Chapter 49: Reinforcements
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
No wonder Chu Qiang had such thoughts; right now, he just felt that this old man was a lunatic. Not to mention wearing thick hanfu in the scorching heat, he was also awake in the middle of the night, babbling about being a tree… Who would believe that?
Chu Qiang chuckled twice, “Has the Second Hospital’s wall collapsed? Nowadays, anyone can come out and act like a charlatan.”
They rushed to D University in a hurry. Not finding any students in need of rescue was one thing, but encountering a lunatic here was another. If Chu Qiang hadn’t kept his composure, he would have definitely given this old man a piece of his mind.
Jiang Rong lowered his voice, “Don’t talk nonsense. Can’t you see it?”
Frowning, Chu Qiang asked, “See what?”
Jiang Rong nodded slightly in the direction of the old man, “The light.”
“The light?” Chu Qiang looked over skeptically, and upon seeing it, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Damn! What kind of special effects is this?”
Greenish-blue light cascaded down from the old camphor tree, slowly converging towards the old man and lingering on his clothes. The old man looked up at the tree and said, “The time is near.”
As the light descended, the outer branches of the camphor tree began to wither, and the once lush green leaves quickly turned yellow and fell from the branches. The rustling sound of leaves falling could be heard, and Jiang Rong and Chu Qiang felt the temperature around them rising rapidly. It seemed much cooler under the camphor tree.
The old man smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry, young friend. I didn’t mean to show signs of decline, but upon seeing you, my heart was at ease. Please, don’t worry, I will help awaken them for you.”
As the branches withered, the sky gradually appeared before them. Under the canopy of the sky, a huge light curtain of pale blue color slowly gathered towards the direction of the camphor tree, and the sound of the horn outside the school gate grew louder.
“Dang—Dang—Dang—”
Distant bells rang from the camphor tree, and Jiang Rong and Chu Qiang followed the sound. They saw a copper bell the size of a washbasin hanging from the central branch of the camphor tree. The bell was covered in green patina, indicating its age, and it seemed almost integrated with the tree itself.
The sound of the bell drowned out the horn of the truck and echoed in every corner of the campus. The old man’s voice, filled with age, immediately followed, “Students, rise and shine. The espers from Spark Base have come to assist you.”
Jiang Rong stepped forward and said, “Old sir, could you please tell everyone to pack up and gather in front of the library door?”
The old man nodded slightly and repeated Jiang Rong’s words. After speaking, the old man’s exposed skin visibly aged at a speed visible to the naked eye. He seemed to lose some of his energy and tiredly sat on the edge of the flower bed under the camphor tree, leaning against the sturdy branches of the tree.
Leaves continued to fall from the top of his head, and the once flourishing camphor tree soon looked disheveled. Since awakening his abilities, Jiang Rong had become particularly sensitive to the vitality of plants. Looking up, he saw that the vitality of the large camphor tree was rapidly diminishing, with only a few branches still showing signs of life.
Chu Qiang was puzzled, “How did this tree suddenly die?”
Mutant plants generally have strong vitality, and Chu Qiang couldn’t understand. The giant tree that covered the sky before they arrived, why did it suddenly become like this?
Jiang Rong looked quietly at the old man. “Perhaps only he understands.”
The old man smiled faintly, “I have witnessed the great catastrophe of the world, seeing countless creatures perish tragically, I couldn’t bear it. I am willing to use this frail body to shelter the lives under the tree.”
A long time ago, the old camphor tree in front of the D University library had gained consciousness. However, at that time, it couldn’t speak, let alone manifest in a form visible to people. After the Great Crisis, it mutated. It witnessed countless teachers and students dying tragically, and in its grief, it developed a great sense of responsibility. The people in the campus had taken care of it for so many years; it was time to repay their kindness.
It stretched out its branches forcefully, shielding the students and teachers from the scorching sun, bringing them a hint of coolness. It summoned all its powers to resist the invasion of external mutant plants and animals. Because of its existence, many students at D University survived.
However, forcibly sprouting roots and shoots was a heavy burden for the old camphor tree, especially considering the barren land beneath it, which was not enough to support its growth. Shielding everyone from the scorching heat for over two months had already depleted much of the tree’s strength.
If Jiang Rong and the others didn’t arrive soon, the old camphor tree wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. It would slowly wither in front of the students, eventually becoming a giant stick of firewood.
Before it passed away, the old camphor tree entrusted these students to Jiang Rong. “Young friend, I entrust these students to you. I hope you will treat them well. They are all good children, sincere, excellent, and diligent.”
Every student who could enter D University was a pride of heaven. Although some people might see academically excellent students as bookworms, the students at D University were not only academically accomplished but also proactive.
These students could develop medicines to protect it from insect infestation and find fertilizers to help its branches and leaves grow. Regardless of the era, these children on campus were always the loveliest, and that was the main reason why the old camphor tree was willing to sacrifice itself to protect them.
In the blink of an eye, the human form condensed by the old camphor tree became elderly, with only a pair of eyes still shining brightly. “The world is difficult, young friend. Take care.”
Chu Qiang muttered, “What about passing on the heritage?”
What exactly was the heritage? He had only heard of mountain ranges, mineral veins, and the mystical dragon veins, but he had never heard of anything called heritage.
The old camphor tree said solemnly, “These hundreds of students are the heritage. With them, the spirit of literati will continue to thrive and endure forever.”
Jiang Rong remained silent. He looked up at the bearded camphor tree. He couldn’t bear to see such a good camphor tree die like this.
With this in mind, Jiang Rong took a step forward and placed his hand on the camphor tree’s bark. The green energy flowed along the bark onto the tree’s body. Suddenly, the old camphor tree, which was rapidly losing vitality, trembled violently. It looked at Jiang Rong in astonishment. “Young friend, this… this can’t be done, it can’t be done!”
The old camphor tree, deeply influenced by years of exposure to books on campus, understood human nature very well. Humans were complex beings; they could be kind, but they could also be evil.
It knew its own strength very well. Unlike other mutant plants and animals, it didn’t have sharp teeth or thorns. The only thing it could do was provide shade. Jiang Rong’s waste of ability to save it was truly a loss.
Jiang Rong smiled, “What can’t be done? You’ve helped so many people, and it’s time for someone to help you.”
Tears welled up in the old camphor tree’s eyes, but Jiang Rong waved his hand. “It’s just a small effort; don’t worry about it.”
Soon, footsteps could be heard outside the library. At the old camphor tree’s call, students began to appear on the path, dragging suitcases behind them. Despite the protection of the old camphor tree, the students appeared haggard due to lack of sufficient food.
When they saw Jiang Rong and Chu Qiang, many students crowded around them. Before Jiang Rong could say anything, these children burst into tears of joy.
God knew how they had spent these past two months. Their classmates had died inexplicably. Chaos reigned outside, and D University became an isolated island. Without supplies and rescue, the surviving students could only huddle together to support each other until now.
They tried to communicate with people outside the campus, seeking rescue, but despite sending out so many distress signals, no one ever responded to them. If it hadn’t been for the protection of the old camphor tree, some of them might have perished long ago.
Just when everyone was about to give up hope, someone actually came to rescue them. Listening to the sound of the horn repeating outside, the students were afraid that it was all a dream. If it was a dream, then this dream must have been the most beautiful one they had had in the past two months.
Dozens of heavy trucks slowly entered the campus from the main gate of D University, lining up neatly in front of the library. In front of each truck stood four or five large pots, with fires blazing underneath. Chefs dressed in white chef’s uniforms were busy behind the pots.
Bags of instant noodles were submerged into boiling water. Whenever the noodles floated up, someone would quickly scoop them out and put them into disposable lunch boxes. A spoonful of lard was ladled, followed by two spoons of soy sauce and a dash of MSG. Then, pouring over most of the bowl of noodle soup, a simple and quick soy sauce noodle soup was made.
Although it was just a simple soy sauce noodle soup, it moved the hungry students present almost to tears.
Before the Great Crisis, they were all little princes and princesses at home. Despite the chef’s well-prepared dishes, they would only receive criticism from them on regular days. However, after more than two months of hunger, they deeply understood the importance of food. Before Jiang Rong and the others arrived, these people had been eating only two liang of flour every day for more than half a month.
The fragrant soy sauce noodles emitted the aroma of grains and oil, causing the students to salivate frequently.
The cooks were selected by Jiang Rong from Spark Base, each having their own family. Seeing the emaciated students, the cooks couldn’t help but add more noodles to their lunch boxes. They warmly welcomed the students, “Take your time eating, don’t burn yourself, there are plenty of noodles, if it’s not enough, come back for more!”
Not enough, come back for more, such a simple and confident statement. If Spark Base didn’t have reserves, how could they bear to let them go hungry?
Hundreds of students sat on the steps in front of the library, holding lunch boxes. The sound of slurping noodles echoed from all directions. This was the most delicious thing they had ever eaten in their lives, they didn’t even want to waste the soup.
After working hard until midnight, Jiang Rong and the others were hungry too. Jiang Rong sat under an old camphor tree, holding a large bowl of noodles. Just as he was about to start eating, a handsome female student appeared in front of him.
Jiang Rong looked at the female student and smiled, “What can I do for you, fellow student?”
The female student nodded and introduced herself, “My name is Lin Meng, I’m the president of the D University Student Union. I have a list of all the surviving students at D University on my computer. I think you might need it, so I’ll transfer it to you.”
Jiang Rong couldn’t help but smile, “Thank you.”
Previously, whenever the esper Squad arrived at a village, Ruan Hanyu would record the names and occupations of the villagers, etc. When they arrived at D University, they should have let Ruan Hanyu register one by one, but Jiang Rong saw how pitifully hungry the children were, so he decided to let everyone eat first.
Unexpectedly, before they finished eating, students took the initiative to bring Jiang Rong what he needed. Lin Meng not only registered all the information of the survivors but also carefully marked whether these people had abilities or were injured.
D University harbored many talents; there were more than fifty espers alone. Jiang Rong carefully looked at the list of espers, among which the most were enhancement-type espers and elemental-type espers.
With this list, the work of espers could proceed more smoothly.
Although the students of D University had experienced hardships, they had not lost their enthusiasm and initiative as students. After finishing their meal, seeing that the espers were busy, they took the initiative to ask if they needed help.
Usually, espers had to actively seek out people, but in the D University campus, they fully experienced the benefits of having students around.
Pan Pan couldn’t help but give Jiang Rong a thumbs-up, “Brother Jiang is truly admirable. No wonder he rushed here as soon as he heard the distress signal.”
University students who were obedient and excellent were such good seeds for building a base. Previously, they were still worried about the lack of manpower, but now, hasn’t the manpower arrived?
***
After eating and drinking their fill, the students counted the numbers according to roll call. Each time someone was counted, they dragged their luggage and climbed into the heavy trucks. Chu Qiang and other reinforced espers stood at the back of the truck, lifting luggage with one hand and hoisting people with the other as they arrived.
Before long, all the students from D University were seated on the heavy trucks. Everyone sat crowded together with their luggage, each face adorned with a bright smile. Luckily, there were no traffic police inspections at the moment, otherwise, according to Jiang Rong’s transporting method, they would definitely have to go through questioning.
Five heavy trucks slowly pulled out from D University, and Jiang Rong did not follow the convoy. In fact, only Ruan Hanyu from the esper team accompanied everyone back; she had to arrange the students’ accommodations. Even with students like Lin Meng helping, settling more than five hundred students was not an easy task.
Watching the taillights of the heavy trucks disappear from sight, Jiang Rong stood up and said softly to the old camphor tree, “I’ll go check out other schools first. I’ll come back to find you after I’m done.”
The old camphor tree was surprised, “Find me?”
Jiang Rong nodded slightly, “Yes. I want to ask if you’re willing to come with us to Spark Base. Our base is near Lingshan Reservoir, surrounded by mountains and water. You can choose a place you like and settle there.”
The old camphor tree was even more surprised, “Why? I’m just an old, decrepit body, unable to leave the range covered by my roots. Even if you move me back to the base, I won’t be able to obey your commands. Besides, you already have spirit plants; one more old tree won’t make a difference…”
Jiang Rong smiled faintly, “I just feel that you’ll be lonely without the students. Our team has espers of wood and earth elements, so you don’t have to worry about being harmed when moving. Before I come back, you’ll have several hours to consider. If you still don’t want to leave by then, I won’t force you.”
There were more than a dozen comprehensive universities in D City University Town. Jiang Rong wanted to see if there were any survivors left in the remaining schools. If there were, he could bring them back together.
That’s why he brought over a dozen heavy trucks. If they could fill all the trucks with people and take them back to the base tonight, their trip wouldn’t be in vain.
***
Just as Jiang Rong had anticipated, there were survivors in the other colleges and universities in the university town, and quite a few of them. However, without the protection of the old camphor tree, the students from other schools couldn’t organize themselves. They scattered around the campus, and it took Jiang Rong a great deal of effort to find them.
After visiting more than a dozen colleges in the university town, the sun had risen. Throughout the night, the heavy trucks from Spark Base continuously entered and exited the university town. In the end, more than 2,300 college students were transported back to the base, including three hundred espers.
Chu Qiang looked at the data sent by Ruan Hanyu with great joy, “Xiao Jiang, look at this, we’ve hit the jackpot. With so many espers, we won’t have to worry about not having enough people in the future.”
Jiang Rong responded with a nod but didn’t seem as excited as Chu Qiang. Perplexed, Chu Qiang asked, “Xiao Jiang? Aren’t you happy?”
Jiang Rong calmly glanced at the list in Chu Qiang’s hand. “With more people comes more complexity.”
Especially when there are so many espers, some with quite impressive abilities. Students indeed have their strengths: they’re enthusiastic, obedient, and proactive. However, they also have corresponding weaknesses. They’re passionate and easily swayed.
If there are one or two strong influencers among this group, they might try to recruit followers at Spark Base, using Jiang Rong’s name. Then they could just leave, leaving Jiang Rong to deal with the aftermath. That wouldn’t be worth it.
Chu Qiang scratched his head in silence. “Then why did you rescue them all?”
Jiang Rong chuckled lightly, “Good or bad intentions aren’t written on their faces. We can’t disregard lives just because of hypothetical scenarios.”
Chu Qiang’s expression turned complicated. “So, what do you suggest?”
Jiang Rong replied calmly, “I’ve already instructed Hanyu to handle it.”
The easier something is to obtain, the less it’s valued. Jiang Rong intentionally had Hanyu settle these students in several vacant villages. The conditions there were basic, with only essential facilities; electricity hadn’t even been fully installed. He wanted to see if these students could endure hardship and settle down at Spark Base.
Chu Qiang silently gave a thumbs up. “Impressive, Xiao Jiang.”
As the sun rose higher, the temperature soared. Jiang Rong called to Chu Qiang, “Bring Pan Pan and the last heavy truck. We’re going to D University.”
Chu Qiang was puzzled. “Huh? Why go to D University? Isn’t everyone gone from there?” After a pause, he realized, “Damn, Xiao Jiang, are you going to dig up a tree? Where do you plan to plant such a big tree? Will it survive? How about we plant it next to the market near our village? That place is always bustling; it might like it there.”
Chu Qiang’s chatter was giving Jiang Rong a headache. He gritted his teeth. “Qiang.”
Chu Qiang straightened up. “Yeah! What’s up?”
Jiang Rong snapped, “Shut up.”
Chu Qiang grumbled softly, feeling a bit aggrieved. “Oh.”
After several hours of contemplation, the old camphor tree had made a decision. Without waiting for Jiang Rong to ask, it uttered its ancient response, “I am willing to go to Spark Base.”
Just as Jiang Rong had predicted, it couldn’t bear to leave those students. Moreover, Jiang Rong had given it new life, and it also wanted to see what Spark Base was like. If Jiang Rong needed it, it was willing to extend its branches for him.
Under the scorching sun, Chu Qiang couldn’t spot the old man from last night. However, he had become accustomed to seeing a few words here and there from Little Guaiguai and Little Fairy. Seeing a talking tree now didn’t surprise him anymore.
Chu Qiang was more concerned about another matter. “Xiao Jiang, isn’t this tree too big? How are we going to fit it onto the truck?”
The trunk of the old camphor tree had a diameter of over a meter, and its height exceeded ten meters. Although some parts of its crown were dead, there were still vibrant branches that could easily cover their truck beds. The heavy truck beds were only ten meters long, and that was without considering the roots. What were they going to do?
This question also stumped Jiang Rong. He had assured the old camphor tree earlier that moving it wouldn’t harm it. But looking at the situation now, it seemed they might have to trim some branches.
The ancient camphor tree didn’t mind. “It’s okay, you can saw them off. I’ve experienced a few relocations before; some damage is normal.”
But Jiang Rong hesitated. Just then, Leilei briskly walked up to Jiang Rong. “Uncle Jiang, should I give it a try? But I have quite a few things in my space; I need to take some out first.”
Jiang Rong looked at Leilei in surprise. “Leilei, are you serious?”
Leilei nodded. “I’ve tried it before; living things can stay in my space. I think as long as I take out the things inside, we should be able to fit a big camphor tree.”
Leilei had collected quite a lot of supplies from the school last night, accompanying Ruan Hanyu back and forth several times with the trucks, which had left her with red, tired eyes.
Jiang Rong gently patted Leilei’s shoulder. “Leilei, thank you for your hard work.”
Leilei grinned, showing her small white teeth. “It’s not hard. Just make sure Xiaoheng calls me ‘fairy’ a few more times when we get back!”
Without further ado, Leilei quickly climbed onto the heavy truck and retrieved one high and one low bed after another from her space. Seeing the neatly arranged beds on the truck bed, Pan Pan exclaimed, “Wow, is Leilei planning to move all the school’s assets?”
Leilei tilted her head defiantly. “What’s wrong with that? If conditions allowed, I’d even want to move the classroom and dormitory buildings.”
Their base was just starting out, and they needed a lot of supplies. Currently, there weren’t many esper teams competing for resources with them. But in the future, if there were more space-type espers, there might be things they wanted to grab but couldn’t.
Leilei’s words reminded Jiang Rong. “Right, Leilei’s right. We need to move as many things as possible now. Then, when we have time in the future, everyone can come out and take a look around, taking useful items with them.”
After clearing out one heavy truck’s worth of supplies, Leilei walked to the side of the camphor tree. “I’m ready.”
First, Jiang Rong injected some esper energy to protect the tree’s main roots and crown. With the infusion of esper energy, the old camphor tree let out a contented sigh, and its leaves visibly became glossy.
Pan Pan slapped the ground with both hands, and the coverings on the old camphor tree’s roots were removed, revealing a large cluster of roots. The millennium-old camphor tree’s roots were highly developed, and it was nearly impossible to extract them entirely.
After much effort, Pan Pan only managed to clear about twenty square meters of roots. He stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Jiang ge, if we keep going, the library is going to collapse. I think it should be fine with this many roots.”
The old camphor tree quickly agreed, “This gentleman speaks wisely, I am indeed unharmed.”
Chu Qiang wiped his face in pain. “My goodness, you need to change your way of speaking. Who can tolerate such formal speech? It’s like listening to ancient texts; it gives me a headache.”
After a pause, the old camphor tree felt ashamed and said, “I will remember that.”
Chu Qiang took a deep breath, and his muscles expanded several times, even his height increased. He stepped forward, tightly embracing the trunk of the camphor tree. With a loud roar, he exerted force with both hands. The massive tree swayed left and right under Chu Qiang’s movements, and the delicate roots couldn’t withstand the pulling force, breaking one by one.
At that moment, a faint blue energy flowed along the deep pit, and the sound of small cracks came as the roots buried in the soil were cut by tiny ice blades. Ruan Hanyu stood at the edge of the pit, “Brother Chu, move a bit more so my ice blades can go deeper.”
With the cooperation of Chu Qiang and Ruan Hanyu, the enormous camphor tree was finally briefly lifted from the ground. Just as the camphor tree loosened, Leilei timely reached out her hands.
Everyone held their breath, eyes widened, afraid that any noise they made might disturb Leilei. However, as soon as Leilei’s hands touched the camphor tree, it disappeared.
Leilei smiled happily. “Success!”
It was her first time storing such a large object, especially a living one. Did this prove she was making progress?
Jiang Rong sighed in relief. “Well done, everyone. Let’s head back home.”
As they left the university town, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but wonder: What would Guan Shao’s expression be when he returned and found so many people at the base, along with such a magnificent camphor tree?
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