Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 63

Through the one-way glass of the lab, they watched as the frenzied zombies calmed down after losing the scent of human flesh and blood. A sense of relief washed over them.

Tang Mary, still clutching her injured chest, leaned against the wall and groaned, “I’ve never been beaten this badly in my life!”

“President Tang, keep your voice down. These ability-powered zombies have much sharper senses than the ones we faced before,” Bai Chuan cautioned. He wasn’t in great shape either. Sweat dripped down his usually clean, fair face and his once-pristine suit was now covered in soot and scorch marks. Even his pant legs had been burned through in places.

Lou Tiannan instinctively moved to the farthest corner of the lab. The energy particles within him were acting up again, raising his body temperature significantly. However, after advancing to the next level, he gained some control over the rampaging energy. Still, mastering it completely would take more time.

Lin Bai stood casually two steps away from him. The lab wasn’t very large, so her position didn’t attract much attention.

Elena found some fast-healing medicine in the lab and treated everyone’s wounds.

Meanwhile, Lou Tiannan didn’t sit idle. He examined the lab’s infrastructure. If the lab was completely sealed off from external airflow, there had to be an oxygen supply system. Otherwise, the oxygen in the room wouldn’t be enough for all five of them to last long.

It didn’t take him long to find a storage label on the wall indicating the location of oxygen masks. There were six in total, each capable of providing an adult with 24 hours of oxygen.

Tang Mary picked up one of the palm-sized masks, frowning. “Something this small… How long can it even last?”

“Twenty-four hours,” Lou Tiannan replied.

Bai Chuan examined the oxygen mask in his hands with newfound appreciation. He hadn’t expected such a tiny device to be so effective. “Gotta hand it to the Federation’s top research institute, always ahead of the game!”

After resting for a few minutes, Tang Mary regained some strength. She glanced through the one-way glass at the zombies still lingering outside. “We need to figure out how to get out of here.”

Bai Chuan was also pondering their escape when his gaze landed on Lin Bai. Suddenly, he remembered the reason she had come to the research institute. Officially, she had claimed to be looking for her partner but their boss had definitely assigned her a mission. Sidling up to her, he asked quietly, “Lin Bai, what floor is your partner on? Did you find her?”

In reality, he was asking whether she had completed the task their boss had given her. Bai Chuan thought he was being discreet but the lab’s small size and excellent acoustics meant that the other three heard him clearly. They instinctively turned to watch Lin Bai’s reaction.

Tang Mary, believing Lin Bai truly had a partner, shot Bai Chuan an annoyed glare. Why bring up such a sore subject?

Lin Bai, however, remained completely calm. She nodded slightly and glanced at the pile of zombie corpses outside. In a neutral tone, she said, “I found her. She was just killed out there.”

The four of them fell silent.

Tang Mary hesitated before asking, “She… was killed? Why are you so calm about it?”

Lin Bai’s expression didn’t change. She replied evenly, “Everyone has their own fate. She was already dead a long time ago. Now, she’s just finally free.”

The room fell into an even deeper silence.

They all knew that zombies were once living humans, people who had been bitten, infected with the zombie virus, and lost their lives, only to reawaken as the undead.

Every zombie they fought had once been a real person.

Even the zombies outside the lab had once been passionate researchers at the institute. Perhaps before their deaths, they had been working on vaccines or antidotes. Now, they were nothing more than mindless walking corpses.

Bai Chuan was the first to come to terms with it because he simply didn’t care.

He had been an orphan since birth. His naturally green hair had made him a target of discrimination and bullying throughout his childhood. If not for the Omega Protection Act, he might not have survived. He had grown up alone, without friends, and made a living by reselling toys. He had once thought his life would always be that way, until he met his boss.

A mysterious young girl who always wore a mask.

With her support, he finally had the resources to design and create his own toys. She helped him apply for patents, open a federal storefront, and launch his products on the market. In just one year, he went from being ‘that green-haired weirdo’ to ‘President Bai.’

But he was still an Omega. He still had heat cycles. His gland had been damaged during his secondary gender differentiation and the only way he could manage his heat was through an Alpha’s pheromones or by stimulating other parts of his body.

He would never allow an Alpha to touch him.

One time, when he was struggling through an unbearable heat, his boss found out. But instead of reacting with judgment or pity, she simply handed him a stack of materials and said in a casual tone, “Don’t be like those old-fashioned people from centuries ago. This is completely normal. Everyone has the right to feel pleasure. You’re talented, so go make the toys you want to make. President Bai is amazing!”

He had been discovered. His first reaction was embarrassment and shame. But his boss’s words had stunned him.

Even now, he could still remember how her eyes sparkled like stars, filled with nothing but trust and encouragement.

For the first time, someone had lifted up his wavering, uncertain heart.

And deep down, he realized that he had been afraid.

But not anymore.

Using the materials his boss had given him, he not only created toys to help himself through his heat but also became the biggest manufacturer of adult toys in the Federation. Just as she had said, it was normal, everyone has the right to pleasure. Once he had control over that right, the opinions of others no longer mattered.

He had met his boss at the lowest point of his life and she had made him the most successful businessman in the Federation.

He didn’t care whether those outside were zombies or anything else.

He only cared if his boss was safe.

Seeing how indifferent Lin Bai seemed about her so-called ‘partner’s’ death, Bai Chuan felt relieved. It seemed her mission wasn’t all that important after all.

But then, he sighed internally.

I wonder where Boss is now. This android she made is so cold and emotionless. Sure, sometimes she reminds me of Boss in little ways but in the end, she’s nothing like her. Boss was adorable and gentle…

Ah, I miss her.

After a brief silence, Elena and Lou Tiannan quickly regained their composure.

At the start of the apocalypse, they had both been working for the Security Bureau. They were among the first responders sent to deal with the mutated humans.

They had watched their comrades and colleagues succumb to the virus, watched as wounds no bigger than a fingernail turned them into white-eyed, sharp-toothed zombies in just 24 hours.

After three months of research and treatment with no results, the Federation Medical Institute printed out several meters’ worth of data, making one fact painfully clear. Once infected with the zombie virus, a person was already dead.

The moment of infection was the moment death took hold.

Those people were no longer human. Their bodies had become carriers and spreaders of the virus.

Any hesitation or doubt would only lead to more casualties.

The only thing they could do was ensure that the infected met their end with as little suffering as possible.

“Are you going to collect the body?” a voice suddenly broke the silence in the lab.

Lin Bai paused and looked up at Lou Tiannan.

If not for the serious expression on his face, she would have thought he had figured something out.

Her memory chip reminded her that she had previously stated she had come to the institute to collect her partner’s body.

She shook her head. “No. I already made up my mind before coming here. If she was alive, I would have taken her away. If she had turned into a zombie, I would have ensured she remained at peace here in the institute forever. This ending should make her happy. After all, the institute was her favorite place. Staying in the place she loved isn’t so bad.”

She deeply loved her partner.

Lou Tiannan silently came to that conclusion.

She had traveled across vast distances and braved countless dangers, all the way from West District Seven and possibly even farther, just to ensure her partner could rest in peace.

Tang Mary also heard the emotion in Lin Bai’s words but she was confused. She was certain that Vera had no partner at the start of the apocalypse. The world had only been in chaos for a year and a half, yet not only did Vera somehow find a partner, but she also had a seven-year-old child?

Tang Mary had originally assumed Vera’s claim about having a partner was a lie.

But now, listening to Lin Bai, it was clear she truly had feelings for that person.

Tang Mary was stunned.

Now wasn’t the time to ask questions, though.

She turned her head away, suppressing her doubts.

Bai Chuan, on the other hand, was only impressed. As expected of Boss. Was this android really so advanced? That emotional response was a solid 10 out of 10.

Meanwhile, Elena was quietly observing Lin Bai.

She was certain Lin Bai was the person she knew.

But what had happened to her?

How had she become Lin Bai?

Each of the four had different thoughts running through their minds.

The lab fell into an eerie silence.

Bai Chuan, always one to break the tension, glanced through the one-way glass outside and muttered, “I remember the Federation always saying that the research institute focused on quality over quantity. So why are there so many zombies just on the 17th and 16th floors? I counted roughly 40 between these two floors alone.”

His casual remark made both Elena and Lou Tiannan freeze.

Elena immediately stepped up to the glass, carefully studying the zombies in the office. Her voice turned serious.

“No. Something’s not right. Some of them aren’t researchers!”

The zombies outside were high-level. Their bodies had not decayed much, making it possible to recognize their pre-infection appearances.

She spotted several unfamiliar faces.

“They’re not researchers? Then who are they? Survivors who came to the institute for shelter?” Tang Mary also moved closer to the window.

“They’re not survivors,” Lou Tiannan said firmly, withdrawing his gaze.

He had encountered countless survivors since the apocalypse began. They were all part of vulnerable groups, struggling to survive.

But those zombies, with both their build and physical characteristics, made one thing clear.

They were not weak when they were alive.

“They’re not researchers. They’re not survivors. Then where did they come from? Don’t tell me they were deliberately released into the institute,” Tang Mary speculated.

“Could they be from Aurora?” Bai Chuan suddenly pointed to a tall zombie near the elevator. “Look at what it’s wearing. Doesn’t that white robe look like the ones from Aurora?”

“Yes,” Elena confirmed without hesitation. “That’s definitely Aurora’s uniform.”

“Aurora is meddling with the research institute too? Are they researching how to develop the vaccine or how to develop abilities?” Tang Mary had no fondness for those secretive and mysterious people.

Lou Tiannan and Elena exchanged glances, both understanding the deeper meaning in each other’s eyes.

Aurora was a church that had only been established after the apocalypse. The fact that those zombies were wearing Aurora’s white robes meant that someone from Aurora had come to the research institute after the apocalypse started.

And their presence on the critical 16th and 17th floors meant they had been searching for something.