Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 20

The toy store was large, about a hundred square meters, filled with vending machines that dispensed various toys. With over sixty people crowding inside, the place quickly became cramped.

Except for Lin Bai, everyone was drenched in sweat and stared in horror at the zombie horde outside the entrance.

Lin Bai stood closest to the door, her back to the survivors, watching Lou Tiannan and the others fight off the zombies.

Zhu Liang and Song Yan guarded the entrance to prevent any zombies from getting in, ensuring the safety of those inside.

No one stopped Lin Bai from standing by the door. In fact, it reassured them. They trusted her skills and were confident that no zombie would make it past her.

More and more zombies were drawn in by the scent of the ability users outside, including a few second-tier zombies.

The black flames at the entrance were especially aggressive, leaving nothing but scorched remains wherever they burned. The temperature was scorching.

The low-level zombies were completely unable to resist the black flames, collapsing into the fire with agonized howls. But zombies knew only hunger, not fear, and they kept surging forward relentlessly.

Leaning against the door, Lin Bai absorbed the light and heat radiating from the black flames, finally feeling her body warming up.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from inside the toy store, but Lin Bai paid no attention.

Then, someone shouted, “Lin Bai! Lin Bai!!” The voice was trembling, almost tearing apart.

Lin Bai lazily turned her head and finally understood the cause of the panic.

At some point, a zombie had appeared inside the store. The others were scrambling to escape, while the zombie was closing in on Peter, who was alone in a corner. Peter was desperately waving a whip he had yanked from a vending machine, shouting Lin Bai’s name at the top of his lungs.

The zombie lunged at Peter, its claws outstretched and Peter flailed the whip wildly, screaming, “Lin Bai! Lin Bai!!”

His voice was nearly hoarse. He was really about to die!

“Help!!” Peter was on the verge of passing out from fear.

Swish!

A sharp black blade sliced through the air, cleanly cutting off half of the zombie’s head. The blade flew past Peter and embedded itself firmly in the wall.

Dark red-black brain matter splattered all over the floor.

“Aaaaaahhh!!” Peter flailed his arms and legs, screaming like a cheerleader in a frenzy.

“If you keep screaming, I’ll stuff the brain matter into your mouth,” Lin Bai’s emotionless voice cut through the noise in the chaotic toy store.

Peter instantly shut up, too scared to make another sound. Only now did he realize, with lingering fear, how close he had come to death. His back and head were completely drenched in sweat.

“Bring me my knife,” Lin Bai said from the doorway, unwilling to move.

“I’ll get it for you! I’ll get it for you!” Some of the survivors rushed to help, eager to make a good impression on Lin Bai.

But Peter kicked them aside. “Did she call for you? She called me!” He spoke as he carefully stepped around the zombie corpse, heading toward the wall to retrieve the knife. His legs were still weak and he nearly stumbled.

The black blade embedded in the wall was made of some unknown material. Despite slicing through a zombie’s skull, the blade remained unnaturally clean, unstained by any blood or brain matter, saving Peter from having to mentally prepare himself for the task.

He gripped the handle and pulled, but it didn’t budge.

On his second try, using more strength, he finally managed to yank it out. The short blade had a solid weight to it and its black surface shimmered with an eerie light. Not daring to delay, Peter held the knife with both hands and quickly walked over to Lin Bai, presenting it to her.

Lin Bai didn’t even glance at him. She took the knife and resumed leaning against the door.

At this point, Peter no longer wanted to leave Lin Bai’s side. He had figured it out. Sticking close to her was the safest option!

Zhu Liang, noticing that a zombie had somehow gotten inside the store, immediately led a team to conduct a thorough sweep.

They found another zombie stuck behind one of the vending machines and killed it on the spot.

Once the two zombie corpses were removed, the survivors, like startled birds, huddled together, trembling in fear.

Outside, Lou Tiannan’s black flames had nearly cleared out the horde, leaving only a few stragglers, which were now being picked off by Song Yan’s gunfire.

Lou Tiannan jumped down from the car roof and walked toward the toy store. However, after just a few steps, he stopped. His body was too hot and getting too close to others would burn them.

He leaned against the wall next to the store’s entrance, crossing his arms and silently waiting for his body temperature to drop. It was as if he were being roasted by flames, struggling to suppress the restless energy surging through his blood.

Wen Xiaxia approached, visibly worried, and spoke to him in a low voice. Then, she gathered water and poured it over him to cool him down.

As soon as the water hit Lou Tiannan, it sizzled and turned into a thick cloud of steam.

Lou Tiannan remained completely still, leaning against the wall as Wen Xiaxia continued dousing him.

Even Lin Bai, who was leaning against the door, could feel the heat radiating from Lou Tiannan. The entire wall seemed to be faintly searing.

One person against the wall and one person against the door, neither said a word.

Droplets of water slid down Lou Tiannan’s short hair, trailing over his prominent brow ridge, down his nose, and across his sharp jawline before soaking into his dark blue combat uniform. Before they could reach his pant legs, they evaporated into steam and vanished into the air.

After about ten minutes of cooling, a faintly damp patch finally appeared beneath his feet.

He waved his hand, signaling Wen Xiaxia to stop.

Outside the toy store, the air was thick with steam, turning the area into a stifling sauna. The lingering stench of rotting flesh and blood from the zombies mixed with it, making people dizzy and nauseous.

With his temperature now lowered, Lou Tiannan entered the toy store along with the others.

The survivors, still shaken, huddled together like frightened quails. The Federal soldiers, exhausted, each found a spot to sit and rest.

Lou Tiannan glanced at the map. They were already close to the nearest safe zone, but the sky outside had turned completely dark. Traveling at night wasn’t safe and besides, his team was in poor condition.

However, this place wasn’t suitable for a long stay either.

They had already entered Western District One and with their group being so large, lingering too long would only attract more zombies.

“Rest here for thirty minutes,” he ordered.

The soldiers immediately began adjusting their breathing and recovering their strength for the next move.

The survivors, though confused by the command, didn’t dare to question it. As long as the Federal troops could ensure their safety, that was more than enough.

“Mom, is this a little fish toy? How do you play with it?” Xi Ya’s curious voice broke the silence.

Lou Tiannan looked over and saw Xi Ya holding a blue, fish-shaped vibrating egg, looking puzzled. She didn’t have an age-verification bracelet, so the electronic manual wouldn’t open, leaving her to fiddle with the remote control on her own.

Bzzzz—

A tiny buzzing sound filled the air.

Zhou Yu, who had just taken a sip of water, choked violently.

When they first picked the store, they had only noticed it wasn’t crowded. They hadn’t realized it sold adult toys.

“It’s a toy for after you differentiate,” Lin Bai replied flatly, not even looking up from what she was doing.

“I can only play with it after I differentiate…?” Xi Ya looked disappointed. She hadn’t played with toys in a long time and the little fish was really cute. Hesitating, she asked, “Can I take it with me? I’ll play with it after I differentiate.” She touched the doll at her waist, thinking the doll and the little fish would probably be happy together.

If she could survive until the day she differentiated, she really hoped she would make it.

“That’s up to you. You decide for yourself,” Lin Bai said indifferently. She pulled a few bottles out of a vending machine, stuffed one into her pocket, and handed the rest to Xi Ya. “Put these in my bag.”

Xi Ya had been carrying Lin Bai’s bag all along.

Taking this as silent approval, she happily accepted the bottles and stuffed them into the bag, carefully placing the blue fish inside as well. After packing everything, she even patted the bag with satisfaction, looking delighted.

The others watched, unsure whether to speak or not.

Lou Tiannan watched as Xi Ya stuffed bottle after bottle of lubricant into Lin Bai’s bag, the veins on his forehead bulging uncontrollably.

And yet, that wasn’t the end of it. After grabbing the lubricant, she went on to pick out vibrators and carefully selected four of them.

After collecting her items, she sat in a corner, pulled out a black blade, and with a sharp click, pried open a realistic-looking vibrator.

Many of the men watching her couldn’t help but feel a sharp pain down there at the sight.

She dismantled the device, pulling out springs, gears, magnetic stones, motors, and other components, and placing them neatly into a small pouch. No one knew what she was planning, but seeing her actions, the bulging veins on Lou Tiannan’s forehead finally eased.

Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, just enough time for Lin Bai to finish disassembling all four vibrators.

Once the injured team members were loaded into the vehicles, Song Yan began organizing the survivors to board one by one.

As soon as the toy store doors opened, the foul stench outside rushed in. Everyone covered their noses and hurried onto the vehicles.

Lou Tiannan took his position atop the lead vehicle, while Song Yan and Zhou Yu, rifles in hand, climbed onto the roof of the transport truck. Lu Jia stationed himself on the roof of the last vehicle.

The convoy moved through the streets with Lou Tiannan scanning the horizon from his vantage point. Surprisingly, the night seemed much calmer than the afternoon. They traveled for quite a while before encountering just two zombies, both were swiftly taken down by a single bullet each from Song Yan and Zhou Yu.

“This is weird. The roads are clearer at night? I was all ready for a tough battle,” Zhou Yu muttered, lying flat on the roof, puzzled.

Song Yan was just as confused. The streets had been swarming with zombies in the afternoon, so why had they disappeared at night?

The convoy continued moving without incident for about three hours before Lou Tiannan’s voice came through the team’s earpieces.

“Stay alert.”

Everyone’s hearts tightened. They knew danger was approaching. Guns were raised, blades gripped as everyone braced for combat.

“Urghhh—!”

A zombie’s roar echoed nearby.

Song Yan and Zhou Yu’s expressions hardened. The sound was distinctly different from a regular zombie’s.

On the truck roof, they stood back-to-back, cautiously scanning their surroundings.

Then, suddenly—

A zombie flashed right in front of Song Yan.

It moved incredibly fast, grabbing onto her combat uniform and lunging forward, its gaping mouth full of sharp teeth aiming straight for her.

Bang!

Song Yan reacted instantly, firing a shot. But the zombie was too close and her bullet only struck its shoulder, barely slowing it down.

Its jaws didn’t stop.

Zhou Yu, quick as lightning, yanked Song Yan backward just in time. The zombie’s claws still managed to graze her, leaving a deep scratch. Using Zhou Yu’s support, Song Yan twisted midair and delivered a powerful kick to the zombie’s chest, knocking it off the truck roof.

But the moment it hit the ground, the zombie scrambled back up at an alarming speed, clawing its way onto the vehicle again.

Its enraged snarls were soon joined by more roars from the darkness.

“It’s a third-tier zombie!”