Chapter 13、The Sole Way Out! On the Precarious Brink of Life and Death!

If these thugs could really get their hands on suitable equipment... No, they almost certainly could! These thugs go out every day to scavenge for supplies and kill people in their neighbors' houses to seize their stuff. Their reserves must be quite abundant! As long as they're willing to pay a high price, they'll definitely be able to buy what they want.

"If they get their hands on such deadly weapons, I'm afraid... I won't even survive tonight." Yi Bai's expression was grim, and his eyes were filled with deep helplessness. He hadn't offended anyone. All he did was stay at home every day, planning how to survive the apocalypse, but he still ended up in this mess.

"Chief, you..." Lin Yue noticed the change in Yi Bai's expression and asked softly, "Is the situation really bad?"

"Yes." Yi Bai nodded and told Lin Yue and Li Ya about his concerns and findings.

"Do you have any solutions?"

"Just hold out until noon tomorrow. If we can make it till then, it'll be okay!" Yi Bai asked sincerely, hoping these two capable individuals could give him some good advice. As long as he could hold out until noon the next day, Yi Bai would receive a new talent reward. According to the talent information, the reward would be something he desperately needed at the moment. Surely, he'd get something to turn the situation around!

Lin Yue hung her head in silence, while Li Ya glanced at Yi Bai and then at Lin Yue, hesitating to speak.

"Boss, I've got an idea, but... it's a bit dangerous."

"Quick, tell me! Let's hear it!" Yi Bai's eyes lit up, and he asked anxiously. Right now, having a way to break the deadlock was the best thing that could happen. If those thugs really got their equipment and blocked the door again, it would all be over. The current shelter was just an ordinary living room and couldn't possibly withstand deadly weapons like flamethrowers and grenades.

"It might require Lin Yue to take a risk." Li Ya looked at Lin Yue and said softly, "Among the three of us, Lin Yue is the strongest fighter. And now it's night, which is perfect for defense and solo covert operations. If we cover her and let her go outside, she'll definitely be able to draw the attention of these thugs."

"If the thugs dare to block the door again, Lin Yue can take the opportunity to attack from the outside, coordinating with us from both inside and outside. There's a good chance we can fend off their attack again."

"But there are many difficulties: 1. The thugs outside might set up guns to guard key points. Once we open the door, we might not be able to get Lin Yue out and instead ruin our own protective barrier. 2. Lin Yue can use the darkness to ensure her safety, but if day breaks and it's morning... if she fires her gun rashly, she might expose herself. In such a small building, it'll be extremely difficult for her to escape the enemy's search. If Lin Yue dies outside, the two of us won't last long in the room either."

Li Ya's analysis was comprehensive. Yi Bai opened his mouth but finally let out a sigh. Was he really going to let a woman go to her death alone? She was his comrade in the shelter. Li Ya's plan was the most organized way to break the deadlock, and Yi Bai couldn't think of a better one. After all, the gap in numbers between them and the thugs was too large, and there were hardly any workable strategies they could use.

"Let's do it!" Lin Yue suddenly spoke up and agreed to Li Ya's plan. "Chief, Li Ya is right. If I go out, I can take more initiative and hold off those bandits for as long as possible."

"You'll die." Yi Bai looked at Lin Yue with a complex expression. "There's a high probability you'll die out there."

"I'm not afraid to die. As long as I can keep the chief alive!" Lin Yue replied without hesitation, her eyes bright and her expression firm. "The chief is the most important. I'll do my best to hold off the enemy until noon!"

Yi Bai fell silent. His human conscience told him it was wrong to send a woman to her death. But his will to survive told Yi Bai this was the only way! Even if Lin Yue's risky move was likely to be in vain, it was still better than the three of them being trapped in this room.

"Then there's another question. How are we going to get out?" Li Ya looked at Lin Yue, and Lin Yue's gaze shifted to the window, her eyebrows raised. "Through the window!"

"Can you manage it?"

"Yes. It's a basic training item for soldiers." Lin Yue was confident and even playfully winked at Li Ya. "For Chinese soldiers, climbing walls and walking on rooftops is a basic skill."

"Lin Yue, this isn't a training session now. You don't have a safety rope, and under the current conditions, I can't make you any climbing tools either." Li Ya's expression was serious. "You have to climb the wall barehanded. I don't want you to fall and die meaninglessly. It would be better to stay with the boss."

"Don't worry. You protect the chief!" Lin Yue didn't hesitate any longer. She bent down, walked quickly to the window, slightly pulled open the curtain, quickly removed the covering on the window frame, and opened the window. A wave of heat immediately rushed into the room from outside. Lin Yue hung a bottle of ice water on her waist and then nimbly leaped out of the window, disappearing into the night.

"Lin Yue!" Yi Bai rushed to the window and craned his neck to look. Under the moonlight, he saw a vigorous figure stepping on the air-conditioning unit and moving along the outer edge of the wall with the help of the scalding hot water pipes. Everywhere she reached was boiling hot. The scene was extremely perilous. If she missed a step, she'd fall and be smashed to pieces. Waves of heat kept sweeping around, enveloping her whole body and constantly sapping her strength and moisture.

"Boss, come back!" Li Ya pulled Yi Bai back from behind. "Watch out for the door. If the enemy fires, you'll get shot in this position!"

"Trust Lin Yue. This is our only way to survive." Li Ya pulled Yi Bai back to the corner, her expression serious. "Boss, you can't be too soft-hearted. In extraordinary times, we have to take extraordinary measures!"

"Is it because I'm soft-hearted..." Yi Bai hung his head, a bitter smile on his lips. If he were really soft-hearted, he wouldn't have remained silent and let the two of them decide, allowing Lin Yue to take this suicidal risk. Yi Bai knew this was the right thing to do, but... people have a conscience. Yi Bai also understood that he should be more cold-hearted in the apocalypse and learn to suppress his conscience. But he wasn't a reincarnated protagonist in a novel and couldn't be born cold and ruthless. Yet, to survive, he had to do this.

"Yes, I've already done it." Yi Bai hung his head, murmuring to himself, his expression complex. "If Lin Yue dies, I probably won't make it until noon tomorrow either."

Yi Bai's feelings were conflicted. He could only keep comforting himself: "Lin Yue might not even be human. She could be game data created by that mysterious being, or maybe just a replica of a human soldier....." But was she really not human? Yi Bai didn't know. The more he comforted himself like this, the more he thought of the sense of security Lin Yue had brought him over the past few days. Whether this woman was human or not, at least Yi Bai knew he truly owed Lin Yue something.

"Boss, it's the apocalypse now. You have to learn to be a bit colder." Li Ya pressed close to Yi Bai, keeping a wary eye on the door while speaking in a low voice. "If you don't do this, you're not a qualified leader."

"I'm already learning..." Yi Bai muttered, covering his forehead and sighing deeply. "Li Ya, I'm already being cold-hearted."

"I just... might need a bit more time to get used to it..."

No matter how guilty he felt, he'd still let Lin Yue take the risk. He was already trying to be cold-hearted; it was just that his conscience was bothering him. The atmosphere in the room became a bit silent for a while. Yi Bai's expression gradually relaxed as he adjusted his state.

"Anyway... at least it's proven that the recruited people are highly loyal to me." Yi Bai took a deep breath and thought to himself, "I hope we can hold out until noon tomorrow." In the high-pressure environment of the apocalypse, having the time to lament over one's conscience was a luxury.

After some time passed, there was still no sound outside the door. It seemed that those thugs hadn't managed to buy equipment powerful enough to break down the door. There were only some curses and the screams of the wounded coming from upstairs. Lin Yue was nowhere to be seen. There was no sign of her falling to her death downstairs. Yi Bai had no idea where she was hiding.

Time ticked by slowly, and soon, day broke. Yi Bai forced himself to stay awake despite his drowsy mind. When he noticed the sky outside turning a crimson red, suddenly—

"Rat-a-tat-tat!" A burst of rapid gunfire came from upstairs.