Book 1 Chapter 21: FleeingThrough Torrential Rain
*Rumble~~~
Waves of thunder reverberated throughout themurky skies above and echoed across the land as though the heavens weretaunting the creatures of this earth. The slithering streaks of lightning amongthe clouds flashed like a demon"s grin.
The torrential downpour battered against YeChen"s back like an unrelenting shower of knives and blades. His bodytemperature was rapidly declining, causing him to shiver ever so slightly. Hisvisage was pallid from an excess loss of blood. Each step he took as he ran, agitatedthe wound on his abdomen causing waves of searing pain.
This unyielding man was silently gritting histeeth while running into the distance, as fast as his legs could carry him.
The odds of an ordinary man surviving aruptured abdomen were slim to begin with. How anyone could be expected tosc.r.a.pe their intestines back into their abdomen and start sprinting madly afterwardslike Ye Chen did, was beyond comprehension.
He was completely drained.
Yet he couldn"t afford to stop.
Perhaps if he were to collapse, he"d berelieved, very much so….
"Lil" sis…."
Looking into the distance, Ye Chen vaguelyidentified a group of indistinct silhouettes. From their faint outline andattire, he could tell that it was his little sister Ye Zhu and the rest.Relieved, he involuntarily called out towards them. Perhaps it was due to hisinjury that his voice came out sounding like a hoa.r.s.e groan.
By the side of the wall, Ye Zhu and the rest ofthe group were worriedly awaiting Ye Chen"s return. The sudden call gave them ajolt. All their heads turned to see a man stumbling towards them through theharsh rain while covered in mud.
"Brother----"
Ye Zhu"s delicate figure quivered at the sightof her brother. She disregarded everything and frantically dashed towards him. Shewas instantly soaked under the unrelenting downpour. Immediately afterapproaching him, she noticed that something was off about her brother. The unperturbedimage that her brother usually wore was currently replaced with was a pallid visage,seemingly devoid of any blood. Behind him, was a barely visible red trail whichseemed to be leaking from his abdomen.
"You"re hurt!" Ye Zhu"s eyes were filled withastonishment.
As his eyes fell upon his sister, Ye Chen feltthe tension in his heart lessen slightly. Not wasting another word, he said: "Hurryup and get going. There"s a strong mutant beast back there and it could come atus at any second. My current strength is still insufficient to repel it."
His message greatly startled Ye Zhu. Sheimmediately called out towards Bai Long and the others and repeated what herbrother told her. The others were flabbergasted with what she told them. It wasclear from Ye Chen"s condition that he wasn"t kidding. Their hearts wereclouded with unease.
"Run!"
Ye Chen rushed down the path which he had studiedfrom the map earlier, taking each step with visible strain. Ye Zhu and theothers followed closely behind him.
The group of struggling survivors ran desperatelythrough the pouring rain in single file. As they were hastily making their waydown the streets, Ye Chen suddenly felt his mind being engulfed in dizziness.Although his body was strong, the effects of excessive blood loss wereinescapable.
"Allow me!" A light chuckle sounded by Ye Chen"sear as he vaguely felt his body being supported by someone at his side. Thevoice merrily conveyed: "You"ve saved me once, now we"re even."
Who else other than Bai Long could be speakthese words?
Ye Chen did not say anything, the fatigue hewas enduring made him reluctant to even take another step. His vision wasalready on the decline, causing the building in the distance to appear asthough they were swaying. Drowsiness a.s.sailed his consciousness like a tide,making his eyelids feel heavier with every pa.s.sing second.
Ye Chen lightly bit himself on the tip of hisown tongue. The added stimulation helped him to maintain his wits. As they cameupon an intersection, Ye Chen interrupted saying: "Turn left."
Bai Long immediately responded and aided him inmaking a left turn as they ran. However, they were immediately faced with thesight of more than a hundred zombies loitering throughout the streets. As therain slid off their bodies, it carried with it a viscous black fluid….
"Not good!" Bai Long"s eyes widened with shock.
Soon, the more than a hundred zombies began tonotice Ye Chen"s group. After a series of ravenous snarling, the horde beganscrambling madly towards the group.
Bai Long and the others paled in terror.
Ye Chen grinded his teeth as he shrugged offBai Long"s support and swiped the fireman"s axe from his hand. With a flash ofhis body, he was already in the midst of the zombie horde. As the veins on hisarm surfaced, he spun his body and explosively cried out: "Dragon"s tempest!"
*Boom!
An explosive typhoon erupted from within thehorde of zombies and sent each of their top halves scattering into thedistance. Without their lower halves, the number of zombies that survived couldonly resume their pursuit by clawing their way back towards him.
Wasting this horde of zombies took every ounceof strength he had left. With the way he was swaying, it was clear that Ye Chencould barely keep himself standing. His vision also began deterioratingconsiderably. Bai Long quickly snapped himself out of his amazement and rushedover to support Ye Chen. Lifting him up, Bai Long slung him across his back andbegan running once more.
"Are you able to hold on?" This youth whoenjoyed joking around was currently wearing a grave expression as he inquiredin a downcast tone.
"Cut the c.r.a.p." Ye Chen huffed.
Hearing those words, Bai Long did not feltanger. Instead, a trace of a smile began blossoming on his face as he said: "Ifyou have the strength to scold others, then you must still be able to hold on.Alright, I"m going to run at full speed now!" After saying so, Bai Long began toaccelerate as he sped off into the distance. The zombies that were lurking inthe various houses didn"t even have the chance to attack before Bai Long leftthem in the dust.
The intense movements caused Ye Chen"s innardsto churn violently. Yet he stubbornly maintained his silence.
Ye Zhu and the others tried their best to keepup.
All the baggage that was on Yue Heng and hiscompanions were already strapped behind Ye Zhu. Right now, all they had to dowas run for the sake of their lives.
"Won"t we end up attracting even more zombies?"Yue Heng nervously inquired after glancing at the increasing number of zombiesthat were alerted to their presence.
Ye Zhu who was running beside him shook herhead and replied: "Fortunately, this heavy rain should wash away the scent ofblood lingering in the air. Otherwise, who knows how many mutant freaks willstart popping up."
Yue Heng"s heart pounded at the thought of beingchased by a group of formidable creatures like mutant rats. Just picturing itwas enough to make his scalp go numb and raise goose b.u.mps all over his body.
After running for a while, the group came upona tall building in the distance. With the building in sight, Ye Chen strainedhis eyes to focus upon the words etched at the top. Upon identifying the words "BiologicalInst.i.tute", he couldn"t help but heave a sigh in relief.
"Rush in!" Ye Chen urged exhaustedly.
Bai Long acknowledged his command and ran withrenewed vigour. They were just a few hundred meters away from the research facility.Suddenly, a furious roar exploded violently from the streets behind them. Everymember of the group sprinting towards the research facility was shocked intoturning their heads around after hearing such a savage roar.
One glance was all it took to have their pupilscontracting in terror. The creature stood at the height of an elephant. With vicious looking fangs and a body coveredin pitch black fur, the beast glared at the group with ruthless savagery.
"T-this, THIS was the mutant beast youmentioned?!" Bai Long"s face instantly paled.
Ye Chen"s heart sank, he immediately urged: "Don"tstop."
Bai Long instantly mustered all his strengthinto a full sprint. Although his legs were already sore, he desperately ranwith all his power.
Run!
RUN!
Everyone in the group had their minds floodedwith the same thought. Each of them channeled their entire being into runningfaster than they ever had in their entire lives in a last ditch effort to coverthe final hundred meters between them and the research facility.
Closer and closer!
Everyone was rejoicing as they sped towards thefinal ten meters. Yet in that instant, a miserable cry rang out from behind. Oneof Yue Heng"s companions was caught by the pursuing demongale hound and wasinstantly split in two, causing his body to flop haphazardly into the mud anddyeing the rainwater crimson.
"Save….s-save me!"
The youth raised a hand with his half severedbody and clawed desperately towards Ye Chen"s group. Yet he only saw them leavehim further and further away. Despairing at his helplessness, the youth glaredwith intense unwillingness and seething hatred as he met his final moments.
"Run!"
Yue Heng heart was beating uncontrollably, whathe"d give to be able to sprout an extra pair of legs in this situation.
"AARRgh…."
Another miserable scream. The other youth whowas trailing behind also fell under the claw of the demongale hound. It waslike a demon straight out of h.e.l.l, harvesting lives as it pleases.
"Almost there." Ye Chen muttered as he staredat the research facility that was just a few feet away.
"Aaaah!" Then came a desolate shriek filledwith sorrow. Though they were separated by millions of raindrops, the voiceclearly pa.s.sed into Ye Chen"s ear and straight into his heart.
Ye Chen"s mind instantly went blank; it was as thoughhe could no longer hear anything other than the beating of his heart. Themoment he turned his head around, time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Through the harsh rain, he witnessed the formof a charming girl collapsed in a puddle of mud. It was like witnessing ab.u.t.terfly having its wings clipped, beautiful, yet unspeakably tragic. Who elsecould this girl be other than his little sister Ye Zhu?
In the next moment, Ye Chen felt like his mindexploded. Ceaselessly buzzing, nothing else reached him.