Chapter 824: This Is Too Brutal for Me to Watch
“What is this? A tendon?” Mu Chen mumbled.
Old Lan enthusiastically said, “No, no, your understanding of ‘tendon’ is incorrect… The so-called ‘tendon’ includes concepts like muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, etc… But I don’t think this thing looks like a blood vessel, nor could it be a ligament… In my experience, even variation zombies at the Progenitor level couldn’t reach this level of strength… I’ve even dissected a dominant-level zombie corpse, but I’ve never encountered this situation. According to Ling Mo’s classification, that zombie should be called a dominant level zombie…”
“This is fascinating. What could it possibly be?” Old Lan involuntarily took a step forward, murmuring.
“You’re the one pretending to explain it all! Tsk, I thought you’d have the answers, but you don’t know either…” Mu Chen grumbled, casting a dissatisfied glance at Old Lan.
Xu Shuhan, who hadn’t spoken, suddenly shivered. Her expression behind the mask turned somewhat strange. She stared unblinkingly at the “blood vessel,” her lips slightly pursed.
Ling Mo ignored the discussion between Mu Chen and the others. Instead, he frowned and peered into the rubble. Although the toughness of this “blood vessel” surprised him, considering the strange traits of the humanoid Black Widow, he didn’t find it too surprising. This thing was like her spider silk; even after being detached from her main body, it still retained some of her characteristics. However, when he compared it with his memories, he suddenly felt a sense of oddity.
“It seems that this battle also caused her significant harm. So, when I saw her later, could she still have been in a weakened state?” Ling Mo thought as he used the knife to lift it up again. “This Tentacle has been severed for quite a while, yet it’s still so tough. If she were in her full strength, it should be several times stronger than it is now, right? Mu Chen and the others encountered her back then, and given their combat abilities… it’s highly likely she was in a weakened state then!”
Ling Mo’s scalp tingled as this new realization struck him, making him feel uneasy.“No, no… I absolutely can’t let her catch me again. If it happens again, she might really force me and then have a child with me! That would be fatal! On the other hand, Ye Lian’s situation is very complicated… It always feels like she is undergoing some kind of transformation, yet it seems unfinished.” Ling Mo shook his head while anxiously speaking to Ye Lian. “Ye Lian, help me pry this open, and Xia Na, you too.”
The two women responded at once, and with a swift motion, the Rebar and Scythe were inserted into the crevices of the rubble. As a large amount of bricks were lifted away, the deeper situation came into view for everyone.
This time, Ling Mo instinctively covered his nose. Waving away the dust with one hand, he eagerly looked inside. Most of the bricks were soaked in blood, and many dark brown fragments filled the gaps. Once the outer layer was removed, an arm and half a face emerged among the debris. The eyes, filled with debris, looked like two deep, decayed black holes, causing Lan Lan and Wang Lin to simultaneously let out a gasp.
“This corpse…” Ling Mo showed a thoughtful expression, leaning his body forward while his Tactical Knife remained hooked to the “blood vessel,” and his hand slowly moved forward. He had a feeling that if he could investigate this thoroughly, he might uncover the reason why the Black Widow kept growing stronger and also understand what kind of trick she had used on him… That sense of losing control could only be suppressed but not eliminated, which was a significant hidden risk for him.
“When it comes to being abnormal, Ling-Ge really has my utmost admiration…” Old Zheng muttered, somewhat dumbfounded. Just the smell here was enough to drive him crazy, let alone observing the corpse. Yet, Ling Mo not only didn’t show any aversion but instantly entered a state of concentration, without the slightest hesitation in his movements… It’s beyond just admiration-it’s downright worship!
Mu Chen nodded in agreement, “I concede defeat! But this is his hobby…”
“…That makes it even more admirable…”
“Got it!” Ling Mo suddenly exclaimed excitedly, then used the knife to slowly turn the corpse’s face over.
The face of the corpse had turned completely black, with deep hollows in the eye sockets and cheeks, resembling a mummy at first glance. But after staring at it for a while, Ling Mo felt it wasn’t quite like that… Especially considering the Tentacle, which was actually protruding from the corpse’s throat…
“This isn’t just dehydration after death,” Old Lan suddenly said.
He had already crouched beside Ling Mo, holding a thin piece of Rebar in his hand. As he spoke, he inserted it into the corpse’s mouth and then slowly pulled it out again.
“Look, there’s hardly any signs of rot inside. If it weren’t summer, there might not even be this stench…” He said, slowly bringing the Rebar to his face and taking a strong sniff. “Certainly, with the experience of dissecting hundreds, I say…”
“Is that so?” Ling Mo nodded thoughtfully and glanced at the Rebar.
“Ugh…” Old Zheng finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. With a bitter expression, he said, “I can’t take this anymore. It’s bad enough to have one weirdo in the group, but now there are two! Hey, how long are you going to study that corpse? Aren’t we making ourselves a big target standing here?”
“It’ll be quick. Just keep a lookout,” Ling Mo waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t just casually make such demands!” Mu Chen snapped.
Old Zheng was utterly flustered. He was supposed to be the “goodwill ambassador” sent from the Central Region Camp, but not only did the mission go awry, he’s now stuck here with the culprits, watching a corpse… Ṝ
“It’s strange, really. The decomposition isn’t severe, yet the corpse is in this state,” Old Lan muttered, pulling out a pair of disposable gloves from his pocket. He raised his hands, glanced at the corpse, and then reached for the “blood vessel.”
After tugging at it a couple of times, his face turned a bit red. “It’s really… firm. If it weren’t for this thing’s dehydration being completely different from the corpse, I would have thought it was part of his body.”
Ling Mo glanced at Old Lan, surprised. This man clearly had strong observational and judgment skills typical of a researcher. Even without knowing about the Black Widow, he quickly reached such a conclusion.
“No, I can’t just pull it out like this…” Old Lan muttered to himself and suddenly started removing the bricks covering the corpse. Once it was fully exposed, he called out without turning his head, “Hand me the knife.”
Lan Lan promptly passed a scalpel to him, and Old Lan flashed a crazed smile as he swiftly chose where to cut.
“This is too brutal for me to watch…” Mu Chen turned his head away and sighed, “I’ll keep watch…”
As the sound of slicing filled the air, Ye Lian and the three girls curiously leaned in.
“What is this?”
“This looks really odd…”
Xu Shuhan also seemed to give it an extra look, her expression growing more peculiar…
“Whoa…” Ling Mo took a sharp breath and said with a complex expression, “This thing…”
The abdominal cavity of the corpse was completely empty, but at the end of that “blood vessel,” there was some blood. The deep red Liquid inside hadn’t dried, and through the semi-transparent outer membrane, you could even see a ring of tiny sharp teeth on the edge of the “blood vessel”…
“This is the Black Widow’s blood… and it seems to be no ordinary blood. Considering her ‘infectiousness,’ this stuff must be highly toxic,” Ling Mo thought. He suddenly connected this to the abnormalities occurring within his own body. Could she have somehow implanted something similar in him?
“I knew I was right! This thing drained the corpse dry… But why did it leave this inside? If only I could study it…” Old Lan was about to reach for it when a hand swiftly stretched out from the side.
Xu Shuhan lowered her head and said, “This thing… there should be more around here. Let me find some for you. I’ll take this one…”
“Uh… if you like it, take it,” Ling Mo replied. After their conversation the other day, he understood Xu Shuhan’s ambitions and figured she might look for a way to leave after this. But everyone has their own path, and such things can’t be forced. Xu Shuhan couldn’t be controlled, and whether her evolution would pose any risks was still unknown…
With that in mind, Ling Mo turned to look at Ye Lian and the others. However, the three female Zombies showed no interest in the Black Widow’s stuff. Ye Lian had the same contemplative expression, and whenever she met Ling Mo’s gaze, she quickly lowered her head, covering her pocket with her hand once more.
“Tonight… you’ll join me in action…” Ling Mo suddenly smiled and said.