Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

”Why is it that some teams, who are just as new to Jingji Base as we are, get to sit out this emergency operation? While all of us were conscripted to the front lines?”

Zhuang Xinyi’s questioning was making Zheng Feina miserable.

In truth, everyone knew the answer, but the fact that Princess Zhuang had to say the quiet part out loud made them all feel a strange sense of embarrassment.

Zha Peng scratched his head. ”Are you guys talking about our classmate, Xie Ning? I feel like it’s probably... because she’s stronger than all of us?”

Zhuang Xinyi sneered, ”What kind of logic is that? At a time like this, when it’s life or death, shouldn’t the strongest people be rushing to the front to prove themselves?”

Zheng Feina was speechless. She lopped off the head of another flying bird and said flatly, ”We don’t know what the arrangements from the higher-ups are. Maybe she has her own exclusive mission?”

Zheng Heng strode over to them. ”The military just sent word. We can go back and rest for about four hours.”

”Let’s go. We don’t have much time; we need to get back and sleep immediately.” Four hours wasn’t necessarily enough to fully recover their superpowers.

”Captain.” As he spoke, a teammate came running over, excitedly holding a box. ”Someone from Captain Feng’s unit sent over a small box of medicine. They said it’s specifically for replenishing superpowers. Taking it can restore about ten percent of your superpower within an hour.”

Zheng Heng’s eyes lit up. ”Excellent! Distribute them to everyone. Let’s hurry back and get some rest.”

Zhuang Xinyi stared at the small box in her teammate’s hands, an indescribable feeling in her heart.

It had been over a year since the apocalypse began.

According to the rules for superpower awakenings announced by the base.

Most people who awakened superpowers did so within the first six months of the apocalypse. Anyone who hadn’t awakened a superpower after a year would probably never awaken one in their lifetime.

Zhuang Xinyi clenched her fists, her heart a mix of complex emotions.

’She’d already been through the disappointment and sorrow. Now, looking at her Superpower User teammates, what remained was probably just envy.’

’Even awakening a lackluster Speed System superpower would be better than having nothing at all.’

’Take Zhu HuiZhen, for instance. She’s just a Second Order Speed System user, and her contribution to the team is usually practically Zero.’

’But just because she’s a Superpower User, she gets to go out on missions with the team to earn Crystal Cores. Even though she isn’t as strong as the Power Type or Fire Element users, she has no problem providing for her daughter.’

’And me... I’ve been nothing but a freeloader from the very beginning.’

’Even though the captain and vice-captain take good care of me, some of the newer members still whisper behind my back. They say I contribute nothing to the team, that I’m just an idle good-for-nothing who relies on others to get by.’

Whenever Zhuang Xinyi heard such things, she would become very upset.

’Don’t I want to rise up? To get a superpower, go on missions with everyone, and earn my own Crystal Cores to be self-sufficient?’

’But my body just won’t awaken a superpower. What can I do?’

As the group passed by the villa district, Zhuang Xinyi looked up ahead.

The low bushes planted on both sides of the road were still covered in pristine white snow.

She could see a small Jinbei van parked in the villa’s spacious yard.

Unsure what mood possessed her, Zhuang Xinyi couldn’t help but speak up again. ”Xie Ning and her Starfire Team were assigned to this place. It’s not far from the southeastern wall.”

”From this close, they can definitely hear the roars of the chaotic zombie horde outside. And they have no reaction at all?”

Zhuang Xinyi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said in a soft, low voice, ”I heard the passenger plane that brought us to the Capital was arranged by Xie Ning’s boyfriend.”

”We were just cargo brought along for the ride. It’s only thanks to Xie Ning that we were lucky enough to buy tickets to Jingji Base.”

”Zhuang Xinyi, what are you trying to say with all these sarcastic remarks?” Zheng Feina’s short temper was flaring up. ”Just mind your own business, will you? Why are you always so focused on other people?”

”Don’t you think it’s unfair?”

”Just because Xie Ning’s boyfriend is a high-ranking official at Jingji Base, her Starfire Team gets to skip out on fighting the zombie horde? On what grounds?”

He Zhi gently tugged on Zhuang Xinyi’s sleeve. ”It’s not like they said they aren’t participating, right? Maybe classmate Xie Ning’s Starfire Team was placed in a later wave?”

Zhuang Xinyi scoffed. ”And you believe that, He Zhi?”

”Well... shouldn’t we be hurrying back to rest and recover our superpowers right now? Isn’t that more important? This... getting hung up on all this useless stuff, what’s the point?” He Zhi was exasperated.

”Don’t waste your breath on her,” Zheng Feina said, her patience gone. ”He Zhi, let’s go.”

Their apartment building was not close to the villa district. If they kept dawdling like this, the trip alone would take thirty to forty minutes, leaving them even less time to rest.

Zhuang Xinyi felt extremely wronged, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Xu Ling stepped forward to support her by the arm, patting it gently. She sighed and turned to Zheng Feina and He Zhi. ”Don’t talk to Xinyi like that. She’s just speaking up for our team.”

Zheng Feina gave a dry laugh. ’Speaking up for the team? Is that what they needed right now? What they needed was rest!’

’Zhuang Xinyi knows full well her boyfriend is a high-ranking official. What’s the use of stubbornly picking a fight with Xie Ning?’

’Venting here for half the day isn’t going to have any effect on Xie Ning.’

’It’s a complete waste of breath that’s just slowing us down.’

”What’s that over there?” Zhu HuiZhen’s grip on her daughter tightened as she pointed to a shadow under the bushes across the road and exclaimed.

”Looks like a person...” Zhu HuiZhen’s sharp cry made Zheng Feina’s head buzz.

”Wait here.” Zha Peng tensed up and crept closer, then quickly retreated, his face pale. ”They’re dead.”

Xu Ling was shocked. ”Classmate Xie Ning killed someone right outside her house?”

”Who are these people? Sh-should we report this to the patrol?”

”Report what?” A cold voice sounded from behind them.

Zheng Feina felt her scalp tingle in alarm.

She and her brother spun around to see a dark corpse being thrown out of the house and tossed directly into the snowy bushes by the road.

Xie Ning was standing in a patch of reflective snow and shadows, giving them a faint, shallow smile.

’Like the female lead in a horror movie...’

Zheng Heng steadied his nerves and took a step forward. ”Classmate Xie Ning, you...”

He met Xie Ning’s chilly eyes and his words caught in his throat.

”W-we were just passing by. Just passing by.”

Xie Ning slowly nodded, then raised her hand and pointed to the figures in the snowy bushes. ”I killed them. Are you going to report it?”

For some reason, the moment she asked, Zheng Heng and the others, in perfect, unspoken unison, all shook their heads vigorously.

He Zhi even took a step forward, puffed out her chest, and said robotically, ”Cla-classmate Xie Ning, the time we have left is... is running short. We need to hurry back and rest now. Goodbye!”

”Right, right, we have to go back to the wall and fight the hard battle soon.”

”Goodbye, classmate Xie Ning.”

”Goodbye!”

The group turned and fled with He Zhi, as if a terrifying ghost was chasing them...

Xie Ning blinked, not understanding why her classmates reacted to seeing her as if they had seen a ghost.

Watching as her classmates vanished like phantoms, Xie Ning finally turned, dragged the last corpse out of the house, and casually tossed it by the side of the road.

Song Kexin popped up beside her furtively. ”Should I burn them?”

Xie Ning turned and smacked her sister on the back of the head. ”Walk with some sound! Make a little noise so you don’t scare people!”