Apocalypse Chapter 66: Sleepless Night

Chapter 66: Sleepless Night

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

At 9:30 PM, the Esper team gathered at the activity center of Fishery Village 3. Seeing the complete team, Chu Qiang was a bit confused, “Why… why are there so many people here?”

He just wanted to go fetch a beehive. Did it really require the entire team to come out?

Guan Shao, with a serious expression, looked Chu Qiang up and down, “Do you know how dangerous the world outside the base is? Even if you’re an Esper, traveling late at night involves uncontrollable risks. Without thorough preparation, going out is courting death. Think it through before you act next time. Don’t act on impulse.”

Guan Shao rarely spoke so many words at once. Although his tone was calm, Chu Qiang couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine, sensing that Guan Shao wanted to punch him. “I understand,” he said.

Seeing Guan Shao turn and get in the car, he couldn’t help but complain to Weng Chenggang and the others, “Why do I feel like Master Guan is very angry?”

Weng Chenggang, after gulping down a few sips of water, said, “Maybe it’s because the mutated goose is too nourishing. Even I’m feeling quite heated now, let alone Master Guan.”

Wang Ting agreed, “Yeah, I feel the mutated goose is more warming than mutton. If we could farm them on a large scale, every household could eat goose meat in winter. That would be great.”

Chu Qiang hesitantly scratched his cheek, “Really?” He felt that Master Guan’s anger wasn’t related to what they were saying. Oh well, what’s the point of dwelling on it? The most important thing now was to fetch the beehive.

*

On the way to the Hongda Gas Station, Guan Shao skillfully gripped the steering wheel and looked ahead, “When you went to rescue Chu Qiang and the others, how long did it take you to clear the road?”

Jiang Rong thought for a moment before saying, “About five or six hours…” He suddenly realized something and blinked, smiling, “You knew?”

He remembered that when he and Guan Shao first came to Lean Solar Electronics Guan Shao had seen the piled-up vehicles on the roadside and said, “If I knew who cleared the road, I would definitely recruit that person to the Esper team.” He greatly admired the person who cleared the road, saying they were meticulous and low-key.

At that time, Jiang Rong was still wary of Guan Shao and didn’t tell him that he was the one who cleared the road. He thought the matter was over, but Guan Shao had remembered it.

Guan Shao smiled slightly, his eyes showing appreciation, “My partner is really amazing.” After a pause, he added softly, “Xiao Rong, you can trust me more.”

Jiang Rong’s body stiffened, then he couldn’t help but laugh, “Okay, I’ll trust you more in the future.”

*

Once the road was clear, the convoy’s speed increased significantly. Forty minutes later, Jiang Rong and the others arrived at the Hongda Gas Station once again.

As soon as he got out of the car, Chu Qiang exhaled deeply, “Chu Han San is back!”

He had almost lost his life at this gas station before. Back then, there were no supplies or support, and his former teammates had stabbed him in the back. If Jiang Rong hadn’t arrived in time, Chu Qiang wouldn’t have survived.

Leilei, holding Ruan Hanyu’s hand, pointed to a house near the gas station, “Sister Ruan, we were trapped in that house. It was tough; we were stuck there for seven days.”

At that time, Leilei had to pretend to be foolish to avoid exposing himself as an Esper. The weather was hot, and he didn’t know how they managed to endure.

Jiang Rong looked around and his gaze fell on the streetlamp in front of the house. He remembered using thorns to lift Bobcat and slam him down a few times before hanging him from the streetlamp, then leaving with Chu Qiang and the others. He wondered if the group had taken Bobcat down afterward.

Months later, the solar-powered streetlamp was no longer lit. Through his night vision device, Jiang Rong saw two broken thorns hanging from the streetlamp, indicating Bobcat had been rescued. Seeing Chu Qiang still standing there reminiscing, Jiang Rong reminded, “It’s getting late. Let’s act quickly. Qiangzi, where’s the beehive you mentioned?”

Chu Qiang scratched his head sheepishly, “I don’t know. I still need to find it.”

He had only been stung by a passing wasp and hadn’t noticed the exact location of the hive. However, the presence of wasps nearby suggested the hive wasn’t far away.

As soon as Chu Qiang finished speaking, the team members rolled their eyes, wanting to beat him up.

Wasps eat meat and build their nests in soil, trees, or even houses. When foraging, wasps operate within a ten-kilometer radius of their nest, meaning Jiang Rong and his team had to search the ten kilometers around the gas station to find the hive. The worst part was that it was nighttime. Wasps weren’t active, visibility was low, and finding the hive would be difficult.

After Jiang Rong explained this, Chu Qiang was dumbfounded, “Damn…” Did they come all this way for nothing? If so, he would be in big trouble. Just then, Meng Weixian raised his display screen and shouted, “Found it!”

Chu Qiang was stunned and quickly walked over, “Where did you find it?”

Meng Weixian pointed to the drone control screen, “Wasps like to build nests in trees or the ground, right? I used the process of elimination to check the nearby trees first and found it shortly after deploying the drone.”

The screen showed a large tree with a massive oval beehive in its canopy. According to the software’s measurements, the hive was over a meter in diameter and as tall as a person.

The hive was intertwined with several thick branches, looking like the tree was holding it up. The hive was covered with wasps about ten centimeters long, with bright wings and black and yellow striped bodies.

Seeing the size of the wasps, Pan Pan’s voice trembled, “So big…” It was his first time seeing wasps the size of sparrows. A sting from one of these would be fatal.

Meng Weixian pointed behind the gas station, “The hive is in a tree 1,300 meters back, 13 meters off the ground.”

Even if ordinary people spotted such a large hive, they couldn’t do anything about it. But for the Espers present, a distance of a dozen meters was nothing.

After confirming the target, Chu Qiang rubbed his hands together, “Let’s show them what ‘ice and fire’ really means! Old Chiang, hit them first! Then Sister Hanyu, seal the hive entrance. Let’s wipe them out!”

Chiang Jinhu’s lips twitched, stepping forward reluctantly, “Watch your mouth, or I’ll beat you up.” As he spoke, two balls of fire appeared in his palms.

At night, wasps were less active, clustering near their nest. As the fireballs rose, the wasps’ wings burned quickly. Without wings, the wasps fell to the ground, where Little Guaiguai, waiting below, caught them.

Thousands of wasps were crawling clumsily on the bloodthirsty vine’s woven web. Their abdomens pointed downward, shaking, as their sharp stingers aimed for the vine’s exterior. The stingers of the mutated wasps could pierce cowhide, so naturally, they could easily penetrate Little Guaiguai’s exterior. However, Little Guaiguai was not afraid of the wasp venom. The wasps, on the other hand, couldn’t pull their stingers out, ending up stuck on the vine, futilely writhing.

Seeing this, Chu Qiang broke out in a cold sweat, “My God…” Luckily, the Esper team was here today. If it had been just him and Xiao Jiang, relying on the thin bee-proof suits he had found, he and Xiao Jiang would have been stung to death by now.

After a giant fireball rolled around the beehive, the wasps on the outer shell fell off, revealing the dark red waxy exterior. The surface was covered in bumpy protrusions, looking quite unsettling.

As soon as the fire around the beehive went out, Ruan Hanyu created a thick layer of ice crystals around it. The wasps that couldn’t fly out were sealed inside the ice crystals, unable to leave the nest.

Once they confirmed the hive was completely sealed, the Espers worked together to cut the branches, removing the massive beehive from the tree canopy. The tree’s crown rose higher once the hive was removed, showing how heavy the hive had been.

Chu Qiang knocked on the ice crystals covering the hive, “Nice, how many bee pupae are in here?” Mutated wasp pupae must be delicious; he couldn’t wait to crack open the hive and pull out the pupae to fry.

Wang Ting reminded, “Qiangzi, be careful when you open the hive. There might still be mature wasps inside. Don’t get stung.”

Chu Qiang patted his chest, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing!” He had busted enough wasp nests as a kid to handle this.

Jiang Rong chuckled, “Revenge taken? Can you sleep well now?”

Chu Qiang proudly gave a thumbs up, “Absolutely! Let’s pack up and head back. Thanks, everyone, and tomorrow afternoon, I’ll treat you all to fried pupae.”

*

True to his word, Chu Qiang invited everyone to his house for pupae the next afternoon. When Jiang Rong arrived, he found Chu Qiang and the others in the ground floor conference room.

In the corner of the room stood several large glass jars, each half-filled with a clear liquor and containing black and yellow mutated wasps.

The beehive they had brought back last night was on the conference table. Chu Qiang was stationed next to it, blocking the entrance with a large glass jar. As he gently tapped the hive’s exterior, black and yellow wasps crawled out one by one.

Each time a few wasps emerged, Chu Qiang quickly replaced the jar, handing the filled one to Weng Chenggang, who then inverted it into a glass jar of liquor.

Jiang Rong was astonished, “You’re infusing liquor with mutated wasps? Aren’t you afraid they’re poisonous?”

Chu Qiang shrugged, “What’s there to be afraid of? Wasp-infused liquor can treat rheumatism. These mutated wasps must be even better. Come winter, this liquor will be very useful.”

Jiang Rong shook his head, “Fine, but have it tested at the lab before drinking it, just to be safe.”

Chu Qiang nodded, “Got it.” As Jiang Rong entered, two children ran in happily from outside. They flanked Jiang Rong, with Jiang Xiaoheng looking up with a sweet smile, “Daddy, Leilei says we’ll soon see baby chicks and ducklings. Is it true?”

Jiang Hao, eyes sparkling, held Jiang Rong’s hand, “Yeah?”

Jiang Rong patted their heads, “Yes, if everything goes well, you’ll see them soon.”

Some of the chickens, ducks, and geese they brought back from the farm were nesting, and many of the eggs they collected already had visible embryos. Soon, the base would welcome its first batch of newborns.

The children cheered at Jiang Rong’s confirmation. Jiang Xiaoheng asked, “Daddy, when the chicks and ducklings hatch, can you take us to see them?”

Jiang Rong smiled and nodded, “Sure.”

Seeing the children, Chu Qiang quickly said, “Xiaoheng, Xiao Hao, you two should go play outside. We’ll call you when we’re done here.”

Mutated wasps were dangerous. Once Chu Qiang broke open the hive, the adult wasps inside would fly out. While the adults could handle it, the children might get scared.

Jiang Xiaoheng curiously glanced at the strange-shaped hive but obediently led Jiang Hao out, “We’ll be outside. Work hard, Uncle~”

The children closed the door gently, and their voices could be heard faintly through the door, “Big Brother, let’s play farther away so we don’t bother Daddy and the others.” Jiang Hao agreed, “Mm-hmm!”

Ruan Hanyu, with a hand over her heart, said softly, “Xiaoheng and Xiao Hao are so well-behaved~” She usually didn’t like children, finding them noisy and unreasonable, having ruined countless of her drafts. 

But Jiang Rong’s children were different—adorable, obedient, and polite. When they sweetly called her “sister,” she felt like giving them her heart.

Hearing someone praise his children, Jiang Rong’s pride was evident. As the saying goes, “children are always the best to their own parents.” His kids were exemplary.

After Chu Qiang tapped the hive for several minutes, no more living wasps emerged. He stretched, “I’m going to break the shell. Get ready.”

Hu Hechu quickly enveloped everyone in a soft light, while Jiang Rong locked the door to prevent anyone from accidentally entering and getting stung.

Chu Qiang took a deep breath and punched the hive. The tough exterior shattered, revealing its intricate layers. The group marveled, “Wow, this is like a castle inside a hive!”

Inside the hive, there were ten layers in total, each as large as a sieve. The hive, resembling a round cake, was turned upside down, and a few wasps with twitching antennae were still crawling around inside. After dealing with the living wasps, the team began dismantling the massive hive layer by layer, revealing its intricate structure.

Hexagonal cells were packed tightly together, each housing fat, wriggling white larvae. These larvae, not yet pupated, looked like giant maggots, and their size allowed everyone to clearly see their opening and closing mouthparts.

Weng Chenggang wiped the goosebumps off his arms, comforting himself, “What’s the big deal? We ate grubs before, we can handle maggots!”

Chu Qiang, expressionless, corrected him, “They only look like maggots; they’re actually wasp larvae.” As he spoke, he pinched the head of a larva and pulled it out of the cell.

With a “pop,” the wriggling larva emerged, squirming between Chu Qiang’s fingers. This pupa was longer than Chu Qiang’s palm. When placed in a stainless steel basin, the team could see its slightly translucent skin and the organs writhing inside. The visual impact far surpassed that of the grubs.

Jiang Rong closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he muttered something under his breath.

Guan Shao listened closely and heard Jiang Rong whispering, “Not scary, it’s edible, it’s edible…” Seeing Jiang Rong like this, Guan Shao finally understood why Jiang Xiaoheng sometimes muttered to himself. Like father, like son. Guan Shao couldn’t help but smile, raising a hand to cover his mouth to hide it from Jiang Rong.

Not all the cells revealed larvae directly; many were covered with a thin white membrane. Using a small bamboo stick to peel back the membrane, they could see larvae in various stages of metamorphosis.

Some larvae had just started pupating, still retaining their larval shape. Others were entirely milky white, resembling adult wasps. Some had black and yellow markings, almost indistinguishable from fully matured wasps. When these were prodded, they crawled out on their own.

For these nearly mature pupae, Chu Qiang showed no mercy, stabbing them before tossing them into the jars of liquor. After searching for a while, Chu Qiang found a hive segment with many white membranes and handed it to Jiang Rong. “Here, this one has fewer larvae. Be careful while picking; don’t get stung.”

Jiang Rong, experienced in handling wasp pupae, took the bamboo stick and the hive segment and sat down. Guan Shao offered to help, “Should I do it instead?”

Jiang Rong waved him off, “It’s fine, I got this.” He had eaten wasp pupae before and had a good impression of them.

The group sat around the table, picking pupae with bamboo sticks, enjoying the rare leisure time and chatting happily. The white, tender, and large pupae quickly filled a large basin.

Chu Qiang eagerly grabbed the basin, “You guys keep picking; I’ll go fry these up and be back soon!”

After Chu Qiang left, Jiang Rong locked the door again. The hive he was working on had several wasps close to emerging; a few had already gnawed through their white membranes.

Just as Jiang Rong was about to kill these wasps, there was a hurried knock on the door. Jiang Hao’s anxious voice came through, “Ba…ba…ah ba…”

Jiang Rong paused, “Is that you, Xiao Hao?”

Jiang Hao’s voice grew clearer, filled with sobs, “Ba ba, di di… hand… dislocated…”

Jiang Rong’s heart sank. Judging by Jiang Hao’s state, something must have happened to Xiaoheng. He couldn’t panic now. Bending down, he picked up Jiang Hao and ran towards the courtyard gate. “Don’t worry, don’t be scared. Is it Xiao Hao’s hand? Show Daddy.”

Jiang Hao, pointing towards the activity center, cried, “Little brother…”

Jiang Rong’s heart raced even faster, but there was someone quicker than him. Weng Chenggang, moving like lightning, had already brought Jiang Xiaoheng from the activity center, “Boss Jiang, don’t worry, the kid’s arm isn’t broken, just dislocated.”

The children had been playing wildly. Jiang Xiaoheng had fallen while running and couldn’t move his arm afterward. Seeing this, Jiang Hao had panicked and rushed home to find Jiang Rong.

Unlike the terrified Jiang Hao, Jiang Xiaoheng was surprisingly calm. He looked at his immobile right hand and then up at his father, “Daddy, my hand can’t move again.”

Jiang Rong sighed with relief, “It’s okay, we’ll get a doctor to fix it. Don’t be afraid.”

Jiang Xiaoheng nodded obediently, “Xiaoheng’s not scared.”

Last year, Jiang Xiaoheng had fallen in nursery school and dislocated his arm. Both he and Jiang Rong had been terrified at the time, worrying that he might be permanently injured. But a trip to the hospital had revealed that children’s joints were underdeveloped and prone to dislocation, a common occurrence for kids under five. Once they turned five, their arms wouldn’t dislocate as easily.

Back then, Jiang Rong had thought surgery would be needed, but an old doctor at the children’s hospital had simply manipulated Xiaoheng’s arm back into place.

This time, although it wasn’t the same doctor, the person was still a skilled pediatrician. With a faint click, Jiang Xiaoheng’s bone was back in place.

As Xiaoheng started to move, Jiang Rong gently held him back, “Xiaoheng, don’t move too much.” This time, it was Xiaoheng’s shoulder joint, which would need to be immobilized with a sling for three weeks to heal properly.

Xiaoheng didn’t quite understand, “Daddy, last time Grandpa just fixed my hand and I could move it. Why do I need a sling now? Did the doctor not fix it right? Should he try again?”

Jiang Rong thanked the doctor with a smile and explained to his son, “Because this time the injury is worse. Xiaoheng, you need to take good care of your body. Look how worried you made your brother.”

Xiaoheng looked up to see Jiang Hao standing beside him with red-rimmed eyes, full of guilt. If he had been more careful, Xiaoheng wouldn’t have fallen.

Jiang Hao asked softly, “Little brother, does it hurt? Brother will blow on it for you.”

Xiaoheng beamed, “It doesn’t hurt! Don’t worry, brother!” Then he noticed something new, “Brother, you can talk!”

Jiang Hao froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up, “Yes!”

Jiang Rong was momentarily stunned but then broke into a delighted smile. He had been treating Jiang Hao like an ordinary child and hadn’t noticed he had started speaking. Reflecting on it, he realized Jiang Hao had just called him “Daddy.”

Overjoyed, Jiang Rong shared a look with Guan Shao, who smiled and nodded, “Congratulations.”

Jiang Rong hugged Jiang Hao tightly, “Thank you, Xiao Hao. If not for you, Xiaoheng would have been in pain for longer.”

Jiang Hao, blushing shyly, twisted in Jiang Rong’s embrace before wrapping his arms around Jiang Rong’s neck. Xiaoheng had always told him that their Daddy was great and that he was willing to share Daddy with him. This time, Jiang Hao wanted to make sure his voice was heard.

He leaned into Jiang Rong’s ear and called out clearly, “Daddy!” This time, his voice was unmistakable, and Daddy definitely heard it. Jiang Rong’s heart skipped a beat, overwhelming joy flooding through him. He couldn’t help but kiss Jiang Hao repeatedly, “Yes, good boy.”

 

 

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