The Apocalypse 2
Tang Xi noticed the woman with the child again in the car. His curiosity got the better of him, and he took a few extra glances.
He couldn’t understand why such an important support-type ability user had such a low status in the group.
Sensing his gaze, the woman quickly glanced up at him before lowering her head again, pulling her child closer to her.
Tang Xi followed her movement and looked at the child. The boy seemed to be about eight or nine years old, with a thin, sallow face—clearly lacking the proper nutrition for his age.
Even though he looked weak, his eyes were sharp. In an instant, he glared at Tang Xi, like a wounded young wolf wary of any potential danger from the outside world.
Realizing that staring was impolite, Tang Xi quickly offered an apologetic smile.
The boy froze for a moment, then pressed his lips together and said nothing.
The woman seemed eager to distance herself from Tang Xi. She tugged at the boy’s hand, shifting to another seat with the others. But to do so, she had to brush past him.
In that brief moment, a crumpled piece of paper was slipped into his hand.
Tang Xi subtly tightened his grip around it. He waited until the car started moving, when everyone’s attention was drawn to the zombies chasing them outside, before carefully unfolding the paper.
Two crooked words were scrawled across it: RUN FAST.
Tang Xi: [1551, is there something wrong with this group?]
1551 fell silent for a moment. It couldn’t say outright, only giving a vague [Mm.]
Tang Xi frowned and casually tossed the note out of the car.
Outside, the zombies let out hoarse screeches as they chased after them. Some ran fast enough to slam their hands against the car windows. Others, slower, were gradually left behind, tripping over each other and getting crushed in the stampede.
Each time a bloodstained hand slapped against the window, the people inside shivered in fear.
Tang Xi looked ahead and saw that Chen Jinhao and another ability user were both in the second vehicle—the safest one, equipped with the best gear.
That was understandable. But what made Tang Xi’s blood run cold was that these so-called leaders didn’t care about the survival of the ordinary people at all.
They only used their abilities to clear zombies threatening their own vehicle. Even when the other cars were getting slammed, they didn’t lift a finger to help.
Tang Xi felt uneasy. These two had declared themselves the leaders, yet they treated these people like disposable shields against the zombies.
Suddenly, a zombie lunged at their car, rocking it violently. The driver nearly lost control of the steering wheel.
“This is inhuman!”
Someone started sobbing, cursing angrily—but without naming names.
Everyone knew the truth deep down.
Someone quickly stepped in to stop him, glancing warily in Tang Xi’s direction.
Clearly, they didn’t trust this newly joined ability user, afraid he might report them to Chen Jinhao.
Tang Xi hesitated before asking, “If you all dislike him so much, why do you still follow him?”
Silence.
Finally, someone spoke.
“Hah, as if we had a choice. Most of us were forced to follow him. He took our supplies—if we don’t stay, we’ll starve to death. This team originally had over seventy people.”
Now, only a dozen remained.
By the time they reached Dawn Base, who knew how many would be left?
The one who spoke was a woman with water-based abilities. Her face was smudged with dirt, but her words were sharp.
No one else in the vehicle dared to speak. Only she had the courage to rip open the ugly truth and lay it bare before the young man.
Tang Xi frowned in concern. “If you say things like that…”
The woman guessed what he was about to say and let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t worry. I’m the only water source in this team. He wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me.”
Still, it was clear her situation was far from good.
This strong mother had never submitted to Chen Jinhao, but she had no choice but to stay with the team. She had tried to escape several times, but with a child in tow, she had failed each time.
She gave Tang Xi a kind warning. “If you have a chance to run, do it. Don’t stay with this team.”
Tang Xi nodded, then changed the subject. He exchanged names with them and introduced himself.
That was how he learned her name—Xue Shuirong.
Silence filled the car once more. They took a side road where there were fewer zombies, easing the suffocating tension slightly.
Then, Tang Xi clearly heard Xue Shuirong’s son’s stomach growl loudly.
No one in the car was surprised. They were all starving.
No one had felt full since the apocalypse began.
Tang Xi reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of bread, offering it to the boy.
The child eyed him warily.
Tang Xi simply smiled gently. “Your name is Xiao Jian, right? Here, you can have this bread.”
Xiao Jian’s gaze wavered. He was, after all, just a child. Slowly, he reached out hesitantly.
Tang Xi placed the bread directly in his hands.
Without another moment’s hesitation, Xiao Jian tore open the wrapper, took a huge bite, and swallowed without even chewing.
Then, he suddenly stopped.
He held out the remaining bread to the person behind him.
“Mom, eat.”
Someone in the car, seeing this, shyly came over to ask Tang Xi for some bread, their voice choked with emotion.
Tang Xi: “Are you a child too?”
He knew that too much kindness in the apocalypse could get him killed, so his refusal was firm. He also declared himself an ability user with offensive powers, discouraging anyone else from making a move.
Still, from time to time, people would glance at his backpack.
Being just a kid himself, Xiao Jian quickly let go of his initial wariness toward Tang Xi. A little awkwardly, he called out, “Thank you, big brother.”
Seeing Tang Xi smile, he smiled too.
Xue Shuirong’s eyes turned red. This was the first time since the apocalypse began that she and her son had been shown kindness.
And their benefactor was just a boy who didn’t even seem to have reached adulthood.
Beep beep beep—
A car honked ahead, signaling them to stop.
Tang Xi craned his neck to look and saw that their vehicle had encountered two large SUVs blocking the road.
The road was narrow—someone had to give way.
Those SUVs were huge, clearly reinforced with special modifications, exuding an air of intimidation. They remained still, refusing to yield.
Chen Jinhao rolled down the window and cursed, “Honking your damn horn—trying to get us all killed? You wanna attract zombies?!”
A man stepped out of one of the SUVs, speaking lazily, “Attract my ass.”
He was strikingly handsome, but the words that left his thin lips were rough.
The moment Tang Xi heard that voice, he straightened up in alertness.
1551: [The villain has appeared! The plot is activating!]
Without hesitation, Tang Xi opened the car door and stepped out, eager to get a closer look.
Lu Mang raised an eyebrow as he noticed a clean, white-clad youth cautiously stepping out from the back of the group, sneaking glances at him.
Wearing white in the apocalypse? You were either a show-off or a sheltered pet.
This boy, with his pure and delicate demeanor, was clearly the latter.
Lu Mang’s expression shifted, irritation flickering across his face.
Chen Jinhao also got out of the car. From the moment this man appeared, he knew he wasn’t someone he could afford to provoke.
Immediately, he put on a fawning smile and approached.
The people from the SUVs got out as well. One of them, a flamboyant young man with fiery red hair, extended a hand to Chen Jinhao.
“Hello, we’re the Dawn Base mercenary squad. We’ve already cleared out the zombies in this area. You might as well have your people get off—it’s getting dark.”
The redhead’s name was Huang Yuanmiao. He looked like a natural talker, rattling on without pause.
Chen Jinhao’s expression changed the moment he heard they were from Dawn Base. He plastered on an obsequious smile, nodding repeatedly.
Tang Xi, however, paid no attention to this “touching reunion” between the survivors and the mercenary squad. He simply stood a short distance away, observing Lu Mang.
He was sure that, just now, this man had glanced at him.
But the look was fleeting—Lu Mang quickly averted his gaze, frowning in annoyance.
It seemed… he didn’t like him very much.
Tang Xi hesitated, his steps faltering.
Why was this world’s poop scooper so intimidating…?
Lu Mang, meanwhile, was growing increasingly irritated as his subordinates chatted with this group of survivors. His expression darkened.
Sensing their leader’s mood shift, Chen Yao, standing beside him, nudged a tall man nearby, hinting for him to start setting up camp.
She flicked her wavy hair back, her red lips curling into a smile. “Boss, it’s getting late. Let’s camp here for the night.”
Lu Mang’s expression remained indifferent. “Mm.”
Tang Xi watched longingly as he turned and walked away, feeling a little disappointed.
Beside him, Xiao Jian whispered, “Brother, those are mercenaries from Dawn Base. Maybe we’re saved!”
Tang Xi nodded. “Mm.”
Meanwhile, Chen Jinhao was still negotiating with them. Laughing heartily, he said, “Then we’ll rest here for the night too! Since you’re all mercenaries, I assume some of you are ability users?”
His probing was clumsy.
Huang Yuanmiao shot him a strange look, scratched his fiery red hair, and answered bluntly, “Of course. We’re all ability users.”
Chen Jinhao’s eyes widened. “A-All of you?”
Ability users weren’t that common. A whole squad made up entirely of them? This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.
A deep sense of unease crept over him.
Forcing a smile, he said, “What an impressive gathering of elites.”
Huang Yuanmiao didn’t seem to notice his insincerity. He simply laughed cheerfully and went off to help his teammates set up camp.
As soon as their backs were turned, Chen Jinhao’s expression darkened. His mood soured as he began ordering the ordinary survivors to set up his tent for him.
Tents took up space, and in their group, only he and the other offensive ability user were entitled to one.
Though wary of the mercenary squad’s strength, he was also greedy for their combat power.
Knowing that staying close to them would guarantee safety for the night, he deliberately pitched his tent not far from theirs.
Not too far, yet with a clear boundary.
Xiao Jian leaned in close and whispered in Tang Xi’s ear, “The other ability user with Chen Jinhao goes by the nickname Ah Da. He has a metal-based ability. He’s not as strong as Chen Jinhao, but he’s just as bad. Those two are cut from the same rotten cloth.”
Tang Xi lowered his voice to match. “How are they bad?”
Xiao Jian looked around conspiratorially, as if revealing some great secret. “They use ordinary people as zombie shields. When things get too dangerous, they push someone out as a sacrifice.”
“The owner of the backpack you’re carrying was abandoned like that. So was a chubby uncle.”
Tang Xi frowned. “Was the uncle wearing black clothes with two English words on them?”
Xiao Jian’s eyes lit up. “Brother, you’re amazing! You even know that?”
Tang Xi let out a bitter chuckle. That man was the unlucky soul he had seen getting torn apart by zombies when he first arrived in this world—his arm had even been snatched away by a parrot.
So that’s what happened… Chen Jinhao had thrown him to the zombies to buy time. If only Tang Xi had realized it sooner and taken a different path, he wouldn’t have ended up crossing paths with Chen Jinhao in the first place.
Just as he was deep in thought, a voice suddenly interrupted him.
“Hey, are you part of this group?”
Tang Xi looked up in confusion—only to see a giant, fluffy red head swaying in front of him.
After focusing his gaze, he realized… it was Huang Yuanmiao.
Ignoring the invisible boundary between the two groups, he had wandered over to stand right in front of Tang Xi, making no effort to conceal his curiosity.
Chen Jinhao was too preoccupied to notice them.
Huang Yuanmiao, still curious about the boy, flashed a bright grin. “Are you an ability user?”
Tang Xi, unsure how to deal with someone this outgoing, hesitantly nodded.
He looked like a startled kitten caught off guard by a playful puppy—soft and helpless.
Chen Yao, unable to watch any longer, strode over with the aura of a domineering older sister and grabbed Huang Yuanmiao by the ear. “You’re scaring the little one.”
Little one? Did she mean Xiao Jian?
Tang Xi glanced to the side, only to see that Xiao Jian had already run back to his mother.
He had no choice but to accept the truth—she was talking about him.
Puffing up his cheeks in frustration, he raised his voice slightly. “I-I’m not a little kid!”
Chen Yao and Huang Yuanmiao both paused mid-playfight.
For a moment, they exchanged a look—one that clearly said the same thing:
He’s so cute!