Dark Civilization Volume 1 Chapter 21

Book 1 Chapter 21: Fleeing Through Torrential Rain

*Rumble~~~

Waves of thunder reverberated throughout the murky skies above and echoed across the land as though the heavens were taunting the creatures of this earth. The slithering streaks of lightning among the clouds flashed like a demon's grin.

The torrential downpour battered against Ye Chen's back like an unrelenting shower of knives and blades. His body temperature was rapidly declining, causing him to s.h.i.+ver ever so slightly. His visage was pallid from an excess loss of blood. Each step he took as he ran, agitated the wound on his abdomen causing waves of searing pain.

This unyielding man was silently gritting his teeth while running into the distance, as fast as his legs could carry him.

The odds of an ordinary man surviving a ruptured abdomen were slim to begin with. How anyone could be expected to sc.r.a.pe their intestines back into their abdomen and start sprinting madly afterwards like 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 be relieved, very much so….

"Lil' sis…."

Looking into the distance, Ye Chen vaguely identified a group of indistinct silhouettes. From their faint outline and attire, 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 his injury that his voice came out sounding like a hoa.r.s.e groan.

By the side of the wall, Ye Zhu and the rest of the group were worriedly awaiting Ye Chen's return. The sudden call gave them a jolt. All their heads turned to see a man stumbling towards them through the harsh rain while covered in mud.

"Brother----"

Ye Zhu's delicate figure quivered at the sight of her brother. She disregarded everything and frantically dashed towards him. She was instantly soaked under the unrelenting downpour. Immediately after approaching him, she noticed that something was off about her brother. The unperturbed image 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 which seemed to be leaking from his abdomen.

"You're hurt!" Ye Zhu's eyes were filled with astonishment.

As his eyes fell upon his sister, Ye Chen felt the tension in his heart lessen slightly. Not wasting another word, he said: "Hurry up and get going. There's a strong mutant beast back there and it could come at us at any second. My current strength is still insufficient to repel it."

His message greatly startled Ye Zhu. She immediately called out towards Bai Long and the others and repeated what her brother told her. The others were flabbergasted with what she told them. It was clear from Ye Chen's condition that he wasn't kidding. Their hearts were clouded with unease.

"Run!"

Ye Chen rushed down the path which he had studied from the map earlier, taking each step with visible strain. Ye Zhu and the others followed closely behind him.

The group of struggling survivors ran desperately through the pouring rain in single file. As they were hastily making their way down the streets, Ye Chen suddenly felt his mind being engulfed in dizziness. Although his body was strong, the effects of excessive blood loss were inescapable.

"Allow me!" A light chuckle sounded by Ye Chen's ear as he vaguely felt his body being supported by someone at his side. The voice merrily conveyed: "You've saved me once, now we're even."

Who else other than Bai Long could be speak these words?

Ye Chen did not say anything, the fatigue he was enduring made him reluctant to even take another step. His vision was already on the decline, causing the building in the distance to appear as though 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 his own tongue. The added stimulation helped him to maintain his wits. As they came upon an intersection, Ye Chen interrupted saying: "Turn left."

Bai Long immediately responded and aided him in making a left turn as they ran. However, they were immediately faced with the sight of more than a hundred zombies loitering throughout the streets. As the rain 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 to notice Ye Chen's group. After a series of ravenous snarling, the horde began scrambling madly towards the group.

Bai Long and the others paled in terror.

Ye Chen grinded his teeth as he shrugged off Bai Long's support and swiped the fireman's axe from his hand. With a flash of his body, he was already in the midst of the zombie horde. As the veins on his arm surfaced, he spun his body and explosively cried out: "Dragon's tempest!"

*Boom!

An explosive typhoon erupted from within the horde of zombies and sent each of their top halves scattering into the distance. Without their lower halves, the number of zombies that survived could only resume their pursuit by clawing their way back towards him.

Wasting this horde of zombies took every ounce of strength he had left. With the way he was swaying, it was clear that Ye Chen could barely keep himself standing. His vision also began deteriorating considerably. Bai Long quickly snapped himself out of his amazement and rushed over to support Ye Chen. Lifting him up, Bai Long slung him across his back and began running once more.

"Are you able to hold on?" This youth who enjoyed joking around was currently wearing a grave expression as he inquired in a downcast tone.

"Cut the c.r.a.p." Ye Chen huffed.

Hearing those words, Bai Long did not felt anger. Instead, a trace of a smile began blossoming on his face as he said: "If you 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 to accelerate as he sped off into the distance. The zombies that were lurking in the various houses didn't even have the chance to attack before Bai Long left them in the dust.

The intense movements caused Ye Chen's innards to churn violently. Yet he stubbornly maintained his silence.

Ye Zhu and the others tried their best to keep up.

All the baggage that was on Yue Heng and his companions were already strapped behind Ye Zhu. Right now, all they had to do was 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 zombies that were alerted to their presence.

Ye Zhu who was running beside him shook her head and replied: "Fortunately, this heavy rain should wash away the scent of blood lingering in the air. Otherwise, who knows how many mutant freaks will start popping up."

Yue Heng's heart pounded at the thought of being chased by a group of formidable creatures like mutant rats. Just picturing it was 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 upon a tall building in the distance. With the building in sight, Ye Chen strained his eyes to focus upon the words etched at the top. Upon identifying the words "Biological Inst.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 with renewed vigour. They were just a few hundred meters away from the research facility. Suddenly, a furious roar exploded violently from the streets behind them. Every member of the group sprinting towards the research facility was shocked into turning their heads around after hearing such a savage roar.

One glance was all it took to have their pupils contracting in terror. The creature stood at the height of an elephant.  With vicious looking fangs and a body covered in pitch black fur, the beast glared at the group with ruthless savagery.

"T-this, THIS was the mutant beast you mentioned?!" Bai Long's face instantly paled.

Ye Chen's heart sank, he immediately urged: "Don't stop."

Bai Long instantly mustered all his strength into a full sprint. Although his legs were already sore, he desperately ran with all his power.

Run!

RUN!

Everyone in the group had their minds flooded with the same thought. Each of them channeled their entire being into running faster than they ever had in their entire lives in a last ditch effort to cover the final hundred meters between them and the research facility.

Closer and closer!

Everyone was rejoicing as they sped towards the final ten meters. Yet in that instant, a miserable cry rang out from behind. One of Yue Heng's companions was caught by the pursuing demongale hound and was instantly split in two, causing his body to flop haphazardly into the mud and dyeing the rainwater crimson.

"Save….s-save me!"

The youth raised a hand with his half severed body and clawed desperately towards Ye Chen's group. Yet he only saw them leave him further and further away. Despairing at his helplessness, the youth glared with intense unwillingness and seething hatred as he met his final moments.

"Run!"

Yue Heng heart was beating uncontrollably, what he'd give to be able to sprout an extra pair of legs in this situation.

"AARRgh…."

Another miserable scream. The other youth who was trailing behind also fell under the claw of the demongale hound. It was like a demon straight out of h.e.l.l, harvesting lives as it pleases.

"Almost there." Ye Chen muttered as he stared at the research facility that was just a few feet away.

"Aaaah!" Then came a desolate shriek filled with sorrow. Though they were separated by millions of raindrops, the voice clearly pa.s.sed into Ye Chen's ear and straight into his heart.

Ye Chen's mind instantly went blank; it was as though he could no longer hear anything other than the beating of his heart. The moment he turned his head around, time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Through the harsh rain, he witnessed the form of a charming girl collapsed in a puddle of mud. It was like witnessing a b.u.t.terfly having its wings clipped, beautiful, yet unspeakably tragic. Who else could this girl be other than his little sister Ye Zhu?

In the next moment, Ye Chen felt like his mind exploded. Ceaselessly buzzing, nothing else reached him.