Apocalypse Chapter 61: Deterrence

Chapter 61: Deterrence

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

As a metal-type esper, how could Xu Kaitai just surrender? The moment he saw Jiang Rong, he thought of the strategy of capturing the leader first. From the perspective of the Five Elements generating and overcoming each other, his metal-type abilities happened to counter Jiang Rong’s wood-type abilities. Once Jiang Rong was under control, the rest would be easier.

Before Xu Kaitai could make a move, he suddenly felt a numbness spreading through his body. A powerful electric current flowed through him, every cell enduring a dreadful shock. Xu Kaitai couldn’t even scream; his body stiffened and fell forward. Before the intense pain could subside, Guan Shao’s foot landed heavily on his back. The impact was severe; Xu Kaitai felt like his organs were about to be crushed out of him.

Guan Shao squatted down, expressionless, grasping Xu Kaitai’s left wrist. “Are you wondering when you were exposed? Why do we know your entire plan?”

Indeed, Xu Kaitai had such doubts. This plan was meticulous, with all the people around him being trusted allies. Their camp was fortified by their people, and as a metal-type esper, his ability controlled his house tightly. When did Jiang Rong find out about his plan?

Guan Shao drew a sharp knife from his leg and made a deep cut on Xu Kaitai’s wrist. With a scream, Xu Kaitai’s left hand went limp. After severing the tendons in his left hand, Guan Shao grabbed the other hand. Xu Kaitai’s tongue was numb; he could only mumble protests. Guan Shao’s eyes were cold. “Once you do it, there will be traces.”

To ensure the survival of the plants in the base, Jiang Rong’s abilities were spread throughout every corner, making all the vegetation his eyes and ears. However, using these “eyes” would consume his abilities, and Jiang Rong didn’t want to be constantly monitoring others like a surveillance camera, so he rarely used this trick.

Jiang Rong looked coldly at the struggling Xu Kaitai. Ironically, he discovered Xu Kaitai’s intention to betray because he thought Xu Kaitai’s abilities were strong and wanted to evaluate his character before absorbing him into the core esper team.

Just as the evaluation began, he found Xu Kaitai and his subordinates often conspiring together. During this time, Li Bin and others hinted that there were dissenting voices among the students and soldiers. Through bits and pieces of information, Jiang Rong pieced together one thing: some students, along with Xu Kaitai and others, were plotting betrayal.

Jiang Rong wasn’t adept at military operations or tactics. Fortunately, he had Guan Shao and Guan Shao’s brothers by his side. With everyone’s help, he could stand here safely.

With a flick of the knife, Guan Shao severed Xu Kaitai’s other hand. Jiang Rong’s gaze was indifferent. “Captain Xu, I want to ask you something. You knew I had left the base, so why did you still send people to my home?”

With both hands’ tendons severed, Xu Kaitai seemed either in too much pain to think clearly or just defiant. He actually retorted, “Don’t you understand the principle of rooting out the weeds?” 

Of course, Jiang Rong understood this theory; he just found it laughable. “As the saying goes, ‘Do not involve family members in crime.’ What threat could ordinary people pose to you? Xu Kaitai, I thought you were still a man, but it seems I was mistaken.”

Xu Kaitai’s lips twitched. “Mistaken about me? Boss Jiang, you are high and mighty, how could you even notice me? Spare me the grandeur; if you want to kill or mutilate, go ahead.”

Jiang Rong looked at Xu Kaitai with complex eyes. If Xu Kaitai hadn’t harbored thoughts of rebellion, they might have become comrades who trusted each other in a team. Unfortunately… there were no ifs. Jiang Rong raised his hand and softly ordered, “Take him away.”

As Jiang Rong gave the order, thousands of soldiers emerged from the forest. They bound the rebels’ hands and loaded them onto military trucks hidden on another road. The procession stretched for hundreds of meters, but Jiang Rong felt no satisfaction as he watched the dejected rebels.

In his previous life, he had suffered greatly at the Peace Base and understood the hardships of ordinary people. Therefore, even though he had become an esper and established a base, he never mistreated its members. He hoped to create a base where everyone could live and work in peace.

Idealism was beautiful, but reality was harsh. The larger the base grew, the more complicated the relationships became. Since the day he decided to establish the base, he knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy, and he would be forced to do things he didn’t like.

But when the day arrived, it wasn’t as easy as he had imagined. Guan Shao’s voice came to his ears, “Xu Kaitai had over two thousand men under him. More than two hundred are dead, leaving over eighteen hundred, plus over three hundred involved students. How do you plan to handle it?”

Jiang Rong looked at the long line with a frosty gaze. “Arrest them for thorough interrogation. Spare no rebels, nor harm any innocent.”

Among the two thousand people, there were masterminds, followers, and those kept in the dark. They couldn’t be treated the same.

***

As the weather grew hotter, the people in the activity center felt colder in their hearts: how long would they be detained here? Would they see the sun tomorrow?

Aunt Li’s joints weren’t very good. After squatting for a while, she couldn’t hold on any longer. She leaned against Uncle Li, who quickly supported her. “Are you okay?”

Aunt Li trembled, “My legs are numb, old man. Are we going to die here?”

Uncle Li encouraged her, “No, we won’t. Xiao Rong will come back.”

Their words prompted responses from the others. “Yes, Jiang Rong and his esper team will definitely come back. They were there for us when the villagers faced difficulties before.”

Whether it was when River’s Bridge was attacked by wild boars or when Tanqiao was plagued by mutant rats, Jiang Rong and his esper team appeared in time to save them from danger. This time, they would surely arrive promptly!

The loud voices attracted the displeasure of the rebel leader. He raised his gun towards the direction of Old Li and the others. “Stay still! Don’t move!”

Suddenly, gunshots sounded outside the walls. The nervous rebels in the activity center tensed up. The leader gestured, and they all approached the courtyard gate, holding their guns.

As a member of the rebels cautiously stepped out of the gate, a crisp sound rang out, and a bullet pierced through his head. His body fell, splattering the ground with red and white.

The leader’s face paled. “Take cover! Take cover!” 

The well-trained rebels quickly retreated behind the walls. To facilitate communication, several speakers were installed in the activity center. As the rebels took cover, the sound of crackling electricity emanated from the loudspeakers. After the electric crackling, Jiang Rong’s voice echoed in every corner, “Listen up, Xu Kaitai’s men: your comrades have been subdued by us. You have three minutes to drop your weapons and surrender. Surrender, and your lives will be spared.”

The people cheered, “Jiang Rong is back!” 

“I told you, they would come to rescue us!”

The rebels grew restless. They fired a few shots into the sky. “Get down! Everyone, get down!”

What was happening? They had only occupied the activity center for a short while. How could their comrades be eliminated so quickly? It shouldn’t be possible; the Falcon and Dragon teams had firmly held the other soldiers. Could it be a ruse by the enemy?

The voice from the loudspeaker was clearly Jiang Rong’s; could it still be fake? The rebels looked at each other, and a few even dropped their guns. “Captain, shall we surrender?”

The leader’s face darkened. “Pick up your guns! The general hasn’t sent a message yet. How can we surrender first?”

It was evident that Jiang Rong wasn’t feigning surrender. After waiting for three minutes, there was a rustling sound coming from the walls of the activity center. Following the sound, they saw bloodthirsty vines hanging down from the courtyard walls.

Seeing the bloodthirsty vines, some of the rebels turned pale. “It’s the bloodthirsty vines! The bloodthirsty vines!” It was widely known that only Jiang Rong controlled the bloodthirsty vines at Spark Base. If the vines were moving, it meant Jiang Rong was still alive.

Several rebels immediately dropped their guns and crouched down, but some were still unwilling to give up. They grabbed nearby civilians as hostages and shouted, “Stay back! I’ll shoot him if you come any closer!”

Unfortunately, this tactic didn’t work against the bloodthirsty vines. Little Guaiguai aggressively swept through the crowd towards the rebels.

This enraged the rebel leader, who was about to pull the trigger on an innocent villager. But at that moment, a soft orange light enveloped the person in front of him. When the bullets hit the orange light, it was like hitting an invisible soft wall, unable to advance an inch.

Upon closer inspection, the people in the activity center were all covered in a layer of orange light. The leader was shocked. “What… what is this?”

Before the question was answered, Little Guaiguai viciously entangled the leader and hung him upside down. Sharp thorns pierced his skin, and excruciating pain spread throughout his body. The leader screamed in agony, “Just kill me!” 

Little Guaiguai shook its vines with some grievances; it had only pricked him a little, and he was already screaming so miserably?

Seeing the leader subdued, the other rebels threw down their guns one after another. The crowd surged forward, subdued the rebels, and pushed them out.

Jiang Rong’s voice once again came from the loudspeaker. “I am Jiang Rong from Spark Base. An hour ago, rebels appeared in the base. Now they have been captured. Please, rest assured and return home.”

***

When Jiang Rong’s voice echoed from the loudspeaker, Dou Zhang had not yet left Fishery Village 3. Upon hearing Jiang Rong’s voice, his legs went weak, and if his classmates hadn’t supported him, he would have collapsed.

Xu Kaitai was defeated so quickly? Dou Zhang was deeply skeptical. Hadn’t it been over two hours since Xu Kaitai initiated the rebellion?

After his doubts, another question arose in his mind: could Spark Base still remain?

The answer was, of course, negative. Even with so many people under Xu Kaitai’s command, if he couldn’t seize power, how could he contend with Jiang Rong, even as an esper? Moreover, he colluded with Xu Kaitai and wrote a letter of denunciation. This matter would eventually reach Jiang Rong’s ears, and by then, it might be too late for him to escape.

A classmate beside Dou Zhang asked softly, “Chairman, what should we do now?”

Dou Zhang stammered, “Go, go back and pack up. We’ll leave soon… quickly…” 

He feared that if they were one step too slow, they would never see tomorrow’s sun again.

As soon as the electric scooter started, Dou Zhang immediately changed his mind. “No, we can’t go back…” 

There were Lin Meng’s people in the student dormitory. Today, they pointed guns at Lin Meng, and that woman would not let it go easily.

“Leave the base, let’s go!” Dou Zhang’s follower was dumbfounded. “Chairman, where can we go? Our only equipment is this small electric scooter, and the battery inside won’t last long enough to leave the base. With this weather, no food, no water, no direction, where can we go?”

Although the weather was hot, Dou Zhang’s hands started to feel cold. He panicked, “Anywhere is fine, just don’t let Jiang Rong catch us…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Dou Zhang’s wish was dashed. Someone grabbed the compartment of the electric scooter. Turning around, he saw Lin Meng and several students looking at him coldly. “Dou Zhang, trying to run away after doing something wrong?!”

Dou Zhang’s body swayed, almost falling off the scooter. When he was restrained by everyone, his mind turned into mush, and he couldn’t use any of his abilities.

***

The rebellion came quickly and left just as fast. Within a day, all traces of the fighting were erased by espers, and even if someone went looking, they wouldn’t find any evidence.

In the following days, the residents of Spark Base resumed their routine work and studies, busy every day. In their spare time, they would gossip about the rebellion, but nobody knew the details of it. Despite the discussions, no one could make sense of what had happened.

Until one day at the end of September, Jiang Rong’s voice once again sounded from the broadcast. “Residents of Spark Base, hello. I am Jiang Rong. At the beginning of September, rebels appeared in the base. After several days of interrogation, the rebels have confessed to their crimes. We will hold a trial at 5 p.m. today on the grounds of the Milky Way International Resort. Residents are welcome to attend.”

Upon hearing this news, the entire base was in a frenzy. No one had expected that one day they would be able to witness the scene of rebels being punished. Everyone was eager to witness it; they had already made up their minds. Even if they didn’t sleep, they would go to the playground early to secure a good spot.

The Milky Way International Resort was southwest of Spark Base, and many wealthy people used to come here for holidays before the Great Crisis. The resort’s facilities were comprehensive, including the largest library and stadium within a fifteen-mile radius.

By the afternoon, the stadium was already packed with people, despite the scorching heat. They vied for the most advantageous viewing positions, and those who were unaware might have thought that a grand sports event was about to take place.

Amidst the anxious anticipation of the crowd, time passed slowly. When the clock finally struck five, a convoy of military vehicles slowly entered through the entrance of the stadium.

Hundreds of military vehicles occupied most of the playground, presenting a spectacular sight. After the military vehicles came to a stop, soldiers in camouflage uniforms escorted the bound rebels out of the cars. Seeing the small number of rebels, the audience below couldn’t help but wonder, “Strange, why are there so few people?” 

According to rumors, there were thousands of rebels, but no matter how they counted, there were only two to three hundred rebels here. Jiang Rong and his entourage walked onto the platform. They looked serious, devoid of their usual ease. After the broadcast equipment was set up, Jiang Rong’s calm voice echoed throughout the stadium. “Fellow villagers, classmates, comrades, residents of Spark Base, I am Jiang Rong.”

“On the third of September, our base experienced a rebellion. This conflict resulted in the sacrifice of one hundred and eighty-three of our compatriots. Please, rise for a moment of silence to honor those who perished in the rebellion.”

The sound of mourning hovered over the stadium, and the residents of Spark Base hung their heads, expressionless, looking at the ground. Those present had seen many deaths; since the Great Crisis began, people around them had been constantly leaving. Over a hundred deaths, compared to their acquaintances, many people did not feel genuine sorrow.

After three minutes of silence, Jiang Rong’s voice resounded once again.

“Since the establishment of Spark Base, we have accommodated a total of thirty-three thousand two hundred and twenty-eight people. In just a few months, we have gone from nothing to something, from struggling for survival to uniting for warmth. Our Spark Base has expanded from a fisheries brigade to a small base covering a fifteen-mile radius, and this is all thanks to everyone’s efforts and sweat.”

“I have always told everyone that no matter how difficult the outside world may be, as long as we don’t give up, there will always be a ray of hope. I have always believed that as long as we unite, we can overcome all difficulties and create a better life.”

“In order to live peaceful days, we have exerted all our efforts. But in the eyes of some ambitious people, my efforts are not worth mentioning. They want to seize the fruits of our labor, they want to reap without sowing, and they want to dominate over others. I just want to ask you all, can you tolerate such people?!”

“No! No! No!” Angry shouts resounded from the chests of everyone present. Perhaps the previous sadness was not genuine, but the anger now was indeed real. It hadn’t been easy to build the base to this point, and every person had contributed their sweat and effort. What contributions had someone named Xu made to the base? Why did he think he could take away what we had worked so hard to create?

Jiang Rong raised his hand and pressed it down, “We have already brought the ringleaders and accomplices of Xu Kaitai’s gang here. Today, we will give everyone an explanation.”

Thunderous shouts filled the stadium, “Kill them! Kill them!”

The voices of thousands of people shook the ground beneath their feet, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Jiang Rong turned to Chu Qiang, who was holding a stack of documents, “Next, I’ll let Chu Qiang read the evidence of the rebels. These documents will be posted later at the base’s activity center.”

Chu Qiang’s vigorous voice echoed across the stadium, “Xu Kaitai, male, 38 years old, former head of construction camp in Spark Base…”

Jiang Rong looked coldly at Xu Kaitai, who was bound hand and foot in the middle of the stadium. After such a long period of interrogation, Xu Kaitai had long lost the sharpness he had during the rebellion. He stood there with a vacant look, surrounded by an aura of despair.

It took Chu Qiang five minutes to finish reading Xu Kaitai’s crimes. “According to the ‘Laws of Spark Base,’ Xu Kaitai is sentenced to death, to be executed immediately.”

Those who were brought to the stadium were all the ringleaders and accomplices of the rebellion, and they deserved their fate. After reading Xu Kaitai’s crimes, it was time for his accomplices.

Chu Qiang deliberately found several articulate college students to help. With the assistance of the students, the charges against the two hundred and fifty-eight rebels were quickly read out.

At this moment, two hundred and fifty-eight armed soldiers marched onto the stadium, standing behind the bound rebels, skillfully loading their guns.

Guan Shao stepped forward and took the microphone, “Everyone, listen to my command. Fire!”

With one command, more than two hundred guns fired, and the bodies of the rebels collapsed forward, breathless. Bright red blood spilled from their bodies, staining the ground in front of them.

As the gunfire erupted, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but tremble. His hands were finally stained with blood, but for the peace of the base, he had no regrets.

The emotions of the crowd were ignited, and they erupted into cheers, “They deserve to die! They deserve to die!”

Every person in the field was guilty, and the base didn’t keep them around just so they could eat well and plot a coup. With the time and energy they had, why not put it into productive labor? When the bodies of the rebels were quickly removed from the field, and everyone thought it was over, soldiers brought out some more people from the vehicles behind. The students from D University immediately recognized them, “Isn’t that Dou Zhang’s group? Why are they still here? I thought Boss Jiang had already sent them away.”

Jiang Rong did indeed want Dou Zhang’s group to leave, but the members of the Esper Team didn’t want to let these students, who had been living off the base without contributing, go so easily.

During this time, Dou Zhang’s group had been put to work but hadn’t been abused. However, if they wanted to be deceitful, there would be consequences. In just over twenty days, they had been disciplined. Now, they would be held accountable for their actions.

Everyone present had heard of Dou Zhang and his group’s absurd “Ten Commandments” manifesto. Seeing them appear on the field, many people expressed their disdain.

Hearing the crowd’s jeers, Dou Zhang looked up at Jiang Rong. During this time, he had realized how good the base had been to them. If given another chance, he would be willing to work hard and never speak ill of the base again!

Dou Zhang and the students who wanted to protest beside him all regretted it. Some cried bitterly, while others spoke words of regret. However, their voices were too weak and were drowned out by the loudspeaker’s roar.

“Outside the base, there is fairness and freedom. I return your freedom to you. Starting today, you are no longer residents of Spark Base. Students, the road ahead is long and arduous, take care of yourselves.”

Hearing Jiang Rong’s words, Dou Zhang felt his blood run cold. It took him a while to come back to his senses: Was Spark Base really rejecting them? Were they being expelled from the base?

Before Dou Zhang and his group could plead for mercy, strong soldiers lifted them up and walked them towards the military vehicles. Jiang Rong said they would be taken five kilometers outside the Peace Base to find a place that could truly accommodate them.

As they watched the students cry and beg as they were taken away, everyone turned to look at the direction of the platform. Their leader had courage, and whether it was to kill or release, they all respected his decision.

After dealing with the students, it was time to deal with the group of soldiers who had been involved. Although they were under Xu Kaitai’s command, not everyone was ambitious. Most of them still had a conscience, and when Xu Kaitai ordered them to fire, they didn’t pull the trigger.

For this group of people, Spark Base couldn’t afford to be ruthless. Jiang Rong gave each of them a chance to redeem themselves by committing to perform acts of merit. He assigned them to dangerous and arduous tasks to test their determination to change.

As the last car disappeared from view, Jiang Rong felt a weight lift off his chest. The first potential threat to Spark Base since its founding had finally been removed, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Looking at the blue and red clouds in the sky, Jiang Rong sighed softly, “I hope there won’t be a next time.” 

He wasn’t a sage; he really didn’t want to go through something so heart-wrenching again.

 

 

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