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Chapter 488: Seeking Help

Yang Haoran had always had very little contact with Ma Ling. Aside from exchanging holiday greetings via text message, they rarely communicated otherwise.

So, when he saw Ma Ling's name on the caller ID at that moment, he was somewhat surprised.

Although he was puzzled as to why Ma Ling would call him, Yang Haoran still answered the phone.

"Hello, Uncle, what are you up to?"

As the call connected, Ma Ling's voice entered Yang Haoran's ears. Although they hadn't spoken on the phone for a long time, Ma Ling's voice still conveyed the same vibrant energy as always.

"Me? Heh heh, just lying in bed smoking. " Yang Haoran replied with a laugh.

"Oh, you're really something, so leisurely. We haven't talked in ages, how have you been lately? " Ma Ling asked, chuckling.

"Not bad, you? " Yang Haoran inquired.

"Uncle, there's something I need your help with, I wonder if you'd be willing. " Ma Ling asked with a smile.

"Oh? What is it? Could you tell me first? That way I'll know if I can help you. " Yang Haoran said with a smile.

Given Yang Haoran's personality, he naturally wouldn't immediately agree to such a request. Once he agreed, he'd have to follow through. Without understanding the situation clearly, how could he know if his abilities were sufficient to help?

If his abilities weren't enough, agreeing would be meaningless. Not only would he fail to help, but he might even lose his own life. Yang Haoran wouldn't do something like that.

"Well, I'm not sure how to explain it all at once. " Ma Ling organized her thoughts, then continued, "Recently, my family elders assigned me a task. I've roughly estimated that, with my current strength, the chances of completing it alone are slim. Among my friends, there aren't many who could help me with this, and you happen to be one of them, so I sought you out."

"Heh heh, you've said all that, but you still haven't made it clear what it is. What exactly is this 'task' you mentioned? " Yang Haoran asked with a chuckle.

"My task is to deal with zombies, but not the lowest-level Corpse Puppets. It's about confronting powerful Corpse Ghouls. If it were just an ordinary Corpse Ghoul, dealing with it alone wouldn't be difficult. But if it's a powerful Corpse Ghoul, I'd have a hard time, which is why I want to ask for your help. " Ma Ling stated.

Even among Corpse Ghouls, some are strong and some are weak, just as among Emissaries of Death, their strengths vary, sometimes by a considerable margin.

From Ma Ling's understanding, the Corpse Ghoul she was tasked with dealing with this time was quite formidable. While not necessarily an absolute top-tier Corpse Ghoul, it was certainly a powerful opponent. She worried that her current strength might not be enough to take it down, which was why she sought Yang Haoran's assistance.

The moment Yang Haoran heard the word "zombie," the smile on his face instantly froze. During the great disaster at Yangjiawan, every single clan member present, except for him, perished tragically. The culprit behind this tragedy was Zhou Daoshi, and the method Zhou Daoshi employed at the time was a Corpse Ghoul.

Zhou Daoshi had used a Corpse Ghoul to turn everyone in Yangjiawan into Corpse Puppets in a short amount of time. No one, not the elderly nor women and children, was spared, including his own parents.

Because of this incident, Yang Haoran harbored a deep-seated aversion to zombies. Thus, when he heard Ma Ling mention zombies just now, the smile on his face immediately stiffened.

However, it was only for a moment before his smile returned, and he gave Ma Ling a firm affirmative.

"Alright, I'll help you."

Receiving such a straightforward and definite answer from Yang Haoran, Ma Ling was momentarily stunned. She had expected to put in some effort to persuade Yang Haoran, but she hadn't anticipated him agreeing so readily.

However, her stunned state lasted only a moment before she snapped out of it, her voice turning excited and joyful.

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much!"

With Ma Ling's cheerful voice in his ears, Yang Haoran asked with a smile, "When do we leave?"

"If possible, you should come to Ancheng today. We'll make preparations and then set off. " Ma Ling said.

"Okay, I'll contact you once I'm in Ancheng. " With that, Yang Haoran hung up the phone.

Yang Haoran knew that Ma Ling was from Ancheng. However, every time Yang Haoran went to Ancheng, he was always in a hurry, and then rushed back to Lecheng, so he had never gone to visit Ma Ling.

The reason he agreed so readily to Ma Ling's request this time, besides their existing friendship, was because the target was zombies.

He didn't have the grand ambition of eradicating all zombies in the world, but since he'd encountered this situation and his friend needed help, he might as well assist Ma Ling this once.

Moreover, the Ma Family was quite powerful and held a significant position in Ancheng. If he maintained a good relationship with Ma Ling, she might be able to provide him with some assistance in the future.

Beyond these reasons, Yang Haoran currently had something else he needed Ma Ling's help with. Ma Ling seemed to be quite accomplished in the area of formations, and he wanted to acquire a good set of formation flags to protect his residence. Perhaps Ma Ling could fulfill that need.

Stubbing out his cigarette, Yang Haoran got out of bed. He decided to temporarily postpone the matter of further boosting Old Master Wu and Xiujuan's strength, as he felt it still required more consideration.

After making a call to Old Master Wu and giving a few instructions, Yang Haoran changed into a fresh set of clothes, then tore open a spatial rift and departed for Ancheng.

For the current Yang Haoran, traveling to Ancheng was merely a spatial teleportation. When he stepped out of the spatial rift again, he was already in Ancheng.

Upon arriving in Ancheng, Yang Haoran dialed Ma Ling's number. Learning that Yang Haoran had already reached Ancheng, Ma Ling was greatly surprised, but also very happy; she hadn't expected Yang Haoran to be so fast.

The two agreed on a meeting spot, and Yang Haoran set off towards the destination. The meeting place was a park in Ancheng. When Yang Haoran arrived, Ma Ling hadn't appeared yet. After waiting for a while, Ma Ling's figure finally came into his sight.

After their parting in Lecheng, Yang Haoran hadn't seen Ma Ling again. Now, seeing her once more, the former little girl had grown into a young woman. Many things about her had changed, but two aspects remained just as they were: her dazzlingly long legs, and her lively and adorable personality.