Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 11

“Aurora! It’s Aurora!”

They wept with joy.

“Aurora has come to save us!” They fervently and devoutly traced the symbol of the sun on their shoulders and chests, an act of prayer to Aurora.

“Aurora blesses us!” they shouted.

Lou Tiannan paid no heed to their cheers and excitement. He walked up to Lin Bai, who was leaning against a withered tree. “Are you okay?” His gaze lowered and his gray pupils reflected Lin Bai, covered in blood from head to toe. Even now, he still didn’t think she looked like a military-affiliated.

“Not okay, I’m dying,” Lin Bai said casually.

Lou Tiannan frowned and was about to step forward to check her wounds when he heard her continue, “When I die, Captain Lou, if you see my partner, tell him I died because of you and ask him to avenge me.”

Lou Tiannan: “…” She definitely seemed more like one of those tough-as-nails soldiers.

Lin Bai’s tone was too much like a joke, but Lou Tiannan wouldn’t take it as one. Fighting against Tyke was brutal. Most people would be lucky to escape with just some flesh wounds. Lin Bai, covered in blood with a weak appearance, was clearly in bad shape.

A pure white handkerchief suddenly appeared between them.

Both Lin Bai and Lou Tiannan looked up at the newcomer.

It was a young man, around eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a hooded white clerical robe. His features were exquisite, almost androgynous in his beauty. His hair and eyebrows were both silver-white, but the only flaw in his appearance was the misty haze in his eyes, as if he had lost his clarity, a pity for such a face.

“Wipe yourself,” the young man said to Lin Bai, his voice light and mesmerizing.

Lin Bai looked at him and then raised her hand to take the handkerchief.

“Caesar.”

An older voice called out, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

A group of seven or eight people approached, each wearing the same hooded white robes. They all carried bells and the sleeves of their robes were edged with golden patterns of the sun, distinctive symbols that made them instantly recognizable as Aurora priests.

The one leading them held a silver bell, its surface and handle intricately carved with ornate patterns. He was the one who had spoken, a middle-aged man with short hair, a kind face, graying temples, and a neatly trimmed beard.

As soon as he spoke, the young man named Caesar seemed to receive an unspoken command. He withdrew his hand and slowly moved to stand behind the older man.

The middle-aged man swept his gaze lightly over everyone before finally settling on Lou Tiannan. He nodded and said, “I am Coomber, a priest of Aurora, passing through on a mission. And you are?”

Since the apocalypse, there has been no direct conflict between the Federation and the Aurora Church. In fact, at times, the Federation’s leaders had even relied on Aurora’s influence to manage and pacify the people.

So, even though Lou Tiannan was not a believer, he wouldn’t show disrespect to Aurora.

He responded, “Lou Tiannan, Federal Army.”

Coomber showed no visible reaction, as if he had only heard an ordinary name. He placed his palm on his chest in a gesture of blessing, nodded at Lou Tiannan, then shook his bell and prepared to lead his group away.

“Aurora’s Divine Lord!” someone suddenly shouted.

Coomber paused.

From among the survivors, a hunched figure stumbled forward, falling to his knees before Coomber, his face streaked with tears.

“A faithful believer asks Aurora’s Divine Lord! Please, tell me, will the apocalypse ever end? Do we still have a future?”

His voice was loud and desperate. Other survivors couldn’t help but be moved by his sorrow, looking at Coomber with devout and expectant eyes, silently asking the same question; when will this apocalypse finally end?

Coomber’s eyes drooped slightly, filled with compassion as he looked at the believer. He reached out, gently lifting the man to his feet, and said with certainty, “The apocalypse will end.”

The man clutched Coomber’s fingers tightly, his knuckles turning white, his gaze almost frantic. “When? When will it end?”

The rain continued to fall in fine, steady droplets. The white-robed priests stood in the rain, untouched by even a speck of dirt. They closed their eyes and traced the sun symbol on their chests with their hands.

Everything around them seemed to quiet until only Coomber’s deep and solemn voice could be heard, “When the light is devoured, Enigma shall descend. He will become the king of the apocalypse and lead us to a new hope.”

***

In the abandoned village’s clearing, the Aurora priests had already left. The ground was muddied with deep tire tracks and Lou Tiannan’s convoy had also departed.

Only a field of corpses remained.

The rain intensified.

Suddenly, from amidst the bodies, a blood-soaked right hand emerged, clutching the stained white handkerchief tightly…

***

Thirty minutes later, Zhu Liang led the group to a flat, open area on a hillside to rest for the night.

Finding a proper house would have been ideal, given the number of survivors with them. However, to avoid encountering large gatherings of zombies, Lou Tiannan’s team had mapped out a route through remote wilderness areas, making it difficult to come across a house.

Despite the harsh conditions, none of the survivors complained. That day, they had encountered the Aurora priests and from that brief interaction, they seemed to have gained a sense of salvation and hope. Even after the priests had left, most of them continued to devoutly trace the sun symbol on their chests in prayer.

Faint murmurs of ‘Enigma’ and ‘hope’ could be heard among them.

Lu Jia, who had never seen the Aurora priests before, found the encounter rather mysterious. “Can Aurora really hear the voice of God? Is that why they arrived just in time to save us this afternoon?!”

Zhou Yu scoffed. “What a coincidence, then. If they could truly hear God’s voice, why didn’t they come earlier or later? Why only show up after Tyke was already dead?”

Hearing Zhou Yu’s remark, Lu Jia found it a bit harsh and muttered under his breath, “That’s not really something they can decide, is it…”

Zhou Yu turned to Lu Jia, slinging an arm around his shoulder suspiciously. “Little Lu, what’s going on? You didn’t fall for their teachings at first sight, did you?”

Lu Jia averted his gaze instinctively and then chuckled sheepishly.

Zhou Yu looked at him as if he were some rare specimen. “Is Aurora really that miraculous? How come I didn’t feel a thing?”

Song Yan, whose insight was a level above Zhou Yu’s, smirked. “What are you even babbling about? Little Lu didn’t fall for Aurora. He fell for the missionary.”

Caught red-handed, Lu Jia scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed but still serious. “Sister Yan, it’s not like that. I was just curious. I mean, I didn’t expect the Aurora priests to have such a young missionary. And he looked really good, too. I couldn’t tell what gender he was. Was he an Alpha? An Omega? Or a Beta?”

Zhou Yu also remembered the young priest named Caesar. His appearance was undeniably striking. Thinking back on his face, Zhou Yu hesitated. “Alpha? No way. He’s probably an Omega.”

“Beta is also possible,” Song Yan speculated.

“He likely has no gender,” Zhu Liang’s voice cut in.

“No gender?” The three of them were taken aback.

They all turned to Zhu Liang in curiosity. Song Yan frowned. “No gender? Has he not undergone differentiation yet? Don’t tell me he’s actually the Enigma!”

Everyone was born with male or female physical traits, but their most crucial glandular differentiation occurred after the age of sixteen. Under normal circumstances, people would differentiate into one of three secondary genders: Alpha, Beta, or Omega.

Alphas and Omegas developed their glands further, granting them the ability to sense and control pheromones. Betas, due to incomplete gland development, could only faintly perceive pheromones but were unaffected by them.

However, after the apocalypse, the Aurora Church spread rumors of a fourth differentiation—Enigma. Supposedly, their pheromones carried an innate neural stimulant that induced absolute submission and was capable of suppressing everyone, even Betas who were usually insensitive to pheromones.

Yet, despite a year of speculation, no such high-level differentiation had ever appeared, let alone one that could grant salvation.

So when Song Yan mentioned ‘Enigma,’ there was a hint of mockery in her tone.

“No.” Zhu Liang shook his head. “Didn’t you notice his eyes?”

“His eyes?”

Lu Jia had actually taken a close look. “Maybe it was because of the rain, but they didn’t seem very… bright?” He thought for a moment before coming up with that description.

Hearing that, Song Yan recalled the scene and suspiciously guessed, “Brother Liang, are you saying… he’s not human?”

Zhu Liang met her gaze, then nodded. “Yes. To be precise, he’s a bionic humanoid. Also known as an artificial human.”

“Artificial human?” Zhou Yu, in the middle of eating a biscuit, dropped half of it. He picked it up, blew on it, and then continued eating as if nothing had happened. With interest, he asked, “Brother Liang, has artificial human technology really advanced that much?”

“Yeah,” Zhu Liang confirmed. “Back in the Military Defense Department, I saw one at the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute. The researchers there told us that artificial human technology was far more developed than we had imagined. But since they’re artificial, they’re still just machines without emotions. That’s why their eyes never show real human expression. And they don’t have primary sexual traits.”

The 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute covered a wide range of subjects, including artificial humans. Following Captain Lou, Zhu Liang had seen many prototypes including men, women, and children, both low-grade and high-grade models.

The most advanced artificial humans in the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute were indistinguishable from real people, just like Caesar. They could run, smile, and interact normally. But if one paid close attention, their eyes always carried a certain dullness and stiffness.

“The Aurora Church is really that powerful? Even in the apocalypse, they can still develop bionic humans?” Lu Jia asked in surprise.

“Their followers are everywhere! How could they not be powerful?” Even Zhou Yu, who wasn’t fond of the Aurora Church, had to admit their influence was impressive.

As they spoke, Zhou Yu spotted Wen Xiaxia carrying two buckets of water and immediately called out, “Xiaxia, where are you going?”

“Bringing some water to Lin Bai. She might not have enough.”

“Lin Bai?” Zhou Yu’s eyes lit up and he eagerly volunteered. “I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Grabbing the buckets, Zhou Yu suddenly asked in confusion, “Why is she still in there?”

Once they had settled in, Zhou Yu and Lu Jia used their abilities to quickly construct makeshift washing areas out of iron plates and wooden boards, providing a space for people to clean up. With Wen Xiaxia, a water ability user, among them, they never had to worry about water supply.

Lin Bai had entered the first washing area, but the second and third had already rotated through several people and yet, she still hadn’t come out.

Wen Xiaxia didn’t seem surprised. “Yeah. She was covered in blood, so cleaning up must be tricky. Not sure how bad her wounds are.”

Hearing that, Zhou Yu became even more enthusiastic. “I’ll go check on her!”