Apocalypse Mode: My Cheat Code Virtual Boyfriend - Chapter 15

Staying at home without having to work or do anything had once been Bai Xun’s dream. But add the condition of no internet, and life at home became a form of house arrest in disguise.

After growing tired of watching movies, Bai Xun dug out a few sets of physical training tutorials from the downloaded database. Having a good body was better than anything else, time to get fit and start grinding!

After trying a few basic exercises, Bai Xun realized he was the only “skinny chicken” in the family. Grandma Bai’s “White Crane Spreads Its Wings” move was powerful and sharp, while Bai Yu’s splits and waist bends showed impressive flexibility. Not to mention Bai Guifang, the family’s combat powerhouse, and Cheng Wei, who could take down mutated monsters with a single palm strike.

After some painful reflection, Bai Xun threw himself even harder into his workouts. Even a skinny chicken could dream of becoming a “white streak in the waves”!

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, the floodwaters rose from the first floor to the eighth. Rescue teams came twice, evacuating a large number of people, but lights still shone from the higher floors, some were gambling on the hope that the flood wouldn’t reach the top.

Bai Xun naturally didn’t leave either.

The post-apocalyptic reincarnation netizen had described the great flood at the start of the disaster in great detail, including the fate of those residents who evacuated with the rescue teams.

The luckier ones boarded cruise ships, but no one knew where they ended up. The less fortunate were swept away along with the temporary shelters by the floodwaters. And those who were both unlucky and slightly fortunate managed to grab onto floating debris and were washed ashore.

In short, the survival rate for those who left with the rescue teams was lower than taking a desperate gamble on their own.

Bai Xun had considered going out to continue gathering supplies, but food soaked in floodwater was inedible, and submerged electrical equipment risked causing electric shocks. The risks outweighed the benefits, so there was no need to take the chance.

By the tenth day of the apocalypse, holed up in their apartment, the power supply was cut off. Starting from the eighth day, the faucets had been spewing murky tap water, but now they ran completely dry.

Their family had a diesel generator but had no plans to turn it on.

In a pitch-black city, turning on a light was like erecting a lighthouse in a thick fog, providing direction for lost ships.

In times like these, turning on lights could attract either sirens or starving humans. Having electricity also indirectly signaled ample supplies, making them prime targets.

The long-lasting rechargeable desk lamps they’d bought earlier at the supermarket finally came in handy.

They drew all the curtains tightly shut, then tied the desk lamps to standing lamps and turned them on, creating distinct bands of light and shadow along the pathways everyone used. Grandma Bai carried an extra flashlight, shining it wherever she went, after all, elderly people couldn’t afford to fall.

Bai Guifang criticized this setup as “taking off your pants to fart”, utterly pointless. Bai Yu complained that washing her hair in the bathroom with only a desk lamp made her feel like Sadako might crawl out of the mirror and jump-scare her.

Bai Xun tripped over the sofa leg three times, and each time, Cheng Wei caught him from behind.

Three strikes and you’re out. Bai Xun immediately opened a box of glow sticks and stuck them on all the protruding corners and edges. Though it gave the entire decor a nightclub vibe, at least no one would trip and fall without a sound anymore.

These were minor issues. The bigger problem was that as the floodwaters rose, the mutated monsters hidden in the building were also migrating upward.

The door across the hall on the 33rd floor, with its two units per landing, clicked open. A man in a bathrobe, his steps unsteady and his head hanging low like a wandering ghost, slowly drifted to their doorstep.

“Could you spare some food? I can smell you cooking. I’m so hungry, really hungry right now…” The man knocked on the security door again and again, the sound echoing through the empty hallway.

As a concerned citizen, Bai Xun should have extended a helping hand without hesitation when someone was in need… or so one might think!

Who knew if the person outside was human or something else entirely?

Fortunately, on the day they moved in, Bai Xun had been cautious enough to install a camera in the hallway outside. Although the power was out now, the battery inside could still function for a while.

No one made any unnecessary movements, careful not to make any noise that might be heard by whatever was knocking outside.

Bai Xun held his breath, calmly took out his phone, and pulled up the surveillance footage from outside.

In the footage, the man’s hand knocked on the security door repeatedly, but his head remained lowered, with slightly long hair covering his face. It was impossible to tell what expression he wore.

“You’re in there, right? Give me something to eat. I’m so hungry, really so hungry…”

The man’s knocking grew more urgent, and his body gradually pressed closer to the door until he was fully flattened against it, like a human-shaped gecko.

What normal person would plaster themselves against someone else’s door?! Buddy, are you out of your mind?!

This mutated creature was drawn by the man’s knocking!

Squelch!

A spider leg pierced through the man’s back, skewering him and hoisting him upside down from the ceiling. Surprisingly, the man didn’t struggle, his limbs hanging limply like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

As the spider leg lifted him, the man’s body flipped over, revealing his face to the camera.

Bai Xun clearly saw that where the face should have been, there was now a gaping hole. A lizard’s head filled the cavity, and it wasn’t hard to guess that a mutated pet had eaten its owner.

If they had opened the door earlier, this lizard would have surely given them a face-hugging attack.

The lizard slipped out of the hollowed-out skin and scurried back on all fours to its half-open door.

The humanoid spider used two of its front legs to tear away the remaining flesh from the man’s limbs, while its other spear-like legs skittered across the ceiling. Just as the lizard was about to close the door, one of the spider legs wedged itself into the gap.

The difference in strength was clear, the lizard was about to be devoured.

The humanoid spider moved unhurriedly, pausing to glance back at Bai Xun’s door before crawling into the opposite apartment. Clearly, it had discovered new prey.

Suppressing his fear, Bai Xun raised his head and forced himself to stay calm. “The other mutated creature outside, the spider, has noticed us. I want to go out and lock the fire door. Cheng Wei, are you willing to come with me?”

Cheng Wei shook his head. “It’s too dangerous for you to go out. I’ll handle the spider alone, lock the door, and come back. Just wait for me.”

This wasn’t the time for arguments. Bai Xun spoke firmly, “No, I don’t agree. If the fighting attracts more creatures, it’s hard to say whether you’ll be able to handle it.”

Before Cheng Wei could say more, Bai Yu interrupted, “Brother, I’ll go with you too. I’ll cover for you.”

Bai Guifang spoke up, “Alright, alright, why is Cheng Wei the only one doing all the work? Grandma can watch the house while we all go together, armed to the teeth. Whoever comes, we’ll knock them out with a concussion.”

Everyone sprang into action immediately, arming themselves from head to toe, grabbing their weapons, and arranging their positions. Cheng Wei took the lead and was the first to step out of the apartment.

As Cheng Wei entered the opposite unit, a monstrous roar followed closely behind.

Bai Xun was the second to exit. He moved as quickly as possible to the fire door, which could be closed simply by pulling the two outward-swinging doors shut.

The fire doors in public areas couldn’t be locked to ensure timely rescue in case of a sudden fire. At this moment, the fire door could be opened just by turning the handle.

With this in mind, Bai Xun had brought along the industrial-strength adhesive he’d purchased. As soon as the door was closed, he slathered the adhesive over the lock and the door seams.

The industrial adhesive dried almost instantly in the air, firmly sealing the door frame and seams. This powerful adhesive, capable of bonding a ton of metal with just six centimeters of glue, proved highly effective. The sealed door seams and lock would be difficult to break open by force anytime soon.

Bai Guifang stood guard behind Bai Xun, wielding a kitchen knife to fend off any sudden monster attacks.

Bai Yu held the largest caliper in one hand and a flashlight in the other, facing away from them and keeping a close watch on the opposite unit. From inside came the sounds of continuous fighting and roars, mixed with the crashing and shattering of furniture. It was hard not to worry about how intense the battle inside must be.

After finishing with the adhesive, Bai Xun stood up. The roars of the humanoid spider from the opposite unit gradually weakened, and once the commotion had completely subsided, Cheng Wei emerged, half-covered in blood.

“Are you hurt?” The only light in the corridor came from the flashlight in Bai Yu’s hand. Bai Xun relied on the glow-in-the-dark bracelet on Cheng Wei’s wrist to locate him.

“The spider slashed my arm. It hurts a bit,” Cheng Wei replied slowly, removing his jacket. Blood gushed from a large puncture wound on his forearm, dripping from his fingertips and splattering dark spots onto the marble tiles of the corridor.

He had been too careless. Bai Xun would worry if he saw this.

“We need to go back and treat your wound right away,” Bai Xun said, walking toward Cheng Wei, who quickly hid his hand behind his back.

Bai Yu hesitated, having noticed the blood on the floor.

Just as she was about to speak, Cheng Wei interrupted, “I’m fine. The spider and the lizard are both dead. We should move some things from this unit to block the fire door. I saw a piano inside earlier.”

Bai Xun naturally wouldn’t let an injured person do any heavy lifting. “Alright, you go back first. We’ll handle moving the things. You know where the first aid kit is, right? Ask Grandma to open the door for you. We’ll come back as soon as we’ve blocked the door.”

Cheng Wei, clutching his arm, headed back to tend to his wound.

Bai Yu approached Bai Xun with the flashlight. “It seems like Cheng Wei is seriously injured. I saw the blood on the floor. He suggested blocking the door to distract us.”

Did you catch my hint, my silly brother? He’s afraid you’ll worry!

Bai Xun understood. “We’ll settle things with him once we’re done moving the stuff.”

After struggling to drag a pile of heavy items like sofas, a piano, and a TV cabinet from the opposite unit to block the door, Bai Xun closed the door to the unit and applied the remaining adhesive to it before finally feeling at ease enough to leave.

Back in their suite, Cheng Wei had already treated his wound. Bai Xun found him in his room.

He had a towel draped over his head, his hair slightly damp. Under the dim glow of a desk lamp, even his eyes seemed moist.

Bai Xun removed the towel covering Cheng Wei’s head. Cheng Wei looked up at him and said with certainty, “You know.”

His tail was thrashing about, its messy fur making the large appendage look like a bald feather duster.

Bai Xun reached out and pressed down on the tail, causing Cheng Wei’s body to immediately stiffen.

“You’ve made progress this time. Can you try to be a bit more honest next time? Not telling the truth just makes me worry more.” To catch the bandits, first catch the king, grabbing the tail meant the little snow leopard had no choice but to surrender.

Cheng Wei’s ears were practically standing on end. “I, I understand. Can you let go of my tail first?”

Bai Xun released the tail. “Let me blow-dry your hair and tail. Can you not lift your arms? Have you taken the painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicine?”

Cheng Wei nodded obediently, his face flushed. “Yes.”

The diesel generator started up briefly, and warm air blew from the hairdryer, lifting Cheng Wei’s hair. Bai Xun’s hand occasionally brushed against his ears, causing the soft appendages to tremble slightly.

The fluffy tail with black circular spots arched upward slightly, a sign of contentment in felines.