Chapter 32 Advancement

The kitchen lights were on, their soft orange glow bathing the large, clean countertop. Guan Shao was standing at the counter, butchering wolf meat. The skinned and gutted wolf meat looked similar to mutton, only with a stronger smell.

Smelling the wolf meat, Lele trembled under the counter with its tail between its legs. Seeing the dog so frightened, Jiang Rong felt both sorry for it and amused: "Why don't you just stay in the bedroom and keep the child company?"

Lele whimpered a few times, its big head nuzzling against Jiang Rong's palm. Its large eyes were filled with grievance and confusion; it couldn't understand why such a terrible smell had appeared in its otherwise peaceful home. Just the smell was enough to frighten it into submission.

Seeing the dog's fur standing on end, Jiang Rong couldn't help but think of her past life. In her past life, back at the base, Lele was driven by superhumans to hunt mutated animals alongside other mutated cats and dogs.

How could a domesticated, silly dog ​​be a match for a wilderness survival expert? Every time it came back, it was covered in blood, and sometimes it would shiver for days without eating or drinking. The once plump dog became scarred and emaciated in just two years.

Jiang Rong bent down and hugged Lele in his arms. He gently stroked the dog's back, feeling its chubby, smooth texture. Thankfully, Lele wouldn't have to face such terrible things in this life: "Don't be afraid, it's dead, it won't hurt you."

Cuddle in its owner's arms, Lele opened its mouth, stuck out its tongue, and grinned foolishly. When Guan Shao looked up, he saw Jiang Rong holding the dog. The handsome young man's gentle demeanor was captivating. If circumstances allowed, he would have loved to watch for a little longer.

Jiang Rong had watched butchers at the market butcher their meat, bone fragments and blood splattering everywhere with a single cut. But Guan Shao, with just a small knife, arranged the wolf meat with remarkable precision. As the blade slid across the wolf's body, the carcass was dismembered according to its parts, legs neatly arranged to one side, ribs to the other. Apart from the occasional exchange between the two, the only sound in the kitchen was the clatter of the blade against the flesh.

Before long, the two wolves were divided up. Jiang Rong decided to keep one wolf and divide the remaining meat among Chu Qiang and Uncle Li's families: "These two hind legs are for Qiangzi's family, and the front legs are for Uncle Li and his family. Put the rest in the refrigerator so you can take it with you on your way when you leave."

Guan Shao hung his head, his eyes dim, but he said casually, "What? You want me to leave so soon?"

Jiang Rong laughed and said, "No, you're the one who hunted this wolf, so the meat is yours. It's hot lately, so I'll leave it for you first."

Guan Shao then smiled and said, "No need."

Jiang Rong kept his word. He vacuum-packed the other wolf and neatly placed it in the kitchen freezer: "If conditions permit, I'll make it into jerky for you before you leave. That way it will keep longer and be more convenient for you and the children to eat."

Guan Shao looked intently at Jiang Rong's eyes and brows, "Then I'll say thank you in advance."

Jiang Rong smiled without saying a word, expressing his gratitude to Guan Shao for giving him the Rain Absorbing Team and two crystal cores. If it weren't for Guan Shao, he wouldn't have been able to obtain so many supplies tonight, let alone the crystal cores.

He never expected Guan Shao to give him the crystal core. Of course, it's very likely that he didn't understand the value of the crystal core and thought it was something easily obtained.

Regardless, once these two crystal cores are in Jiang Rong's hands, he will make good use of them.

Fearing that things might go wrong if she waited too long, Jiang Rong prepared to absorb the crystal cores after washing up. One of the cleaned crystal cores was a vibrant green, while the other was crystal clear; the radiance emanating from it was less than one-thousandth of that from the most beautiful gemstones in the world.

Jiang Rong decided to absorb the transparent one first. Shortly after releasing her power, a warm energy overflowed from the transparent crystal core. The energy flowed through her palm and quickly merged with the power within her body.

After the power circulated within his body a few times, Jiang Rong didn't notice anything amiss. He didn't know what type of power the transparent crystal core possessed, but he figured he could absorb it.

After absorbing one crystal core, Jiang Rong turned to check the time. This absorption took a total of thirteen minutes. The transparent crystal core, the size of a fingernail, had turned into dust and felt light as a feather in her hand.

Next up was the green crystal core. If Jiang Rong wasn't mistaken, this should be a wood-type crystal core. Just by holding it in his palm, he could feel the vibrant life force contained within it.

As soon as the superpower was released, before it even touched the crystal core, the wood-type superpower inside surged out. It quickly merged with Jiang Rong's own superpower and then rushed into Jiang Rong's body.

The sudden surge of wood-based supernatural power caused a slight ache in her meridians, but compared to when she absorbed the mutated ant's crystal core, the pain this time was negligible. As all the supernatural power poured in, Jiang Rong heard a faint cracking sound coming from within her body.

His expression changed. What was going on? Why had his meridians cracked again? Was the tragedy from last time about to repeat itself?

However, the expected pain did not come. Instead, he felt very relaxed, even more comfortable than after enduring the pain last time. He didn't know how to describe the feeling; he felt that his meridians had widened considerably, but his body had not grown larger.

As his supernatural power flowed through his body, Jiang Rong felt light and airy. When he opened his eyes, the green crystal core in his palm had turned into grayish-white powder, and only two minutes had passed.

It seems that absorbing a suitable crystal nucleus is not only comfortable, but also quick. In critical moments, this is a life-saving weapon.

No wonder the superpowered individuals in their past lives were so obsessed with finding crystal cores. Even if the collected crystal cores were not suitable for their own use, it didn't matter. If they encountered other superpowered individuals with suitable crystal cores, they could exchange them.

Feeling the flow of supernatural energy within her body, Jiang Rong's eyes gleamed with longing.

Following the major crisis, social resources were restructured, and the law of the jungle was laid bare before everyone. In his previous life, as an ordinary person, he witnessed too many tragedies and deeply understood the helplessness of those at the bottom of society.

From the very first day of his rebirth, all his plans and schemes were geared towards surviving the great crisis. Before the day of awakening, he simply wanted to live a peaceful and safe life with his son in their hometown.

But the situation has now developed beyond his expectations.

The gears of fate shifted, and he became a wood-type ability user. If before he only wanted to use this ability to grow vegetables after a major crisis, after becoming a level two ability user, his goal changed: he wanted to become stronger.

The greater your ability, the more attention you receive, and the more uncontrollable things happen around you. Only by becoming stronger can you cope with all sorts of unexpected events.

He not only wanted to become stronger himself, but also wanted to help those around him become stronger. Only by joining forces can they gain the upper hand after a major crisis.

It should have been bedtime, but Jiang Rong rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled out a small notebook from the bedside table, and as the pen tip scratched against the paper, an unprecedentedly bold plan slowly emerged on the page.

Because he had been writing so late, Jiang Rong woke up late the next day. When he opened his bedroom door, he noticed something seemed to have changed in the house. However, he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

Seeing him leave the bedroom, Jiang Xiaoheng happily rushed over: "Good morning, Daddy!"

Jiang Rong skillfully picked up her son and rubbed his head: "Good morning, good morning, did you sleep well last night?"

Jiang Xiaoheng smiled, revealing her white teeth: "My brother and I went to bed at ten o'clock yesterday, and we slept really well. We just had porridge and fried eggs, which Uncle Guan made~"

Jiang Rong was taken aback. He had been sleeping so soundly that he hadn't even noticed Guan Shao getting up to make breakfast. Had Guan Shao been checking out the house during this time?

However, his house was not so easy to search. The two doors leading to the underground were heavily secured with security and alarms, making it impossible to go down silently.

Jiang Rong put her son down on the ground: "Where are your uncle and older brother?"

Jiang Xiaoheng pointed outside: "They're cleaning the windows."

Jiang Rong: ? ? ?

Guan Shao was wiping the thick bulletproof glass under the east courtyard wall. It had been raining heavily a few days ago, and the glass was covered with a layer of grime. When Jiang Rong arrived, she saw Guan Shao standing on the windowsill, engrossed in wiping the glass with a rag.

Jiang Hao stood under the window carrying a small bucket. Hearing Jiang Rong's footsteps, the child belatedly turned his head. He winked at Jiang Rong, which was his way of greeting her.

After spending a few days with Jiang Hao, Jiang Rong had gained some understanding of the boy's behavior. He smiled and nodded, reaching out to take the small bucket from Jiang Hao's hand: "Give it to me, it's heavy for you to carry."

Jiang Hao's dark eyes reflected Jiang Rong's face. After hearing Jiang Rong's words, he nodded slightly, then slowly released his hand and took a step back.

Seeing Jiang Hao, Jiang Rong inexplicably thought of an animated film she had watched before, featuring a slow-moving sloth. Jiang Hao's thinking and actions were remarkably similar to that sloth.

Most people would find Jiang Hao slow-witted. However, Jiang Rong thought he was a good kid. Apart from not being able to speak and being a little slow to react, he was actually a polite child.

The shadow of the courtyard wall fell on Guan Shao's waist, splitting his tight-fitting T-shirt in two by the light and shadow. Below his waist, his long legs, shoulder-width apart, stood firmly on the narrow windowsill. Above his waist, fine beads of sweat trickled down his bronze skin, leaving dark stains on his T-shirt.

It has to be said that good-looking people are pleasing to the eye no matter what they do. Jiang Rong stood to the side with her arms crossed, carefully watching the handsome man cleaning the window, a slight smile playing on her lips.

After wiping a pane of glass, Guan Shao jumped down from the windowsill: "Good morning."

Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Good morning, you're so diligent." Guan Shao must be a clean freak; the windows he wiped were spotless, with not a single water stain, and every pane of glass was so clean you could see your face clearly.

After folding the dry rag, Guan Shao casually took the small bucket from Jiang Rong's hand. "The windows at home are all cleaned, and breakfast is ready. After you finish breakfast, we'll go deliver the wolf meat together."

After saying that, Guan Shao strode ahead, and Jiang Rong watched his back with a complicated expression.

He had just watched the home security camera footage and observed all of Guan Shao's actions after he woke up.

As soon as Guan Shao woke up, he started the robot vacuum cleaner and went straight to the kitchen to make breakfast. After feeding the two children, he tidied up their drawing books and toys, then took a bucket of water and went out to wipe the windows. He was busy for more than two hours straight without stopping.

While watching the surveillance footage, Jiang Rong almost knelt down before Guan Shao, wondering if he had picked up a snail-like prince. He considered himself to be one of the cleaner men, but Guan Shao was even cleaner, bordering on obsessive-compulsive.

When we first met, he was a skilled fitness guru, but now he's transformed into an all-around perfect stay-at-home husband.

The contrast is too great.

*

After breakfast, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao went out, each pulling a small cart. Jiang Rong's cart carried two large styrofoam boxes filled with wolf meat chilled with ice packs. With the high temperature, the wolf meat would quickly spoil without ice. Guan Shao's cart contained rice, flour, and cooking oil; although not much, it would feed Uncle Li and his wife for a while.

It was eight or nine in the morning, when the temperature was soaring. Walking along the vine-covered path, Guan Shao's clothes were soaked with sweat. Jiang Rong stopped and called out to him, "Want some water?"

Guan Shao took a children's water bottle from his waist and handed it to Jiang Rong: "Here you go."

Jiang Rong shook her head: "I'm not thirsty, you drink it."

After the black rain, the water and soil become polluted, and people who drink the polluted water are prone to getting sick. The water in Jiang Rong's house is groundwater, and they have a filter installed, so the water is clear and sweet.

Guan Shao was indeed thirsty; he held up his water bottle and gulped down almost half a cup of water. Seeing him drink, Jiang Rong couldn't help but think: What would happen to someone like him in the wild? Without clean water, Guan Shao would quickly become dehydrated, wouldn't he?

However, that's not necessarily true; there are still water-based ability users in this world. With Guan Shao's abilities, he'll definitely be able to build a powerful team after the major crisis, and recruiting one or two water-based ability users won't be difficult.

Watching the sweat trickle down Guan Shao's neck, Jiang Rong had a sudden thought. He couldn't help but think of the plan he had written in his notebook last night: to recruit mutants and set up a small base.

Guan Shao is a ready-made mutant, isn't he? Moreover, his ability is a lightning-based ability, which only one in 100,000 mutants possesses, making it much stronger than other abilities. If he could stay, wouldn't he become a powerful asset?

With that in mind, Jiang Rong tentatively asked, "Guan Shao, after you bring Jiang Hao back from the base, where are you planning to go?"

Guan Shao put the lid on the water bottle, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "I haven't decided yet. But I need to meet up with my teammates first; it's too dangerous to go it alone these days."

Jiang Rong nodded slightly: "Yes. That's why many people go to the base. The larger the base, the better the treatment of people with superpowers."

Although Guan Shao had told him before that he wouldn't stay at the base, Jiang Rong interpreted that as meaning he wouldn't stay at the Peace Base.

Peace Base is a small to medium-sized base among the bases, and its scale and benefits are far inferior to those of the larger bases. For a powerful figure like Guan Shao, Peace Base is not worth his time; perhaps he would consider other bases?

Guan Shao glanced at Jiang Rong silently. For a fleeting moment, Jiang Rong felt as if he had seen right through her. An awkward silence fell, but thankfully a gust of hot wind blew by, and Guan Shao finally spoke. His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible grievance: "Do you want me to leave sooner?"

Jiang Rong's pupils dilated suddenly: "Huh?"

Guan Shao lowered his eyes: "You've asked me twice already, and both times you mentioned the base..."

Jiang Rong quickly explained, "No, no, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to remind you that the base doesn't do charity. Whether you're an ordinary person or a superhuman, once you're in, it's hard to get out. I hope you'll think carefully and find a good place. Don't be fooled by people and go there without knowing the situation."

Guan Shao raised his eyes and met Jiang Rong's gaze. A handsome smile curved his lips. "Yes, I will consider it carefully. Thank you for reminding me."

Jiang Rong felt a pang of regret; he shouldn't have been so impulsive.

As Jiang Rong walked forward with his head down, he heard Guan Shao mutter something under his breath. However, the voice was so soft that he couldn't hear it at all.

When the two arrived at the orchard, Uncle Li and his wife were moving things in the sweltering heat. They packed their valuables from the shed onto the tricycle. When they saw Jiang Rong, the elderly couple were surprised: "Xiao Rong, what brings you here?"

Jiang Rong carried the things from the small trailer to the elderly couple's car: "I'm bringing you some food."

Li Xiaojun's departure dealt a heavy blow to the elderly couple; overnight, they aged considerably. Before they could refuse, Jiang Rong asked, "Are you moving?"

Speaking of this, Uncle Li sighed: "There are wolves around here. Your aunt and I heard wolves howling last night. Better safe than sorry, so we'll move to the village starting today."

If wolves roam the mountains, that's a disaster! Wolves were already difficult to deal with before the mutation, let alone after. These old bones of theirs simply can't withstand the wolves' onslaught. They'd better stay in their concrete houses and keep running back and forth.

As soon as it was light, Uncle Li and Aunt Li started packing their things. They made several trips, and now only some farm tools remain in the shed.

Jiang Rong pondered, could it be that the wolf howls Uncle Li and the others heard were the same wolf howls they heard when they ambushed Li Xiaojun yesterday? Before he could ask any further questions, Guan Shao spoke up: "Uncle, when did you hear the wolf howls? Did they seem far away?"

Uncle Li looked at Guan Shao: "This is..."

Jiang Rong quickly introduced, "This is Guan Shao, my friend."

Uncle Li nodded repeatedly: "Oh, it started around two or three in the morning yesterday. The wolf howling was quite close, it felt like it was nearby. My wife and I covered Tiger's mouth tightly, afraid that its howling would attract the wolf."

Recalling the terrifying scene from early this morning, Aunt Li still felt a chill run down her spine: "Xiao Rong, you have no idea how eerie the wolf howls are."

Jiang Rong frowned. Two or three o'clock? Wasn't that when they went home to deal with the wolf carcasses? The hill where they ambushed Li Xiaojun was several miles away from his home. If the wolf pack howled near the ambush site, they shouldn't have heard it.

Wolves are very united animals. When they dragged the wolf carcass back yesterday, the two men had considered that the wolf pack might come back for the two wolves. They brought the wolf carcass back partly because they couldn't bear to part with the meat, and partly to test whether the pack would continue north or have already claimed the nearby hills as their territory.

It seems the wolves kept by humans don't want to leave anytime soon. The pack followed the scent to his neighborhood, but luckily his house was well-insulated, and the whole family didn't hear a single wolf howl.

Jiang Rong turned and exchanged a glance with Guan Shao. They both saw the same emotion in each other's eyes: a battle with the wolf pack was unavoidable.

Besides delivering food to Uncle Li and Aunt Li, the two also had to go to Chu Qiang's house.

The two hitched a ride on Uncle Li and Aunt Li's electric tricycle to the village. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a desolate atmosphere. When they came to the village before, every household had a car parked in front of their door, but now every door was tightly closed and the cars were nowhere to be seen.

This is not surprising, as not every household in the village has a well. After the black rain, those who did not have wells could not survive and had to go to a nearby base in groups to seek refuge.

Seeing the once bustling village reduced to this state, Uncle Li and Aunt Li could only sigh with regret.

Uncle Chu and his wife were huddled on the first floor enjoying the electric fan when they saw Jiang Rong and her companion. They quickly came out of their room to greet them, saying, "Little Rong, you're here? Come in and cool off."

After introducing Guan Shao to the Chu family, Jiang Rong explained his purpose: "I brought you some meat to nourish your bodies."

Aunt Chu initially didn't want to accept the food, as Jiang Rong had been bringing them meat and other groceries all this time, and the family felt very indebted. However, everyone in the family hadn't been feeling well these past few days, especially Wang Chunlan and her daughter, who had been listless and lacking energy. Being able to eat some meat to boost their health would be perfect.

Jiang Rong looked around but couldn't see Chu Qiang. "Where's Qiangzi?"

Uncle Chu said, "They went north. There was smoke coming from the north this morning. I'm afraid the dry weather might have caused a wildfire. Qiangzi and a few other people from the village went to check it out."

Just then, a car horn sounded outside, and a black sedan appeared at the gate. Chu Qiang quickly stepped out of the car after the door opened. When he saw Jiang Rong's face, Chu Qiang scratched his cheek in confusion, looking as if he'd seen a ghost: "Huh?"

Jiang Rong was puzzled: "What's wrong? Why that expression?"

Chu Qiang muttered to himself, "I haven't seen Xiao Jiang for a few days, how come you've gotten even more beautiful?"

Jiang Rong chuckled twice and waved her fist at him: "I think you're getting more and more annoying."

Chu Qiang took a few steps toward Jiang Rong: "I didn't say anything wrong, let my mom see. Mom, look how fair and..." Before he could finish speaking, Chu Qiang's eyes suddenly widened, and he slapped his thigh: "Holy crap? Am I seeing things? This is crucial!"

Jiang Rong turned to Guan Shao in confusion: "Do you two know each other?"

Guan Shao lowered his voice and said quickly, "We sparred once at the Chenggang Gym."

Chu Qiang wanted to rush over, but after taking a couple of steps, he realized something was wrong. "No, no, no, I must be hallucinating because of the heat. Mom, make me a glass of salt soda, I have heatstroke."

Jiang Rong sighed and rubbed his forehead. When would his childhood friend stop being so silly?

After confirming that Guan Shao was real, Chu Qiang was very excited. He pulled Jiang Rong aside and introduced him, saying, "He's the legendary figure I told you about, do you remember?"

Jiang Rong, holding her bottle of soda, said calmly, "You've mentioned at least eighty or a hundred 'gods' to me, how would I know which one you're talking about?"

Chu Qiang said seriously, "Of course he's the best. Didn't I tell you? We sparred at the gym, and he lifted me up and threw me to the ground eighteen times."

Jiang Rong: ...

How could Chu Qiang possibly bring himself to say something so shameful?

Fearing her childhood friend might do something foolish again, Jiang Rong asked slowly, "By the way, is there a wildfire up north?"

Speaking of this, Chu Qiang's excitement turned to sadness: "Two cars crashed into the roadside and caught fire behind Niupankou, and everyone inside perished."

Jiang Rong paused for a moment: "How many people are inside?"

Chu Qiang frowned and shook his head: "I can't tell, they're all charred." The situation inside the car was too horrific. After a moment, Chu Qiang added: "I suspect they were attacked by a mutated animal. You didn't see the wounds on the car door; it looks like it was scratched by Wolverine's claws."

This confused Jiang Rong. Don't wolves attack with their teeth? How could there be claw marks? Could it be that one of the wolves in the pack has mutated?

After thinking for a moment, Chu Qiang said, "Xiao Jiang, I suspect the animal that attacked them was a wolf."

Jiang Rong's heart tightened: "You saw a wolf nearby?"

Chu Qiang waved his hand: "No, no, no, wolves don't come out during the day. Listen to me, I heard wolves howling nearby this morning, and it sounded like there were quite a few of them. If it wasn't them, who else could it be? Xiao Jiang, you have to be careful. Don't go out after dark from now on, and make sure the doors and windows at home are closed. These days, mutant animals are extremely fierce. Even a mutant wasp almost killed someone, let alone mutant wolves. People like us with thin arms and legs shouldn't confront them head-on. If you can avoid them, just stay away."

Jiang Rong nodded: "I understand." After returning, he would have to find a way to lure out the pack of wolves and try to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

At this moment, Aunt Chu walked to the doorway carrying a styrofoam box. She asked in confusion, "Xiao Rong, what kind of meat did you bring? It doesn't look like mutton."

Jiang Rong put down her water glass and said gently, "Mutant wolf meat."

Chu Qiang: ...

Author's Note:

Before eating meat

Chu Qiang: From now on, I'll avoid wolves whenever I encounter them. I can't afford to mess with these things.

After eating meat

Chu Qiang: Xiao Jiang, hurry up, we can't let them get away.

To be honest, when I see mutated animals, the first thing I think about is whether they are edible and whether they taste good...