Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

The CRACKLE of electricity grew noticeably denser and more intense. The sparks gave the Mutated Bird a hell of a shock.

Other than squawking wildly, it couldn’t manage to utter another word for quite some time.

”Chen, are we going to electrocute it to death?” a member of Superpower Team One muttered cautiously. ”The lab would probably want blood from this kind of super Mutated Bird.”

Gu Chen quietly drew his hand back and glanced at Xie Ning. ”Girlfriend, what’s it saying?”

Xie Ning fought back a smile and explained with a perfectly straight face, ”It hasn’t said anything since it started. Just squawking.”

Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.

All they could hear on the scene was the strange bird’s continuous, grating squawk.

’His girlfriend could hear the Mutated Bird curse her for being a ”single dog,” but she could also hear its squawks. It was clear their communication wasn’t happening in the real world, but in the spirit world.’

Xie Ning slightly loosened the metal cocoon enveloping the Mutated Bird.

The crowd saw a tuft of yellow and green feathers flutter out from a gap.

One of the teammates looked bewildered. ”Does that... look like a parrot to you?”

Gu Chen: ...

’He had a feeling his teammate was right.’

A few of them peered through the cracks in the metal cocoon and saw the bird pecking around and flapping about foolishly inside.

As it flapped up and down, a tuft of yellow and green feathers on its head, resembling a cockscomb, wobbled back and forth.

Xie Ning cleared her throat. ”Everyone, take a few steps back.”

’No wonder it’s so noisy. It’s just a loud-mouthed, damned parrot.’

The crowd took a few steps back. With a flick of her fingers, Xie Ning sent strands of Metal Wire spinning and shifting, transforming the tightly sealed cocoon into a woven metal basket.

’Have to admit, his girlfriend’s Gold Element craft was truly eye-catching. You could say her skill was consummate.’

As the cocoon slowly reshaped into a basket, everyone finally got a clear look at the yellow-and-green-feathered parrot.

The parrot was tiny, its size almost negligible compared to the other Mutated Birds nearby.

And yet, this tiny, simple-looking parrot was a High-level Spiritual Mutation Bird, capable of summoning an army of thousands upon thousands of Mutated Birds in one go to command the flock’s assault on Jingji Base.

”SQUAWK,” the parrot howled in Xie Ning’s spirit world, flapping its wings as it tried to scramble out of the basket.

It didn’t make it out. The parrot then realized that even though the cocoon was now a basket, its two little claws were bound by several strands of Metal Wire, preventing it from flapping its way out.

”Insolence! How dare you!”

”Insolence! How dare you!”

The parrot squawked wildly, its voice sharp and shrill, giving Xie Ning a headache. She smacked it in annoyance. ”Shut up.”

The parrot stopped shrieking out loud, instead cursing at Xie Ning through their spiritual connection. ’Single dog, single dog! What are you doing? Let me go, you hear me! Let this young master go!’

The taunt made Xie Ning laugh in anger.

’Now even a damned parrot can mock the ”single dog” community?’

’Pah! I’m not a single dog anymore! I have a boyfriend! The nerve of this thing!’

”Let me ask you, was gathering this massive flock of birds to attack the base all your idea?”

”Of course!”

Through their mental link, Xie Ning could hear the smug pride in the parrot’s tone.

”Why?”

”What do you mean, ’why’?” The parrot puffed out its chest and hopped twice in the metal basket. ”It’s all windy and sandy out there, and the place is a total wreck. Is that any place for a person to live?”

”Are you a person?”

”I...” For once, the parrot paused. ”I’m not. Are you?”

Xie Ning: ...

’I have the sudden urge to beat the ever-loving crap out of this parrot!’

”I’m telling you, it’s so windy and sandy out there, you can’t stay for long.”

”So you weren’t coordinating with the zombie horde below to attack us.”

”Who’s coordinating with who?!” the parrot squawked in her spirit world. ”You think I’d work with that bunch of brainless morons? They’re just mindless freaks! How can a gifted individual such as myself be compared to a bunch of useless trash?”

”You’re not a person,” Xie Ning retorted with a cold laugh, a merciless blow.

”Even if I’m not a person, I’m still the smartest bird in the world!” the parrot shrieked, seemingly exasperated.

”Make the flock above disperse.”

”I won’t!”

Xie Ning suddenly lunged forward, grabbed the little parrot by its head, and rained down a flurry of punches.

Everyone: ...

Gu Chen’s lips twitched.

’His girlfriend goes silent for three minutes, then suddenly snaps and starts beating up a bird. That must mean the negotiations in the spirit world fell through.’

Xie Ning was furious.

She never thought she’d be driven into a blind rage by a damned parrot.

Right now, she was so angry she wanted to steam, boil, stir-fry, and deep-fry it!

’Deep-fried parrot, stir-fried parrot, slow-stewed parrot skull...’ A whole menu ran through her mind as she pummeled it haphazardly, holding nothing back.

”Stop hitting me! Stop it! Stop!” the parrot squawked, its voice a high-pitched shriek.

”Stop hitting! Calm down! A little calmer! Calm down!”

If the situation weren’t so serious, the onlookers would have burst out laughing.

A Power-type Superpower User looked on, speechless. ”I’ll be damned. This parrot is telling *her* to calm down.”

”Calm down!” the parrot shrieked, flapping its wings frantically as if its feathers were standing on end.

Xie Ning didn’t waste any more words on it, simply continuing to thrash it about the head.

Finally, after a thorough beating, the parrot just hopped in place, unable to scurry away. It could only squawk for mercy. ”Alright, alright! Okay, okay, okay! You women are just... too impulsive. I give up, okay? I give up!”

Several Superpower Users couldn’t help but laugh. ”My god, this parrot can actually talk so much.”

Even as it squawked about giving up, its beady little eyes were still glaring defiantly.

Xie Ning gave it a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and nodded, pointing to the sky. ”Make them retreat first. Then we’ll talk.”

”You calm down, calm down!” the parrot kept repeating, flapping its wings as it hopped in place.

”Is that a Spiritual System mutated parrot?” someone asked, looking over with curiosity.

”Is it?”

”Did this one Spiritual System parrot summon all these Mutated Birds?”

”Wow, that’s incredible.”

”Even we might not be able to do something like that.”

”Yeah... if we could capture a parrot like that...” a Superpower User started to say, then immediately fell silent.

Who would even have the power to capture such a High-level Spirit System mutated parrot?

Besides the top few superpower experts at the base, you’d need to be at least Fourth Rank, right?

Anyone else could forget about it.

Lin Yiyi stood at the front, a flicker in her eyes.

She had been standing here for ten minutes, her attention fixed on the Mutated Bird the entire time.

Now, seeing the little parrot’s true form, her heart stirred.

’A mutated Spiritual System parrot like this... isn’t it the exact battle pet I’ve always dreamed of?’

’Compared to this High-level Spiritual Mutation Bird, the few mutated pets she had acquired before were far too basic.’