Apocalypse Chapter 47: Distress Signal

Chapter 47: Distress Signal

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Guan Shao had once said that if he were to leave the base, he would need Jiang Rong’s permission. Without waiting for Jiang Rong to inquire carefully, Guan Shao revealed his plan, “I have some teammates. If nothing unexpected happens, they should still be alive. I originally planned to screen through the mutated plants and animals within a dozen or so miles before going to find them. But now it seems better to bring them over first.”

Guan Shao’s teammates were all skilled experts, whether or not they were espers, they could do much more than ordinary people. With them joining, Jiang Rong’s base construction would be smoother, and his companions would also have a stable place to live. After pondering for a moment, Jiang Rong asked, “Is it far?” 

The longer the distance, the greater the danger Guan Shao would encounter. He would rather the base lose a few pieces of land than Guan Shao encounter danger.

Guan Shao looked quietly at Jiang Rong and smiled after a moment, “You’ve been there. C City, Chenggang Gym.”

Upon hearing C City, Jiang Rong’s brows furrowed even more. “Chu Qiang and the others took a month to come home from C City. Going back and forth once, you’ll likely encounter a lot of danger.”

From D City to C City, it would take three hours on a clear highway. But with the highways congested now, they could only take side roads. Taking side roads meant risking robbery, encountering mutated plants and animals, and various other uncontrollable situations.

Guan Shao said calmly, “Don’t worry. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll be back in ten days.”

Jiang Rong indeed understood Guan Shao’s strength. To be honest, even if he used Little Fairy and Xiao Guaiguai, he could only match Guan Shao. Guan Shao’s electric abilities could make everything within a radius of three hundred meters barren with no one surviving. If he said he would be back in ten days, he would definitely be back within ten days. Jiang Rong nodded, “Alright, go ahead.”

However, Guan Shao was somewhat worried, “I’m afraid if I stay away for too long, you might encounter danger.” 

Although he had confidence in Jiang Rong’s strength, in today’s world, anything unexpected could happen. Jiang Rong now had a base, and wherever he went, countless eyes were watching him. He was afraid that there might be some unscrupulous individuals who would harm him.

Jiang Rong smiled and waved his hand, “There’s Chu Qiang and the others at the base. There won’t be any danger. If you’re sure you want to go get your companions, then you should set off as soon as possible. Bring them over sooner, and you’ll feel more at ease.”

Before the Great Crisis, C City was a well-known economic center in the country. After the Great Crisis began, C City was the first to collapse. In Jiang Rong’s previous life, he hadn’t heard of any bases being established in C City. On the contrary, he had heard from people who escaped from C City that many mutated plants and animals had appeared in C City, each one deadly. The longer one stayed in C City, the greater the danger.

Guan Shao nodded slightly, “Alright, I’ll go back and pack. I’ll set off after daybreak.”

***

By the time the solar panels were completely installed, dawn was almost breaking. Normally, when Chu Qiang and the others installed the solar panels, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao would take the opportunity to show up. But today, the sun was already high up, yet they hadn’t come out. Chu Qiang looked puzzled at the village entrance, “Huh? Have they encountered some danger? Why aren’t they here yet?”

Leilei said, “Uncle Jiang and Uncle Guan have already gone back. They fought many mutated rats last night.”

Chu Qiang frowned, “They went back?” Did they have a tough battle last night, and these two were exhausted? 

Leilei leaned close to Chu Qiang’s ear and whispered, “Uncle Jiang asked me to tell you that Uncle Guan is going to pick up his companions. He’s going back to prepare.”

Chu Qiang nodded thoughtfully, “Oh…” 

Guan Shao’s companions? Where is he going to pick them up? How many people?

Forget it, he didn’t need to consider such matters. Xiao Jiang and Master Guan would handle it. He still needed to think about what to say to the villagers of Tangqiao Village. Normally, Xiao Jiang would handle this job, but now that Xiao Jiang was gone, he had to step up.

Chu Qiang looked around and found that the villagers who had been surrounding them were nowhere to be seen. He wondered, “Where are the people?”

Leilei pointed to the back of the village, “They’re at the back. My mom is almost done there.”

Chu Qiang turned and walked quickly towards the back of the village, “Alright, let’s go over there too.”

In the woods behind Tangqiao Village, a deep pit had been dug. In the pit lay more than two hundred corpses wrapped in bedsheets. These were the villagers who hadn’t survived the Great Crisis. After enduring several days of high temperatures, the situation of the corpses could be described as tragic.

The villagers helping to carry the bodies squatted beside the pit, their faces pale as they vomited. In the darkness, green-headed flies danced with a buzzing sound, showing no fear of the pungent smell of gasoline.

Espers held lit incense sticks and bowed solemnly towards the direction of the pit. To be honest, no matter how many villages they went to, burying the dead always weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts. But they had no choice. If they let the corpses rot, not only would it pollute the houses, but it would also cause infectious diseases.

After bowing three times, the espers threw the incense sticks into the pit. With a loud “boom,” the gasoline in the pit was ignited, and the swirling green-headed flies turned into ashes in the flames. The huge flames soared into the sky, and many people present shed tears at the sight.

In the pit lay their loved ones, friends, and neighbors. If it weren’t for this crisis, they would still be alive and able to chat and laugh with those around them. But now, they didn’t even have a single grave. After the flames burned out, the espers would cover the deep pit with soil, and from then on, there would be no trace of them in this world.

People stood quietly at the edge of the pit, waiting silently for the flames to burn out. Half an hour later, the flames in the pit gradually died down. Chu Qiang nodded to Pan Pan, who stepped forward and patted the ground.

The earth at the edge of the pit churned, filling the deep pit. A tombstone appeared on top of the deep pit, and the first ray of sunlight in the morning fell on the tombstone, illuminating the words engraved on it: “258 villagers of Tangqiao Village rest here.”

As the sun rose, the ambient temperature quickly increased. The crowd that had been lingering around the tombstone began to walk towards their new homes.

Jiang Rong remembered the cramped underground room at Peace Base, where a dozen people were squeezed into a space of just over ten square meters. Jiang Rong didn’t want the people in the base to live in such cramped conditions. He set a rule that each person would have eight square meters of disposable space. In a room of just over ten square meters, two people could easily live.

The houses in the countryside were spacious, each house having at least two to three hundred square meters, enough to accommodate a dozen people. There were over a hundred survivors in Tangqiao Village, and they would be housed in the houses selected by the espers.

Twelve buildings near the western end of the village were surrounded by sturdy mud walls, and each building within the enclosure had solar panels on its roof. As the sun rose, the solar panels began to operate. Fans and air conditioners inside the houses started up, bringing cool air.

Cheers erupted from the houses, with many people crying tears of joy, never expecting to use electric fans and air conditioners in their lifetime. They would no longer have to gather around earthen stoves to eat rough food; the base would provide them with basic living security. As long as they worked hard, everyone could live a good life.

Soft music emanated from the speakers on the mud walls. In the future, villagers could receive the latest information from the base through these speakers. Listening to the pleasant music, espers breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that today’s task was almost complete.

Now, only the final step remained before they could return home. With a whistle from Chu Qiang, a ball-sized, blood-red vine rolled down from the mountains behind. This was a branch of Little Guaiguai, a vine with strong vitality. As long as there was a foot-long vine, it could grow into a complete bloodthirsty vine.

All bloodthirsty vines separated from Little Guaiguai shared the same consciousness as the main body. With just a thought, Jiang Rong could investigate the situation of all the villages protected by the bloodthirsty vines. Little Guaiguai quickly climbed up the mud wall, extending its red vines. A bright color appeared on the yellowish mud wall, attracting the crowd’s attention.

The villagers whispered to each other, “Is that the bloodthirsty vine? I heard that this thing is a mutant plant tamed by our base leader. With it here, other mutant animals and plants dare not approach.”

“It looks pretty, but is it really effective? Can I go poke it?”

“Hey, don’t go looking for trouble. I’ve seen the bloodthirsty vine strangling a mutant wild boar before. That big pig, it sucked all its blood and flesh dry, terrifying. You surely don’t think you’re tougher than a mutant wild boar…”

Espers were already accustomed to the villagers’ reactions. After Little Guaiguai climbed up the mud wall, Chu Qiang took out a red iron plate from the pickup truck’s trunk. The plate bore a line of large characters: “Spark Base, Tangqiao Village.”

After firmly placing the iron plate at the entrance of Tangqiao Village, Chu Qiang waved his hand and said, “Let’s go, let’s go home and rest.”

***

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao, however, didn’t have the chance to rest today. Guan Shao had to go to City C to pick people up, while Jiang Rong was packing for him. The trunk of the off-road vehicle was filled with food, drinking water, and of course, essential medicines. Seeing Jiang Rong busy packing with his back to him, Guan Shao’s gaze grew deeper. How could he bear to leave Jiang Rong like this?

Jiang Rong opened the closet to select clothes suitable for Guan Shao to wear. “Can I prepare three sets of clothes for you? The weather is too hot, and you like drinking water. Every move you make, you break into a sweat. If there are no suitable clothes, you might end up smelling bad after a week.”

After asking the question, Jiang Rong didn’t hear a response. Just as he was about to turn around to see what Guan Shao was doing, he was suddenly hugged from behind. The warmth and breath of the man enveloped Jiang Rong tightly, causing his heart to beat faster and his ears to turn red. “Wh… what’s… what’s wrong?”

Guan Shao’s hot breath was on Jiang Rong’s ear, his chin gently resting on Jiang Rong’s shoulder, surrounded by Jiang Rong’s scent. Perhaps because Jiang Rong was a wood-type esper, or maybe because their shower gel was effective, Jiang Rong smelled very pleasant, like the scent of spring grass and wood. It was refreshing and pleasant, gently teasing his heartstrings. Guan Shao’s deep, hoarse voice came from beside his ear, “I’ll be back as soon as possible. Wait for me.”

The scorching breath sprayed against Jiang Rong’s ear, making his ears even redder. “Mn.”

This was the first time Guan Shao had hugged someone in his life, and it felt so good that he didn’t want to let go. In the past, when he went on missions, he would set off immediately after preparing, never lingering. But this time, he wanted to hold onto Jiang Rong for a little longer. He not only wanted to hug Jiang Rong, but also wanted to kiss him, tear his clothes apart, make him cry… The breath of the two became hotter and more urgent, and their body temperatures rapidly rose. Sensing the barrier behind him, Jiang Rong lowered his voice, “Stop hugging.”

Guan Shao chuckled softly. “I understand. It’s impolite to hug for too long.”  After saying this, he slowly released his embrace.

When the sky turned pale, Guan Shao opened the door of the off-road vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat. Jiang Rong walked quickly beside him, saying, “There are two boxes of purified water and two boxes of energy drinks in the trunk, as well as compressed biscuits, instant noodles, and canned food. I’ve put a camping stove for you to find. Medicines are on the passenger side footboard, and your clothes are on the back seat…”

Guan Shao placed his left hand on the car window, leaning out half of his body to listen carefully. Jiang Rong told Guan Shao everything he had prepared, and finally concluded, “Take care of yourself and come back soon.”

After saying these words, Guan Shao didn’t start the car. The two looked into each other’s eyes and saw a reflection of themselves. The air became silent again, and the ambiguous feeling made Jiang Rong’s legs feel weak. In the end, he gave in and lowered his eyes. “That’s all. Have a safe journey.”

“Mn.”

The sound of the car starting came as Jiang Rong was about to step back to make way for the car. Suddenly, a strong hand pressed against the back of his head, guiding him towards the direction of the car. The next moment, his lips were gently sealed by Guan Shao’s kiss. A warm sensation enveloped him, and Jiang Rong’s pupils contracted: !!!

This kiss was like a dragonfly skimming over water. Guan Shao licked his lips with a lingering taste and sincerely said, “Sorry, couldn’t help it. Can I continue when I come back?”

As the words fell, the off-road vehicle dashed away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Jiang Rong stood in the parking lot, watching the direction the vehicle disappeared, and touched his lips with his hand. The smile on his lips grew wider and wider.

So, this was what intimacy between lovers felt like? It felt pretty good. Although Jiang Rong knew Guan Shao couldn’t hear, he still responded, “When you come back, you can’t just kiss and run like this.”

Kissing once and leaving, what kind of behavior was that? If you have the guts, kiss a bit longer.

Indeed, Guan Shao didn’t hear Jiang Rong’s response, but there were two big “light bulbs” nearby who did. As Jiang Rong turned around, he saw Little Fairy hanging on the wall of the west courtyard, even imitating the sound of whistling to Jiang Rong, “Master Jiang~ Shh~”

Flowers of blush bloomed one after another, and Little Fairy wiggled its body, mimicking the “chu chu” sound made when kissing. Little Guaiguai hung on Little Fairy’s body, waving its vines in the air to form countless heart shapes, “Wow~ Wow~”

Jiang Rong blushed and fled.

***

Guan Shao’s car had a walkie-talkie. When he left, Jiang Rong and he agreed that he would check in every day at 6 p.m. On the third day after Guan Shao left, at 6 p.m., Jiang Rong sat in the study and turned on the radio again.

The mobile radio acted as an amplifier, and Guan Shao could hear him on the other end. To communicate, both of them needed to have their radios and mobile radios on simultaneously.

At exactly six o’clock, Guan Shao’s voice came through the broadcast, “Hey, Jiang Rong, how are you?”

With a headset on, Jiang Rong pressed the call button on the mobile radio. “I’m fine, how about you? Where did you get to today?”

Guan Shao’s voice was calm. “I’ve reached the town outside City C. If all goes well, I’ll be in C city tonight, but the road is a bit congested. However, I found an excavator that can be used to clear the way.”

Jiang Rong imagined Guan Shao driving an excavator to clear the road. He couldn’t help but smile and said, “Master Guan is so versatile, you can even operate an excavator? If Xiaohao and Xiaoheng see you operating an excavator, you’ll be their hero.”

After Guan Shao left, the two little ones at home were very uncomfortable. Every morning, Jiang Xiaoheng would ask, “Uncle Guan, where did he go today? When will he come back?”

Guan Shao’s voice made Jiang Rong’s scalp tingle. He replied, “Alright, I’ll bring the excavator back when I return. By the way, how was today? According to the plan, you should be heading towards the village in the northwest, right?”

Jiang Rong was meticulous and planned everything carefully. Based on Guan Shao’s memory, during the seven days he was away, they were supposed to head northwest.

Jiang Rong vaguely responded, “We set off this morning. Don’t worry, everything is going smoothly.”

As he said this, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but reach for his side. This morning, when they went three kilometers northwest to the village, they were ambushed by a mutant snake. The mutant snake was covered in thick scales, with a waist thicker than a bucket, and Little Guaiguai’s thorns couldn’t pierce it.

In the melee, Jiang Rong was struck hard on the side by the snake’s tail, leaving a bruise. Fortunately, his physical condition was much better now, or else he would have been lying dead on the mountain already.

If Guan Shao were present, they would have likely teamed up to kill the snake. However, Jiang Rong was alone, and the mutant snake managed to escape. Fearing that Guan Shao would be distracted, Jiang Rong decided to report only the good news and not the bad. Whatever happened, he would wait for Guan Shao to come back to discuss.

Although Jiang Rong didn’t tell Guan Shao about this incident, Guan Shao seemed to have a sense and reminded him, “There are many mountains to the northwest, and many wild creatures inhabit them. Don’t rashly go up the mountain. If necessary, let Little Guaiguai scout around. Don’t disturb any powerful mutant animals and plants. Wait for me to come back before doing anything.”

Jiang Rong replied, “Got it.” 

Today’s ambush served as a warning to him. The current mutant animals and plants didn’t even consider espers as threats; in their eyes, espers were just a meal. In the future, he needed to be more cautious when traveling, or the consequences would be dire.

While the two were chatting, there was a knock on the study door. Two children peeked their heads in from outside, “Daddy, can we come in?”

Jiang Rong waved his hand, “Perfect timing, I’m talking to Uncle Guan. Come in, say hi to Uncle Guan.”

Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao approached the mobile radio. Jiang Xiaoheng said softly, “Uncle Guan, when are you coming back?”

Guan Shao chuckled, “Soon, Uncle will be back in three or four days. Xiaoheng, did you listen to Daddy today?”

Jiang Xiaoheng dragged his voice, “Yes~ Uncle Guan, come back quickly, both me and little brother miss you~”

Jiang Hao followed with two “yeah yeahs,” showing his agreement with Jiang Xiaoheng. Guan Shao’s smile deepened, “Xiaohao, you also need to listen to Uncle Jiang, okay? When I come back, I’ll bring an excavator for you guys.”

The two children were extremely excited, “Excavator! Yay~”

Listening to the children’s innocent chatter, Guan Shao’s eyes became increasingly tender. Was this what home felt like? How lucky he was to meet someone he wanted to spend his life with and to have two such adorable children.

The two little ones chattered away by the walkie-talkie for about fifteen minutes, asking about the appearance of the excavator, wishing Uncle Guan could bring it back right away. If Jiang Rong hadn’t told them that it would affect Uncle Guan’s work, they would have continued chattering.

After luring the children out of the study with ice cream, Jiang Rong returned to the walkie-talkie. He put on his headset and asked, “Did you feel their longing for you?”

Guan Shao’s voice was cheerful, “Yeah, when I get back, I’ll fry some pancakes and make some small crabs and hedgehogs for them.” 

Just now, Jiang Xiaoheng complained that Daddy’s fried pancakes didn’t have any small crabs, which wasn’t cute at all. Guan Shao was proud because he never thought that his rough cooking methods would be approved by the kids.

Jiang Rong sighed with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “You clearly overheated the oil, and the filling leaked out. How can you call those specially made small crabs and hedgehogs? Alright, I won’t bother you anymore. Focus on your work, and stay safe.”

Guan Shao responded, “Okay, you take care too.”

After putting down the walkie-talkie, Guan Shao looked to the east. The setting sun’s afterglow illuminated the tall buildings in the city, but the black rain had cast a layer of darkness over them. City C looked like a dark abyss, swallowing the vitality of the city.

Guan Shao took out a bottle of mineral water from the passenger seat, finished it in one gulp, and then put the empty bottle back in the box. Then he opened the car door and stepped out, saying, “Come out.”

The road, crowded with abandoned vehicles, had dozens of figures appearing on both sides. They held clubs and slowly approached Guan Shao. “Hand over the food, and we’ll spare your life.”

Just now, they saw clearly that this man had food and drink in the car, and he was driving such a nice car, so there must be good stuff in it.

The smile on Guan Shao’s face had been replaced by seriousness. “You’re very lucky. I’m in a good mood right now.”

***

After turning off the walkie-talkie, Jiang Rong prepared to turn off the radio as well. However, when he turned it off, he accidentally touched the dial on the radio, causing the frequency for his conversation with Guan Shao to become scrambled again.

The radio in Jiang Rong’s house was set up by Chu Qiang and was extremely complicated to use. Seeing that he had messed up the frequency, Jiang Rong could only grit his teeth and sit in front of the radio, trying to restore it.

As the dial turned, there was a crackling sound in the radio, as if someone was speaking. After adjusting it a few more times, Jiang Rong finally heard the content of the broadcast clearly, “We are students from D University, a group of more than five hundred people. We are trapped in D University campus. If anyone hears this broadcast, please save us.”

Students? University campus?

Jiang Rong quickly opened the map and after some searching, he indeed found the university city in the south of City D. There were more than a dozen colleges in the university city, and the Great Crisis happened when students were in school. After the Great Crisis, many students lost contact with their families. They didn’t dare to leave the campus recklessly, so they united to seek rescue within the school.

The distance from the base to the university city was only about fifty miles. Jiang Rong’s heart stirred, and he reached for the walkie-talkie, “Qiang, hundreds of students are trapped in D University. There should be a lot of students there. Contact everyone, we’re going there to rescue them.”

Chu Qiang was pleasantly surprised, “Students? Hey hey, that’s great! You wait, I’ll gather more people, and we’ll take the heavy truck there.”

 

 

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