BXBX NOVEL Ch140.3 - Raising a Big Cat in the Apocalypse (19.3)
Chapter Ch140.3 - Raising a Big Cat in the Apocalypse (19.3)
translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
She was still nervous, as there was a difference between the sound of explosives and fireworks after all, and there were many guards on patrol nearby. If the ice sculpture didn’t break open in one go and even drew over other people’s attention, wouldn’t the woman in the ice end up falling into those people’s hands once again?
She’d completed the task that Captain Ding had entrusted her with, but she’d also spent three hours looking at this undressed beautiful girl and had started to feel somewhat attached to her. It would be really wrong to just leave her behind again.
But this had to be a key surveillance area for these new humans. If her plan failed, it would definitely draw too much attention. The beautiful girl was a new human and could heal herself even if she was injured, but Yan Lanlan could only rely on her own skills and her revolutionary optimism. If she was injured, she’d cause trouble to the whole team.
However, Yan Lanlan’s many doubts were all pressed down by her trust in Ding Qiuyun.
... Captain Ding had told her to do this so he must have taken all sorts of factors into account. It couldn’t be wrong.
There were three minutes left.
Three kilometers away, Ding Qiuyun clipped the cigarette box with its drawing inside The Little Prince in his backpack, then went toward the platform that specialized in selling ‘A products’.
Gu Xinzhi was there, in the center of the stands, in the most prominent position.
He stood upright amidst the crowd, his posture dignified, his gaze drooping. His bare toes were slightly frozen and blue, but he didn’t bother to warm them up.
His entire body was filled with a sense of cold youth, which provoked ideas in quite a few people. They’d already started arguing about the value of ‘Exhibit 6’ and how many pieces of cotton clothing or compressed biscuits he was worth exchanging for.
Ding Qiuyun leaned against the edge of the isolation railing and looked at this hidden weapon of his from a distance.
His own appearance was also quite eye-catching, so it was really conspicuous when he started staring at another person.
A middle-aged man beside him clapped him on the shoulder and smiled, attempting to strike up a conversation. “Young man, you’re also interested in number six.”
Ding Qiuyun’s evaluation was very moderate. “He doesn’t look bad.”
The middle-aged man said, “My eyes heat up when I look at him, too. But looking twice is enough, he’s already been booked by that one.”
Ding Qiuyun followed the direction he was pointing in and saw a burly man who was flanked by two followers. Looking at the way they dressed, it was clear that he was a major member of a large-scale supplies collection team.
Ding Qiuyun said to the middle-aged man, “Number six is mine.”
The middle-aged man looked at Ding Qiuyun doubtfully and felt that he might be someone who was low-key and didn’t flaunt his own power, so he didn’t dare to say too much. He only said tentatively, “If you want to trade for such a top level product, even a car filled with goods might not be enough.”
Ding Qiuyun replied, “If I want him, just a whistle is enough.”
The middle-aged man was stunned, then choked and burst out laughing, “Aiya, you young people––”
While they were talking, the fireworks behind them rose up. The hot currents of air cut through the cold and made a shrill sound that vibrated in the ears.
At the same time, the dull sound of an explosion came from the east.
Amidst this double symphony, Ding Qiuyun placed his index finger and thumb against his lips and whistled.
The power for the whole town cut off all at once, and the once brilliant street fell into a death-like darkness. Only the fireworks that were exploding in the air glowed brightly, their golden and silver sparks falling down from the sky like a compassionate gaze staring down at the dark city.
Gu Xinzhi quickly pulled out the dagger tied to his thigh, kicked open the iron cage that was no longer powered by electricity, and cut the throat of a new human who’d heard the noise and come to investigate.
By the time the next firework exploded, the Gu Xinzhi who had blood splashed over his cheek was already standing in front of Ding Qiuyun and the gaping middle-aged man.
Ding Qiuyun flipped over the barrier, and along with the flash of fireworks, shot his gun straight up into the sky.
This gunshot was the signal that they’d all agreed to beforehand.
Uncle Luo, who had been waiting in the parking lot and had taken the opportunity to slash all the tires he could, also fired his gun. Several other team members who were in the cages also took out hidden guns from the lining of their white robes and shot into the air as well.
For a time, the sound of gunshots was dense, coming from all directions like exploding peas. It was as though the whole town had been surrounded by an unknown army.
The new humans may have had tough bodies, but they were all humans who’d lived for at least a decade or several decades. The fear of being shot by a gun still burned in the bottom of their hearts, causing them to scream and run around or fall to the ground where they stood.
There were security teams who set out when they heard the sounds, but Ding Qiuyun had told everyone to switch locations every time they fired so that the security teams wouldn’t be able to lock in on them. This meant that the security teams could only shoot in warning, adding to the chaos and giving people a false sense that there was ‘more and more fighting’.
One of Ding Qiuyun’s team members who’d mixed in with the scattered crowd chose the right time and shouted out words they’d decided on beforehand, “There’s a hundred people attacking! It’s an army!”
Then, he took out a grenade from his waist and threw it at a long-abandoned stand.
The town fell into a panic with the explosion.
A total of 20 armed people made use of the darkness and chaos to create the illusion of military pressure.
The town’s AI were also in a state of panic for the unknown.
After switching to the standby power supply, more than one AI found that something was off, “Oh no, it’s that S-class terrorist system! He’s in our town!”
All information was integrated with the main system. The main system immediately sent out a call for help, signalling to the superior system while there was still time, “Hello, we are system collective 1277. Our power system has been destroyed by a SSS danger level system, and we’re requesting support!”
Half a beat later, a warm voice replied, “Hello, I’ve already received your feedback. Thank you for the rating you’ve given me, and also for the information you sent, which allowed me to locate your central system positioning.”
Following this gentle greeting came countless virus bees that swarmed into the main system. Each operable icon became a little white leopard with a tilted head and lolling tongue.
All the AIs in the city were destroyed and fell into an infinite silence.
In the East square, things developed as Yan Lanlan had expected, and the bomb explosion attracted patrols from nearby. The majority of the ice sculpture was destroyed, and the girl in the ice fell to the ground; it was unknown whether she was dead or alive.
Yan Lanlan retreated back into her hidden corner, hesitating for a moment, but she still felt that she couldn’t leave Shu Wenqing on her own to face so many new humans. She was just about to pull out her gun to fight when unexpectedly, a hand covered with crushed ice pushed her back into place and covered her mouth before she could leave her hiding spot.
“Shh.”
Yan Lanlan’s eyes opened wide.
... She’d forgotten that the new humans weren’t afraid of the cold, and that their cell repair capacity was several or even a dozen times better than that of normal people.
Shu Wenqing was covered with Yan Lanlan’s coat, which she’d left behind on the ice. Beneath it were two long legs with defined muscles, her knees and legs covered with a thin layer of ice. It looked as though her heel had been hurt quite severely from the explosion, but it had already recovered completely, leaving only a thin layer of bloody ice behind.
Shu Wenqing shifted her gaze to the new human soldiers who’d realised that the ice sculpture had exploded and had started searching around with guns. Only when she noticed that the temperature of the person under her hand was wrong did she show some slight surprise.
She gently wiped her fingers against the lower part of the side of Yan Lanlan’s neck and found that the ‘corpse spot’ could be smudged.
This made Shu Wenqing really curious. “Old human?”
Yan Lanlan didn’t answer her. She was only concerned about the current situation. “Are you going or not?”
Shu Wenqing was only casually expressing her surprise and didn’t hesitate to grab her hand before picking a direction, straightening her back, walking away quickly.
She didn’t ask about her intentions nor did she ask about where she wanted to go.
Three hours of getting along had allowed them to cultivate a wonderful, silent, tacit understanding.
Yan Lanlan followed her, like a fish who lived on the sea floor leading another to travel through the deep sea. She knew the location of every coral and reef.
Yan Lanlan was almost dizzy from her twists and turns, all the way until she led them to the second floor of a basement. Only then did Yan Lanlan ask, “Is it safe here?”
Shu Wenqing: “It’s safe.”
“Then I’ve done my job.” Yan Lanlan patted herself on the chest and said, “Goodbye, I’m going to go find my team.”
Shu Wenqing spoke, “Little girl, lend me a knife.”
Yan Lanlan covered her bag warily. “What do you want that for?”
Shu Wenqing: “Afraid of me?”
Yan Lanlan was very straight forward. “How could I not be afraid? I’m scared you’ll cut me down and steal my supplies.”
Shu Wenqing laughed despite herself. “A knife is enough. Besides, you should have a gun in your bag, right? You don’t have to worry that I’ll rob you.”
Yan Lanlan hugged the bag that held two guns and retreated ten meters back. “No, what gun? Don’t talk nonsense.”
Shu Wenqing reached out to her, unwilling to give up on her request.
Yan Lanlan thought for a moment, and ultimately still pulled out a straight razor and tossed it over.
Shu Wenqing smiled. “Thank you, little girl.”
Yan Lanlan protested from a distance, “... I’m not little, I’m already 19.”
Yan Lanlan was really a person who could easily make someone’s mood improve for the better. Shu Wenqing picked up the blade, pressed down twice on her left arm to find the right position, and sliced down.
Yan Lanlan’s eyelids twitched as she watched this scene.
Amidst the dull sound of blood and flesh separating, Shu Wenqing pulled a key out from her arm.
After taking out the key, her blood and flesh quickly recovered and returned to normal.
... In these past few days, this crucial key had been hidden under the skin of her arm.
Shu Wenqing said, “The blade, shall I wash it and return it to you?”
Yan Lanlan shook her head. “I’ll give it to you as a souvenir.”
After saying so, she turned and was about to leave.
Shu Wenqing called out to stop her, pointing to the door in front of them. “You don’t want to come in and see?”
Yan Lanlan replied, “No. My teammates should be basically done with their tasks. I have to hurry and go find our Captain Ding––”
“... Ding?” Shu Wenqing was stunned for a moment. “Ding Qiuyun?”
Yan Lanlan was alarmed and realized that she’d misspoken. She didn’t affirm or deny it. “I’m leaving first.”
“Wait a minute.” She’d only taken two steps when Shu Wenqing called out to her again, “Your Captain Ding falsified an attack, disturbing the public order to the whole city to rescue old humans during the chaos, right?”
Yan Lanlan hadn’t expected Shu Wenqing, who had been nothing but a spectator the whole time, to be able to understand so many things, but she still kept her expression innocent and silly. “Is that so?”
Shu Wenqing laughed.
Even while she laughed, her smile still held a bit of the cold alienation of a high and cold flower. “Captain Ding Qiuyun, I know you can hear me, and I know you won’t be reassured letting a little girl perform her tasks alone. I can help you. How about cooperating?”
Yan Lanlan raised her hand to press on the headset. She listened for a while, frowning and a little confused, but she truthfully conveyed Ding Qiuyun’s words, “Captain Ding said, cooperation is possible, but you should open the correct door to show your sincerity. Don’t try to trick our silly Lanlan. ... Ding Qiuyun, I’m still standing right here, who are you talking about?”
Shu Wenqing was unable to hide her jubilation. She walked towards the third door to the left and put the key into the keyhole.
Yan Lanlan took two steps forward in surprise. “Wasn’t that the right door?”
“Of course not.” Shu Wenqing admitted frankly, “I’ve been betrayed before, and after knowing how it tastes, I don’t want to try it again. That door can also be opened with this key, but there are stealth anti-personnel mines set up inside.”
Yan Lanlan: “......”
Shu Wenqing apologized to Yan Lanlan and laughed. “I thought you were the bait that the new humans were using for their long-term fishing project to catch a big fish. ... That room is the last chip I have to slow down an attack.”
Yan Lanlan wasn’t a little girl with a fragile heart. She shrugged and grinned. “In that case, I take back my apology for thinking that you were going to chop me down. We’re even.”
Shu Wenqing looked at Yan Lanlan deeply and opened the door.
Yan Lanlan was quite curious about it. She hugged her bag, leaned towards the door to look in and almost swallowed her tongue.
The room was filled with 20 odd people. It was a basement about 100 square meters in size, and there were at least three rooms cut out. The walls were covered with all kinds of light and heavy weapons, enough to arm a full company.
When faced with the stunned Yan Lanlan, Shu Wenqing took down a hatchet from the wall, slung it over her back, then picked up a micro-electromagnetic charge gun. She said calmly, “Little girl, your team wants to stir up trouble and fish in muddy waters, but what I want to do, is to have a head-on fight.”
xiin: action!