Apocalypse Chapter 71: Goodwill

Chapter 71: Goodwill

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

By the afternoon of the next day, the storage tanks and oil trucks Jiang Rong had brought were finally filled to the brim. Judging by the capacity, they’d managed to haul away nearly a thousand tons of crude oil. With this much, the Spark Base would be able to hold out for quite a while.

On the way back, Chu Qiang let out a long breath of relief. “I can’t believe this trip went so smoothly. I really thought we’d end up fighting the Peace Base.” Yesterday, when they’d first run into Zhou Xing, the two sides had been ready to tear each other apart. Chu Qiang had already braced himself for bloodshed. But then, in a surprising twist, they’d all ended up drinking together instead.

“Honestly,” Chu Qiang continued, “Captain Zhou isn’t a bad guy at all. At first I thought he was impossible to deal with, but after talking to him, he’s actually really straightforward. Guess it’s true what they say—‘you don’t really know someone until you’ve fought them!’”

Listening to Chu Qiang bragging over the radio, Jiang Rong chuckled twice. “Did it ever cross your mind… that if Meng Liang hadn’t agreed, Zhou Xing wouldn’t have given us a single drop of oil?”

Chu Qiang froze. “Uh… I guess… no, he wouldn’t.”

“And,” Jiang Rong added, “have you thought about why Meng Liang gave it to us in the first place?”

Chu Qiang mulled it over. “Because… we’re strong?” After all, Jiang Rong hadn’t even lifted a finger, and Zhou Xing had still been beaten into the ground. There weren’t many espers who could do that.

Jiang Rong smiled faintly. “Don’t forget, the Peace Base is way bigger than we are—forty times bigger, at least. If Meng Liang really didn’t want to give up the oil field, sheer numbers alone would have been enough to wear us down.”

Chu Qiang hesitated. “But… we’ve got a lot of espers, and we’re strong too.”

Jiang Rong sighed softly. “True, but nowhere near enough. Their population is massive. The number of espers in the Peace Base is bound to dwarf ours.”

Guan Shao, who had been silent, spoke up calmly. “And don’t underestimate their high-rank espers. Take Jinhu, for example—if he ran into Zhou Xing one-on-one, he’d probably lose. And if they sent dozens of low-level espers at once? Numbers alone could crush us.”

Chu Qiang scratched his head, utterly lost. “Then… what, you’re saying Meng Liang’s just… a nice guy? That he’s helping us out of the goodness of his heart?”

Even as he said it, he laughed at himself. “Yeah, right. There’s no such thing as nice people anymore.”

Before the Great Crisis, Chu Qiang had been a warmhearted, big-brother type. But reality had beaten that out of him. These days, kindness only got you killed. After a long pause, Chu Qiang finally admitted, “I don’t get it, Xiao Jiang. You tell me.”

Jiang Rong said, “The Peace Base didn’t start a fight with us for two reasons. First, it’s inconvenient for them. The oil field is too close to our base. If they tried to take it by force, we’d never let it go. I’m sure their people have already reported our strength and location to Meng Liang. Right now, fighting us would only hurt him.”

Chu Qiang grunted in agreement. “Makes sense. If we really wanted to, we could just sic Little Guaiguai on the oil field and wrap it up in vines. No one would be able to pump a single drop.” He snorted. “Alright, what’s the second reason?”

Jiang Rong’s voice turned serious. “That depends on Meng Liang’s power. He’s a psychic-type esper. I don’t know if his ability is mind-reading or mind-control. If it’s the latter… one day, he’ll come knocking on our door himself.”

If Meng Liang was powerful enough to control him, the Spark Base would be his in an instant. All of their hard work would just turn into a wedding dress for the Peace Base to wear.

“Of course,” Jiang Rong added, “there’s a chance he’s just an honest guy who genuinely wants our two bases to work together. But I wouldn’t count on it. Better to be ready for anything.”

That sent a chill down Chu Qiang’s spine. “Damn… psychic espers can control people? Guess we’d better be careful.” After a pause, he cursed. “And hell, if he hands us free oil and offers manpower and support, then asks to come visit the Spark Base… we wouldn’t even have a good excuse to refuse.”

He slammed a hand against the steering wheel. “Shit, Xiao Jiang… did we just walk right into Meng Liang’s trap?” His pickup truck swerved sharply before steadying again.

“Eyes on the road,” Jiang Rong said calmly. “Don’t overthink it. All we need to do right now is focus on growing stronger. If we build up the Spark Base, Meng Liang will think twice before making any moves on us.”

The truck steadied, and Chu Qiang muttered, “Unbelievable. As if it’s not bad enough we’ve got to watch out for mutant plants and animals—now we’ve gotta watch out for people too. If I’d known this, I’d have suggested we find a different oil field…”

Then he shot Jiang Rong a sideways glance. “And you—knowing the Peace Base is up to no good, why’d you even bother asking them for those two people? What’s so special about them, anyway?”

Jiang Rong smiled faintly. “They’re just people I used to know. They looked pitiful, so I decided to lend a hand. Strong, we keep things polite. Until the Peace Base openly tears its mask off, we need to play the part of friendly neighbors.”

He added, “When we get back, draft a broadcast thanking the Peace Base. Make it over the top—praise them like saints—and put it on repeat over the radio.”

Guan Shao gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re trying to make sure everyone hears that the Spark Base and the Peace Base are ‘allies,’ aren’t you?”

Jiang Rong nodded. “Exactly. The more people know, the harder it’ll be for Meng Liang to make a move against us in the open.”

In chaotic times, most people thought reputation didn’t matter—that only strength did. But in truth, the more chaotic the world became, the more a leader’s reputation mattered. Nobody wanted to join a base run by a thug. A leader who seemed upright and dependable would attract more people than any amount of raw strength.

Chu Qiang blinked, then burst into laughter. “Ha! You know what? That makes sense!”

Jiang Rong wasn’t done. “That’s only step one. Next, we’re sending them gifts.”

Chu Qiang frowned. “Gifts? Like what? We don’t exactly have much to give. You’re not talking about sending them our military trucks, are you?”

Jiang Rong shook his head. “We send them what we’ve got plenty of—what they don’t have.”

Chu Qiang scratched his head until Guan Shao spoke up. “Vegetables.”

Of course. Fresh vegetables were the Spark Base’s specialty. To the Peace Base, they were luxury goods. Jiang Rong nodded. “We’ll send them vegetables with short growth cycles. Fresh, tender, and green. Start small—three to five truckloads.”

Understanding dawned on Chu Qiang’s face. “Oh, I get it now. I’ll even slap a giant banner on the trucks: ‘A Gift of Friendship from the Spark Base—Exclusively for the Peace Base!’”

Jiang Rong grinned. “Exactly. The louder we make it, the better.”

Guan Shao smirked. “And if we give them vegetables, Meng Liang will have to return the favor somehow.”

Jiang Rong’s smile turned sharp. “Exactly. The Spark Base is small—only thirty thousand people. We need manpower and technical expertise. No way the Peace Base can ignore that. And if Meng Liang does try to sneak people in to spy on us… Well, let’s just see who ends up influencing who. A belly full of meat beats starving on cornbread.”

Chu Qiang chuckled darkly. “Sounds good to me. Though, man… I still feel bad about parting with all those vegetables. Guess we’ll be doing this every month from now on, huh?”

Then, after a beat, he grinned. “Still, if a few trucks of veggies can buy us a few trucks of people… that’s a bargain I’ll take any day!”

As they chatted, the trucks rolled back onto the vast Jiangbei plains. Staring at the endless fields, Jiang Rong murmured, “When we get back, we’re going to have to recruit more people. Expand the base.”

His conversation with the Peace Base had driven one truth home: only strength gave you a voice. Without it, you’d get crushed by the bigger bases. He sighed quietly. At first, he’d only wanted to build a small, safe haven—a place where he and his son could live in peace. But now, as the base grew, so did his ambitions. It felt as if some invisible whip was always snapping at his heels, urging him forward, never letting him rest.

“Step by step,” Guan Shao said softly, as if sensing his thoughts. “We’ll build it up, one step at a time.”

As Jiang Rong had promised, they planned to bring back the rice that had survived out in the fields. Not long after the convoy entered the Jiangbei Plains, they saw the Spark Base’s espers at work. The espers were pulling up rice plants by the roots and stacking them neatly in piles. Each time a truck was filled, the driver immediately hauled the load back to the base. The convoy slowly pulled over to the side of the road. Jiang Rong stepped out and instructed, “Take a break, everyone.”

As soon as the vehicles came to a stop, Jia Yuanqing and his friend nervously approached Jiang Rong. Jia Yuanqing hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking. “Captain Jiang, this is my friend, Yuan Qingquan. We’re both really grateful for how well you’ve treated us, but… we were wondering… you said you knew me. When was that, exactly?”

The people from the Spark Base had been incredibly kind to them along the way, giving them food and clean water. But the better the espers treated them, the more uneasy they felt. Kindness without a reason… only made them more nervous. Jiang Rong smiled and looked straight at Jia Yuanqing. “You used to be the lobby manager at a five-star hotel in Y City, Z Province, right?”

Jia Yuanqing blinked in surprise before nodding. “Yes, that’s right.”

Jiang Rong chuckled. “I once traveled to Y City and stayed at your hotel. There was a mix-up, and the room I booked wasn’t available. You helped me out and arranged for an even better room. To you, it was probably nothing. But for me, it was the best trip I ever had. Thank you, Manager Jia.”

Of course, Jiang Rong didn’t tell Jia Yuanqing the real reason he was saving him. In his previous life, after many long talks with Jia Yuanqing, he’d learned that the man used to be a lobby manager in a luxury hotel in the neighboring province. A lobby manager’s job was to handle problems for guests—and room upgrades were just another part of the daily routine, something he probably did dozens of times a day.

Jia Yuanqing’s eyes lit up, shining with disbelief. He grabbed Jiang Rong’s hand tightly, his voice trembling with emotion. “So that’s it…! Thank you, Captain Jiang. Thank you so much!”

Before the Great Crisis, he had dealt with thousands of guests every day. Even with his sharp memory, he could never remember Jiang Rong’s face. But now… one of those guests he had once helped in passing had saved him from certain death. Jia Yuanqing’s chest burned with gratitude. Captain Jiang didn’t just have a good memory—he was a good man.

Jiang Rong smiled warmly. “Welcome to the Spark Base. We’ve only just gotten started, and things are still a little rough right now… but I promise you, our base is going to get better and better.”

Jia Yuanqing and Yuan Qingquan both nodded fiercely, their eyes bright. “It will! It definitely will!”

With a leader like this, the Spark Base would surely go far.

 

 

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