Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 26

Just as everyone was lost in emotion, Lin Bai coolly remarked from the side, “Yeah, it is pretty. Looks just like your face, red like a monkey’s butt.”

Xi Ya felt utterly wronged and clung to Lin Bai’s leg, whining, “Mom!”

With Lin Bai’s interruption, the group set aside their momentary melancholy. Their priority was reclaiming the safe zones one by one and leading the survivors out of the apocalypse.

Only by surviving could they have hope.

That being said, looking at the swarms of zombies wandering between the shipping containers under the sunset weighed heavily on their hearts. The once bustling Tongtian Port had become a death trap, now one of their most dangerous obstacles.

They sat in a circle, studying the map and discussing their options.

With aircraft no longer functional, there were only two ways to cross Tongtian Port, by boat or by bridge.

But after scanning the port with binoculars, Song Yan saw that thousands of zombies were crowding the docked cargo ships. If they wanted to take a boat, they would first have to carve a bloody path to the ships, then clear out every zombie on board, all without drawing more zombies from the surrounding area.

The time, effort, and risk were simply too high.

If boats were out of the question, that left the bridges.

Tongtian Port had dozens of bridges. The three closest to them included one that was damaged, leaving them with two options.

Taking turns with the binoculars, they surveyed the bridges. Unfortunately, neither was in good shape. Both were littered with overturned vehicles and crawling with zombies.

“Isn’t the middle bridge a little better?” Zhou Yu asked while peering through the binoculars.

“You might want to take a closer look at what’s inside those trucks,” Song Yan replied.

Zhou Yu adjusted the focus and saw that the trucks were packed with zombies. He coughed awkwardly and said, “Let’s check out the bridge on the left instead.”

The left bridge had fewer zombies, but it was much longer. Crossing it would take three times as long, and spending too much time on the bridge would only increase the risk.

As they hesitated between the two, Lou Tiannan put down his binoculars and said, “We’re taking the right bridge, the broken one.”

“The right one?” The group was stunned and turned their binoculars toward the damaged bridge.

For some unknown reason, about two-thirds of the bridge had been blown apart, leaving a gap of about five or six meters between the two sides.

But precisely because of that gap, there were very few zombies on the bridge, and there was a buffer zone on the other side. Aside from the missing section, it was actually the best option.

Song Yan agreed. “I think it’s doable. The right bridge has the fewest zombies. We can use our abilities to cover the gap.”

After discussing further, they quickly decided to take the broken bridge.

Now, their biggest challenge was getting past the hordes of zombies in the port to reach it.

Driving wasn’t an option. Not only would they be too obvious, but the port was full of scattered corpses and heavy machinery, making the terrain difficult to navigate. They’d likely be surrounded before they even got far.

Relying solely on their abilities wasn’t feasible either.

Grenades and explosives were too loud.

One by one, their possible plans were ruled out.

Lu Jia, impatient as always, said, “If nothing else works, I can take some explosives, lure the zombies away, and blast a path through.”

Hearing this, Lin Bai decided she should interact with Lu Jia less in the future.

Zhu Liang disagreed. “If you set off an explosion, you’ll be in serious danger.”

Song Yan also tried to dissuade him. “Yeah, Little Lu, don’t be reckless.”

“We can use explosives to break through,” Lou Tiannan suddenly said.

“Huh?”

Everyone turned to look at him in confusion.

Lou Tiannan tapped the map twice. “We’ll split into two groups. One assault team will drive in, spread the explosives, and draw the zombies’ attention. Meanwhile, the others will seize the opportunity to get onto the bridge. Once the explosives are set, I’ll ignite them, and the assault team will use that window to retreat.”

After hearing Lou Tiannan’s plan, they realized it was a viable option. The explosion would make a lot of noise, but that was unavoidable. It was the best strategy they had.

“I’ll drive for the assault team!” Lu Jia volunteered.

“You can’t,” Lou Tiannan said firmly, scanning the group before settling on his choice. “Song Yan and Xiaxia have to go.”

Zhu Liang immediately understood his reasoning. “Fire damage is less effective against earth- and water-based abilities. Plus, we need you and Zhou Yu to repair the gap in the bridge.”

Song Yan and Wen Xiaxia, the ones chosen, nodded without hesitation. “Got it, we’ll go.”

Lou Tiannan then mapped out a detailed plan for them, including the exact route they would take, where they would plant the explosives, where they would detonate them, and how they should use their abilities to minimize or avoid injury. Every step was meticulously arranged to ensure their safety.

After hearing the plan, both of them felt reassured.

“Keep the radio communication open at all times tomorrow. If anything goes wrong, tell me immediately,” Lou Tiannan instructed seriously. “Your safety comes first.”

“Understood, Captain!”

By the time they finished strategizing, night had already fallen. They took turns standing watch, gathering their strength for the next day’s escape through the port.

Song Yan had the first watch and since Lin Bai didn’t need sleep, she went straight to her and asked, “Your earth ability seems different. Is it an internalized ability?”

Song Yan glanced at Lin Bai in surprise. Seeing that she had figured it out, she didn’t bother hiding it. “Yes. That’s why I can’t use it for combat like Zhou Yu and the others. It only works to protect myself in critical situations.”

There was a hint of regret in her voice, as she had always thought her awakened ability was pretty useless.

Lin Bai recalled the time when the mutant zombie attacked Song Yan and ended up grabbing a handful of sand instead. “How much of your body can you internalize?” she asked.

Song Yan eyed Lin Bai suspiciously. “Why are you asking?”

Lin Bai lazily replied, “If you can only partially transform, then yeah, it’s just enough for self-preservation. But if you could convert your entire body, you might be able to use your ability to take enemies by surprise.”

Song Yan was stunned for a moment before she laughed. “That’s easier said than done. I’ve had this ability for a year and I can only transform about a third of my body at most.”

“Can you split the transformation into separate parts?” Lin Bai asked. “If you can divide it into three sections and cycle through them, even if it’s a bit complicated, wouldn’t that still give you an advantage?”

“Separate…” This was a perspective Song Yan had never considered before.

Seeing her deep in thought, Lin Bai didn’t disturb her. From her point of view, the team was strong, but if they were planning to go to the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute, their current strength wouldn’t be enough. She had no desire to witness another complete wipeout.

***

At 7 AM, the vehicle was fully loaded with bags of explosives. Song Yan was in the driver’s seat, while Wen Xiaxia sat in the back on the same side. Both were suited up in heat-resistant protective gear, ready to go.

The other six were fully armed, wrapped up tightly from head to toe with no skin exposed, ensuring that as little human scent as possible leaked out.

After going over the route one last time, Song Yan made an ‘OK’ gesture.

Wen Xiaxia, worried they wouldn’t attract enough zombies, had even brought a bag of blood to use when needed.

Once everything was set, the other five people clung to the underside of the vehicle, with Xi Ya nestled in Lou Tiannan’s arms.

As expected, the moment the vehicle entered the port, it immediately caught the zombies’ attention. The car sped through the area, but the zombies frantically chased after it. The sheer number of them packed tightly together in a massive horde was terrifying.

As they neared the broken bridge, the five people under the car swiftly let go, rolling off into a nearby shipping container.

A cloud of dust kicked up as Wen Xiaxia sprinkled the blood, mixing its scent with the explosives. Thanks to their speed, none of the zombies noticed them slipping away.

Most of the zombies in the port had now been lured away by Song Yan’s vehicle.

Lou Tiannan and his team sprinted toward the broken bridge at top speed.

As they neared it, Zhu Liang and Lin Bai provided cover fire, taking out the remaining zombies on the bridge while Zhou Yu and Lu Jia quickly used their abilities to patch up the five-meter gap.

Standing on the bridge, Lou Tiannan watched Song Yan and Wen Xiaxia’s vehicle and spoke on the radio with a steady voice, “Get ready to turn back. Xiaxia, create a clearing in three seconds. You two, brace yourselves. Song Yan, speed up.”

Song Yan’s voice came through the radio, “Captain Lou, zombies are blocking the road ahead. There’s a second-tier zombie among them.”

“Close the windows and drive straight through. I’ll clear the way for you,” Lou Tiannan replied as he gathered his energy in his palm.

Watching as the camo off-road vehicle picked up speed, Lou Tiannan locked onto the moving car and started counting down.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

As the countdown ended, he hurled a fireball into the zombie horde behind the vehicle, using his other hand to unleash a stream of fire to clear a path.

The moment the fireball landed, it was like setting off fireworks and the zombies covered in explosives ignited one after another.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Mushroom clouds of fire rose into the air, one after another.

But then something unexpected happened. Explosions erupted within the zombie horde in front of the vehicle as well.

Lou Tiannan’s expression darkened.

Some zombies that had been coated with explosives had changed their course!

Damn it. When did that happen?!

He had overlooked the presence of high-level zombies in the horde.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions kept going.

And it wasn’t just one!

The explosion from nearby zombies sent the vehicle spinning before it was swallowed by thick smoke. The chain of explosions continued, making the smoke even denser.

It became so thick that the zombies were almost impossible to see. From their vantage point, the vehicle had completely disappeared.

Watching the heavy layers of smoke and hearing the continuous blasts, everyone felt a tightness in their chest.

“Song Yan? Say something!” Lou Tiannan called into the radio, his voice steady but urgent as he sprinted toward the base of the bridge. “Song Yan? Xiaxia?”

Xi Ya listened to the explosions, staring at the port in fear and worry.

Zhou Yu and Lu Jia gritted their teeth as they continued laying down planks. They knew that even if Song Yan and Wen Xiaxia hadn’t made it, they still had to cross that bridge.

The explosions kept coming, tension weighing on everyone’s hearts. Despite their fear, they clung to the small hope that Song Yan and Wen Xiaxia were still alive.

Just as Lou Tiannan was about to charge into the smoke, the sound of an engine roared through the chaos.

Vroom! Whoosh—!

A black camouflage off-road vehicle shot through the smoke and flames, racing toward the broken bridge.

The driver’s window rolled down and a hand stretched out, flashing an ‘OK’ gesture.

Lou Tiannan’s brow relaxed slightly and the others unconsciously let out a breath of relief.

Before the vehicle had even come to a full stop, Song Yan and Wen Xiaxia had already jumped out.

There was no time for words. Everyone instinctively ran toward the broken bridge.

The gap in the bridge was still about one or two meters short of being fully repaired. Lou Tiannan made a quick decision. “Jump across!”

Zhou Yu carried Xi Ya and leaped over first, followed closely by Lu Jia, Zhu Liang, and Lin Bai. Wen Xiaxia and Song Yan moved quickly, making it across as well. Once he confirmed his team was safe, Lou Tiannan launched a burst of flames behind him to block the approaching zombies before leaping toward the other side himself.

He was still mid-air when—

Boom!

A burst of fire suddenly shot toward him.

Lou Tiannan’s body twisted as the force threw him off balance. Losing control, he started falling toward the gap below.

“Captain Lou!”

Lu Jia and Zhou Yu reacted instantly, their abilities springing into action. Lu Jia’s wooden vines and Zhou Yu’s metal chain shot out, catching Lou Tiannan just in time.

Just as they were about to pull him up, another fireball came hurtling toward them.