Chapter 47 Distress Signal

Guan Shao once said that if he wanted to leave the base, he would definitely get Jiang Rong's permission.

Before Jiang Rong could ask any further questions, Guan Shao explained his plan: "I have some teammates who should still be alive if nothing unexpected happens. I originally wanted to search through all the mutated plants and animals within a radius of several miles with you before going to find them, but now it seems better to bring them here first."

Guan Shao's teammates are all highly skilled individuals. Regardless of whether they are superhuman or not, they can do more than the average person. With their addition, Jiang Rong's base construction will proceed more smoothly, and his companions will have a stable place to live.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Rong asked, "Is it far?" The longer the distance, the greater the danger Guan Shao would face. He would rather the base lose two plots of land than have Guan Shao encounter any danger.

Guan Shaojing looked at Jiang Rong, then smiled after a moment, “You’ve been there. City C, Cheng Gang Gym.”

Upon hearing about City C, Jiang Rong frowned even more: "It took Qiangzi and the others a month to get home from City C. If you make the round trip, you'll likely encounter a lot of danger."

The journey from City D to City C takes three hours under normal highway conditions. Now, the highways are heavily congested, forcing us to take back roads. Taking back roads means risking robbery, encountering mutated plants and animals, and all sorts of unpredictable events.

Guan Shao said slowly, "Don't worry, if all goes well, I'll be back in ten days."

Jiang Rong truly understood Guan Shao's strength. To be honest, even with Little Fairy and Little Darling by his side, he could only manage a draw against Guan Shao. Guan Shao's lightning-based abilities could render a radius of 300 meters barren and invincible. If he said he would be back in ten days, he definitely would be back within ten days.

Jiang Rong nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

However, Guan Shao was somewhat worried: "I'm just afraid that if I'm gone for too long, you might be in danger." Although he had confidence in Jiang Rong's abilities, in this world, unexpected situations could arise. Now that Jiang Rong had a base, countless eyes were watching him wherever he went, and he feared that some of them might have malicious intentions and harm him.

Jiang Rong smiled and waved her hand, "Qiangzi and the others are at the base, so there won't be any danger. If you're sure you want to pick up your companions, then you should leave as soon as possible. The sooner you bring them over, the more at ease you'll feel."

Before the Great Crisis, City C was a renowned economic center in the country. After the crisis began, City C was the first to collapse. In his previous life, Jiang Rong hadn't heard of any base being built in City C. On the contrary, he heard from those who escaped City C that many mutated plants and animals had appeared there, each one deadly. The longer one stayed in City C, the greater the danger would be.

Guan Shao nodded slightly, "Okay, I'll go back and pack in a bit, and we'll set off after dawn."

*

By the time the solar panels were fully installed, dawn was almost breaking.

Normally, when Chu Qiang and his team installed the solar panels, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao would take the opportunity to show their faces. But today, the sun was already high in the sky, and they still hadn't come out. Chu Qiang looked at the village entrance with a puzzled expression: "Huh? Did they encounter some danger? Why haven't they come yet?"

Leilei said, "Uncle Jiang and Uncle Guan have already gone back. They killed a lot of mutated rats."

Chu Qiang frowned: "They went back?" Could it be that they had a tough battle last night and were exhausted?

Leilei leaned close to Chu Qiang's ear and whispered, "Uncle Chu, Uncle Jiang asked me to tell you that Uncle Guan is going to pick up his companions. He needs to go back and make some preparations."

Chu Qiang nodded thoughtfully: "Oh..." Guan Shao's companions? Where to pick them up? How many are there?

Forget it, he didn't need to worry about that; Xiao Jiang and Guan Tou'er would handle it. He still wanted to think about what to say to the villagers of Tangqiao Village. Usually, Xiao Jiang would do this job, but now that Xiao Jiang was gone, he had to bite the bullet and do it himself.

Chu Qiang looked around and realized that the villagers who had been surrounding them were gone. He asked, puzzled, "Where did they go?"

Leilei pointed to the back of the village: "It's behind there. My mom's situation is almost settled."

Chu Qiang turned and strode quickly toward the back of the village: "Okay, let's go there too."

A deep pit was dug in the woods behind Tangqiao Village, containing the remains of more than two hundred people wrapped in bed sheets. These were villagers who had not survived the great crisis. After days of high temperatures, the condition of their remains could only be described as horrific.

The villagers who helped carry the body squatted beside the pit, vomiting until they were pale. Green flies buzzed around in the darkness, completely unfazed by the pungent smell of gasoline.

The superhumans, holding lit incense sticks, solemnly bowed three times towards the direction of the pit. To be honest, no matter how many villages they visited, burying the dead always weighed heavily on their hearts. But they had no choice; allowing the remains to rot would not only contaminate the houses but also cause infectious diseases.

Therefore, upon arriving at each village, besides comforting the living, the most important task for the superhumans was to organize the village's labor force to collect the corpses from house to house. The collected bodies were cremated and then buried on the spot, and the vacant rooms were initially disinfected.

After bowing three times, the superhumans threw the incense sticks they held into the pit. With a "boom," the gasoline in the pit ignited, and the swirling greenbottle flies turned to ashes in the flames. A huge flame shot into the sky, and many people present had tears in their eyes at the sight.

Lying in the pit are their relatives, friends, and neighbors. If it weren't for this crisis, they would still be alive and well, laughing and chatting with those around them. But now they don't even have a separate grave. When the flames die down, the superhumans will cover the pit with soil, and from then on, there will be no trace of them left in the world.

People stood quietly at the edge of the pit, waiting for the flames to burn out. After more than half an hour, the flames in the pit gradually died down. Chu Qiang nodded to Pan Pan, who stepped forward and slammed his hand on the ground.

The soil around the pit churned up, filling the deep pit. A tombstone appeared above the pit, and the first rays of morning sunlight fell on it, illuminating the words: "258 villagers of Tangqiao Village are laid to rest here."

As soon as the sun rose, the surrounding temperature increased rapidly. The crowd that had been lingering around the tombstone began to walk towards their new homes.

Back at the Peace Base, a dozen or so people were crammed into a tiny basement room of just over ten square meters. Jiang Rong didn't want the people at the base to live in such cramped conditions, so he set a rule that everyone would have eight square meters of usable space. A room of just over ten square meters could easily accommodate two people.

The houses in the countryside are large, each at least two or three hundred square meters, and can accommodate at least ten or so people. There are more than one hundred survivors in Tangqiao Village, and they will live in the houses chosen by the superhumans.

At the western end of the village, near the road, twelve buildings are enclosed by a sturdy mud wall, and each building is equipped with solar panels on its roof. As the sun rises, the solar panels begin to operate. Inside, fans and air conditioners turn on, bringing a refreshing coolness.

Cheers erupted from inside the house, many weeping with joy, never imagining they would live to see electric fans and air conditioning. They would no longer have to eat coarse food around earthen stoves; the base would provide them with basic necessities. As long as they worked hard, everyone could live a good life.

Soft music emanated from the loudspeakers on the mud wall, allowing villagers to receive the latest news from the base. Listening to the pleasant music, the superhumans breathed a sigh of relief; their mission for the day was finally nearing its end.

Now they only need to take one last step before they can head home.

With a whistle from Chu Qiang, a red, bloodthirsty vine the size of a basketball rolled down from the mountain behind. This was a branch of Little Darling, which had extremely strong vitality; as long as a vine was a foot long, it could grow into a complete bloodthirsty vine.

All the Bloodthirsty Vines that separated from Xiao Guaiguai possessed the same consciousness as the original body. Jiang Rong could investigate the situation of all the villages protected by the Bloodthirsty Vines with just a thought.

The little creature quickly climbed up the mud wall, spreading out its red vines. A vibrant splash of color appeared on the yellowish-brown wall, attracting a crowd of onlookers.

The villagers whispered among themselves: "Is this the Bloodthirsty Vine? I heard that this thing is a mutated plant that our base boss subdued. With it around, other mutated plants and animals dare not come near."

"It looks pretty good, but does it really work? Should I poke it?"

"Hey, don't go looking for trouble. I saw the Bloodthirsty Vine strangle a mutated wild boar before. That big boar was drained of all its flesh and blood; it was terrifying. You can't be any stronger than a mutated wild boar, can you...?"

The superhumans were already used to the villagers' reactions. After seeing Xiao Guai Guai climb up the mud wall, Chu Qiang took out a red iron plate from the trunk of his pickup truck. The plate had a line of large characters written on it: Xinghuo Base, Tangqiao Village 1.

After placing the iron plate heavily at the entrance of Tangqiao Village, Chu Qiang waved his hand and said, "I'm leaving. I'm going home to catch up on my sleep."

*

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao didn't get a chance to catch up on sleep today. Guan Shao was going to City C to pick someone up, and Jiang Rong was packing his things. The trunk of the SUV was filled with food and drinking water, and of course, basic medicines were also included.

Seeing Jiang Rong packing her things with her back to him, Guan Shao's gaze deepened. How could he bear to leave Jiang Rong like this?

Jiang Rong opened the wardrobe and picked out clothes suitable for Guan Shao. "Can I prepare three sets of clothes for you?" It's too hot, and Guan Shao likes to drink water, so he sweats a lot with the slightest movement. If he doesn't have suitable clothes, he might smell terrible in a week.

After asking the question, Jiang Rong didn't hear a reply. Just as he was about to turn around to see what Guan Shao was doing, he was suddenly hugged from behind.

The man's breath and warmth enveloped Jiang Rong, causing her heart to race and her ears to turn red. "Wh...what's wrong?"

Guan Shao's breath was hot, and his chin gently rested on Jiang Rong's shoulder, his nostrils filled with Jiang Rong's scent. Perhaps it was because Jiang Rong was a wood-type ability user, or perhaps it was because his family's shower gel was effective, but Jiang Rong's scent was wonderful, somewhat like the smell of spring grass sprouting. Refreshing and soothing, it gently stirred his heart.

Guan Shao's deep, hoarse voice came from beside me: "I'll be back as soon as possible, wait for me."

The hot breath brushed against Jiang Rong's ear, making her ears turn even redder. "Mmm."

This was the first time Guan Shao had ever hugged someone in his life, and the feeling was so wonderful that he didn't want to let go. In the past, when he went on missions, he would pack up and leave without ever lingering, but this time he wanted to hold the person for as long as possible.

He not only wanted to hug Jiang Rong, but also to kiss him, tear his clothes, and make him cry...

Their breathing was hot and rapid, their body temperatures rising rapidly. Sensing the obstacle behind them, Jiang Rong lowered her voice and said, "Stop hugging."

Guan Shao chuckled, "I understand, it would be impolite to hug you any longer." After saying that, he slowly let go of her hand.

As dawn broke, Guan Shao opened the SUV door and sat in the driver's seat. Jiang Rong strode beside him and said quickly, "There are two cases of bottled water and two cases of energy drinks in the trunk, as well as compressed biscuits, instant noodles, and canned food. I put a camping stove for you; look carefully. The medicine is on the passenger side step, and your clothes are in the back seat..."

Guan Shao placed his left hand on the car window, leaning out slightly to listen intently. Jiang Rong told Guan Shao everything she had prepared in one breath, concluding, "Take care of yourself and come back soon."

After saying these words, Guan Shao did not start the car. The two looked at each other and saw their own small reflections in each other's eyes.

The air fell silent once more, the ambiguous feeling making Jiang Rong's legs feel weak. Finally, he gave in, lowering his eyes: "That's all. Have a safe trip."

"Um."

The sound of a car starting came, and just as Jiang Rong was about to step back to make way for the car, a strong hand suddenly pressed down on the back of his head, pulling him towards the car.

The next moment, his lips were gently kissed by Guan Shao.

The warm touch made Jiang Rong's pupils contract sharply: !!

The kiss was fleeting, like a dragonfly skimming the water. Guan Shao licked his lips, still wanting more, and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. May I continue when I get back?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the SUV sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Jiang Rong stood in the parking lot, watching the direction the SUV had disappeared in, raised her hand to touch her lips, and the upward curve of her lips grew wider and wider.

So this is what intimacy between lovers looks like? It feels pretty good.

Even though she knew Guan Shao couldn't hear her, Jiang Rong still replied, "When you come back, you can't just give me this perfunctory answer."

What's the point of just giving me a kiss and running away? If you're so capable, kiss me a little longer!

Guan Shao didn't hear Jiang Rong's reply, but two other people nearby did. Jiang Rong turned around and saw the little fairy hanging on the west wall, even mimicking a whistling sound: "Jiang Gong~ Shh~"

One after another, the big red flowers bloomed, and the little fairy twisted her body, mimicking the "cheep cheep" sound of a kiss. The little darling clung to the fairy, its vines swaying as it made countless heart shapes in the air: "Waaah~ Waaah~"

Jiang Rong blushed and fled in panic.

*

Guan Shao's car had a radio. Jiang Rong and he had agreed that he would report his safety every afternoon at six o'clock. On the third day after Guan Shao left, Jiang Rong once again sat in the study and turned on the radio at six o'clock in the afternoon.

The mobile radio acted like an amplifier; Guan Shao spoke from one side, and he could hear him. To make a call, they both needed to have both the regular radio and the mobile radio on simultaneously.

At six o'clock sharp, Guan Shao's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Hello, Jiang Rong, how are you?"

Wearing a headset, Jiang Rong turned on the call button for the mobile radio: "It's fine, how about you? Where are you today?"

Guan Shao said slowly, "I've arrived in a town outside City C. If all goes well, I'll be able to enter City C tonight, though there's a bit of traffic. But I found an excavator that can be used to clear the way."

Jiang Rong imagined Guan Shao driving the excavator and clearing the way, and he couldn't help but laugh: "Guan Shao is so talented, he can even drive an excavator? If Xiao Hao and Xiao Heng saw you driving an excavator, you would be their hero."

After Guan Shao left, the two little ones in the family were very unaccustomed to it. Every morning, Jiang Xiaoheng would ask, "Where did Uncle Guan go today? When is he coming back?"

Guan Shao's voice sent chills down Jiang Rong's spine. He said slowly, "Okay, then I'll take this excavator back with me. By the way, how did today go? According to the plan, we should be heading towards the village in the northwest, right?"

Jiang Rong is meticulous and methodical in his work; he has a complete plan before starting anything. According to Guan Shao's memory, during the seven days he was away, Jiang Rong and his team were heading northwest.

Jiang Rong gave a vague reply: "They set off this morning. Don't worry, everything went smoothly."

As he spoke, Jiang Rong couldn't help but reach up and touch his side. This morning, on his way to a village three kilometers to the northwest, he was ambushed by a mutated snake. The mutated snake was covered in thick scales, and its waist was thicker than a water bucket; Xiao Guaiguai's sharp spikes couldn't pierce it.

In the chaos of the fight, Jiang Rong was struck hard on the side by a snake's tail, leaving a purplish-blue welt. Fortunately, his physical condition was now much better than before, otherwise he would already be lying on the mountain.

If Guan Shao had been there, the snake would likely have been killed by the two of them. However, since he was alone, the mutated snake still managed to escape. Fearing Guan Shao might be distracted, Jiang Rong decided to only report the good news and not the bad, waiting until he returned to discuss the matter.

Although Jiang Rong didn't tell Guan Shao about this, Guan Shao seemed to sense it and reminded her, "There are many mountains in the northwest, and many wild animals in the mountains. Don't go up the mountain rashly. If you can't manage, let Xiao Guai Guai wander around the area. If you find any powerful mutated plants or animals, don't disturb them. We'll talk about it when I get back."

Jiang Rong replied, "Okay." The ambush this morning had served as a wake-up call. The mutated plants and animals of today didn't even consider those with superpowers a threat; he was practically just a meal to them. He needed to be much more cautious when traveling in the future, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just as the two were chatting, there was a knock on the study door, and the two children peeked their little heads out from outside: "Dad, can I come in?"

Jiang Rong waved: "You've come at the right time. I was talking to your Uncle Guan. Come on, say hello to Uncle Guan."

Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao huddled together next to the mobile radio. Jiang Xiaoheng asked in a soft voice, "Uncle Guan, when are you coming back?"

Guan Shao smiled and said, "Soon, Uncle will be back in three or four days. Did Xiao Heng listen to his father today?"

Jiang Xiaoheng drawled, "I'll be good~ Uncle Guan, come back soon, my brother and I miss you so much~"

Jiang Hao responded with two "ah ah" sounds, indicating his agreement with Jiang Xiaoheng. Guan Shao's smile deepened: "Xiaohao, you must also listen to Uncle Jiang. When I get back, I'll bring you an excavator."

The two children were incredibly excited, shouting, "Excavator! Yay!"

Listening to the children's innocent words, Guan Shao's eyes softened. Is this what home feels like? How lucky he was to have met someone he wanted to spend his life with, and to have two such well-behaved children.

The two little ones chattered excitedly around the radio for over ten minutes, constantly asking what the excavator looked like, wishing Uncle Guan would bring it back right then and there. If Jiang Rong hadn't told them that this would interfere with Uncle Guan's work, they would have continued their chatter indefinitely.

After luring the children out of the study with ice cream, Jiang Rong returned to the radio station. He put on his headset: "Can you feel their longing for you?"

Guan Shao said cheerfully, "Okay, when I get home I'll fry some dough cakes for them, and I'll fry some little crabs and hedgehogs for them." Jiang Xiaoheng had just complained that his dad's dough cakes didn't have little crabs and weren't cute at all. This made Guan Shao very proud; he never thought his rough cooking methods would be appreciated by the kids.

Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated: "Yours filling clearly came out because the oil was too hot. It's not a specially made little crab or hedgehog. Okay, I'll stop here and not disturb you. You go ahead and do your work, and be careful."

Guan Shao replied, "Okay, you be careful too."

After hanging up the radio, Guan Shao looked up to the east. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the city's skyscrapers, which were shrouded in black rain. City C looked like a gaping maw of darkness, swallowing the city's life.

Guan Shao took a bottle of mineral water from the passenger seat, drank it all in one gulp, and then put the empty bottle back in the box. He then opened the car door and got out: "Get out."

Dozens of figures appeared on both sides of the road, which was completely blocked by abandoned vehicles. They slowly walked towards Guan Shao, holding sticks in their hands. "Hand over the food, and we'll spare your life."

They saw it clearly just now: the man had food and drink in the car, and he was driving such a nice car; there must be good stuff in it.

Guan Shao's smile had been replaced by a serious expression. "You're lucky. I'm in a good mood right now."

*

After turning off the radio, Jiang Rong was about to turn off the broadcast as well. However, he accidentally touched the knob on the broadcast while turning it off, and with a slight turn, the frequency of his conversation with Guan Shao was messed up again.

The radio in Jiang Rong's house was set up by Chu Qiang, and its operation was incredibly complicated. Seeing that he had messed up the frequency himself, he could only patiently bite the bullet and sit down in front of the radio to try to restore it.

As the knob turned, a hissing sound came from the loudspeaker, as if someone was talking. After adjusting it a few more times, Jiang Rong finally heard the broadcast clearly: "We are students from D University, a group of more than 500 people. We are trapped on the D University campus. If anyone hears this broadcast, please help us."

Undergraduate student? University town?

Jiang Rong hurriedly opened the map, and after searching for a while, he indeed found the university town in the south of D City. The university town contained more than a dozen colleges and universities, and the students were on campus when the crisis occurred. Many students had lost contact with their families after the crisis, and they dared not leave the campus rashly, so they banded together to seek help within the school.

The base was only about 50 kilometers from the university town. Jiang Rong had an idea and reached for the walkie-talkie: "Qiangzi, several hundred students are trapped at D University. I reckon there are quite a few students there. Let's contact everyone and go there to get them."

Chu Qiang was overjoyed: "College students? Hey, that's great! You wait, I'll find more people, and we'll go drive heavy trucks."

Author's Note:

Kwan Sir: Can I continue after I come back?

Fairy: There's a problem!

Little Darling: Chu chu~ Chu chu~ [Sound of a kiss]