and the others outside had helped foster Black Silk’s growth, the truth was that they were still in the middle of their evolution. This process naturally exposed them to all sorts of dangers.
For wild zombies and mutation beasts, such perils were simply part of life. Survive, and you grow. Die, and you become someone else’s stepping stone. Even survivors made progress through these kinds of brutal trials.
But for Ling Mo…
Yu Shiran paused briefly, taken aback by his words. However, the little Loli quickly broke into a giggle. “I was just worried about Xiao Bai getting bullied… But honestly, its biggest strength isn’t attacking-it’s, uh… being ridiculously thick-skinned! So, yeah…”
“Why didn’t you say that earlier…”
“Well, you didn’t ask!”
…
“MeGu!”
Xiao Bai, who had already retreated to Ling Mo’s side, suddenly straightened its body. Its fur seemed to fluff up all at once, and its front paws waved back and forth in an odd display…
Meanwhile, Ling Mo’s gaze bore into Tang Hao, his expression sharpening with intense focus.
“Even if it’s just taking a beating, that’s still unacceptable!”