Chapter 686: Run
The early morning in July was as hot as ever.
To the naked eye, the air seemed to be distorted by the rising heat.
The sky was cloudless.
The fiery sun had just barely revealed a sliver of its silhouette in the east, already leaving the survivors parched.
The identities of Water Ability Users and Ice Ability Users were becoming increasingly precious.
The coastal wind carried a hint of saltiness.
Heatwaves and energy radiating from the sun mixed together, blowing relentlessly towards the land.
On the beach, some small creatures left by the waves managed to hop twice before lying motionless on the sand.
Before long, the remaining moisture in their bodies was completely dried up, turning them into twisted, dehydrated husks.
Yet, there was still tenacious "life" leaping around.
Those little creatures, full of decay, continued to bounce on the beach.
Even though their decaying skin had dried and hardened, and the moisture in their bodies had almost entirely evaporated, they still appeared "full of life."
Some little zombie fish had already bounced around the bus, attracted by the scent of blood and flesh from Bai Yifan and the others.
However, the bus was as sturdy as a fortress, and they couldn’t hop onto the doors or enter inside, only silently opening their mouths, greedily absorbing any whiff of the scent in the air.
Lifelessly hopping on the ground.
Until their fragile and decayed heads bumped into something, damaging their brains, only then would they die completely.
The bus windows had been open all night, and the lights outside remained on.
The three of them, including Bai Yifan, took turns standing by the window, gazing out at the boundless sea.
Throughout the night, they hadn’t seen any sign of the Water Python, Qin Yuan, or even the return of the Base Commander from the sea.
An atmosphere of cold and deadly silence permeated the sea.
"Xiao Fan, have some breakfast!"
Bai Xiqin yawned, stretched out her hand to tap on Bai Yifan, who was on "duty," and handed him a plate.
The plate held a few pieces of chopped fruit, a slice of bread from a toaster, and an egg, dark brown to almost charred.
Clearly, this egg was a product of his older sister’s handiwork.
Heaven and earth be the witness, Bai Xiqin had known how to cook in the previous apocalyptic world.
But now, with nothing to do, with clothes on demand and meals prepared, having not been in the kitchen for a long time, her egg-frying skills had regressed.
Mainly because there were no eggs to fry in the past apocalypse, it’s resource-wasting; eating them raw was the most economical, least wasteful way.
"Is this for me?"
Bai Yifan held the plate, frowned, and felt as though he had been adopted.
Is this egg even edible?
Crunch crunch—
The sound of chewing cut the air.
Bai Yifan glanced towards Leng Yebai, dumbfounded.
Leng Yebai was eating something expressionlessly.
His lips were somewhat blackened, occasionally dropping bits of something akin to charcoal.
In his hand was a plate, the contents resembling eggs identical to pieces of charcoal.
Bai Yifan swallowed the rest of his words, crunching and chewing on the egg on his plate.
Evidently, he was indeed their biological child, beyond a doubt.
The three of them, including Bai Xiqin, did not enter the space to dine with their grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother.
Because they were by the sea.
The creatures in the sea were unknown and powerful; when the Crystal Core within their brains reached a certain level, no matter the creature, their intelligence would significantly increase.
If they entered the space by the sea, an unknown trouble might ensue.
After a simple breakfast, the three of them, including Bai Xiqin, resumed gazing out at the sea.
Each took three-hour shifts.
Nevertheless, most of the time, it was Leng Yebai standing by the window.
Out of boredom, Bai Xiqin played with the steel needle on the ground, tormenting the zombie fish, and even joking about making skewers for Bai Yifan to eat...
All in all, Bai Yifan felt quite exhausted.
Still, he thought another world’s elder sister was more "gentle."
It wasn’t that the elder sister from the other world was truly gentler; it’s that she hadn’t witnessed as much apocalyptic harshness as his current sister, who wasn’t yet as fierce.
The day quickly passed.
The sea surface was calm, without any waves.
The sea at night was just like the one during the day, except the waves hit the shore more frequently.
The stars in the sky were bright, yet the three of them, including Bai Xiqin, had no thoughts of star-gazing.
A day and a night had passed, yet Qin Yuan and the Water Python hadn’t returned, and neither had the Base Commander.
Apart from the destination being too far, the danger was still unknown.
In constant suspense throughout the night.
By the second day.
Bai Xiqin communicated with her parents and grandparents in the space using her consciousness; they were consolidating their Superpowers without any significant events occurring.
Leng Yebai’s face became increasingly serious, his hand at the window, his gaze intensely fixed on the sea.
No one could truly understand his feelings.
No one knew the status the Base Commander held in his heart, even if on the surface, he seemed indifferent.
Even if that person had once lost him, it was still his father, his only blood relative in this world.
"Master..."
A faint voice suddenly echoed in Bai Xiqin’s ear.
"He’s back!"
Bai Xiqin quickly looked out of the window, seeing nothing, yet her legs hurriedly moved towards the door.
Leng Yebai followed closely.
Bai Yifan initially intended to get off the bus too but halted his steps, choosing to stay onboard.
The bus couldn’t simply be left unattended here; in case of any unexpected sea incidents, he would need to start the bus to escape with his sister and Brother Leng.
Having fled countless times during the apocalypse, Bai Yifan had already accumulated his escape experience.
Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin soon arrived at the source of the faint voice.
Bai Xiqin squinted towards the sea; from afar, she could only make out a dot.
It was just a black dot, presumably a person.
Ten minutes passed, and only then did Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai see that the black dot was indeed a person, but their face was still indistinguishable due to the great distance.
The dot was approaching fast, faster than a motorboat.
Even so, it was still a long distance from the shore.
"Master,...danger...quick...run!"
As the dot drew nearer, Bai Xiqin could clearly hear the faint voice; it was Qin Yuan.
Relying on the connection to the space, Bai Xiqin could hear bits of its voice even over such a distance.
"Something’s up. Once the Qinyuan Water Python gets close, run to the bus!"
Bai Xiqin already heard the bus start, knowing Bai Yifan was ready.
The Control Ability in her was pushed to its limits; once the Water Python entered her control radius, she could swiftly get them away from the sea.
Bai Xiqin couldn’t discern if the figure was the Base Commander, nor did she know what danger Qin Yuan warned of.
But if even Qin Yuan said it was dangerous, it must be unbeatable.
Qin Yuan resembled a giant hornet, with a poisonous tail capable of killing any plant or animal, and even zombies couldn’t withstand its venom.
Any creature not afraid of its poison was certainly not a benign entity.
"Alright!"
Leng Yebai stood still, focusing on the shadow, slightly stepping forward.
He couldn’t see the shadow’s face, but he was nearly certain that the shadow was the Base Commander.