Chapter 628: The Importance of Taking Sides

“Really?” The youth feigned surprise, his mouth agape, then chuckled, “Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”

Trouble was brewing.

Though the conversation between the two was cryptic, the hint of gunpowder in the air was unmistakable to all.

Even Li Ya Lin turned her head to whisper to Ye Lian, “Should we make a move on this human?” She wiggled her fingers as she spoke, adding, “Even if we can’t eat the flesh, a little tear wouldn’t hurt… There’s a human saying about ‘drawing cakes to fill the belly.’ I think it’s quite fitting for us…”

Ye Lian glanced at the Senior Sister, then silently shook her head.

“Can’t act now? Or we can act once Ling Mo does?” pondered Li Ya Lin, curious.

“Mmm… Mmm…” Ye Lian nodded twice, seriously, then looked at the youth, “There’s… a problem…”

Ye Lian wasn’t the only one sensing something off about the youth; Xu Shuhan didn’t shoot rashly either.

In fact, her reaction was much stronger than Ye Lian’s; her finger rested on the trigger, her forehead breaking out in a light sweat, yet she couldn’t bring herself to pull it.

Though the youth merely stood there, he exerted immense pressure on her, as if the slightest move would trigger a terrifying event the next second.

It felt like facing a predator poised to pounce, quietly waiting for its prey to reveal a vulnerability. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝘯𝘰𝓿𝑒𝓁.𝒸ℴ𝑚

While the two female zombies murmured to each other, Mu Chen and Xu Shuhan exchanged glances, both looking rather pale.

As the site of the Niepan Branch and an experimental ground, Dongming City was not a place where survivors outside of Niepan were expected. Even if there were any, they’d unlikely appear here at this time.

So, although the youth had an unfamiliar face, they all realized he must be from Niepan.

At that moment, the youth also took an interest in them, his gaze sweeping over each face in the group before locking onto Mu Chen.

“From the look on your face, you know me?” the youth asked.

As Mu Chen was about to speak, the youth clapped his hands together, “Got it, got it. You don’t know me, but you know what I represent, right? Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Shen Le. So that means…” He scanned the group again, “which one of you is Mu Chen?”

Mu Chen glanced at Ling Mo, saw no objection from him, and nodded, “I am Mu Chen,” then pointed at Xu Shuhan, “and this is my team member.”

Seeing the youth’s gaze turn to her, Xu Shuhan bit her lip and slowly lowered her gun.

“Is that so? Then, is this the person you were out here looking for?” The youth shifted his attention back to Ling Mo. His mind was quick; since Mu Chen didn’t continue with introductions, it was clear the rest were not Niepan members. And if they weren’t from Niepan, then the most likely scenario was that Ling Mo was the target of Mu Chen’s mission.

Mu Chen looked at Ling Mo again, then confirmed, “Yes, this is Ling Mo. We have already reached a cooperation agreement…”

He spoke rapidly, even with a hint of nervousness. Despite being set up by Xia Zhi, meeting a Niepan comrade ahead of time might not be a bad thing. This was an opportunity to turn things around before Xia Zhi could act.

If Shen Le had found them already injured or in a bad state, there wouldn’t be much to discuss. But as things stood, it looked like Ling Mo had the upper hand. According to Niepan’s way of doing things, they would likely consider continuing negotiations with Ling Mo…

Xia Zhi’s meticulous plans had stumbled from the start. Xu Shuhan didn’t act, Ling Mo was prepared, so now they were all unharmed.

“Heh heh,” Shen Le chuckled just as Mu Chen was getting into his explanation, suddenly breaking into laughter.

Mu Chen looked at him in astonishment, while Shen Le had already adopted an indifferent expression, even shifting his weight from one foot to the other, casually rocking on the spot, “Hmm… I’m not interested in what you’re saying. When I set out, I only received one order.”

Hearing this, Mu Chen’s heart leapt into his throat.

“So, you have a multiple-choice question here. Option A, you listen to me, go back, and you might get a promotion. Option B, you listen to him, and then…” He spread his arms with a smile and said, “I’ll kill all of you.”

“Bang!”

The moment his words ended, Ye Lian pulled the trigger like lightning. The Thor gun flashed at the muzzle, and the streetlight flickered simultaneously with a crisp sound.

“Don’t be so hasty, I haven’t even made a move yet.” Shen Le had already appeared somewhere else, but as soon as he began speaking, Ye Lian’s gun was already pointed in his direction.

She missed again, but this time Ling Mo saw it clearly.

“It’s a phantom, not his real body,” Ling Mo said, stopping Ye Lian.

This Psychic ability was very similar to one Ling Mo had encountered before, but the level was worlds apart.

Ling Mo could detect the previous phantoms with mental detection, but this time he had no awareness at all. This could only mean that these weren’t simple phantoms, and this young man was far from ordinary.

Sure enough, another figure flashed into a different position, looking exactly like the previous one, and through mental detection, one could indeed see his Mental Sphere…

Ling Mo observed for a while but couldn’t find any issues.

This young man dared to speak so boldly, and indeed, he had some tricks up his sleeve.

“Brothers and sisters, don’t be so fierce,” Shen Le said with a smile on his face, “But why stop shooting? Maybe this time it’s the real body.”

“Bang!”

The figure disappeared in an instant again, but this time it wasn’t Ye Lian who fired. On the ground, however, there was a small hole.

This time, it was Ling Mo who made the move, materializing his mental Tentacles and choosing to attack the body part of Shen Le.

What puzzled him, though, was that he neither touched a solid form nor encountered any mental energy.

“Brother Ling Mo is quite ruthless…” Shen Le, who appeared again, shook his head regrettably, and once more addressed Xu Shuhan and Mu Chen, “Are you just going to stand there and watch me get shot?”

Hearing this, Ling Mo also looked at them but said nothing.

Neither Xu Shuhan nor Mu Chen spoke up. Clearly, they were also conflicted.

“Or is it that you both want to play the role of the opportunist?” Shen Le said with a chuckle, but his words sent a chill down Xu Shuhan and Mu Chen’s spines.

Playing the opportunist? Not only did Shen Le not seem the type to wait for the fisherman’s benefit from the quarrel of the snipe and the clam, but given Ling Mo’s nature, it was absolutely impossible as well.

As for taking action… Ling Mo’s strength had already completely subdued them, but Shen Le didn’t seem like an easy opponent either, and this was, after all, Niepan’s territory…

Choosing to oppose either side meant there was no turning back once the decision was made.

Which side should they take?

“I…” Xu Shuhan suddenly stepped back.

“What are you doing?” Mu Chen asked, utterly shocked.

She glanced at Mu Chen, then looked deeply at Ling Mo and said, “I choose… to leave.”

In that instant, her gaze seemed meaningful to Ling Mo, yet he didn’t know how to respond.

She looked very tired at this moment, perhaps never wanting to remember the events of the night.

“What is this…” Mu Chen was also somewhat speechless.

Xu Shuhan’s words meant not only that she was leaving Niepan but also that she was choosing to seek survival on her own.

And the difficulty of this decision was something he didn’t even dare to contemplate.

The choice surprised Ling Mo. Was this the same girl who trembled with fear in the mall?

Considering what she had at Niepan today, whether it was a temporary safe haven, clean food, or good living conditions, all these were things other survivors could only dream of. And she had earned these through risky missions.

To give them up so easily?

“You…” Mu Chen’s brows furrowed deeply, how was he supposed to choose now?

In Mu Chen’s view, there was only one reason for Xu Shuhan’s action: she didn’t want to confront Ling Mo.

“But I don’t even like Ling Mo!” Mu Chen thought in exasperation. He didn’t want to give up his place to Xia Zhi, nor did he want to start living an unlucky life, but he also didn’t want to get taken out today…

However, upon further thought, Xu Shuhan’s words were actually quite perfect.

She chose to leave, but she didn’t choose to help Ling Mo. This way, she wasn’t forcing Mu Chen to make a decision.

Even if he chose to stay in Niepan, he wouldn’t have to face the situation of fighting against his companion…

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