Era of Disaster Chapter 58: Hope Within Despair

Chapter 58: Hope Within Despair

“How did you block it?” The elephant-like Maurice asked. Only he knew how much power was contained in that steel rod of his. With Hong Qi Hua’s small body, it shouldn’t have been possible for her to stop it.

“If once is not enough, then I just have to do it multiple times and disperse it.” Hong Qi Hua held her two short knives and replied seriously.

“Disperse?”

What she was dispersing was of course the impact!

For example, that huge steel rod. In theory, it’d be impossible to try and use a small knife to block it. The knife would either be knocked away or broken. However, even if it were a toy knife, it would still be able to cause some resistance to the steel rod when being knocked away. What Hong Qi Hua did was to automatically separate their weapons when she felt that the force her knife could bear had reached its limit. She then rapidly repeated the same movements multiple times in a short period, causing resistance every time and dispersing the force of the steel rod.

If it were before, then it was impossible for her to do this, but now it was possible!

This was of course one of the blade force techniques that Bai Yi talked about that was very hard for humans to do before!

Hong Qi Hua apparently did not have the habit of clearing doubts for her opponent, so after that sentence she gripped her knives in both hands and burst forward. Maurice was shocked, he instantly raised his steel rod and smashed it down. At this time, Hong Qi Hua was actually waiting for his attack. Her body was as agile as a cat. When the steel rod smashed down, she instantly jumped on top of it and flew up.

From the left and right, the two short knives crossed and went through his neck.

After landing, Hong Qi Hua stared at the dark sky, her eyes containing great sorrow.

To be truthful, Hong Qi Hua did not have the mental preparation to fight with her fellow humans as well. However, this group of people had already started eating other humans, and their intentions were clearly bad as well. She wouldn’t be that stupid to let those people live after that. It wasn’t that she couldn’t be kind, but many times unnecessary kindness would just harm yourself.

“So… fast!” Lifeforms infected with activated cells really had scarily powerful life forces.

“A real battle aims for fatality!” Hong Qi Hua turned around. Since she had the strength to kill her opponent in one strike, there was no need to dilly dally. That wouldn’t be a real battle. After purposely fusing with some animal genes, Hong Qi Hua and the others were already ahead of the majority of people.

The elephant-like Maurice cracked open a smile and his head rolled onto the floor.

No matter how powerful the activated cells were, apparently even they couldn’t save someone from decapacitation.

“Do it, I have already lost hope in this world. In truth, the rest of them are probably in despair as well. Maybe death to them is a form of mercy. You are very strong, if possible, I hope that you can bring them and… live on.” After shouting and venting, Jodi seemed to become calmer.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have that power!” Bai Yi rejected him even before he finished his last few words.

“But, I will give them hope, hope within that despair.” Bai Yi said, as he swung his broadsword in the middle of Jodi’s puzzlement, providing liberation.

Very quickly, everyone gathered back at the supermarket. The battle ended abnormally quickly. Just as Bai Yi said at the start, life was actually very fragile. When you had the advantage, it only took an instant to kill the opponent. All the guns were confiscated and thrown into the center, and those who originally belonged to Jodi’s group were either dead or kneeling along the wall.

“You, tell me what happened exactly!” Bai Yi pointed to the woman who tried to warn him at the start.

The woman that Bai Yi pointed at raised her head and looked at Bai Yi seriously. Her eyes were full of disbelief, and at the end a hint of sorrow appeared in them. She only wanted Bai Yi and his team to leave this place, she never thought…

“Actually, Jodi did not actively kill people for food. We weren’t originally in one group, but gradually we started to gather together. A few days ago, there was a conflict due to starvation and a few people died. Jodi and the rest were too hungry and so… The rest of them couldn’t bear with their hunger either, and followed Jodi to start consuming human flesh. The others, which are the few of us remaining, still refused to eat human flesh, and we became so thin in just a few days.” Doris explained.

“And then?”

“Jodi saw that you guys had a lot of food, so he wanted to steal it.” Doris said in a low voice.

“It’s like that… How much food do you guys have left?” Bai Yi suddenly asked.

“There’s none left.” Everyone who were originally here shook their heads.

“Bai Yi!” Sara saw Bai Yi’s expression and wanted to say something, but Mavis stopped her.

“Bring all the corpses over here.” Bai Yi suddenly said after standing at the same spot for a long while and giving a deep sigh.

Most of the people in the supermarket had not guessed Bai Yi’s intentions yet, but Hong Qi Hua suddenly opened her eyes wide. Bai Yi’s actions, is it for real? I really hope that I guessed wrongly. However, very quickly Hong Qi Hua knew that her guess was right. Bai Yi really intended to do that.

In one battle, nine people died. All the bodies were gathered at the center, and the stench of blood coming from the bodies a.s.saulted their noses.

“What if I, too, tell you guys to eat human flesh!”

His tone wasn’t too heavy, and was even quite light. However, everyone was absolutely shocked to the core and couldn’t believe their ears. Even Woolf, who had the most trust in Bai Yi, opened his eyes wide. Sara and Martin immediately couldn’t hold it in and wanted to say something but were suppressed by Hong Qi Hua and Mavis.

“The situation now is that, if you don’t eat their corpses then you will die of starvation! Even if we showed some kindness and leave some food, it’s definitely not enough for all of you to eat.”

“Actually, human beings and other animals aren’t too different. We are similarly made out of muscles, fats, proteins and other compounds. It’s just that the subjective notions of humanity… morals, religion and law, give a different meaning to these corpses. However, now that even the human organization called ‘society’ is non-existent in New Zealand, these subjective notions of course have no basis to exist on anymore. What I feel is that, rather than letting these corpses rot away underground, why not let you guys survive and live on.” Bai Yi slowly said.

None of them could express how they felt inside their hearts. What were these words that sounded like the Devil’s voice, freezing their souls and tempting them into the abyss?

“If you have really starved to the limit and want to eat them, I will not object to it.”

“But!”

“I hope you remember how you feel while eating them, but I’m definitely not telling you to prey on other humans. I’m letting you guys remember, this resolution you have to survive even if it meant eating your fellow human beings! When you eat them, your life will carry another set of heaviness and hope. You must not only just continue living, but see for yourself, why did this world become so cruel!” Bai Yi said in an abnormally heavy and ruthless voice.

After speaking, Bai Yi drew his broadsword and picked up Jodi’s corpse. He then cut off Jodi’s left arm that resembled nothing like a human’s.

Bai Yi picked up the left arm, and under the gaze of everybody here…

Bite!

Everyone could see, Bai Yi really bit off a piece of the flesh from the arm and swallowed it just like that. After eating a mouthful of flesh, Bai Yi pa.s.sed the arm to Hong Qi Hua beside him.

Hong Qi Hua looked at the arm and stood silently on the spot, while everyone else looked at her.

If there was one person who could still understand Bai Yi’s actions, then that could only be Hong Qi Hua. Even if it meant carrying the lives of others, we have to continue living? Uncle Bai, has New Zealand already become so cruel in your eyes? Hong Qi Hua looked at Bai Yi, and slowly received the arm. She then…bit on it.

Everyone understood Bai Yi’s words, but understanding was one thing and accepting was another. n.o.body thought that they really had to eat their own kind.

Carrying another set of heaviness and hope, to see with your own eyes why this world became so cruel!

With Bai Yi and Hong Qi Hua taking the lead, everyone else gathered their resolution and they all took a bite from the arm, just like taking an oath. Even Little Warner and the four-year-old Momo didn’t fall behind. They bore with the stench of blood and bit a piece of human flesh.

Eating human flesh, this violation of morality that countless people couldn’t accept it the world, actually evoked a sense of hope in their despair.

Even those who refused to consume human flesh initially did not reject it now. One notion arose in everyone’s hearts: Even if it meant eating the corpses of my kind, I will live on for you to see! This world that became cruel, why exactly did it become like this!

Everyone’s mindsets started to change!

Before leaving, Bai Yi’s group left behind half of their food. Doris, who became the temporary leader, did not reject as well and accepted it graciously.

“What are you guys planning to do?” Hong Qi Hua asked.

“Bury the corpses of Jodi and others.” Doris gave an answer that was different from her question.

“Oh? So confident?”

“En, just like Uncle Bai said, we will carry on the burden and hope from the others. We will continue to live on courageously in this world, and see for ourselves why it became so cruel.” Doris said seriously. The other people beside Doris nodded their head solemnly as well. The air around them and their expressions were already worlds apart from their previous despair and lack of will to live.

“I wish you guys good luck.” Hong Qi Hua smiled, waved her hand and left.

“Help me to thank Uncle Bai!” Doris shouted. Actually, many people here were older than Bai Yi, but at this time everyone addressed him as Uncle Bai from the bottom of their hearts.

“He will say that you guys are making him seem older than he is!” Hong Qi Hua walked towards the vehicle convoy, leaving behind the view of her back.

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TN: I really liked this chapter, the human aspect of this story is so intriguing. Normally people like Jodi would just be pa.s.sed off as ‘evil’ and ‘sc.u.m’ in other stories, but is evil so easily defined? Many times, we are simply forced by circ.u.mstances, what would you do if you were in that ‘evil’ person’s shoes? And you have to admit Bai Yi’s character seems cold and dull at the start, but it’s actually very interesting.