Apocalypse Chapter 60: Turning the Tables

Chapter 60: Turning the Tables

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

At half past seven in the morning, the temperature began to soar, and as usual, by this time the market was almost dispersing. Those who couldn’t bear the heat would leave and head home to cool off with air conditioning. But today, the activity center’s gates were wide open, with dozens of armed soldiers pacing back and forth in front of them. Inside the central square, hundreds of villagers crouched with their heads in their hands. Every twenty meters along the edge of the square stood a soldier in camouflage, holding a loaded gun menacingly, scanning the area.

The villagers dared not raise their heads or exchange whispers; they only dared to squat in place like scared quails. At that moment, several soldiers escorted a few villagers forward, and someone in the crowd glanced up before hastily lowering their head.

“Captain, all the villagers from Fishery Village Three are here.”

The captain’s expression darkened as he glanced at the villagers. “Where are Chu Qiang’s parents and Jiang Rong’s son?”

A soldier shouted, “Reporting, Captain, there’s no one at Chu Qiang’s house. They should be at Jiang Rong’s residence. The Falcon Squadron has already departed.”

The captain nodded slowly. “Dismiss.”

Uncle Li and Aunt Li crouched on the ground, still not understanding what was happening. They had been picking fruits in the orchard when suddenly a dozen soldiers appeared. Without a word, they tied up everyone working in the orchard. When a young man who was helping asked what was going on, he was hit with the butt of a gun, leaving him bleeding from the head.

Seeing this situation, Uncle Li and Aunt Li dared not say anything. Now, seeing so many people detained inside the activity center, everyone felt that something was seriously wrong.

As the villagers puzzled over the situation, a group of students walked in from outside.

Lin Meng frowned in disgust. “Du Zhang? How did he end up associating with these soldiers?” 

As the president of D University’s student union, Lin Meng had taken over the responsibility of managing the students since entering the base. The students from D University and several other nearby colleges cooperated well with Lin Meng’s work. Only Du Zhang and his group of friends always caused trouble. They never properly completed the tasks assigned by Lin Meng. Du Zhang, relying on being an esper, completely disregarded Lin Meng.

Du Zhang swaggered in, pulling out several sheets of A4 paper from his folder as soon as he entered. A classmate handed him a microphone. Clearing his throat, Du Zhang switched on the microphone, and after a deafening noise, his voice echoed throughout the activity center. “Residents of Spark Base, hello. Today, we have gathered here mainly to denounce the current leader of Spark Base, Jiang Rong, and his esper squad for their numerous crimes.” Du Zhang passionately read, “Jiang Rong’s first crime: favoritism. Details of the crime: Villager Li from Fishery Village Three was assigned to work in the orchard due to his close relationship with Jiang Rong’s squad. Li embezzled during work…”

When Uncle Li and Aunt Li heard these words, they looked at each other in disbelief, both stunned. When the two elders came to their senses, they were livid. Uncle Li trembled as he stood up, facing the barrel of a gun, and spoke with a quivering voice, “Young man, hold on a minute.”

Du Zhang didn’t expect to be interrupted. He felt a little annoyed for a moment. But seeing that it was an elderly person who interrupted him, some of his displeasure dissipated. This was the time for him to win over the masses, so he put down the paper in his hand and wore a gentle smile. “Elder, do you have any questions?”

Uncle Li’s lips moved, his eyes moistening. “I want to ask you, when did I embezzle and do shoddy work?”

Du Zhang paused, scanning Uncle Li up and down. “Who are you?”

Uncle Li’s voice trembled, “I am the Li you mentioned, who contracted the orchard! Son, you have to have a conscience in life. I’m sixty years old this year, in terms of age, I could be your grandfather. I haven’t achieved much in my life; the only thing I know is how to grow fruit trees. I swear on my conscience, I never sold any substandard fruits harvested from the orchard in the market. You accuse me of embezzlement, but when did I ever do such a thing? Tell me!”

Du Zhang’s face turned pale. He indeed wrote this proclamation, but the incidents and people mentioned were all hearsay from others. He didn’t expect to be confronted by the person himself the first time he read it in public. It was unfortunate that Spark Base was too small, and the activity center was too close to Jiang Rong’s house.

Uncle Li, feeling indignant, explained to the villagers, “Folks, I’ve been growing fruit trees for most of my life. You all know what kind of person I am. Regardless of whether the orchard belongs to me or not, one must have a conscience in their actions. When have you ever bought substandard fruits from me? Accusing me of embezzlement is even more unjust. The orchard isn’t mine; every fruit on the trees belongs to the base. When we work in the mountains, we report how many fruits we pick. Every day, we have to account for the fruits sold and the money earned. All of this can be verified by the accountant; not even a single fruit goes missing.”

Du Zhang gritted his teeth and asked, “Then what about the supplies in your house?”

Uncle Li slapped his thigh in frustration. “My ancestors! Those things were temporarily stored at my house by the esper squad because they had nowhere else to put them. Strictly speaking, it’s no longer my house; it belongs to the base. It was Jiang Rong’s pity that allowed us to continue living in our familiar house. How can you say those are my belongings?”

Voices of support came from the villagers. “Exactly! I don’t know Jiang Rong, and my former home was also requisitioned as a temporary warehouse. Does that mean I’m also Jiang Rong’s relative?”

“If only they were relatives, things would be better, and we wouldn’t be working so hard every day.”

“Don’t mention it. Old Chu and his wife are busy all day long. They are Chu Qiang’s real parents.”

Du Zhang’s complexion changed intermittently. His voice lowered a bit. Thankfully, the soldiers beside him pointed their gun butts at Uncle Li. “Get down! Who told you to move?”

Uncle Li and Aunt Li supported each other and squatted down indignantly. Voices of support came from behind them. “Old Li, don’t take it to heart. We all know what kind of person you are.”

Most of the people present were villagers from nearby areas who had dealt with each other in the past. How could they believe the slander of a young brat with just a few words?

Du Zhang continued to read Jiang Rong’s “crimes,” but as he read, the discussions in the square grew louder and louder.

Du Zhang claimed that the staff in the activity center climbed up through nepotism. This infuriated Lin Meng and her friends. Even though Lin Meng had a good temper, she couldn’t bear it anymore. Ignoring her companions’ attempts to stop her, Lin Meng stood up and faced Du Zhang, speaking loudly, “Du Zhang, you said we climbed up through nepotism? If I remember correctly, all the students received assessment forms at the time. Only the top fifty in the written test had the opportunity to be recruited by the base. Didn’t you see the questions?”

Those who worked in various departments were carefully selected by Jiang Rong. They had to pass cultural exams and were meticulous in their work. Before officially starting work, they had to undergo rigorous training. How did Du Zhang twist their hard-earned jobs into something obtained through connections?

Lin Meng wasn’t like the villagers; she knew Du Zhang’s background. The usually gentle girl’s face flushed with anger. “If I remember correctly, you also took the exam back then. But unfortunately, you didn’t even finish the test questions, let alone get a chance for an interview.”

Du Zhang, burning with anger, retorted, “Lin Meng! Don’t think I’m afraid of you!”

Lin Meng glanced at Du Zhang. “That should be my line. Don’t think I’m afraid of you! Do you know why, as an esper, the base doesn’t assign important tasks to you?” Before Du Zhang could speak, Lin Meng hit him hard, “Because you’re incompetent. You’re impetuous, stubborn, and selfish. You’re not even human. Have you forgotten the days we spent in the university city? It was Jiang Rong who brought the esper squad to pick us up from the university city to the base. Without him, we students might not even be alive now. After entering the base, he provided us with food and shelter and did everything to improve our conditions. Even crows know how to repay kindness, but what about you? The tasks assigned to you, you never complete properly. You can’t handle any responsibility; you’re the worst in shirking duties.”

Lin Meng had let it all out. She pointed at Du Zhang’s nose and cursed, “You keep saying Jiang Rong is guilty? As far as I’m concerned, Jiang Rong’s biggest mistake was bringing people like you to the base. You only care about your own interests and conspire with corrupt military personnel to seize power. I’m deeply saddened that there are scum like you among the students. When everyone was building the base, what were you doing? You were trying to take advantage of every opportunity for personal gain. I didn’t see your contributions; all I saw was your greed and selfishness!”

As Lin Meng kept scolding, Du Zhang couldn’t bear the humiliation. He snatched the gun from a nearby soldier and fired a shot in Lin Meng’s direction. “Shut up!”

The sound of gunfire erupted, followed by fearful screams from the crowd. Lin Meng’s body shook violently, and she instinctively hugged her head with both hands.

Fortunately, Du Zhang’s aim was off, and the bullet didn’t hit her. Lin Meng’s classmates quickly pulled her down. “Mengmeng, crouch down quickly!”

Lin Meng didn’t want to risk losing her life at this moment. She glanced at Du Zhang and silently crouched down.

With Lin Meng’s interruption, Du Zhang couldn’t continue reading his indictment. At this point, the soldier who had been disarmed stepped forward with a displeased expression. “Young man, bullets don’t discriminate. Be careful.”

The discussions among the villagers grew louder and louder. If Jiang Rong’s squad wanted to dominate everything, why bother doing everything themselves? The tension in the crowd escalated, and cursing voices emerged. “Damn it, where did this punk come from? Talking nonsense!”

Unable to face staying in the activity center any longer, Du Zhang, with his head hanging low, slipped away without looking back.

***

Every morning after 7 o’clock, Jiang Xiaoheng had an important task to do—he had to take care of the chili peppers Daddy had grown, together with his little brother.

Before the Black Rain fell, Jiang Rong had nurtured a batch of seedlings. However, after the Black Rain, only one chili pepper plant remained. Fortunately, the mutated chili pepper plant grew rapidly and had now reached over two meters tall. Half a month ago, it bloomed with white flowers, and now it was full of small chili peppers.

Every morning, Jiang Xiaoheng would water the chili peppers. Daddy said that in a few days, they could pick the chili peppers to stir-fry with meat. Although Jiang Xiaoheng didn’t particularly like spicy food, he felt he could eat several more bites of meat knowing that he had grown the chili peppers himself.

The two children skillfully dragged a small cart with half a bucket of water to the vegetable patch. Spoon by spoon, they poured water onto the ground around the chili pepper roots, moistening the soil. Jiang Xiaoheng spoke softly, “Little chili pepper, drink more water so you can bear more peppers. Come on!”

From the courtyard, Aunt Chu’s voice came, “Xiaoheng, Xiaohao, Grandma made sweet glutinous rice cakes for you. Come back and have some rice cakes—”

The two brothers poured the remaining water from the bucket onto the ground and Jiang Xiaoheng responded in a drawn-out voice, “We’ll be back soon~”

Suddenly, as they were crouching by the chili peppers, Junjun and Lele stood up. At the same time, the two children heard a series of firecrackers. Jiang Xiaoheng held the small ladle in his hand, looking around in confusion. “Brother, someone is setting off firecrackers.”

The spikes on Little Fairy’s body shook slightly. “Something’s wrong~”

Uncle Chu hurriedly ran towards the courtyard. “Xiaoheng, Xiaohao! Come back quickly!” 

He wasn’t ignorant; the sound coming from outside wasn’t firecrackers; it was gunfire. Seeing the two children still foolishly laughing under the chili pepper tree, Uncle Chu rushed up and picked them up, saying urgently, “Forget about the chili peppers, let’s go home first!”

Jiang Xiaoheng raised his little head in confusion. “Grandpa, did you hear that? The firecrackers seem to be getting closer to us.” 

Could it be a celebration? But today’s firecrackers sounded strange; in the past, they were continuous and rhythmic, but today’s were different.

Uncle Chu forced a smile. “Really? Don’t worry about the firecrackers; let’s go home and have some rice cakes.” 

He was getting older and couldn’t run far. After a few steps, his face turned pale, and sweat dripped from his forehead. Early this morning, Chu Qiang had asked him and his wife to come to Xiao Rong’s house. He said he needed their help with the children, but his son’s eyes were filled with anxiety and tension.

Uncle Chu didn’t know what had happened, but he knew his son too well. Chu Qiang couldn’t hide anything; his emotions always showed on his face. Seeing the look in his son’s eyes, Uncle Chu realized that something extraordinary was about to happen today.

Now that gunfire was reaching the doorstep of Xiao Rong’s house, if Uncle Chu still didn’t understand what was happening, he would be too dull: someone in the base wanted to seize power! He finally reached the courtyard with difficulty. After putting down the two children, he urged them to go back inside. “Let’s go back quickly.”

Jiang Xiaoheng took a few steps towards the yard but felt like something was missing. He looked around and asked, “Grandpa, where’s Lele?” 

Lele, who usually stayed close to them, was nowhere to be seen. Lele had been summoned by an esper and was running towards the east. He ran up a vine-covered path, and at the other end, he saw dozens of rebels shooting into the woods on both sides.

Junjun lowered his body and used the vines as cover to quietly crawl towards the rebels. Just as he was getting close, he suddenly realized that he wasn’t the only one who had been summoned. Mutant dogs from miles around had also come; dozens of large dogs were slowly approaching the rebels from hidden positions.

Compared to the cautious mutant dogs, Junjun appeared exceptionally aggressive. He swooped down from the mountain, pressing down on the backs of two rebels with his front paws, and bit the neck of another rebel with a gaping mouth. Three clear sounds of bones breaking could be heard, and three people were killed in the blink of an eye.

After a successful strike, Junjun spun around and pounced on other rebels. Chaos broke out among the rebel group. The rebels, who had never seen such a situation before, panicked. They raised their guns and aimed at Junjun.

Before they could pull the trigger, Lele and the others jumped out. Dozens of mutant dogs swarmed the rebels, tearing at their hands and feet. Before long, the sporadic gunfire from the east disappeared. The rebels, overwhelmed by the mutant animals, lay on the ground, bloodied and helpless, as they were captured.

Wang Chengang kicked one of the rolling rebels harshly. “You wanted to rebel with such strength? I’ll let you rebel!” He waved his hand. “Tie them up and let Jiang deal with them later.”

Zheng Zhanqing was surrounded by a dozen bloodied mutant pet dogs. After making sure that the dogs were okay, he patted each of them on the head. “Well done, thank you!”

But the one who deserved the most thanks was Junjun. Junjun’s combat power far exceeded that of the pet dogs. Just his charge alone had killed more than a dozen rebels. Unfortunately, Zheng Zhanqing had still not gained Junjun’s favor. After helping, Junjun quietly slipped away.

From the west came sporadic gunfire. Zheng Zhanqing asked, “Gang, should we go help Old Chiang and the others?”

Wang Chengang chuckled and replied, “Help Old Chiang? Do you think Old Chiang won’t set your hair on fire? Do you really think he’s been loafing around in the military all these years?”

Zheng Zhanqing nodded thoughtfully. “True, Old Chiang’s got a foul temper. The person who ran into his gun barrel is probably crying for mercy right now…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Zheng Zhanqing’s mouth was covered by someone. Wang Chengang’s face turned ugly. “You better shut up, you poisonous milk.”

Zheng Zhanqing had a bit of a mystical skill from childhood. Whenever he pointed out something, it always went wrong. This skill worked in all situations, so his teammates affectionately gave him the nickname “poisonous milk.”

Seeing the poisonous milk teasing his teammates, Wang Chengang quickly covered his mouth. “Later, I’ll tell Old Chiang that you made him win!” 

Zheng Zhanqing tried to salvage the situation. “No, no, I misspoke. Right now, the rebels are probably crying for mercy.”

Wang Chengang grinned maliciously. “I’ll tell Old Chiang that you said the rebels are making him cry for mercy.”

Zheng Zhanqing turned his head slightly, locking eyes with Wang Chengang. In the next moment, he commanded his mutant dogs to attack Wang Chengang. “Get him! How dare he make fun of me!” 

This was outrageous!

Zheng Zhanqing’s poisonous milk skill is taking effect, and the situation for Chiang Jinhu and his team was very dire. Two earth-type espers among the rebels have erected tall earth walls, and the rebel squad was hiding behind them. The arched earth walls were incredibly sturdy, blocking bullets and esper attacks alike. Chiang Jinhu was furious, but no matter how big of a fireball he throws, it doesn’t leave a single mark on the earth walls. As the earth walls draw closer and closer, Chiang Jinhu’s expression changes, “Damn it! Cowardly bastards, come out and face me one-on-one if you dare!”

The rebels were not foolish; how could they possibly come out of cover to face Chiang Jinhu one-on-one? Who didn’t know that Chiang Jinhu was the most formidable fire-type esper in the entire base? Taking advantage of the cover provided by the earth walls, the rebels inch closer and closer in the direction of Jiang Rong’s home.

Seeing himself being pushed back step by step, Chiang Jinhu bursts out with a string of curses. Is he going to mess things up? Master Guan and Boss Jiang entrusted him with the task of guarding the main base only because they trusted him. Is he going to fail them?

At this moment, he suddenly hears a cheerful laughter, “Master Jiang~” 

That voice… it’s Little Fairy from Jiang Rong’s family!

Chiang Jinhu turns around to see a huge Eyries cactus rolling down the mountain path behind them. The Eyries cactus has a diameter of nearly three meters, emitting a solid thumping sound as it rolls.

Everyone looked up to see Little Fairy outside the courtyard wall transformed into a bald cactus, while the cactus from the west side rolled down the mountain path.

Chiang Jinhu was overjoyed and signaled to his teammates. Their attacks become even fiercer, bullets and esper abilities raining down on the earth walls as if they cost nothing. Although the rebels inside the earth walls are still advancing slowly, their vision was blurred by flames and smoke, making it impossible for them to see ahead.

The speed of the rolling Little Fairy cactus increases more and more. When it’s about to reach Chiang Jinhu and his team from behind, they all retreat to the side of the road simultaneously.

The giant Eyries cactus left a trail of afterimages and with a muffled bang, it hit the earth wall solidly. With the added momentum, this impact was no less than a heavy truck crashing at full speed. How could earth-type espers withstand such a fierce blow? The sturdy earth walls cracked and collapsed, and the rebels who couldn’t dodge in time were crushed underneath.

The rebels who luckily avoid being crushed are confused, not knowing what just happened. They blink and see a huge dark green mass “roaring” past them. Chiang Jinhu finally seizes the opportunity, “Hit them hard!”

Bullets and flames rained down on the rebels, and in no time, they were routed. Chiang Jinhu felt a sense of relief as his long-awaited vengeance was achieved. “That felt great! It’s damn satisfying! Thanks a lot, Little Fairy!”

But where was Little Fairy now? The massive cactus couldn’t stop its momentum and continued rolling down the mountain path with a rumbling sound. Little Fairy’s voice trailed off, elongating, “There’s~a~prob~lem~”

Chiang Jinhu was speechless.

***

Several vehicles in the convoy had been blown sky-high, burning with smoke emitting a pungent smell. Even the vehicles that hadn’t been blown away were affected by the explosion, their occupants motionless. Xu Kaitai was ecstatic. “Go check it out.” 

He needed to see Jiang Rong’s corpse with his own eyes to be at peace. Several teams quickly arrived at the convoy. They held their guns and fired shots at the people in the vehicles even before getting close. Only after confirming that the people in the vehicles were motionless did they dare to approach.

After a while, a panicked voice came from the walkie-talkie next to Xu Kaitai. “General, it’s not them! It’s not Jiang Rong’s group!”

Xu Kaitai’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly picked up the binoculars. “Who is it?! Who’s in the car?!”

The team members stuttered, “It’s, it’s human mannequins.”

Xu Kaitai felt like his head was hit hard with a stick, and his ears rang sharply as if his soul had floated away. Xu Kaitai divided his men into four large teams named Tiger, Falcon, Dragon, and Wolf, respectively. The Tiger team was responsible for raiding the arsenal, while the Falcon and Dragon teams were tasked with controlling the other soldiers and the Fishing Village in the base. The Wolf team, the most ferocious in combat, followed him to ambush Jiang Rong’s group.

The Tiger team first raided the arsenal and took out hundreds of military vehicles, enabling them to split into two groups to control the base and ambush Jiang Rong’s group. Weren’t the plans of each team successful? Why were human mannequins found in military vehicles?

Xu Kaitai’s hands went numb. Apart from the realization that the plan had been exposed, he couldn’t think of any other reason.

The team members on the walkie-talkie kept asking, “General, what should we do now?” It was just too hot, and the thermal imaging function malfunctioned; otherwise, whether they were human or mannequins would be obvious.

Xu Kaitai took a few deep breaths and grabbed the walkie-talkie. “Retreat, retreat quickly! Withdraw from Spark Base!”

Although he didn’t know when his plan had leaked, the most important thing now was to preserve himself. Fortunately, he still had the Wolf team with him. With these men, they could start afresh somewhere else.

Despite feeling regretful, Xu Kaitai couldn’t afford to delay his retreat. He got up and headed downhill, constantly pondering where the problem arose.

When he reached halfway down the mountain, Xu Kaitai felt someone lightly tapping on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Guan Shao’s cold face. Guan Shao spoke slowly and emphatically, “Where are you going?”

Xu Kaitai’s pupils constricted violently, and cold sweat seeped from his back. When did Guan Shao get behind him? He was an esper; why didn’t he sense Guan Shao approaching? And where were his bodyguards?

Jiang Rong’s voice came from the side, “Are you looking for your teammates? Don’t worry, they’re over there.”

Following Jiang Rong’s pointed finger, Xu Kaitai saw hundreds of struggling soldiers hanging from the trees in the forest. The red bloodthirsty vines suspended them by their legs, resembling cocoons hanging from the trees.

Jiang Rong’s expression was ambiguous. “Captain Xu, you’re not being fair. How could you just think of yourself and run away, leaving your brothers who sacrificed for you back at the base?”

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.