Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 74

The underground training ground was silent.

The temperature was high.

Scorching energy particles radiated from Lou Tiannan, spreading inch by inch, wrapping around every object in the room. Heat waves surged upward.

On the second floor, some ability users noticed the rising temperature. However, they didn’t sense any dangerous energy. Detecting that the heat source came from the underground training ground, they relaxed slightly. Some of them had trained with Lou Tiannan over the past few days and knew that his energy particles emitted intense heat. They assumed he was just training and their eyes were full of admiration.

They all knew that they couldn’t release energy as powerful as his.

Although Elena was engaged in conversation with the other ability users, she had been keeping an eye on Lin Bai’s departure. When she noticed Lin Bai had been gone for a while, she decided to look for her.

She searched several floors but didn’t find her. Considering Lin Bai’s identity, she wondered if she had gone to the underground training ground. Following her instincts, Elena descended the stairs.

***

Lou Tiannan leaned against the wall, his energy raging wildly. He focused all his willpower on suppressing the heat, afraid it would make Lin Bai uncomfortable.

“Mm?” Lin Bai’s questioning hum made him freeze. “What do you mean ‘mm’?” she leaned in and asked.

The energy particles he had struggled so hard to control suddenly dispersed at her words.

Lou Tiannan and Lin Bai were extremely close. His gaze met hers again, his breathing slow and steady. His eyelashes trembled slightly as his heart pounded violently in his chest. Then, he spoke, enunciating each word with serious intent. “Yes, I like you. What I wanted to tell you before was also that I like you. I also want to apologize again to you and your partner for what I said earlier. I acted poorly because I cared but didn’t know how to express it… I’m very sorry.” His voice was low and husky.

Hearing his words, Lin Bai’s mind had already gone through several loops of analysis. The system installed in her could interpret emotions and facial expressions. When Lou Tiannan had said, ‘Is your partner really that important to you?’ her emotional analysis system had given her a result; his emotions were jealousy and frustration.

Jealousy and frustration.

So, she had intentionally tested him. She hadn’t expected that Lou Tiannan would actually develop feelings for a bionic human. From a certain perspective, it was a great thing for Lin Bai. A fantastic turn of events.

“I accept your apology, but,” she asked, “is your susceptibility period coming soon?”

Lou Tiannan froze slightly before replying in a deep voice, “I didn’t say I like you because of pheromone influence.”

Lin Bai didn’t really care. She patted him perfunctorily. “Yeah, yeah, I know. So, is your susceptibility period coming soon?”

“Yes.”

This was… perfect!

Lin Bai kept a neutral expression, but inside, she was celebrating. “Then let’s try being together for two days.”

Lou Tiannan’s breath hitched for half a second when he heard this. He grabbed Lin Bai’s arm and, with a tight throat, asked, “Try for two days… What do you mean?”

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the stairway. Lin Bai turned her head to glance in that direction, but Lou Tiannan kept his gaze fixed on her, waiting for her answer.

“Lin Bai, are you here?” Elena’s voice rang out. She was close, probably just a corner away.

“I’m here,” Lin Bai called back before turning to Lou Tiannan again. “Captain Lou, in your military, do relationships start immediately after a confession? Shouldn’t you try being together for a couple of days first to see if you’re compatible?”

Under the bright white fluorescent light, Lin Bai could clearly see Lou Tiannan’s ears turning red, so red they looked like they had been scorched by fire.

Noticing her gaze, Lou Tiannan cleared his throat and forced himself to respond calmly, “Oh, I understand.”

His expression remained stern and imposing, if one ignored the deep flush spreading from his ears to his cheeks and down his neck, making it look like he was having an allergic reaction.

***

When Elena heard the voices and walked down, she saw Lin Bai and Lou Tiannan standing on opposite sides of the wall. The atmosphere…

Hmm?

As a sharp-witted adjudicator, she immediately sensed something was off. Her gaze subtly swept over their expressions before she asked, “Lin Bai? Were you discussing something with Lou Tiannan?”

“We’re done talking. You were looking for me?” Lin Bai responded lazily. Her energy storage battery was nearly full and she was in a good mood.

“Yes, I have a few questions for you,” Elena said.

Lin Bai had a rough guess about what Elena wanted to discuss. “Let’s go to my room.”

“Alright.” Elena nodded at Lou Tiannan and then walked up the stairs with Lin Bai.

Lou Tiannan watched them leave without Lin Bai looking back even once. His brows furrowed slightly.

***

Since leaving the 621 Biopharmaceutical Research Institute, it had been days before Elena finally got the chance to speak with Lin Bai alone. After double-checking the room’s privacy, she finally sat down, facing Lin Bai. “What happened a year ago? Why couldn’t I contact you?”

Lin Bai met Elena’s gaze. She didn’t want to lie to her. Besides, she couldn’t fool Elena anyway. “There was an accident. Aurora got a hold of me.”

Elena suddenly leaned in to scrutinize Lin Bai. “Are you… a bionic human now?”

Back when Lin Bai had stopped breathing for seven or eight hours and then revived, Elena had already harbored suspicions. A normal person couldn’t do that. Even though Lin Bai had claimed she had an ability, Elena didn’t buy it since she had personally performed emergency procedures on Lin Bai.

When Lin Bai had memorized a 314-digit verification code in the elevator shaft and considering the signal alerts Elena had received in the Border Prison, she had already deduced that Lin Bai was not human. Later, when Lin Bai produced a high-level ID card and when her teacher left behind the trace back chip, all those clues confirmed that Lin Bai was Mi Xing.

Lin Bai nodded.

“Did Aurora do this to you?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t there risks if you stay out of your real body for too long?” Elena looked at Lin Bai’s current body, her expression filled with concern.

“I haven’t stayed out for that long…” Lin Bai replied. She wanted to say, ‘The day you ‘buried me alive,’ I already returned.’

Elena still had many questions, like how Lin Bai had entered the bionic body, how she controlled it, and whether she needed any help. But in the end, she held them back and asked instead, “For this operation, is there a chance to bring you back?”

“Yes.” Lin Bai answered without hesitation.

“Then that’s good.” Elena relaxed and, now reassured, shifted to another topic. “What about that kid named Xi Ya? And who is this ‘partner’ you mentioned?”

“I picked up the kid. I spent a few days inside the doll she carried, happened to pass by, and saved her. As for the partner… I just made that up to cover my identity when I ran into Lou Tiannan’s team. Did I play the role convincingly?” Lin Bai leaned back in her chair and playfully blinked at Elena. A hint of mischievousness flickered in her eyes, reminiscent of the old Mi Xing.

“What about Bai Chuan and Tang Mary? Do they know your identity? Could they be a threat to you?”

“They don’t really know who I am and they won’t harm me. I just didn’t expect them…” Lin Bai paused and then said frankly, “Or rather, I didn’t expect you… to come looking for me.”

Elena’s face flashed with annoyance as she reached out to pinch Lin Bai’s cheek. “I thought we were friends?”

In reality, the pain sensitivity in Lin Bai’s current body was set very low, so she barely felt anything when Elena pinched her face. But Lin Bai still grimaced exaggeratedly, her hands ‘struggling’ to push Elena away. “Hey, hey, hey! You’re messing up my makeup! It’s already hard to find cosmetics these days…”

At that moment, Elena finally saw Mi Xing in her. She let go of Lin Bai’s face and pulled her into a tight hug, her voice filled with relief. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“Hey, are you happy because of me, or because of your teacher?” Lin Bai leaned on Elena’s shoulder, her tone suspicious.

However, Elena didn’t fall for it. “What do you mean by ‘my teacher’? Like it has nothing to do with you?”

“Alright, alright, you’re right.” Lin Bai returned the hug briefly before saying, “Okay, enough hugging. What does this look like? If someone sees this, where will your dignity as a Federation Adjudicator go?”

“No one will see—”

Before Elena could finish, Lin Bai’s door suddenly swung open. A member of their team, an ability user named Qiao Dai, excitedly peeked in. “Lin Bai! Are you in—” She froze upon seeing the two hugging inside and after an awkward pause, she quickly said, “Uh—sorry for interrupting, carry on.”

Bang! She swiftly shut the door.

“You were saying?” Lin Bai raised an eyebrow.

Elena sighed, rubbing her forehead in rare frustration. “She’s a wind-based ability user, just like Bai Chuan. She doesn’t even touch the ground when she moves. I should have locked the door.”

***

Qiao Dai returned to the third-floor dining area. As she passed by Xi Ya, who was tying a napkin around a doll, she patted her head and said with great anticipation, “Xi Ya, I have a feeling that you’re about to get a new mom!”

Xi Ya frowned and protested in her childish voice, “I don’t want a new mom!” She was perfectly happy with the one she had.

“No, no, no!” Qiao Dai shook her head mysteriously. “Not replacing your mom but getting an extra one!”

As soon as she said this, Lou Tiannan, Bai Chuan, and Tang Mary all turned their gazes toward her.

Zhou Yu, who was sitting nearby, found it odd and asked, “Qiao Dai, weren’t you going to find Lin Bai? Why did you come back talking about Xi Ya getting a new mom?”

“Her!” Qiao Dai smirked, her lips curving slyly. “She’s getting cozy with our dear Adjudicator! How could I interrupt such a loving couple?”

Zhou Yu was stunned. “What?”

Bai Chuan was shocked. “Lin Bai and Elena?”

Tang Mary was puzzled. “Getting cozy?”

“Qiao Dai, stop spreading rumors,” Lou Tiannan said in a deep voice.

“How could this be a rumor! I just went upstairs and saw the two of them hugging, so close and intimate!” Qiao Dai said with absolute certainty. She sounded very understanding as she continued, “We’re all living like there’s no tomorrow, so enjoying the moment is a good thing. Honestly, when I saw the two of them hugging and looking at me just now, they even looked like a loving couple!”

“No, there’s no way my A’Bai would fall for Elena!” Bai Chuan felt deeply hurt.

“Elena is a pretty good choice of partner,” Tang Mary remarked, feeling that compared to Bai Chuan, Elena was much more reliable.

Lou Tiannan’s eyes darkened and he ground his back teeth.

“Yikes!” Qiao Dai shivered, a chill running down her back. But since the temperature in the room was quite high, she glanced through the gap at the window outside and muttered, “Who knows when this snow will stop? It’s getting colder and colder!”