Apocalypse Chapter 96: Extra 3 – A World Without You

Chapter 96: Extra 3 – A World Without You

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

It was the winter month of the year 2256 in the Nebula calendar—six years after the Great Crisis had broken out. The world had already become a wasteland.

The ring road near Lingshan Reservoir had lost all human maintenance. Scarred and battered by mutated plants and animals, the road was no longer passable by vehicles. Cracked pavement was covered thick with wild grass, and lurking within the grass were vicious mutated beasts and insects. Ordinary people could easily be injured by the creatures hidden in the undergrowth.

Of course, those who could walk outside now were no ordinary people. In the cold wind, two figures appeared—a large one and a small one. The larger figure carried a long case on his back and held a black box in his left hand. The smaller one, dressed in a thick cotton jacket, stayed close by.

Their clothing bore a ship-shaped insignia on the collars, marking them as espers from the largest northern base of the Ark. These two were no ordinary espers. The larger was Guan Shao, the leader of the Ark base, and the smaller was his adopted son, Jiang Hao.

From the withered grass came a rustling sound. Looking toward the darkness, the mutated rats’ eyes glowed red. Jiang Hao tugged on Guan Shao’s sleeve and let out a single-syllable sound: “Ah.”

Guan Shao nodded slightly. Lowering his gaze, he snapped his fingers. With the snap came thousands of blue-purple electric sparks. The sparks swept quickly along the road, turning withered grass to ashes. Mutated rats caught in the wave were scorched black. The few who escaped fled in panic, terrified of the electric surge.

After clearing the path ahead, Guan Shao stopped and looked around. He remembered that when he had left Lingshan Reservoir, the area had been a place of beautiful mountains and clear water. But now, all he saw was desolation—he could find no trace of what had been.

He had once lived near the reservoir at a farmhouse with Jiang Hao for half a year. Back then, he had been injured by Gu Zefeng and caught in the black rain. If not for that small courtyard, he and the child might not have survived.

This time on the mission, fate had made him want to come and see for himself. He wondered if the mutated jujube tree by the gate was still there, if the owner of the small house had returned.

Though the path to the house was choked with roots and dead grass, Guan Shao still found the way in precisely. After a few snaps of his fingers, the dead grass and roots blocking their way turned to ash, revealing a courtyard overgrown with withered vines.

Outside the courtyard wall, the jujube tree still stood. Beneath it lay fallen jujube pits. Jiang Hao reached out to touch the rough bark and looked up at the branches, where a few dried red jujubes hung. He had tasted those jujubes before and knew how sweet they were.

As Jiang Hao used his powers to pluck the red jujubes, Guan Shao opened the courtyard gate. Inside, thick piles of dead grass cluttered the yard. Weeds grew on the walls and roof. The front door was open, revealing a few broken pieces of furniture inside.

He remembered closing that door when he left. It seemed that someone had lived here during his absence. With another flash of electric light, the dead grass in the yard turned to ashes. Guan Shao stepped forward but suddenly felt something underfoot. A crisp “crack” sounded as he crushed it.

Looking down, he saw a piece of white bone in the ashes, covered with bite marks—gnawed by mutated rats. After entering this area, he had seen many such remains.

Two years ago, when the mutated rat plague had erupted, several nearby bases were devoured overnight—including the Peace Base, which had a population of over a million. Even bases with tight defenses suffered devastating blows. Ordinary people left alone stood no chance.

Guan Shao shifted his foot carefully and found more bones amid the ashes. The bones belonged to a father and child. They remained frozen in their last moments. The younger, curled tightly in the father’s arms, was protected fiercely. The leg bone Guan Shao had crushed belonged to the father.

Judging by their final poses, they had been scared and in pain. They must have tried to escape. But no matter how hard they fought, they were overwhelmed by the flood of rats. Guan Shao’s gaze lingered briefly on the two skeletons before he strode around them toward the house.

Inside, signs of habitation were clear. Someone had lived here for some time. Before long, Guan Shao emerged carrying a bedsheet. He wrapped the two skeletons carefully and then searched for a patch of clear ground beneath the jujube tree to set up a grave for them.

Next to the new grave stood a small tombstone. A wooden plaque before it bore a line of writing: Here lies the bravest dog in the world, Lele.

Guan Shao’s eyes rested on the inscription below: Father Jiang Rong and son Jiang Xiaoheng. Seeing Jiang Rong’s name, a hollow feeling welled inside Guan Shao. Missed them…

It turned out the house’s owner had returned after all. Unfortunately, he had only taken shelter in the Jiang family’s house and had never seen them face to face.

Jiang Hao was puzzled. He stood silently before the grave. They encountered countless corpses every day, but what made these two so special that his adoptive father had erected a grave for them? After a moment, Guan Shao lowered his head and said to Jiang Hao, “Let’s go.”

When they left the farmhouse last time, Guan Shao had taken something with him. This time, he had come back to put it in its original place. Back in the room, Guan Shao opened the black box he carried. Inside lay a thick photo album. Opening it, a laughing child reached out toward the camera.

Guan Shao had found this album on the bedside table when he and Jiang Hao had been in desperate straits. Despite all his battles, even he had felt hopeless at times. When down, he would look through the album, which recorded the precious moments of a child named Jiang Rong growing from infancy to youth. Seeing Jiang Rong’s smiling face lifted Guan Shao’s spirits and made him feel the world was not so bad.

When he left the courtyard, Guan Shao only took the album. It had traveled with him through many cities. He often thought, If only I could meet the album’s owner one day.

Now he had indeed seen Jiang Rong—but he and his child had turned to two skeletons. After putting the album back into the bedside table, Guan Shao stood and looked out the window. The large courtyard was piled with ashes. Jiang Hao stood among the ashes, his eyes red, looking toward Guan Shao. Guan Shao signed silently, What’s wrong?

Jiang Hao responded in sign language, I don’t know why, but suddenly I feel very sad, like… I lost something very important, and I can never find it again.

Guan Shao pressed his lips together. A hint of loneliness flashed in his eyes. To be honest, since entering the Lingshan Reservoir area, he had felt the same. It was as if a weight clogged his chest, heavy and suffocating. Jiang Hao asked again, Father, will we come back here?

Guan Shao was silent a long time before answering, Maybe.

Maybe they would return, maybe they wouldn’t. He no longer had the motivation or purpose to come back.

*

When Guan Shao and Jiang Hao came down from Lingshan Reservoir, it was nearly evening. The father and son wore grim expressions, and their spirits seemed low. Espers from the Ark base had gathered in a village called River’s Bridge, located just below the reservoir. Alongside the Ark base espers were those from the New Humans base.

This time, the Ark and New Humans were cooperating to take City C. It was said that in the city center stood a massive Eyries cactus perched atop the tallest building. Espers entering City C faced indiscriminate attacks from it. The two bases wanted the city’s resources, so they had joined forces.

They had originally planned to meet at the outskirts of City C, but unexpectedly, a terrifying bloodthirsty vine appeared in City D, blocking their path. To get to City C, they first had to eliminate the bloodthirsty vine.

The battle against the vine had been fierce. Afterward, many team members were wounded to varying degrees. That was why everyone had gathered at River’s Bridge to rest briefly.

The New Humans had sent their leader, the ice-and-snow esper Ruan Hanyu, a Level 4 esper. Despite the power she displayed, Ruan Hanyu was actually very sensitive to cold.

During the previous attack, Ruan Hanyu had been injured and had slept all afternoon before she could get up. Now she sat bundled like a ball by the fire, warming herself. Her beautiful face glowed red in the firelight, and her brown eyes reflected the flames, making her look as if she had been crying.

That afternoon, Ruan Hanyu had a beautiful dream. In it, she was still an ice-and-snow esper—but she had not been uprooted from home nor faced heartbreaking ordeals. She had built a base under the leadership of a young man, and they lived peacefully on this very land.

In the dream, many people came and went, laughter filling the air. Countless mutated plants and animals were friendly and cute. Everyone coexisted harmoniously with the creatures, creating a land full of life.

It was the most beautiful dream she had had since the Great Crisis, so vivid she found it hard to leave even after waking. If only everything in that dream could come true. But dreams were always dreams. Upon waking, she still had to face the bleak reality. Ruan Hanyu sighed regretfully and looked up at Guan Shao. “Captain Guan, do you believe in past lives and reincarnation?”

Guan Shao hesitated before answering, “I don’t believe in it. But I hope it’s true.” He hoped that what he couldn’t get in this world, his other self might have in another. Ruan Hanyu forced a smile that was more painful than tears. “Yeah, it would be great if it were true.”

Guan Shao nodded. “Ruan, let’s discuss our next tactics. City C’s situation is complicated, so we should plan carefully first.”

Ruan Hanyu looked up at the sky. The gloomy heavens hung over a silent stillness. Her pupils mirrored that sky, starless and dark. “It’s coming.”

Many challenges still lay ahead. One wrong step meant death. Whether esper or ordinary people, all still struggled amid suffering.

*

Guan Shao suddenly began to breathe rapidly in his sleep. Clutching the blanket tightly, sweat dripped down his forehead. “Get away!”

Jiang Rong jolted awake. He flipped over and quickly switched on the bedside lamp. The orange light revealed electric sparks flickering uncontrollably around Guan Shao.

Having trained with Guan Shao for years, Jiang Rong was unafraid of the electric light. He raised his powers to shield his arm and gently shook Guan Shao. “Guan Shao, Guan Shao, wake up!”

Hearing Jiang Rong’s voice, Guan Shao’s consciousness gradually returned. He opened his eyes, sat up, and breathed deeply. “Xiao Rong…” As he woke, the blue-purple electric sparks rapidly faded.

Jiang Rong handed him a water bottle with concern. “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Guan Shao drank several large gulps before his heartbeat slowly calmed. Seeing Jiang Rong’s worried face, he said in a low voice, “Yeah, I had a terrible dream.”

Jiang Rong patted his back gently and spoke soothingly, “Don’t worry, the nightmare is over.”

Guan Shao reached out and wrapped his arm around Jiang Rong’s shoulders. They leaned back against each other. He clearly remembered the dream’s scenes.

“I dreamed about the day of the black rain when Gu Zefeng ambushed me. I was seriously wounded and fled with Xiao Hao. In the chaos, I came to our home, but in the dream, the house wasn’t like now—it was an old-fashioned courtyard.”

Jiang Rong’s breath caught and his body tensed involuntarily. Guan Shao continued, “Jiang Hao and I lived in that house for over half a year. We faced many mutated animals there. In the dream, I killed Junjun.”

“When I left, I took your photo album from the bedside table. Later, I regrouped with the team and helped build the Ark base in the north. Without your careful care, Xiao Hao still couldn’t speak. In the dream, you weren’t there—no Qiangzi, no Pan Pan and Chunlan, no Xiao Hu, and no the Spark Base. Hanyu was there, but as an esper of the New Humans base.”

“My heart felt empty in the dream, like I lost something important and had no way to find it.”

“Mutated plants and animals grew rampant, and surviving bases became fewer. After I destroyed the imperial power, the northern Ark and southern New Humans became the largest bases in the north and south.”

“The Ark and New Humans joined forces to seize City C, but on the way we faced the Little Guaiguai that blocked our path. It was a bitter fight. We paid a heavy price for victory.”

“In City C, Little Fairy stood atop the tallest building, surrounded by streets piled high with corpses. In that battle, Zhan Qing and Wei Xian died, Gangzi was crippled… Everyone left one by one.”

In the dream, Little Fairy called out “Master Jiang” over and over, but its master never came—only merciless attacks from espers. Guan Shao grasped Jiang Rong’s hand and kissed it softly. “Xiao Rong, what would I do without you?” He thought carefully—if they were happy together now, it was all thanks to Jiang Rong.

Jiang Rong’s hand brushed Guan Shao’s chest gently, his eyes moistening. He couldn’t tell if Guan Shao’s dream was from a past life, but that past life truly seemed like hell, as Guan Shao had said.

Seeing his frightened partner, Jiang Rong whispered comfortingly, “You must be too tired lately, that’s why you had the nightmare. Don’t worry, the nightmare is over. None of it will come true.”

Their last life together had lasted less than three years. Now, six years have passed since the Great Crisis. Their days still stretched ahead, and the future would only get better.

Guan Shao’s lips traced along Jiang Rong’s hand, sliding up his arm. “Yeah, it must be the pressure. How could I lose you in my dreams? I just haven’t been feeling you enough lately.”

Jiang Rong’s breathing quickened. He pushed at Guan Shao’s chest. “Stop it. T-tomorrow we still have… um…”

Guan Shao’s hand slipped beneath Jiang Rong’s robe collar. He thought to himself, he was absolutely in love with Xiao Rong. Without Jiang Rong, every day was a disaster.

 

 

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