Apocalyptic Island - Chapter 73

Chapter 73

“Are you all right?” Bai Mi held her hand back. The smell inside the vehicle wasn’t pleasant.

Huang Fei quickly hopped out to set up the charging, then cracked a window slightly. The biting cold air rushed in, refreshing the stagnant atmosphere inside. The group felt a bit better. Wen Yishu released Bai Mi’s hand and slumped back into the passenger seat, giving Huang Fei a thumbs-up. To drive like that was a skill in itself. Huang Fei felt a bit embarrassed and scratched her head shyly.

For the entire day, no one except Bai Mi had an appetite.

Angry citizens, unable to withstand the rapidly increasing attacks from Xenogenics in their homes, united to direct their fury at Rhine as a release valve. Although the current situation in the city had little direct do to with Rhine, herd mentality is powerful; if the majority attacked Rhine, the rest were likely to follow blindly. If the city gates hadn’t been sturdy enough, those lunatics would have breached them long ago.

The sounds of rioting outside never ceased, but no one showed interest in this old garage, so no one came down to check what was inside. Breaking into an old garage was time-consuming and laborious. After a discussion, the group reached a consensus: they had to leave the city. The city was too densely populated and infested with Xenogenics; it was no longer fit for habitation.

Wen Yishu sighed, scrolling through the holographic map. To think they had just entered the city only to have to leave again. Her first choice was still the area near the Banyan Tree. If they could utilize the supplies in those containers, it would be ideal. That place didn’t lack water, the temperature was suitable, and it was further away from immediate danger. If they could get there, it would be the best-case scenario.

Ling Shuang finally found the strength to crawl up. She tied her hair back and leaned over the edge of the rear bed. “Should we hit a supermarket or somewhere to grab some supplies?”

Huo Xiaoguan pulled out a handful of sour candies from somewhere and handed them around. “Is there any point? Would it even be our turn? Anything worth taking was probably stripped bare long ago.”

She was right. Those places would be the first to be hit. Despite the Federation’s control, there were plenty of people who didn’t fear death. Order had collapsed; when people don’t know where their next meal is coming from, no one cares if looting carries a death penalty.

Huang Fei was the most energetic of the group and seemed eager about Ling Shuang’s suggestion. “How will we know if we don’t try? Maybe opportunity favors people like us.”

Bai Mi opened a video on her light-brain and displayed it for everyone. It was a bird’s-eye view. The recorder was behind the curtains of a high-rise building, filming a massive commercial center across the street. The entrance was heavily guarded by personnel in blue-black Federal tactical uniforms. Outside, a mix of Xenogenics and mobs had surrounded the center so tightly not even water could leak through.

Suddenly, a breach was made. The crowd surged forward toward the collapsed section. The recorder let out a gasp as they zoomed in on the trampling below. An officer on the ground was being crushed into a pulp by the frenzied crowd. The three layers of cordoned-off police began to fall one by one.

The officers at the center of the danger, unable to suppress their survival instincts any longer, raised their rifles and began firing into the crowd. The camera shook violently; the recorder’s heavy breathing was audible over the chaotic background noise. First, the doors of the commercial center were burst open, then the crowd poured out like a dam breaking.

It wasn’t a pure crowd of humans. The figures running at the very front had distorted postures, their necks twisted at unnatural angles, and their skin was a sickly grey-green. Under the police fire, the people in front fell in heaps.

One by one, officers were pushed to the ground, their riot shields shattering under the weight of the stampede. Their screams were snuffed out by countless feet on the asphalt. Helmets rolled away, revealing young faces beneath, most no older than twenty.

Sirens pierced the air as three armored vehicles blocked the intersection. Riot police raised their weapons, forming a human wall at the gap. A commanding officer was still shouting through a megaphone, but he was tackled the next second. A Xenogenic used its tailbone to wrap around his waist; corrosive mucus seeped from the gaps in its carapace, melting the fabric of his uniform like butter.

The moment gunfire erupted, the camera spun wildly. When the recorder regained their footing, the lens caught a gruesome sight: a flamethrower pierced a Xenogenic’s head, but failed to stop it. Corrosive flesh exploded like fireworks, splashing onto the faces of the fleeing crowd. Amidst the screams, those hit began clawing at their own faces as their skin melted away like wax.

Such intense combat scenes, even without sound, chilled everyone to the bone. At the edge of the frame, a woman holding an infant was hit in the shoulder by a stray bullet. As she stumbled and fell, the swaddled baby flew from her arms. The screen went black, leaving only the sound of the recorder’s breaking sobs.

The holographic screen flickered blue, forcibly cutting back to an advertisement. A sweet-smiling virtual idol was promoting the latest air purifier: “Make your breath purer~”

“They’re still running ads at a time like this!” Huo Xiaoguan clenched her fists, staring at the minimized window.

The conflict between the police and the public had reached an irreversible point. Ordinary weapons couldn’t kill these monsters, so the police had been issued specialized ammunition, but no one mentioned what would happen to ordinary people hit by such bullets. Even without sound, the agony of those people was palpable.

Bai Mi looked calmly at Huang Fei. “Do you still want to go?”

Huang Fei shook her head like a rattle, waving her hands frantically. “No, no way. I feel like the car would be crushed flat by those people if we drove in.”

Huo Xiaoguan asked stubbornly, “What about outside the city? We can go to the supply points outside.”

Ling Shuang looked at her like she was an idiot. “By that same logic, why would such a good thing be left for us? The supply points outside must have been picked clean by the locals long ago.”

Wen Yishu nodded in agreement. The best plan was to leave the city first, find the hidden sightseeing car they had used before, and take the supplies from it. That way, they wouldn’t be starving or desperate as they traveled. They would drive toward the Banyan Tree, take everything from the containers there, and that would sustain them for at least a month. As for supplies on the road, that would be up to fate.

After all, the apocalypse had been going on for so long. Previously, they had been pushed along by events; this time, they were choosing to take the initiative. Wen Yishu laid out the plan, and the others nodded in agreement without objection.

The night was restless. Xenogenics and humans passed by outside from time to time. Several times, Wen Yishu felt that the people outside might succumb to their curiosity and try to pry open this “shabby” garage. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, knees drawn up, hugging her legs, watching the outside through the motorhome window.

Huo Xiaoguan crept up beside her. Ling Shuang gave her a nudge from behind, signaling her to keep going. Huo Xiaoguan coughed awkwardly and spoke up:

“Wen, Shuang asked me to come and ask… do you really intend to go look for Yu Ning?”

Anyone with eyes could see their relationship was special. Wen Yishu remained silent for a long time. Huo Xiaoguan waited until she thought there would be no answer and was about to move away when she heard a muffled voice: “Actually, I want her back more than any of you.”

The cabin fell silent as she continued: “But, I’ve advised her more than once, and it doesn’t always work. I can pull her back once, but I can’t be by her side every single time. This is her own choice; I respect it.”

She buried her face in her knees. Yu Ning wasn’t unaware of the danger, but she didn’t want to leave with Wen Yishu. Perhaps their paths were meant to diverge; at the crossroads, Yu Ning chose left, and Wen Yishu chose right. Even so, it didn’t negate their friendship. Even if Yu Ning stayed with Rhine, Wen Yishu would still consider her a friend.

The two behind her retreated silently. They had their answer; Wen Yishu had made her decision before they even asked. In the darkness, Bai Mi’s eyes shone brightly. She watched the window until Wen Yishu fell asleep.

That night, most of them slept poorly, but Huang Fei was already accustomed to this life. She had slept on the bed the previous night, making her more comfortable than the others. Today, she was still the driver, while the others took turns napping in the back. Wen Yishu’s stamina had recovered well, so she sat in the passenger seat.

The street outside the warehouse was quiet. The weather remained a dull grey, which dampened the mood but provided Wen Yishu with a sense of security. Huang Fei drove the vehicle out. The old neighborhood was even more chaotic than the day before. Dark red bloodstains on the walls had frozen into icy crusts. The tires crunched over the bloody ice; large vehicles were less prone to skidding. The street smelled atrocious—the stench seeped into the car through the air conditioning.

Everyone looked grim. Wen Yishu searched for useful info on the Real-Time Feed and discovered that the West Gate had been breached last night by angry mobs and underground organizations. Someone had seized control of the wall’s lowering mechanism and brought a section of the western wall all the way down.

The fleeing masses hadn’t even had time to celebrate before the plants outside coiled around them from head to toe. They were flung into the air, and when their heads hit the ground, they shattered. The plants happily absorbed the brain matter, yet despite this, a vast number of people still scrambled to escape the city.

The wall had not been raised by morning. Huang Fei drove the motorhome at full speed toward the location. As expected, waiting an extra day had brought a turn of events; if they had tried to leave yesterday, it wouldn’t have been so smooth.

It took Huang Fei an hour to reach the West District. The traffic flow was noticeably heavier. Everyone had the same goal. Some even tried to block the road, attempting to force vehicles to stop. Several large trucks in front of them hit these people without mercy, and no one dared to step forward again. The rest of the crowd hurried on, and Huang Fei simply followed the lead of the trucks, moving without hindrance.

The closer they got to the gate, the denser the traffic became, until it was a total gridlock. The trees outside, nourished by countless humans, had grown even larger. Every pedestrian who stepped forward was invariably snatched away by branches. Even vehicles were being picked off; no one wanted to be the first “cannon fodder” to head out.

There was a central lane left open for those who wanted to pass, but no one took it. The crowd was noisy and rowdy, but no one attacked the cars; everyone was going to die sooner or later, and no one wanted to waste energy.

Huang Fei instinctively slowed the car to a halt, preparing to turn aside, when Wen Yishu’s voice rang out, leaving no room for doubt: “Drive!”

Huang Fei turned to look at her in shock, seeing that she wasn’t joking. Her hands moved faster than her brain, and she floored the accelerator.

The crowd watched the car charge toward the exit, letting out one exclamation after another: “Look! There goes a suicide mission!”

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