Chapter 9: Not save? Save!

The foul stench of blood and rot intertwined, hanging heavily in the air.

Lin Yue leaned on that steel pipe sticky with brain matter and blood, his chest heaving like a broken bellows, each breath drawing fire‑like pain throughout his body.

He survived.

Only when his gaze fell on the circle of dog corpses and the dark‑red ground beneath his feet did this fact feel real.

"Nice work, big guy."

He bent over, wearily patting the Black Tortoise's stone‑like leg armor.

The Black Tortoise let out a low rumble from its throat, its massive head rubbing affectionately against him, as if seeking praise or offering comfort.

"What a pity."

When the energy on the system panel froze at 【92/100】, Lin Yue felt a bit regretful.

But after consecutive scavenging and intense combat, he was utterly exhausted; going out to find new hunting grounds now would be no different from suicide.

"Hiss... these mutant dogs are truly vicious; if I'd been a bit slower back then, I might have died under their claws! But the urgent priority is to treat the wound—don't let it get infected, or that'll be trouble."

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through his back, making Lin Yue involuntarily suck in a breath of cold air.

He needed to quickly treat the wound from the mutant beast's claw, otherwise once it became infected, that would be real trouble.

After all, in this apocalyptic world, anti‑inflammatory medicine and antibiotics aren't easy to find!

But when he lifted his head to the gray‑hazy sky, his heart inexplicably sank, the sense of oppression heavier than ever.

The sky was unusually dark.

The ashen sky looked as if splashed with ink, great masses of leaden clouds rolling and pressing low toward the ground, as if they might collapse at any moment.

Besides the smell of rust and dust, the air carried a hint of sharp, sour rot.

"Is it going to rain?"

Lin Yue frowned, that unease growing stronger.

He had seen rain before the apocalypse, but in this twisted world, what falls from the sky is certainly not sweet dew.

No sooner had the thought arisen than a bean‑sized drop of liquid fell silently from the air, striking the back of his hand.

"Sizzle—!"

A soft sound, like hot oil splashing into cold water.

Immediately, a piercing, burning pain exploded!

He jerked his hand back and lowered his head, pupils constricting. On the back of his hand, the spot struck by the rain rapidly blackened and rotted, emitting foul green smoke, and in an instant formed a fingernail‑sized horrific wound!

"Damn! It's acid rain!"

Lin Yue's face turned ashen.

He'd heard Zhao Si say that after the "Day of Heavenly Change," Hangcheng had seen a few rains, each a catastrophe.

The rainwater is strongly corrosive, deadly poison to most life!

"Drip… drip…"

Before he could recover, a second and third drop fell in succession.

The sky seemed to burst open with countless holes; gray‑green drops streamed together, turning into a torrential downpour that poured down!

"Black Tortoise, go! Back to that supermarket!"

His only thought was to find a solid shelter.

He flipped onto the Black Tortoise's broad back and, with his will, shouted the most urgent command.

"Roar!"

The Black Tortoise growled low, taking heavy steps toward the nearby "Le Gou Life" supermarket.

"Sizzle—"

The highly corrosive acid rain struck the Black Tortoise's black shell, sending up white smoke and a piercing sound, yet left no trace.

Its innate ability 【Indestructible】 let it completely disregard this level of corrosion!

"Whoa—!!"

"Hiss—!!"

From the shadows of the street‑corner ruins came the shrill howls of various mutant creatures.

Those monsters that couldn't dodge in time were being melted alive before this heavenly disaster.

Lin Yue lay prone on the Black Tortoise's back, listening to the rising and falling wails, his scalp tingling. He dared not lift his head, pressing his body tightly against the cold shell, as if that might keep him a little safer.

"Thud!"

The Black Tortoise's massive body halted at the supermarket entrance, like a moving wall, blocking the shattered doors completely.

Lin Yue exhaled, leapt down from the turtle's back, and darted into the supermarket. He leaned against a shelf, gasping heavily, the cold sweat on his back already soaking his clothes.

Through the broken glass door, all that remained of heaven and earth was a gray‑green curtain of rain, soaking this dead world in despair.

He lowered his head to look at the still‑aching wound on the back of his hand, a wave of lingering fear washing over him.

Had he not reacted quickly, he would likely have ended up like those outside—corpseless monsters.

"Damn… this damned place, danger really is everywhere."

Lin Yue took out a bottle of water from his pack and carefully washed the spots on the back of his hand and neck that had been splashed.

Under the rinse of clean water, the burning pain eased just a little.

After an unknown amount of time, the outside wails gradually faded, and Lin Yue's tense nerves relaxed a bit.

He leaned against the Black Tortoise's thick leg, took out the bottle of mineral water he'd just scavenged, unscrewed it, and sipped a small mouthful while checking the situation outside.

It's a person!

Lin Yue's heart jumped, and he instinctively gripped his baton tighter.

Lin Yue narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at that figure.

That person moved extremely slowly, each step as if bearing immense pain.

Lin Yue noticed that, clutched tightly in that person's arms was something—a rectangular toolbox flashing with metallic luster.

He shielded the box with his whole body, preferring his back to be corroded by acid rain rather than let a single drop of rain fall on it.

What was inside?

Lin Yue wondered desperately, what thing could make a person risk their life to protect it?

Finally, that person exhausted his strength, lunged forward violently, and fell heavily into the muddy water. His collapsing point was only a dozen meters from the Black Tortoise at the supermarket entrance.

That person struggled to get up, but only twitched uselessly twice before lying still, leaving the lethal acid rain to pour over his back.

Only the hand holding the toolbox did not loosen.

Dead?

Or just unconscious?

Lin Yue hid in the supermarket's shadow, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

Save?

Or not save?

Two thoughts tore at each other wildly in his mind.

Reason screamed: Don't meddle!

He was just an ordinary person struggling to survive in the apocalypse, not a saint.

"What the hell does it have to do with me......"

Lin Yue squeezed out a few words with a dry, hoarse throat, trying to convince himself.

He turned his back, leaned against the shelf, and refused to look at that person.

The strong prey on the weak—that is the law of the apocalypse.

But……

Zhao Si's face appeared—the young man whose leg had been crushed, yet who had pushed a map and half a pack of cigarettes to him; and the mother in the convenience store who, until death, had shielded her child with her skeleton, all uncontrolled, surfacing before his eyes.

If I just watch this person melt in acid rain before my eyes today, what difference would there be between me and those monsters?

If the 'home' he wants to build lacks even a trace of humanity, how is it any different from a cold grave?

His fist clenched tight, joints cracking.

He was surviving, not turning into a utter beast!

"Damn it!"

He muttered a curse, as if scolding his own useless self.

He turned sharply, once again gazing at the prone figure in the rain curtain; in the apocalypse, he could be cruel to enemies, but could not turn a blind eye to the remaining humanity!

He took this risk!

"Black Tortoise!"

"Get that person and save him for me!"