Rebirth before Apocalypse: My Whole Family are Bigshots!

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Abandoned Building

Bai Xiqin used the herbs and Spiritual Spring Water from the space as ingredients for the medicine pills.

Although it couldn’t completely neutralize the toxins of that mysterious drug, it could barely hold for a while.

The two flexibly entered the building, which was pitch black with no one around.

Bai Xiqin looked at Leng Yebai, her eyes filled with inquiry.

Leng Yebai slightly furrowed his brows and gestured for Bai Xiqin to remain calm.

This was the direction Zhang Yiming had indicated.

He had already checked it once during the day.

Besides this abandoned building, there was nowhere else to hide someone in this direction.

Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin didn’t use flashlights, relying instead on the faint moonlight as they walked back and forth several times inside the building.

Still, they found nothing.

The entire building had six floors, exuding a faint musty odor.

The walls were covered in cobwebs, somewhat resembling a chamber of secrets in an escape room.

Bai Xiqin reached out to touch the nearby table, getting a layer of dust on her hand.

She then crouched down to examine the clean floor, finally noticing something unusual.

This building, with its six floors and considerable area, had an increasing number of survivors, many of whom couldn’t afford a Crystal Core and simply camped in the living area.

Yet no one slept inside this abandoned building.

There wasn’t even a Superpower Squad patrolling this area, so why didn’t survivors lay their mats here for sleep?

Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai exchanged a glance before inspecting the building once more.

Worn-out tables and chairs, walls full of cobwebs, clean floors.

This time, Bai Xiqin noticed another issue.

In Bai Xiqin’s impression, this building’s footprint was still quite substantial, looking at least 500 square meters from the outside.

But when she and Leng Yebai made a round, they circled a whole floor.

It seemed there were some hidden rooms they hadn’t entered yet.

Bai Xiqin lightly tapped the wall with her fair fingers, producing a thudding sound.

There was a faint echo.

Not only was there an echo, but there was also a rustling sound coming from within the wall.

Bai Xiqin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and her hand instinctively moved to the wooden box at her waist.

Squinting to survey the surroundings, she saw no small red dots, indicating no cameras were installed.

If someone had disguised the site as an abandoned building, they wouldn’t install cameras outside to avoid suspicion.

The rustling sound grew louder, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

In the silent night, the footsteps were especially distinct.

Bai Xiqin flicked her wrist, releasing a small white snake.

The Water Python hadn’t even had a chance to speak to its beloved master when it saw its master and the master’s man vanish in a flash.

They had entered the space.

The Water Python blinked and remained obediently silent, curling up to the side.

Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai stood inside the space, with Bai Xiqin’s mind controlling the scene outside, allowing them a clear view.

A seam suddenly appeared on the dusty wall, opening an invisible door.

Two men emerged, wielding dim flashlights.

The flashlights emitted weak beams, sweeping through the empty room.

The two men exchanged glances without speaking, merely closing the door behind them, and began patrolling the building.

After a round, they found nothing except a small White Snake in the corner.

The two didn’t leave, instead standing in front of the invisible door.

Five minutes later.

There was noise again outside the building.

An ordinary person, dressed in rags, walked in.

It was a man in his fifties, clutching a tattered mat, with faint bruises on his wrinkled face.

”The world has changed, and so have people!”

The old man sighed heavily, holding his sole possession, as he walked into the pitch-black building.

Some younger, stronger people had taken the last of his possessions, and as an old man, he couldn’t resist. The mat, sporting a large hole in the middle, was left only because it was deemed useless.

His body was bruised and battered.

Though he was the victim, the robbers resented looting his meager assets, blaming him for being too poor.

Fearing further encounters with them, the old man avoided seeing them in the living area.

Despite being survivors, there were still distinctions of high and low status.

Elderly and children were at the bottom tier.

The old man sighed heavily, hugging the mat as he continued inside.

There were rumors about this building being haunted, preventing anyone from living here.

In his current state, nothing scared him anymore.

He spread out the mat on the ground floor and sat down upon it.

The old man touched his bruised face, sighed, and curled into a corner to rest.

The two men by the invisible door exchanged a glance and strode towards the old man.

”Who’s there!”

The old man snapped his eyes open, staring intently toward the source of the footsteps.

He thought those who robbed him had come back.

He really had no more belongings, just a tattered mat.

Two unfamiliar men holding flashlights appeared in front of the old man.

Seeing it wasn’t the men he was expecting, the old man breathed a slight sigh of relief.

These two, dressed cleanly, likely weren’t those cowards who didn’t dare venture out for supplies.

They probably weren’t there to steal his mat.

”I’ve nowhere to stay, just thought I’d sleep here,” the old man said, his voice aged, ”If I can’t stay here, I’ll find somewhere else.”

As he spoke, the old man stood up, bent over to pick up the mat, and prepared to find another place to sleep.

As an old man, he knew his place.

With the apocalypse, many had lost the virtue of respecting the elderly and looking after the young.

The concept of leaning on one’s age and seniority was of no use anymore.

Hearing and adapting to the environment was a mark of wisdom.

An old man like him without a superpower dared not offend anyone recklessly, fearing he might anger some riffraff and lose his life.

After the apocalypse, the human population drastically dwindled.

But human life became increasingly worthless.

”Old man, let us take you to somewhere you can have a full meal!”

One of the men grinned strangely, purple lightning crackling from his fingertips.

The lightning quickly spread over the old man, rendering him unconscious before he could react, laying him on the ground.

One man bent over, hefting the old man onto his back, muttering under his breath, ”This is great, more material.”

”Is that person’s idea even plausible? This experiment is such a hassle, requiring so much material.” The other man complained slightly, ”It’s too risky for the two of us, having gone out to find superpower users several times. If other Superpower Captains find out, can we even survive?”

”Keep it down!” The man carrying the old man warned, shooting a look at the other man, ”Since we’ve decided to follow him, just follow, don’t harbor other ideas. If the experiment succeeds, we might become more powerful Superpower Users!”

”But who knows if it’ll be our turn! So many are already waiting in line!”

The other man grumbled.

The man carrying the old man glanced at the other without further comment.

They had reached the invisible door.

The door opened, and they entered with the old man in tow.

A flash of white light streaked by, and the Water Python followed inside.