Apocalyptic Island - Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Wen Yishu had a natural phobia of arthropods; she nearly lost control and jumped onto Bai Mi. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and her heart pounded wildly. This was a life-and-death struggle against a variant; she suppressed her instinctive reaction and forcefully drew her extended short blade, thrusting it toward the centipede.

The moment the centipede lunged, the two women dodged to either side with perfect synchronicity. Wen Yishu’s blade struck something that felt like solid metal; with a sharp clanging sound, it was deflected. The vibration left her hand numb. The giant centipede was unscathed; even the ringed antennae at its tail, which usually break off in danger, remained perfectly intact.

Wen Yishu saw the barbs on its hardened carapace; it was completely different from a normal centipede. She didn’t want to imagine how horrific it would be if such a thing latched onto a person. It landed on the pile of firewood, twitching as it was scorched by the firebrand Bai Mi had picked up. Its dozens of pairs of legs danced incessantly, a sight that was utterly revolting. Those red antennae swayed toward them, seemingly having already caught their scent.

Wen Yishu felt sour bile rising in her throat; facing this thing head-on was proving to be a bit too difficult. She involuntarily leaned closer to Bai Mi, her grip on the short blade tightening.

“I’ll distract it. You go outside and get the flamethrower,” Bai Mi said in a low voice. Due to the centipede’s pounce, the fire they had just started had been extinguished, leaving only a small flicker of flame on the stick in Bai Mi’s hand.

It was obvious that the variant feared fire. Wen Yishu did not hesitate; she wasn’t the indecisive type who would insist on staying behind for some “live or die together” nonsense when both of them could end up dead. She believed in Bai Mi’s capability and she believed in her own speed.

However, she moved with extreme caution. As she shifted, the centipede’s red head followed her movements slowly. Wen Yishu spoke with difficulty: “What do we do? It’s not working. How about you give me the firebrand and you go?”

Wen Yishu was clearly much more attractive to the centipede than the stick-wielding Bai Mi. The centipede didn’t even hesitate—it chose Wen Yishu. Transferring the firebrand to the other person was no longer realistic. Wen Yishu swallowed hard and clenched her hands. As she backed away cautiously, she kept her eyes fixed on the creature. No matter how she moved, the mutated centipede’s attention remained locked on her.

Watching the flame in Bai Mi’s hand grow smaller, she knew she couldn’t worry about anything else anymore; if she didn’t get out now, they were truly dead. Wen Yishu twisted the doorknob and shot out of the door like a bullet. As the centipede reared its front body to strike, she snatched a nearby chair and smashed it toward the creature.

Wen Yishu didn’t stop running, closing the door behind her and praying for Bai Mi to be safe—only to stop dead in her tracks at the threshold. She turned around in one fluid motion and rushed back inside. A massive boom echoed behind her as the wooden door she had just closed was pierced by a pair of hardened mandibles, leaving two gaping holes.

Bai Mi looked at her in surprise, only to see Wen Yishu give a bitter smile: “The one outside is even bigger.”

Outside, a colorful centipede even larger than the one inside had struck with terrifying speed. If Wen Yishu hadn’t reacted in time, she would have suffered the same fate as the door panel. The centipede inside, momentarily dazed from being hit with the chair, quickly scurried out from under the broken wood and vanished into the inner rooms of the meeting hall.

Wen Yishu had an ominous premonition. She quickly picked up the stove and gear, and she and Bai Mi began looking for another exit. Going through the door was impossible, and they had no intention of pursuing a fight. The centipede moved so fast it had disappeared in the blink of an eye; there was no way they could catch it.

The emergency exit sign in the corner was strange. Though covered in a thin layer of dust, one could still see two arrows on it—one white and one green. Wen Yishu looked up. The ceiling wasn’t low, but there was a handle up there that was out of reach even if one jumped.

Without a word, Bai Mi picked her up, letting her sit on her shoulders and then hoisting her higher. Wen Yishu didn’t stand on ceremony; she used her own strength to stand upright. She reached out with the extended blade to hook the handle above. Once Bai Mi adjusted her position, Wen Yishu gave a sudden pull.

Fortunately, the hatch was still functional. As she pulled, a connecting ladder dropped down, sending a cloud of dust fluttering onto both of them. Wen Yishu fanned the air and unhesitatingly pulled the ladder to climb up.

The roof of the meeting hall was a large, dilapidated platform. On it were several broken large parasols whose original forms were barely recognizable, their grey-white fabric completely faded. There were also a few crooked chairs and a massive bowl-shaped signal collector.

One could faintly see the comfortable life of the past, but Wen Yishu only glanced at it before spotting the area below where the centipede had entered. Countless centipedes, large and small, were swarming out, nearly covering the entire ground.

She felt her heart nearly stop from fright. After quickly pulling Bai Mi up, she slammed the hatch shut. The two of them practically ran across the roof to where the bike was parked. Luckily, the centipedes below hadn’t noticed them. Bai Mi buckled her backpack and leaped down from the roof.

The movement alerted the centipede outside, which began waving its front limbs and crawling toward them. Wen Yishu followed immediately. By the time Bai Mi had backed the bike out, the giant centipede from outside had completely rounded the corner. The moment it saw them, its speed increased instantly.

A bicycle doesn’t start very fast. Wen Yishu jumped onto the rear seat and grabbed the flamethrower. Holding the weapon in one hand, a long tongue of fire formed a tail-fin behind the bike. The lunging centipede twisted and rolled in the high heat, the sound of its carapace bursting sounding as dense as popcorn.

However, it wasn’t the smell of roasted meat that wafted over, but an exceptionally foul, nauseating stench. Wen Yishu fumbled for the flamethrower ammunition in her bag and threw it fiercely toward the bungalow.

The fire exploded instantly, like a small-scale blast. From within the flames, dense swarms of centipedes rushed out of the house. The surviving centipedes began cannibalizing each other, tearing wounded companions to shreds, while even more centipedes emerged from the building due to the searing heat.

Sitting on the bicycle, Wen Yishu wrapped her arms around Bai Mi’s waist. In the distance, the outlines of the old-era buildings were being swallowed by a black-green tide. She put the flamethrower back in its place: “Looks like we really have to carry weapons at all times. We need to check the house before moving in next time.”

Bai Mi’s muffled response came from the front.

This was nowhere near as comfortable as sleeping in the banyan tree, but once they left the banyan forest, chances were there wouldn’t be such good conditions for the night. Not only was the surface area of other trees insufficient, but not every tree was friendly.

The String of Pearls, which Wen Yishu had pinned firmly in her pocket, poked its head out and communicated mentally: “It’s okay, Master! Just leave it to me. I’ll negotiate for you.”

The scene of the Banyan being led astray flashed through Wen Yishu’s mind. Although she didn’t want to crush the “child’s” confidence, she declined politely: “Let’s not. Thank you, but I’ll handle it.”

The String of Pearls was very indignant, its grip on her finger tightening: “Who says Old Pearl can’t do it? I definitely can! Just leave it to me, Master. After all, how can you know if you’ll succeed without trying?”

Wen Yishu’s mouth twitched. After being pestered for a while—until the plant threatened a hunger strike—she finally gave a reluctant nod.

The two ate some cold food by the roadside, no longer daring to enter the residential areas nearby, unsure what other strange things lurked within. Fortunately, after the initial centipede incident, they didn’t encounter any major trouble. As evening approached, Wen Yishu and Bai Mi had to stop and look for a place to stay for the night.

They arrived at a small town. There weren’t many residents here; Bai Mi hadn’t looked closely when she passed through earlier. This was a residential area for a theme park scenic spot. Most of the houses hadn’t been damaged by plants. The sunset spilled through the clouds onto the path leading into town, creating a very cozy and comfortable feeling.

However, neither of them dared to let their guard down. Wen Yishu held the flamethrower in front of her, staying alert. She didn’t want to stay in this place long; she had a lingering bad feeling. But this was the only way back; the detours were all undeveloped forests, and she didn’t want to encounter another swarm of arthropods.

Bai Mi naturally had no objection to her decision. From a risk assessment standpoint, this was indeed the best choice. If something happened even here, then heaven simply wasn’t giving them a chance.

Wen Yishu chose to stop at a small house right on the edge. She didn’t know if any residents were still alive in this town, but after a tiring day, they needed proper rest. A guesthouse on the edge led directly to the main road, making an escape easier.

This was a characteristic wooden guesthouse, two stories high, built entirely in a villa vacation style. The ground floor was a living room, activity room, and kitchen, with the bedrooms upstairs. The log-style decor was very comfortable, giving Wen Yishu the illusion of being back in the Rhine Apartment.

However, the hardware facilities here were much worse than the Rhine. After checking inside and out and finding nothing strange, they brought the bicycle in. Outside, the sky was growing dark. Wen Yishu did a quick cleanup, preparing to settle down here.

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