Apocalypse Chapter 55: Little Guaiguai’s Attack

Chapter 55: Little Guaiguai’s Attack

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Early the next morning, Zheng Zhanqing and his buddies arrived outside Jiang Rong’s house. 

As soon as they saw the towering cacti outside the yard, their eyes widened in shock. “Oh my god…”

Although they had heard of Little Fairy’s existence from Chu Qiang, seeing it with their own eyes left them speechless. Little Fairy was adorned with the blood-red Little Guaiguai, and the bloodthirsty vines draped down from the cacti and the yard wall, resembling a giant red net. When they went on missions together before, Little Guaiguai was obedient and everyone enjoyed playing with it. If they hadn’t witnessed the terrifying combat power of the bloodthirsty vines firsthand, they wouldn’t have associated it with ferocity.

Seeing the languid bloodthirsty vines, Wang Chengang greeted, “What’s Little Guaiguai up to?”

The bloodthirsty vines weakly swayed, not even bothering to speak.

Chu Qiang lowered his voice and said to everyone, “Don’t talk to them now. Xiao Jiang punished them by not allowing them to watch cartoons for half a month. They’re feeling miserable.” 

Not being able to watch cartoons for half a month was cruel punishment for two loyal cartoon fans. Everyone was speechless. What kind of punishment was this?

As soon as Chu Qiang finished speaking, Little Guaiguai and Little Fairy simultaneously uttered a plaintive call, “Cartoons…”

Wang Chengang’s mouth twitched. “Looks like they’re really resentful.”

After the Great Crisis, Zheng Zhanqing found that he could understand animals. When he heard Ba Wang calling him “Dad” for the first time, he was taken aback. Over time, he found this ability quite useful; sometimes, he could hear unexpected news. Upon entering the yard, Zheng Zhanqing saw the magnificent tiger pacing back and forth. The tiger stared fiercely at everyone, and as they took a few steps forward, it bared its sharp teeth.

This was Zheng Zhanqing’s task for today: to communicate with the tiger and make it useful for the esper team. The tiger in front of him looked formidable. Zheng Zhanqing had only spoken to mutated pets like cats and dogs before, and it was his first time facing a wild beast. He composed himself and put on a warm smile to greet it.

But before he could speak, he heard the tiger’s low warning growl.

Zheng Zhanqing instinctively raised his hands to stop his companions from advancing. “Step back, step back, don’t move forward.” 

It wouldn’t be good if they angered the tiger.

The others quickly stepped back. Chu Qiang exclaimed, “This guy looks even bigger than yesterday.”

Yesterday, when they saw the tiger, it was lying down, and they could only see its length. Today, as it stood up, Chu Qiang realized that the tiger was almost as tall as him. The tiger paced in front of them, swishing its tail. It faced the direction of the yard gate, using its body to create an invisible barrier. If Chu Qiang and the others dared to take a step forward, it immediately lowered its body and bared its teeth.

Jiang Jinhua frowned and clicked his tongue. “Such unreasonable beasts.”

Zheng Zhanqing quickly stopped Jiang Jinhua. “Old Chiang, you can’t say that!” 

If he couldn’t communicate with mutated animals, he might have thought that their intelligence was lacking. But through this period of exploration, he found that animals domesticated by humans had very high intelligence.

As soon as Zheng Zhanqing finished speaking, the tiger suddenly glared fiercely at Jiang Jinhua. Jiang Jinhua exclaimed, “No way? It understands?”

Fortunately, Jiang Rong and the others quickly noticed the abnormality in the yard and opened the gate. Sensing the movement behind it, the tiger obediently lay down on the ground, facing away from the gate, staring fiercely at Zheng Zhanqing’s group.

Zheng Zhanqing furrowed his brow. The tiger’s reaction was quite strange. It should have treated all humans equally. Why did it seem to have already marked Jiang Rong’s family as its territory? This didn’t seem like a wild tiger. Even watchdogs weren’t this vigilant.

When they woke up this morning, Jiang Rong noticed that the tiger’s behavior was different from what he had imagined. They had prepared for the tiger to attack when they opened the gate, but after the gate was opened, the tiger just lazily lay down in the yard.

Jiang Rong raised his voice. “Xiao Zheng, ask the tiger what its name is.”

Zheng Zhanqing looked into the tiger’s eyes. Faced with the imposing king of the forest, even though it was lying down, his palms were sweaty. “Hey, brother Tiger, what’s your name?”

The tiger flicked its tail but didn’t respond.

No matter how Zheng Zhanqing introduced himself or tried to communicate with the tiger, it acted as if it hadn’t heard him at all. The tactics used on Ba Wang were completely ineffective against the tiger, making him doubt life: was his ability only effective on mutated pet dogs and cats?

At this moment, a small voice came from behind Jiang Rong. “Dou Dou…”

The tiger suddenly stood up from the ground and swiftly walked towards the gate. Guan Shao stepped forward to block Jiang Rong and his son. A faint purple barrier appeared in front of him, with faint flashes of electricity within it.

Just as the tiger was about to touch the barrier, its movements suddenly slowed down. It lowered its head obediently to the ground. At the same time, Zheng Zhanqing heard a somewhat immature call, “Zookeeper!”

Zheng Zhanqing’s eyes lit up. “It’s speaking! It’s calling the two kids zookeepers!”

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao exchanged a glance. Could this tiger really recognize Xiaoheng and Xiaohao?

With the cooperation of Xiaoheng and Xiaohao, Zheng Zhanqing quickly pieced together the tiger’s background. The tiger’s name was Junjun, the pride of D City Zoo. It was born on the first day of the New Year and was a Siberian tiger bred by D City Zoo.

Despite Junjun’s large size, it was actually less than eight months old and was still a cub. After the Great Crisis, the zookeepers disappeared without a trace, and the animals in the zoo either died or mutated. The animals that were left without anyone to care for them suffered through painful torment and eventually broke free from their cages.

Junjun was one of the animals that escaped. However, it wasn’t originally a lone tiger. Its tiger mother took it westward into the mountains. Without the care of the zookeepers, their lives were not easy. One day, the tiger mother went out to hunt and never returned.

Junjun waited in the same place for several days, realizing that his mother wouldn’t return. So, following its instinct, it chased after prey along the way. During this time, Junjun’s hunting skills improved. It transformed from a bullied young tiger into a ruler of the forest, expanding its territory.

One day, passing by a hill, it saw a square cement house. This house resembled the cage where it and its mother used to live. Seeing the house made it feel especially familiar. Outside the house was a large Eyries cactus. Whenever Junjun approached, sharp thorns flew to stop it. The more it was kept away, the stronger its curiosity grew. It had to see what was inside the house.

Inside the house lived two naive children. They had been feeding the tiger as if it were a house cat for some time. During this time, the tiger’s vigilance towards them decreased until it got into a fight with a python, got injured, and jumped into the yard seeking help.

Everyone knows what happened next. Jiang Rong stared earnestly into the tiger’s eyes, “Junjun, if you want to stay with us, you have to behave. Can you do that?”

Junjun blinked its golden tiger eyes, and Zheng Zhanqing translated, “He says he can.”

As a tiger raised by humans, Junjun’s wildness was not as strong as its counterparts in the wild. Instead of roaming freely and marking territories, it preferred staying with the keepers. After getting Junjun’s affirmative answer, Jiang Xiaoheng and Xiaohao were overjoyed. They cheered and threw themselves onto Junjun, completely oblivious to their injured rear ends from yesterday.

Watching his son frolic with the tiger, Jiang Rong still had some worries. Guan Shao reassured him, “Don’t worry, many wealthy people abroad keep lions and tigers as pets. Since Junjun agreed to stay with us, it should be able to adapt. Moreover, it stayed because of Xiaoheng and Xiaohao, so it won’t harm them.”

Junjun’s matter was satisfactorily resolved, and the esper Team gained another powerful beast they could control, a result that pleased everyone. They sat in Jiang Rong’s living room, relaxing and chatting.

Although they knew Master Guan lived in Jiang Rong’s house, Wang Chenggang and his group were seeing Jiang Rong’s house arrangement for the first time. Wang Chenggang sincerely praised, “Boss Jiang’s house is well built. If we build houses in the future, we should follow this standard.”

This group of people was trusted by Guan Shao, and Jiang Rong also wanted to incorporate them into the core team.

Jiang Rong waved his hand with a smile, “Don’t say that. I had no choice but to build it like this.” 

As a designer, he knew well how ugly his house looked from the outside. The only aspect he could be proud of was the interior decoration.

If he had known he would awaken wood elemental abilities after the Great Crisis and receive help from Little Fairy and Little Guaiguai, he would have definitely built an elegant courtyard in the mountains. But at that time, he was just an ordinary person, so his only requirement for the house was that it was sturdy.

However, Xu Jinhao didn’t think so, “This house is pretty good, big, spacious, and beautifully decorated.” 

They spent years in the military, where the buildings were all square. Jiang Rong’s house was much more pleasing to the eye than those crooked buildings outside.

Jiang Rong smiled, “If everyone likes this kind of house, when the base stabilizes, I’ll give everyone the design drawings and decoration plans.”

Speaking of stabilizing the base, the conversation among the group became more varied. The base had just been established and was in need of many things. Currently, the most important tasks were manufacturing solar panels and building warehouses.

Manufacturing solar panels was relatively straightforward. There were plenty of raw materials stockpiled in the Lean Solar Electronics’ warehouse, and there were power generation units in the factory area. As long as personnel were in place, the production line could be started.

However, building the warehouse was more complex, involving blueprints, labor, equipment, materials, and more. Every link in the process was indispensable.

The college students had already started surveying, and the soldiers brought by Guan Shao were also skilled laborers. In D city, there were several well-known manufacturing enterprises with a lot of large-scale machinery equipment.

Currently, the biggest shortage was materials. Wang Ting sighed, “We went to several companies, but the materials we found were far from what we expected.”

Perhaps it was because of the recent heat, several material enterprises in D city had stopped production or reduced output, leaving their warehouses almost empty. If materials were insufficient, the construction of the warehouse would have to be delayed.

After thinking for a while, Chu Qiang said, “There aren’t many processing material enterprises in our city. I remember several suppliers from our unit were in Jiangbei. If it’s really necessary, shall we take a trip to Jiangbei?”

To the north of D city was a river, with sand mines along the river and supporting material manufacturers further back. If they could go to Jiangbei, the material issue should be resolved. However, it would require traversing the entire D city and crossing the river.

Jiang Rong nodded, “Alright, we can’t delay this matter. Everyone, go back and prepare. We’ll set off early tomorrow morning.”

As they left the Jiang family’s house, Chu Qiang and the others discussed how many people should go on the trip while walking. They chatted eagerly. However, Zheng Zhanqing, sitting in the back row, didn’t join in. Instead, he grinned foolishly, looking out the window.

His odd behavior didn’t escape Meng Weixian’s notice. He nudged Zheng Zhanqing and joked, “What’s up? You’ve been absent-minded since we left Boss Jiang’s house. Has anything good happened? You’re grinning like a fool.”

Zheng Zhanqing chuckled softly twice and whispered, “I have good news about Master Guan.”

Everyone suddenly perked up their ears, “What good news? Tell us!”

With a silly grin still on his face, Zheng Zhanqing continued, “Just now, Lele from Boss Jiang’s family asked me if kisses smelled good. If they didn’t smell good, why would Boss Jiang and Master Guan kiss each other every night?”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone erupted into gossip, “Oh~~”

Wang Chenggang slapped his thigh excitedly, “What did I say? Xiao Jiang is Master Guan’s type! No wonder Master Guan, being so quick, brought everyone to Spark Base. So, this is the reason!”

Guan Shao’s preference for men was no secret, so everyone was happy for him to find someone he liked.

The pickup truck was filled with laughter and cheers, except for Chu Qiang, who looked blank. The small truck wobbled on the mountain road and almost hit the curb. Chu Qiang’s impatient voice came from the window, “Damn it!”

***

The journey from the base to the bridge crossing the river spanned over a hundred kilometers. Jiang Rong and his team set off early and had covered more than eighty kilometers by noon. As they approached the bridge, traffic congestion worsened. Seeing the line of vehicles ahead, Jiang Rong picked up the walkie-talkie and directed, “There’s a gas station ahead. Let’s take a break there.”

The convoy slowly pulled into the gas station. Guan Shao opened the door and hopped out of the car, “I’ll check if there’s any fuel.”

Having been busy all morning, Jiang Rong felt hungry. Just as he took out his backpack to prepare lunch, Chu Qiang swiftly got into the car and sat down beside him.

Chu Qiang stared at Jiang Rong’s face with a complex expression. “Xiao Jiang, you…”

Jiang Rong raised an eyebrow, “Did you finish all the delicious food aunt prepared for you? Now you want to eat mine?”

Before departing, Aunt Chu had prepared a large bag of delicious snacks and fruits for each of them. Knowing Chu Qiang’s penchant for good food, Jiang Rong was sure he couldn’t resist indulging in those treats.

Unexpectedly, Chu Qiang shook his head. He hesitated, “Is it true about you and Guan Shao?”

Jiang Rong looked at him in surprise, “Huh?” 

He and Guan Shao had never hidden their relationship. It was rare for Chu Qiang to be sensitive about it. Chu Qiang’s expression changed several times. “Are you and Guan Shao together?”

Jiang Rong blinked, showing no signs of embarrassment or shyness at being caught, “Yes, what about it?” 

As an adult, being with someone compatible wasn’t abnormal, so there was no need to conceal it. Chu Qiang spoke with emphasis, “Xiao Jiang, I’m not against you finding a partner. But finding a partner is a major life decision; you need to be careful.”

Jiang Rong chuckled, “What’s wrong? Weren’t you admiring Guan Shao? Why the change in reaction now?”

Chu Qiang scratched his head in frustration, “I’m not saying Master Guan is not good. It’s just that I feel Master Guan is not someone who’s suited for a domestic life. Think about it, Master Guan is too outstanding. Can he take care of you?”

Chu Qiang hadn’t slept all night, feeling indescribable emotions. He had watched Jiang Rong grow up, and now he was witnessing him falling in love right under his nose? It felt like nurturing a cabbage for over twenty years, only for it to be snatched by a pig. This caused him to shoot sparks with his eyes whenever he looked at Guan Shao.

If he could beat Guan Shao, Chu Qiang would have challenged him long ago. What a Guan Shao, taking advantage of Jiang Rong when he wasn’t looking and entering into a relationship with him. Chu Qiang hated it. Why did he have to foolishly send Jiang Rong the address of Chenggang Fitness Center? If he hadn’t sent the location, would Jiang Rong have met Guan Shao? Thinking that the cabbage he had painstakingly raised was being taken away by himself, Chu Qiang wished he could slap himself a few times.

Jiang Rong smiled, “Isn’t it a good thing that he’s outstanding? Besides, I’m an adult, what do I need him to take care of?”

Chu Qiang anxiously scratched his head, “Xiao Jiang, you’re different now, you know? Look, you’re an esper now, and a leader at Spark Base. After working all day, you still have to take care of Xiaoheng when you get home. Wouldn’t it be better to find someone who knows how to handle life? At least there would be a warm meal waiting for you when you get home!”

Jiang Rong chuckled and opened the lunchbox, revealing cute little rice balls inside. He held it out to Chu Qiang, “Want some?”

Chu Qiang casually picked one and popped it into his mouth before continuing, “Xiao Jiang, I know Master Guan is talented and a good person. He’s very charming. I also understand your personality. You don’t play around with relationships; once you’re in love, you’re in it for the long haul. I just feel that given how busy you are now, even if you want to find someone, you should find someone gentle, caring, obedient, and capable of taking care of you. Being with Master Guan, who knows who’ll end up taking care of whom. Bro, let me be pessimistic for a moment. Imagine, just imagine. If, I mean if, you and Master Guan couldn’t make it to the end, and you both carry such a heavy burden, what if you break up? It could hurt the base. If you two can’t stand each other, how are we supposed to work together?”

Jiang Rong listened to Chu Qiang’s nagging with a smile, but seeing Chu Qiang’s increasingly worried expression made him even more concerned. “Xiao Jiang, you have to be careful about this. Listen to me, be careful.”

As Chu Qiang spoke, he ate, and in no time, he had eaten three rice balls. Jiang Rong smiled and asked, “Do you like them?”

Chu Qiang hurriedly gave a thumbs up, “Your cooking is great, delicious! Can I have another one?”

Jiang Rong said warmly, “Guan Shao made them.”

Chu Qiang was taken aback, “Huh?”

Jiang Rong continued calmly, “Since he came to our house, whenever he has free time, he takes care of the cooking and laundry. He puts effort into making delicious food for the kids and understands his own needs better than I do. Chu Qiang, I know what you mean. You hope I can find someone who treats me well, but I just want to tell you, my judgment is sound. Not just anyone can catch my eye. Guan Shao is the one I’ve chosen. I intend to build a life with him. Of course, I’ve considered the issues you mentioned before, even more deeply. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to let things take their course. If the day comes when we part ways, I’ll accept it.”

Chu Qiang couldn’t find words to say for a moment. After a while, he sighed, “Well, it’s your own business, and I can’t say much. I wish you both well and hope you have a long and happy future together.”

At that moment, Guan Shao’s voice came from outside, “Jiang Rong, there’s still some fuel left in the gas station. Let’s collect it together.”

Seeing Guan Shao return, Chu Qiang quickly grabbed a rice ball from the lunchbox. He opened the car door and stood face to face with Guan Shao. After a while, he clenched his fist against Guan Shao’s chest, “Master Guan, I entrust my little brother to you. You have to treat him well, you know? If you ever mistreat him, I’ll break your legs during the day and night.”

Guan Shao nodded solemnly, “You can trust me.”

Chu Qiang popped the rice ball into his mouth and walked briskly towards the pickup truck. He had given the necessary reminders, and as for what would happen between Xiao Jiang and Master Guan in the future, he would quietly observe.

After Guan Shao got into the car and fastened his seatbelt, he said, “There won’t be a day when we part ways. I have good judgment too. I never play with people’s feelings. Once I’ve chosen someone, I only want to be with them for the rest of my life.”

It turned out that Guan Shao had heard everything Chu Qiang said. He could understand Chu Qiang’s feelings. Jiang Rong was not only his childhood friend but also his brother. When a brother finds a partner, the elder brother will always be concerned. Guan Shao’s words to Jiang Rong weren’t just a casual response; they came from his heart. Finding someone you like isn’t easy, and he just wanted to cherish every day spent with Jiang Rong.

Jiang Rong smiled and handed over the lunchbox, “Yeah, let’s eat.”

What Guan Shao said, Jiang Rong understood. Feelings couldn’t be explained in just a few words. Since fate had brought them together, they would cherish each other.

***

After resting at the gas station for nearly half an hour, the convoy set off again towards the direction of the bridge over the river. Four forklifts up ahead worked in shifts to stack the vehicles blocking the road and move them to the side. After two busy hours, they finally reached the main bridge.

Just as the convoy drove onto the main bridge, everyone felt that something was wrong. It was an unsettling feeling; despite the bright sunshine outside, several espers in the convoy couldn’t help but shiver.

Without hesitation, Guan Shao issued the command, “All vehicles retreat to the approach bridge.”

Jiang Rong opened the car door and called out, “Little Guaiguai, clear the way.”

Responding to Jiang Rong’s command, Little Guaiguai rolled off the heavy truck, and red vines spread along the bridge. It clung to the bridge and quickly climbed towards the center of the river.

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao stood by the bridge holding binoculars, observing Little Guaiguai’s movements. Little Guaiguai was fast; it climbed over a kilometer in no time.

Jiang Jinhui couldn’t help but praise, “I’ve crossed this bridge over a hundred times, but never have I felt such a chilling sensation like today.” 

Most espers have a strong perception of danger, and this bridge made everyone uncomfortable, indicating that there must be something nearby.

Luckily, with Little Guaiguai, they had assistance in scouting the path. If they sent the brothers ahead, who knows what could have happened. Moreover, Little Guaiguai searched meticulously; it didn’t let any mutated flora and fauna escape its notice.

As they spoke, Little Guaiguai had already climbed onto the surface of the river. At that moment, it seemed to have discovered something. It propped up its body and extended the red vines towards the water.

Was there something in the water?

Just as Little Guaiguai’s vines were about to touch the water’s surface, a large cluster of water splashed suddenly, and a large swath of ink-green “ribbons” emerged from the calm water. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly millions of thick, long water plants. The water plants swiftly entwined around Little Guaiguai’s vines, tightly binding nearly half of the bloodthirsty vines in an instant.

Jiang Rong’s heart jolted, “Little Guaiguai! Come back quickly!”

However, he was too late. With a cry of surprise, Little Guaiguai was pulled into the water. The red figure flashed on the surface of the water, and then it was submerged by the water plants.

“Little Guaiguai—”

 

 

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