Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 22 Part 1

The mutant zombie’s sharp claws plunged into Song Yan’s abdomen without hesitation.

Now!

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Bai’s eyes. The thin, black blade, as delicate as a cicada’s wing, flew toward the zombie’s eye under the cover of darkness.

The moment she struck, her right eye, enhanced with superior dynamic vision, clearly saw something unusual: Song Yan’s abdomen suddenly turned into sand and the zombie’s claws only grasped a handful of fine grains.

Surprise was quickly replaced by understanding.

Oh!

So, she had an earth-based ability. Quite well hidden. Lin Bai raised an eyebrow slightly.

The mutant zombie took a direct hit from Lin Bai’s blade in the eye but remained completely unharmed. Meanwhile, Song Yan, still held in its grasp, took the chance to twist around and deliver a powerful kick to its jaw, dislocating it instantly.

Seizing the opportunity, Lou Tiannan quickly closed in and landed a solid iron fist on the zombie. As the creature dodged, he reached out and yanked Song Yan from its grip.

Having its food snatched away, the zombie was clearly enraged. Its sharp teeth bared in a menacing snarl and it let out guttural growls as it stepped toward Lou Tiannan.

His eyes darkened with a blood-red hue. Veins bulged across his forehead and arms, and the energy surging through his bloodstream threatened to make him explode. Seeing the mutant zombie approaching, he barely managed to push Song Yan aside. Black flames roared to life around him. He could hear the blood vessels inside his body bursting, but he did not stop channeling his power.

No matter what, he couldn’t let his teammates die.

“Captain Lou! No!” Wen Xiaxia shouted in alarm. He was burning his own energy to take the zombie down with him! She struggled to get up, but her body was too weak to obey and she collapsed again.

Lin Bai glanced at Lou Tiannan with mild surprise. His resolute face was full of unwavering determination, ready to face death without hesitation.

How noble.

She truly admired the soon-to-be-martyred warrior.

She quickly scanned the area to search for cover, just in case Lou Tiannan’s body exploded. He could die; she couldn’t.

The zombie lunged at Lou Tiannan and he swung his fist in retaliation.

Lin Bai also found her hiding spot.

The moment their fist and claw clashed—

“Captain Lou!!!” The team’s frantic shouts were drowned out by the explosive crack of a gunshot.

Bang!

The mutant zombie’s left arm was hit by a bullet and was severed on the spot, the limb flying far away.

Everyone froze in shock.

From the distance, the sound of an engine rumbled closer.

The scattered firelight illuminated an approaching military vehicle, revealing the distinctive camouflage of a Federal armored truck.

On top of the vehicle, Zhu Liang lay poised, his sharp gaze fixed ahead. Smoke curled from the barrel of the sniper rifle in his hands that he had just fired.

“Brother Liang! It’s Brother Liang!!!”

“A safe zone vehicle! The rescue team is here!”

Recognizing the situation, Zhou Yu’s voice was filled with excitement.

Zhu Liang adjusted his aim toward the zombie’s head and pulled the trigger.

Another gunshot rang out.

The mutant zombie reacted instantly, dodging at lightning speed. The bullet missed its head but tore a hole through its chest.

Those were high-damage rounds, specifically developed by the military for combating zombies.

Realizing that Zhu Liang had already lined up another shot, the mutant zombie let out a furious shriek. It quickly unleashed a wave of fire as cover and, using the darkness to its advantage, fled the scene.

Wen Xiaxia exhaled a deep breath and collapsed onto the ground completely.

Two minutes later, the rescue team’s armored truck pulled up in front of them. Zhu Liang and his team stepped out to meet the survivors.

After the fierce battle, everyone was covered in dust, their clothes tattered, but when they looked at each other, their eyes were filled with excitement. They had survived.

Before they could even exchange a word, Lu Jia’s panicked voice rang out from the side, “Captain Lou!”

They all turned in alarm, just in time to see Lou Tiannan sway and collapse toward the ground.

Lin Bai, who was the closest to him, instinctively stepped back.

Thud!

Lou Tiannan hit the ground hard, his forehead scraping against it and leaving a bloody mark.

Lu Jia glared at Lin Bai furiously, his fists clenching tight.

***

Lou Tiannan had a complicated dream.

In it, there were zombies, Blood Bone… and the barrel of a gun pointed straight at him.

Behind the gun was a pair of eyes lined with eyeliner and shadow. They looked ordinary and calm.

Bang!

She pulled the trigger.

Lou Tiannan’s eyes snapped open.

He paused for two seconds, realizing he was lying face down on a bed. The moment he tried to move, waves of soreness and pain radiated from his limbs, especially his arms. They ached so much he could barely lift them.

But as his body adjusted to the pain, he quickly noticed that his ability energy had advanced significantly.

“Please refrain from moving for now. Unit Z07 will conduct a health check,” a robotic voice announced beside him. At the same time, the medical robot alerted Wen Xiaxia and the others that he had regained consciousness.

It was an outdated model of a medical robot, but in the apocalypse, only the old machines were still operational.

Newer robots had all gone offline due to the collapse of satellite networks and other infrastructure.

Wen Xiaxia arrived quickly. Within a minute or two, Lou Tiannan had already recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness.

“Captain Lou, how are you feeling?”

As the robot removed the monitoring wires from his body, Lou Tiannan sat up, rubbing his shoulder and flexing his arm. “I’m fine. How’s Song Yan?” He vividly remembered the moment she had been grabbed by the zombie.

“She’s fine. Luckily, her tricky earth ability activated just in time, so the zombie’s claws didn’t harm her,” Wen Xiaxia said with relief.

“The others are all okay too. Some are injured but nothing serious. Everything’s been treated and they’re resting now. The survivors have also been safely transferred to the safe zone.” She knew exactly what Lou Tiannan would ask about and relayed the updates methodically.

Thinking back to the previous night, Wen Xiaxia still felt a lingering fear. “Good thing Brother Liang hadn’t driven too far away. He happened to run into the Fourth Squad who had just returned from an outer-zone search. He immediately brought reinforcements back to save us. Otherwise, I don’t even want to imagine what could’ve happened.

“After you lost consciousness, we were carried onto the truck and taken to the safe zone. This is the New City Safe Zone and the person in charge here is Minister Xiang Cheng from our Military Defense Department.”

“Xiang Cheng?” Lou Tiannan asked in confusion. Before they set out, Xiang Cheng had still been in the Eastern District One Safe Zone. How had he ended up in New City Safe Zone?

“Yes, it’s Minister Xiang. I only woke up not long ago myself. The minister will explain everything in detail later.”

As they spoke, Lou Tiannan slowly got out of bed. He was wearing only a pair of black combat pants since his upper body was too injured for a shirt. His shoulders and back were wrapped in bandages, and with every movement, his tanned arms and well-defined abdominal muscles were clearly visible.

The soreness in his body constantly reminded him that he needed rest, but he acted as if nothing was wrong, grabbing a shirt from the rack and putting it on. There was still a lot he had to do.

Looking into the dressing mirror, he noticed that his forehead was also bandaged.

Seeing him reach up to touch it, Wen Xiaxia said softly, “You hit your forehead pretty hard, so we wrapped it up.”

Staring at the bandage, Lou Tiannan suddenly remembered something. “Where’s Lin Bai?”

“She should be resting right now,” Wen Xiaxia said. After hesitating for a moment, she added, “She doesn’t seem to be doing well.”

Lou Tiannan paused while buttoning his shirt. “Is she badly injured?”

“No.” Wen Xiaxia shook her head. “She looked at the star map and overheard people saying that the researchers at the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute were probably all dead. After that, she went back to her room and never came out.”

The 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute…

A deep look flashed through Lou Tiannan’s gray eyes.

That was where her partner was.

Did she really have a partner there?

Lou Tiannan had always been skeptical about Lin Bai having a partner at the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute. Now, hearing Wen Xiaxia’s account, he found himself lost in thought. It was hard to imagine what kind of person would be Lin Bai’s partner, especially for a Beta like her.

“What about the third-tier crystal cores?” Lou Tiannan asked.

“Lin Bai took two of them. Since Sister Yan was unconscious, Brother Liang temporarily held onto the remaining three. After we arrived at the safe zone, they were handed over to the minister.”

“I see. Where’s Xiang Cheng? I need to see him.”

“The minister is waiting for you in his office on the third floor.”

Lou Tiannan nodded and stepped out of the room.

***

Xiang Cheng, fifty years old, was the minister in charge of the Fourth Squad in the Military Defense Department and the leader of the New City Safe Zone. He looked older than his actual age, with graying temples, deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and forehead, and a weathered complexion marked by the hardships of time. Yet, his sharp and determined eyes carried an undeniable air of authority.

He stood upright in front of a large map spread across his office desk, deep in thought.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Lou Tiannan entered and, without hesitation, asked, “How did you get from Eastern District One to New City? What happened there?”

Xiang Cheng snorted. “Still as rude as ever.” His words sounded annoyed, but his expression was quite the opposite, filled with unhidden concern. “How’s your body holding up?”

“I’m fine. What exactly happened?”

“Not long after you left, the number of zombies around Eastern District One suddenly surged. At the same time, the New City Safe Zone was severely lacking in combat power. After much deliberation, I led a team to relocate here. In just three days, Eastern District One completely fell and the number of infected kept increasing,” Xiang Cheng summed up the situation in a few sentences.

“New City won’t be able to hold out for much longer either. The only relatively good news is that zombies aren’t very smart. As long as we mask our scent and stay silent, most zombies won’t be able to detect humans. Because of this, we’re developing an underground safe zone. The soil provides the best insulation against sound and smell.”

Xiang Cheng pointed to a section in the corner of the map, where an underground safe zone was beginning to take shape.

Lou Tiannan nodded, but his gaze shifted to another section of the map nearby. His brows furrowed. “These…”

The map depicted the Federation territory where they lived, marked with different colors. White represented the Aurora Church’s activity zone, green indicated safe zones, gray signified areas where marauders frequently appeared, and black denoted zombie-infested territories.

Looking at the map, the gray and black sections dominated most of it, with only a few scattered green areas lighting up. There were even more white sections than green ones.

The New City Safe Zone, where they were currently located, was one of the green sections.

However, when he set out on a mission from the safe zone three months ago, the map didn’t look like this.

“The Federation’s safe zones are getting fewer and fewer,” Xiang Cheng sighed.

Luo Tiannan gazed at the grim sections filled with bloodthirsty marauders, zombies, and other desperate criminals, his eyes dark. “I will take them back.”

The words were arrogant, but Xiang Cheng didn’t refute them. Instead, he said, “You have a more important mission right now.”

Xiang Cheng turned, walked to the desk, and picked up a file stamped with a red ‘Top Secret’ seal. He handed it to Luo Tiannan. “This is a mission directly from the Federation’s leader.”

Luo Tiannan hesitated for a moment before taking the file. Inside, there was only a single sheet of paper and a thumb-sized ID metal card. The mission details consisted of just one line.

The 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute, Original Blood Vaccine.

Luo Tiannan frowned. “Wasn’t this mission assigned to the First Squad?”

At the time, the First Squad and the Third Squad had separate missions. The First Squad was tasked with retrieving specific information on the original blood vaccine from the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute, while the Third Squad went to Western District Seven to rescue survivors who had sent out a distress signal.

“The First Squad was stationed outside the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute.” Xiang Cheng looked at Luo Tiannan, a flash of pain in his eyes. “They were completely wiped out.”

The office remained silent for a long time.

Xiang Cheng finally spoke, “This is also one of the reasons we relocated to the New City Safe Zone.”

Luo Tiannan said nothing. He simply unfolded the mission file again, staring at the black ink on white paper, which seemed to carry the scent of blood.

“The original blood vaccine concerns the future of all humankind, but this mission will be even more dangerous than three months ago.” Xiang Cheng pointed at the map, where the area surrounding the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute had already turned black.

When the First Squad set out, there were still fragments of green near the research institute. Now, they were all black. The 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute itself was marked in yellow, a color indicating extreme danger.

Luo Tiannan pulled out a thin cord of special material from his belt, threaded it through the ID metal card, and hung it around his neck. His voice was firm, “I will never retreat.”

Xiang Cheng patted his shoulder without saying more and quickly switched into battle preparation mode. Pointing at the map, he outlined the route, “The scouting team has already mapped out the situation nearby. Leaving the New City Safe Zone, you’ll pass through the Central City before reaching Tongtian Port. Tongtian Port has fallen to the zombies. When you pass through, be extremely cautious.

“To the south is the Central-Southern border zone, a gathering place for rogue ability users. It’s full of outlaws; Blood Bone, Red Sand, and others operate actively there. The Federation can’t offer much support in this area, so you’ll need to assess the situation and determine your route accordingly. After passing through the marauder-controlled zone, you’ll enter a white zone, where you’ll be somewhat safer. The Federation and the Aurora Church have established cooperation. Maybe some Aurora priests will assist you…”

Luo Tiannan pointed at the section below the Central-Southern border zone. “Why not go directly to Eastern District Two and cooperate with the Law Enforcement Department?”

He would rather deal with Elena’s jurisdiction than those mysterious and superstitious Aurora people.

Xiang Cheng was silent for a long time, so long that Luo Tiannan began to wonder if something had happened to Elena. But the answer Xiang Cheng finally gave was even more shocking.

“Elena has betrayed the Federation.”

***

“What?!” Zhou Yu sat up in bed. “Captain Elena betrayed the Federation?”

“Impossible! That’s not possible!” Lu Jia also shouted in disbelief.

Even Zhu Liang, usually steady and composed, looked shocked. “How could Captain Elena possibly betray us?”

They had all met Elena from the Law Enforcement Department. She was upright and unwavering in her principles, intolerant of evil. Before the apocalypse, she was the most likely candidate to take over as head of the Law Enforcement Department. After the apocalypse, she remained committed to eliminating zombies and criminals. How could she have turned traitor?

“If anyone was least likely to betray the Federation, it was her!” Lu Jia said loudly.

“Keep your voice down,” a soldier from the Military Defense’s Second Squad warned. “You’ll understand everything at the meeting later.” His tone was heavy. “Elena really did defect.

“In fact, there were signs for a while. A few months before your mission, communication with Eastern District Two started decreasing. At first, we thought it was a network issue, but then Eastern District Two outright refused cooperation with the Aurora Church, cut ties with us completely, and even shut down their regional gates. That’s when we realized that Elena had defected.”

The members of the Military Defense’s Third Squad fell into silence.

If anyone in the Federation had been known for their integrity, it was Luo Tiannan and Elena. And yet, she had defected.

Someone muttered, “The apocalypse changes too many things.”