Apocalypse Chapter 46: Spark Base

Chapter 46: Spark Base

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The next morning at six o’clock, the intercom at Jiang Rong’s house rang. Chu Qiang’s loud voice came through, “Xiao Jiang, have you and Master Guan woken up? There are a lot of people at my place. Can you come over later?”

Previously, when Chu Qiang mentioned both their names, Jiang Rong didn’t think much of it. However, after hearing Guan Shao’s feelings in the bathroom yesterday, Jiang Rong couldn’t shake the strange feeling. Hearing Chu Qiang ask if they were awake or not made him feel like something had really happened between them.

It seemed like he needed to talk to Chu Qiang about this later. At least, there should be a pause between their names the next time he heard similar words.

Breakfast today was still made by Guan Shao. Since Guan Shao woke up, he had been preparing breakfast every day. On the table were white porridge, pickled vegetables, and fried pancakes. Although there weren’t many varieties, the portions were generous.

The pancakes made by Guan Shao were rugged in appearance. After being fried, each pancake had its own shape. The two children picked out pancakes of different shapes and imagined what they resembled. Jiang Xiaoheng picked up a pancake and placed it in Jiang Hao’s bowl, “Big brother, does this look like a little crab?”

Jiang Hao slowly put down his chopsticks and raised both hands, placing his index and middle fingers beside his ears. He moved his fingers and shook his head from side to side, “Ah~”

Jiang Xiaoheng exclaimed happily, “See!”

Guan Shao looked at the two kids with a puzzled expression. How were they communicating normally? But it was precisely because of Jiang Xiaoheng’s liveliness that Jiang Hao had made noticeable progress. He believed that under Jiang Xiaoheng’s influence, Jiang Hao would become more and more lively.

After putting down the intercom, Jiang Rong’s lips curled up, “Representatives from several nearby villages have come to Chu Qiang’s house. Let’s go after breakfast.”

Guan Shao said softly, “They’re quite fast. But when it comes to life and death, it’s better to be fast than slow.”

When Jiang Rong and the others arrived at Chu Qiang’s house, they saw more than a dozen people gathered in the living room, all of them representatives elected by nearby villagers. The purpose of coming to Chu Qiang’s house today was only one: to persuade Jiang Rong and the others to establish a base.

Seeing Jiang Rong enter, these people all stood up expectantly, fearing that Jiang Rong would drive them away. After looking around, Jiang Rong nodded slightly, “Please, have a seat.”

After the room door was closed, Chu Qiang stood with his arms crossed at the door. Ruan Hanyu asked curiously, “Brother Chu, why aren’t you coming in?”

Chu Qiang showed a pained expression, “I’m least good at dealing with such situations…”

Ruan Hanyu, who had social anxiety herself, completely understood Chu Qiang’s pain. She sighed, “If it were me, I wouldn’t go in either.”

Chu Qiang relaxed, “Don’t worry, with Xiao Jiang and Master Guan here, it will be fine. By the way, sister, do you feel anything special?”

Yesterday, Jiang Rong distributed all the crystals he collected, and the other espers in the team tried to absorb them that night. Chu Qiang remembered that after absorbing the crystal for the first time, his strength was several times greater than usual. He wondered what changes would occur in the other espers after absorbing the crystal.

Upon hearing Chu Qiang’s question, Ruan Hanyu revealed a shy yet surprised smile. She extended her hand, and two-foot-long ice prisms emerged from her palm. “Brother Chu, look.”

Previously, when Ruan Hanyu used her abilities, she could only create one ice prism at a time. She needed to first create water, then condense the water into ice. It took at least half a minute to condense one ice prism. But now, in an instant, she created two ice prisms, which was a significant improvement.

In addition to the increase in speed, the quality of the ice prisms had also made a qualitative leap. The previous ice prisms were rough on the surface with many bubbles inside. The two ice prisms in front of them were beautifully conical, and if you didn’t look closely, you could hardly see the bubbles inside.

The ice prisms emitted coldness, and Ruan Hanyu asked excitedly, “Brother Chu, do you think I’ve improved?”

Chu Qiang gave a thumbs up, “Impressive!”

At this moment, Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao ran out of the room with Leilei. Seeing the ice prisms, the eyes of the two boys lit up, “Wow~ ice pops!”

Ruan Hanyu clapped her hands, and the ice prisms turned into sparkling ice crystals. In the next moment, two lifelike little cats appeared in her palm. She handed the cats to Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao, “These are for you.”

Ice prisms were too dangerous for children. If accidentally stabbed into the body, it would only bring painful lessons to everyone. But the agile and cute little cats were different. The cats made of ice were lifelike, and not only did the boys love them, even Leilei couldn’t help but touch them, “So cute!”

Ruan Hanyu conjured another identical cat and handed it to Leilei, “If you like it, it’s good. For now, making little cats is what I’m best at. After some time, I’ll be able to make other small animals.”

Ruan Hanyu had a background in painting, so making small animals was not difficult for her.

In addition to Ruan Hanyu, Leilei also felt that her abilities had improved. “My space has become much bigger.” The wild boar she brought in yesterday was still lying in her space. After absorbing the crystal, her space had increased significantly, making the wild boar seem smaller.

Chu Qiang gave her a thumbs up, “Well done!”

While the group was chatting, Wang Chunlan came over with a fruit plate, “How’s the progress?”

Ruan Hanyu smiled, “Yes, Sister Chunlan, do you feel anything now?”

Wang Chunlan blinked and revealed a mysterious smile, “It’s hard to say now. I’ll know after trying it on Xiao Rong later.” 

Among the espers, only Jiang Rong was injured, and she didn’t want to waste precious healing abilities. She would wait for Jiang Rong to come out of the meeting room to see the effect.

Chu Qiang had absorbed all the crystals last night, and now it was his turn to demonstrate. He took out a one-meter-long threaded steel rod and casually twisted it, turning the steel rod into a spiral.

Seeing this scene, everyone present exclaimed, “Wow—”

Chu Qiang casually tossed the threaded steel aside, “Everyone has seen the power of crystal cores. In the future, our abilities will only grow stronger.”

Leilei looked expectantly outside the courtyard, “Why hasn’t Uncle Pan come yet? I wonder what changes he has.”

Yesterday, Pan Pan took away four pieces of earth crystal cores; the effect must be very good.

Speaking of Pan Pan, here he comes. In no time, Pan Pan appeared in the courtyard riding a pink electric scooter. As soon as he entered the yard, he hurried towards everyone, “Guys! I’ve got something amazing to show you! Come on, come out and follow me!”

Chu Qiang and the others curiously walked out of the house. Chu Qiang asked, “What’s going on?” 

Pan Pan was full of excitement, “You’ll see when you follow me.”

Following Pan Pan’s footsteps, they headed towards the back of Chu Qiang’s house, where there was a small piece of land leading to the hills behind. In the middle of the field was a path leading to Jiang Rong’s house.

Pan Pan made a few handsome handprints in front of him. With a “hah,” he bent his right leg, stretched his left leg to the side, squatted down like a warrior from a cartoon, and clapped his hands on the ground. Everyone was speechless.

Jiang Xiaoheng muttered softly, “Brother Pan Pan looks silly…” 

Jiang Hao nodded in agreement. Indeed, quite silly. The ground began to shake the next moment. The field, which could only accommodate one person, quickly “expanded.” The soil on both sides of the field moved towards the center, and in no time, a wide dirt road about two meters wide and a hundred meters long appeared in front of everyone.

Chu Qiang widened his eyes, “Oh my god…” Is this the power of earth espers? Pan Pan’s work could rival that of a construction team working for half a day.

However, this wasn’t the point Pan Pan wanted to make. After the dirt road was built, he looked at Chu Qiang eagerly, “Mr. Qiang, try punching it.”

Chu Qiang looked around and then at the dirt road. “Punch it? Punch the ground?”

Pan Pan nodded, “Yes! Compare it to a cement road.”

Chu Qiang nodded and walked onto the dirt road. Then he swung his fist fiercely at the ground. A cloud of yellow dust rose where his fist landed, and a deep pit appeared in the soil.

Pan Pan exclaimed excitedly, “How about that, Qiang? Do you feel it?”

Chu Qiang raised his fist and looked at his reddened knuckles. He said softly, “I think I need a pair of gloves.” 

Surprisingly, punching the dirt felt no different from punching a cement road; his joints hurt. As someone who could twist steel bars into spirals, Chu Qiang had a good sense of how much force he used. Pan Pan’s dirt road was as good as a cement road, which meant that in the future, when they went on missions, Pan Pan could protect more companions.

Pan Pan’s eyes gleamed, “I was inspired by everyone. I used to think that controlling more dirt was better, but then I realized that concentrating abilities can have a greater effect.”

If he only controlled dirt, then the walls and shields he made would always be made of mud. But if he could turn dirt into concrete, the power would increase exponentially.

Jiang Rong’s voice came from behind the crowd, “Pan Pan makes sense.”

Chu Qiang turned his head, “Oh? The meeting is over already?” That was fast.

Jiang Rong nodded slightly, “Yes, it’s over.” 

Everyone had a common goal of building the base. Now that Jiang Rong’s goal had been achieved, the people who came today were sincere, and he didn’t need to be as courteous as ancient people with three invitations and three refusals.

Of course, building a base was not something that could be done overnight. Although he nodded today, the work ahead had just begun. He needed to send the representatives back first, then discuss the next steps with his partners.

Seeing Jiang Rong, Wang Chunlan remembered something important, “Xiao Rong, let me see your wound.”

Before yesterday, Wang Chunlan couldn’t do anything about the broken bones. After absorbing the crystal cores, her abilities had become much stronger. After applying her abilities twice, Jiang Rong’s broken bones had grown a lot, and the swelling had also subsided a lot. She believed that with a few more applications, his arm would fully recover.

After absorbing the crystal cores, everyone’s abilities had significantly improved. Now it was more convenient to do things, and Jiang Rong didn’t need to be formal with everyone. He opened the computer and connected it to the projector. After a flicker, the map of Lingshan Reservoir appeared in front of everyone.

It wasn’t the first time they had seen this map, but they hadn’t understood it before. But now, with Jiang Rong’s explanation, they quickly grasped the entire map.

In the center of the map, a red pentagram was marked, and a virtual circle with a diameter of fifteen kilometers was drawn around it. Jiang Rong stood up and pointed to the position of the pentagram, “This will be the core location of our base.”

After saying this, Guan Shao continuously enlarged the range where the pentagram was located on the computer. Everyone looked carefully, and the more they looked, the more familiar it became. Finally, Leilei exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t this our village?”

Jiang Rong nodded slightly, “Yes, our base will radiate outwards from the Fishing Village Three as the center.”

Their base was different from others, which relied on major cities. Their core base was located in the mountains and couldn’t simply follow the model of other bases. Other bases usually relied on searching for supplies, with espers leaving the base with equipment to search for supplies nearby.

To withstand attacks from mutant flora and fauna, bases often expend significant manpower and resources to construct high walls and underground facilities. Upon entering the base, ordinary people become cheap laborers, engaging in heavy physical work. Even if the base has some output, it’s meager. The vegetables, grains, and poultry grown by the people were primarily reserved for espers in the base, leaving very little for ordinary folks.

The reason Jiang Rong decided to establish the core of the base in the mountains was to pave a different path. The key villages on the map were clearly marked. Jiang Rong said slowly, “Lingshan Reservoir is a good place, with mountains, water, and land. Although mutant flora and fauna are rampant now, as long as we have enough manpower, we can cultivate fields and grow food.”

Supplies brought in will eventually be consumed. Only a steady stream of output can ensure the steady development of the base. Jiang Rong pointed at the red circle on the map. “Apart from Lingshan Reservoir, there are over 63,000 hectares of land here. With so much land, the output could far exceed our expectations.”

He gave Guan Shao a signal, and Guan Shao took out several pieces of paper beside the computer and handed them out. Everyone took a look, and the papers recorded the famous resources in the vicinity before the Great Crisis. Jiang Rong even detailed which village these resources came from.

The densely packed words on the A4 paper made everyone excited. They didn’t expect the land beneath their feet to be such a blessing. If properly utilized, their lives would surely improve.

After the excitement, Chu Qiang hesitated a bit. “Xiao Jiang, our ideas are definitely good. But it’s so hot these days, whatever we plant dies. Can we really restore production to pre-Great Crisis levels?”

Take the recent example of Uncle Li’s orchard. Even with Jiang Rong’s help, nearly half of the fruit trees died. Can Xiao Jiang’s idea really be implemented?

Jiang Rong affirmed, “Yes! The weather will eventually cool down. Mutant flora and fauna are indeed fierce, but as long as we can tame them, they can be useful to us.”

All species that survived after the Great Crisis would have undergone mutations. As long as suitable seeds could be found, they could sustain themselves.

While Jiang Rong was speaking, Ruan Hanyu was frowning at the map. After Jiang Rong finished speaking, she raised her hand, “Mr. Jiang, I want to ask, is our map a bit off?”

The map clearly marked villages near the core location, but the farther away, the fewer villages were marked. Jiang Rong previously said they had over 70,000 hectares in the early stages of the base, but the farthest village their esper team was currently active in was River’s Bridge, five kilometers away.

Jiang Rong smiled, “This will be our next focus. The villages marked in red on the map are the ones joining us today. I plan to settle the people in these villages first and provide demonstrations to nearby villages.”

Everyone looked at each other, somewhat puzzled by Jiang Rong’s meaning.

Jiang Rong smiled, “Everyone will soon be busy. We are going to light up every village nearby.”

After the Great Crisis, many villages were left empty. Logically, it would be better to concentrate people for easier management. However, Jiang Rong didn’t want to do that.

Firstly, if everyone left the village, it would quickly become desolate and easily occupied by mutant flora and fauna. Secondly, each village had different outputs, and with locals present, these outputs wouldn’t go to waste. In the future, as more people joined their base, they could be placed in the vacant houses in the villages. With the guidance of the locals, more people would join in the labor.

Jiang Rong instructed, “Pan Pan, your task next is to install solar panels and broadcast in the villages that are joining our base. We need to install electricity and broadcasting in all villages within a fifteen-kilometer radius before October.”

Chu Qiang was shocked, “Every village?! Setting aside other issues, just the Fishing Village alone has hundreds of households. Do we have enough solar panels?”

Jiang Rong waved his hand with a smile, “Did you forget? The premise of joining our base is to voluntarily contribute all assets. That means the houses in the village belong to the base. We don’t need to install them in every household, just a few in each village to provide daily electricity for the villagers.”

Chu Qiang suddenly realized, “Oh, I see.” 

Although they had found many solar panels, when divided among the villages within a fifteen-kilometer radius, each household wouldn’t get many panels. It was better to concentrate them so everyone could have electricity for cooling and cooking.

With centralized electricity, the scattered villagers would also gather, making it easier for Jiang Rong and the others to manage. Once electricity was available, broadcasting would also be arranged… Thinking about it, the work ahead seemed quite busy.

Jiang Rong continued to assign tasks, “Hanyu, you will follow them and register the personnel information of each new village they enter.”

Ruan Hanyu nodded, “Okay.”

“Chunlan, if possible, you should accompany them too. Whenever they enter a new village, help check for any patients. If possible, try to treat them.”

Wang Chunlan nodded, “Okay, if there are any fellow travelers, I can also help treat them together.”

Jiang Rong gave a thumbs up, “Well done, Chunlan. Hanyu, remember to pay attention. If you find anyone with special skills, be sure to mark them.”

Ruan Hanyu nodded repeatedly, “Got it!”

“Leilei, your task is not easy either. You need to collect as many resources as possible along with them. The things collected by Leilei when new people join the base will be very helpful.”

Leilei crisply responded, “I understand, Uncle Jiang.”

After scanning around, Jiang Rong smiled, “Guan Shao and I will be responsible for eliminating hidden dangers near the villages.” 

They would spare no effort to remove any mutant flora and fauna that posed a threat to the villagers.

Chu Qiang was astonished, “Heavens, your missions are so dangerous.”

Just now, so many tasks were assigned, all based on the premise that there were no dangers near the village. Within a fifteen-kilometer radius, how many mutated plants and animals are there? Can Jiang Rong and Guan Shao really handle it all by themselves?

However, Jiang Rong smiled and pointed outside the window, “No worries, we have Xiao Guaiguai.” 

A dazzling red flashed outside the window. As a presence that made many espers tremble with fear, wherever the Bloodthirsty Vine passed, there couldn’t possibly be any mutated plants and animals more terrifying than it. The reason Jiang Rong gave up on the idea of gathering survivors together was precisely because he had the Bloodthirsty Vine as his weapon. It was said that with one Bloodthirsty Vine, a city could be destroyed. So, with one Bloodthirsty Vine, he could defend a base.

After Jiang Rong assigned the tasks, everyone eagerly prepared to showcase their abilities. At this moment, Pan Pan finally took out a piece of paper from his pocket, ” Brother Jiang, brother Guan, I thought of many names yesterday. Can you see if any of them are suitable for the base?”

Jiang Rong unfolded the paper and glanced at it, his expression gradually contorting, “I can tolerate New Humanity, but what does ‘Olive Branch’ mean? And this one, ‘We Can Do It,’ what’s that about?”

Pan Pan earnestly replied, “Don’t you think these names are eye-catching?”

Jiang Rong’s lips twitched, “Good idea. I think you should write and announce the promotional materials for our base.”

Pan Pan modestly said, “Brother Jiang, I might not be able to do that.”

Chu Qiang added, “Hmm, I think you can. If you can’t recruit people, just hang Pan Pan up and beat him.” After a pause, he added, “Of course, Xiao Guaiguai will be responsible for beating you. What do you think?”

After a burst of laughter, Leilei suggested, “Uncle Jiang, I came up with a few names: Yang Fan, Set Sail, Take Off, New Chapter… What do you think?” 

After speaking, the little girl looked at Jiang Rong with sparkling eyes.

Pan Pan muttered, “Why not call it ‘New Humanity’? These names of yours sound like names for a wedding team.”

Leilei objected, glaring at Pan Pan, “A wedding team is much better than your New Humanity, isn’t it?”

Guan Shao, rarely speaking, suggested, “How about calling it Ark Base? Noah’s Ark saved many people before the great flood, and our base can also help many people.”

Ruan Hanyu pondered, “Feels too Western. How about calling it Taiyi Base? We have a deity called Taiyi Zhenren in mythology, who specifically saves people.”

Everyone exchanged words enthusiastically, the atmosphere was very lively. Jiang Rong scratched his head. He had heard about both the “New Humanity” base mentioned by Pan Pan and the “Ark” base mentioned by Guan Shao in his previous life. In his previous life, the Northern “Ark” base, the Southern “New Humanity” base, and the Northwestern “Proud Sky” base stood out among many bases and became the three largest bases in the country.

After leaving the Peace Base, Jiang Rong had wanted to take his son to the “Ark” base in the north to make a living, but looking at the thousands of kilometers on the map, he gave up. Now, unexpectedly hearing familiar base names, Jiang Rong’s mood was quite complicated.

After a moment of thought, he suggested, “How about the name ‘Spark’? A single spark can start a prairie fire. We’ll start with the Fishing Village Three as the core and expand outward, from point to line to surface, eventually forming our unique base. What do you all think?”

The excited crowd fell silent for a moment, then nodded one after another, “This name is good, let’s call it Spark.”

***

At 3:30 in the morning on August 15th, more than two hundred villagers from Tangqiao Village, ten miles away from Fishing Village Three, gathered at the village entrance. They occasionally glanced towards the road, their eyes filled with eager anticipation.

At 3:50, the sound of car engines came from the direction of the road, and the crowd erupted, “The people are here!”

There were three cars in total, the front one being a pickup truck, and the one behind it a black sedan. Tangqiao Village, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly became lively. People lit up their cherished candles to guide the cars.

In the fields outside Tangqiao Village, Jiang Rong wiped away the bloodstains from his cheeks. He stepped on two mutant rats the size of dogs. Looking back, he saw hundreds of mutant rats lying in the field.

At this moment, a large water bottle appeared in front of him. Without needing to turn his head, Jiang Rong knew it was Guan Shao offering the water bottle. Guan Shao said slowly, “Tangqiao Village is the largest village in the southeast. Once we take this village, the southeast area will all fall under the influence of the base.”

Jiang Rong took the cup and drank some water, feeling somewhat worried. “Yes, it’s just that we have too few people. If this continues, we might not be able to secure all the villages before October.”

The esper team only had seven people, and even if they were busy as bees, there was only so much they could do. Most likely, by October, the weather would start getting cooler. Once the weather cooled down, the remaining people wouldn’t be as urgently in need of electricity as they are now, which might affect the subsequent development of the base.

After a moment of silence, Guan Shao spoke again, “Jiang Rong, I want to leave the base for a few days.”

 

 

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