Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 25

After getting the answer he wanted, Lou Tiannan gave the fugitive murderer the ending he deserved.

Once that was taken care of, he quickly reported the situation to the other two teams via radio and arranged a meetup. He chose a café near the plaza as their rendezvous point.

Zhou Yu and Song Yan’s group, being the closest, arrived first. The moment they stepped inside, they saw Lin Bai holding a compact mirror, touching up her makeup with a powder puff.

Ignoring the dried corpses sprawled across the café counter and the scattered limbs on the floor, for a brief second, it almost felt like a normal, peaceful afternoon. Just an ordinary person enjoying a moment of leisure in a café.

Beside her, Xi Ya sat with a messy face, braiding the hair of the doll in her hands.

Turning their gaze, they saw Lou Tiannan standing silently to the side, saying nothing.

Zhou Yu and Song Yan exchanged glances. Something about the atmosphere felt… off.

Wanting to break the strange tension, Song Yan smiled and teased Xi Ya, “Xi Ya, did you go rolling in the dirt? Your face looks like a little kitten’s.”

Xi Ya looked up in surprise, touched her face, and sure enough, her fingers came away dirty.

She glanced at Lin Bai, who was still fixing her makeup, and without hesitation, hugged her doll and walked over. Tilting her little face up, she said, “Mommy, big sister said my face is dirty.”

Lin Bai had just finished touching up her foundation and was now applying eyeliner. Without even looking at Xi Ya, she grabbed a white towel from the stack beside her and placed it over the child’s face. “Wipe it yourself.”

Receiving the towel from Lin Bai, Xi Ya happily plopped onto the chair beside her, swinging her legs as she clumsily wiped her face.

Song Yan, hoping to get some information out of her, said, “Xi Ya, you still have some dirt left. Let me help you clean it off.”

Xi Ya hopped off the chair and handed the towel to Song Yan.

Just as Song Yan was helping Xi Ya wipe her face, Zhu Liang’s group arrived.

The first thing they heard upon entering was Song Yan pulling Xi Ya aside and whispering, “Xi Ya, what happened between Captain Lou and your mom? Why aren’t they talking to each other?”

Xi Ya tilted her head and replied, “When Mommy was fighting the bad guys, Big Brother Captain was standing there spacing out. So now Mommy doesn’t want to talk to Big Brother Captain anymore.”

Everyone: “…”

Lou Tiannan’s number one fan, Lu Jia, blurted out, “Impossible!”

Xi Ya puffed up her cheeks in anger, her round eyes glaring. “Xi Ya saw it with her own eyes!”

Neither Lu Jia nor Xi Ya was willing to back down. They locked eyes and sparks seemed to fly between them.

“Meeting,” Lou Tiannan’s voice interrupted the side conversation.

He briefly explained their encounter with Blood Bone and the likelihood of an attack on the New City Safe Zone. Then, using a piece of paper, he sketched a rough map of what he and Lin Bai had scouted. Finally, he said, “Qiu Tu is in Morda City, Southern District Three. We need to contact New City Safe Zone as soon as possible and warn them to strengthen their defenses against a possible sneak attack from Blood Bone.”

“Minister Xiang prepared a telegraph machine for us. Let me try it!” Zhou Yu pulled out the old, decades-old telegraph machine that Xiang Cheng had provided. He adjusted the antenna for a long time but eventually shook his head in disappointment. “No good. This old machine can send telegraphs, but it has a range limit. We’re in Xihai City and New City is over 500 kilometers away. The signal won’t reach.”

Zhu Liang asked, “Is there no signal station near Xihai City we can connect to?”

Zhou Yu shook his head. “For some reason, Xihai City’s signal has been unstable and barely connects at all.”

Ever since the apocalypse, the Star Domain Network has suffered severe disruptions, forcing them to rely on outdated technology with serious limitations.

As the group grew frustrated, Lin Bai sat nearby, casually applying blush. The soft pink powder gave her skin a fresh, lively glow. Xi Ya watched eagerly and wanted some too, so Lin Bai gave her a bright red ‘monkey butt’ look.

“Is this really the time for makeup?!” Lu Jia was exasperated when he saw Lin Bai’s nonchalant attitude.

Lin Bai glanced at him, her tone mocking, “Your captain had the time to space out while I was fighting. What’s wrong with me putting on some makeup?”

She said this right in front of Lou Tiannan. Lu Jia turned to look at him, but Lou Tiannan simply stared at Lin Bai and said, “I’ll explain this to you later.”

Lin Bai nodded. “Oh, still figuring out how to make excuses?”

Sensing the rising tension, Wen Xiaxia suddenly thought of how calm Lin Bai had been during surgery. She wasn’t sure why, but she asked, “Lin Bai, do you have an idea?”

“I do,” Lin Bai replied lightly.

“Really?!” The group immediately perked up, standing in excitement. “What is it?”

Lin Bai raised one finger. “A third-tier crystal core.”

“That’s a bit steep…” Zhou Yu muttered.

“It wouldn’t have cost this much originally. The extra is for my emotional damages.” Lin Bai shot a meaningful glance at someone.

“You say you have a plan, but who knows if you’re just bluffing?” Lu Jia crossed his arms, clearly skeptical.

“Are you giving me the crystal core or not?” Lin Bai looked directly at Lou Tiannan. The principle she always followed was simple. Payment first, then delivery, never on credit.

Seeing her determined expression, Lou Tiannan took a third-tier crystal core from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Captain Lou!” Lu Jia was anxious.

Lin Bai didn’t give them a chance to regret it. She reached out, took the crystal core, and after securing it, opened the bag beside the table, pulling out a package full of parts.

Everyone recognized the package immediately. Wasn’t this the stuff she had dismantled from the adult toy shop in Western District One?

Under their puzzled gazes, Lin Bai spread out the parts one by one. She then picked up a black stone and said, “This is the embedded magnetic stone from an M-brand massage wand. M-brand products are known for their ultra-sensitive remote control feature, which is advertised as a key selling point. And the secret behind this gimmick is…”

“Stop, stop, stop! Why are you explaining all this nonsense?!” Lu Jia felt like Lin Bai was putting on a show.

Lin Bai glanced at Lou Tiannan. “Tell the unnecessary people to shut up, or I’ll be doubling my mental compensation fee.”

Lou Tiannan glanced at Lu Jia. Lu Jia, though unwilling, pressed his lips together and stepped behind Lou Tiannan, suppressing his frustration.

Lin Bai picked up a roll of wire and showed it. “This is the conductor.”

Then she held up the silicone outer shell of the massage wand. “This is the insulator.”

“This,” Lin Bai continued, holding up the black stone, “is the core of M-brand’s marketing trick, a super-strong magnet.” When powered, the magnet creates a magnetic field, allowing for remote control sensitivity.

Before she could continue, Zhu Liang suddenly understood. “If we wrap the magnet with wire and cover it with an insulator, it amplifies the magnetism several times. Once powered, it forms an electromagnetic field. By using the existing ground wire, we can extend the electromagnetic field even further. This way, we create a small signal relay station, which can receive and transmit signals.”

Lin Bai gave Zhu Liang an approving look. “You’re smarter than the rest of them.”

Xi Ya was completely lost. Conductors? Magnets? She didn’t understand a word, but that didn’t stop her from gazing at Lin Bai in admiration. “Mom is amazing!”

Zhou Yu, resting his head on his hand, looked troubled. “But there’s still a problem. Even with the ground wire, this small relay station can only cover a 300-kilometer range. That’s useless for us. Are you saying we have to drive 200 kilometers back just to place the signal station?”

“No, I already set it up.”

“You already set it up?” Everyone was stunned. “When?”

Lin Bai said nothing, but they quickly recalled that they had stopped once while driving. After handling personal needs, they continued the journey swiftly.

“Was it when we stopped for a bathroom break?”

“That can’t be right. Why couldn’t I detect the signal earlier then?”

“Frequency tuning,” Lin Bai replied casually, reciting a string of numbers. “332***42.”

Zhou Yu immediately grabbed the telegraph machine and tried it out. Beep beep beep, doo doo doo…

The signal light on the telegraph machine lit up. A moment later, under everyone’s expectant gaze, Zhou Yu’s face lit up with excitement. “It’s connected!”

A few minutes later, they successfully used the signal relay Lin Bai had set up to connect with Xiang Cheng’s communication channel. Once connected, transmitting messages was easy. They quickly relayed their message to Xiang Cheng using a special Morse code and received confirmation.

After finishing, Zhou Yu put away the telegraph machine, both thrilled and amazed. “Lin Bai, you’re a genius!”

Lin Bai remained unfazed, her calm expression unchanged as she continued applying a monkey’s red butt for Xi Ya. The bright red cheeks made Zhou Yu feel a little embarrassed to even look directly at them.

With this task settled, the group felt relieved and began discussing their next course of action. Song Yan glanced at Lu Jia, who looked uneasy after realizing something and reminded him, “Little Lu, don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. Don’t assume she’ll do something before she actually does.”

Lu Jia lowered his head. “I understand, Sister Yan.”

After informing Xiang Cheng about the possible attack on the New City Safe Zone by the Blood Bone gang, they didn’t linger. Following their planned route, they drove toward Tongtian Port.

Lou Tiannan and his team moved swiftly and discreetly. Many knew they were heading to Eastern District One, but no one expected them to reach Xihai City from the New City Safe Zone in less than a day, thanks to the high-performance vehicle Xiang Cheng had prepared for them.

Leaving Xihai City, they were now close to Tongtian Port, the largest cargo hub in the entire Star region. Spanning both the Western and Eastern Districts, its name reflected its vast reach.

Not only did it handle the highest cargo traffic in the Star region, but it also ranked among the top three in human traffic. After the apocalypse, when all airborne vehicles failed, cargo ships became one of the few means of escape. Residents from Xihai City and surrounding areas flocked to Tongtian Port in hopes of survival.

But with the outbreak of massive zombie hordes, the port had turned into a living hell.

As they drove, they saw overturned trucks and countless corpses littering both sides of the road. Their specially designed combat goggles picked up an increasing number of active zombies.

As night fell, zombie activity became even more frequent. Under those conditions, it was clear they couldn’t continue driving forward.

Before they entered a zone where zombies might detect them, they found an overturned truck by the roadside to use as cover and stopped to rest for the night.

“Mom, the sky is so beautiful,” Xi Ya murmured, clutching her doll. Her dark, shining eyes reflected the colorful sky above.

Hearing this, the group looked up. In the distance, Tongtian Port glowed under the setting sun. The golden hues slowly spread across the clouds and shimmering light scattered over the distant sea. Large cargo ships floated silently on the water, painting a picture of peace and beauty, as if the apocalypse had never happened and the port was still thriving as it once had.

The fleeting glimpse of beauty amid the apocalypse stirred something in them. Wen Xiaxia and Lu Jia’s eyes reddened slightly. They had almost forgotten what the world was like before it all fell apart.