Apocalypse Chapter 77: The Peace Base

Chapter 77: The Peace Base

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After the heavy snow stopped, the accumulated snow reached a full meter in depth. Everywhere the eye could see was white—trenches and flat land were indistinguishable beneath the thick blanket. Most of the civilians at the Spark Base had never seen snowfall like this before. While marveling at the sight, they also felt thankful. If the base hadn’t had the foresight to prepare, they would have frozen to death.

Through radio broadcasts, they heard updates from other bases. Many had suffered devastating losses during the snow disaster, with countless deaths due to the cold. Yet here at the Spark Base, not only had no one died, but most people had even gained weight from eating well and staying cozy indoors.

The snow brought more than disaster; it offered abundant water and a surge of life. After the snow melted, the soil became even more fertile. The wheat and rapeseed buried beneath the snow had lain dormant all winter and now burst into rapid growth. By late March, the rapeseed plants had grown waist-high and started blooming, while the wheat stalks stretched tall with developing grain heads. A bountiful harvest was only a few months away.

With spring in full bloom, the Spark Base focused on two main efforts: expansion and farming.

After the thaw, the base expanded outward. On the map, it looked like only a small addition around the edges, but even a one-meter increase in diameter meant a significant gain in area.

The arable land available to the base had nearly doubled. With the original population alone, it was impossible to farm all of it in time. Fortunately, thanks to the Spark Base’s radio programs—especially the “Little Stars” show hosted by two young children—many people had arrived, drawn by the reputation. The population of the base was rapidly growing.

Newcomers weren’t there to freeload—they had to build their lives with their own hands. The base assigned them to the newly expanded land and tasked them with building their own homesteads, just like the pioneers before them. Although those homesteads were still barren, with everyone’s hard work, the future was already beginning to take shape.

In addition to new residents drawn by reputation, the Peace Base had generously sent over several waves of support. By now, over fifteen thousand supporters had arrived from the Peace Base. With their help, orderly new villages were constructed, and beautiful Western-style houses rose from the earth one after another.

The Spark Base wasn’t expanding blindly. Everywhere its people went, espers or Little Guaiguai provided protection. After a winter of dormancy, Little Guaiguai had grown even more powerful. If all of its bloodthirsty vines were fully extended, they could encircle the entire base. That meant Little Guaiguai now had the ability to protect the entire settlement.

The number of espers in the base had also increased. Jiang Rong had once estimated that there was roughly one esper per sixty people. Now, the ratio had improved—there was one esper for every fifty people or fewer. More than a thousand espers were now officially registered, and over a hundred esper teams had been formed. With so many espers, the safety of the base was more secure than ever.

Construction within the base was progressing smoothly, though unexpected issues still cropped up now and then. In early April, Jiang Rong received an invitation from Meng Liang, requesting him to visit the Peace Base to discuss infrastructure plans.

Holding the invitation letter, Jiang Rong smiled and said, “Let’s go. It’s about time we paid President Meng a visit.”

April 6th.

The southeastern gate of the Peace Base stood wide open at dawn. Early in the morning, civilians had laid out a bright red carpet in front of the steel gates and prepared the highest-level welcome ceremony.

To them, the Spark Base wasn’t just another settlement—it was their brother base. The relationship between the two was so close, it felt like family. And when family came to visit, of course they would bring out the best hospitality they had.

Dou Zhang and his classmates had blended into the crowd helping set up the ceremony. As he listened to the excited chatter around him about the Spark Base’s situation, his expression grew darker by the second.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the Peace Base that he realized how brutal the outside world really was. Ordinary people in the Peace Base worked themselves to exhaustion each day, and the food they could exchange their labor for wasn’t nearly enough to fill their stomachs.

He had assumed being an esper would earn him special treatment. But his abilities weren’t strong enough to stand out among the many espers, and without crystal cores or food, his power had stagnated. He had now fallen so far that he was being sent out on missions alongside regular civilians.

After months of torment, Dou Zhang had grown emaciated. Just a few days ago, a late-spring cold snap had struck, and several of his close classmates had come down with severe colds. He’d been lucky—he managed to avoid getting sick. But his friends were still bedridden, too weak to get up.

And in the Peace Base, once someone collapsed, death wasn’t far behind. This place was anything but peaceful—for ordinary people, it was anything but friendly. Falling ill meant being unable to work. And if you couldn’t work, you couldn’t eat.

Once, Dou Zhang could at least rely on his abilities to scrape together a meal. But with his limited power, there was no way he could feed so many mouths. He hadn’t eaten properly for days. If today’s rations had to be split again, he felt like he might starve to death.

He couldn’t help but think back to their early days in the Spark Base. As soon as they arrived, each of them received a thousand points. The base gave them housing and water, and with those thousand points, they could buy quite a lot. As long as they worked hard, there were always jobs available to help them survive.

When they were sick, they could see a doctor. With a medical slip, they even received free meals while on sick leave. But in the Peace Base, if you didn’t work, you didn’t eat.

The food at the Spark Base had been unbelievably good—every meal came with four dishes and a soup. Too bad he hadn’t known how to appreciate it at the time. He used to think that kind of food wasn’t even fit for pigs. But after experiencing true hunger, he realized just how delicious it had really been. Whenever he dreamed about those meals now, he couldn’t help but swallow down the saliva gathering in his mouth.

It was almost laughable. Back when he’d been at the one place that had shown them the most acceptance, he’d been shouting about fairness and justice. Now that he was in a place where injustice lurked in every corner, he didn’t even dare to speak.

Dou Zhang silently activated his ability, securing iron rods into their designated positions one by one. Just then, he heard a mocking voice from a nearby coworker.

“Little Dou, aren’t you excited? You get to see your old bosses today!”

Another one chimed in sarcastically, “Ah, so you’re one of those from the Spark Base, huh? You must’ve lost your mind. Gave up an easy life just to come here and suffer.”

“If I were you, I’d go beg the Spark Base’s boss to take me back. Who knows? If they’re in a good mood, maybe they’d actually let you.”

Dou Zhang’s breath hitched, shame and regret surging back to the surface. There were a lot of people in the Peace Base who came from smaller neighboring settlements. When his group had first arrived, they hadn’t stood out. But once the Spark Base began diplomatic relations and started sending truckloads of fresh vegetables to the Peace Base every month, rumors about the Spark Base spread like wildfire.

People loved gossip, especially when there was nothing better to do. The story of how Dou Zhang and the others had colluded with military personnel to betray the Spark Base had already been passed around endlessly. And the better the Spark Base’s reputation became, the worse theirs got.

Now, no matter where Dou Zhang went to the Peace Base, people saw him as a stupid traitor—and treated him accordingly. At first, he’d fought back, but after getting beaten down harshly, he’d stopped causing trouble.

So now, faced with those mocking voices, Dou Zhang just lowered his head and said nothing. Saying he didn’t regret it would’ve been a lie. Lately, he kept wondering: If he hadn’t lost his mind last year, if he hadn’t been so arrogant just because he was talented, would he be like Lin Meng now—respected and valued? Would he be living a life where he had enough to eat and wear?

The base had just been established back then. He’d had so many chances to make a name for himself. So why had he thrown it all away, choosing instead a path with no way back? But regret changed nothing. There was no medicine for it. All he could do now was bow his head and endure the mockery. He couldn’t survive outside the Peace Base—there wasn’t another base within two hundred miles, and he didn’t have the skills to make it on his own. Dou Zhang shut his eyes in pain. If only he’d known then what he knew now…

*

At exactly nine in the morning, the convoy from the Spark Base arrived at the gates of the Peace Base. As Jiang Rong stepped out of the vehicle, a blast of ceremonial firecrackers and the pounding of drums erupted. He turned toward the sound and saw the Peace Base’s massive steel gates flung open, with a red carpet rolling out from inside all the way to the entrance. Locals lined the path, dressed in festive clothing, banging drums with joyful expressions. The entire place radiated celebration.

He hadn’t been welcomed like this in his past life. Back then, he, his son, and Duan Jie had arrived at the Peace Base’s side gate, covered in dust and dirt. The main gate had always been reserved for espers, and people like them hadn’t been worthy of entering that way.

Jiang Rong instinctively glanced toward the smaller gate to the right. In his previous life, he’d pawned his vehicle and everything he owned at that very gate, clutching a Peace Base points card in one hand and his son Jiang Xiaoheng’s hand in the other as they stepped inside.

Seeing the familiar gate again brought back bitter memories of all the hardships they’d endured in the Peace Base. They had come full of hope, and left gaunt and hollow-eyed.

This time, Jiang Rong vowed he would never pin his hopes on this base again—nor let himself be pushed around by its people. Taking a deep breath, Jiang Rong stepped onto the red carpet with his team.

Two high-level espers from the Peace Base came to receive them. On the left stood Liu Heng, who had taken over after Meng Liang’s death. On the right was someone they recognized—Zhou Xing, a man they’d grown to respect after fighting beside him.

Compared to the burly Zhou Xing, Liu Heng looked much more refined in both appearance and demeanor. After shaking hands with Jiang Rong, he offered a polite apology.

“Chief Jiang, our Director Meng isn’t feeling well and couldn’t greet you personally. I hope you understand.”

Jiang Rong smiled. “Not at all. The Peace Base has welcomed us with such enthusiasm—we’re truly honored.”

After a bit of small talk, Liu Heng gestured toward a waiting line of luxury vehicles. “Chief Jiang, please take our car.”

The contrast was stark—compared to the Peace Base’s sleek vehicles, the Spark Base convoy of military trucks and pickups looked almost shabby. But Jiang Rong didn’t hesitate. “Much appreciated. Oh, I also brought some local produce with me—would you mind accepting it, Captain Liu?”

Behind their convoy were over a dozen large trucks filled with neatly packed vegetables. The sight alone made people tear up with emotion. It was impossible not to wonder—how could two bases be so different? How did the Spark Base have so much, and such high quality?

Liu Heng was visibly grateful. “On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Chief Jiang!”

While Jiang Rong and Liu Heng walked ahead chatting, Chu Qiang nudged Zhou Xing in the ribs. “What’s with you, brother? Not happy to see us?”

Ever since that run-in at the Jiangbei oil fields, Zhou Xing and the Spark Base’s espers had gotten along pretty well. But today, something was clearly weighing on him.

Zhou Xing sighed, visibly troubled. “Our boss has been in terrible health lately. I’m seriously worried. Chu Qiang, I’ll be straight with you—I’ve got a bad feeling. If something happens to him… what’s going to happen to our base?”

Chu Qiang patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Director Meng is a tough one—he’ll pull through.”

The Peace Base covered the entirety of N City and its surrounding area, a territory of over 6,000 square kilometers. Within the city walls alone, the enclosed area spanned more than 500 square kilometers. Their headquarters was set in the Peace Tower, the tallest building in N City. The skyscraper stood nearly 500 meters high, a sixteen-sided structure sheathed in bulletproof glass. From its top, one could look out over the entire base.

In his previous life, Jiang Rong had never been allowed inside. He used to stand outside on clear days, craning his neck to stare up at the tower’s shining façade. He never imagined that in this life, he’d be invited in respectfully by the tower’s own leaders.

The building had 150 floors. Meng Liang lived on the top level. Though it was high up, the elevator ride took less than a minute. The outer walls of the elevator were transparent, and as it ascended, Pan Pan and the others instinctively clutched the handrails.

“Holy crap, this guy really lives all the way up here?” Pan Pan whispered.

Liu Heng chuckled. “He loves the view from above. Always says that only from the top can you see the big picture.”

Jiang Rong nodded slightly. “He has a good perspective.” Still, he personally preferred his own little courtyard—something closer to the ground, something solid.

When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, they stepped into the top floor—and immediately saw a man seated in a wheelchair. He was tall and thin, his face deathly pale. Gold-rimmed glasses sat on his nose, and though his expression was calm, his body slumped deep into the wheelchair, looking every bit a man in serious decline.

Jiang Rong took a step forward with a warm smile and offered his hand. “Director Meng, it’s an honor. I’m Jiang Rong—it’s good to finally meet you.”

Even a psychic esper needed to activate their ability to control someone, and only another esper could resist such powers. So as Jiang Rong extended his hand, his wood-type ability had already surged to life inside him. If Meng Liang tried anything, he’d know immediately.

But Meng Liang simply reached out with both hands, grasped Jiang Rong’s firmly, and smiled sincerely. “So young! I’ve heard so much about you, Chief Jiang—welcome to the Peace Base!”

His hands were ice cold. When he touched Jiang Rong, it felt like the skin of a cold-blooded animal brushing against his own. A strange feeling rose in Jiang Rong’s chest. Psychic espers really were terrifying—after just one look, Jiang Rong felt as if this man had already seen straight through him.

 

 

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