Chapter 1009: The Progenitors Plan
Chapter 1009: The Progenitors Plan
“Don’t bother looking… you’re already surrounded with me…” Tang Hao suddenly started laughing maniacally, his voice low and unsettling.
“I know that…” Ling Mo’s expression turned grim as he stared ahead. From the moment he realized Tang Hao was a decoy, he had anticipated this outcome. But the more dire the situation, the less they could afford to panic. Perhaps the little girl wanted to see how they would flee in terror. If they did run, they would only plunge themselves into greater danger.
“Heh heh… well, at least I can watch you die right in front of me… or maybe you’ll become just like me. Yes… that’s it… Ling Mo, you might become my companion… and some of your companions might end up like this too…”
Tang Hao was speaking intermittently when Ling Mo suddenly asked, “Where’s the exit?”
“What? Hahaha… you can’t seriously think… don’t be foolish, you ruined our plan and turned me into this…” Tang Hao said, as if he’d heard a joke.
But before he could finish, a force suddenly struck his chest, sending him flying backward.
“Thud!”
As soon as he hit the ground, a foot stomped down on his chest, splattering blood and flesh into his eyes…
“Hoh…”
“I asked you! Where’s the exit? You can choose not to tell me, unless you want to stay like this forever. I imagine, in your current state, you can’t even manage to end your own life, can you?” Ling Mo said coldly. “Besides, whether I disrupted your plan, you know the truth. Even if you succeeded today, you’d end up like this eventually. Isn’t that right? The little girl’s existence already proves it. All your actions are under someone else’s control, and you still dare to talk about plans?”
“Hoh…” Tang Hao’s eyes dimmed. He understood even more than Ling Mo did. But this outcome was something he couldn’t accept… First, Ling Mo’s mission failed, and then, when he clung to a shred of hope, he realized this so-called plan was just a joke…
“I’m asking you one last time, where’s the exit?” Ling Mo asked again.
“The exit…” Tang Hao stared blankly at Ling Mo for a moment, then suddenly said, “Let me go. Although I can’t control this body, during the transformation, it won’t act rashly.”
Ling Mo held his gaze for a moment, then lifted his foot.
“Ling Mo!” Xu Shuhan called out nervously.
“It’s fine.” Ling Mo replied without turning his head, then addressed Tang Hao, “You can speak now. Don’t try to lie, you know better.”
Tang Hao struggled to stand up, his gaze complex as he fixed it on Ling Mo. “The exit is… further down this passage… then turn left. After that…”
The other three immediately committed his words to memory. Clearly, this exit was not the same one Yu Shiran had used, and it was obviously farther away. But given the thought of that little girl, none of them wanted to use the nearer exit. Who knew what might be waiting for them over there…
“Got it,” Yuwen Xuan murmured to himself, confirming the directions.
Yet Tang Hao continued to stare at Ling Mo, the last bits of flesh falling from his face as his limbs began to twitch uncontrollably. “Ling Mo… honestly, part of me wants you all to die here… but…” he said painfully, “you’re right, I don’t want to live like this…” 𝔯ΆＮộΒЕṡ
“One last question, who exactly is that little girl?” Ling Mo asked once more.
“Her? Didn’t I tell you, I really don’t know. But I can tell you this, she’s one of our team… but who exactly, I really… Ling Mo! Do it now!” he suddenly shouted.
At that moment, his body lunged forward, all the newly grown flesh bulging, his mouth opening wide. “I hope you all die here! Die! Die! I’ll be waiting for you below!”
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
Before his roar could fade, Tang Hao’s expression froze. His claw-like hand stopped less than ten centimeters from Ling Mo, the grotesque pink flesh on his body still writhing… A second later, blood gushed from his not-yet-healed face, and he fell forward.
Ling Mo sidestepped, watching as Tang Hao collapsed, finally landing with a “splash” into the silt.
He was dead.
Yet his words “die here” still echoed in the air.
In a bid for death, he had no choice but to guide his enemies to safety… Tang Hao must have felt a deep sense of frustration in his final moments. But only Ling Mo knew that as Tang Hao lunged at him, his eyes were filled with a longing for release, mixed with a burning hatred… Though perhaps even Tang Hao himself didn’t know whether he hated Ling Mo or the little girl whose identity remained a mystery…
Ling Mo, of course, wouldn’t force himself to see things from the enemy’s perspective. He quickly snapped out of his thoughts, turning to say, “Let’s go!”
There was no need to turn off the flashlight; with Tang Hao there, all the monsters would be drawn to him…
“Do you think that little girl anticipated this?” Xu Shuhan asked.
She was now truly frightened… From the conversation between Tang Hao and Ling Mo, it was clear that the actions of Tang Hao and his group, as well as Ling Mo’s entry, were all orchestrated by that little girl… If we trace it back further, perhaps even the abilities these people gained were intentionally given by this little girl.
Such a Monster… It’s truly terrifying…
“I’m not sure… but it’s definitely safer than taking the other route,” Ling Mo said as he led them forward, “However… did you catch anything from what Tang Hao said? I have a theory, but I can’t be certain…”
“Just tell us. You know more than we do, so share it and we can all judge if it’s right,” Yuwen Xuan suggested.
“Alright… Tang Hao asked me a few questions. The first was, ‘Where is this place?’ At first, I thought the answer was obvious, but on second thought, since Tang Hao asked, the answer must not be that simple. A sewer? A Monster’s lair? I don’t think so, but I can’t figure out what it is yet… However, I have a feeling that the answer is closely related to their plan.”
“The second question was, ‘Why have they been able to survive here for so long?’ I think you all know the answer to that, right?” Ling Mo asked.
Xu Shuhan nodded, “It’s because of that little girl. She was among them but didn’t attack. Since she didn’t want them dead, they could survive.”
“Yes, but within that answer lies another one, which is why he wanted me to think carefully. The little girl let them live, so they lived… It sounds simple enough, but think about it, most of the Monsters here don’t distinguish between friend and foe, but there’s one that none of the Monsters would dare provoke… even the Zombies are no match for it…” Ling Mo’s tone suddenly became serious.
Yu Shiran’s eyes widened in shock, “Ah! It’s the Progenitor!”
“The Progenitor?!” The other two were equally stunned.
“Exactly, it’s the Progenitor!” Ling Mo continued, “A Progenitor hiding among humans, now personally taking action… What is it trying to do? I think it’s trying to learn our human behavior patterns, right? Meanwhile, using those Survivors as Experimental Subjects, gradually turning them into its puppets. This experiment is actually being conducted simultaneously among humans and Monsters. It seems that the results from the human experiments are more satisfactory to it.”
“The last question he asked me was whether I knew what today’s events were all about… Initially, I couldn’t figure it out, but after hearing what Tang Hao said just now, I understood. From her ruthless abandonment of Tang Hao, it’s clear she’s selecting new Experimental Subjects. She might even be conducting the experiment simultaneously… As for her goal… perhaps she truly wants to blend into the crowd. Moreover, she doesn’t just want to infiltrate alone; she aims to lead an army of Monsters entirely under her control, yet indistinguishable from ordinary people.”
As Ling Mo uttered the last sentence, everyone except Yu Shiran couldn’t help but gasp.
“But didn’t she say Tang Hao was a finished product…” Xu Shuhan pointed out a flaw amidst her panic.
“Perhaps… but don’t forget, Tang Hao was severely injured before. Maybe that was a fatal flaw for him. It’s also possible that Tang Hao’s transformation helped her finally find the correct method of change…” Ling Mo replied.
After these words, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. Other Progenitors merely transformed Zombies. But this Progenitor targeted humans… The most terrifying part is that she managed to hide among humans for so long without being discovered… If such a Creature were to infiltrate human society, it would be a disaster. Fortunately, she hasn’t done so before obtaining experimental results, but now…
“By the way, you mentioned Mu Chen and the others…” Yuwen Xuan suddenly thought of an important situation, “Could they… and the missing Black Silk…”
“Speaking of which…” Ling Mo glanced at Yu Shiran, wondering why the little girl targeted her specifically, while leaving others untouched. Why did she lead Yu Shiran down here? Come to think of it, the only Female Zombie still on the surface is Ye Lian…
“Is she trying to separate those with issues… from pure humans?” Ling Mo suddenly considered a possibility.
Then…
“Ye Lian!”
Ling Mo’s heart tightened, urging, “Hurry!”
“But behind us…”