Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!-Chapter 272: Escaping the Tide

Zhao Lin looked at the fire burning in the distance and thought of Wu Hao. That guy was still inside the base. She hoped nothing would happen to him.

The person Zhao Lin was thinking about was currently dragging Cho Jin toward a car, trying to force him to leave.

"Cho Jin, are you insane? Look at that fire—and those mosquitoes! If you go there, it’ll be a suicide mission! For that woman, it’s not worth it!" Wu Hao shouted in anger, but his words failed to penetrate Cho Jin’s love-filled brain.

If it were Zhao Lin, Wu Hao wouldn’t have complained. But since it was Helen, he had no motivation at all. He only tolerated that woman because she was someone Cho Jin cared about—and because Cho Jin was his friend. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Sorry, Brother Wu," Cho Jin said firmly. "But I need to find Helen."

With that, Cho Jin ran toward Lu Chenyu’s residence.

Wu Hao was speechless. Seeing the swarm of mosquitoes drawing closer, he jumped into the car and drove off. He had already done everything he could. If Cho Jin still insisted, then there was nothing more he could do.

Despite the bloody wounds Cho Jin suffered from the mosquitoes’ onslaught, he persisted through sheer willpower. He shielded himself with a burning piece of tarpaulin while waving a flaming wooden plank in his other hand.

Heaven must have been on his side, because he actually managed to find the dungeon entrance.

"Helen!" Cho Jin shouted.

His heart ached when he saw Helen lying there, weak and pale.

Helen Wu slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Cho Jin, she murmured weakly, "Brother Cho Jin..."

"Don’t move. I’ll get you out of here."

Cho Jin picked up a rock and smashed the lock again and again until it finally broke. He quickly helped Helen out and brought her up to the surface.

"Brother Cho Jin, thank you so much!" Helen said.

She squinted, trying to adjust to the firelight. Once she could clearly see her surroundings, her expression changed—she hadn’t expected so many mosquitoes to be swarming around.

Although Cho Jin had just treated and bandaged her wounds, the mosquitoes could still sense the blood. They immediately attacked both of them.

"Ah!" Helen screamed, raising her only uninjured hand.

"Stay close to me, Helen!" Cho Jin shouted.

The fire on the wooden plank he was holding was about to go out from all the running. He was just about to look for another safe spot when—unexpectedly—Helen suddenly snatched the tarpaulin from his hands and shoved him toward the swarm.

Cho Jin froze, staring blankly at her retreating figure.

She didn’t even look back.

To think he had risked his life to save her.

He should have listened to Wu Hao.

Because of her weakened and starving state, Helen didn’t make it far.

"Ah—!"

The mosquitoes descended on her in a frenzy, feasting until she was reduced to a bloodless corpse.

The fire on Cho Jin’s wooden plank shrank even further. No longer afraid, the mosquitoes turned on him as well.

Regret filled his heart as death closed in.

Suddenly, the screech of brakes rang out.

A powerful gust of wind scattered the mosquitoes.

Cho Jin saw Wu Hao step out of the car. Without a word, Wu Hao grabbed him and roughly threw him into the back seat.

After slamming the driver’s door shut, Wu Hao sped away.

"Brother Wu... hu hu hu..." Cho Jin cried weakly, covered in blood.

Wu Hao gritted his teeth. "Shut up! I saved you to repay our years of friendship. After tonight, we go our separate ways!"

Blood was a powerful stimulant for the mosquitoes. Even though Brother Ou and his two lackeys were underground—and the blood spilled earlier had already dried—the mosquitoes could still sense them.

The three, who had previously been unconscious, slowly woke up.

The sharp buzzing echoed through the tunnels.

"What... what was that?" one of them asked.

Before they could react, the sound grew louder.

"Bzzzzzz!"

Hundreds of palm-sized mosquitoes flooded in.

The faces of the three men drained of all color. They struggled desperately, but their bodies were bound with ropes—how could they escape?

"Ah! Don’t come near me!"

"No! Go away! Go away!"

Their screams were drowned out by the buzzing as they were drained dry, their bodies reduced to mummified corpses.

Even in death, not a shred of remorse lingered in their minds—only hatred and resentment.

As the massive fire raged on, survivors could be seen fleeing in all directions—on foot and by car. With the base in chaos and everyone focused on escaping, no one had the time or energy to care about bounty missions anymore.

Suddenly, a car stopped in front of the building where the Iron Gale Squad and Zhao Lin’s group were hiding.

Zhao Lin immediately lowered her head and rushed forward. Her brother followed behind her. "Hey, slow down!"

Zhao Lin waved frantically at the door. "Brother Wu! Brother Wu!"

Zhao Mo narrowed his eyes and pulled his sister back protectively.

Wu Hao had no choice but to stop—the car was out of fuel. He didn’t expect to run into Zhao Lin here. Knowing about the bounty rewards, he immediately opened the back seat and carried the severely injured Cho Jin into the building.

After the Zhao siblings went down, the others followed except for Liu Ming.

Everyone was shocked when they saw Cho Jin’s condition.

"What happened to Brother Cho Jin?" Zhao Lin asked anxiously.

Because of the urgency, Wu Hao didn’t question the unfamiliar Zhao Mo beside her. Instead, he quickly explained what had happened in the base:

"A fire broke out during a robbery. It started in Merchant Row. After that, a swarm of mutant mosquitoes appeared. Cho Jin tried to save Helen—but she betrayed him. That’s why he ended up like this."

Thanks to the fire, most survivors evacuated early, so casualties were relatively low but still horrifying to him. Most of the deaths were people who returned, trying to take advantage of the chaos to steal.

Mutant mosquitoes?

The Iron Gale Squad exchanged looks. They recognized Wu Hao—he was serious and taciturn, someone without a hint of humor. There was no way he’d joke about something like this.

Cho Jin groaned in his sleep.

Wu Hao frowned deeply.

"He’s burning up. Zhao Lin, do you have any medicine?"

Zhao Lin shook her head. At the same time, she felt a trace of sympathy for Cho Jin. Being betrayed after risking one’s life—she knew that pain all too well.

"Let me take a look. I’m a doctor," Elder Meng said as he stepped forward.

"Thank you, sir," Wu Hao replied gratefully. He laid Cho Jin on the table, allowing the old man to examine him.

While Elder Meng treated Cho Jin, the others gathered to discuss their next move.

"If we stay here, we’ll be in danger too," Wang Bo said. "We should pack up and find a car and fuel."

Everyone agreed—until they realized it was already too late.

Liu Ming came down from the rooftop, his face pale.

"We can’t go anywhere," he said gravely. "Alien beasts are gathering from all directions."

Everyone’s hearts sank.

At the same time, survivors who had fled the base could be seen turning back—retreating after witnessing the incoming tide.