Apocalypse Chapter 74: The Snow Disaster (Part 1)

Chapter 74: The Snow Disaster (Part 1)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Since the start of winter, the Peace Base had already sent four groups of people to the Spark Base. Now, more than two thousand support workers were stationed there.

At first, they had all assumed they would be living like serfs, working tirelessly with nothing in return. But to their surprise, life in the Spark Base was different—they had food, warm clothes, and a sense of security. Because of that, everyone worked with enthusiasm.

Thanks to their help, several villages in the Spark Base were finally connected to natural gas and heating pipelines.

But the Spark Base was still too underdeveloped. While the pipelines were in place, there was no supporting infrastructure to provide enough natural gas or heating to everyone. If they wanted the whole base to enjoy these resources, it would take more time, manpower, and effort.

According to the experts within the base, if construction continued at its current pace, by next winter, most of the Spark Base’s population would finally have access to heating. That was—if no natural disasters struck before then, and if the two bases didn’t have a falling-out.

But only a few days after those words were spoken, the Spark Base issued a snowstorm warning. On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, heavy snow began to fall. The wet, icy flakes quickly blanketed the entire base, and the temperature on the outdoor thermometers kept dropping.

Jiang Rong brushed the snow off the thermometer and stared at the reading in surprise. “Guan Shao, take a guess—how cold do you think it is?”

From the roof, Guan Shao’s voice came down. “How cold?”

Jiang Rong stepped back to look up at him. “Fifteen below. It’s never been this cold before.”

The Spark Base was located on the southern bank of the river. Historically, the coldest winters on the southern bank had only dropped to around seven or eight below. Fifteen below was completely unheard of. And this was during snowfall—once the snow stopped and the melt began, it would get even colder.

Guan Shao was still on the roof, sweeping snow off the solar panels. If they didn’t clear it off quickly, the panels would get buried and they’d lose their power supply.

“It’s freezing,” Guan Shao muttered, brushing snow off with a broom. Thankfully, Jiang Rong had prepared in advance for this cold wave, reinforcing homes, distributing firewood, and installing stoves. Without those preparations, the ordinary civilians of the Spark Base wouldn’t have survived fifteen below.

Now, looking back, every action they had taken—reinforcing homes, handing out wood, installing stoves—had been to prepare for this cold. Because of that, the people of the Spark Base believed one thing even more strongly: their leader had foresight.

But Jiang Rong didn’t have foresight. He only had the memories of his past life. In that life, back in the Peace Base, he and his son had shivered helplessly through the cold. This time, he refused to let his family live through that kind of suffering again.

The snow fell harder. Jiang Rong called up, “Come down and rest. Even if you clear it now, it’ll just pile back up again. Our battery storage will last six or seven days. When the snow stops, we’ll clear it together.”

Based on his previous life’s experience, this snowfall would last three or four days, and their power should last long enough. Even if it didn’t, they still had their wood stove. At least his children wouldn’t freeze or go hungry.

“Alright,” Guan Shao replied. “I’ll finish this round first.”

It had been months since he last cleared the roof, and in that time, dead leaves and branches had built up. He wanted to clear it all now, while the snow was still light, so that the snow they collected later could be used for clean water.

By the time Guan Shao climbed down, his coat was dusted white with snow. Jiang Rong patted the snow off his shoulders and back. “I made ginger tea. Go drink a bowl while it’s hot.”

It wasn’t just for Guan Shao—when they went inside, the two children were each clutching bowls of ginger tea bigger than their heads, drinking noisily. The bowls were far too big for them. After drinking half, they couldn’t finish the rest. But that wasn’t a problem. Jiang Xiaoheng eagerly held out his small thermos. “Daddy, can you pour the rest in here? That way I can keep drinking it later.”

Jiang Hao immediately followed. “Me too!”

Because of the snowstorm, the base had halted all major construction projects, and both espers and civilians had returned home. But the radio station hadn’t stopped broadcasting. Outside was bitterly cold and boring, so for many, the broadcast had become their only form of entertainment.

After Jiang Hao and Jiang Xiaoheng’s first awkward attempt at broadcasting, they had somehow ended up with their own program on the Spark Base’s radio.

Usually, their show aired from four to five in the afternoon, but today, because of the snow, the broadcast started earlier. The children couldn’t match an adult’s stamina; after their broadcast, they’d be able to come home and rest. Jiang Rong smiled as he poured the tea into their thermoses. “Can you tell Daddy what you’re planning to talk about today?”

At first, both children had refused to speak on-air. Faced with the complicated radio equipment, they didn’t know what to say. Back then, even asking them to talk for one minute was too much.

But over time, with ideas from the community, their show had grown. They sang songs, shared little stories from their day, even told everyone what they’d eaten.

Now, they could chat for fifteen minutes with ease—and their program had become the most popular one in the base. After a long, exhausting day, the sound of two cheerful children’s voices lifted everyone’s spirits. Xiaoheng hugged his little backpack and shook his head. “Nope! It’s a secret. You’ll find out when you listen, Daddy.”

He giggled twice, as if to soften the refusal. Jiang Rong only chuckled. “Alright. I won’t ask. Go put on your coats. We’re leaving soon.”

Because the snowy roads were too dangerous for driving, the family decided to walk to the community center. The two children skipped ahead under their small umbrella while Jiang Rong and Guan Shao followed behind, sharing a large black umbrella. Jiang Rong noticed the umbrella tilting toward him, snow collecting on Guan Shao’s exposed shoulder.

“There are so many umbrellas at home,” Jiang Rong teased. “Why are you sharing mine?”

Guan Shao met his gaze, his smile faint but warm. “Because this way, I get to stay close to you.”

Close enough to walk shoulder to shoulder. Close enough to reach out and pull him into his arms. Guan Shao tilted the umbrella forward, shielding them from view, and cupped the back of Jiang Rong’s head in his hand, kissing him deeply. When they finally parted, Jiang Rong’s breath was unsteady, his cheeks flushed red. “The kids are right here…”

“They can’t see us,” Guan Shao murmured, their foreheads pressed together. The children were too busy playing in the snow ahead of them, and besides—he’d already hidden them under the umbrella. Snowflakes drifted down, clinging to their hair. Guan Shao chuckled in a low voice. “See? If we keep walking like this, we’ll grow old together.”

Jiang Rong’s smile deepened. “Yeah. We will.” He was so lucky—to have found someone to grow old with. 

As they continued walking, their hands found each other under the umbrella. Behind them, in the snow, two large footprints and two small ones trailed side by side.

When Jiang Xiaoheng looked back, he spotted his two daddies holding hands. He immediately reached for Jiang Hao’s hand. “Let’s hold hands too! That way we won’t slip!”

But Jiang Hao wasn’t paying attention. He was staring at a nearby bush.

“What is it?” Xiaoheng asked, puzzled.

“Do you hear that?” Jiang Hao pointed. “It sounds like… a kitten.”

Sure enough, a faint, broken meowing came from the bushes. Lele, their sharp-eared dog, darted over and nosed through the snow-covered branches. Moments later, it came trotting back with a tiny black-and-white kitten clamped gently in its mouth. The kitten was no bigger than a hand, half-frozen from the cold.

“Daddy! Daddy! Lele found a kitten!” the children shouted. In the bush lay another cat—a calico, stiff and unmoving, curled protectively around where the kitten had been. She had used the last of her strength to shield her child from the snow.

Guan Shao’s face softened with regret. “Bury her,” he said quietly. Winter was always the hardest time for stray cats and dogs. Before, they could rummage through human trash bins to find food. But now, humans were barely able to take care of themselves—who had time or energy to worry about strays? 

As temperatures dropped, these stray animals couldn’t find food or shelter. They faced the bitter reality of freezing to death. Jiang Hao held the tiny kitten close, using his own body heat to keep it warm. Jiang Xiaoheng reached out, gently stroking the kitten’s head. “Daddy, the kitten is so pitiful. It doesn’t have a mom anymore…”

Could such a fragile creature survive in this freezing weather? After Jiang Rong and the others buried the kitten, the two children looked up at him with tear-streaked faces. “Daddy, can we keep the kitten?”

Jiang Rong thought for a moment before replying, “Xiao Hao, Xiaoheng, we already have a lot of pets at home. If we take in the kitten, don’t you think Lele and Junjun will get upset?”

Lele was easy—he was a lovable, goofy dog, so a few extra animals wouldn’t bother her. But Junjun was a big cat, a large feline predator. Whether Junjun would accept the kitten was one thing; whether the kitten would be traumatized by Junjun was an even bigger concern. Xiaoheng pouted. “But… if no one cares for the kitten, it’ll freeze to death.”

Jiang Rong ruffled the boy’s hair. “I know you’re kind and loving, but we can’t just take in every animal we see. How about this: you two take the kitten to the community center first. I’ll try to find a good home for it, okay?”

With so many people at the Spark Base, there had to be someone willing to care for a kitten. Xiaoheng nodded quietly. “Daddy, you have to find a good owner for the kitten, okay?”

Jiang Rong smiled. “I will.” In truth, he already had the perfect candidate in mind.

 

 

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