Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 54

The sky was as dark as ink and torrential rain poured down.

Less than a kilometer from the Border Prison, inside an abandoned garage, Lin Bai leaned against the wall. In front of her, a small fire burned. Although hydrocarbon combustion didn’t produce smoke, she kept the flames low to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Thin tendrils of heat slowly seeped into Lin Bai’s left arm.

Too little…

She had grown accustomed to Lou Tiannan’s steady, intense heat energy. Compared to that, the fluctuating energy from the fire was unsatisfactory.

The rain outside was loud and the surroundings were empty. Lin Bai lowered her body temperature to the minimum, as cold as an unpowered android.

She had exhausted too much energy guiding Elena.

Sitting on the ground with her eyes closed, she focused on a small section of her mind, a visual center that didn’t belong to the body.

The perspective was low, often obstructed but it was enough for her to grasp the situation she wanted to see…

Xi Ya clutched her doll tightly, holding onto Lou Tiannan’s hand as she hid beside his leg.

She didn’t understand what the adults were talking about, only that Auntie Elena seemed to be missing.

When she was very young, she had seen Auntie Elena on television. She was a good person who caught bad guys. And in the few days they had spent together, Auntie Elena had been very kind.

So, Xi Ya felt that Auntie Elena leaving the prison was a good thing.

She wondered if Auntie Elena would go find her mother. She had overheard others saying that it was raining outside. Her mother was afraid of the cold and Xi Ya was very worried about her. But there were bad men there trying to catch them. If the bad men found out about her mother, they would take her away too.

Xi Ya buried her face in her doll, feeling uneasy.

Zhuang Liang and his team searched until dawn but found no trace of Elena.

Someone noticed that a uniform was missing. However, according to the guards who had been paying attention, many people in uniforms had been coming and going to deliver messages due to Elena’s capture. None of them had noticed anything suspicious.

But that was Elena. How could anyone possibly detect something unusual about her?

Outside, the rain poured heavily. Zhuang Liang’s expression was as dark as the storm. Elena had escaped right under their noses. No matter how he looked at it, there was no way to explain the failure.

Tang Mary and Bai Chuan, unconcerned, leaned against the wall and dozed off. Meanwhile, Song Yan and the others, upon hearing about Elena’s escape, glanced at the director’s darkened face, uncertain whether to feel relieved or worried.

Lou Tiannan was once again taken in for questioning.

Song Yan called Xi Ya to her side.

From the middle of the night until 8:00 AM, they were interrogated repeatedly. Their testimonies remained consistent.

Once it was confirmed that Lou Tiannan and his group had no ulterior motives, the safety of their mission took precedence over Elena’s escape. The task assigned to Lou Tiannan by the leader was far more critical and the Security Bureau could not afford to delay him any longer.

At 8:30 AM, Lou Tiannan, Tang Mary, and Bai Chuan were finally released from the Border Prison.

Bai Chuan stretched and said, “Your Security Bureau, tsk tsk, is getting more useless by the day.”

Lu Jia glared at him in anger.

“Don’t look at me like that. Am I wrong? Eight out of ten people here are Aurora followers. And that guy Jed… If Zhuang Liang weren’t still somewhat capable, Jed would have already taken his position as director.”

Bai Chuan was simply stating the truth.

During their interrogation, they had noticed that many within the bureau would pray diligently every morning and evening, their devotion unwavering. Even though Jed had made a mess of things, no one ostracized him. Most still didn’t dare to offend him.

Song Yan and the others, witnessing everything, felt angry but powerless. There were simply too many Aurora believers and with the Federation and Aurora growing ever closer, it was beyond their control.

“Captain Lou, what’s our next move?”

Despite being called the Eastern District One’s Border Prison, it wasn’t actually close to the Eastern District One. Outside, a light rain continued to drizzle.

It had rained all night, turning the ground into a muddy mess.

“We’ll get in the car first. The Security Bureau’s vehicle will take us to the Eastern District One.”

A camouflaged military pickup truck pulled up in front of them. Bai Chuan and Tang Mary climbed in without hesitation.

Tang Mary sat in the front passenger seat and said to the driver, “If you guys catch Elena, make sure someone lets me know. She stole from me. Does she really think she can just run off that easily?”

The driver didn’t dare respond, nor did he dare ignore her. Instead, he silently stepped harder on the gas.

Tang Mary said, “Hey, hey, hey! Why are you speeding up? I’m not going to Eastern District One. Just drop me off somewhere with fewer zombies.”

From the back seat, Bai Chuan added, “Same here. I’m not going to Eastern District One either.”

Xi Ya glanced at Bai Chuan, remembering that he seemed to have a good relationship with her mother. Her round eyes stared at him hopefully as she asked, “Uncle Bai Chuan, can I get off with you later?”

Before Bai Chuan could respond, Tang Mary in the front seat chimed in, “Of course! If you stay with them, you won’t even live to see tomorrow. Come with Auntie Tang. I’ll take you back to Red Sand where you’ll eat well and live well.”

“Xi Ya, why are you going with them?” Zhou Yu asked, worried.

Xi Ya glanced at the driver, pressed her lips together, and stubbornly said, “I just want to go with Uncle Bai Chuan.”

Zhou Yu wanted to say more but Zhu Liang, sitting beside him, reached out and held him back.

Before long, the vehicle came to a stop. Tang Mary and Bai Chuan got out with Xi Ya in their arms.

As the two adults and one child watched the pickup truck disappear into the distance, Bai Chuan pulled Xi Ya closer and said to Tang Mary, “President Tang, you should head back to Red Sand. I have something to take care of.”

Tang Mary snorted. “Don’t try to play games with me. I’m looking for Lin Bai too.”

Bai Chuan raised an eyebrow. “That’s weird. You’re not after Elena but you’re looking for my A’Bai? Why?”

“None of your business. Just get moving already. This rain is driving me crazy.”

“At least tell me where we’re going. Xi Ya, do you know where your mom is?” Bai Chuan asked.

Xi Ya shook her head but quickly remembered the small dagger hidden in her doll’s left leg. However, looking at the two people in front of her, she hesitated, afraid they might hurt her mother.

Bai Chuan noticed right away. He said, “Xi Ya, your mom and I are good friends. She might really need me right now. I won’t hurt her. And if this fat auntie here tries to hurt your mom, I’ll definitely stop her.”

Tang Mary was immediately annoyed. “What nonsense are you spouting?! What fat auntie? Why would I bother hurting Lin Bai for no reason?!”

Seeing that they both had promised, Xi Ya pulled out the dagger from her doll’s left leg and placed it on the ground. The three of them stared at it intently, six eyes fixed on the blade. A minute passed. The dagger didn’t move.

“Xi Ya…” Bai Chuan asked eagerly, “Do you see anything?”

Xi Ya furrowed her small brows and picked up the dagger, turning it in different directions. Still, it didn’t move. She tried a few more times, then suddenly looked up in panic. “I can’t find my mom…”

***

The pickup truck stopped in front of a small building on the outskirts of Eastern District One and dropped off Lou Tiannan’s team. The driver turned to Lou Tiannan and said, “Captain Lou, this is the Federation’s temporary base. You can use it to assess the situation. Director Zhuang has already requested reinforcements from the Federation. They will arrive within three days at the latest. Good luck.”

“Understood.”

The apocalypse had drastically reduced the number of Federation soldiers and Zhuang Liang’s manpower at the Border Prison wasn’t enough to support Lou Tiannan’s mission. He had submitted a request for reinforcements but until they arrived, Lou Tiannan and his team had to gather intel on Eastern District One themselves.

After the pickup truck drove away, Zhou Yu said worriedly, “Brother Liang, isn’t it dangerous for Xi Ya to go with those two?”

“I really don’t get it. Why didn’t Director Zhuang just give us a vehicle?” Lu Jia muttered under his breath.

“He still doesn’t fully trust us,” Lou Tiannan replied. “Bai Chuan and Tang Mary getting off midway is actually a good thing.”

“So now we…” Zhou Yu looked at Eastern District One in front of them, hesitating.

“We’re going to find Elena,” Lou Tiannan answered without hesitation.

“But what about Xi Ya and Lin Bai…?”

“Finding Elena comes first,” Lou Tiannan said firmly. They needed to infiltrate the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute and Elena was the key. Xi Ya following Bai Chuan likely meant they were searching for Lin Bai and Lin Bai’s destination was also the research institute. He believed she would make her way there.

Searching for someone in the rain was like looking for a needle in a haystack but all six of them were highly skilled reconnaissance soldiers. Plus, if Elena had truly escaped, she would definitely leave them clues.

The six of them split up, heading in different directions to search.

Meanwhile, Elena, who had successfully escaped, was also searching for someone. Just as Lou Tiannan had predicted, she was leaving signals as she moved.

She mentally sifted through the people who could provide her with clues and unsurprisingly, they all pointed to Mi Xing.

A mix of excitement and relief surged within her. If Mi Xing could give her clues, it meant she was still safe. Maybe she was even waiting outside for her.

But after carefully searching the area in a concealed manner, Elena found no signs or messages left by Mi Xing. Unwilling to give up, she searched again and again but the result was disappointing.

Just as she was about to head to Eastern District One, she sharply sensed a change in the surrounding air temperature.

Ever since awakening her abilities, her senses had been enhanced. In the midst of the rainy environment, she noticed one particular area where the temperature was slightly higher than the rest. The heat source was coming from underground, in the southwest direction…

With Elena’s excellent memory, she recalled that there was an underground parking garage in that area.

Without hesitation, she made her way there.

She was full of anticipation, expecting to see Mi Xing or at least someone connected to her. But when she arrived, the person waiting for her was both expected and unexpected.

Lin Bai.

Elena had no idea how Lin Bai had managed to evade the Federation’s search, nor why she was there. At that moment, something vague and indescribable seemed ready to break free in Elena’s mind. But when she looked at Lin Bai’s completely ordinary face, she couldn’t grasp that elusive thread no matter how hard she tried.

“What are you doing here?” Elena asked.

“It’s raining outside, so I came here to take shelter,” Lin Bai answered indifferently. She had sensed Elena’s footsteps before she arrived. She could have left but she chose to stay. At that distance, she wouldn’t be able to outrun Elena, who had ice-based abilities. Besides, the rain outside was rapidly draining her energy.

Disappointed, she thought to herself, ‘If only it had been Lou Tiannan who showed up instead.’

Elena cautiously sat across from Lin Bai. “How did you manage to avoid the Federation’s search?”

“I hid under a pile of corpses. Pretty lucky, don’t you think?”

Elena smiled and nodded. “You really are lucky. You’ve been flashing Tang Mary’s crystals in front of her all this time and she still hasn’t noticed.”

Lin Bai looked surprised. “Captain Elena, what are you talking about?”

“I only saw that woman in black once but I remembered her figure. When I sketched her for Tang Mary, Zhu Liang corrected me. That’s when I knew he recognized the thief and was covering for her. When I drew her again, I realized that her build was exactly the same as yours.”

“Captain Elena, you really are observant,” Lin Bai replied lazily, showing no concern about being exposed. She knew that Elena wouldn’t convict her without solid evidence and witnesses, neither of which she had at the moment.

“What do you need the crystals for?” Elena pressed.

“Because they looked nice.” Lin Bai shrugged. “By the way, it’s been a while now. Where’s Captain Lou? Why didn’t he come out with you?”

Hearing Lin Bai’s tired attempt to change the subject, a strange feeling rose in Elena’s heart, like something was on the verge of revealing itself.

Elena stared at Lin Bai and replied, “I escaped. My current situation isn’t much better than yours.”

Lin Bai patted her own head. “I almost forgot about that…”

“Do you want to know how I escaped?”

“Captain Elena is so capable, of course—” Lin Bai’s sentence was cut off as her mind suddenly went blank. Darkness overtook her vision and the last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Elena’s voice calling her name.