Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 3

Chang Qi pressed his hands together and formed a massive fireball that he hurled at the zombie horde, blasting open a temporary gap that he used to barely escape the clothing store.

But zombies didn’t feel pain. They quickly trampled over their fallen kin and closed in on him once more.

“Brother!”

Chang Ping called out as a vine wrapped around Chang Qi’s waist, yanking him up to the second floor.

Finally, he could catch his breath.

“You motherf*cking bastard!” He grabbed Sun Yuan by the collar. “Why the hell didn’t you say there were two third-tier zombies?!”

“Two?!” Sun Yuan looked just as shocked.

Seeing that Sun Yuan seemed genuinely clueless, Chang Qi let go of his shirt with an angry shove. “Two!”

“Brother Chang, should we retreat for now?” someone suggested.

“No, let’s try again!” Chang Qi stared at the clothing store. Two third-tier zombies meant two third-tier crystal cores. If they could take them down, he was guaranteed a share.

A plan formed quickly in his mind. He turned to the others. “Put up a wall to block the other zombies. Keep those trash from ruining this. I’m going back in. Chang Ping, if things go south, pull me back immediately.”

“Got it!” the group responded.

Suddenly, a massive earthen wall rose in the middle of the mall, separating the first-tier zombies. Some of them immediately began clawing and climbing.

Chang Qi was suspended in mid-air by vines in the center of the mall. He pressed his hands together, forming a massive fireball, and hurled it straight into the clothing store.

Boom!

An explosion shook the building, nearly blowing the store’s roof off. Flames and embers scattered in all directions.

As the smoke cleared, Chang Qi’s sharp eyes spotted the larger zombie lying on the ground.

The other zombies, now even more frenzied, slammed themselves against the earthen wall.

Cracks formed instantly. Dust and debris crumbled down.

“Brother Chang, we can’t hold it! The wall’s about to collapse!”

Chang Qi looked at the downed giant zombie, unwilling to retreat just yet. He landed and sprinted toward it, ready to finish the job.

But in a flash, a small and agile figure lunged at him.

Instinctively, he jumped back, barely dodging the smaller zombie’s razor-sharp claws.

The front of his shirt was slashed, but thanks to its durable fabric, it only left a gray scratch mark.

Forming five or six fireballs in his palm, he flung them all at once, one hitting the small zombie’s shoulder.

Just as he focused on attacking it, he heard Chang Ping’s urgent shout, “Brother, behind you!”

The warning came too late.

Chang Qi barely managed to lean forward before a heavy blow struck his back, sending him sprawling forward.

Vines shot out again, wrapping around him, but this time, pulling him back wasn’t so easy.

A swarm of zombies clawed and grabbed at him, blocking his escape.

Chang Ping tried to bind the zombies with vines, but there were too many. The moment he restrained one wave, another broke free.

Chang Qi, after all, was an A-rank ability user. The few seconds that Chang Ping bought him were enough. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he used the zombies’ bodies as leverage and leaped into the air.

Finally, the vines caught him and yanked him out of the zombies’ reach.

“Go!”

Any more delays and they would all die there.

“We can’t!” Sun Yuan shouted.

Only then did Chang Qi realize that at some point, the second floor was filled with even more zombies.

Even worse, the ones missing limbs seemed to move even faster, their claws slashing wildly. In mere moments, two ability users were wounded.

No words were needed.

Without hesitation, someone killed the injured ability users before they could turn.

Chang Qi’s group was forced back to a corner of the second floor, using the earthen wall as their last defense.

“What now?!”

Chang Qi and Chang Ping exchanged a glance, immediately understanding each other.

With these deadweights, they wouldn’t make it out alive.

But if it was just the two of them, they could escape.

In perfect sync, they began to step back with hands reaching behind them to shove someone forward as zombie bait—

Vroom!!!

A deafening engine roar from the mall entrance froze them in place.

A heavily modified black pickup truck plowed into the mall and mowed down the zombies in its path.

With screeching brakes and a sharp L-shaped drift, zombies were crunched beneath the tires.

Before the truck even came to a full stop, four figures in blue-black combat uniforms leaped out with submachine guns in hand.

They were Federation soldiers.

The moment they landed, they opened fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets rained down, shells flew, and zombies collapsed one after another.

Meanwhile, the black pickup continued its rampage and smashed through the horde.

With the truck covering them, no zombie could get near the four soldiers.

They had excellent marksmanship and almost exploded a zombie’s head with every shot.

In just ten minutes, half of the zombies in the hall were gone.

The tall, blond zombie let out a sharp roar and the zombies on the second floor immediately leaped down toward the four people.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Rat-a-tat-tat!

The four of them stood back to back in a circle, machine guns in hand, firing in all directions without a single blind spot. Many zombies were riddled with bullets mid-air before they even landed.

Chang Qi and the others immediately felt the pressure ease.

“Brother Chang, we…” Sun Yuan turned to look at Chang Qi upon noticing the unexpected visitors, still unaware that he had almost been sacrificed.

Chang Qi had already concealed his abilities the moment the pickup truck entered. His expression remained unchanged as he said, “Wait.” After that, he adjusted the communicator in his ear to contact the nearby Blood Bone ability users.

The remaining Blood Bone members quickly adjusted their stance. Chang Qi’s intent was clear.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

On the first floor, the four people moved decisively, their ammunition plentiful. In less than fifteen minutes, the number of zombies in the hall had dropped significantly. The eyes of two third-tier zombies grew even redder as they roared and charged toward the four people, drawn by the scent of ability users and eager to sink their teeth into them.

It was clear the four had undergone specialized training. As the third-tier zombies lunged, they swiftly split up. One of them sent out a metal chain that wrapped around the blond zombie’s leg.

The other zombie was too agile and managed to evade the chain.

The blond zombie grabbed the chain and yanked, nearly snapping it, when another chain wrapped around its hand. A machine gun was already aimed at its head and fired a barrage of bullets.

“Its skull is too hard! The bullets can’t penetrate!” someone shouted hoarsely. It was a woman’s voice.

“Aim for the eyes!” another man yelled.

“Then make it stop moving!”

“I’m not its dad! You think it listens to me?”

“I got this!” A lighthearted voice cut in and two wooden staffs suddenly locked around the third-tier zombie’s neck. “Sister Yan, go!”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

The machine gun fired at the blond zombie’s eye sockets. The high-speed bullets, sparking with heat, struck the fragile eyeballs and then exploded. The blond zombie let out a shriek and collapsed. Seeing this, the agile zombie turned to flee.

But after just two steps, the black pickup truck suddenly reversed at high speed and blocked its path with precision.

It howled and lunged madly at the car window, only to be caught in a net of vines. Before its sharp claws could tear through, a gunshot rang out.

Bang!

A bullet hit its eye and the zombie collapsed within the vine net.

Song Yan lowered her gun and shot a glare at Zhou Yu. “Look at how well Little Lu handled that! And what were you even doing?”

Lu Jia, a young rookie on the team, scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin upon hearing Song Yan’s praise.

Zhou Yu refused to accept it. “Didn’t I throw my chain well?”

Song Yan scoffed. “Sure! You threw it so well that Little Lu had to cover for you with that big net!”

“Song Yan!” Zhou Yu fumed in frustration.

The most level-headed of the group, Zhu Liang, stood between the two and tried to smooth things over. “Enough arguing, enough arguing. Let’s handle the important matters first. You two can fight it out when we’re back at the base!”

Zhou Yu and Song Yan both let out a cold snort before splitting up and walking toward the two third-tier zombies.

Just as Song Yan pulled the dagger from her arm sheath, she suddenly stopped in alert.

All four of them instinctively paused their actions and looked ahead.

Chang Qi and his group leaped down from the second floor and approached them at a slow, deliberate pace. He spoke as if it were only natural, “Hey, we found these two zombies first! We were also the ones who started fighting them! Taking advantage of others like this isn’t very fair, is it?”

He had already observed from the second floor. There were three men and one woman. One woman and one man had no abilities. The remaining two were a metal-type and a wood-type ability user, both of whom he was confident he could handle.

Noticing the two bright red markings on their arms, Song Yan scratched her ear. “Why do I hear a dog barking?”

“I hear it too,” Zhou Yu chimed in.

“What the hell are these two idiots saying?!” someone behind Chang Qi couldn’t hold back and cursed. The moment he stepped forward, Song Yan moved lightning-fast and drew her gun—bang!

Clang!

The bullet was blocked mid-air by a wooden board, conjured just in time by Chang Ping.

Tension spread through the hall.

Up on the third floor, Lin Bai watched the standoff between the two groups below. Her gaze briefly swept over the fallen third-tier zombies and a flicker of regret flashed in her eyes.

Having his shot blocked, Song Yan’s face turned cold as she shifted the gun’s aim directly to Chang Qi’s face. “If you’re not dogs, then what are you, gnawing at someone else’s kill? We took these zombies down! And now you want to swoop in for an easy gain? Dream on!”

Chang Qi’s lips twisted into a grin. “Beautiful lady, that’s not how it is, is it? Clearly, we fought them halfway and then you guys came to snatch the reward!”

“Oh? And which cowards were hiding upstairs just now, too afraid to make a sound? Now that the zombies are dead, you’re barking the loudest!” Zhou Yu sneered.

Hearing themselves being mocked repeatedly, the Blood Bone members looked visibly irritated.

Chang Qi lifted his chin and started speaking again, “I know you’re with the Federal Army, but—”

He never got to finish.

The entrance doors swung open and another team stepped inside.

Leading them was a towering man with short, curly hair. He stood a full two meters tall and his exaggerated shoulder muscles bulging like hills.

Two bright red wavy lines stood out on his arm.

It was Blood Bone’s infamous ‘Ghost’s Bane,’ Tyke.

Seeing Tyke arrive, Chang Qi’s lips curled into a bloodthirsty smirk. “We were originally going to split the third-tier crystal cores evenly. But now? Blood Bone is taking all of them!”

“You filthy mutt, your appetite’s bigger than your belly! Not afraid of choking on it?” Song Yan snapped.

Swish.

A metal arrow shot straight toward Song Yan’s face.

“Watch out!” Zhou Yu and Lu Jia shouted at the same time. Zhou Yu, who was closest to Song Yan, immediately raised an iron plate in front of her.

The arrowhead melted into molten iron just an inch from Song Yan’s forehead, the scalding liquid dripping onto the tiled floor and corroding it with a sharp sizzle.

Lin Bai’s eyes flickered slightly from her spot on the third floor.

Tyke and Chang Qi’s expressions instantly changed as their eyes darted around and both of them simultaneously locked their sight onto the black pickup truck parked behind the four Federal Army soldiers.

Click.

The driver’s side door opened. A pair of polished black boots stepped onto the ground, followed by long, muscular legs, a lean but powerful waist, and a broad chest. A tall man emerged from behind the car door. He had closely cropped hair, sharp brows like swords, and cold, hard eyes filled with defiance and hostility. Just one glance was enough to tell he was not someone to be trifled with.

His strong arm rested casually on the car door as his blue-gray eyes carried a chilling edge. “You knew they were Federal Army and still dared to make a move? The dogs raised by Qiu Tu don’t have much skill, but they sure have guts!”

Even though it was their first time seeing him, Tyke and his men immediately connected the face to a name.

Lou Tiannan.

Captain of the Federal Army’s Third Defense Squad. The only fire-type ability user in the apocalypse with black flames.

The moment he appeared, the air carried the scent of battle. Blazing black flames flickered around him, arrogant and untamed.

The hall fell into a terrifying silence.

The car door closed with a bang.

Lou Tiannan strode toward Song Yan and the others. With each step he took, the unruly black flames surged forward, pressing aggressively toward the Blood Bone members.

He was a fire-type ability user, but unlike Chang Qi or any other of his kind, his flames were black.

Black as ink, brimming with unimaginable energy, far hotter than any other fire. They shot toward the Blood Bone members at sharp and unpredictable angles.

One of them was a half-second too slow in dodging and let out a scream as the flames seared their skin.

Tyke and his team instantly summoned protective shields, but the heat of the black flames was overwhelming. The metal shields turned red-hot, steam rising from them, and the edges were even beginning to melt.

This power was beyond anything they had imagined!

Tyke and Chang Qi exchanged a glance. They knew they couldn’t stay here any longer.

“Chang Ping!” Chang Qi called.

Chang Ping understood immediately. He activated his ability and sent wooden stakes and planks flying toward Song Yan and the others, just barely skimming the flames. Meanwhile, Tyke hurled his overheated metal shield at the shopping mall’s ceiling lights.

Crash!

Glass fragments from the shattered lights rained down.

The shield, like a boomerang, struck the lights and then spun toward Song Yan’s group.

Lou Tiannan grabbed Song Yan, using the momentum to leap into the air and deliver a kick, sending the shield flying away.

At the same time, the wooden planks thrown by Chang Ping exploded from the heat and released an unknown smoke.

Song Yan and the others quickly covered their mouths and noses.

Then, screams from the upper floors caught their attention.

Lou Tiannan turned sharply toward the sound, his brow furrowing.

The wooden debris and shattered bulbs that Chang Qi’s group had ignited on the first floor had sparked multiple fires throughout the mall. Some people hiding in the corners had been caught in the flames.

There was no time to chase after the Blood Bone members vanishing into the smoke. Lou Tiannan’s gaze hardened. “Save the civilians first!”

Lu Jia and Song Yan immediately sprinted upstairs.

“Captain Lou, look over there!” Zhu Liang pointed.

On the third-floor corridor, a little girl had hidden behind a pillar and was trying to escape from the spreading fire. But she hadn’t noticed the zombie creeping up on her from just two meters away, ready to pounce.

“Zhou Yu!” Lou Tiannan shouted.

No need for words, Zhou Yu immediately extended his chain, trying to snare the zombie.

Too late! The chain wasn’t fast enough.

Lou Tiannan took two quick steps back and agilely stepped onto the roof of the black pickup. He pulled out the handgun from his lower back and fired a precise shot at the zombie on the third floor.

Bang!

It missed.

Because a short blade struck the zombie even faster than the bullet. As the zombie recoiled, the bullet skimmed the knife handle embedded in its forehead and hit the pillar behind it.

“Wow!” Zhou Yu exclaimed.

Lou Tiannan’s gaze sharpened. He followed the trajectory of the thrown knife and saw a woman.

She was turned slightly away from him, long hair obscuring her face. He saw a little girl clutching a doll running toward her, seemingly calling out… Mom?

A mother and daughter?

Lou Tiannan withdrew his gaze, jumped off the truck, and said simply, “Get to work.”

Song Yan went to collect the crystal cores, while Zhu Liang and Zhou Yu headed upstairs to search for survivors. Lu Jia pulled out a loudspeaker and tapped it twice, causing it to crackle before playing a pre-recorded message in Zhou Yu’s loud voice.

“We are the Federal Army! Are there any survivors? Following the principle of voluntary evacuation, we will take you to a safe zone. I repeat, we are the Federal Army…”