Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 44

A massive explosion rang out as bricks and debris rained down. Zhou Yu and Lu Jia were blasted onto the street, coughing up blood before falling unconscious.

The chaotic battle had reached a frenzy and no one from Blood Bone had the time to finish them off. Their focus was locked on Elena and Lou Tiannan.

“These lunatics!” Elena struck down an approaching self-detonating Blood Bone member with an ice spike.

She hadn’t gotten a clear look back at the Guangming Building but now, seeing those members up close before they exploded, Lin Bai noticed something disturbing.

Their eyes were devoid of emotion.

No fear. No terror. No excitement. No exhilaration. Not even calmness.

Just emptiness.

A void, like the eyes of the undead.

Those self-destructing members weren’t just people. They were walking bombs, programmed to complete their mission.

But now was not the time to dwell on Blood Bone’s methods. Their reinforcements were all formidable fighters.

Among them was someone Elena recognized; Sun Siqian, a serial killer she had once captured. He had awakened an earth ability and his body was now more than twice as strong as it had been before the apocalypse.

At that moment, he was glaring viciously at Elena, determined to strike her down.

Clearly, he had held a grudge against Elena for a long time!

“Adjudicator! So, you finally have your day!” he shouted while fiercely kicking toward Elena. Sand and debris flew in all directions, attacking her.

Elena took Sun Siqian’s kick head-on and turned to fight him.

Perhaps because of the chaos of battle, the Blood Bone members were no longer recklessly self-destructing. Armed with knives and guns, they were especially excited when attacking Elena!

Every one of them looked at the Federal Adjudicator with venomous hatred in their eyes.

Elena’s abilities were not weak but she couldn’t withstand Blood Bone’s relentless siege. Nearby, Lou Tiannan’s eyes were already bloodshot. After kicking Chang Qi down again, he rushed forward to assist Elena who was being surrounded.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Song Yan grabbed Xi Ya from Lin Bai’s hands and ran into the street, dragging Zhou Yu and Lu Jia behind the cover.

Lou Tiannan had given her orders to watch over the three of them. Hiding behind the cover, Song Yan checked her weapons and ammunition. Her bullets were nearly depleted and she had no grenades left. When she noticed a C52 enhanced grenade still on her, her hand paused. She looked up at Lou Tiannan and Elena, who were desperately resisting, and a determined glint flashed in her eyes.

Just as she was about to take the grenade and go down with the Blood Bone members, someone called out behind her.

“Sister Yan! Sister Yan!”

Song Yan turned and saw Wen Xiaxia and Zhu Liang. She hurriedly said, “Xiaxia, Brother Liang, you need to leave—”

Wen Xiaxia quickly interrupted, “Sister Yan, listen to me! Elena gave us a plan.”

Song Yan was stunned. After confirming the three unconscious people beside her were safe, she rolled over to Wen Xiaxia’s side. “What plan?”

Inside the building, the chaotic battle continued. Lin Bai, Lou Tiannan, and Elena stood back to back, facing Blood Bone’s forces.

It was clear that the three of them were at a severe disadvantage.

Lou Tiannan and Lin Bai heard Elena whisper, “In a moment, run toward ten o’clock.”

Lou Tiannan looked at Elena in surprise.

Elena simply called out, “Xiaxia!”

“On it!” A voice responded from the street.

Blood Bone members, thinking reinforcements had arrived, immediately turned on guard, only to see Wen Xiaxia standing on a high platform at the street’s edge while holding a massive tube.

A torrent of water sprayed from the tube, drenching Blood Bone’s forces.

Before they could react, a bone-chilling cold swept over them.

Elena unleashed her ability.

The water on their bodies instantly froze, severely restricting their movements. More water kept spraying onto them, making them colder and more rigid.

Then, Song Yan, standing on the hood of a car, threw out a grenade.

Without looking back, Lin Bai and Lou Tiannan sprinted in the direction Elena had instructed.

Zhu Liang lay prone on a nearby rooftop, his sniper rifle set up in front of him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three gunshots rang out, perfectly striking the three grenades above the Blood Bone members’ heads. The grenades exploded prematurely, engulfing them in flames before they could react.

However, the Blood Bone members were not slow-witted zombies. The moment ice formed on them, Chang Qi used his fire-based ability to melt the ice off himself and those nearby. They sprinted out of the explosion’s center at incredible speed.

Several Blood Bone members were blasted off their feet by the explosion behind them.

Lou Tiannan and the others hadn’t run very far either. Lou Tiannan was severely exhausted and if not for Lin Bai’s quick reflexes catching him, he would have collapsed.

Feeling the intense heat radiating from Lou Tiannan’s body, Elena immediately tried to cool him down with ice. But the moment the ice touched him, it didn’t even turn into water. It instantly evaporated into steam. It showed just how high his body temperature was.

“You still dare to touch him with that body heat?” Elena looked at Lin Bai in shock. Her hand was pressed against Lou Tiannan’s neck.

Before they could say more, the sound of footsteps approached from behind. They turned their heads in unison, frowning, only to see the Blood Bone members catching up again.

But their condition was obviously poor. Even so, they refused to give up the chase.

Seeing Lou Tiannan collapse on the ground, Chang Qi and Sun Siqian smirked smugly. “Let’s see how you run now!”

Their smug expressions didn’t last long because—

“Oh? Is this… a betrayal among allies?” A lazy, magnetic male voice rang out.

A man with emerald-green hair, dressed in a suit, stepped out from a nearby shop. A rose was pinned to his suit pocket, making it look as if he were on his way to a banquet. But from his demeanor, it was clear he had been watching for some time.

Behind him, a red-haired woman in high heels walked with captivating elegance. It was Tang Mary.

Apart from Bai Chuan and Tang Mary, neither side looked pleased. Lou Tiannan, now slightly recovered, forced himself to stand up.

Zhu Liang, Wen Xiaxia, and Song Yan also moved to Lou Tiannan’s side, watching both groups with wary eyes.

Chang Qi looked at Bai Chuan and Tang Mary and said, “President Bai, President Tang, I believe our goals don’t conflict. Why don’t we talk about a collaboration?”

Before Bai Chuan could respond, Tang Mary sneered, “Where was this attitude when you bombed my Guangming Tower?!”

Sun Siqian quickly added, “That was just a misunderstanding. How about this? Whatever damages the Guangming Tower suffered, Blood Bone will compensate. Just hand those people over to us and we can settle everything peacefully!”

Tang Mary waved her hand, sending a massive iron rod crashing down on Sun Siqian, knocking him to the ground. She lifted her chin arrogantly. “Do you think you’re even qualified to negotiate with me?”

“You—!” Sun Siqian got up, eyes burning with fury.

“Then what do you want?!” Chang Qi asked directly.

“What do we want? Ever heard of ‘thieves robbing each other’?” Bai Chuan smirked, pulling a handgun from inside his white suit jacket and aiming it at them.

Realizing the situation had turned against them, Chang Qi and Sun Siqian immediately reacted. One unleashed a burst of flames, while the other scattered sand into the air. The Blood Bone members turned and ran.

Bai Chuan and Tang Mary dodged the fire attack but by then, Chang Qi had already sprinted over dozens of meters away.

Tang Mary didn’t seem interested in chasing the Blood Bone members. Instead, her sharp gaze locked onto Elena and Zhu Liang.

“These bastards run pretty fast!” Bai Chuan muttered as he raised his gun to aim. Even at less than a hundred meters, he somehow managed to showcase his terrible aim. He frowned and clicked his tongue.

Whoosh—

A blade flashed through the air. Chang Qi, who had almost reached the street corner, suddenly had a short blade pierce through his leg, forcing him to his knees.

Whoosh—

A black blade shot forward and pierced straight through Chang Qi’s throat.

Chang Qi opened his mouth but no words came out. He collapsed to his knees as blood gushed from his mouth and nose. His body convulsed violently before going completely still. Seeing that, Bai Chuan raised an eyebrow.

Sun Siqian didn’t escape either as an ice spear pierced right through his forehead and he fell lifelessly not far from Chang Qi.

With the Blood Bone members eliminated, Bai Chuan was in a great mood. He turned to Elena first and said, “As expected of an adjudicator, quick and clean.”

Then, he turned his attention to Lin Bai, who was standing beside Lou Tiannan. With an amused expression, he stepped forward and pulled a rose from his suit pocket, extending it toward her. “Miss, I never expected your skills to rival an adjudicator’s. Truly impressive. My name is Bai Chuan. May I ask your name and where you’re from?”

Lou Tiannan immediately extended his arm, blocking Lin Bai behind him, his expression unfriendly as he stared at Bai Chuan and Tang Mary.

Tang Mary, however, had no time for Bai Chuan’s flirting. She reached out and grabbed Zhu Liang with a fierce glare. “Did you two take my crystals?”

“We didn’t take it,” Elena replied. “Why would we need your crystals?”

Tang Mary’s disbelief was written all over her face. “Impossible! The only people who went upstairs were this man and you. My crystals disappeared right after! That’s too much of a coincidence! Hand them over. Considering Lou Tiannan saved my son, I won’t take your lives.”

From a previous interrogation, Tang Mary had learned that her son, Peter, had been taken to the New City Safe Zone by Lou Tiannan.

Elena quickly realized that Tang Mary wasn’t actually after their lives, which meant there was room for negotiation. With a sincere expression, she said, “I went to the Guangming Tower for Vice Captain Zhu, not for any crystals. In this world, Vice Captain Zhu and I have no use for them. But I did see the person who stole it.”

Tang Mary’s attention immediately shifted to Elena. “Who?!”

“He was dressed in black from head to toe, with his face covered. I couldn’t see his appearance.”

“Elena, are you taking me for a fool?!”

As Tang Mary raged, Bai Chuan continued holding out the rose toward Lin Bai. Between them, Lou Tiannan’s arm remained firmly in place.

“Captain Lou, you’re being a little unreasonable. I simply want to give this beautiful lady a rose,” Bai Chuan said with a smile, though his eyes remained cold.

Lin Bai pressed down on Lou Tiannan’s arm and reached out with her other hand to accept the rose. But just as she did, Bai Chuan took the opportunity to let his entire hand glide over the back of hers.

The moment their hands touched, Lou Tiannan’s grip tightened around Bai Chuan’s wrist, preventing him from making any further moves.

“Hiss!” Bai Chuan winced as Lou Tiannan’s grip tightened painfully around his wrist. His skin burned from the heat and a sharp pain shot through his arm. His eyes narrowed as he swung his other hand toward Lou Tiannan, expecting him to be too exhausted to fight back. But to his surprise, Lou Tiannan still had enough strength to counter him. Bai Chuan’s interest was piqued.

“Mommy!”

No one had noticed when Xi Ya woke up. She rubbed her eyes groggily, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. She wanted to find Lin Bai. She wanted her mommy to hold her.

“Xi Ya!”

Song Yan’s urgent voice called out but before Xi Ya could react, she was suddenly snatched away. Her vision blurred and in the next moment, she found herself in the arms of a stranger.