Apocalypse Chapter 36: New Members

Chapter 36: New Members

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Chu Qiang quickly locked Pan Xiaoquan in an empty room in the activity center, afraid that he would disturb Jiang Rong’s work. He even bound him tightly and gagged him with a cloth strip. After coming out of the empty room, he checked the time.

It was now ten minutes to five in the afternoon, forty minutes away from the market time he had told everyone. During this time, the daytime was too hot, so many people chose to travel in the early morning or evening. According to his observation, the peak activity period for nearby villagers was from half-past five in the evening to nine o’clock at night, and from half-past four in the morning to half-past seven in the morning.

He didn’t know how many people would come to their market to exchange wolf meat today, but Xiao Jiang said that as long as the market opened, it would continue in the future. People from all directions would know about their Fishing Village Three, and their names would spread among the crowd.

Thinking that his name would be frequently mentioned by the villagers, Chu Qiang grinned silently. But before he could relax too much, he heard Jiang Rong’s voice, “Qiang, please help move the things.”

Chu Qiang responded and strode forward. “I’m coming!”

Jiang Rong was earnestly registering information. After typing the data into the computer, he looked up at the man in front of him. The man’s name was Zhang Zhou, of medium height with a sturdy build. He was a villager from Fishing Village Two and had been selling meat in the southern market of City D before the Great Crisis.

After some consideration, Jiang Rong asked, “Boss Zhang, would you be willing to help us cut the wolf meat? Of course, we won’t let you work for nothing. For every wolf you cut, we’ll give you half a catty of meat as compensation.”

Zhang Zhou was stunned for a moment, overwhelmed with great surprise. Getting half a catty of meat for cutting one wolf? There were at least a dozen wolves here, wouldn’t that be seven or eight catties of meat for free? After a brief hesitation, he nodded repeatedly. “Sure, sure! But can I bring another person to help?”

Jiang Rong calmly said, “Yes, but let me make it clear first. No matter how many people you bring, for each wolf you cut, you can only get half a catty of meat. Can you accept this?”

If Zhang Zhou brought seventeen or eighteen people to help, each person would get half a catty of meat, wouldn’t he suffer a big loss?

Zhang Zhou hadn’t thought about this at all. After coming to his senses, he quickly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll only bring one person. Just wait a moment, I’ll go home to get my tools and call someone, and I’ll be back soon.”

Jiang Rong nodded slightly. “Okay, go ahead.”

Guan Shao, who had been paying attention to Jiang Rong’s movements, turned slightly. Jiang Rong smiled and explained, “You’re too tired after doing it alone.”

Ice-chilled wolves were different from fresh ones, and the stiff wolf bodies made skinning them more difficult. Guan Shao had been working for almost half an hour, and the skin of the first wolf hadn’t been completely peeled off yet.

Understanding Jiang Rong’s meaning, Guan Shao nodded slightly. “Indeed, doing it alone is too slow.” As he spoke, he glanced at the crowd and focused on a tall man. “Can you skin a wolf?”

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Me? Are you talking to me?”

Guan Shao nodded. “Yes, can you skin a wolf? If you can, you’ll get half a catty of meat as compensation for each wolf you skin.”

The man hesitated for a moment before standing up. “I haven’t skinned a wolf before, but I’ve skinned a lot of sheep. I’d like to give it a try, is that okay?”

Jiang Rong beckoned to the man. “Come and register first.”

The man’s name was Hu Hechu. Although he was tall, he had just graduated from college. His hometown was in the northwest province of X, and he had never even seen a live wolf, let alone skinned one. But there were many sheep in his hometown, and over the years, he had indeed skinned many sheep with his family.

At first, Hu Hechu was a bit restrained. After receiving the dagger from Guan Shao, he threw himself into the work. This kid had a good foundation, and he learned quickly after starting. With him around, Guan Shao’s pressure was greatly reduced.

Prompted by Guan Shao’s casual inquiry, Hu Hechu spilled the beans about himself. He had been studying in the neighboring province of Z before the Great Crisis. After losing contact with his family, he saw the huge changes around him and hurried back home.

The distance from Z province to X province was over three thousand kilometers. Normal people would choose to drive. However, this kid didn’t take the ordinary route. He found a bicycle and pedaled from school, but with his poor sense of direction, he got lost after a month of pedaling.

A few days ago, because he wanted to make good time, Hu Hechu suffered from heatstroke. If it weren’t for the people from the Fishing Team who saved him, he would have become a corpse by the roadside.

During the days he stayed in the Fishing Team, he saw the reality clearly. Not to mention whether he could cross over three thousand kilometers back home, whether his parents were alive was still unknown. Instead of insisting on rushing back home and risking his life, it was better to find a place to settle down first and wait for the situation to ease before rushing back home.

Hu Hechu found an empty house in Fishing Team One to stay in. When he heard that he could exchange meat here this morning, he brought a few things he found on the road.

After hearing Hu Hechu’s story, everyone fell into silence, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

After Hu Hechu independently skinned a wolf, Zhang Zhou walked over with a dirty flat bamboo basket through the crowd. “Boss Jiang, we’re here!”

The person Zhang Zhou wanted to bring was his own brother, Zhang Jian. These two brothers had been setting up stalls together since they were adults, and they had a great understanding after so many years. Without Zhang Jian, Zhang Zhou’s efficiency would be greatly reduced.

The two brothers from the Zhang family put the dirty bamboo basket next to the square table, and the knives inside the basket collided, making a clattering sound. Each of them chose a knife, and then one dragged the front leg of the wolf carcass while the other dragged the hind leg. With both of them exerting force, the wolf was chopped into several pieces under the big cleaver.

The people in line in front of the square table looked at the dark red wolf meat, their eyes shining brighter and brighter. “Hurry up! Let’s start distributing the meat!”

Zhang Zhou shouted, “Don’t worry, we’ll be able to distribute the meat soon!” 

Zhang Jian echoed, “Hey, everyone, line up properly, there’s plenty of meat available, fat or lean, there’s something for everyone!”

The rhythmic shouting raised the anticipation of the crowd. In no time, the first person on the list successfully received his share. It was a piece of belly with both fat and lean parts. Zhang Zhou punched a hole in the belly and tied it with straw rope. The first person proudly carried the meat, ignoring the envious eyes of the crowd, and left swaggeringly.

The enthusiasm of the crowd was thoroughly ignited by this piece of wolf meat with alternating fat and lean. Their eyes lingered on the wolf, searching for the most desired parts.

The wolf looked big, but after removing the fur, internal organs, head, and bones, the remaining lean meat was not as much as the same volume of pork.

As the first wolf was almost divided up, everyone’s attention shifted to the second wolf. Seeing Guan Shao swiftly chop off the wolf’s head to remove the internal organs, some people in the crowd hesitated, “Are you not taking the offal and the wolf head?” 

“Yeah, it’s too wasteful.”

The wolf offal looked even more than that of a pig, especially the intestines, which were thick and long. The coiled intestines were mixed with white fat, making the people present extremely envious.

Jiang Rong’s typing speed slowed down. In fact, he had considered the issue of wolf offal before. If the offal was cleaned up, it could also be excellent meat. However, the problem lay in cleaning up; they had limited manpower and couldn’t spend time cleaning the internal organs. Moreover, internal organs were not convenient to exchange. Meat could be cut and sold in pieces, but intestines couldn’t be cut and sold in pieces, could they?

At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted angrily, “How dare you cut in line!” 

“How dare we? Go to the back!”

Jiang Rong followed the voice and saw three men squeezing into the crowd. He even recognized the leader, surnamed Liu, ranking third. He was a well-known rural chef in the second team. The other two were his sons. The three of them used to cater banquets within dozens of miles before the Great Crisis, and their team always managed to serve suitable dishes within the host’s budget, whether for joyous or sorrowful occasions.

Seeing these three men, Jiang Rong already guessed what they wanted to do.

Liu San saw Zhang Zhou’s two brothers obtain wolf meat through their own skills. Seeing the offal and wolf head on the ground, they had some ideas. At this moment, Liu San wore a big smile on his face, “Jiang Rong, do you still want the wolf offal and head?”

Jiang Rong smiled slightly, “Of course.”

Actually, he didn’t want the offal from the two wolves he had just dealt with. First, handling offal was complicated, and if not done properly, it would make the house smelly. Secondly, he wasn’t sure what the mutant wolves had eaten. In case they saw something they shouldn’t have seen, it would leave a shadow on him.

However, seeing Liu San and the others, he thought the offal could be put to use. Proper utilization of the offal from over thirty wolves would be beneficial. With Liu San taking the initiative, it saved him some trouble.

A trace of disappointment appeared in Liu San’s eyes. He scratched his head awkwardly, “Oh…”

Just as he was about to leave, Jiang Rong’s voice came, “However, if you can help clean up the offal and wolf head and make wolf offal soup, I’ll give you six bundles of offal.”

Most of the weight of the mutant wolves was in their internal organs. A bundle of offal including the heart, liver, and intestines weighed at least forty to fifty catties. Although the offal would shrink significantly when cooked, six bundles could provide several good meals for five or six people. Eating sparingly, every meal for a month would have meat.

Liu San burst into laughter, showing his teeth, “Alright!”

Saying that, he called his sons, “Quickly go home and fetch things, let’s get to work!”

Zhang brothers felt annoyed, “Oh, how could such a good job be given to Old Liu? We’ve got the experience in handling offal from slaughtering pigs, who could beat us?”

Jiang Rong turned his head silently to look at the two brothers. Zhang Zhou chuckled, “I was just kidding, just kidding.”

One shouldn’t be too greedy in life, shouldn’t want this and that. What mattered was that the tasks assigned by Jiang Rong were completed beautifully. If the main task wasn’t completed, losing meat was a minor matter, but offending someone with abilities was a big deal.

At this moment, Jiang Rong heard Ruan Hanyu’s voice again, “Um, Mr. Jiang…”

Jiang Rong calmly looked at her, “Just call me Jiang Rong.”

Ruan Hanyu timidly said, “I can type fast, can I help register the data?”

As soon as she spoke, the people around looked at Ruan Hanyu with understanding eyes. Someone even raised their voice, “It seems that no matter what the era, taking shortcuts is the way to go.”

After the Great Crisis, beautiful girls would attach themselves to the strong, using their beauty to exchange for a stable and peaceful life. This situation was not uncommon, and people had already classified Ruan Hanyu as one who wanted to climb high branches.

Seeing Jiang Rong’s complex expression, she blushed and explained, “I don’t want any reward. I… I just feel that cat litter…”

Although she had spent a lot of money on cat litter before, now in this era, cat litter was worthless. She felt that Jiang Rong agreeing to exchange meat for her was definitely a big loss for him. With an uneasy conscience, she wanted to do something to make herself feel better.

Upon hearing Ruan Hanyu’s words, Jiang Rong stood up, “Alright, do you know the rules?”

Ruan Hanyu quickly walked around the table to the back of the computer, after adjusting for a while on the keyboard, she smiled and nodded, “I know.”

Jiang Rong stood behind Ruan Hanyu, confirming that she could indeed complete the task independently, before turning around, “Guan Shao.”

Guan Shao’s movements with the kettle slowed down again, “Hmm?”

Jiang Rong smiled and shook the kettle in his hand, “Let them be busy first. Let’s take a break over there.”

Guan Shao lowered his eyes to conceal the smile in his eyes, “Alright.”

*

At 8 o’clock in the evening, as the temperature gradually dropped, the crowd at the activity center only seemed to increase.

The line in front of the square table twisted all the way to the parking lot, with people excitedly whispering to each other as they held onto their belongings. They occasionally tiptoed forward, hoping there would still be wolf meat when their turn came. But even if there wasn’t any wolf meat left, it didn’t matter; they could always exchange it for some cooked wolf offal soup.

The aroma of the stewed wolf offal soup filled the air, making everyone’s stomachs growl with hunger. Just as Aunt Chu and the children arrived at the activity center, they caught a whiff of the fragrant meat soup. Jiang Xiaoheng took a deep breath and intoxicatedly exclaimed, “Ah~ smells so good~”

Compared to the meat soup, Jiang Xiaoheng was more eager to meet Daddy. Ever since Jiang Rong decided to deal with the wolves, he had sent the children to Uncle Chu’s house. With Uncle and Aunt Chu taking care of them, he could focus on dealing with the aftermath.

Jiang Xiaoheng scanned the crowd on tiptoes and immediately spotted Daddy leaning against the pickup truck with his arms crossed. Holding Jiang Hao’s hand and pulling Lele, he raised his voice and dashed towards Jiang Rong, “Daddy—”

Jiang Rong bent down, catching his running son and Jiang Hao, “Hey~”

Jiang Xiaoheng tightly hugged Daddy’s neck, then planted several kisses on Jiang Rong’s cheek. Lele was even more enthusiastic, licking Jiang Rong’s chin and leaving a shiny drool. Jiang Rong was momentarily flustered, “Lele, stop it.”

Jiang Hao imitated Jiang Xiaoheng, slowly approaching Jiang Rong. He lightly brushed Jiang Rong’s cheek with his lips, considering it a kiss.

Jiang Rong narrowed his eyes, “Good boy~”

Jiang Hao slowly turned his head away, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. Then, he stepped back two steps, broke free from Jiang Rong’s embrace, and stood next to Guan Shao. Guan Shao patted his head, “Very good.”

The pink color on Jiang Hao’s face deepened, and his expressionless face became lively.

After kissing Daddy, Jiang Xiaoheng didn’t intend to leave. He began to chatter and share his longing with Daddy, “Daddy, I missed you so much. Have you finished your work? Can I go home and sleep today?”

Before Jiang Rong could speak, Uncle Chu had an opinion, his eyes glaring, “You heartless little thing, isn’t it good to sleep at my place? Godfather reads you stories every day, isn’t it better than Daddy’s?”

Jiang Xiaoheng thought for a moment, then tilted his head innocently, “Uncle Chu is very good to me, but I also miss Daddy a lot.”

Jiang Rong lifted his son up solemnly, “Alright, when Daddy finishes up, we’ll go home together later.”

Jiang Xiaoheng continued to chatter with Daddy, sharing his little secrets, such as learning a new song today, getting a bottle of Lele’s favorite drink from Lele, and playing games with Big Brother Xiaohao… He clung to Jiang Rong like a sticky bear cub, unwilling to let go.

When Pan Pan arrived at the activity center, this was the scene he saw. The young Daddy was gently holding his baby, a beautiful sight whether before or after the Great Crisis. However, he knew how terrifying the refined and handsome esper in front of him was. Just looking at the wolf pelts piled up in the activity center, he didn’t dare to be careless.

Although he was also an esper, he awakened in earth manipulation. Even if he really joined other esper teams, his ability could only be used as a shield. He would be the first to die. He had no intention of getting involved with other espers, let alone owing them any favors. He just wanted to live a good life with his mother, but even this tiny wish seemed hard to achieve.

If he didn’t come to take Pan Xiaoquan away, he didn’t know how those despicable relatives at home would target his mother.

Feeling the unusual atmosphere, Jiang Rong looked up. Uncle Chu quickly whispered to Jiang Rong, “He’s Pan Pan.”

At the first sight of Pan Pan, Jiang Rong was surprised. In his imagination, Pan Pan should be a sturdy young man. However, he appeared as a refined and fair-skinned young boy, wearing black-framed glasses and a white shirt, tall and slender.

Pan Pan’s left arm was bandaged, and he walked with a slight limp, as if he was still recovering from a serious injury. He slowly walked up to Jiang Rong and nodded, “I’m Pan Pan from Fishery Team Five. I heard that you’ve detained Pan Xiaoquan. Tell me, what price do I need to pay to get him released?”

When he mentioned “Pan Xiaoquan,” Pan Pan’s eyes revealed undisguised disgust.

Jiang Rong put down his son, “Xiaoheng, go find Xiaoge and Lele to play.” After giving Pan Pan a bright smile, Jiang Xiaoheng happily ran towards Wang Chunlan and her daughter.

After Pan Pan finished speaking, he stood stiffly in front of Jiang Rong like a wooden log, avoiding eye contact. However, Jiang Rong didn’t miss the anger hidden in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Rong said the first words after their meeting, “Have you had dinner? If not, let’s have a bowl of soup together. The soup made by the chef tastes really good.”

Pan Pan looked up in surprise. Before he could say anything, his stomach growled loudly. This is… so awkward.

Jiang Rong wasn’t deliberately trying to get close to Pan Pan; he was genuinely hungry. The dishes made by the rural chefs were affordable and abundant. The wolf offal soup stewed by Liu San and the others had a milky-white color with a rich and fragrant broth that wafted for miles. Before the Great Crisis, this was considered a heavy broth in the mouths of health-conscious people. However, everyone present hadn’t seen meat for over a month. At this point, as long as they could have a sip of soup, who cared about purines? After smelling the aroma for several hours, everyone’s stomachs were stuck to their backs. Everyone sat down at the makeshift table and ate soup and meat greedily, their attention focused entirely on the meat soup.

Pan Pan had expected Jiang Rong and the others to take advantage of the situation to make demands of him. However, as the bowl of soup was almost finished, all he heard were a few casual remarks like, “Do you want chili oil?” 

“Do you want cilantro?” 

“Do you want another bowl?”

Only the last sentence was directed at Pan Pan. He initially wanted to refuse, but his body’s reaction was too honest. Before he could even react, his head had already nodded. Another bowl of meat soup, shimmering with golden oil, appeared in front of Pan Pan. This time, he couldn’t hold back any longer. “What do you want me to do? Just say it. As long as I can do it, I will try my best.”

Jiang Rong pointed to the room where Pan Xiaoquan was detained. “Pan Xiaoquan stole things to exchange for wolf meat. I can’t stand people who steal and deceive. I’m just letting you know about this. After you finish your soup, take him with you.”

Before Pan Pan arrived, Jiang Rong had heard some gossip. Pan Pan’s mother remarried a villager from Village Five, and Pan Pan was brought along by his mother. Although many people didn’t have high hopes for this remarried couple, they formed a happy family of three after marriage. Pan Pan’s stepfather treated him like his own, giving them the greatest love and care.

However, during the Great Crisis, Pan Pan’s stepfather tragically passed away. Pan’s relatives wanted to drive them away and seize their property and belongings. They said Pan Pan wasn’t a true member of the Pan family and had no right to live there.

But the house where Pan Pan currently lived was built by his mother and stepfather through hard work. Pan Pan’s mother refused to leave the Pan family no matter what. In order to protect their home, Pan Pan bowed his head to those despicable relatives time and time again. Presumably, this time, he was also forced to come by Pan’s relatives.

Anger, embarrassment, and helplessness flashed in Pan Pan’s eyes. He lowered his head and awkwardly picked at the bottom of the bowl with his chopsticks. Whether he was full or couldn’t muster the strength, he drank the second bowl much slower than the first.

Jiang Rong didn’t rush him. After finishing the wolf meat soup, they all went about their own business. Jiang Rong had to switch places with Ruan Hanyu. Sister Ruan had been busy for hours and had done a good job. Now that it was getting late, it was time to take the meat back home.

After Sister Ruan carefully handed over the things she had prepared to Jiang Rong, she was about to join the line. However, Jiang Rong stopped her and then turned to Zhang Zhou, “Cut ten catties of wolf meat.” He instructed Liu San, “Pack a portion of wolf offal soup.”

In no time, Chu Qiang handed the wolf meat and the packed wolf offal soup to Sister Ruan. Sister Ruan was taken aback and stepped back repeatedly, “No, no need. I just want to help.”

After giving Sister Ruan a glance, Jiang Rong said seriously, “This is what you deserve. Take it.”

Sister Ruan grinned, but her eyes reddened. “Jiang Rong, you’re a good person.”

Seeing Sister Ruan’s reddened eyes, Jiang Rong added another sentence, “Do you know the principle of ‘the innocent suffer for the guilty’?”

Sister Ruan sniffled and her voice trembled, “I know.” 

The principle of ‘the innocent suffer for the guilty’ refers to the idea that talented individuals are more likely to be falsely accused and harmed, which she learned in school.

Jiang Rong nodded, “That’s good to know. Be safe on your way home.”

Although Sister Ruan didn’t quite understand why Jiang Rong said this to her, she still bowed gratefully to Jiang Rong, “Thank you.”

Thanks to Jiang Rong, Sister Ruan was able to turn useless cat litter into meat. With this meat, life wouldn’t be too difficult for the next period of time.

However, Jiang Rong wasn’t as optimistic as Sister Ruan. He turned to Chu Qiang and asked, “Qiang, is Village Five close to Village Six?”

Chu Qiang had just passed through these villages and remembered them vividly. “It’s okay, just a few mountains apart. Why?”

Jiang Rong said, “After a while, drive Pan Pan and Pan Xiaoquan back, and then take Sister Ruan along the way. Make sure to see her home and watch her enter the house.”

Chu Qiang’s expression turned serious. “Got it.” 

On the way back from City C, he had seen many tragedies. Some scoundrels took advantage of disasters to bully women, and their methods were extremely cruel and despicable, angering both humans and gods alike.

Pan Pan stood in front of Jiang Rong once again after about half an hour, this time with determination in his eyes. “Jiang Rong, I want to join you.”

Before, he had been narrow-minded, only thinking about avoiding involvement in the conflicts of espers, but forgetting that there was no utopia in this world. Instead of relying on those people from the Pan family to treat his mother well, it would be better to become strong himself, strong enough that those people wouldn’t dare to bully them anymore.

He wanted to become an esper like Jiang Rong, strong enough to protect the important people in his life.

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.