Apocalyptic Island - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The woman’s gaze lingered on the open cage below, but she did not see Wen Yishu’s figure.

She clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, turned her head back, and said to the person beside her, “The people at the base are really too careless; the cage wasn’t even closed.”

The woman next to her had a hideous scar over her exposed eye. She shot a brief look at the woman sitting by the cabin door: “So much talk. Why don’t you go down and close the door yourself?”

The woman by the door retracted her gaze sullenly and did not speak again.

The helicopters following behind flew out one after another. Hanging below, Wen Yishu finally managed to scramble inside the cage. The whistling cold wind was temporarily blocked out. Using the String of Pearls, she locked her body tightly against the flat floor, successfully making it through this stage.

The scar-faced woman’s gaze returned to You Ning. There were ten people in the cabin in total; aside from this researcher from headquarters, the rest were all members of a Federal Special Task Force. She sensed that the researcher in front of her was extremely uneasy, like a young deer that could be startled at any moment.

You Ning fit her impression of a researcher—someone who soaked in a greenhouse all day, a harmless and non-aggressive weakling whose brain only functioned slightly better when doing scientific research. Even the hand holding the data pad was trembling. She didn’t understand why Rhine would choose such a person to accompany them.

Seemingly out of boredom, the people sitting in the back began to discuss loudly, completely ignoring the fact that there was someone in the cabin who didn’t belong to their squad.

“Did you hear? The Niken sank on its way to the pier.”

The woman by the cabin door chimed in: “Oh, is that the giant vessel?”

A squad member with a heavy weapon slung across their back spoke up: “Yeah. Heard it came from Rong City to pick up people from our side. But didn’t that sudden tsunami hit recently? Word is it split into two sections.”

You Ning’s whole body jolted. In a panic, she lowered her head, using the data pad to hide half of her face. But the words still drifted clearly into her ears; guilt and fear hit her like a tide, drowning her.

“I really don’t understand those rich people. They would have been fine staying in Rong City, yet for some reason, they had to come here.”

The squad member with the heavy weapon threw up their hands: “Who knows? They say over five thousand people are missing. The ones at the coastal pier were washed away so thoroughly they can’t even find the bodies. No telling what happened to the people on that cruise ship. High-ups say it’s impossible to salvage.”

Another young squad member asked: “Didn’t they say a volunteer rescue team was sent? Did anyone from our bureau go?”

The woman leaning by the cabin door gave a contemptuous laugh, her tone as careless as ever: “Go for what? Everyone was dead the moment it hit. Go to salvage corpses?”

An affirmative voice came from the corner: “Exactly. Everyone was told to isolate at home, but some people just have a death wish and have to go out. This maritime route was originally cancelled, but the higher-ups restarted it for some unknown reason. Now look, they’ve just increased the burden on the Federation.”

As their voices reached You Ning’s ears, tears flowed down her face unconsciously. She bit her lip hard, not daring to make a sound. But her abnormality was still noticed by those around her.

The security officer with the heavy weapon first looked down at You Ning, then, as if discovering something fascinating, began to mock her: “What’s wrong, Researcher? Why are you crying? If you’re this cowardly, don’t apply for field duty. Has Rhine been making so many mistakes lately that they can’t even pick out a decent person?”

“For real? Let me see?”

The woman by the cabin door moved to sit next to You Ning, leaning her head down to see You Ning’s wet cheeks. “Heh, she really is crying. How can someone be this useless?”

She shoved You Ning’s shoulder, and the surrounding laughter rose in waves, blending into a jumble of mockery. “Talking about a cruise ship actually scared her to tears. Truly pathetic.”

The contemptuous voices stopped abruptly. The scar-faced woman kicked the person next to You Ning; a look of terrifying coldness sent the mocker scurrying back to her original seat. “One more word of nonsense and I’ll hang all of you underneath.”

The cabin fell silent. In this freezing weather, let alone being hung underneath, a normal person wouldn’t be able to last ten minutes outside in high-speed flight. Their captain was someone who meant what she said; no one dared to speak another word for fear of provoking her.

The woman sat down next to You Ning. She didn’t know why this researcher was crying, nor did she care to investigate. Most in the squad looked down on such weak-willed people, herself included, but she didn’t want the girl to be ruthlessly mocked just for having tears. Everyone has moments of sadness, and no one is born strong. The fact that she was willing to come out made her different from those hiding in the city. Regardless of how You Ning intended to complete the task Rhine gave her, it was none of her business.

You Ning whispered a “thank you” to the woman beside her. No one responded, but she knew the woman had heard. The woman placed the firearm she had been holding across her chest onto her knees, shifting into a more comfortable sitting position.

You Ning wiped her tears. Feeling a moment of peace, Wen Yishu’s voice came through her earpiece: “Ning, stay safe. I’ve successfully made it up.” You Ning let out a slow breath, trying to regulate her emotions.

The helicopters soon reached the outskirts of the city. Below was a dense green jungle; the greenery in Binhai City had never been this extensive before. The former botanical gardens were now so thickly covered they looked airtight, though many plants were dying off one after another because they couldn’t withstand the extreme cold.

Wen Yishu looked down at the scenery through the gaps in the cage, silently marking several warehouses. She planned to come out later to gather supplies from these locations. She wasn’t someone who would sit idly and exhaust her resources; if she didn’t continue as a researcher at Warp Speed, the most likely path would be going out with groups to scavenge for supplies. The government’s food reserves were scattered across various districts of the island; the supplies in the central urban area alone wouldn’t sustain the city’s population for long.

The helicopters flew quickly. A journey that would have taken two days was completed in just over an hour. Aside from Federal dispatch planes, there was virtually no civilian aviation in the sky. The airport had been forced to stop operations when the mutations began. As the cage below rotated, Wen Yishu soon spotted the wreckage of a plane on the beach, split apart by coconut trees. Strangely, it hadn’t been washed away yet, merely entangled by climbing vines.

The tide at the coast had mostly receded. The Rhine apartments remained intact, without much change, though the plants outside were basically all dead. The tsunami had taken not only human lives but also the lives of countless mutated plants. However, she didn’t know if the Money Tree below would still be alive under the protection of the apartment.

From a distance, Wen Yishu saw the Rhine apartments. A large crater had seemingly been blown out of the rooftop exit, leaving only the surrounding area for landing. The noise of the helicopters gradually diminished. First, the cage above was lowered into the large crater, and then the helicopter landed nearby.

Wen Yishu felt the steady sensation of the cage hitting the ground. With a “thud,” and without time to acclimate to being on the ground, she quickly rolled out of the box and stood up in a few strides. Her eyes scanned the area rapidly, and she spotted her door immediately. Fortunately, her room hadn’t been affected by the hole blown above; it was still perfectly intact.

She pulled out her keys and swiftly opened the door. Behind her, the sounds of more boxes landing followed one after another. Without a second’s hesitation, she entered the room.

The interior was exactly as it had been when they left. The smart butler had activated the defense system, so the seawater hadn’t flooded their room. The air was just a bit damp, and she could still smell a faint scent of sea salt from outside, which she had just brought in.

Wen Yishu rubbed her hands. Instead of packing immediately, she waited for the people outside to descend. She quietly pulled up a chair and sat by the door, planning in her mind what she needed to take. The furniture was all fine, but she didn’t have much space; she could only pick the most essential items to pack.

The footsteps outside were muffled by the door. she could only press her ear against it, listening to the subtle movements. Most of the people from the cabin had gone down. The vanguard squad had already subdued the mermen below. Just as they left, the helicopter You Ning was on landed.

She was responsible for collecting the data Rhine had stored at the base. Ji Shuyi had come along as well; she smiled and glanced at You Ning, who smiled back and pointed at the data pad in her hand. It wasn’t that Ji Shuyi hadn’t told Rhine that You Ning was with Wen Yishu’s group, but Rhine felt they were both just telling their own versions of the story and hadn’t pursued the matter in order to smooth things over.

The “old fossils” at the top were split into two factions: Ji Shuyi belonged to the innovators, while the conservatives fought them at every turn, unwilling to let power slip away. They had their own views on the defection incident and thus had protected You Ning and the other two.

Ji Shuyi turned away and dropped her smile, not bothered to speak to someone as “ignorant” as You Ning.

All the Federal security officers marched downstairs in an orderly fashion. You Ning stood at the stairwell, organizing her gear. Once everyone was far enough away, she knocked on the door. Wen Yishu poked her head out, about to invite her in.

You Ning grabbed her hand and whispered: “I won’t come in. Hurry up and move your things; you only have half an hour. I’ll go down and keep watch for you.”

Before their conversation could fully end, the expression on Wen Yishu’s face turned ice-cold. She suddenly pulled out her gun and aimed it at the person in front of her.

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