Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 43

Even a three-ton off-road vehicle felt insignificantly small in the face of the gas station explosion.

The entire car was lifted into the air by the shockwave. Behind it, an intense fireball raged. Inside, Zhou Yu and Lu Jia used their abilities to keep everyone secured in their seats and protect their heads, while Song Yan held Xi Ya in her arms.

For a brief moment, the temperature inside the car spiked. In the split-second available to react, Lin Bai saw Lou Tiannan, who seemed to have self-sacrifice ingrained in his very bones, instinctively lean over to shield her.

The only relief was that they were not at the center of the explosion. In fact, thanks to Lin Bai’s exceptional driving skills, they had just barely escaped the first blast radius. The thick layer of ammonium phosphate powder on the car body also helped shield them from the secondary fires.

Blinding fire engulfed the entire vehicle, followed by thick black smoke rising into the air.

Out of that black smoke, a battered car with a hood still covered in traces of fire-retardant powder emerged, sputtering along unsteadily. Three of its four tires had blown out, making it look like it was hobbling forward on crutches, staggering with every step.

After barely making it ten meters, the car came to a stop.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of heavy impacts echoed.

Someone kicked open a warped car door and stepped out.

The trunk was already on fire. Staying any longer could risk another explosion.

From the driver’s and passenger’s sides, a man and a woman exited. The man, a tall, muscular soldier with a buzz cut, had a severe injury on his right shoulder, blood streaming down. The woman beside him had little to no visible bloodstains and was noticeably smaller in build. However, her strength was shocking.

Wearing heat-resistant gloves, she grabbed the twisted car door with one hand and forcibly ripped it off.

Lin Bai pulled out Zhou Yu who had fallen unconscious on the left side. Xi Ya, still awake, understood the situation and climbed out on her own. When Lin Bai bent down to pick up the weakened Song Yan, she noticed Lou Tiannan on the other side, opening the door and dragging Lu Jia out.

With one unconscious person slung over each shoulder, Lin Bai started toward an abandoned building nearby. Xi Ya followed behind, standing on tiptoe to support Zhou Yu’s feet, trying to help lighten Lin Bai’s load.

Once inside, the three unconscious teammates were laid down in a row.

Lou Tiannan checked their conditions and confirmed they were not in any immediate danger, just temporarily unconscious from the impact.

Breathing heavily, he leaned against a wall column, pulling a bandage from his combat uniform to treat his wound.

Before he could even unroll it, he abruptly sat up and pushed himself off the ground. “Where are you going?”

Lin Bai was already at the doorway. “To collect my spoils.”

“It’s dangerous. The explosion just happened and there’s no guarantee the ability zombies are dead,” Lou Tiannan argued, clearly against the idea of her going to retrieve the zombie crystal cores.

“Just stay put,” Lin Bai said dismissively, unwilling to waste words on him.

Then, she turned to Xi Ya. “Watch him. Don’t let him move.”

Mommy just gave her another mission!

Xi Ya blinked her big eyes, then nodded. “Okay!”

Fully recharged with energy, Lin Bai moved quickly.

Xi Ya pressed down on Lou Tiannan to keep him from moving, her soft voice firm, “Uncle, Mommy said you can’t move.”

Lou Tiannan stared at the doorway where Lin Bai had disappeared for a few seconds before finally sitting back down and wrapping a bandage around his arm. He didn’t think Lin Bai was the type to risk her life recklessly.

Seeing him settle down, Xi Ya went over to help.

The explosion at the gas station had stopped but fierce fires still raged.

Lin Bai didn’t rush in recklessly. She scanned the area quickly. On the ground near the gas station, clusters of gray crystal cores from low-level zombies and green crystal cores from second-tier zombies glowed faintly, with a few scattered red ones from third-tier zombies mixed in.

She spotted the fallen fire-ability zombie. It wasn’t dead yet but its limbs had been blown off and it lay on the ground, twitching and groaning.

The Godzilla zombie was nowhere to be seen.

Lin Bai walked step by step toward the fire-ability zombie. It continued making hoarse noises, completely unbothered by her approach, not even registering her as a threat.

In its perception, whatever was coming toward it was something utterly insignificant.

Lin Bai pressed a hand against its back and then swiftly drove her black blade into the fractured bones of its skull. The moment the blade pierced through, the fire-ability zombie fell completely still.

With a firm grip on the hilt, she twisted the knife slightly, cracking open its skull. Inside was a black crystal core. Unlike the date pit-shaped ones from lower-level zombies, it was rounder and radiated rich energy when held.

Lin Bai pocketed the core and began gathering all the other crystal cores scattered across the ground. The fire at the gas station had started to die down, though occasional small explosions warned anyone nearby of its lingering danger.

But Lin Bai wasn’t just anyone. Seven minutes had passed since the explosion and she carefully avoided the still-burning fuel tanks as she walked straight into the gas station, picking up the crystal cores without even looking up.

By the time she returned, fully loaded with her spoils, the three unconscious people had already woken up. Their enhanced bodies, thanks to their abilities, made them more resilient than normal humans.

Xi Ya, seeing Lin Bai return, happily ran over and hugged her leg.

Lin Bai glanced at Xi Ya curiously and pressed a hand on her head, turning her around to face the ground. Pointing at the straight line of tiles, she said, “Walk along this line for me.”

Xi Ya didn’t understand why her mother asked this but she followed the instruction. She lifted her feet high but as soon as she stepped down, she swayed sharply to the left. Lifting her foot again, she took another step. This time, she tilted hard to the right.

The other four, sitting on the ground, immediately noticed something was off.

By the time she wobbled her way to the end, Xi Ya was so dizzy she didn’t even know where she was anymore. Confused, she reached out blindly for Lin Bai. “Mommy, my head feels so dizzy…”

“What’s wrong with Xi Ya?” Song Yan asked in surprise.

Lou Tiannan reached out to steady her and immediately understood the problem. “She’s about to tier up.”

Xi Ya’s body was burning with heat due to the impending breakthrough. Lou Tiannan’s body temperature was also high, making her uncomfortable. She struggled to push his hand away. “Mom… it’s too hot…”

Lin Bai walked over and picked up Xi Ya with one arm.

Xi Ya immediately wrapped her arms around Lin Bai’s neck, burying her head into Lin Bai’s shoulder. In less than two seconds, her breathing became steady and she fell asleep.

With a little ‘portable charger’ in her arms and her pockets full of crystal cores, Lin Bai was in a great mood.

Two minutes later, her good mood came to an abrupt end.

Because there were always some people who didn’t know their place and insisted on approaching her, like the Blood Bone members standing in front of them now.

“I was wondering what was causing such a commotion in Southern District One. Turns out it was you! Perfect, I’ll take you back to report!” Chang Qi had been struggling to locate Lou Tiannan and Elena.

Fortunately, he noticed the disturbance there and came to check. Talk about luck. Seeing Lou Tiannan badly injured and Lin Bai holding a child, he could hardly contain the joy on his face. It was as if the heavens were helping him.

Seeing that some of them were already injured and exhausted, Chang Qi wasted no time. He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to launch an attack!

Lin Bai, holding Xi Ya, managed to dodge and Lou Tiannan could still hold his ground. But the remaining three were already at their limits, especially Zhou Yu and Lu Jia, who had completely drained their powers and could only rely on their physical strength to resist. Zhou Yu was already caught in a tangle of thorns.

Without hesitation, Lou Tiannan crushed the crystal core in his pocket, sweeping out a wave of black flame that forced the Blood Bone members back.

Chang Qi narrowed his eyes cautiously. “Captain Lou, I really can’t underestimate you.”

Lou Tiannan, panting heavily, pulled Zhou Yu behind him. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Chang Qi as he launched another attack without hesitation.

He had to take Chang Qi down while his energy was surging!

Chang Qi quickly realized Lou Tiannan’s intent. His gaze darkened and he sneered coldly, “Lou Tiannan, don’t underestimate me either!”

In the blink of an eye, the two fire-wielding ability users clashed fiercely.

Chang Qi’s subordinates weren’t weak either. Some targeted Lin Bai, while others attacked Zhou Yu and the others, striking with lethal intent.

Lou Tiannan’s right arm was injured, making it the focal point of Chang Qi’s attacks. However, Lou Tiannan’s abilities were at least one tier higher. Even though Chang Qi fought with everything he had, he was still being suppressed, fueling his frustration.

Both of them were fire ability users, so why should Lou Tiannan be stronger?!

With a surge of rage, Chang Qi grabbed a handful of crystal cores from his pocket and swallowed them all. The moment the crystals went down, his muscles swelled, nearly bursting through his clothes. His bulging eyes gleamed with venom as he glared at Lou Tiannan. When he attacked again, his speed had doubled.

While they were locked in battle, Chang Qi’s subordinates had already pinned Zhou Yu and Lu Jia against the wall. Then, someone raised a gun.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

A barrage of bullets shot toward Zhou Yu and Lu Jia’s faces. Just as they were about to be killed, a wall of sand suddenly rose in front of them. The bullets pierced through the sand, their trajectories altered, and they embedded themselves into the corner of the wall instead.

The sand wall’s creator, Song Yan, coughed up a mouthful of blood. The sensation of bullets tearing through her body was excruciating and her waist, abdomen, and chest burned as if scorched by fire.

“Song Yan!” Zhou Yu’s eyes widened in shock as he rushed forward to catch her collapsing body.

“Sister Yan!”

The attackers attempted to fire again but Lin Bai suddenly leaped forward and kicked them all down. Yet they quickly scrambled back to their feet. Knowing that Boss Qiu Tu wanted Lin Bai alive, a Blood Bone member with wood abilities cast a net to restrain her. Meanwhile, the others once again aimed their bullets and firepower at the three cornered individuals.

A grenade was even hurled toward them.

Clang… Clang…

The grenade hit the ground with a soft thud before erupting in a deafening explosion, fires surging into the air.

Lou Tiannan kicked Chang Qi to the ground and quickly turned to look in the direction of the explosion.

Lin Bai immediately sensed that something was off. After the explosion, the temperature of the building inexplicably dropped by several degrees. When she turned to check on Zhou Yu and the others, she was surprised to see a thick ice wall standing in front of them, though she had no idea when it had appeared.

Behind the ice wall, the three of them were unharmed.

An ice ability!

Chang Qi’s pupils shrank. It was Elena!

He scanned his surroundings and quickly spotted Elena running toward them. Her brown hair was still tied up and her expression remained calm.

Seeing her approach, Chang Qi didn’t retreat. Instead, he advanced. Not only had Elena arrived but Blood Bone’s reinforcements had also shown up.

Moreover, Lou Tiannan was running low on energy. It was the perfect chance to capture him. And as for Elena, they would take her as well.

Chang Qi was brimming with confidence.

Under his command, Blood Bone’s members launched an even fiercer assault.

Lou Tiannan crushed another crystal core, causing his energy to surge.

Noticing this, Chang Qi sneered mockingly, “And here I thought you Federation soldiers were so noble. In the end, you still rely on zombie crystal cores!”

Lou Tiannan ignored him entirely and sent a wave of black flame that knocked Chang Qi back.

But even with Elena’s arrival, their situation did not improve because Blood Bone’s members had begun self-detonating.