Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 235 - 230 Failing to Open the Vent
”Stop, you fool!”Porcupine’s movements froze instantly. He recognized Lilia’s voice.

”You—”

Before he could get a word out, his booming voice was silenced by a sharp slap on the back from Lilia. ”Shut up! Keep your voice down,” she hissed. ”Do you want everyone to know what’s going on here? Don’t say anything for now. I’ll explain everything in a moment.”

In the dim light, no one could see the pitiful expression on Porcupine’s face. Although he didn’t understand why Lilia was talking to him like that, he figured his brain wasn’t the sharpest and decided it was best to obey.

Just then, Wei Hao silently joined them. After the initial shock of the alternating light and darkness, the two of them, aided by their Spirit abilities—telekinesis and gravity manipulation—had gradually adapted to the gloom. After all, their environmental perception, enhanced by their Spirit abilities, far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

Soon, the three of them were huddled together, whispering.

”You really are a fool who only thinks about food,” Wei Hao said with a hint of helplessness. ”Did you actually think the boss was just sleeping?”

”Huh? He isn’t?” Porcupine scratched his head, completely baffled, doing his best to keep his voice down.

”Eating too much really does slow down the brain. Think hard about how we met the boss,” Wei Hao said, his voice low and calm.

Porcupine mulled it over, trying his best to remember.

”Uh... last night, the boss opened my door. He didn’t say much, just asked if I was willing to go with him. I told him I was always hungry and never felt full, so if he could guarantee I’d be fed, I’d go. Then the boss just said okay and promised I’d never go hungry again. That’s all he said.”

Porcupine’s innocent expression left Lilia and Wei Hao utterly speechless, their minds reeling. Last night’s events had been far from that simple. Their new boss, Chen Pingchuan, had descended like a god of slaughter, massacring the prisoners in dozens of rooms until only the three of them remained.

Furthermore, he had implanted an unknown seed into both Lilia and Wei Hao. You didn’t have to be a genius to know it was no ordinary object.

Recalling their journey so far, the number of advanced ability users who had died at Chen Pingchuan’s hands was too high to count on two hands. As for low-level ability users, they were crushed like ants, their numbers countless. How could such a ferocious man, who feared nothing, possibly be willing to negotiate just because he was trapped? It was pure fantasy.

Besides, Lilia and Wei Hao were in terrible shape themselves. It was easy to imagine that as their boss, Chen Pingchuan must have also paid a heavy price.

”Forget it. It’s pointless trying to explain it to you,” Lilia said impatiently. ”Just know that you’re not to disturb the boss while he’s resting.”

”But...” Porcupine started to argue.

”No buts. Besides, if you do manage to wake up the unconscious boss and he decides to beat you, we won’t lift a finger to help,” Lilia threatened in a whisper.

She knew that communicating with this muscular, simple-minded brute was next to impossible. The people they’d been locked up with in the villa’s backyard prison all had wild, unpredictable personalities. Not a single one of them had a normal mind. Lilia loved to kill, Porcupine was obsessed with eating, and Wei Hao’s preferences remained a mystery.

”You two are saying the boss passed out?” Porcupine’s eyes widened as if he’d heard something unbelievable. He began to mutter to himself, ”With the boss gone, I’m going to be hungry again... I should have just stayed in my cell... boo hoo...”

In stark contrast to the quiet calm of the trio’s huddle, the conflict between the bank guards and the employees was reaching a breaking point, the tension taut like a bowstring about to snap. Although the two groups knew each other, they had rarely interacted on a daily basis.

Now, trapped in this pitch-black, perilous environment, Chen Pingchuan’s group—the perceived ’evil-doers’—had vanished. Humans, driven by fear and unease, often unleash their repressed emotions on those closest to them. Consequently, the bank guards became the scapegoats, the target of the employees’ scorn and bitter complaints. In the suffocating darkness where no one could see anyone else’s expression, minds completely dominated by fear made the most foolish of decisions.

As Ren Fei listened to the endless accusations and complaints, alarms blared in his mind. He knew this couldn’t continue. He had to find a new way to calm everyone down and find an exit, or else even his own companions would start having psychological breakdowns.

”Has anyone awakened a fire-type ability?” he shouted urgently to the crowd. ”Does anyone have a fire ability? Or lightning!”

Just then, a faint white light, like a pixie in the night, suddenly flared to life, dispelling the suffocating darkness. Everyone stared, realizing it was the girl who had been a crying, terrified mess just moments before.

She blinked her large, round eyes and said timidly, ”I... I forgot. I awakened a ’faint light’ skill. It has no combat power, so I gave up on the martial exams and chose to work a desk job at the bank.”

Even now, her voice trembled slightly, but her contribution was undeniable. Bathed in the soft glow, the crowd, which had been a chaotic mess, miraculously calmed down. Like devout followers, they gathered quietly around the girl, their eyes fixed on the solitary light in the darkness as if it were their only lifeline in this desperate situation.

”This won’t solve anything! We have to open that ventilation duct, now!” Ren Fei shouted. He once again gripped the dagger he carried, climbed back onto a stool used for holding cash, and began prying at the rock-solid metal grille with all his might.

Seeing this, the other members of his team joined in without hesitation. They gritted their teeth, veins bulging on their hands, channeling every ounce of their strength into their tools.

However, reality was a bucket of cold water, mercilessly dousing the flame of hope that had just been kindled. After shattering the incredibly tough, specially-made dagger, the metal grille remained stubbornly in place, as if mocking their futile efforts.

Witnessing this, a chill of despair washed over the bank employees. They looked at one another, their eyes filled with hopelessness.

Not only had Ren Fei’s team failed to open the ventilation grille, but their frantic efforts had also caused the already weak girl to exhaust her Spirit power, forcing her to deactivate her ability.

Darkness once again shrouded the area, swallowing them whole like a ravenous beast. The panicked, ragged breathing of the trapped crowd was the only sound.