Back to the Apocalypse

Chapter 40

The trip to the garage was filled with silence. Destruction, signs of fighting and traces of dried blood could be seen everywhere they passed by. Since the apocalypse had already started, it wasn’t hard to guess what kind of gruesome fighting must have taken place here.

After getting off the car, Bai Jing immediately took the chance to walk around. His skills were so nimble that the people around him only noticed that things were slowly disappearing, and before they knew it, a fully stocked garage had turned into a parking lot. Apart from just a few cars, there was actually nothing else left for the eyes to see.

Liu Wei was shocked speechless: “How much can this dimension hold?”

Bai Jing raised an eyebrow. After they chose new cars, he put the remaining cars along with the ones they had come with straight into his dimension, then lazily said to them: "Not much, only 180 square meters is left after adding these things just now”

Li Yi couldn’t help but lick his lips as he thought of his own home, which was a 180 square meter apartment with four bedrooms and two living areas. Bai Jing’s space was even bigger than that. It must be said that this ability was just truly splendid.

Bai Jing saw their demeanor but didn’t respond. He was well aware that during the early days of the apocalypse, people with hidden dimension abilities were like sweet smelling fruit. The reason why he gave that figure as the size of his dimension was to give everyone a preconceived idea that his space is fairly large. So that later on, regardless of what he puts in his space, they wouldn’t be suspicious.

Looking at Bai Jing, a funny feeling filled Xiao Sa’s heart, slightly improving his previously dreary mood. His kitten had just lied without even batting an eye. However, he understood the reason behind his kitten’s words; in his heart, he could sense a subtle hostility and fundamental mistrust from his kitten towards his subordinates.

Over this, Xiao Sa only felt helpless. He couldn’t force him to have a different opinion of his subordinates. He was also aware of his subordinates initial attitude towards little Jing, after all, it was because of this that little Jing and he had been separated.

When he thought of his subordinates back at the apartment building, his mood was ruined once again...

His heart was not made of stone. At that time when they had followed him without hesitation, his heart was not unmoved. Nevertheless, he was only a man and not a God, even if he had awakened mutant powers.

He had taken all those people with him to the apartment building, but this couldn’t prevent his subordinates from mutating, neither would it prevent their families from mutating.

Considering the circumstances that they were confronted with, what alternatives did he have? To be honest, nobody had believed him. Even if he was the boss, he had shot and killed his subordinates, killed their close relatives, and locked up the wounded. Although his actions were proper and justified, no one understood them. In the past few days, he had not gotten a wink of sleep or rest. Truth be told, he was extremely tired...

The group of people quickly returned to the apartment building. Bai Jing caught sight of the security systems installed at the gate and secretly glanced at Xiao Sa. Installing all of this must have used up a lot of effort. In the early days of the apocalypse, so long as one had enough supplies, one would only live in such a place temporarily, and therefore would absolutely not be concerned with the security of the location. Before, Xiao Sa had mentioned that he wanted to leave, but would he really be willing to part with such a place?

Even before he could voice his doubts, the mechanism for opening the gate switched on. Bai Jing quickly understood why, as a 50-year-old woman rushed out crying and screaming curses: "Xiao Sa, may you suffer a thousand cuts, with your conscience that has been eaten by dogs. Do you think it was easy for my son to risk following you? You have already killed his father and now you also put him in lockup, you must be tired of living ah! Why don’t you also have me killed so I can reunite with my late husband? You, if you don’t give me an explanation today, then I will die here where I stand...”

"I’m sorry brother, I didn’t expect that she would act this way, let me take her back inside at once." Li Qiang came over and apologized, but the look in his eyes said otherwise. The hideous hatred lurking in his eyes frightened Bai Jing a little, making him quickly ask: “Xiao Sa, what’s going on here?”

Xiao Sa didn’t say a word, only letting Li Qiang drag people back inside. In a serious tone, Xie Minhang explained to Bai Jing what had just happened: "The night of the virus outbreak, Uncle Fang turned into a zombie. By the time elder brother rushed over, Fang Cong had already been scratched. Elder brother shot and killed Uncle Fang, and then locked up Fang Cong. Naturally, Aunt Fang felt bitter after losing two members of her family: one was detained while the other was killed. Since then, each day has been full of chaos. Confronted with such a mother, elder brother can only endure and accept, only saying that nothing can be done. As for Li Qiang, his older brother was also killed by elder brother. At that time, we could all see that if his older brother turned into an undead, then Liang La would be scratched. No one was willing to be the one to come forward and shoot, so elder brother had to be the one to step up. At that moment, Li Qiang just lost it and wanted to fight elder brother like his life depended on it. Although he recovered the next day, people started acting strangely. He must still be hateful over what happened..."

Bai Jing felt slightly distressed for Xiao Sa. Considering the situation he was dealing with, he had done a good job. Even if he was the leader of a criminal organization, he can’t control his subordinates’ feelings over their families, it was human nature. Also, in light of the virus outbreak, conflict was inevitable.

According to him, Xiao Sa didn’t establish this apartment to meet with people. In fact, it had fuck-all to do with anyone. So it’s strange that he should be blamed for his good heart which is always thinking of his brothers’ welfare.

He remembered Yu Yue had said that on the night of the lightning incident, the Burning Flame triad had split up. At that time, his heart was somewhat relieved, thinking that the brothers who were willing to follow Xiao Sa must certainly be faithful. In that case, how can Xiao Sa abandon them now?

“I’m okay.” Noticing that Bai Jing was deeply troubled, Xiao Sa firmly held his hand and said: “I’ll first have someone take you to rest. I’ll come back once everything has been completed.”

“Good!” Bai Jing nodded. When it’s all said and done, no matter what he decides, Bai Jing would always support him.

Some people were disturbed by Bai Jing’s straightforward response, but Xiao Sa just ignored them and indifferently ordered, “Call everyone to a meeting.”

“Brother, do you truly want to leave?” Liu Wei’s heart was tight, and he felt like he was about to choke from the pain he was feeling. The situation outside was not good. There was the army and also zombies, and their elder brother wanted to leave at this moment...

Xie Minhang and the others were taken aback. They were not in the same car, so they didn’t know what Xiao Sa had said. He heard Liu Wei shouting and his heart suddenly froze. Only Yang Wenhao remained unmoved by this.

Xiao Sa glimpsed at him, his heart suddenly relaxing. Actually, it hadn’t been that difficult to come to a firm decision about leaving. At his core, he wasn’t a good man. The burning flame alliance had been going through some tumultuous times, and these people were willing to follow him out. His heart had been moved, so he decided to make a few more preparation on their behalf. Now that they were finally settled down, they should separate at the earliest possible opportunity. This apartment block plus some supplies had been set aside for them. This should be enough to compensate them for their sacrifice. After weighing the matter in his heart, Xiao Sa concluded that he had treated everyone fairly.

Then, taking advantage of Bai Jing who had let his guard down, Xiao Sa quickly kissed him on the lips and said: “I’ll be back.” Since the sneak attack had been successful, Xiao Sa’s mood instantly turned for the better. Without waiting for Bai Jing to reply, he quickly left with several people.

Bai Jing cheeks were flushed red and his heart was annoyed. He fiercely glared at the remaining people and said: “I want to go rest, why don’t you lead the way."

When Xiao Qi heard this, he immediately smiled and gestured for Bai Jing to follow him: “This way please Sao Zi (sister-in-law / older brother’s wife).”

Bai Jing stumbled. Not caring where they were, he raised a foot to kick the former and said: “Get lost! Who is your Sao Zi?”

Xiao Qi quickly dodged. The sight of the shattered wood fragments that had been left behind by the kick frightened him and caused him to break out into a cold sweat. It turned out that the rumors that Sao Zi was extremely fierce and violent weren’t the ramblings of a madman. He hurriedly smiled and said: “Young master Jing, don’t be angry, this is how everyone in the family calls you, so I....."

The explanation immediately lit a fire in Bai Jing. Saying that everyone called him in this way, what was the meaning of these words?

Xiao Qi never got the chance to finish explaining himself properly. When he saw another kick flying his way, he didn’t dare stay there any longer. He quickly ran to the other side and said, “Ouch! My stomach is aching, I need to go poop. Sao Zi, just wait a moment, I’ll go get someone else to show you the way.” Not bothering to wait for Bai Jing’s response, he ran like the wind.

Bai Jing was so annoyed he couldn’t breathe properly. With no less ferocity, he glared at Yu Yue who looked like he was finding something funny.

“I was minding my own business. I swear I didn’t laugh.” Yu Yue hurriedly waved his hand. He really wanted to grab onto this thigh, but not as a target. For every grievance someone is responsible, for every debt there is a debtor. How inaccurate was this saying huh? If he had realized this sooner, he would have instantly run away.

Bai Jing’s didn’t stop staring at him. Without bothering to answer him back, he looked Yu Yue up and down, before pulling him into a blind spot in the surveillance: “Release your psychic power.”

“What?” Yu Yue stared blankly at Bai Jing.

Bai Jing was completely unimpressed. Yu Yue had already revealed his ability but still wanted to pretend? He coldly said: “Don’t play dumb. Use your psychic power to cover the building and listen in to what they are saying.

Yu Yue was still slightly confused. He only sensed that this was very important, and if he could only figure out the key points, then he would gain a great advantage. At the moment, he didn’t dare run his mouth, but instead earnestly asked: "Can young master Jing give me any specific pointers?"

Bai Jing was surprised: “You truly don’t know?

Yu Yue shook his head: “I was quite sensitive when I was a child. Recently it seemed to be more powerful. But the spiritual power you speak of, other than what I’ve read in novels, I really don’t know a thing about it.”

Bai Jing frowned at him. He didn’t know how he had come to realize that the two types of abilities were different, he had just naturally known. He thought for a moment and then said: "The spiritual power is just like your intuition. Close your eyes, try to relax and completely empty your mind, then try and feel out your surroundings.”

This was all that had been said in the novel. Bai Jing’s wasn’t sure if he should feel sorry for Yu Yue who was presently still unaware that he was being used as a guinea pig.

Not long after, another man came and directed them to a room. Yu Yue was sweating and absent-minded all the way to the room. The minute he entered, he immediately continued practicing.

Bai Jing was in a very happy mood. He could tell that he could learn a lot from this child. Yu Yue was really hard working, so Bai Jing was eager to find out whether, at the end of this experiment, he would be able to develop any skills.

Actually, Yu Yue was quite pitiful. He could withstand the painful experience, but he wouldn’t hold his breath, it was unlikely that he would be able to use his psychic power. All the information he was receiving was in a hideous mess and all sorts of noises were forcing their way into his mind, making his head feel like it was about to explode. He desperately wanted to pull back, but he was too weak to do so. He saw vague images of a group of people on the top floor of this building, but he thought it must have been an illusion...

But then his eyes suddenly met with Xiao Sa’s, right before he was struck by a spiritual force**. He shouted loudly as a sudden burst of pain pierced through his head. His chest filled with blood, so when he opened his eyes, he could taste a certain fishy sweetness in his throat, before vomiting blood. Then everything went black as he lost consciousness.

Bai Jing wasn’t the least bit sympathetic. He only coked an eyebrow before placing his fingers on Yu Yue’s wrist as he had learned from the medical books. He felt the pulse beating and nodded in satisfaction. No bad, he had only overused his spiritual power. After two days of rest, he would be right back to normal. Turns out that the information in the novels wasn’t unfounded, so he’d have him try again another day.

Yu Yue felt that he was very unlucky. At first, there wasn’t a problem. But when the abilities of two opponents clashed, there was bound to be some sort of backlash. He had sent out such a large amount of power while staring at Xiao Sa, without even bothering to be cautious. Xiao Sa had spent most of his life fighting, so the murderous aura he released was not a joke. On top of that, Xiao Sa was also a powered person. Yu Yue was very silly. This being his first time using his psychic power, he didn’t know how to conceal his presence or how to evade attacks. This resulted in him being ruthlessly attacked. The inevitable outcome was him vomiting blood and passing out.

To sum it up, this child was destined to cross paths with Bai Jing. After he wakes up, he will definitely cry tears of gratitude to Bai Jing. After all, without Bai Jing, he wouldn’t have found out about his spiritual power. How did the saying go again? You help the people count the money as you are being sold off?

****

And the story continues thus: on Xiao Sa’s side, he was currently dealing with various disputes. Some brothers were reasonable, but it was the families that were the most difficult to deal with. After Xiao Sa announced that he was leaving, all kinds of conditions were voiced: guns, ammunition, food, and supplies. Still, the most common demand was for money.

Xiao Sa didn’t even hesitate for a moment. He just asked them how much they wanted, then took out a cheque and placed it on the table. They wanted money? OK, he would give it. Actually, he was a bit annoyed. He should have realized sooner that both the gang and family members had a few ulterior motives. However, he decided to remain silent about it. It’s true that he killed their loved ones, but after he had compensated them for the loss, it no longer mattered. He could afford it because he knows that they had stuck by him when he left the Burning Flame Alliance.

Nearby, Han Yan was worried out of his mind, but held himself back and didn’t dare interrupt like before; the last lesson was still fresh in his memory. He only firmly marked Bai Jing in his heart. The moment that guy was found, his brother was ready to leave. It was hard enough to settle down, but now with the chaotic situation out there, if they left, where could they go?

Zhou Ji was at a loss; even he realizes that his brother had other plans. How can Han Yan still be so worked up over nothing? He really didn’t want to see his brothers fall out with each other. He was planning to speak with Han Yan, to tell him that he was being a little too meddlesome in affairs that didn’t concern him. To be honest, if he wasn’t already aware that Han Yan was in love with him, he would have misunderstood his attitude toward Xiao Sa.

Once the money was finally distributed, a wide grin was plastered on everyone’s face. Although their family members were still grieving, they seemed to be less angry.

After that, Yang Wenhao callously demanded a great amount of supplies and food, as well as guns and ammunition.

Liu Wei angrily looked away, this was unbelievable. This was just robbery. Yang Wenhao was clearly taking advantage of the situation.

Xiao Sa wasn’t bothered. Yang Wenhao had obviously seen Bai Jing’s hidden dimension and knew that it was convenient for storing and transporting things. Since he wanted to leave, Xiao Sa tried his best to behave in a kind and fair manner. After this, he would no longer be part of the brotherhood. Once he has left and got back on the road, no one should say that they regret anything.

Next: CH 41. See you all again on Monday!!