Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 51

A biochemical bomb was one of the Federal Security Bureau’s weapons of mass destruction. It contained various nerve agents that could kill within thirty seconds.

After the apocalypse, the Federal Security Bureau modified the bomb so that it was not only effective against humans but also had some impact on zombies.

Even though the Blood Bone members were ability users, none of them wanted to test whether the biochemical bomb would work on them.

The moment they heard the warning, nearly everyone stopped. Blood Bone feared the biochemical weapon, while Lou Tiannan and his team recognized who had arrived; the Security Bureau.

Only Qiu Tu took the opportunity to slip into the crowd. Lou Tiannan tried to stop him but the fully armed Security Bureau members had already reached him.

They wore masks, carried biochemical weapons, and fitted everyone with electroshock restraints.

Everyone was loaded onto a biochemical transport vehicle. Security Bureau agents moved back and forth with thermal imaging scanners, making sure no one was missed, including Xi Ya who had been hiding in the drainage pipe.

Lou Tiannan walked at the back of the group, silently watching each person being taken into the vehicle. Zhou Yu, Lu Jia, Song Yan, Bai Chuan, Tang Mary…

But he didn’t see Lin Bai.

Where was she?

He stopped in his tracks and checked again.

“Hurry up!” someone behind him urged.

Zhou Yu felt something was off about the way the Security Bureau was treating them. He raised his hands, showing the electroshock restraints.

“Hey, are you new here? We’re with the Military Defense Department, under the Security Bureau. Why are we restrained too?”

“Shut up!”

Those people were extremely serious, showing no intention of recognizing Zhou Yu and his group as allies.

Zhou Yu and the others exchanged glances, all finding the Security Bureau’s attitude toward them very strange.

It wasn’t until the biochemical transport vehicle drove through an underground passage for half an hour and arrived at what seemed to be an underground prison that they heard someone reporting in front of an electronic screen, “Report, we have captured rebel members Elena and Lou Tiannan along with their eight accomplices, as well as 43 Blood Bone criminals.”

“What the hell! How did I become a rebel?!” Zhou Yu and the others protested in outrage.

Tang Mary was equally frustrated. “I’m not with them at all!” She had planned to take advantage of the fight but now the Federal Army had swooped in and taken over.

Bai Chuan raised his hand. “I’m a law-abiding citizen and don’t even know them that well.”

“Silence! No talking!”

The leader, holding a biochemical gun, barked orders at them. The dark muzzle of the gun pointed directly at them. Zhou Yu was about to lose his temper but Zhu Liang held him back.

In the next moment, however, the gun was no longer aimed at them. A slender, well-defined hand was pressing down on the barrel.

“Captain Lou!” Song Yan gasped in surprise.

Lou Tiannan gripped the barrel and forcibly pushed the biochemical weapon downward. His voice was emotionless. “Lower your gun.”

“You—!” The soldier holding the gun tried using both hands to lift it but it wouldn’t budge. He looked at Lou Tiannan’s electroshock cuffs, where visible currents of electricity flickered, yet Lou Tiannan seemed completely unaffected. His gray eyes locked onto the soldier and the sheer pressure of his presence sent a chill down the man’s spine.

A voice came through the soldier’s earpiece from a superior. He quickly adjusted his demeanor and reluctantly put away his gun, then ordered, “Put the guns away!”

When he didn’t hear any movement behind him, he turned around, cursing, “I said put the damn—”

Only then did he realize that none of his men had even drawn their biochemical guns. Instead, they were all holding electric batons, pointed at the Blood Bone members.

At that moment, the iron doors of the underground prison opened. The soldier turned back with an annoyed huff and ordered, “Take them all inside!”

Lou Tiannan and his group were led in first. The ten of them were placed in a separate room at the far end for confinement.

Not long after, they heard more Blood Bone members being brought in, seemingly taken to a different area.

Once all the prisoners were secured, the security personnel left.

“What the hell? Is this really a prison?!” Zhou Yu was in disbelief. He had always been a loyal citizen of the Federation, yet now he was locked up in a prison?

“This is the Eastern District One’s Border Prison,” Elena said, scanning their surroundings. “Before the apocalypse, it was used for long-term inmates.”

Even though the place had been significantly modified, Elena recognized a prison when she saw one. Having spent time in several Eastern District’s prisons, she could navigate them blindfolded.

“Hey! You’re betraying the Federation by locking me up!” Tang Mary protested. Then, glancing around, she suddenly realized someone was missing. “Wait, that kid’s—” mother is not here?

Bai Chuan raised his voice, cutting Tang Mary off, “Why was the kid locked up too?!”

Tang Mary frowned but quickly caught on. If someone had been left outside, they might still be useful. She wisely dropped the subject and scoffed, “You still have time to worry about the kid? You should be thinking about yourself!”

They were locked up for a long time. At first, they exchanged occasional words but eventually, everyone fell silent.

After nearly four hours, someone came to open Lou Tiannan’s cell door.

Song Yan, Zhou Yu, and the others looked at him with concern.

“I’m fine,” Lou Tiannan reassured them.

He followed the guards through a corridor, up a short flight of stairs, and into a simple office with only a table and chairs.

Inside, a man was already sitting, clearly waiting for him.

“Director Zhuang,” Lou Tiannan said.

“Not bad, you still recognize me as the Director.” Security Bureau Director Zhuang Liang nodded and gestured for him to sit.

Lou Tiannan remained standing. “Are you here to interrogate me?”

“You have unclear ties with the traitor Elena. Do you think I should interrogate you?” Zhuang Liang asked calmly. His wrinkled eyes held an unmistakable look of scrutiny.

Inside the office, one man sat while the other stood. The atmosphere was tense and heavy.

***

Inside the prison.

“Why isn’t Captain Lou back yet?” Zhou Yu was restless.

“Maybe they took him out to get rid of him,” Tang Mary said, having no goodwill toward the people who had pointed guns at her.

“President Tang, have you ever heard the saying ‘when the hare is dead, the hound is cooked’?” Elena asked gently.

Tang Mary caught the deeper meaning in Elena’s words. She showed no fear as she pulled a chair over and sat by the door. “The hound is cooked? Ha! That depends on whether they can handle the consequences.”

Then she turned to Elena again. “But really, why did you guys surrender so easily? Qiu Tu escaped and you all got caught. What a joke!”

Elena sat across from Tang Mary, calm and unhurried. “The effects of a biochemical bomb… I don’t think President Tang would want to experience that.”

“Then how did Qiu Tu manage to escape?!” Tang Mary was unconvinced.

Bai Chuan drawled lazily, “Qiu Tu escaped from Elena’s grasp three times before the apocalypse. Now that he’s got dual-element abilities, it’s perfectly normal for him to slip away from the Security Bureau.”

Elena listened to Bai Chuan’s words and fell into thought. He had reminded her of something. She had been keeping a close eye on Qiu Tu at the time but now that she thought about it carefully, he had started acting strangely two minutes before the Security Bureau arrived, only defending and retreating instead of attacking.

At first, she thought he was holding back some last move. But now, looking back… could he have already known the Security Bureau was coming?

No, that didn’t make sense. If he had known in advance, he wouldn’t have wasted time toying with them before.

Moreover, based on her understanding of the Security Bureau’s capabilities, even if Qiu Tu had hidden within the crowd, there was still a chance of capturing him. However, the Security Bureau agents showed no intention of arresting him. Instead, all their focus was on them.

“Elena? What are you thinking about?” Tang Mary noticed Elena was lost in thought and wondered if she had come up with a plan.

“I’m thinking about when we can get out of here.”

“You’re just going to wait for them to release us? Why aren’t we thinking about rescuing ourselves? Can’t you open this outdated lock?” Tang Mary had been eyeing the lock on the door since they were brought in. It wasn’t an electronic lock but an old mechanical one from decades ago, requiring a key to open. She thought for a moment and then formed a steel wire in her hand. “Let me try.”

As soon as the steel wire touched the keyhole, her fingers suddenly convulsed violently and the wire fell to the ground. She exclaimed, “What the hell?!”

“President Tang, I advise you not to try again. This lock is connected to a high-voltage current and is also linked to the alarm system in the hallway. If you force it open, you’ll either be electrocuted or set off the alarm and get caught.” Elena had already observed the prison’s security system on their way in.

Hearing her, Tang Mary gave up and grumbled, “The apocalypse has been going on for so long, yet your Security Bureau is still busy with nonsense instead of figuring out how to fight the zombie virus!”

As they spoke, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Zhou Yu and the others thought it was Lou Tiannan returning but it was still the Security Bureau agents. This time, they opened Tang Mary’s cell.

“Hey! Where are you taking me?!” Tang Mary started shouting but after a few words from the other side, she suddenly went quiet and followed them.

“They’re not going to take us one by one for interrogation, are they?” Wen Xiaxia speculated.

“Interrogation? Fine! I’ve done nothing to betray the Federation!” Zhou Yu was fuming. “We risk our lives every day fighting zombies and criminals and now the Federation is suspecting us? What kind of bullshit is this?!”

Soon, they came back to take Bai Chuan away.

Then Zhu Liang, Song Yan, Zhou Yu, Wen Xiaxia, and Xi Ya were also taken.

Only Elena remained in the prison.

She knew better than anyone how interrogations worked and was sure that, as long as Lou Tiannan and the others followed the standard process, they would be fine. The Security Bureau wouldn’t be able to get anything useful out of them.

Standing alone in the cramped cell, she looked at the barred window. The view outside was pitch black.

She knew it wasn’t a real window.

So what was the point of a fake window?

“A psychological effect!”

A voice echoed in her mind, bright and lively.

A girl with big, round black eyes had once looked at her seriously and said, “Elena, listen to me. You have to give prisoners some hope. If you can’t change the underground prison, at least give them a window! Otherwise, if they stay underground for years, they’ll go crazy. By the time they’re released, all you’ll have is a bunch of lunatics.”

In the end, Elena listened to Mi Xing’s suggestion and had a fake window installed in every underground prison cell.

The ‘window’ was actually a digital screen that, before the apocalypse, displayed a live simulation of the weather outside.

If it was a sunny day, the screen showed blue skies, white clouds, and a bright sun. If it rained, dark clouds and lightning appeared.

At first, she hadn’t noticed any significant impact. But later, after comparing the health data of prisoners with and without a window, she had to admit that Mi Xing’s idea was absolutely right.

Mi Xing always managed to surprise her in ways she hadn’t expected.

She and Mi Xing had met by chance. Their first encounter was during an investigation into a murder case three years ago. Mi Xing had provided a key insight that helped her solve the case, which had been a cold case for three years. From then on, they naturally became friends.

Many people wanted to be friends with Elena but she rarely took the initiative to form connections. Mi Xing was one of the few exceptions. She admired Mi Xing’s talent and had even wanted to recommend her to the Security Bureau.

But Mi Xing wrinkled her nose and scoffed, “No way! I’m not joining that cage of yours! It’s full of workaholics!”

Full of? Elena had noticed her wording but didn’t press the issue.

Over time, through small details, she began to suspect that Mi Xing had some connection to the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute.

She never deliberately investigated it, until a sudden kidnapping case revealed the truth.

During that kidnapping case, Mi Xing became a hostage and Elena was the commander of the rescue operation.

The skyscraper in Western District Five was a complex environment and the kidnappers were both dangerous and unpredictable. No one had detailed knowledge of the building’s layout, making the hostage rescue particularly difficult.

Just when everyone was at a loss, a foreign signal came through Elena’s earpiece. From the tapping sounds, she immediately recognized that the person sending the signal was Mi Xing. As she decoded the intelligence Mi Xing provided, she noticed an unexpected figure in the command room.

The dean of the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute.

Her mentor, Xiao Hehua.

On her teacher’s face, Elena saw an expression she rarely witnessed; worry.

Who was she worried about?

There was no time to dwell on it. With Mi Xing’s help, the rescue mission proceeded relatively smoothly despite a few hiccups from her subordinates.

When Mi Xing was finally rescued, her mentor took a distant glance at her before quietly leaving.

Her mentor had arrived in haste and left without a word. Few people even noticed. Those who did would only assume it was out of concern for her, her student. But Elena caught a glimpse of a hidden connection between Mi Xing and her mentor through the kidnapping case.

“My mentor is very impressive!” Elena recalled saying that to Mi Xing after the rescue.

Mi Xing simply gave her a bright smile, wagged her index finger, and said, “Don’t try to test me, Elena.”

It was both a warning and an answer.

There was a connection but she didn’t want to talk about it.

So, Elena didn’t ask any further.

Her gaze at the window softened yet grew more determined. One was her mentor and the other was a cherished friend. That meant she had to do everything in her power to save them.