Chapter 87: Liu Heng’s Visit
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Meng Liang’s memorial service was scheduled for the third day after his death. According to his will, the funeral would be simple and low-key. Since the Spark Base and the Peace Base shared such a close relationship, Jiang Rong and his team went as representatives to attend the service.
Looking at Meng Liang’s shriveled, emaciated body lying in the crystal coffin, Jiang Rong felt an indescribable sensation stir within him. He recalled having read somewhere that every body is merely the vessel for the soul—and Meng Liang’s soul had already left. He was free now, finally unshackled from that frail shell.
After the memorial service ended, Jiang Rong and the others waited in the corridor outside the funeral home. Watching the smoke rise from the crematorium, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but sigh.
He remembered the last time he had come here—carrying his parents’ ashes in both hands while holding Xiaoheng on his back. He hadn’t even known how he managed to walk out. Every time he visited the funeral home, his heart felt heavy. Guan Shao asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Rong forced a smile. “It’s just… parting always feels so sad.” The farewell between life and death was the most helpless kind of goodbye, yet everyone had to face it someday.
Guan Shao always understood Jiang Rong well. He gently straightened Jiang Rong’s tie and said softly, “Yeah, it can’t be helped. All we can do is live each day fully, and when the time comes to leave, accept it calmly.”
From the bushes behind them came the sound of a man sobbing. Following the noise, they saw Zhou Xing crouched behind the shrubs, tears streaming down his face and nose.
Hearing them, Zhou Xing wiped his eyes and sniffled. “Sorry, Captain Jiang, Captain Guan. I lost control. You don’t need to mind me—I’ll be done crying soon.”
Zhou Xing was the person who mourned Meng Liang the most deeply—not Liu Heng. At the farewell ceremony, Zhou Xing had cried so hard he could barely stand.
Jiang Rong pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Xing. “Captain Zhou, my condolences.”
Zhou Xing’s eyes were bloodshot. He took the tissue and blew his nose loudly, his voice hoarse. “Meng was through so much… I know, in a way, that his passing was a release. But my heart still aches. Meng died from exhaustion—pure exhaustion. His powers wore him down. If it weren’t for those cursed abilities, he might still be alive…”
Meng Liang had shown Zhou Xing great kindness. Without Meng Liang, Zhou Xing would have remained just another ordinary fire esper at the Peace Base—he never would have had the good life he had now.
Listening to Zhou Xing’s sobs, Jiang Rong could only offer futile comfort. “Captain Zhou, death is irreversible. Please, accept my sympathy.”
Waving his hand, Zhou Xing choked out, “It’s alright. I just need to cry for a bit more. Sorry for making a scene.”
Guan Shao spoke in a low voice, “Captain Zhou is genuine. I’m sure Meng Liang would want you to take care of yourself.”
Seeing Zhou Xing’s sincerity, Guan Shao finally understood why Meng Liang had trusted him so much. There were few people with a conscience these days, but Zhou Xing was too straightforward—that’s probably why Meng Liang hadn’t chosen him as the next leader of the base.
By comparison, Liu Heng’s approach was much more pragmatic. As Meng Liang’s successor, he had taken charge of the funeral. From every angle, he seemed like the perfect replacement. Just as Jiang Rong thought of Liu Heng, Liu Heng appeared. He strode down one side of the corridor with his subordinates and, upon seeing Jiang Rong and Guan Shao, apologized politely. “Sorry for the poor reception, Captain Jiang, Captain Guan. Please, forgive us.”
Jiang Rong waved off the formality. “No need to be so formal, General Liu.”
After some brief pleasantries, Liu Heng sighed. “Meng Liang told me often that he wanted to visit the Spark Base—to see our brother base and walk through the fields to breathe fresh air. But fate didn’t allow it. He left too suddenly.”
Jiang Rong nodded in agreement. “Yeah. But the friendship between our two bases won’t change because of Meng Liang’s passing. The Spark Base always welcomes the brothers from the Peace Base. When will you have time to visit us?”
As the new leader of the Peace Base, Liu Heng needed to visit neighboring bases to strengthen ties. Since the Spark Base was the closest, it would surely be his first stop.
After Meng Liang’s death, Jiang Rong felt more at ease. He had no desire to break ties with the Peace Base—and the Peace Base certainly didn’t want to lose a logistics base like the Spark.
Having expressed his position clearly, Liu Heng smiled brightly. “After Meng Liang’s funeral is over, General Jiang, don’t think I’m a bother when I come to visit.”
Jiang Rong smiled and extended his hand. “General Liu, your presence will greatly honor the Spark Base.”
*
After Meng Liang’s ashes were laid to rest in the cemetery, the funeral was officially over, and Jiang Rong’s life was supposed to return to normal. Just after arriving back at the base, Jiang Rong received a call from Yuan Qingquan.
“Captain Jiang, could you come to my house for a moment?”
Jiang Rong raised an eyebrow, a bad feeling stirring in his chest. “Teacher Yuan, did Jiang Yuan do something wrong?”
Yuan Qingquan hesitated. “Well… Jiang Yuan got into a fight with a classmate. It was pretty serious. Could you come over?”
Jiang Rong sighed helplessly after hanging up. “Yuan Yuan looks so well-behaved, how could she be so violent?” If he remembered correctly, Jiang Yuan’s classmates were older than her, and yet she managed to win a fight?
Guan Shao said calmly, “If she were softer, she wouldn’t have survived.”
Jiang Rong rubbed his forehead. “Yeah… We’ll have to correct that slowly.”
When they arrived at Yuan Qingquan’s home, Jiang Yuan was crouched in the corner clutching a carrot in both hands. Anyone who tried to approach was met with a carrot wielded as a weapon. When she saw Jiang Rong, her eyes lit up and she ran over clutching the carrot. “Daddy!”
Jiang Rong buried his face in his hands, never imagining that carrots would one day be used as weapons. Jiang Yuan had beaten a classmate with a foot-long carrot.
The beaten child was bruised and swollen, crying loudly. The other child’s parents, aware of Jiang Rong’s status, dared not voice their anger. Fortunately, Jiang Rong had apologized on behalf of his child many times before, and it didn’t take long before the other parents forgave him.
On the way home, Jiang Rong held Jiang Yuan’s hand. “Yuan Yuan, can you tell Daddy why you hit your classmate?”
Earlier, Yuan Qingquan had tried to ask Jiang Yuan, but the little girl had said nothing. Now, alone with his daughter, Jiang Rong felt he might get an answer.
Sure enough, Jiang Yuan lowered her head and whispered, “They said bad things about Xiaoheng.”
Jiang Rong blinked in confusion. “Xiaoheng? Your classmates said bad things about Xiaoheng?”
That confused him. Xiaoheng had never met Jiang Yuan’s classmates—how could they say bad things about him? Jiang Yuan puffed out her cheeks in anger. “They said Xiaoxingxing is short.”
Jiang Rong was speechless. Short? What did that mean?
Jiang Yuan held up her carrot seriously. “Teacher Yuan taught me about big and small, long and short today. Daddy, look! The carrot I picked is the longest and biggest. I didn’t pick a short carrot.”
To help the kids remember the words, Yuan Qingquan had pulled several carrots from the field for teaching. Jiang Yuan immediately chose the biggest one. All the kids knew the bigger, thicker carrots were better; thin, short carrots were bad.
Suddenly it all made sense. In Jiang Yuan’s mind, “short” and “small” were bad words. Her classmates had unintentionally said Xiaoheng’s show was short, so she thought they were insulting her big brother.
How to put it—her intentions were good, but her understanding was lacking. Jiang Rong shook his head with a smile. “Yuan Yuan, ‘long’ and ‘short’ are just adjectives. They don’t have good or bad meanings by themselves.”
Jiang Yuan looked up in confusion. “Huh? What’s an adjective?”
Jiang Rong explained all the way home. By the time they neared the house, Jiang Yuan finally understood. “Daddy, did I hit the wrong person?”
Jiang Rong ruffled her hair. “Hitting is wrong no matter what, and you also misunderstood your classmates. Remember to say sorry to them at school tomorrow.”
Jiang Yuan nodded thoughtfully. “Okay.”
By then, they had reached Chu Qiang’s front door. Two children rushed out of the yard, shouting, “Daddy! Daddy!”
Seeing Jiang Rong holding Jiang Yuan’s hand, Jiang Xiaoheng hesitated. “Daddy…”
For some reason, Xiaoheng felt a twinge of unhappiness. Daddy was always busy and rarely picked him up after school, but today he’d come right back for Yuan Yuan. Xiaoheng’s heart felt sour and a bit sad.
*
In mid-June, Jiang Rong received news from the Peace Base that Liu Heng would visit the Spark Base as their representative. This was the first time since the Spark Base’s founding that it would host espers from another base, especially high-ranking officials from a brother base. Jiang Rong and his team took the visit very seriously.
Jiang Rong was already waiting in the service area early that morning. At exactly nine o’clock, the Peace Base convoy appeared.
As soon as he got out of the car, Liu Heng strode forward and shook Jiang Rong’s hand. “General Jiang, I’ve been impressed all the way here. I never expected the Spark Base to be so well-built!”
As they entered the Spark Base, Jiang Rong pointed out the lush greenery. The smooth fields were filled with rows of crops.
June was the rice-planting season at the Spark Base. Rows of bright green seedlings stood neatly in flooded paddies. The scent of fresh seedlings carried through the air.
Some of the seedlings were from mutated rice Jiang Rong had transplanted from the Jiangbei Plain last year. Though second-generation yields were low, not a single seed was wasted; all had been nurtured and replanted.
Though less than two weeks had passed since planting, the mutated rice’s advantages were already clear. This fall, the Spark Base was expected to enjoy another bountiful harvest.
Jiang Rong warmly led Liu Heng onto the Spark Base sightseeing tram. “General Liu, the Spark Base is your home—make yourself comfortable.”
Liu Heng wasn’t alone. He had brought several trusted aides. Chu Qiang scanned the group and asked curiously, “General Liu, where’s Captain Zhou? Is he on a mission?”
Liu Heng smiled. “Yes, Zhou Xing went to the Jiangbei oilfield. He’ll come to Spark Base once the mission is complete.”
After touring the Spark Base, Liu Heng’s smile grew wider. “No wonder General Jiang sends us vegetables and fruits every month. The Spark Base is truly a blessed land—everything you could want is here.”
He paused, then sighed. “Seeing the Spark Base’s development, I think the Peace Base went down the wrong path from the start.”
If the Peace Base had focused on agriculture like the Spark Base instead of building underground cities, maybe it would have become a land rich in fruits and vegetables too.
Jiang Rong laughed. “General Liu, the Peace Base supports over a million people. The Spark Base doesn’t have that kind of capacity.”
Liu Heng waved his hand. “General Jiang, you’re modest. With the Bloodthirsty Vine, the Spark Base will soon be one of the top bases.”
Not every base could replicate the Spark Base’s model. Its success was closely tied to Jiang Rong.
For example, whenever the Spark Base cleared new land, Little Guaiguai protected everyone. With Little Guaiguai around, espers could focus on other tasks while the people’s safety was ensured.
The Peace Base lacked such resources. Their land-clearing required several times the manpower and materials of the Spark Base. The yield was far less than the input—it wasn’t worth the effort, and no one wanted to do it.
Jiang Rong didn’t hold anything back; he believed Liu Heng already knew what the Spark Base was like. Rather than hide it, he preferred to show it openly. After the tour, Liu Heng’s eyes shone brightly. Jiang Rong remembered when they had first visited the Peace Base and been impressed by their communications and power plants. Now Liu Heng was amazed by the Spark Base’s fertile fields—and its water.
Perhaps because of all the vegetation, the plants purified the water by absorbing impurities. The water in the Spark Base’s canals was much clearer than elsewhere. Even purified water from the Peace Base didn’t match the Spark Base’s natural supply.
Liu Heng knelt by a canal, cupping the clear water in his hands and drinking deeply several times. He gave a satisfied thumbs-up. “Sweet! I haven’t tasted water this good in ages. General Jiang, you’ve got the secret—fertile land and quality water. How could the Spark Base not thrive?”
Jiang Rong smiled. “The Peace Base could do even better. General Liu, if you need, we can exchange seeds and technology to help both bases grow.”
This idea had been on Jiang Rong’s mind for some time. If only the people at the Spark Base could eat well while others suffered, it wouldn’t be long before the Spark Base became a target of envy.
Jealousy and greed were endless. Everyone was a refugee—why should some live better than others? Once that thought took root, the Spark Base would be watched by countless eyes.
Jiang Rong didn’t want the base they had worked so hard to build to be spoiled—or worse, destroyed. If the Peace Base could help share the burden, it would be even better.
Jiang Rong looked seriously at Liu Heng. “Our base can supply seeds and technology. If you want, I can have Little Guaiguai help the Peace Base clear farmland. What do you think?”
Liu Heng was momentarily taken aback, then laughed awkwardly. “General Jiang, are you serious?”
Jiang Rong nodded firmly. “Why wouldn’t I be? Cooperation is good for both bases.”
Liu Heng considered it for a moment. “I’ll think about it…”
At that moment, Jiang Rong’s phone rang. He had been reluctant to answer, but when he saw it was Jiang Hao calling, he knew he had to pick up. The three kids were usually well-behaved and never disturbed him at work. If Jiang Hao was calling now, something was wrong.
Jiang Rong nodded to Liu Heng. “Sorry, General Liu, I need to take this.”
After answering, Jiang Hao’s anxious voice came through. “Daddy! Xiaoheng and Yuan Yuan fell into the river! You need to come back right now!”
Jiang Rong’s heart skipped a beat. “Don’t panic. I’m coming back immediately.”
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