Apocalypse Chapter 40: Hidden Abilities

Chapter 40: Hidden Abilities

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Consciousness gradually returned, and Guan Shao’s voice calling out to Jiang Rong came into his ears, “Jiang Rong, are you awake?”

Opening his eyes, Jiang Rong saw Guan Shao’s face gradually becoming clearer. He looked at Jiang Rong with concern, “How do you feel?”

Jiang Rong wondered, “I feel fine. What happened?” He had just subdued a Bloodthirsty Vine in the mental space and felt great. Guan Shao, however, wasn’t as relaxed. He wiped Jiang Rong’s forehead with a damp towel, “You just passed out. How do you feel now? Still uncomfortable?”

Jiang Rong had used his ability to envelop the Bloodthirsty Vine, then his body went limp and he fainted for two hours. Guan Shao’s expression turned worried, “It might be that you still haven’t recovered from the concussion. You should rest properly for now. Later, I’ll find a way to get you out. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Rong smiled, “I’m fine. You might not believe it, but I just subdued the Bloodthirsty Vine.”

Guan Shao’s pupils suddenly contracted, “You mean… subdued?” As he spoke, he instinctively glanced at the measuring cup. The Bloodthirsty Vine in the cup had turned into a pile of ash-black. Shortly after Jiang Rong passed out, this slender Bloodthirsty Vine suddenly changed color and rapidly withered. Has Jiang Rong lost his mind? The Bloodthirsty Vine had turned like that, how could he subdue it?

Thinking about it, Jiang Rong realized with a cold sweat that he hadn’t expected the tendrils split from the Bloodthirsty Vine to also be controlled by the mother plant. It seemed that he had enveloped not just one tendril but the consciousness of the entire Bloodthirsty Vine outside the house. After hearing Jiang Rong’s explanation, Guan Shao found it hard to believe, “You mean, the Bloodthirsty Vine outside can now be used by you?”

If someone else had said that, Guan Shao wouldn’t have believed it. However, thinking of the lively Little Fairy outside Jiang Rong’s house, he felt it was possible. After a moment of thought, Guan Shao said, “I’ll go outside and check.”

Whether it was true or not, they would find out by opening the laboratory door. Jiang Rong got up, “I’ll go with you.”

There were several doors in the battery laboratory. When they saw the outermost door, the two exchanged glances. The sturdy door was severely distorted, looking like it had suffered heavy impact. Undoubtedly, only the Bloodthirsty Vine had such destructive power in the entire factory area.

Guan Shao’s expression became serious, “The laboratory should withstand explosions, the Bloodthirsty Vine shouldn’t be able to break open the door.” But how could the broken door in front of them be explained? Did the Bloodthirsty Vine have strength besides speed?

The door was difficult to open after being damaged. As the door slowly opened, the ear-piercing sound echoed in half of the factory area. Such a noise was enough to alarm the Bloodthirsty Vine outside. If the Bloodthirsty Vine was nearby, it would surely react.

Guan Shao once again gripped the gun at his waist. If anything was amiss, he would immediately throw the grenade out. However, after the door opened, there was nothing outside.

The two remained vigilant as they walked toward the door. Just as they stepped out of the battery workshop door, the scorching sun shone brightly on them. Jiang Rong, who had just come out of the air-conditioned room, felt suffocated, “It’s so hot.”

At this moment, a shadow suddenly cast over them. Looking up, they saw a mass of red Bloodthirsty Vine above the factory building. The Bloodthirsty Vine clung to the roof of the factory, and its tendrils extended into the space ahead, creating a makeshift shade.

The entangled tendrils blocked the scorching sunlight completely, and the pleasing voice of the Bloodthirsty Vine came from above them, “Listen… Don’t kill me…”

Guan Shao’s pupils contracted sharply. Wasn’t this the Bloodthirsty Vine that had forced them to flee everywhere before? With the Bloodthirsty Vine becoming Jiang Rong’s underling, the following journey became much easier. They no longer had to walk cautiously with guns in hand. They strode confidently toward the direction of the warehouse. With each step they took, the Bloodthirsty Vine followed closely behind them, resembling a loyal follower.

Guan Shao’s mood was complex. Every few steps, he would look back at the Bloodthirsty Vine following them. After being severely dealt with by Jiang Rong, the Bloodthirsty Vine was much smaller than before they entered the factory, now only half the height when curled up.

The red ball rolled behind them, and whenever they stopped, it would secretly extend its tendrils to create shade. Seeing the sycophantic Bloodthirsty Vine, Guan Shao couldn’t help but ask, “What did you do to it?”

Jiang Rong replied solemnly, “I just asked it a question, whether it would obey or die. Then it became like this.”

Guan Shao was speechless. Why was he not too convinced? After passing through several factories, they arrived at the warehouse of Lean Solar Electronics. Pushing open the warehouse door, Jiang Rong took two steps back. The floor of the warehouse shelves was full of bones, both animal and human. The snowy-white bones piled up half of the workshop, like a purgatory.

Jiang Rong’s stomach churned, and he almost wanted to vomit immediately. He turned his head and clenched his fists. Although he knew the Bloodthirsty Vine’s nature was ferocious, seeing the scene before him made him very uncomfortable.

Feeling Jiang Rong’s emotions, the Bloodthirsty Vine shivered its tendrils in fear, “I’ll be good…”

Jiang Rong lowered his eyelids and poked Little Fairy in the mental space, “Little Fairy, from now on, you’ll be responsible for teaching the Bloodthirsty Vine manners. Especially remember, it can’t kill indiscriminately.”

Little Fairy twisted its body, “Understood!”

These should be the people who infiltrated the company to steal the battery panels. Unexpectedly, they didn’t get what they wanted but ended up falling into the hands of the Bloodthirsty Vine. Jiang Rong couldn’t step on the sacrifices’ bodies to get the battery panels. After thinking for a while, he ordered the Bloodthirsty Vine, “Dig a hole and bury these bones.”

The Bloodthirsty Vine agreed and rolled into the warehouse. With its tendrils spreading out, every scattered bone on the ground was swept away. The Bloodthirsty Vine rolled back and forth several times until there was not a single bone visible in the warehouse. Then it rolled back to Jiang Rong, “Behave.”

Entering the warehouse again, Jiang Rong felt as if he was looking at the warehouses of the Hui Feng Logistics Park. On the shelves were neatly packed wooden crates, a sight familiar to Jiang Rong as similar crates were downstairs in his building, containing solar panels.

The warehouse was vast, with dozens of forklifts alone for transportation. Not to mention the equipment and materials in the factory area. With these items, as long as they could find skilled operators, they could restart the production line.

Looking at these things, Jiang Rong felt both happy and distressed. “It’s a pity that the items are too heavy for us to take.”

Their military off-road vehicle wasn’t suitable for loading, so if they wanted to take these solar panels, they would need to use heavy-duty trucks. Jiang Rong sighed again, “If only we had a telekinesis esper among us.”

Guan Shao comforted softly, “There will be.” According to Jiang Rong’s plan, more espers would join them in the future, and there would definitely be a telekinesis user among them.

After a round in the warehouse, Jiang Rong prepared to contact Chu Qiang and the others in the car. They needed to transport more solar panels before the others arrived. While walking, Jiang Rong instructed the Bloodthirsty Vine, “You stay here and watch the warehouse. I’ll come to pick you up once I’m done.”

The Bloodthirsty Vine obediently agreed and climbed up onto the roof of the factory building along the drainage pipe. Jiang Rong and Guan Shao stood there for a while, observing. The Bloodthirsty Vine had plant-like characteristics and excellent concealment. If it didn’t attack actively, few would notice its presence.

Guan Shao couldn’t help but sigh, “Mutant plants are too terrifying.”

With Little Fairy in the front and the Bloodthirsty Vine behind, he could only be grateful that Jiang Rong was a wood-element esper who subdued these two dangerous plants. If they were his adversaries, they would be the most terrifying opponents he had ever seen in his life.

As he watched Jiang Rong communicating with the Bloodthirsty Vine, Guan Shao once again found himself lost in thought. The more time he spent with Jiang Rong, the more he liked this handsome young man.

Jiang Rong was intelligent, calm, and rational, like a tall and towering tree rooted deeply in the apocalypse, sheltering those around him. He didn’t want to let go of such a dazzling person.

Sensing Guan Shao’s gaze, Jiang Rong turned back in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Guan Shao smiled slightly, “Nothing, let’s go back to the car.”

The off-road vehicle had been equipped with a mobile radio by Chu Qiang. Operating the radio was simple, just press a button to transmit messages back. However, before Jiang Rong could speak, he saw a black car approaching rapidly ahead.

The black car quickly stopped in front of the off-road vehicle, and after the door opened, Chu Qiang and Pan Pan jumped out. A string of words floated over, “Damn it, Xiao Jiang, you scared me to death. I sent you so many messages, why didn’t you respond at all?”

Jiang Rong was surprised and moved again, “Qiang, why are you guys here?”

Chu Qiang looked them up and down, making sure they were alright before heaving a sigh of relief, “Don’t mention it. I regretted it as soon as you left, and I wanted to come over. Finally, at noon, my heart was pounding, fearing something might have happened to you guys. In the future, don’t let me stay behind again, it’s nerve-wracking.”

According to Jiang Rong’s planned schedule, they should have been home by 1 o’clock at the latest. Chu Qiang had waited until one, but when he didn’t see them return, he didn’t want to wait at home any longer, so he and Pan Pan came over. In case Jiang Rong and the others encountered any trouble, he could also help out.

Jiang Rong chuckled, “We’re fine, you don’t need to worry.”

Pan Pan leaned in the direction of the factory area and asked with concern, “Brother Jiang, Brother Guan, did you encounter that mutant plant?”

Half a month ago, if Pan Pan hadn’t been lucky and ran fast, he would have been left behind here. Because the shadow left behind that night was too deep, even standing at the gate made his back feel cold.

Chu Qiang clicked his tongue, “Do you even need to ask? Of course, they encountered it. Didn’t you see how they look disheveled?” Jiang Rong and Guan Shao were both clean people. They were now dirty and had bruises all over, indicating they had experienced a fierce battle.

Pan Pan’s eyes suddenly lit up, “So… brother Jiang, brother Guan, did you get rid of that mutant plant? Will it be safe for us to enter the industrial park in the future?”

Jiang Rong responded vaguely, “Well, more or less.”

At this moment, the door to the back seat of the black car opened, and Wang Chunlan and her daughter walked over. Seeing them, Jiang Rong was surprised, “Sister Chunlan? Leilei? Why are you here too?”

Wang Chunlan was carrying a small medicine box, “Seeing that you didn’t return for a long time, I was worried that you were injured, so I followed Qiang to take a look.”

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao had some small wounds on them. Seeing these wounds, Wang Chunlan furrowed her brows slightly, “Sit down quickly, let me bandage you.” 

Jiang Rong expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Sister Chunlan, but we’ve already bandaged them, you don’t need to worry about us. But I appreciate your trouble, especially on such a hot day.”

Wang Chunlan reached out and held Jiang Rong’s wrist. There was a scratch on his wrist that had been treated earlier, but the wound was only covered by a band-aid and most of it was still exposed. “Look, you handled it too roughly. If not careful, it may get infected.”

Jiang Rong shrugged, “It’s okay, Sister Chunlan, it’ll heal soon.”

Wang Chunlan’s fingers gently slid over the skin near the wound, and a soft force covered it. Jiang Rong felt a cool sensation emanating from Wang Chunlan’s fingertips. Within a few seconds, the pain in the wound subsided.

Jiang Rong looked at his wrist in surprise, seeing the wound near the band-aid rapidly healing. In less than half a minute, the wound had completely healed. He looked up at Wang Chunlan in astonishment, “Sister Chunlan…”

Wang Chunlan took a step back and smiled slightly, “That’s right, I’m also an esper. I’m a healer. I’m sorry, I lied to everyone before.”

Chu Qiang was dumbfounded. It took him a while to come back to his senses. “No wonder, I was wondering why my wounds healed so quickly.” The prowess of the mutant wasps was well known, and even espers had few chances to escape unscathed.

When he was stung and rendered dizzy by the mutated wasp, he often felt a gentle force lingering near the wound. Previously, he thought it was just an illusion, but now it seemed that it was Wang Chunlan who was treating him.

Chu Qiang felt deeply grateful, “Thank you, Sister Chunlan.” If it weren’t for Wang Chunlan, he might have been done for long time ago.

Wang Chunlan smiled and said, “Although I have supernatural abilities, my physical strength is no different from an ordinary person. Revealing my identity as a supernatural being earlier would have brought unnecessary trouble.”

Now choosing to reveal it was because after observing for some time, she had completely trusted Chu Qiang and Jiang Rong’s team.

Now that she was fine, she had no reservations. Wang Chunlan reached out to Jiang Rong sincerely, “Xiao Jiang, can I become the sixth member of the Supernatural Team? Although I can’t charge into battle like you, I will do my best to improve myself and provide logistical support for everyone.”

Jiang Rong gratefully reached out his hand, “Welcome to join, Sister Chunlan.”

Wang Chunlan turned to her daughter beside her and nodded slowly. Leilei, who had changed from her usual cold demeanor, nodded towards Wang Chunlan. The young girl smiled brightly, “Uncle Jiang, Uncle Chu, Uncle Guan, Uncle Pan.”

Everyone was stunned, but after a while, they were pleasantly surprised, “Leilei, you’re recovered? That’s wonderful!”

In everyone’s understanding, Leilei’s recovery must be related to Wang Chunlan’s supernatural ability. However, Leilei explained, “Actually, I’ve been fine all along. I was just pretending.”

Chu Qiang asked puzzledly, “Huh? Why pretend? Isn’t it better to be straightforward? You’ve been pretending to be dull, making people worry?”

Leilei grinned, “Actually, I’m also a supernatural being. I’m a spatial esper.”

There was a huge surprise. Jiang Rong was stunned on the spot, not knowing what to say.

Wang Chunlan said slowly, “Leilei and I, one is a healing esper, and the other is a spatial esper. Compared to other supernatural beings, our physical strength is not strong.”

Both of these abilities are auxiliary abilities. If they were exposed too early, it would easily attract the covetousness of unscrupulous people. Especially Leilei, she was a fragile girl and easily controlled by others.

When fleeing from City C, Wang Chunlan came up with a solution. She made her daughter pretend to be mentally impaired after being stimulated, and the mother and daughter pretended to be ordinary people fleeing. Such a combination was troublesome, but only those willing to accept them were worth their sincerity.

Jiang Rong praised, “This idea is good.” Being cautious is not a bad thing.

Wang Chunlan sighed, “The more difficult the situation, the more it tests sincerity. Many people see our situation and avoid us. Only the adoptive parents and the Zhang family are willing to take us in. Meeting the Zhang family and you all is our luck. I think if we continue to hide, it wouldn’t be right.”

During this time, they received careful care, and now it was time for them, mother and daughter, to contribute to the Supernatural Team.

Leilei smiled brightly at Jiang Rong, “Uncle Jiang, can I be the seventh supernatural member in the team?”

Jiang Rong smiled and reached out his hand, “Welcome, welcome, welcome you to join.”

Chu Qiang laughed and cried, “Leilei, you’ve pretended too much, haven’t you? You’ve been hiding it for so long.”

Leilei showed her small white teeth, “I used to be in the school drama club, and the teacher said I had acting talent.” After a pause, she said embarrassedly, “Actually, I revealed it long ago. The first time I saw Xiaoheng, I couldn’t help but speak. But Xiaoheng is very obedient. I told him not to tell anyone, and he didn’t tell anyone.”

Jiang Rong was speechless. Since the first time Jiang Xiaoheng saw Leilei, he especially liked this little sister. Sometimes when he came back from Chu Qiang’s house, he would happily tell himself: sister Leilei gave him something.

But Jiang Rong never thought in the direction that Leilei was a supernatural being. If Wang Chunlan and her daughter didn’t actively reveal their identities today, he would never have thought they were also supernatural beings.

It was ironic that Jiang Rong had always thought he could distinguish who was a supernatural being in the crowd, but now it seemed that he could hardly distinguish any.

After learning that Leilei was a supernatural being, Jiang Rong tentatively asked, “Leilei, how big is your space?”

After thinking for a while, Leilei said, “I’m not sure how big it is, but I think I can fit a lot of things in it.”

Wang Chunlan suggested, “Why don’t we go to the warehouse first and see how much we can move? Let’s move a part back first, and then we can make a few more trips.”

Everyone laughed and walked towards the gate of Lean Solar Electronics. However, just as they reached the office building, Pan Pan’s face changed and he pointed upwards, “Mut… mutated plants!”

Jiang Rong looked up and saw two red vines hanging from the roof. After Pan Pan exclaimed, the vines retracted as if electrified. The next moment, a red bloodthirsty vine ball rolled down from the roof and quickly rolled towards the warehouse in the north. Everyone clearly heard the panicked voice of the bloodthirsty vine ball, “I’m good! I’ll listen!”

Jiang Rong was speechless. If the bloodthirsty vine had any courage, it would have been scared to death by Jiang Rong today. It cowered behind the pillars of the roof, occasionally extending its vines to observe Jiang Rong’s group. Pan Pan’s expression twisted, his face complex. “That night, I was actually chased by this thing?”

Isn’t this too unscientific? Clearly, when he saw it that night, he was beaten to the ground. But now that he saw the original form of the mutated plant, why did he feel like it was a pushover?

Chu Qiang tilted his head and looked at the bloodthirsty vine with his hands in his pockets. When it peeked out, he waved, “Come here, let me see you.” Perhaps Chu Qiang looked too fierce. Upon hearing his voice, the bloodthirsty vine immediately retracted into a ball of vines.

Meanwhile, Chu Qiang and Pan Pan were studying the bloodthirsty vine like monkeys, while Jiang Rong and Guan Zhao were around Leilei.

In front of Leilei was a wooden box containing solar panels, which were pressed with toughened glass. The weight of a box of solar panels was astonishing. Jiang Rong asked with concern, “Do you need us to unpack the box? Or do you want to load it piece by piece?”

Leilei’s small frame was only slightly taller than the box. Jiang Rong thought she might not be able to fit many solar panels. However, the little girl casually placed her hand on the box, saying, “Don’t worry, Uncle Jiang, there’s no problem.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the wooden box disappeared into thin air. Jiang Rong and Guan Shao exchanged glances—what an impressive spatial esper! Just a light touch, and she could easily store such a large box of solar panels. However, Guan Shao was still worried. “Leilei, if you feel unwell, you must tell us.”

They had never seen a spatial esper before and didn’t know if storing things in the space would have any negative effects on the user’s body. If Leilei’s body was harmed just to store more solar panels, it would be a loss. Leilei laughed heartily, “Uncle Guan, don’t worry. If I feel something’s wrong, I’ll stop in time.”

Saying that, Leilei walked slowly past the shelves. With her hand constantly reaching out and retracting, in no time, a whole shelf of solar panels was stored in the space. When the young girl reached the second row of shelves to continue collecting items, the box remained motionless.

Leilei said openly, “Uncle, it seems the space is full.”

Chu Qiang was dumbfounded, “My gosh, with so many things stored, spatial espers are amazing, aren’t they?!”

Jiang Rong nodded slightly in admiration, “Very good.”

Just now, he counted, and Leilei had stored a total of twenty wooden boxes into the space. This was much more efficient than a heavy truck, considering a regular truck could only carry seven or eight wooden boxes at a time. With Leilei, they essentially had two heavy trucks.

After Leilei finished storing the items, Jiang Rong arranged, “Solar panels are relatively important, let’s put them in my yard first. Chunlan, I’ll take Leilei to store some things later, and then we’ll make several more trips today. Do you think it’s feasible?”

Wang Chunlan smiled, “You’re the captain, of course, I’ll listen to you.”

Chu Qiang felt they needed a large warehouse more and more. As they walked, he said, “Xiao Jiang, let’s discuss later and see if we can build a large warehouse near our homes.”

Chu Qiang used to work in the Engineering Bureau. Although his work unit was in City C, he usually had contacts with the brother units in City D. He probably knew where the equipment and materials of the brother units were stored. If he could find the right person, he should be able to use the equipment to build a warehouse.

Pan Pan was a little frustrated, “If only I was more powerful.” Earth espers could manipulate soil, but unfortunately, he could only control a limited amount of soil now. If he were more powerful, maybe he could be of more help.

Jiang Rong gently advised, “It’s okay, everyone grows from weakness to strength. Let’s progress together.”

As they chatted, they walked towards the car, and then they heard “tutu” sounds behind them. Turning around, they saw the red bloodthirsty vine struggling to drag a wooden box towards them. The sound they heard was the contact between the box and the ground.

Jiang Rong raised his eyebrows. Was the bloodthirsty vine helping with transportation? This guy seemed quite cooperative. Seeing everyone looking at him, the bloodthirsty vine balled up, “I’m good… I’ll listen… Don’t kill me…”

 

 

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