C8 Humanity Base

With a whoosh, the bathroom door swung open. Dongfang Bai stepped out, freshly showered and radiating a delightful fragrance.

As she dried her hair with a towel, she tilted her head and asked, "What's on your mind?"

There was no denying Dongfang Bai's stunning beauty, but beauty is a diverse concept.

Some women are captivating in a way that evokes desire.

Others are elegant, evoking a sense of freshness.

Yet some are so regal they seem unapproachable.

Dongfang Bai's beauty was mature and intellectual. She had the comforting air of the girl next door and that of a sensible wife—always just right.

Hsu Yuvran shook off his thoughts, got up, and fetched another bottle of Tear of the World from the fridge. He opened it and handed it to Dongfang Bai, inviting her to sit beside him.

Accepting the beer, Dongfang Bai put down her towel and sat beside him. She gracefully lifted her long, slender legs onto the tea table before her.

She raised her beer in a small toast to Hsu Yuvran, took a sip, and revealed her long, graceful neck.

Dongfang Bai hadn't drunk in almost a year. She sighed deeply, clearly enjoying the beer.

Hsu Yuvran sipped his beer while admiring Dongfang Bai's undeniable elegance.

"I've been wondering about the situation in the Main City Region," he said.

I've been thinking the same. Maybe we should head there first to see what's happening. If others like we've awakened, we can share information," Dongfang Bai said, finishing her bottle in just a few sips.

Hsu Yuvran got up and handed her another bottle.

"Trying to get me drunk?" Dongfang Bai asked, giving Hsu Yuvran a mischievous smile.

Hsu Yuvran sat back down next to her and continued drinking. "You're beautiful, but don't read too much into it. With how things are right now, who has the mood for that?"

"So, I'm not beautiful enough? Or is it that you don't like my type?" Dongfang Bai inquired, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Ah, women are a puzzle.

When you try to win them over, they slip through your fingers like water.

When he wanted to live a peaceful life, she was bent on showcasing her allure.

Hsu Yuvran gave a playful smile and said, "I'd prefer a proper wedding. I'm an honest man, after all."

Bah, who said I'd marry you, you sickly mess?" Dongfang Bai lightly teased, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink.

The soft glow from the bathroom bathed Hsu Yuvran, making him look particularly handsome tonight.

To hide her awkwardness, Dongfang Bai took several big gulps of beer, only to choke and start coughing.

Hsu Yuvran gently patted her back and cautioned, "If you keep drinking like this, I can't guarantee your safety tonight."

"You are so beautiful. If I were to marry you, it'd be in the light of day for everyone to see," he retorted.

Caught off guard by his own unfiltered words, they both froze. Dongfang Bai's face turned beet red.

Let's focus. Tomorrow, let's head straight for the Main City Region. Along the way, I'll test my rabies to see if my powers can be upgraded," Hsu Yuvran quickly shifted the topic, sensing that things were going in an awkward direction.

The virus had spread uncontrollably, and countless lives had been lost.

As a terminally ill patient, Hsu Yuvran had learned not to hope for too much.

Though Xu Xin had left him, it was a relief for both parties.

At this moment, he didn't want to entangle Dongfang Bai in his complex life.

If Dongfang Bai was willing, the last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

Dongfang Bai refocused and suggested, "If we get the chance, I'll also test my powers to see if they can be upgraded. But catching pigeons won't be easy. What should we do?"

"In that case, let's catch a mutated mouse first. I'll let it bite me, and then we can use its corpse to lure a pigeon," Hsu Yuvran offered.

"Ew, a mouse? Too disgusting. How about we try cats or dogs instead? I can't stand the thought of watching you get bitten by a mouse," Dongfang Bai recoiled.

Alright, it's settled then," Hsu Yuvran agreed, taking the half-empty beer bottle from Dongfang Bai. "No more drinking. We've got more important matters to attend to."

"You're so stingy!" Dongfang Bai pouted playfully. "I'm going to bed."

"Go ahead, I'll keep watch," Hsu Yuvran assured her.

For over a year, Hsu Yuvran had been standing guard through the night, a routine he had grown accustomed to.

There were just the two of them, so one had to stay awake to watch. Otherwise, the risk of Mutated Beasts creeping up on them in the darkness was too great.

Dongfang Bai stood up, stretching languidly. "I'm exhausted. I'll get some sleep, and then we can switch."

"No need to switch. I've got this. It's my duty as a man," Hsu Yuvran responded, glancing at Dongfang Bai as she walked toward the bedroom.

He absentmindedly took a sip from a wine bottle, not realizing it was Dongfang Bai's.

While Dongfang Bai settled to rest, Hsu Yuvran found himself lost in thought.

Viruses had laid waste to the world, but strangely, those infected could still unlock special skills—Awakening Skills, as they called them.

Hsu Yuvran was a rare case, a carrier of every virus type. In this twisted world, he was an anomaly, a glitch in the system.

Thanks to a mysterious tech genius's virus system, his abilities had been amplified, making him even more formidable.

Most survivors didn't possess Awakening Skills. The lucky ones had simply adapted to the viruses, avoiding death, much like some of his old teachers and classmates.

He had recently discovered that his Awakening Skills could be upgraded, further enhancing his power.

This gave him a unique advantage in this apocalyptic landscape, a fighting chance to keep on surviving.

And yet, his thoughts were dominated by concern for his father. Was he still alive in this horrifying new world?

Despite the odds, he was convinced that his father was out there, alive.

But his underlying anxiety was a constant reminder: there was no room for complacency.

Perhaps he needed to get infected with more viruses and unlock additional Awakening Skills to become strong enough to search for his father.

"Dad, where are you? Please, be okay," he mumbled, vigilantly scanning the area from his window perch.

The difference now was that behind him, there was only one other person who relied on his watchful eyes for protection.

As dawn broke, he heard the sound of a door opening—Dongfang Bai was awake.

Groggy and half-dressed, she rubbed her eyes before going to the bathroom to freshen up.

Hsu Yuvran watched her silently as she lazily moved in and out of the room. She was a far cry from the fearless warrior who fought Mutated Beasts during the day, yet she exuded a different kind of allure.

"After you've washed up, go get some sleep," Dongfang Bai said, draping a men's jacket over herself.

Hsu Yuvran gave a slight smile. "Sleep is a rare luxury for me. I'll take you up on that offer."

"Go ahead, sleep without worry. It's just the two of us; there's no rush," Dongfang Bai gestured dismissively with her hand.

For the first time in over a year, Hsu Yuvran slept deeply and peacefully. Usually, he could only afford two hours of sleep upon returning to their hidden location in the evenings.

Under the watchful eye of Dongfang Bai, Hsu Yuvran's sleep was especially sound and satisfying.

When he woke up, it was almost noon.

After a quick meal of canned food, they began executing the plan they had formulated the night before.

They caught wild cats, wild dogs, and, finally, a mouse.

But disappointment struck; the rabies virus couldn't infect Hsu Yuvran. ‌

They waited on the rooftop of a tall residential building until a pigeon appeared.

They caught it and used Hsu Yuvran's Earth Spike to slightly cut Dongfang Bai's skin, using the pigeon for another test.

Again, the outcome was disheartening: Dongfang Bai couldn't even get re-infected with the virus, let alone advance her Awakening Skill. ‌

They realized two things. First, Dongfang Bai wasn't invincible; it was just that the small Mutated Beasts weren't powerful enough to harm her.

Second, getting infected and upgrading their skills wasn't as straightforward as they had initially thought.

"Do we need to be infected by different types of the rabies virus?" Hsu Yuvran speculated.

"Are all the viruses on the Mutated Beasts in this area of the same kind?" questioned Dongfang Bai.

Because everything they knew about infection, awakening, and even upgrading had come about by accident.

They were hesitant to experiment further without knowing the consequences.

"If Dongfang Bai gets infected with rabies and dies, that would be tragic," Hsu Yuvran mused.

After their efforts proved fruitless, they had no choice but to hasten their journey to the Main City Region.

This time, they took the main road and encountered only a few mutated beasts, which they quickly dispatched, allowing them to make swift progress.

As they drew closer to the Main City Region, they noticed an increasing number of mutated beasts. More alarmingly, these creatures seemed to congregate in packs, circling the area.

When they were about to reach the Double Bridges Overpass on River Forest Main Street, they finally caught sight of the mercenaries' so-called Humanity Base from a distance.

At that moment, they finally understood why the mutated beasts had surged as they approached the city.

From a distance, they could see that the Double Bridges Overpass leading into the city had been demolished.

To be more specific, everything from the southern inner ring to the eastern inner ring—bridges, residential buildings, and shopping malls—had been obliterated.

In their place stood a towering, makeshift wall built from debris encircling the Main City Region. This wall consisted of various bricks and stones and sloped gently upward.

This barrier effectively cut off all routes from the Main City Region to its outskirts, making it nearly impossible for most mutated beasts to enter the city to hunt.

At the top of this man-made rampart were rows of gun barrels manned by soldiers at the ready.

Any mutated beast daring to climb the slope of the wall was met with a hail of bullets.

When faced with larger groups of mutated beasts, the soldiers employed heavier firepower, including grenades, machine guns, and single-unit rocket launchers.

The slope was littered with corpses, mostly of mutated beasts, but some were human as well.

Yet, this gruesome sight did little to deter the predatory instincts of the mutated beasts. Within a few kilometers of the wall, countless creatures formed a veritable sea of beasts.

These mutated beasts were tearing at each other, and any that fell were rapidly consumed.

Tasting blood only made these creatures more fierce, and they lunged at the wall with renewed ferocity.

The relentless onslaught from the soldiers created even more carnage, which, in turn, attracted more mutated beasts to the area.

Relying on their heavy artillery, the soldiers established a tense standoff with the mutated beasts.

The air was filled with the deafening roar of firearms, the shouts of human soldiers, and the anguished cries and growls of the mutated beasts. Amidst this chaos, the acrid smell of gunpowder and the stench of blood hung heavy as if hell itself had been unleashed.

Witnessing this nightmarish scene, Hsu Yuvran and Dongfang Bai couldn't help but inhale sharply.

The mutated beasts they'd run into earlier seemed insignificant compared to the ones they found here.

From a distance, they saw beasts covered in a bronze-like glow charged at the artificial city wall.

Suddenly, someone leaped from the top of the wall, summoning a shimmering silver spear in their hand.

"Shua!" With a swift motion, the spear pierced through a bronze-glowing beast and flung it aside.

Mid-air, the silver spear transformed into water and flew back into the hands of the jumper.

There were indeed others like them who had awakened their abilities, and it seemed the government's army was as reliable as ever.

More beasts, their bodies appearing to be made of black metal, stormed up the slope, prompting another figure to jump from the city wall.

A barrage of fireballs erupted from their hands, scorching and toppling any beast they touched.

The two exchanged glances. They both knew breaking through to the main city area would be anything but easy.

Dongfang Bai spoke gravely, "What's the plan? Do we move on?"

"Stay close and follow my lead! Let's fight our way through!" Hsu Yuvran summoned a large bronze shield, eyeing the seemingly endless sea of mutated beasts, burning with a relentless fighting spirit.