Apocalypse Chapter 42: Continuous Fermentation

Chapter 42: Continuous Fermentation

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Upon hearing Guan Shao say he wouldn’t leave, the corner of Jiang Rong’s lips couldn’t help but curl up. He had subtly asked Guan Shao before, and knew that Guan Shao had no family before the Great Crisis. Now he and his several teammates were also separated and had nowhere to go. If he didn’t need to take Jiang Hao out to treat him, there would be a good chance he would stay.

Having spent so much time with Jiang Rong, Guan Shao had come to understand him to some extent. Seeing Jiang Rong smile, he relaxed and said, “Don’t worry, for now, I don’t want to go anywhere. Even if I need to leave temporarily, I will consult with you first.”

Jiang Rong felt like Guan Shao had seen through his thoughts, but he still nodded openly, “Hmm.” 

With Guan Shao by his side, Jiang Rong felt relieved. Guan Shao seemed to understand his thoughts immediately, a level of understanding he hadn’t even reached with Chu Qiang, despite knowing him since childhood.

Guan Shao smiled, “Alright, you don’t need to worry about me and Xiao Hao. Let’s focus on the task at hand now.”

As Chu Qiang and Pan Pan entered, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao were studying maps on the computer screen. There was a prominent red circle on the map, encompassing several villages near the Lingshan Reservoir.

By hovering the mouse over the village names, corresponding real-life videos would pop up. These videos were recently captured by drones, detailing the population, roads, houses, and fields in each village. They had a clear understanding of each village.

This would be the core area after the base was established. Near the Lingshan Reservoir, there were mountains and water, making it easily defensible. Over the past few days, Jiang Rong and the others had been looking for a suitable location. Once the location was chosen, they would need to figure out how to build warehouses.

As soon as Chu Qiang entered, he reported, “Zhang Wenzhang from Fishing Village Two has already spread the news. Xiao Jiang, what do we do next?”

Jiang Rong calmly replied, “No rush, let’s wait.”

Pan Pan looked puzzled, “Huh?” 

Weren’t they supposed to establish the base? The news had already been spread, shouldn’t they be publicizing it loudly?

On the radio, they often heard messages from other bases recruiting people, boasting as if those who didn’t join the base would be left to die outside. They could recruit a few copywriters like those bases through radio broadcasts, wouldn’t that be more effective?

While puzzled, Pan Pan also felt a bit helpless, “I’ve heard several people cursing at us, saying we’re insatiable and want everything. I feel so wronged. We’re establishing the base for their own good, why do they speak ill of us like this? People who don’t know might think we’ve done something intolerable.”

When he passed by the crowd just now, Pan Pan had heard a lot of negative opinions. He felt indignant, “They’re speaking too harshly.” 

Blame it on Village Head Zhang for talking while they were installing solar panels on the roof. He didn’t know what he had said. Jiang Rong picked up a pear from the fruit plate and tossed it to Pan Pan, “Don’t worry. Our publicity will catch up in a few days. But before that, we need to attract a group of people who genuinely want to join us.”

In his past life in the Peace Base, Jiang Rong had encountered all kinds of people and deeply understood the importance of unity and solidarity. Not everyone could join his base; only people with clean backgrounds and diligent work ethics could join. They needed to realize the cruelty of the world and sincerely seek shelter. So that when they needed them to do something in the future, they wouldn’t be deceitful. Now that the news had been spread, all they needed to do was wait quietly for it to ferment.

Seeing Pan Pan somewhat understanding, Chu Qiang reassured, “Pan, don’t worry. Brother Jiang must have his reasons for doing things. Just wait and see.”

***

Since the installation of solar panels on the roof, Uncle Li and Aunt Li’s life had undergone a qualitative leap. Now their living room was filled with fruit trees brought back from the orchard. With the combined effect of air conditioning and electric fans, the fragrance of fruits permeated the entire living room, accompanied by coolness.

Of course, Uncle Li and Aunt Li didn’t just turn on the air conditioning for the fruits. From dawn to dusk, people kept joining them in their living room. Most of them came under the pretext of exchanging fruits, but actually, they were there to enjoy the air conditioning and fans.

Uncle Li and Aunt Li knew this well, but they didn’t drive these people away. Instead, they would serve them tea, chat happily, and engage in conversations. The topics of conversation were diverse, with the most talked-about being various tragedies happening around them. For example, at this moment, a woman from the neighboring village tearfully recounted how her neighbor was attacked by mutated animals while searching for food in the mountains. Though the bystanders hadn’t witnessed it personally, hearing that someone they knew had met such a tragic fate made everyone feel uneasy.

Aunt Li wiped her tears with a snow-white tissue from the table, “It’s so pitiful. That child grew up under my watch, and now he’s gone…”

Uncle Li said heavily, “There aren’t many people left in Village Four, and that child’s house is in the back, surrounded by woods… it’s tragic…”

Someone in the crowd echoed, “Yeah, you guys are fortunate. Living in the same village as the espers, with a mutated dog at home, you can just shout if anything happens.”

Uncle Li waved his hand, “Don’t say that. Let me tell you. If it weren’t for Xiao Jiang and the others, my wife, my son, and I would have died in the mouths of those mutated wolves a long time ago. Did you see how big those wolves were when you exchanged for their meat before? Our Tiger wouldn’t have stood a chance against them.”

Aunt Li sighed, “Yeah, thanks to them. Otherwise, my husband and I wouldn’t have lasted till now.”

At this moment, someone in the crowd muttered, “That’s natural. You’ve put all your belongings out there. Of course, they have to take care of you.”

Upon hearing this, Uncle Li’s expression changed, and he suddenly stood up, his voice raised by eight degrees, “Who said that?! Don’t talk nonsense like that in the future!”

Seeing Uncle Li’s change in attitude, the villagers in the living room quickly closed their mouths, but they were still murmuring in their hearts: Could it be that what Village Head Zhang said wasn’t right? Didn’t Uncle Li and Aunt Li receive the protection of espers because they offered all their property?

Aunt Li’s expression turned serious as she stood up and pointed towards the door, “You are all welcome to come play at our house. But if we hear any of you speak ill of the espers again, don’t bother coming back.”

Uncle Li’s face turned red, and after struggling for a while, he finally managed to say, “We’re old bones, a few words from you won’t hurt us, but don’t tarnish the reputation of the espers.”

At this moment, Uncle Chu, holding an umbrella, walked in from the courtyard gate, “Old Li, do you have a moment now? Let’s sort some things out.”

Uncle Li and Aunt Li nodded repeatedly, “We’re coming.” Then they turned to dismiss the guests, “Sorry, we need to go help with something. Everyone, please go back for now, and come again later.”

The people in the living room still wanted to enjoy the air conditioning, so they didn’t want to offend Uncle Li and Aunt Li. Therefore, everyone got up and left one after another.

As they stepped out of the air-conditioned room, the heat outside hit them, and the drastic temperature difference made the group sigh, “So hot!” 

“Ah, air conditioning is really nice…”

If they could, they really wanted to stay in the air-conditioned room. If the weather continued to be hot, how could they survive?

Some people in the crowd were already wavering, and a suppressed voice slowly sounded, “I want to join the base… Isn’t it just handing over the property and obeying the espers’ orders? Things are dead, but people are alive. If we can’t survive, what’s the use of those dead possessions?”

The speaker was a slightly plump woman named Yao Hong. Before the Great Crisis, Yao Hong weighed 180 pounds, but during this time, she had lost sixty pounds. In the past, she could laugh herself awake while sleeping, but now she couldn’t help but cry as soon as she opened her eyes.

Wearing overly large clothes, her eyes red and teary, Yao Hong sobbed, “My mother is seventy this year, and my daughter is only ten. We have elders and youngsters in the family. If the situation continues to deteriorate, how long can our family survive? Before the Great Crisis, we also had to work to earn money. Now, isn’t it just finding a new place to work?”

Besides, even before the Great Crisis, their house and farmland didn’t really belong to them. Strictly speaking, the farmland belonged to the state. Now that the state was gone, what ability did they have to hold onto their own little piece of land?

After wiping her tears, Yao Hong made up her mind, “I want to join the base. My family never had much money anyway. As long as we can survive, what does material wealth matter?”

After saying this, Yao Hong quickly caught up with Uncle Chu, “Uncle Chu, please wait!”

Unexpectedly, someone was already willing to offer their entire family’s possessions to join the base. For the first person to take the plunge, everyone would naturally pay more attention. Many people stopped in their tracks and followed Yao Hong, wanting to see how the espers and their close ones would react after Yao Hong’s proactive request to join.

What kind of help would the espers give Yao Hong? If they offered many benefits, they would consider it after going back home. Just like Yao Hong said, as long as they could survive, what did a little money matter?

Surprised by Yao Hong’s call, Uncle Chu stopped in his tracks, “What’s the matter?”

With determination and tears in her eyes, Yao Hong said, “Uncle Chu, I’m willing to offer all my family’s possessions to the esper team, and in the future, I’ll obey the espers’ orders. I just hope you can install solar panels at my home!”

Yao Hong’s voice was loud enough to show her sincerity. However, Uncle Chu’s brows furrowed, and he looked displeased, “Are you joking?”

Yao Hong was stunned for a moment. Did she say something wrong? Wasn’t this what Village Head Zhang said? As long as they offered all their possessions and obeyed orders, they could join the base. Did the conditions become more stringent now?

With a hint of anger in his tone, Uncle Chu said, “Do we not have houses or electricity? Do we need your things? Let me tell you the truth. The things the espers exchange are obtained at the risk of their lives. How about you? How much is your entire family’s property worth? Do you think holding onto these dead possessions can make the espers serve you? You’re dreaming!”

After speaking, Uncle Chu turned around and walked away. Not only was Yao Hong dumbfounded, but the villagers behind her, who were quietly observing the situation, were also stunned. This… was completely different from what Village Head Zhang said. If yesterday they were still considering whether to join the base, now the road to the base was directly blocked by Uncle Chu.

Seeing this situation, Uncle Li sighed in regret, “I knew I shouldn’t have asked for that half pack of cigarettes from Old Zhang. It’s my fault for talking too much.”

Everyone: ??? What’s going on?

***

The events outside the Li family’s courtyard spread like wildfire to the ears of several nearby villagers. The villagers who were cheated out of their supplies by Village Head Zhang went to Fishing Village Two yesterday to find him, demanding an explanation as soon as they entered his house.

After repeated inquiries from everyone, they pieced together the truth. It turned out that it wasn’t the esper team forcibly taking things, but Uncle Li and Aunt Li carrying all their property to find the esper team. Under their earnest pleas, the espers softened and installed solar panels for their house.

As for the matter of the espers building a base, it was just casually mentioned by Uncle Li, and there was no real plan at all. The distorted truth was told by Village Head Zhang with such conviction that it was no wonder Uncle Li and Aunt Li heard someone say that the esper team had taken their things and would turn hostile after that. If this rumor reached the ears of the espers, they might actually take back the solar panels.

As Chu Qiang’s father said, superhumans had everything they needed. They could live well-off lives. What’s the use of destroying their homes? If there’s food in their fields, superhumans could even profitably give them a few solar panels. But now, with temperatures so high, crops couldn’t even survive. Even if superhumans wanted the land, they wouldn’t be able to cultivate it.

The villagers cursed Village Chief Zhang angrily, “You, Zhang Wenzhang, used to twist the truth, but now you dare to deceive us?”

Village Chief Zhang hurriedly covered his head with both hands, “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me. I’ll return everything to you.”

Seeing Village Chief Zhang’s aged face, people reluctantly lowered their fists. Life is already difficult these days; why make it harder for each other? Someone sighed, “Nowadays, even if we offer everything, we don’t want it anymore. It’s a wonder we used to think about bargaining. Now, we don’t need to think about it anymore.”

With such an idea, everyone continued to endure.

***

A faint pink hue pervaded the sky. Jiang Rong stood by the window, observing. The yard was filled with wooden boxes containing solar panels, lacking its former openness. Jiang Rong couldn’t help but sigh; the atmosphere was still lacking something. It wasn’t yet the best time.

Guan Shao appeared behind Jiang Rong at some point, handing over a plate of neatly cut pear pieces with toothpicks stuck in them. “Have some pear.”

Jiang Rong chuckled as he looked down at them. “How do you manage this?” 

He noticed Guan Shao’s cuts were remarkably precise, as if he had military training. Whether it was potato shreds or pear slices, each was uniform. Considering fruits are round, it’s quite challenging to cut them into such squares, isn’t it?

Guan Shao replied solemnly, “I ate the irregular ones.”

Jiang Rong blinked. “Then… what about the potatoes?”

Guan Shao was speechless. The pears were sweet and crisp, not mushy and gritty. The two stood by the window, munching away. The moon tonight was very round, its light piercing through the pink sky and onto the yard. A layer of blood-red vines scattered on the wooden boxes, illuminated by the moonlight, shining brightly.

The blood-red vines seemed to enjoy basking their tendrils, spreading them around to climb day and night. During this time, it had been staying in their yard, guarding the wooden boxes. Jiang Rong had been worried it might rebel, but after spending some time together, he found it even more obedient than Little Fairy.

Little Fairy would occasionally haggle with him over the number of episodes of cartoons, but the blood-red vine never said much. Whatever Jiang Rong asked it to do, it would do without question. Because it was so obedient, Jiang Xiaoheng gave it a name: Xiao Guaiguai. ¹

The theme song of the “Meow Meow Squad” came from the yard. Looking over, Jiang Rong saw Little Fairy leaning against the outer wall, heading out to watch cartoons. Xiao Guaiguai was perched on the fence, holding a tablet obediently. The two plants swayed along with the theme song, looking unexpectedly cute. After eating a few pieces of pear, Jiang Rong sighed, “It’s so peaceful.” 

He had been busy preparing for the base lately. After returning home, he had to divide his time and energy between Xiaoheng and Xiaohao. Only after the two children fell asleep could he have a brief moment of his own. Guan Shao chuckled lightly, “Are you not used to it?”

Jiang Rong turned his head to meet Guan Shao’s gaze. In Guan Shao’s pupils, he saw a tiny reflection of himself. Guan Shao’s eyes were beautiful; beneath his long eyelashes, the proportion of iris to sclera was just right.

Most of the time, Guan Shao was calm and serious. Only when facing Jiang Rong did his eyes reveal some inexplicable emotions. Jiang Rong didn’t know how to accurately describe this emotion; all he knew was that when he looked into Guan Shao’s eyes, he wanted to hide, yet he couldn’t help but want to look at them a little longer.

Since awakening his wood-element ability, Jiang Rong’s perception of the human body had become much stronger. He felt their body temperatures slowly rising, and even their heartbeats quickening a bit. Guan Shao placed the plate on the windowsill and took a step towards Jiang Rong. He extended his hands, his Adam’s apple rolling up and down twice. “Jiang Rong, I…”

A piercing sound of electricity came from the direction of the dining table, where a walkie-talkie was placed. Chu Qiang’s urgent voice came through, “Xiao Jiang, have you and Guan Shao gone to bed?”

Jiang Rong snapped back to reality, taking two steps back and hurriedly running towards the dining table. “Coming.”

Guan Shao lowered his head with a silent sigh. He looked at his hands; he had almost touched Jiang Rong. After answering the walkie-talkie, Chu Qiang’s voice came through again, “The drone observed mutated wild boars active near River’s Bridge. Looks like they’re heading towards the village. Shall we go?”

Jiang Rong alerted, “Let’s go! Get everyone in the squad.” 

It was their squad’s first mission. If they were lucky, they could get a lot of crystal nuclei. It was a rare opportunity not to be missed.

***

River’s Bridge was located below the Lingshan Reservoir, a large village with two to three hundred households. Nestled between mountains and water, it used to be a well-known tourist resort before the Great Crisis. The villagers were relatively wealthy, with each household running bed-and-breakfasts, and many having their own generators.

For this reason, while other villages were deserted, many villagers of River’s Bridge chose to stay. The weather was terribly hot now, prompting many villagers to stay indoors during the day and come out at night. In the dead of night, the villagers of River’s Bridge emerged from their homes in small groups. Some were preparing for tomorrow morning’s exchange, while others took the opportunity to get some fresh air.

The air tonight was unusually different, with many people detecting a foul odor. Could it be someone unwilling to turn on the air conditioning and preferring to suffer from the heat?

With the current high temperatures, people emitted an unpleasant odor after being deceased for just a few hours. The villagers had grown accustomed to the occasional stench emanating from the village. But the smell they now detected was different from the usual foul odor; it was a nauseating stench. Even though the villagers stretched their necks, they couldn’t pinpoint the source of the smell.

Tian Beibei and her boyfriend were a young couple who had come to River’s Bridge for a vacation before the Great Crisis. They had chosen a guesthouse located halfway up the mountain, with a balcony that offered a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery along the mountain slope. If not for the sudden disaster, it would have been a joyful trip. But the Great Crisis erupted, trapping them here.

Tian Beibei sat on a chair on the balcony, wrinkling her nose and covering her mouth and nose. “Ugh, what’s that smell? It’s so foul!”

Her boyfriend, holding a bottle of mineral water, drank from it and said, “Probably something else died again.”

Tian Beibei retorted angrily, “I bet it’s another jerk urinating behind the wall!” 

Even though their guesthouse had two floors, the windows on the second floor faced the mountainside. Lately, there have been people coming to pick wild vegetables on the mountainside who relieved themselves behind the wall. Nowadays, no one cared even if people committed murder or arson, let alone urinating. Her boyfriend replied apathetically, “There’s nothing we can do about them.” 

Seeing her boyfriend’s lack of concern, Tian Beibei’s anger skyrocketed. Seeing him gulp down nearly half a bottle of mineral water, Tian Beibei couldn’t contain her frustration any longer. Her voice sharpened, “Are you a pig? Didn’t I tell you to eat less? How long do you think our supplies will last if you keep eating like this?”

As she spoke, she dodged the half-empty bottle of mineral water her boyfriend chucked at her. After shaking the empty bottle, Tian Beibei was both angry and annoyed. “I ask you to go out and find some food, but you refuse. Yet, when it comes to eating, you never consider anyone else. I really don’t know what I saw in you before!”

Her boyfriend, with a blank expression, lowered his head. “Regretting it? I regret not breaking up with you.” 

They were now like grasshoppers tied together on a rope; they couldn’t even leave River’s Bridge. Tian Beibei was about to retort when she suddenly heard a few heavy grunting sounds. Instantly, her hair stood on end. “Did you, did you hear anything?”

Her boyfriend sluggishly straightened up. “It sounds like…”

The next moment, there was a loud explosion from behind them, and several large holes appeared on the wall. Flying stones scattered everywhere, and the energy-saving lights on the wall flashed twice before going out. In that brief moment, Tian Beibei witnessed the most terrifying scene of her life: she saw several ferocious wild boars charging out from behind the wall, heading straight towards them.

“Ahh—” A scream echoed throughout River’s Bridge as houses collapsed. The wild boars, with red eyes, descended down the mountain slope, crashing and flattening all the buildings in their path. The piercing sound of a gong alarmed everyone in River’s Bridge. “The wild boars are here! Take cover!”

 

 

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