Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 66

Beep. Beep. Beep.

A continuous alert sounded.

On the monitoring room’s data screen, fluctuating lines appeared, showing unstable readings.

Clair, who was in the observation room’s partition, didn’t wait for the others to react. He immediately began analyzing the data himself.

Pulling up charts, and inputting values… his movements were smooth and practiced, as if he had done it countless times before.

When the analysis was complete, Clair’s gaze dropped slightly.

Sadness.

Was it feeling sad?

Clair looked at the massive cocoon behind the glass wall and felt a deep sorrow himself.

You, who were born to be free, have been trapped inside that cocoon for a whole year.

Can you wake up a little sooner? Let me see you.

A cautious voice came from outside the door. “Your Excellency Bishop, the observers report that the emotional fluctuations are stronger than before. Should we increase the stimulant dosage?”

Clair continued staring at the cocoon and replied in a low voice, “Do it.”

Footsteps retreated. Not long after, a thin needle extended through the glass wall, stopping precisely one centimeter above the cocoon. A pale red liquid dripped into it.

One drop, two drops, three drops… As the liquid entered, the fluctuating lines on the data panel shifted once more.

***

…Three, two, one.

The countdown ended. The explosive mixture was complete.

A blinding light burst from the vial, illuminating the office as if it were daylight. A second later, even the well-sealed and soundproof lab couldn’t fully muffle the deafening explosion.

After the blast, the office’s floor-to-ceiling window surprisingly remained intact. Just as the group began to suspect whether the explosive mixture had been misplaced, they noticed cracks spreading from one corner of the window.

Within three seconds, the entire window was covered in fractures. Then, with a sharp crack, the glass shattered like falling gemstones, its fragments blown against the office walls. The sudden gaping hole let in a violent gust, sending objects flying in all directions.

“Go, now!”

Seeing the window break open, Elena pulled open the lab door.

In the next second, a powerful force shoved her backward. If not for Tang Mary’s quick reflexes in grabbing her arm, she would have crashed into the wall.

“What—”

Before she could finish speaking, the wind and sand forced everyone to squint against the storm.

Bai Chuan peered outside. The darkness beyond the shattered window revealed nothing but a deafening howling wind. As a wind-based ability user, he was highly sensitive to airflow. His face darkened. “This is bad. There’s a hurricane outside.”

“We still have to go, hurricane or not.”

The Federation military uniforms came equipped with compact parachutes. Tang Mary and Bai Chuan, though appearing lightly dressed, were actually fully equipped for deployment.

“You all go first. I’ll wait for her,” Lou Tiannan said.

They all knew who he meant. The three of them were rational enough not to argue about who should stay behind for Lin Bai.

For Lin Bai’s sacrifice to mean something, every single one of them had to make it out safely.

“We’ll regroup after landing,” Bai Chuan said. Grabbing hold of the metal cable secured to the lab, he made his way toward the shattered window. After a glance at Lou Tiannan, he leaned back and jumped.

Tang Mary followed.

Then Elena.

All three had left the research institute but Lin Bai was still nowhere to be seen at the office door.

Lou Tiannan touched the metal case strapped to his chest, then turned and strode toward the office entrance.

***

To keep the mutant zombies from detecting the lab members, Lin Bai had lured them away using the scent of blood.

Her plan was simple. Throw the blood-filled vials far away, then shut down her breathing system, making herself undetectable to the zombies.

But just as she tossed the vials and prepared to deactivate her breathing, a familiar shockwave pounded through her mind. The internal energy within her body began depleting rapidly as it fought against the overwhelming force.

Mid-leap, her body suddenly plummeted to the ground. Energy-drained, she barely managed to stay upright against the wall. In that condition, she couldn’t afford to spend extra energy shutting down her breathing. Every bit of power is counted now.

The mutant zombies, with their heightened senses, wasted no time. A barrage of abilities shot toward her.

Lin Bai narrowly dodged, only to have thick vines coil around her arm. A staff struck her abdomen.

Gritting her teeth, she drew her black blade with one hand and sliced through the vines.

Her vision flickered with darkness but she reminded herself that she could not fall there.

It wasn’t just about avoiding destruction at the hands of the zombies. If she lost her body, transferring her consciousness to another synthetic vessel would make retrieving the critical items on the body nearly impossible.

As Lin Bai fought against the mutant zombies—

Boom!

A thunderous explosion erupted from the distant office.

They had succeeded. Now she had to move, fast.

At the very least, she had to leave the research institute before losing consciousness!

Using the faint heat energy from the fire attack of a fire-based zombie, she barely managed to stay conscious.

Bang!

Another strike from an iron rod came at her leg, causing her body to sink downward.

She barely remained half-kneeling instead of collapsing, with the tip of her black blade pressing against the ground for support.

Breathing heavily due to her insufficient energy, she could feel her body temperature dropping to its lowest point. If she continued to be attacked under these conditions, her body’s self-protection mechanism would forcibly recall her consciousness.

No.

She was well aware that if her consciousness was recalled and Lin Bai’s body was destroyed, she would never be able to return to this body again.

She needed a perfect plan.

“Huhuhu—”

The surrounding mutated zombies howled as they launched their attacks.

Lin Bai lifted her gaze. Flames surged toward her from the front, while strange noises came from the zombies behind her. There was almost no way to dodge. She tightened her grip on the black blade, silently counting the seconds, then raised it and spun around, stabbing at the zombie sneaking up behind her.

Snap.

Her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a scorching hot palm.

Familiar energy particles were being absorbed into her body uncontrollably.

The next moment, she was pulled into a strong embrace, held tightly around the waist with one arm. In the corner of her vision, she saw black flames erupting and rushing toward the zombies. A slight sense of relief washed over her and the consciousness that had been on the verge of retreating settled back into place.

A burning-hot embrace surrounded her, gradually refilling the energy that had been completely depleted in her body.

Her darkened vision slowly regained clarity.

Lou Tiannan.

She silently repeated his name in her heart.

This man really had an utterly selfless and fearless spirit!

***

Lou Tiannan had barely stepped out of the office when he saw Lin Bai surrounded on all sides. She was half-kneeling on the ground, her expression unreadable but she was clearly exhausted.

Yet the zombie in front of her continued its relentless attack. His heart clenched and in an instant, he dashed forward, pulling her into his arms and dodging the mutated zombie’s strike.

The surrounding mutated zombies, smelling the flesh of an ability user, became even more frenzied.

Holding Lin Bai, Lou Tiannan sprinted back toward the office. A zombie leaped directly in front of him, blocking his way.

Without stopping, he raised his hand, conjuring black flames and striking down the zombie ahead without hesitation. He couldn’t afford to be delayed. If the mutated zombies behind them caught up, they would never make it out alive.

Lin Bai could only see Lou Tiannan’s determined jawline. She also saw the mutated zombies chasing closely behind him but he was incredibly fast, almost impossibly fast.

She felt the wind rushing past her. Then, she noticed something tightening around her waist before she met Lou Tiannan’s downward gaze.

In the next instant, he looked up again, firming his hold on her, and with his other hand, hurled a fierce black flame ball at the zombies behind them, forcing them back a step.

Then, he leaped off the 17th floor.

Lin Bai didn’t feel well. Her body was already low on energy, causing many of her internal balance systems to shut down automatically due to insufficient power. The weightlessness of free-falling from a high-rise, combined with the intense hurricane outside, sent both of them spiraling mid-air. The hurricane grew stronger and swept them up in its force. Sand and small stones struck Lin Bai’s body but soon, she couldn’t feel them anymore.

Her head was tightly pressed against Lou Tiannan’s chest.

Boom!

A familiar impact echoed in her mind.

Lin Bai was shocked. Why was it happening again so soon?

But she couldn’t afford to lose consciousness then.

She fought against the pounding in her head and the pull of her original body’s summoning.

Within the hurricane, in Lou Tiannan’s embrace, her energy was rapidly drained, only to be replenished just as quickly by Lou Tiannan’s energy particles, simply because he was so close.

The sensation was unbearable…

It felt like a stick was thrashing inside her brain, while her body fluctuated between burning hot and freezing cold.

Gritting her teeth, Lin Bai resisted. Her fingers clutched tightly onto Lou Tiannan’s combat uniform. She couldn’t leave. She needed more energy particles.

Unconsciously, she moved her head closer to the gland at the back of Lou Tiannan’s neck.

Lou Tiannan, struggling to maintain balance in the storm, stiffened. He glanced down at Lin Bai in his arms but couldn’t see her expression. Was she acting unconsciously?

The hurricane carried lightning, heavy rain, and hail…

Both of them were enduring different kinds of torment.

No one knew how long it lasted but eventually, Lou Tiannan sensed the hurricane weakening slightly. He freed a hand and pulled the parachute release inside his combat suit.

As soon as the parachute deployed, they were abruptly yanked upward before slowly descending with the wind.

At about 800 meters from the ground, the hail intensified, puncturing several holes in their parachute.

Lou Tiannan controlled the parachute cords, swaying left and right as he tried his best to steer their descent and make sure they wouldn’t land in the ocean.

Soon, the parachute became completely useless under the relentless hail. Fortunately, they weren’t too high above the ground. Without hesitation, Lou Tiannan cut the cords, abandoned the damaged parachute, and leaped toward a tall tree with Lin Bai in his arms. Using the branches to cushion their fall, they managed to land relatively safely.

There was no time to assess their surroundings. Hail and heavy snow pelted their bodies. Lou Tiannan felt Lin Bai’s ice-cold skin in his arms. Scanning the area, he quickly found a cave and rushed inside.

Inside the cave, two low-level zombies lunged at them but were instantly taken down by Lou Tiannan.

He tossed their corpses outside. Without a moment to spare, he shook Lin Bai’s shoulders, his voice urgent, “Lin Bai? Where are you hurt?”

Lin Bai remained silent. She couldn’t make a sound to answer him. The only thing she could do was hold onto him tightly as she needed the burning energy particles from his body.

Feeling Lin Bai actively clinging to him, Lou Tiannan didn’t have a single improper thought. He assumed she was freezing. He started a black flame deep inside the cave and instinctively held her closer, rubbing her back and shoulders in an attempt to warm her up. He kept calling her name, “Lin Bai! Lin Bai, wake up! Lin Bai!”

The fire burned steadily but Lin Bai still didn’t wake.

Lou Tiannan checked her breathing, gave her water, and performed a basic examination. Other than her abnormally low body temperature, she showed no visible injuries.

Lou Tiannan recalled how Lin Bai had once stopped breathing for eight hours and was buried by Elena. When she woke up, she explained that it was because of her abilities.

Could it be that her self-protection ability had activated again?