Chapter 798: Where is the Dignity of Being a National Treasure?
Old Zheng let out a sigh, looking at Ling Mo with a somewhat complicated expression. “Because we went to find Yuwen Xuan, he said he couldn’t make the decision alone and needed to seek your opinion. That’s why we’re here to talk to you about this matter.”
After a pause, he braced his knees and stood up, speaking very solemnly. “I hope you can agree to this. Once we establish cooperation, it will be a great benefit for both us and Falcon Second Camp. You don’t want to see yourself or your kind continue to struggle under the threat of Zombies, do you? Although, from the current situation, humans can still manage to hold out, how much more time will the rapidly evolving Zombies actually leave us?”
His expression grew heavier as well. “If this continues, humans will one day be completely eliminated and vanish from this world… Before that happens, we must do something. Compared to Zombies, our greatest advantage is our intelligence and the vast resources left by our civilized society. But it’s difficult to clap with one hand. Common people can’t even find the Granary, and can only look longingly at most weapons… We need to unite. Only by gathering everyone’s strength together do we have a chance to continue surviving!”
After finishing, he stared fixedly at Ling Mo, silently waiting for an answer.
After a brief silence, the first to speak was Xu Shuhan, who was hiding behind Ling Mo with her head down.
“Can’t… can’t Zombies coexist with humans?” Xu Shuhan asked weakly, her voice trembling, and her head hung even lower. Especially when both Old Zheng and Wang Lin looked at her, she couldn’t stop herself from shaking slightly.
“Coexist?” Old Zheng frowned slightly. “How is that possible? Zombies attack humans; it’s their nature. And we cannot accept the existence of such anti-human Creatures. Since the moment Zombies appeared, they have existed as the natural enemy of humans. Thinking about peaceful coexistence now, this…”
He glanced at Ling Mo, somewhat speechless, and barely restrained the urge to continue speaking.
Continuing from his previous statements, the words that might come from Old Zheng’s mouth next wouldn’t be so pleasant…
Even so, Ling Mo could guess what he wanted to say…Stupid! Naive!
Perhaps there was even a subtle hint of anger in his heart…
Every Survivor had more or less witnessed the process of loved ones being torn apart by Zombies. Many had even escaped from attacks by friends and family themselves… Zombies naturally liked to attack humans, and how could humans not be filled with hatred towards Zombies for that?
The idea of coexistence not only seemed unfeasible to many Survivors but also agitated their sensitive nerves.
“Sigh…” Ling Mo sighed deeply.
Ye Lian and the others no longer attacked humans easily, but even with that, revealing their identities would still bring disaster.
Survivors might deliberately avoid wild Senior Zombies, but Zombies like Ye Lian who could blend in seamlessly with the crowd would be seen as ticking time bombs. In their fear and hatred, what they might do was easy to imagine…
Wang Lin, on the other hand, averted her gaze, appearing somewhat uneasy.
She occasionally stole glances at Ling Mo, but the result surprised her.
Ling Mo didn’t seem angry. Nor did he show any unusual expressions…
“Since the day I found Ye Lian, I was mentally prepared for this kind of thing. No matter how others see Zombies, to me, they are not just Zombies… Even if everyone else rejects them, I will carve out a place for them. This is non-negotiable!”
Ling Mo let out a gentle breath and said, “About this matter… I’m sorry, but I can’t just agree to it right now. Everything will have to wait until we return to the Second Camp.”
Old Zheng’s expression showed a hint of disappointment, but upon hearing that Ling Mo planned to return to Falcon Second Camp and was giving them another chance to discuss, he smiled a bit. “That works too!” He stepped forward and extended his hand to Ling Mo. “I’m the representative for these negotiations. I hope what I bring back will be good news… In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Ling Mo released his hand and asked immediately, “So, you came to Niepan for the purpose of discussing cooperation too?”
Wang Lin nodded and said, “Yes! While tracking you, I noticed your route was basically heading towards Niepan, so I thought we could handle both matters at once… As soon as we arrived, we encountered people from Niepan headquarters and had to deal with Niepan matters first.”
“Yes, but these two members had tasks to complete, so we delayed here for a day and helped them solve some issues. Speaking of which, Niepan’s methods really opened our eyes. This place turns out to be where they keep Senior Zombies. They capture many Zombies and let them fight each other, and even lock up some of the stronger ones to become forced food… When the time comes, they extract blood and virus progenitor from them…”
Old Zheng sighed as he spoke.
“Virus progenitor?” Ling Mo keenly picked up on this unfamiliar term and asked, “What is that?”
“Oh… it’s that thing that grows in the Hindbrain of Zombies…” Wang Lin explained.
So, it’s just another name for virus gel. Different people have different terms for it; that’s nothing surprising.
Ling Mo glanced at Xu Shuhan and suddenly asked with interest, “Are there many of these virus progenitors?”
Old Zheng, not understanding the context, nodded, “Yes, there are quite a lot. There are two such breeding grounds here.”
“I see… And where are they now?” Ling Mo asked again.
“On that woman,” Wang Lin answered with a sullen tone. Her expression showed an apparent disinterest in that woman…
The corner of Ling Mo’s mouth curved slightly, revealing a meaningful smile…
“Hey, they entered the hospital!” Black Silk suddenly called out.
“I sensed it,” Ling Mo responded in his mind.
“Then why aren’t you moving?” Black Silk asked.
“No rush, just stay put and enjoy the show.” Ling Mo said.
Black Silk was momentarily stunned but soon understood.
Ling Mo changed his mind! This means there’s going to be some excitement!
“Hehe, I’ll go fetch Yu Shiran…” Black Silk said naturally.
Ling Mo raised an eyebrow, “Why are you two so gossipy…”
“It’s not just the two of us! Xiao Bai also listens in on our broadcasts,” Black Silk revealed.
“…Has even the Panda fallen? Where is its dignity as a National Treasure?” Ling Mo said, feeling dejected.
Black Silk retorted bluntly, “Even before mutation, it was just a tree-climbing, Bamboo-eating creature. When did it ever have any dignity?”
“Hey, don’t sully the reputation of our National Treasure!”
…
“Are you sure it’s a diversion tactic?” Two figures were sprinting up the stairs, and the man among them asked.
The woman replied in a hostile tone, “No matter who that shady person is, the goal is just to lure us away. When I intentionally showed a flaw, that person still didn’t show up, isn’t that clear enough?”
“I was just asking…” The man sighed and said.
“That person is probably the one who got injured and escaped. As for why they want to divert us, it’s not hard to guess. In my opinion, those two simply can’t handle that infiltrator. The other side is definitely trying to escape! This place took us so much effort to set up, if it gets exposed, our future actions will be troublesome!” The woman analyzed methodically.
Listening to her, the man felt a sense of vague admiration for her reasoning, nodding in agreement without objection.
“Hmph! They don’t care if this place gets exposed, just look at their casual attitude… and they won’t even let us intervene! But now that things have changed, let’s see how they stop me!” the woman said angrily.
The two quickly reached the fourth floor, and the scene before them left them momentarily stunned.
“Where’s the illusion?” the man asked in surprise, looking at the staircase.
The woman quickly regained her senses and gritted her teeth, “Something definitely went wrong! Let’s go!”
Thump, thump, thump…
Hearing the footsteps approaching from upstairs, Wang Lin frowned, showing a touch of annoyance. Ling Mo, with his hands in his pockets, looked calmly towards the stairway with an indifferent expression.
Old Zheng glanced awkwardly at Ling Mo and cautiously said, “Um… the people coming up are the two Niepan Members. If they see you…”
Strictly speaking, Ling Mo and Xu Shuhan were intruders!
But given Old Zheng’s position, voicing this explicitly was quite difficult…
So, he could only look at Ling Mo with a “I hope you understand” expression, hoping to get a response…
“The best solution is for you two to hide first. I’ll handle a few words and then find a way to get you out. We could pretend to run into each other on the way later, or you could wait for us somewhere. That would be a win-win for everyone…” Old Zheng thought to himself.
“Oh…” Ling Mo finally reacted, thinking for a moment before saying, “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
“Oh, come on!”
Old Zheng felt a lump in his throat, almost stumbling in frustration.
Whether you mind or not isn’t the issue here at all!
And how did you even come to that conclusion? Why would you misunderstand the situation like this?
“Um… Ling Mo…” Old Zheng tried to say something else, but the footsteps grew closer, and the two people were already entering the Fifth Floor.
While Old Zheng still had his mouth open, the two figures emerged from the stairway, standing dumbfounded in the Corridor, staring in shock at the four people on this end…