Chapter 300 - 155: Natural and Artificial

Chapter 300: Chapter 155: Natural and Artificial

’Is this the intelligence advanced zombies develop after a certain point in their evolution?’

’Or is it something else entirely?’

He turned to look at Luo Li.

She stood there, her slight figure bundled tightly in a thick coat. She could control zombies, establish a settlement in a place like Luochuan City, and survive to this day.

Luo Li noticed Xu Mo’s gaze and simply gave a faint smile.

"Are you wondering what the difference is between me and it?"

Xu Mo didn’t answer.

"I’ve wondered about that myself," Luo Li said, a strange calm in her voice. "I’m human. At first, I just awakened a Superpower to control zombies, but it wasn’t very strong. While trying to get by in Luochuan City, I ate the flesh of many mutated creatures to survive. My body started to mutate, and my Superpower skyrocketed. But my body also..." She paused. "...it became what you see now."

She raised her hand, glancing at her fingertips hidden by her sleeve.

"I don’t know if I still count as human," she said. "The broadcasts, the warnings... they’re talking about people like me. People who’ve eaten the flesh of mutated creatures, whose bodies have become deformed, who could lose control at any moment, who might turn into monsters. I fit all the criteria."

Luo Li lowered her hand.

"But I still want to protect these people." She looked toward the distant ruins, where the silhouette of the zombie horde was beginning to form. "Whether I’m considered human or not, they need me. That’s all that matters."

Xu Mo remained silent.

He thought of the warnings from Jiang City, of the documented cases of deformation from eating the flesh of mutated creatures, and of the broadcast’s mention of a "possible loss of humanity."

’But she’s still protecting these people.’

’She’s still wrestling with the question of whether she even counts as human.’

’That in itself proved she hadn’t yet "lost her humanity."’

The commotion in the distance grew clearer.

Xu Mo could see the grayish-white tide slowly drawing near. Thousands of zombies, a moving plague, surged in their direction. He tightened his grip on his Triangular Spike.

"You just said you wanted my help to eliminate that thing," he said, looking at Luo Li. "If I agree, what’s the plan?"

Luo Li didn’t take her eyes off the distant horde.

"First, we hold off this wave," she said. "Then I’ll go with you to find it."

"You’ll go with me?"

"You won’t find it without me," Luo Li said. "It’s in the core district to the east, and the zombie density there is beyond anything you can imagine. With me as your guide, we can avoid most of the trouble."

Xu Mo thought for a moment.

"And after it’s done?"

"After it’s done, you’re free to go wherever you please," Luo Li said. "I’ll provide you with supplies, information, and even some people if you need them. Luochuan City will be open to you. You can come back whenever you want."

Xu Mo was silent for a few seconds.

’The terms are better than I expected. I help them deal with that thing, and they make things easier for me.’

"One last question," Xu Mo said. "Why do you think I can kill it? The Scale Beast I killed was Level 3, but that thing can control a Level 3. Its own level must be even higher."

Luo Li turned to look at Xu Mo. Her eyes were clear, but now they held a strange light.

"Because you killed that Scale Beast, you can kill it."

Xu Mo was taken aback.

"You’re betting on me to win?"

Luo Li nodded.

"I’m betting on you to win."

In the distance, the wave of zombies had closed to less than a kilometer away.

Xu Mo could see the Agile Zombies at the vanguard. They were on all fours, darting through the ruins at astonishing speed. Behind them were the Strength Zombies, massive in size, followed by a dense swarm of common zombies, like a never-ending tide.

’A thousand of them, maybe more.’

Luo Li’s zombie army was already arrayed before them: hundreds of Level 1 and Level 2 Agility and Strength Type zombies, along with other mutated ones whose names he didn’t know. The two Scale Beasts stood at the forefront, their dark green scales gleaming coldly in the morning light.

This was a battle of zombie versus zombie.

Xu Mo tightened his grip on his Triangular Spike and stood beside Luo Li.