Night of the Apocalypse

Shen Qiu took off his backpack and pulled out all eight packs of compressed biscuits and six bottles of water, handing them over to Yun Xiaoxi. Since he was about to leave, these items would be of no use to him; after all, he could easily resupply once he got outside.

“Although I can’t help you much, I hope these things will be of some assistance to you.”

“Thank you! You’re really a good person. I’m leaving now!”

Yun Xiaoxi gratefully accepted the items, hugged them to her chest, and then resolutely turned to leave.

“A good person?”

Shen Qiu was momentarily taken aback, then he smiled self-deprecatingly.

He watched Yun Xiaoxi’s retreating figure, then turned to glance at the nearby overlap exit, feeling inexplicably conflicted.

To be honest, he didn’t really like to meddle in others’ affairs. However, if it were within his ability and he was in a good mood, he might not mind intervening a bit.

But dealing with the Gray Scorpions looked like a death sentence no matter how he viewed it.

“Leave? Or not leave?”

Shen Qiu muttered to himself, unsure of what he was even conflicted about.

His thoughts were in turmoil, with two completely different voices clashing in his mind.

“The exit is right in front of you, hurry and go! Why bother with anything else? Let the floods rise and the heavens collapse—your own life is the most important!”

“You can’t leave. No matter what, you’re part of the Red Alliance, and as a citizen, you should do your best to contribute. If everyone just buries their head in the sand, what good will it do to regret and complain when disaster strikes?”

The two voices argued fiercely within Shen Qiu’s mind.

He sighed, feeling a bit guilty; he really shouldn’t just stand by.

However, his body remained quite honest, turning toward the overlapping area. This was the difference between ideals and reality!

In the end, Shen Qiu leaned toward reality; after all, nothing was more important than being alive.

Just as he reached the edge of the overlap, he suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t that he had changed his mind, but rather that the scene before him drove him utterly mad.

Before him lay a vast ocean, shimmering and indistinct.

“The sea? How can this be?”

Shen Qiu was stunned. How could he get back? Even though he could swim, it seemed unrealistic to swim back!

Who knew how far this ocean was from the shore?

In an instant, Shen Qiu found himself in a dilemma—should he go in? Or not?

In a daze, he noticed that the overlapping area before him began to slowly fade away.

“It’s over! The exit is gone; I can only find the next one. Wait! My food and water, Yun Xiaoxi!”

Shen Qiu’s lips twitched in frustration as he quickly turned around to chase after Yun Xiaoxi.

What a joke! How can I survive here without food and water?

And how was he supposed to explain this to Yun Xiaoxi?

“I’m really going crazy!”

Not long after, Shen Qiu caught up with Yun Xiaoxi.

He saw her holding the food and water he had given her, her mask slightly lifted as she nibbled on a compressed food bar, walking through the narrow alleys of the residential building with a look of pure happiness on her face.

Shen Qiu’s expression turned conflicted. Should he ask for the things back? He was starting to feel a bit awkward about it.

The more he thought, the more his head ached. He made up his mind to sidestep and prepare for a chance encounter with Yun Xiaoxi.

Before long, Shen Qiu reached the entrance of a T-shaped alley. He leaned against the wall, striking a pose as he waited.

Soon, Yun Xiaoxi appeared. She was focused on eating the compressed biscuits and walked straight past Shen Qiu without noticing him.

Shen Qiu blinked in surprise.

What’s going on? Doesn’t she see me?

As Yun Xiaoxi was about to walk further away, he quickly cleared his throat.

“Ahem!”

Yun Xiaoxi paused, slightly startled, then pulled down her mask and turned to look at him, saying in surprise, “

“Huh, you?”

Shen Qiu cleared his throat again, trying to find the right words. Yun Xiaoxi seemed to snap back to reality, swallowing the remaining food bar in her mouth, and then excitedly said,

“Shen Qiu, we meet again! I didn’t expect you to overlap back in here!”

“Uh???”

Shen Qiu’s expression froze at Yun Xiaoxi’s words. It seemed like her way of thinking was really different from that of a normal person!

But it made sense; any reasonably normal person would avoid poking at a large group of desperate individuals.

“Shen Qiu? Shen Qiu? Why aren’t you speaking?”

Seeing Shen Qiu silent for a while, Yun Xiaoxi raised her hand and waved it in front of him, her actions and demeanor surprisingly cute.

“Ahem, I didn’t come back in; I just never left.”

Shen Qiu explained.

“Ah? Why didn’t you leave?”

Yun Xiaoxi looked at Shen Qiu in disbelief.

“It’s nothing; I just think what you said makes a lot of sense. As a citizen of the Red Alliance, I should contribute what I can within my abilities, so I’ve decided to help you!”

Shen Qiu decisively changed his tune, speaking with a sense of righteous conviction.

There was no way he could lose face like that. So, he figured it was better to just stick with her and team up.

“Really? Thank you so much! I knew you were a good person!”

Yun Xiaoxi expressed her gratitude joyfully, as what she needed most right now was help.

Moreover, she had seen Shen Qiu fight and knew that he could hold his own against Major General Beluk, which showed he was quite powerful.

“Ahem, I can’t really say I’m a good person. Do you have any plans?”

Shen Qiu awkwardly asked Yun Xiaoxi. Although the Gray Scorpion organization had numerous and powerful members, if they planned carefully, there was still hope.

“Um, those people are exploring a laboratory in the city center, and I plan to head there. If I can retrieve something, that would be best. If that’s not possible, I want to sabotage their exploration!”

Yun Xiaoxi seriously explained her thoughts.

“Do you know how to get into the laboratory?”

Shen Qiu asked.

“I don’t know”

Yun Xiaoxi was caught off guard by Shen Qiu’s question.

The more Shen Qiu thought about the upcoming operation, the more worried he became. He sighed and said,

“After all this time, you don’t even know how to get in.”

“Well…”

Yun Xiaoxi was momentarily at a loss for words. In fact, she had been looking for an opportunity to ambush the Gray Scorpion members to gather some information.

However, the members of Gray Scorpion were extremely cautious, always working in groups and never going off on their own.

As a result, Yun Xiaoxi had never succeeded in her attempts.

“Never mind; I know how to get in.”

Shen Qiu didn’t hold back and simply stated.

Upon hearing Shen Qiu’s words, Yun Xiaoxi looked at him with great delight.

“Really? That’s great! Shen Qiu, you’ve really helped a lot.”

“It’s nothing much. Let’s go. While those monsters are still asleep, we should hurry to the city center.”

“No problem.”

The two of them quickly made their way toward the city center.

On the way, Yun Xiaoxi curiously asked, “Shen Qiu, you’re so strong. Why don’t you consider joining the Red Alliance military?”

Hearing Yun Xiaoxi’s words, Shen Qiu sighed and replied, “Actually, I once had a lot of passion and signed up for the military. But unfortunately, I just couldn’t pass the review! It’s not that I don’t want to contribute to the Red Alliance; it’s just that things don’t always go as planned!”

He couldn’t help it; he still wanted to save face. He couldn’t just lose face in front of Yun Xiaoxi. Besides, he was just being honest.

“Those review officers are really ridiculous! Don’t worry, I’ve got your back!”

Yun Xiaoxi said indignantly.

“Ahem, that’s all in the past. Let’s not talk about that anymore. We should focus on finding our way. The closer we get to the center, the higher the chance we’ll run into the Gray Scorpion organization and others, so be careful of ambushes.”

Shen Qiu glanced at the indignant Yun Xiaoxi, coughed, and quickly changed the subject.

“You’re right.”

Yun Xiaoxi took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.

“By the way, do you want to put the food and water you’re carrying in my backpack? It would be more convenient.”

Shen Qiu asked with an awkward smile.

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”

“No, of course not.”

“Okay, here you go.”

Yun Xiaoxi hurriedly placed the three packs of compressed biscuits and two bottles of water into Shen Qiu’s backpack.

“Is that all? Where did you hide the rest?”

“I don’t have any more; these are all that’s left. I’ve eaten the rest.”

“…”

————

[ TN: There is no Chapter 69]