Two Worlds in the Apocalypse: Each journey through the modern world lasts 60 seconds.

Chapter 158 Bloody Road

The moment Luo Li uttered the word "okay," Xu Mo had already moved.

Without hesitation, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed Luo Li's arm, while his right hand pointed the three-edged dagger diagonally to the outside, and his figure shot off to the side and back like an arrow.

This is not a rout, but a tactical retreat.

After being grabbed by Xu Mo, Luo Li stumbled, but instinctively grabbed Tian Tian as well. Despite her short stature and somewhat dim-witted appearance, the little one followed Luo Li effortlessly.

Xu Mo's mind was racing. Luo Li's condition couldn't hold up for much longer; her face was frighteningly pale. Tian Tian stayed close to her side, her little face also unable to hide her exhaustion.

They need to catch their breath.

On the main battlefield, Luo Li's zombie army is being worn down bit by bit. Although the zombies that are carefully controlled have a better exchange ratio, their numerical disadvantage is too obvious.

The tide of war must be turned; the enemy behind the scenes must be found. But before finding it, survival is paramount.

Xu Mo led Luo Li and Tian Tian to retreat to the side and rear, constantly using the ruins and rubble as cover. Behind them, the zombies controlled by Luo Li were fighting and retreating, using their bodies to buy them time.

Every few steps back, a zombie would fall down.

Some were controlled by Luo Li and were killed by the enemy. Others were from the enemy and were dragged into hell by Luo Li's zombies in their dying counterattack.

Black blood flowed in streams, meandering through the mud, and severed limbs and pieces of flesh littered the retreat route.

Xu Mo did not turn around.

But he could hear the muffled sounds of claws tearing through rotting flesh, the cracking of bones breaking, and the thud of zombies falling.

"Bang!"

Xu Mo released Luo Li's arm, drew his Barrett rifle with a backhand, and fired a shot.

Two hundred meters away, the head of a level two strength-type zombie exploded. Its body lurched forward two steps before crashing to the ground, tripping over several ordinary zombies behind it.

"Bang!"

Another shot, and another level-two venom-type zombie mixed in with the horde of corpses was blown off in the head. Its hunched body slumped down, the venom still in its mouth.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two level-two agility zombies fell.

Xu Mo's shooting was incredibly fast; the roar of the Barrett echoed through the ruins, each shot taking the life of a level-two mutant. Those threats rampaging through the horde of zombies were being eliminated one by one.

But Xu Mo also knew that this couldn't go on forever.

After breaking out on foot, Barrett had limited ammunition, only about two hundred rounds in total, and every remaining bullet had to be used wisely.

Moreover, he has an even more important goal.

"Luo Li," Xu Mo shouted as he fired his gun, "Sensitize, is that thing nearby?"

Luo Li did not answer.

Xu Mo glanced back. Luo Li's eyes remained closed, her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. She was focused entirely on maintaining control over the remaining zombies, unable to concentrate on sensing anything else.

Or perhaps she sensed it but found nothing.

Xu Mo gritted his teeth and continued to retreat.

After retreating about 500 meters, Xu Mo glanced at the battlefield.

The number of zombies controlled by Luo Li has been reduced to a little over a hundred. Only one of the two scaled beasts remains, rampaging through the horde of zombies, its dark green scales smeared with black blood.

The other one————

Xu Mo's self-illuminating light swept across the battlefield but found nothing.

The scaled beast had died sometime during its existence, and no one knew who had killed it. Its massive body was probably lying somewhere in a pile of corpses, trampled into the mud by later zombies.

Xu Mo's heart sank slightly.

That was a level three combatant, albeit one artificially enhanced by Luo Li, it was still level three. Its death meant that Luo Li's side had lost another top-tier combatant.

And on the other side—

Xu Mo roughly estimated that there were at least three hundred zombies still on the other side. Although he had killed quite a few of the level two mutants with his Barrett special attack, they still outnumbered him. Moreover, the level one agile zombies and strength zombies continued to surge in like a tide.

This can't go on any longer.

"You take Tian Tian and go forward," Xu Mo said. "I'll hold them off for a while."

Luo Li opened her eyes and glanced at Xu Mo. Her eyes were full of exhaustion, but also a hint of worry.

"you----"

"I know what I'm doing," Xu Mo interrupted her. "You should conserve your energy to control the zombies and prevent them from running amok. I need you to control the zombies to cover me."

After saying this, Xu Mo didn't wait for Luo Li's reply and rushed out with the triangular dagger in hand.

Ahead lies the zombie defense line, which is fighting and retreating.

The zombies controlled by Luo Li are using their bodies to buy them time. They feel no fear, they won't run away, they will only fight to the last moment according to Luo Li's orders.

But their numbers are decreasing dramatically.

Xu Mochong joined the battle.

With the triangular dagger in hand, he activated the Iron Bone Realm to its fullest extent. His figure moved like a ghost through the horde of zombies. With each strike, a zombie's head was pierced through.

Level 1 Agile Zombie, Thrust.

Level 1 Strength-type Zombie, Thorn.

A level 2 common mutant, or a thorn.

The triangular dagger in Xu Mo's hand transformed into a bolt of lightning, so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible. The zombies that pounced on him didn't even have time to get close to Xu Mo before their skulls were pierced by the dagger, and they slumped to the ground.

Black blood splattered on Xu Mo's combat uniform and onto his face, but Xu Mo didn't bother to wipe it away. His eyes were only on the endless stream of zombies, and his hand was only on the triangular dagger that kept thrusting out.

kill!

kill!

kill!

Xu Mo didn't know how many he had killed—ten? Twenty? Thirty? Or fifty? He only felt the zombies in front of him crashing against him like waves, and the powerful blood and qi in his body became somewhat sluggish, but the zombies continued to surge in.

On the left and right sides, zombies controlled by Luo Li were covering Xu Mo, blocking the flank attacks for him. But even so, the number of zombies charging from the front was still so large that it was despairing.

Another level-two mutant lunged at them.

Xu Mo turned to the side, his triangular dagger thrusting upwards, piercing the zombie's jaw and heading straight for its skull. The zombie's claws grazed his shoulder, leaving three scratches on his combat suit.

Xu Mo kicked the corpse aside, and before he could even catch his breath, the next one pounced on him.

Just as Xu Mo was getting into the swing of things, a roar came from the right.

He recognized the sound; it was the roar of a scaled beast. But this time, there was no anger, no rage in that roar, only a dying lament.

Xu Mo suddenly turned his head.

He saw the scaled beast controlled by Luo Li surrounded by four or five level-two strength-type zombies. They had entangled its limbs and were tearing at its scales. The scaled beast struggled desperately, tearing two apart with its claws, but more zombies were surging forward.

It got separated from the group and, while fighting and retreating, the scaled beast failed to keep up with the group and was surrounded by the enemy.

Xu Mo wanted to rush over to help, but the distance was too great, with a dense horde of corpses in between. He could only watch helplessly as the scaled beast struggled and roared in the zombie horde before collapsing.

In just a few breaths, a level three combatant was submerged in the horde of corpses and never got up again.

Xu Mo gritted his teeth and looked away.

We can't get distracted. The scaled beast is dead, but the battle must continue.

A gap has appeared in the right flank of the defense.

Although Luo Li quickly mobilized other zombies to fill the gap, the impact of that gap couldn't be made up for in a short time. The enemy zombies that had been blocked by the scaled beasts began to flank Xu Mo from the right, attempting to outflank him from the rear.

Xu Mo had to devote some of his attention to being constantly vigilant against potential attackers who might rush out from the right.

But at the same time, Xu Mo also noticed another change: their retreat speed had increased.

It wasn't that he was faster, but the entire battlefront was faster. With the loss of that scaled beast, Luo Li needed to control one less high-level individual, easing her mental pressure. The remaining level one and two zombies became easier for her to control, and their movements became more coordinated.

While one gains at the expense of the other, Xu Mo knew that this was far from enough.

A quick glance at the battlefield revealed that the opposing side still had at least three hundred zombies, while their own side only had about a hundred left.

three times.

Xu Mo took a deep breath and shouted towards Luo Li while fighting, "We can't go on like this! If this continues, we'll be worn down!"

Luo Li's voice came from behind, weak but clear: "Then what should we do?"

"Find a building!" Xu Mo roared, "One with stairs! A step-by-step resistance! Being on higher ground will reduce the pressure!"

He pierced through a nimble zombie that lunged at him with a single strike, and continued to yell, "It needs to be interconnected! Don't trap yourself!"

"good!"

With Luo Li's response, Xu Mo fought and retreated for another ten minutes.

Xu Mo had lost count of how many zombies he had killed, but he couldn't stop.

Luo Li's voice came from behind, tinged with surprise: "Up ahead! That row of buildings!"

Xu Mo looked up.

About two hundred meters ahead, there is a row of six-story residential buildings. The main structure is still relatively intact, but most of the windows are broken. However, the advantage is that the top floors are connected.

That's it!

"Charge!" Xu Mo roared.

The zombies seemed to have sensed Xu Mo and his group's intentions, and their attack suddenly intensified. They no longer charged head-on, but frantically flanked them from both sides, trying to intercept them before they entered the building.

Xu Mo was blinded by rage. The triangular dagger in his hand was no longer a weapon, but an extension of his arm. With each thrust, a zombie fell. With each retraction, a trickle of black blood appeared. His movements had become a mechanical, repetitive thrust, retraction, thrust, retraction.

In a hazy state, Xu Mo felt as if he had entered a mysterious state. He felt that his previously sluggish blood and qi were no longer sluggish, and his tired body became relaxed. It was as if he had turned on a switch in his body during the frenzied killing, and all his movements became smooth.

Finally, Xu Mo stepped onto the steps in front of the residential building.

The stairwell was narrow and dark, with only light coming through the broken windows illuminating the steps beneath our feet.

Xu Mo charged ahead, his triangular dagger in front, rushing up the stairs. Behind him, Luo Li and Tian Tian followed closely. Further back, the zombies controlled by Luo Li filed in.

Xu Mo stopped on the stair landing between the second and third floors.

The terrain here is excellent, but the stairs are narrow, allowing only two zombies to pass side by side at most. From his elevated position, he can take down the zombies below one by one, and there are windows on both the upper and lower floors, so if he is really blocked off, he can jump out of the window to escape.

"Stop!" Xu Mo shouted, "Right here!"

Luo Li stopped and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Tian Tian clung tightly to her, her bloodshot eyes still fixed on the ground below.

Xu Mo stood on the edge of the stair landing and looked down.

The zombies that had chased them in were surging up the stairs. At the front were the agile types, crawling on all fours and climbing the steps at breakneck speed. They were incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, they had reached the second floor.

Xu Mo took a deep breath and gripped the triangular dagger tightly.

The first zombie rushed up.

Xu Mo pierced its skull in one swift motion and kicked it down the stairs. Its corpse tumbled and crashed into several zombies behind it, knocking them off balance.

The second one, the third one, the fourth one...

The narrow space of the stairwell became Xu Mo's domain. The zombies' speed advantage was completely useless here; they could only rush up one after another, only to be killed by Xu Mo one after another.

Black blood flowed down the stairs, forming streams on the steps. Corpses piled up at the corner of the stairs, while the zombies behind stepped on the remains of their own kind to continue upwards.

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

Xu Mo didn't know how long he had been killing. He only felt that the more zombies he killed, the stronger his blood and energy became, and the more freely he could use the triangular dagger.

In the end, Xu Mo actually felt a sense of exhilaration from the killing. He felt his blood and qi surging so violently that they were about to burst out. This made Xu Mo unable to help but let out a long howl while killing the zombies that rushed at him.

As Xu Mo let out a long howl, for some unknown reason, the zombies that were chasing him stopped their attack and looked up at Xu Mo who was howling.

After the long howl ended, Xu Mo came to his senses and looked down at the zombies that were no longer rushing up. They were just standing there, looking up at him with their murky, crazed eyes.

About ten seconds passed, and the zombies that had been staring at Xu Mo slowly retreated, which surprised Xu Mo.

Then, Xu Mo heard a low, continuous chewing sound. The zombies had stopped chasing Xu Mo and his companions and started eating.

They lowered their heads and began to tear apart the corpses of their companions whom Xu Mo had killed. The sound echoed in the stairwell, like a requiem from hell.

Xu Mo's heart sank, and the exhilaration he had just felt vanished.

He had seen this scene before, and now it had reappeared on a larger scale.

Moreover, it was under the control of hostile creatures.

Why would it feed the zombies? Was it to replenish its energy? Was it to help them evolve? Or was it waiting for something? Xu Mo didn't know.

But Xu Mo knew this was not a good sign.

Xu Mo glanced back at Luo Li, who was leaning against the wall, her face pale and her eyes half-closed. Tian Tian squatted beside her, her little hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her bloodshot eyes filled with worry.

Xu Mo glanced out the window again; it was already broad daylight.

This battle lasted from dawn until noon.

Xu Mo glanced down the stairs again; the zombies were still eating. The sounds of chewing, tearing, and cracking bones mingled in the stairwell, creating an eerie symphony.

Xu Mo knew time was running out. He had to find the hidden enemy as soon as possible and end it all before things got worse.

Although Xu Mo knew that Luo Li must be exhausted at this point, he couldn't let her continue to rest.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Mo came to Luo Li's side.

"Luo Li".

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet stairwell.

Luo Li's eyelids twitched, but she didn't open them.

"Luo Li," Xu Mo called again, "Get up and sense it again."

Luo Li finally opened her eyes, which were filled with exhaustion.

But Xu Mo didn't explain; he just stood there and looked at her.

Seeing Xu Mo staring at her like that, Luo Li gritted her teeth and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. Tian Tian immediately stood up as well, her little hands still clutching the hem of Luo Li's clothes, her blood-red eyes still fixed on Xu Mo.

Then the little guy's mouth suddenly opened, not in a normal way, but in a strange way, revealing two rows of fine, sharp teeth. Although he realized that this little guy was different from ordinary people, Xu Mo couldn't help but sigh in his heart after seeing it.

She leaned forward slightly, as if to pounce on Xu Mo!

Xu Mo's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stumbled, sliding half a step to the side and back to avoid Tian Tian's pounce. Tian Tian missed her target, her small body staggered, and then she turned her head, her blood-red eyes filled with anger, ready to pounce on Xu Mo again.

"Sweetie!"

Luo Li's voice was weak but stern.

Sweetie's body froze.

She stopped in her tracks, still in her forward-leaning posture, and turned to look at Luo Li. The anger in her blood-red eyes slowly faded, replaced by a sense of grievance and confusion. "He bullied you, I helped you, why did you call me?"

Luo Li crouched down and gently hugged Tian Tian.

"It's alright," she whispered. "He was trying to help me; he meant no harm."

Sweetie struggled in her arms for a moment, then slowly calmed down. Her blood-red eyes returned to their empty state, only occasionally glancing at Xu Mo with a hint of barely perceptible wariness.

Xu Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief, watching Luo Li wait until she had calmed Tian Tian down before asking, "Can you sense it?"

Luo Li nodded and closed her eyes.

three seconds.

Five seconds.

ten seconds.

Luo Li opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I can't sense it." Her voice was hoarse and weak. "It's not within my range."

Xu Mo fell silent, recalling the details of the battle. The zombies' attacks were clearly organized and tactically planned. While charging head-on, they would also flank from both sides. They specifically targeted Luo Li and Xu Mo with sneak attacks.

They will even concentrate their superior forces to surround and kill a lone scaled beast.

This shows that the hidden enemy has been watching the battlefield closely. It knows their location, their movements, and their weaknesses, but it has never shown itself.

Xu Mo thought for a moment and asked a question that had always puzzled him: "Why is your control range limited, yet it can control these zombies from so far away?"

Luo Li was stunned for a moment. She looked at Xu Mo, her lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

"I don't know," was all she could say in the end.

Xu Mo didn't ask any more questions. The answer to this question would probably only be known by asking that thing itself or its corpse.

Xu Mo frowned as he glanced at Luo Li, who was leaning against the wall with her eyes half-closed after sensing something.

Sweetie curled up at Luo Li's feet, her small body rising and falling slightly, as if she were asleep. But her blood-red eyes would occasionally open a crack, glance at Xu Gong, and then close again.

"This can't go on."

Xu Gongbing inhaled a royal aura, and the King said, "Luo Li, let's discuss this."

Luo Li opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Fighting and retreating like this isn't a long-term solution," Xu Gong said. "The number of zombies will only increase, and our stamina will only decrease. Even if we can hold out here, we'll eventually be worn down."

Luo Li didn't say "zhang," but just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I have an idea," Xu Gong said. "Abandon the zombies you control."

Luo Li's pupils contracted slightly.

"Travel light," Xu Gong continued. "Use your abilities to conceal the whereabouts of us Three Mirrors, then take the initiative to find the enemy hidden in that Mirror. That might just work."

Luo Li fell silent; she understood what Xu Gong meant.

Those zombies were her shield, her army, the foundation upon which she stood in this zombie-infested city. Abandon them.

It means losing most of our fighting strength, and it means putting ourselves in danger.

But this also means liberation. No longer needing to control so many mirror bodies, no longer needing to endure such great mental pressure, one can concentrate all their energy on concealing their whereabouts and finding the enemy.

This is indeed a one-shot solution, but the cost is too high. What if it fails?

Luo Li remained silent for a long time.

Xu Gong didn't urge her; he simply leaned against the wall, waiting for her to make a decision.

The only sounds in the stairwell were the chewing sounds coming from below and the occasional whistling of the wind through the broken windows.

About five minutes later, Luo Li opened the gates.

"How are you feeling?"

Xu Gong closed his eyes and sensed the flow of Qi and blood within his body. His Qi and blood flowed more smoothly and powerfully than ever before. They surged through his meridians like mighty rivers, nourishing his muscles, bones, and skin, leaving him in a strangely abundant state.

Xu Gong had just felt that during that frenzied killing, he had entered a mysterious state. His body seemed to have a switch flipped, some movements became smooth and free, and some fatigue was swept away.

At the time, Xu Gong didn't think much of it, assuming it was just the effect of adrenaline.

But looking at Ding now, it's not just like that.

"I—" Xu Gong paused, carefully sensing the changes within his body. He could feel that his internal energy and blood had grown stronger than before. Moreover, that energy and blood was still growing, albeit at a slower pace, but it was indeed still increasing.

This means that his defense, strength, speed, and recovery ability have all been improved in an all-round way.

"Very good." Xu Gong nodded affirmatively.

"Very good?" Luo Li repeated.

Luo Li's eyes lit up. She had witnessed Xu Gong's fierce battle just now. The fact that he could maintain such good form after such an intense fight showed that Xu Gong's combat strength was indeed very high.

"It wasn't very good before, but it's very good now." Xu Gong looked at Luo Li and said earnestly, "Very good."

Luo Li stared at Xu Gong quietly for a few seconds, then gritted her teeth and nodded.

"it is good."

When Xu Gong saw the character "Jing" appear under the character "Shi," he noticed a complex light flash in Luo Li's eyes. There was reluctance, worry, determination, and a hint of relief. He knew what this decision to tell her meant.

Those zombies were collected, nurtured, and controlled by her bit by bit. They were her army, her companions, and the foundation of her existence in Luochuan City. Abandoning them would be tantamount to abandoning the vast majority of her fighting power.

But she agreed anyway, because she knew it was the only way.

Xu Gong didn't say much, he just nodded.

"Let's get ready and set off."

Luo Li nodded and closed her eyes again.

Sweetie raised her head, looked at Xu Mo, and then at Luo Li. The wariness in her bloodshot eyes seemed to fade a little, and then she went back to her blank expression.

Xu Gong leaned against the wall, continuing to feel the surging blood and qi within his body, ready to begin a new plan.