Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 6

“I’m looking for my partner.” Lin Bai gave him a calm smile. “But as you can see, traveling alone with a child over long distances to find my partner is truly exhausting…”

“That’s your child?” Lou Tiannan’s tone was full of doubt.

“Of course,” Lin Bai replied with certainty.

“How old is she? When is her birthday? What’s her favorite color?” Lou Tiannan asked.

Lin Bai answered unhurriedly, “Seven years old. Her birthday is May 23rd. She likes blue.”

Lou Tiannan stared at her, then somehow produced a fingernail-sized communicator between his fingers. “Go ask the child.”

A gentle and unfamiliar girl’s voice came through, “Okay.”

The girl was likely walking toward the child and the room fell into silence for a moment.

Lou Tiannan observed Lin Bai’s expression but saw that she remained calm, without a trace of nervousness.

A soft rustling sound came through, followed by the girl’s voice on the communicator. “Xi Ya, you’re here! I’m Wen Xiaxia, a registrar here. I need to do a registration. Tell me, how old are you this year?”

“Seven… seven years old.”

“And when is your birthday?” Wen Xiaxia asked again.

Xi Ya seemed to grow cautious. Wen Xiaxia reassured her that it was just for registration and even showed her the form. Only then did Xi Ya answer, “May 23rd.”

“Great, the registration is complete! You did a great job, Xi Ya! I just found a few little flowers in the warehouse. As a reward, you can pick one!”

Hearing this, Lin Bai’s fingers twitched slightly and a fleeting emotion flashed in her eyes. Clever.

Wen Xiaxia’s voice came through the communicator again. “Xi Ya chose a yellow flower.”

Lou Tiannan’s gaze turned sharp as he looked at Lin Bai. However, she didn’t show any surprise. A child’s preferences changing now and then were perfectly normal.

Xi Ya’s voice followed, “Um… Mom… Mommy likes… I want to give it to Mommy…”

Both people in the isolation room paused. Wen Xiaxia praised Xi Ya for being thoughtful before saying goodbye to her.

A few seconds later, Wen Xiaxia’s voice returned through the communicator, “She likes blue flowers but picked a yellow one. As for the reason…”

“Got it.” Lou Tiannan cut off the communicator.

“Captain Lou, can you trust me a little more now?” Lin Bai asked.

“Where is your partner?” Lou Tiannan asked.

“Military Defense Department of Eastern District One.”

“Specific location.”

Lin Bai pretended to hesitate, pausing for two seconds before saying, “I need proof of your identity.”

Lou Tiannan took out a special ID card, about two inches in size, from his pocket and slid it toward her. “Lou Tiannan, Captain of Third Squad, Military Defense Department of Eastern District One.”

Lin Bai slowly picked up the card from the table, lightly scraping its top-right corner with her nail. Then she pointed to the bottom-right corner. “Can you press here?”

Lou Tiannan had been closely watching her actions as she verified the ID card. Seeing her familiarity with the process, he became more convinced that her partner was indeed with the Defense Department. The department was divided into six teams, each with different authentication methods of fingerprint, iris scan, or DNA. Only internal personnel knew the specific validation methods.

Following her instruction, he pressed the indicated spot. Immediately, his name, photo, and a complex sequence of missing-number codes appeared in the previously blank area of the card.

Seeing this, Lin Bai seemed relieved. She returned the card to him and even greeted him amicably, “Captain Lou, hello.”

“Now it’s your turn.” Lou Tiannan remained wary.

“He’s in Building No. 1 of Eastern District One.”

Building No. 1 also housed the 621 Institute of Pharmacology.

“Proof,” Lou Tiannan demanded.

Lin Bai shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t have an ID card to prove my identity.”

Lou Tiannan’s gaze darkened.

“The only thing I can tell you is… Original Blood Vaccine,” Lin Bai spoke the last four words lightly, but they were clear enough for Lou Tiannan to hear.

A sharp glint flashed through Lou Tiannan’s eyes and his expression turned unreadable. He continued staring at Lin Bai intently.

Lin Bai met his gaze with calm eyes.

A silent tension spread between them.

Eventually, Lou Tiannan gave a slight nod. “I’ll take you to Eastern District One.”

Lin Bai revealed an appropriately delighted smile. “That’s wonderful.”

Real or fake. Lou Tiannan scoffed at her smile.

***

Lin Bai left the isolation room and clenched her palm, feeling a long-lost warmth. She was very satisfied.

It was already late at night. Apart from the guards, everyone else at the base had returned to their rooms to sleep. Lin Bai saw Xi Ya standing at the door of a room, hugging her stuffed toy.

Sensing something, Xi Ya looked up and saw Lin Bai. She walked over and handed Lin Bai a roasted potato she had been keeping warm in her arms, along with the yellow flower.

Lin Bai raised her hand and only took the yellow flower. She twirled it between her fingers and looked at Xi Ya, who stubbornly kept holding out the roasted potato. In the end, Lin Bai accepted it and easily split it in two, placing one half into Xi Ya’s hand. “Here.”

Xi Ya finally smiled and took small bites of the portion Lin Bai had given her.

Lin Bai playfully nibbled on the soft potato while discreetly watching the corner of the hallway from the corner of her eye.

A tall and lean figure emerged from around the corner. It was Zhu Liang.

He had changed out of his combat uniform from earlier and was now wearing a casual T-shirt. His features were well-defined and his face had a softer contour compared to the man in the isolation room. However, years in the military had instilled a strict and disciplined manner in his every movement.

It seemed like he had come specifically to find Lin Bai.

“Do you need something?”

Zhu Liang stood a step away from her and handed her a roasted potato from his pocket. “I heard you brought food for Captain Lou. This is your share.”

“Thanks.” Lin Bai didn’t stand on ceremony and took the roasted potato directly from his hand.

Zhu Liang said to her, “I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for the shot you fired this afternoon.”

“No need for thanks. I did it for myself.” Lin Bai’s words were blunt.

Zhu Liang was momentarily stunned. Lin Bai’s personality was somewhat different from what he had expected. Before he could say anything else, his communicator crackled with Zhou Yu’s voice, “Brother Liang, meeting on the third floor.”

Lin Bai’s eyelashes flickered slightly and her fingertips subtly flicked something away.

“Got it.” Zhu Liang put away the communicator, nodded slightly at Lin Bai, and turned to leave.

“Officer Zhu.”

Zhu Liang stopped and turned around, noticing a cufflink in Lin Bai’s hand. He glanced at his sleeve. Somehow, his cufflink had fallen off without him noticing.

“I found this on the ground. Is it yours?” Lin Bai asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Zhu Liang took the cufflink from Lin Bai’s palm.

Zhu Liang gradually walked away and only then did Lin Bai withdraw her gaze. She stuffed the potato into Xi Ya’s arms. “Eat this too.”

***

In the temporary conference room, Zhou Yu was chatting casually with Lou Tiannan. “Captain Lou, you came out earlier than usual this time. I thought you wouldn’t be out until midnight.”

“Why was Lin Bai the one who brought the food?”

“She was worried you’d starve.” Zhou Yu gave a simple explanation, then couldn’t help but add, “Captain Lou, I have to say, that Lin Bai is quite enthusiastic! And her combat skills are surprisingly good!”

Lou Tiannan neither agreed nor disagreed. Just then, Zhu Liang and the other meeting participants entered.

Lou Tiannan dropped the topic and started discussing their next plan.

“Our temporary base is likely compromised. We’ll gear up and depart for the safe zone in five hours.”

“Zhou Yu and Lu Jia will take eight people to cover the rear. Song Yan and Zhu Liang will take six people to protect the middle group of survivors. The rest will move ahead with me to clear the path…”

No one objected to Lou Tiannan’s plan, though Zhou Yu was a bit puzzled. He was usually in charge of the rear alongside Song Yan, so why was Song Yan being moved to the middle this time?

As he was wondering, he saw Lou Tiannan whisper something to Song Yan before dismissing the meeting.

Even though Zhou Yu was curious, he didn’t ask. If Captain Lou had made the arrangements, they were bound to be the right ones.

***

In a house in Western District Five, Tyke, Chang Qi, and a few others were reporting to Qiu Tu.

“Boss Qiu Tu, Lou Tiannan’s ability is strong and his subordinates aren’t weak either. We underestimated them,” Chang Qi said in a low voice. They all knew they had suffered a major loss this time. Not only did they fail to obtain a single third-tier crystal core, but they also lost more than ten ability users.

A loud crashing sound came from the other end of the communicator, as if a chair had been kicked over. A few seconds later, a hoarse and menacing voice spoke, “Keep an eye on them. Don’t make a move.”

“We’re just going to let them absorb those third-tier crystal cores?! I can’t swallow this!” Tyke growled. He pressed down on the bruises that had yet to fade on his arm, frustration evident in his tone. The woman who had shot him earlier weighed heavily on his mind. Ever since awakening his ability in the apocalypse, he had never suffered such a setback.

Hearing Tyke speak, Qiu Tu’s anger slightly subsided. “It’s not that simple. Have you forgotten the side effects of absorbing crystal cores? Lou Tiannan is a cautious man. They won’t be able to absorb the third-tier crystal cores so easily.”

The massive energy within zombie crystal cores could indeed greatly enhance an ability user’s powers. However, the cores also contained trace amounts of a substance known as ‘zombie melanin,’ which could attack the nervous system within seven days of absorption. The higher the crystal core’s level, the greater the risk.

In their organization, Blood Bone, there had been people who couldn’t withstand the zombie melanin’s effects and ended up as mindless lunatics.

“Then why don’t we just take it back now?!” Tyke asked impatiently.

Qiu Tu seemed to have another plan in mind. “Spread the word that they have third-tier crystal cores. Keep a close watch on their movements. I’ll send Lisa over.”

“Understood.”

***

At dawn the next day, everyone at the Federal Army’s temporary base was already geared up and ready to move out.

The survivors were visibly excited. They knew the Federal Army was taking them to the safe zone. Once they reached the safe zone, they wouldn’t have to live in fear every day.

They formed a 2-1-2 formation, using five vehicles to transport supplies, weapons, and survivors.

There were 48 survivors, all loaded into a modified transport truck. The 22 Federal Army members, led by Lou Tiannan, were spread across the five vehicles.

Lin Bai sat in the back of the transport truck, observing the boarding process. It matched what she had overheard in last night’s meeting.

Her gaze swept over the supplies as she speculated where they might be storing the zombie crystal cores.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the crowd ahead. Lin Bai looked over and saw a petite, short-haired woman wearing a mask. Even though only half of her face was visible, it was clear she was beautiful. She was being escorted onto the black pickup truck by Zhu Liang.

“That lady’s name is Wen Xiaxia,” Xi Ya whispered beside her. “She’s a water-ability Omega.”

Lin Bai’s eyes flickered with understanding. In the apocalypse, water contamination was severe, making water-ability users incredibly valuable. On top of that, she was an Omega. Since the apocalypse befell the world, Omegas had become rare resources, claimed by various factions, rarer even than third-tier zombies.

Xi Ya continued whispering, “The tall guy next to her is Zhu Liang. He’s an Alpha but doesn’t have any abilities. The shorter guy in the other truck is Zhou Yu. He’s a Beta with a metal ability. The round-faced guy beside Zhou Yu is Lu Jia. He’s a Beta with a wood ability. And the woman by the vehicle is Song Yan. She doesn’t have any abilities…”

“You’ve gathered quite a bit of information,” Lin Bai remarked.

Xi Ya tilted her head up, her round eyes reflecting Lin Bai’s face. She said earnestly, “I will be very useful.”

She was making every effort to prove her value to Lin Bai.

As they spoke, Lin Bai suddenly felt a warm body press against her shoulder. At the same time, a somewhat familiar male voice sounded.

“You’re Lin Bai, right?”