Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 46

“See? Miss Lin has agreed.” Bai Chuan flashed an innocent smile and while Song Yan hesitated, he slipped past her and followed Lin Bai. The two entered the restroom almost side by side.

Just before the door shut, Bai Chuan’s teasing voice could still be heard. “Miss Lin, there’s no need to rush—”

Once the door clicked shut, all sound disappeared and the outside fell into silence.

Inside the restroom, Bai Chuan’s playful demeanor vanished as soon as he entered. His lips curved downward and he kicked the door closed behind him. One hand pressed down on Lin Bai’s shoulder, while the other gripped her face. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Where is the person who made you?”

“What are you talking about?” Lin Bai remained motionless, letting him pin her against the wall.

“Your eyeshadow is smudged.” Bai Chuan stared into her eyes. During the previous fight, some of her eyeshadow had been rubbed off, revealing a faint scar on her eyelid. Upon closer inspection, if one carefully examined the small scar, one would notice an almost imperceptible fiber embedded within it.

It wasn’t just her eyelid. There were similar marks on her lips and the side of her nose.

Bai Chuan’s fingertips brushed against Lin Bai’s face. “Your skin is made from the 1132 new-generation silicone composite material I developed but haven’t released yet. It has a 99.67% similarity to human skin. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. But I can recognize my own materials with a single touch. I’ve only ever given this material to one person. And an android with your level of flexibility could only have been made by her, including the doll that little girl is holding.”

Lin Bai stared at Bai Chuan in silence, gripping the handle of her black-bladed knife.

“Where is she? Is she safe?” Bai Chuan’s voice was urgent. “Quick, help me connect to her communications. I need to see her!”

“Why are you looking for her?” Lin Bai asked.

Why…? Bai Chuan stared blankly at Lin Bai, as if trying to see through her to find the person in his memories. But the woman before him was completely different from the one he remembered. She wasn’t even like the other creations of his former boss. Her past works never had such visible flaws.

After a long pause, Bai Chuan concealed his emotions and smirked. “Why? She’s my boss. She hasn’t paid me for ages. Of course, I need to find her! Where is she?”

“She’s dead.”

“Impossible!” Bai Chuan rejected her words without hesitation. His response was immediate and resolute. “She can’t be dead!”

Realizing he was getting too emotional, he quickly composed himself. Studying Lin Bai’s expression, he tentatively spoke a few command phrases, “Connect to the main system. Send a signal to the central AI,” but Lin Bai showed no reaction.

“You can’t give me orders,” Lin Bai said. “Only my creator can.”

Seeing that Bai Chuan believed she was an android, Lin Bai decided to play along. She had no intention of telling Bai Chuan anything. The only person she trusted was herself.

Bai Chuan’s eyes lit up. “Then where is your creator? What mission did she assign you?” He was desperate to know if his boss was safe. Since the apocalypse began, he had only sent her a few batches of materials. After that, she vanished. The last place he had contact with her was in Southern District Three but that entire area had long since fallen. He and Tang Mary had been there but they found no trace of his boss.

“This has nothing to do with you,” Lin Bai replied, unwilling to get entangled with Bai Chuan.

“How can it not? Of course, it is! She’s my boss and your creator! The mission she gave you is my mission too!” Bai Chuan said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He eyed Lin Bai from head to toe. “You must have a machine brain that doesn’t think too deeply. Just remember this; we share the same mission.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone rapped on the door.

“Bai Chuan?” Tang Mary’s loud voice came through the wooden panel. “Are you dead in there? Bai Chuan?”

Their conversation was interrupted. Bai Chuan glanced at Lin Bai. From their brief exchange, he knew she wouldn’t reveal anything due to her programming. But in his mind, he had already classified Lin Bai as an ally.

“Fix your eye makeup,” Bai Chuan said. “I’ll go deal with Tang Mary.”

After speaking, he opened the door and stepped out. “President Tang, can you at least wish me well?”

As he spoke, he pulled the door shut behind him.

Tang Mary eyed Bai Chuan suspiciously. “What were you doing in there with that woman for so long?”

“President Tang, young people have their secrets. It’s best if you don’t pry too much. Did you get that thief sketch done?” Bai Chuan smoothly changed the subject. Having worked with Tang Mary for so long, he knew her personality inside and out.

“Hmph, it’s done. Take a look. Does it look familiar to you?” Tang Mary handed him the sketch drawn by Elena.

Bai Chuan, of course, didn’t recognize anything from it but he still praised, “Nice drawing skills.”

Tang Mary rolled her eyes.

Seeing that Bai Chuan had come out but Lin Bai hadn’t, Lou Tiannan started to get up to head toward the restroom. But just then, the restroom door opened and Lin Bai walked out.

Both of them were fully dressed and looked completely normal, as if nothing had happened. There was nothing unusual to be seen.

But Lou Tiannan noticed something; Lin Bai’s makeup was perfectly intact again.

Did she fix her makeup inside?

Why would she need Bai Chuan with her to do that?

He was sure there was no trace of Bai Chuan’s pheromones in the air. So what exactly had the two of them done inside?

Lin Bai walked out of the restroom calmly and sat down beside Lou Tiannan.

Xi Ya, still feeling dizzy, saw Lin Bai and instinctively crawled into her lap, mumbling, “Mom, I don’t feel good…”

Lin Bai placed a hand on Xi Ya’s back and held her against her chest. Xi Ya quickly stopped moving and fell asleep in Lin Bai’s arms.

Seeing them, Bai Chuan grinned and sat down next to Lin Bai. “A’Bai, I think I’ll make a great father in the future.”

The moment he said that, a chilling sensation rose behind him.

Bai Chuan instinctively glanced to Lin Bai’s other side where Lou Tiannan was sitting.

Lou Tiannan had his eyes closed, sitting there like a mountain. Because his arm was still being treated, his upper body was half-undressed. The bandages wrapped around his well-defined muscles, highlighting his powerful build. His close-cropped hair and imposing physique made it clear that he was not someone to mess with.

“A’Bai, your captain looks really scary,” Bai Chuan murmured, clutching his chest dramatically as he scooted closer to Lin Bai.

But just as quickly, he sat up a little straighter. Now that things had settled down a bit, he finally noticed a… scent on both Lin Bai and Lou Tiannan.

“A’Bai, should we go take a shower? I saw that there’s water in the restroom,” Bai Chuan subtly suggested.

“No,” Lin Bai rejected him mercilessly.

Bai Chuan straightened up, furrowed his brows for a few seconds as if mentally preparing himself, and then leaned toward Lin Bai again with a playful smile. “Even if you don’t take a shower, you’re still the most beautiful and elegant lady.”

“Pfft!”

Zhou Yu, who had just regained consciousness, couldn’t hold back his laughter. He turned to Song Yan and asked, “Are you listening to a comedy broadcast? Which channel talks like this?”

Song Yan pursed her lips, trying to suppress a smile. She cleared her throat twice and asked, “You’re awake. Do you feel any discomfort?”

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and pushed himself up. “I’m alright. Where are we?” He glanced around the room and then nearly choked. “Why the hell are Tang Mary and Bai Chuan here?”

Bai Chuan shot Zhou Yu a cold smirk.

“Is it so surprising that I’m here?” Tang Mary’s expression was hostile as she stared at Elena and the others, her mind racing with countless thoughts.

She had considered taking out Lou Tiannan, Elena, and their group right there but that foolish idea was quickly dismissed.

First, even though they were all injured, there were too many of them and she wasn’t confident she could handle them all alone. Bai Chuan was unpredictable. Judging by his current attitude toward Lin Bai, who knew if he’d suddenly switch sides?

Second, she had no deep-seated hatred for Lou Tiannan’s group. In fact, those people had just wiped out the Blood Bone squad whom she despised to the core. They all shared a common enemy and there were no direct conflicts of interest between them.

Third, Lou Tiannan was a member of the Federal Army and his team had even saved her son.

She really had no reason to make an enemy out of the Federation.

Her only complaint was that the figure Elena had drawn for her, though lifelike in build and movement, looked far too generic. In an apocalypse, if there weren’t a thousand people who looked like that, there were at least eight hundred. Where was she supposed to find someone based on that?

As nightfall approached, she decided to discuss things with Bai Chuan before making a decision.

But soon, a headache began to form because Bai Chuan, that idiot, actually looked like he had completely fallen in love. Seeing him like that made her palms itch. She wanted to smack him with her spiked club to wake him up!

After several ignored hints, Tang Mary finally lost her patience. She stood up, grabbed Bai Chuan by the collar, and dragged him to the restroom.

From the not-so-fully-closed restroom door, her furious voice rang out, “Bai Chuan, what the hell do you mean by this?”

Bai Chuan spread his hands. “Let’s split up.”

“Split up?” Tang Mary’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you out of your damn mind? You’ve really let a Beta mess with your head? That Beta has a partner and a daughter. What are you getting involved for?”

“That’s none of your concern. Anyway, I love her!” Bai Chuan declared with deep emotion.

Everyone outside instinctively turned to look at Lin Bai.

Zhou Yu whispered, “Lin Bai, who would’ve thought? You’ve got some serious charm…”

Lin Bai remained silent.

The argument in the restroom continued and grew more heated. At one point, they even heard the sound of a spiked club striking the wall.

Then came Tang Mary’s furious voice, “Bai Chuan, I don’t care what you’re thinking but don’t even think about playing me for a fool. Until I find my daughter, you’re not leaving Red Sand for a single day! If you say or do one more stupid thing, I’ll be the first to tear you apart!”

With that, Tang Mary stormed out of the restroom, spiked club in hand, and found a relatively safe corner in the bunker to sit down, her face still full of anger.

Bai Chuan followed shortly after, his collar slightly disheveled. The moment he stepped out, he ran straight to Lin Bai. “Waaah, A’Bai, I was threatened—eh?”

Before he could finish his sentence, the collar he had just adjusted was grabbed again. This time by Lou Tiannan.

Lou Tiannan picked up Bai Chuan from beside Lin Bai and tossed him over to Tang Mary.

Bai Chuan’s eyes widened. “Captain Lou, what are you doing?!”

Lou Tiannan spoke solemnly and cautiously. “You are suspected of endangering my team member.”

Bai Chuan clutched his chest like a grieving beauty and looked at Lin Bai. “A’Bai… Wuuu—”

“You want to whine one more time?!” Tang Mary glared at him.

Bai Chuan: “Ying…”