As Ling Mo ran, he suddenly felt a chill and glanced back, murmuring, “Do you guys feel like something’s watching us from behind?”

“Watching?” Xia Na, who was closest to him, immediately turned around, puzzled, following his gaze. Her eyes landed on the relentless monsters chasing them. Ling Mo couldn’t be talking about them, could he? But if not them, then who? Behind them lay only the desolate buildings and the long, perilous street.

“I can’t quite explain it…” Ling Mo’s expression turned hesitant for a moment. He spoke softly, “Just now, for some reason… I felt a shiver down my spine… like there were eyes suddenly staring at me from behind.” He placed a hand over his heart, continuing, “It felt like it skipped a beat… as if I’d encountered a natural enemy, triggering a primal warning. There’s definitely something back there…”

Xia Na looked at him with concern and asked quietly, “Ling-Ge… are you okay?” It was rare for her to see Ling Mo react this way, especially since his eyes lacked their usual calm and composure, appearing somewhat… bewildered?

“Huh? I’m fine, really.” Ling Mo quickly snapped out of it, raising his head to smile at Xia Na. Ye Lian and Li Yalin, who were ahead, also heard the commotion and turned to look at them with questioning expressions. Seeing this, Ling Mo quickly flashed a smile and waved them off, indicating they shouldn’t worry. The two women exchanged puzzled glances before slowly turning their attention away.

“Maybe I was mistaken, it’s nothing… Probably just exhaustion from today, with so many Hellforged Monsters suddenly appearing, my mind’s bound to be a bit muddled…” Ling Mo said, lowering his hand and continuing to reassure Xia Na.

“Is that so…” Xia Na replied, though her expression remained complex as she watched him.

Ling Mo chuckled and reached out to pinch her cheek, “I said it’s nothing, don’t overthink it.”

“Mm-hmm…” Xia Na’s cheeks puffed up from the pinch, nodding indistinctly. After a moment’s thought, she brightened up, “You’re right, we handled things pretty well this time! We got the equipment, secured plenty of ‘supplies,’ and most importantly, we gathered firsthand information on the Hellforged Monsters! We’re bound to clash with these scavengers sooner or later, and I prefer it sooner… But with this, who knows what the world will become, how long X City will last? Their numbers might dwindle or swell rapidly, but either way, it’ll lead to more and more bloodshed…”

“Ominous… feeling…” Xia Na continued to analyze, while Ling Mo nodded as he listened. Yet, during this process, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards his own chest.

That momentary pause in his heartbeat-was it a sign of something? And where exactly did that feeling of being watched come from?

An illusion? Impossible! That was just something he said to reassure Xia Na… The reality was far more terrifying than what he had spoken.

In that instant, he felt as if someone had suddenly appeared behind him… The person was pressed closely against his body, then leaned towards his ear, gently breathing and cheerfully whispering, “Ling Mo…”

Just that one call sent a chill racing from his feet to his head… Such a vivid sensation and reaction couldn’t possibly be due to fatigue. Moreover, his psychic power had fully recovered after Devouring the spiritual body of the underground Progenitor… He wasn’t tired at all; in fact, he was overflowing with energy… especially the excitement in his brain. Perhaps it was this excitement that made him extremely sensitive to that momentary feeling… Maybe, it was something even the observer hadn’t anticipated…

“Speaking of this feeling…” Ling Mo paused again, suddenly recalling a familiar figure, “Could it be… the Spider Queen?!” But soon, he felt uncertain about this guess… If it were the Spider Queen, her tricks should have been completely suppressed by him… Unless, the thing she hid in his body was also evolving along with him…

But if that’s the case, then what exactly is that thing?

…

“Huff… huff…”

A few minutes later, everyone except Ye Lian and the others began to pant heavily, drenched in sweat. The constant running and jumping, coupled with highly tense nerves, quickly drained their stamina. Moreover, they weren’t moving on flat ground, but rather on rooftops of varying heights. Such terrain demanded a lot from their Superpowers.

“Damn it!” Ye Kai exhaled two breaths of stale air, then looked back and couldn’t help but curse hoarsely, “They’re addicted to chasing us! Even Zombies aren’t this relentless!”

Everyone turned to look, their faces showing a hint of gloom. Those Monsters… the closest ones had already appeared below the building they were on… Some Monsters had even gradually figured out their escape patterns, showing no intention of climbing up, but instead quietly watching them from below.

This feeling was like being surrounded by vultures, patiently waiting for you to breathe your last…

Oppression, fear-those were secondary… The main thing was the sense of helplessness that arose when you realized you couldn’t outlast them…

“There’s a Square ahead, no more buildings!” Mu Chen stood at a high point, scanning the area ahead and said anxiously.

“So… we have to fight?” Zhang Xincheng said, frowning.

Li Yalin leaned on the railing and looked down, saying, “But there are at least three hundred down there…”

“So even if we retreat into the building and engage them in a battle of attrition, there’s a high chance…” Xu Shuhan added, but didn’t finish, only looking at the others with a heavy expression.

For a moment, everyone fell silent…