Chapter 56 Acquaintances

The little creature flashed twice underwater and disappeared, leaving ripples on the surface before vanishing completely. This scene sent chills down the spines of everyone standing on the approach bridge: if they were the ones dragged into the water, would they survive?

The answer is no. Any creature that needs air cannot breathe once it enters the water. After choking on water, even the most powerful superhuman will lose their fighting ability. No wonder they felt a chill down their spines; for land creatures, mutated aquatic plants are their nemesis.

Seeing no movement on the water's surface, Jiang Rong's mind went blank for a moment. He couldn't believe it—had Little Darling been dragged down by the water plants like that? Could it even get back up?

Although Xiao Guaiguai hasn't been a member of their family for long, Jiang Rong has already come to regard her as a precious member. Seeing her family member fall into the water, Jiang Rong turned pale with fright.

The sudden turn of events caught Guan Shao off guard. His power was great, but water conducts electricity. If he activated his superpower, Xiao Guaiguai might also be caught in it.

Guan Shao quickly asked, "Jiang Rong, can you still contact Xiao Guai Guai?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Shao didn't receive a reply from Jiang Rong. Turning his head, he saw Jiang Rong staring intently at the water with his lips pursed. His face was slightly pale, and worry unconsciously showed in his eyes.

Guan Shao extended his hand: "Don't worry, see if you can contact Xiao Guai Guai first."

When Guan Shao's hand landed on Jiang Rong's shoulder, Jiang Rong, who had been in a daze, suddenly snapped back to reality. He closed his eyes and entered his sea of ​​consciousness. If his little darling had really encountered misfortune, he was sure he could see something in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Upon entering the sea of ​​consciousness, Jiang Rong saw the exceptionally lively Little Darling, who resembled a vibrant cluster of fire coral, swaying each of its vines with gusto.

Little Darling shook the vines: "Jiang Gong!" She looked full of energy, not at all like someone being beaten down by mutated water plants, and even seemed a little excited.

Jiang Rong's tense nerves relaxed, and she felt relieved. "Little darling, are you alright? Can you handle the mutated aquatic plants?"

Little Darling boasted, "There's a problem!" After saying that, it started moving around energetically again. Jiang Rong wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Little Darling had split off even more vines, and the whole vine had grown a size larger.

In contrast, Jiang Rong was more worried about the fairy's condition. Upon seeing Jiang Rong, the fairy greeted him weakly, "Engineer Jiang..."

Those unaware of the situation might have thought the person who fell into the water was a fairy. Jiang Rong asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

The little fairy whimpered, "Animations......" The second day without cartoons was unbearable, every minute and every second was incredibly difficult.

Jiang Rong: ...

Without cartoons, the fairy's life on Earth has lost its fun.

With his teammates standing beside him, Jiang Rong couldn't stay in the consciousness space for too long. After confirming that his little darling was alright, he opened his eyes: "Little darling is fine."

Hearing this answer, Guan Shao also breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

Jiang Rong originally wanted to try watching the battle between Little Darling and the mutated waterweed, but as soon as he used his superpower, he felt dizzy. Underwater visibility was poor, and since Little Darling and the waterweed were both tentacle-like monsters, he could only see the tangled red and black creatures.

Seeing Jiang Rong rubbing his temples in distress, Guan Shao smiled and said, "Don't worry, Little Darling is a plant, it might not be worse than the mutated aquatic plants." Little Darling grew up after the Great Crisis, following the Black Rain. It has both animal and plant habits, so it might not lose if it really encounters mutated aquatic plants.

Jiang Rong nodded: "I know." She understood the reasoning, but the thought of it being all alone underwater while everyone else was watching the spectacle from the shore made her feel a little sorry for her little darling.

Chu Qiang and the others quickly stepped forward: "Xiao Jiang, how are you now? Is your little darling alright?"

Before Jiang Rong could speak, Ruan Hanyu exclaimed, "Look! Little Darling is out!"

A large dark shadow appeared where Little Darling had fallen; it turned out that the mud and sand at the bottom of the water had been stirred up, making the water within a hundred meters murky. Red vines were faintly visible beneath the gray-black surface of the water, and as the splashes grew larger, countless bloodthirsty vines reached out from the surface.

Each of the little vines was wrapped with a large clump of bluish-black aquatic plants. The aquatic plants, which had been so arrogant just moments before, were now drooping wet and looked no different from ordinary aquatic plants.

The red vines swung wildly, sending large swaths of water plants flying. Some of the water plants splashed back onto the water's surface, drifting eastward with the current, while others were flung onto the bridge by the little creature.

Leilei squinted her eyes with delight: "There used to be an idiom called 'a heavenly maiden scattering flowers,' but I think it's 'obediently scattering grass' now."

As soon as he finished speaking, a clump of dark waterweed covered in silt landed with a "plop" in front of everyone. Guan Shao stepped forward and examined it closely: "There's no danger."

The temperature on the bridge surface was extremely high, and the aquatic plants quickly dehydrated, revealing their true forms in no time. Pan Pan exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, it's water hyacinth!"

Water hyacinth is a very common aquatic plant with slender leaves like orchids. It is so common that people sometimes harvest it and plant it in their bathtubs as a landscaping plant.

Pan Pan had a colleague who liked to keep ornamental fish. Under that colleague's influence, Pan Pan learned about several kinds of ornamental aquatic plants.

The water orchid in front of him looked no different from the ones Pan Pan had seen before, except that the leaves of the water orchid he had seen before were bright green, while the leaves of the mutated water orchid were dark green. The water orchid was shriveled after dehydration, and its narrow leaves drooped pitifully.

Guan Shao pinched a leaf of the water lily and tugged at it; the foot-long leaf was easily stretched into a meter long. Seeing this, the two superhumans exchanged a glance and stepped forward to grasp the leaf. With their effort, the leaf stretched longer and longer, finally stopping at a length of eighteen meters. The seemingly slender leaf was exceptionally tough, even stronger than nylon rope.

Chu Qiang laughed and said, "This is better than cable ties. Let's take some back; they'll definitely come in handy later." Mutant plants and animals must have something to offer. Now, when they encounter new mutated species, everyone studies them carefully to see what uses they can be developed.

Leilei responded and stored the water lilies that had fallen onto the bridge into her spatial storage.

Chu Qiang leaned against the bridge railing and shouted into the water, "Little darling, throw more up! These can be used as cable ties!"

Little Guaiguai didn't know what cable ties were, but it understood what Chu Qiang meant. A "whoosh" sound came from under the bridge, and soon the bridge surface was covered with dripping water droplets.

Chu Qiang leaned against the railing, watching with amusement: "Little darling, you're really something. I wonder how many leaves that mutated water orchid underwater has grown, and how long it can withstand Little darling plucking them?" This scene reminded him of watching his father kill chickens and pluck their feathers when he was a child; the mutated water plant was like that plucked chicken.

Seeing this, Chu Qiang even cheered for Xiao Guai Guai: "Go, Xiao Guai Guai!"

With the support of its companions, Little Darling proudly shook its vines, its aura fully unleashed, the red vines becoming even clearer in the black water. The river water was murky, and Little Darling thrashed about, sometimes rising, sometimes falling, sometimes near, sometimes far.

After observing, Jiang Rong discovered that Xiao Guai Guai was heading in the opposite direction of the river. It remembered the task Jiang Rong had given it and cleared a path for everyone in the water.

Realizing this, Jiang Rong directed, "Everyone get on the bus, we're continuing to cross the river!"

The main span of the cross-river bridge is 6,300 meters long, and several thousand vehicles were stuck on the bridge. Guan Shao slowly drove through these vehicles, saying, "When the base has enough manpower, we will retrieve the vehicles that have broken down."

Although these vehicles may seem like scrap now, they could be a valuable resource if used properly.

Jiang Rong agreed with this view: "Yes, it's not just about recycling the vehicles, but also about reorganizing the production and processing enterprises in the base." Just thinking about what needs to be done next, Jiang Rong felt the pressure on her shoulders growing heavier and heavier.

Looking at the piles of vehicles on the roadside, Jiang Rong sighed: "I used to think traffic jams were annoying, because everywhere was crowded during holidays. Now I realize that true peace and prosperity come when everyone can travel freely and everywhere is full of people."

If he could, he would rather give up the Starfire Base and his superpowers to return to the days before the Great Crisis. Back then, everyone lived in peace and prosperity, without terrifying mutated plants and animals, and without having to live in constant fear.

Guan Shao comforted him, "Things are already like this, so don't think about them too much. Why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you up after we cross the bridge."

Jiang Rong responded with a "Okay," and closed her eyes, "You sleep tonight and I'll keep watch over you."

After more than three hours of effort, the convoy finally reached the other side of the bridge, and there was finally a bridge across the river that could be crossed. At this moment, Little Guaiguai rolled ashore from the reeds under the bridge.

When it first entered the water, the little creature was only a little over two meters in diameter. After a fierce battle, its diameter doubled, and it looked like a fiery red ball. The little creature only cleared a few hundred meters on both sides of the bridge and it grew to this size, which shows just how many mutated aquatic plants are underwater.

As soon as it reached the shore, the little darling unfurled its vines and shook them. With the shake, a number of fish and shrimp fell out of the vines. Chu Qiang quickly picked up the fish and shrimp that were jumping around on the ground: "Goodness, it's been so long since I've had seafood! Little Jiang, I'll show you my skills in a bit and make you a pot of river delicacies!"

Before Jiang Rong could respond, Chu Qiang yelled, "Holy crap! How come the crucian carp has grown teeth? Damn, it's mutated? This is outrageous!"

Chu Qiang angrily slapped the crucian carp twice; it looked like tonight's river delicacies were going to be a waste.

The red, bloodthirsty vine split in the middle, forming two spheres each over two meters in diameter. Having followed Jiang Rong for so long, Little Darling had figured out a pattern. If its body got too big, Jiang Gong wouldn't be able to carry it around.

Little Guai Guai quickly climbed onto the heavy truck. Seeing that it hadn't exceeded the width of the truck, it proudly swung its vines: it had successfully lost weight again!

The bloodthirsty vines that split off are not wasted; Jiang Rong usually uses them to mark off territory. Previously, whenever he conquered a village, he would plant a bloodthirsty vine at the village entrance.

The vines that were planted have grown quite a bit. If Little Darling were to gather all the vines that had spread out, it would be as big as a mountain.

As was his usual practice, Jiang Rong would bring the branches of Little Darling back to the base. But looking at the mutated aquatic plants that occasionally peeked out from the river, he had a new idea.

The bridge spans the river, connecting the north and south. With it, people on the north bank can easily travel to the Xinghuo Base. Jiang Rong wanted to leave Xiao Guaiguai's branch on the bridge, firstly to have it help watch over the bridge and act as a sign for the base, and secondly to remove the mutated aquatic plants at the bottom of the water, thus increasing her own strength.

However, this matter needs to be discussed with Xiao Guaiguai. Jiang Rong knows that the branches that Xiao Guaiguai split off from share the same consciousness as the main body, but she doesn't know if the Bloodthirsty Vine's control over the branches is affected by distance. Moreover, the branches that Xiao Guaiguai split off from before were all within the Starfire Base. She doesn't know if Xiao Guaiguai would be happy to leave such a large branch a hundred miles away.

Jiang Rong reached out her hand to Xiao Guai Guai: "Xiao Guai Guai, come here for a moment."

The two balls rolled rapidly towards Jiang Rong, who reached out and channeled some of his supernatural abilities into them. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Little darling, are you willing to watch over the bridge?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the little darling happily replied, "There's a problem!"

It loved the steel bridge, especially the suspension cables, which were perfect for hanging and sunbathing. There was plenty of food under the bridge, and a breeze on top; it was a wonderful place to be.

Jiang Rong said gently, "Little darling, this place is already outside our base's boundaries. If you stay here, you might encounter danger."

Everyone: ...

What nonsense is Jiang Tou'er spouting? Leaving the Bloodthirsty Vine here is the greatest danger to other mutated plants and animals, isn't it?

However, they could understand Jiang Rong's feelings. Little Darling was indeed well-behaved, and even though Jiang Rong knew that its clones, bodies, and original bodies were no different, she still couldn't bear to part with it.

The little darling shook the vines: "Be good~"

Red vines climbed up the bridge's suspension cables, adding a splash of color to the structure. Little Guai Guai loved its new hideout; it swayed the vines contentedly, making a heart shape with its fingers.

Jiang Rong looked down and asked the little darling beside her, "This is the first time I've left the vines so far away. Are you able to get used to it?"

Little Darling twisted the vines: "No problem!" Every vine that came out of it belonged to it. The more it spread out, the stronger its power became.

Upon learning that Little Darling would be staying on the cross-river bridge to watch over it, the superpowered individuals erected several huge iron signs on the bridge. The signs read: "I am Little Darling, the Bloodthirsty Vine from the Starfire Base, staying on the cross-river bridge to protect passersby. I am on a mission; please do not attack me."

Huge iron signs are hung at the entrances on both sides of the cross-river bridge, with the words painted in a striking red that anyone with good eyesight can see at a glance.

After settling Little Darling's branch, Jiang Rong looked at the road ahead and said, "Let's go." In the future, when the Starfire Base is strong enough, he won't let Little Darling split itself. He will come back to pick up Little Darling's clones, allowing Little Darling to roam the base intact.

*

After crossing the river, they drove ten kilometers along the riverside road towards the estuary, and an industrial park came into view. The large materials factories they were looking for were located in this industrial park.

By the time they arrived outside the industrial park, it was already dark, and they knew they would have to set up camp there for the day. The superhumans, who had been busy all day, found an open space in the industrial park and stopped. They lit a campfire and prepared to cook dinner.

When going out on a mission, it's essential to have a good meal. The food doesn't have to taste great, but the portions must be generous. Of course, if the food tastes good, that's even better.

Chu Qiang volunteered to cook, while Wang Chenggang and the others assisted. During this time, Jiang Rong turned on the car radio and her personal radio.

Jiang Xiaoheng's soft voice came through the loudspeaker: "Daddy~ Where are you? Are you tired?"

Jiang Rong's exhausted body and mind instantly felt relieved. He spoke softly into the radio, "Dad has arrived at our destination and can go back tomorrow. Dad isn't tired. How is Xiao Heng today?"

Jiang Xiaoheng chuckled: "Okay~ My brother and I are staying at our house again today. Aren't we brave? Aren't we little men?"

Jiang Xiaoheng's voice was soft, with a slight upward inflection at the end. Whenever Jiang Rong heard his voice, the corners of her lips would turn up as well: "Yes, Xiaohao and Xiaoheng are really amazing, you are the bravest men."

Jiang Hao's "ah ah" sounds came through the car radio; the little guy's desire to speak was growing stronger. Jiang Rong smiled: "How's Xiao Hao doing today? You and your brother need to be careful."

Jiang Xiaoheng leaned over the radio and began to share what had happened that day. They had a new tiger in their house, and they had a new playmate. Most of the conversation today revolved around the tiger, Junjun.

The little guys' relationship with Junjun has progressed rapidly. Today, they took Junjun to play in Uncle Li and Aunt Li's orchard and also took a stroll around Fishery Village No. 3.

Jiang Xiaoheng described everything in great detail, even telling his father how much food he had fed Junjun. After finishing talking about Junjun, Jiang Xiaoheng remembered something: "Dad, today when my older brother and I were at the market, we met an uncle. That uncle said he was a relative of ours and wanted to give me candy."

Jiang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly. "Did you accept the candy he offered?"

As the number of people at the Spark Base increases, there will inevitably be some who want to curry favor with the core figures of the base. Jiang Xiaoheng will encounter all sorts of people offering him various gifts in the future. Jiang Rong anticipated this situation and told him: Don't accept gifts from unfamiliar people.

Jiang Xiaoheng proudly said, "No~ I told him: Thank you, Uncle, but Dad said I can't eat too much candy, or I'll get cavities."

Jiang Rong smiled gently: "Xiao Heng did the right thing." Her son was always obedient and would remember what she said.

However, Jiang Xiaoheng's next words made Jiang Rong a little wary. The little guy said, "Dad, that uncle looks like you. Is he really a relative of ours? He said he also has the surname Jiang."

Jiang Rong's lips slowly tightened, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes: "No, we don't have any relatives like that. If Xiao Heng sees that uncle in the future, remember to keep your distance."

Jiang Rong couldn't think of anyone else besides Jiang Zixuan who would be particularly interested in Jiang Xiaoheng, someone who looked like her and also had the surname Jiang.

When they brought Xiao Heng home, both families agreed to keep the matter a secret forever. Jiang Zixuan's family was to pretend they didn't know Xiao Heng if they ever saw him again. To bring the child home, Jiang Zixuan's parents gave them their house in Jiangjiaqiao. Unexpectedly, Jiang Zixuan forgot their agreement and came looking for Xiao Heng. What is he really up to?

Whether Jiang Zixuan wanted to gain something from Xiao Heng or genuinely wanted to take Xiao Heng back, Jiang Rong would not allow such a thing to happen.

Although Xiao Heng is not his son, he is the child he has raised from childhood. The two generations of father and son have depended on each other for survival, and he will never allow anyone to destroy their father-son relationship, let alone allow the child to know about his origins.

Xiao Heng's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Okay, I got it~ Dad, you should get some rest early tonight. I'm going to take a bath with my older brother. Be careful, and come home early tomorrow~"

Jiang Rong said gently, "Okay, babies. You should go to sleep early too."

After the radio station was turned off, Jiang Rong held the radio with a dark and unreadable expression. When Guan Shao brought in dinner, he noticed a layer of hostility surrounding Jiang Rong. He handed her the bowl of rice and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

The hostility around Jiang Rong slowly faded, and her voice carried a sense of loss that she herself did not realize: "Jiang Zixuan... Xiao Heng's biological father contacted Xiao Heng today, and he gave Xiao Heng a handful of candy."

Guan Shao nodded knowingly: "I see... find a reason to kick him out."

Jiang Rong calmly took the bowl of rice: "I don't care about Jiang Zixuan, I care about Xiao Heng." After all, Jiang Zixuan is the child's biological father. He has a million ways to make Jiang Zixuan disappear forever, but what if the child finds out the truth in the future? Will he resent him for preventing him from recognizing his father?

Guan Shao understood and said, "I understand how you feel. Here's what we'll do: once we get back to base, find an opportunity to talk to Jiang Zixuan and see what his true intentions are."

Jiang Rong looked down at the noodles in the bowl and said, "Mmm."

The noodles, seasoned with cabbage and canned luncheon meat, were incredibly flavorful. Everyone shared a bowl, and the large pot of noodles was so delicious that there was still a little broth left. Jiang Rong, who had initially felt uneasy about Jiang Zixuan's situation, calmed down after eating and drinking his fill.

Right now, he and the others are studying a map of the industrial park. This park houses dozens of companies of varying sizes, most of which are material processing businesses—sand mining, cement production, steel rolling—and they're sure to find plenty of materials if they look carefully.

After studying it for a while, they decided to go and check out the nearest cement factory.

Just then, Leilei ran over and whispered something in Chu Qiang's ear. Chu Qiang looked up in surprise: "Stealing a pot?"

Jiang Rong also looked up: "Steal what?"

Leilei hesitated for a moment: "Uncle Jiang, Sister Ruan and I just caught someone trying to steal our pot. Could you come and take a look?"

Jiang Rong quickly spotted the man who had stolen the pot. His hair was gray, and he was disheveled, filthy, and so thin he was almost unrecognizable. In front of him lay a large pot with only a little noodle soup left. Tears streamed down his gaunt face as he pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Please, give me something to eat! My mother and son are starving. I have no other choice. I don't want to do something so shameful."

The man before her was just one of the ordinary people helpless in the face of a great crisis; Jiang Rong had lived a similar life in her past life. Under the threat of hunger, even the most principled person could only succumb to the temptation of gruel.

Seeing this, Jiang Rong said softly to Lei Lei, "Lei Lei, give him something to eat."

Hearing Jiang Rong's voice, the man looked up in surprise. He squinted and looked closely at Jiang Rong's face, and after a long while, he said incredulously, "Is it... Jiang Rong, Engineer Jiang?"

Jiang Rong looked at her in confusion, "Who are you?"

The man's tears flowed even more fiercely: "It's me, Li Bin from the C City Housing Design Institute. Do you remember me? I designed your house."

Author's Note:

While writing about how the supporting characters in the story were so thin they looked unrecognizable, she pinched the fat on her own belly and wept: Will Old Cat ever be able to lose weight again in this lifetime?