Chapter 69 Oil Field Battle
There are vast plains on the north bank of the river. When Jiang Rong came to Jiangbei on a business trip before, it happened to be the rice harvest season. At that time, as far as the eye could see, everything was golden yellow, and the air was filled with the fragrance of rice blossoms.
Now, walking on the roads of Jiangbei, the fragrance of rice paddies is long gone. The air is filled with the stench of decay and a foul, burnt smell that stings the eyes. Even with a mask on, the unpleasant odor continues to waft through the air.
Chu Qiang sniffed, picked up the walkie-talkie and complained, "It smells like a chemical plant leak, what is this smell...?"
Jiang Rong responded, "Make sure everyone wears their masks properly, and if you feel unwell, put on a gas mask instead."
There are many chemical plants along the river, and without supervision, the raw materials inside will slowly leak out. These chemicals not only have a pungent odor, but some are even toxic. Therefore, before this trip, Jiang Rong prepared gas masks and protective suits for everyone. Although wearing them made movement somewhat inconvenient, it was still better than facing toxic fumes directly.
Chu Qiang replied, "Okay, I'll have the convoy pull over so everyone can change their clothes."
Not long after the words were spoken, the convoy's vehicles turned on their hazard lights, and the convoy members got out to change into their protective suits. Jiang Rong and Guan Shao took advantage of the moment while everyone was changing; their convoy was parked in a vast, open field. As soon as they got out, they saw sparse vegetation scattered across the fields.
These are rice plants that survived by sheer luck; it's already a miracle they managed to stay alive, let alone grow any grains. Even if they did grow grains, the keen-eyed mutated birds would already be waiting by the rice paddies, so it would be impossible for Jiang Rong and his group to harvest them.
After gazing at the rice paddies in silence for a moment, Jiang Rong suggested, "Let's try to collect some rice to take back with us when we get back?"
After the first harvest of rice, as long as the stalks are cut, new shoots will quickly sprout and rice will grow again. However, because the yield of the second crop is far less than that of the first crop, and the second crop does not have enough time to grow, farmers discard the stubble in the fields after harvesting the first crop.
Before the major crisis, rice stubble was worthless, but now it's a treasure. Among the surviving rice varieties, there must be some mutated ones. Take them back and cultivate them properly, and the seeds produced will be high-quality seeds. The more high-quality seeds, the higher the rice yield next year.
He heard this in his previous life when he was farming with a wood-type ability user. This year, some rice stubble can still be harvested, but next year and the year after, it will be difficult to find high-quality rice.
Guan Shao nodded: "Okay."
As the two were discussing how to manage the rice paddies, the familiar theme song from an animated film drifted into their ears. Inside the truck bed, Little Darling and Little Fairy were engrossed in watching a tablet. Jiang Rong chuckled, "I think whoever owns the latest Meowth Team cartoon could easily kidnap these two."
A fairy's voice came from inside the carriage: "There's a problem!" It and its little darling don't want anyone but Jiang Gong; Qiu Sheng is determined to follow Jiang Gong for life.
Jiang Rong's smile widened: "Okay. But we can't watch cartoons all the time, we need to balance work and rest."
After resting for a while, the convoy prepared to continue its journey. At this moment, Meng Weixian, wearing protective clothing, walked over and said, "Team Leader Jiang, we might encounter a little trouble."
Meng Weixian discovered that the side road leading to the oil field five kilometers away had been cleared, which was clearly not something one person could do. Combined with the fact that Xiao Guaiguai had been attacked, he deduced that other superhumans from other bases had already gotten there first.
Jiang Rong said calmly, "Let's see how things go first." The Jiangbei Plain is so vast, with so many oil fields, producing enough crude oil for several nearby bases. If the other side is being reasonable, then everyone should contribute their manpower and resources. If they want to seize the oil fields, then let's see if they can take a beating.
After the second half of the road was cleared, the group's journey became much faster. Originally expected to arrive at the oil field in the evening, the gates of the oil field appeared before them at 2 p.m.
Before even entering the oil field, everyone smelled the aroma of crude oil. Their spirits lifted: "There's oil!"
As everyone expected, the oil field had already been occupied by superhumans from other bases. Just as Jiang Rong and his convoy approached, a high wall slowly rose up and blocked their path.
A rough voice came from the high wall: "Which base are you from? This oil field has been occupied by our Peace Base. Go to another oil field."
Jiang Rong looked up and saw a burly man standing on the high wall. The man had a thick beard and a two-inch-long scar on his cheek. He was wearing a black trench coat, and bright yellow flames surged around him as he spoke.
Jiang Jinhu chuckled, "Met a fellow user, huh?" This man was likely also a fire-type ability user; Jiang Jinhu's fireballs were orange-red, while this man's were bright yellow. Judging from the color, the man's ability level seemed to be higher.
Jiang Rong recognized this person; he was one of the top-ranked ability users at the Peace Base, named Zhou Xing. In this time of year in her previous life, Jiang Rong had just begun to explore the Peace Base, while Zhou Xing was already a rare Level 2 ability user within the base.
Jiang Rong recalled that when Zhou Xingzheng pawned his off-road vehicle at the Peace Base, he and his teammates were returning to the base triumphantly. On one side was Jiang Rong, penniless and defenseless, on the other, the superhumans with overwhelming advantages. Jiang Rong thought that Zhou Xingzheng's gaze at that moment must have been filled with envy, just like the other civilians in the base.
After entering the Peace Base, Jiang Rong often heard about the achievements of several high-level superhumans there. As an ordinary citizen, he never had the chance to speak with Zhou Xing in his previous life, but he never imagined that he would be able to face Zhou Xing directly in this life.
Jiang Rong opened the car door and took a few steps forward: "Zhou Xing from the Peace Base?"
Zhou Xing was taken aback: "You know me?"
Jiang Rong nodded slowly: "I've heard of you. I am Jiang Rong from the Xinghuo Base, and I'm here for the same reason as you. I don't want to cause conflict between the two bases, so could you please come down so we can talk face to face?"
Zhou Xing sneered twice: "Spark Base? Never heard of it. Didn't you hear me? The oil field belongs to our base, we won't give it to you."
Jiang Rong said loudly, "Times are tough, and survivors should stick together to survive. The oil field belongs to everyone, and the Peace Base cannot be monopolized. Please come down and let's talk, let's come together to find a solution that both sides can accept!"
Zhou Xing's eyes flashed with disdain, his mocking expression finally coming to an end. Too many other ability users had said similar things to him lately: things like prioritizing the greater good and promoting the common development of all humanity, opening up oil fields so nearby bases could also have oil...
He'd heard too many grand pronouncements and really didn't want to hear any more. Zhou Xing waved his fist at Jiang Rong: "Jiang Rong, right? You're the representative of the Spark Base? Let me ask you, how big is the Spark Base?"
The Xinghuo Base is centered on the Third Fishery Village, with a radius of fifteen li (approximately 7.5 kilometers), making its area roughly 225 square kilometers. Upon hearing this number, Zhou Xing scoffed, "So how many people are in your base?"
Jiang Rong said seriously, "We have more than 32,000 people."
Zhou Xing burst out laughing: "Over two hundred square kilometers, more than thirty thousand people. You dare call this a base? It's more like a refuge!"
Hearing this, the people at Starfire Base frowned, displeased. Their base was indeed small, but it was small yet highly efficient. How did Zhou Xing turn it into a shelter?
Zhou Xing raised his voice and said, "Let me tell you, our Peace Base covers 6,586 square kilometers, and there are 1.2 million survivors inside! Did you hear me?"
Jiang Rong said seriously, "I heard you. So what? Peace Base is a base, and our Spark Base is also a base. Since we are both bases, we have the right to fair dialogue."
Zhou Xing looked down at Jiang Rong with a sarcastic tone: "Jiang Rong, do you know what's the biggest right now?"
Before Jiang Rong could speak, Zhou Xing shouted, "Might makes right! This is a dog-eat-dog world. Whoever has the bigger fist has the right to speak. Sit down and talk it over? Our Peace Base is hundreds of times stronger than yours. What right do you have to talk to me? Are you worthy? Is your base worthy?"
Zhou Xing paced back and forth on the high wall: "If you know what's good for you, hurry up and leave. If you keep talking about equal dialogue in front of me, I'll show you how hard my fists are."
The superhumans at the Starfire Base blinked, all turning to look at Jiang Rong. Zhou Xing was truly ignorant and fearless; it was the first time they'd ever seen anyone ask if Jiang Rong was worthy. When they looked up at Zhou Xing again, their eyes were filled with pity.
Jiang Rong sighed regretfully, then calmly looked at Zhou Xing: "So there's no point in negotiating? The Peace Base wants to seize the oil field and not let anyone else use it?"
Zhou Xing crossed his arms and snorted through his nostrils: "Yeah, there's no room for negotiation. If you're not convinced, let's settle this with our fists."
Jiang Rong smiled brightly: "Okay."
Zhou Xing looked Jiang Rong up and down. Seeing the weak-looking Jiang Rong, he became interested: "I didn't expect you to have some courage. Here's the deal: if you can last five minutes under my attack, I'll send you five truckloads of crude oil. If you can last ten minutes, I'll send you ten truckloads of crude oil. Of course, if you can't even last a minute, your teammates will have to collect your corpse."
Jiang Rong smiled and said, "What if I win?"
Zhou Xing hadn't even considered this possibility. "If you win, I'll let you do whatever you want with me."
Jiang Rong laughed and said, "You're not crude oil, so dealing with you won't do any good. How about this, if I win, this oil field will belong to our Xinghuo Base. What do you think?"
Zhou Xing wasn't entirely stupid. Although he was a high-ranking ability user in the base, he wasn't part of the leadership. If he lost the oil field, he'd probably be killed when he got back. He took a deep breath and stepped forward: "Then let's talk after you beat me first!"
A bright yellow flame suddenly burst forth from Zhou Xing's body, striking Jiang Rong, who was standing beside the car. The temperature of this flame was comparable to molten iron, capable of incinerating most things in the world. Zhou Xing didn't believe Jiang Rong could dodge such an attack.
However, before the flames could even reach Jiang Rong, the earthen wall beneath Zhou Xing's feet turned into loose sand. Zhou Xing slipped, his body plummeting downwards, his newly unleashed power veering far off target. The loose sand solidified again, this time transforming into a well-organized large arena.
The earth-elemental ability users at Peace Base turned pale. Just moments ago, the earthen wall they had painstakingly built had been easily dissolved by a single force. There must be a master in Starfire Base whose power far surpasses theirs.
Pan Pan clapped his hands easily: "Jiang Tou'er, all done."
Jiang Rong nodded and stepped onto the arena. He said slowly, "Since we're going to have a competition, it has to be open, fair, and just. The high walls are blocking the eyes of the people at the Peace Base, so for the sake of fairness, we've built an arena. Captain Zhou shouldn't have any objections, right?"
Zhou Xing's ability missed its target, and his chest ached terribly. He gritted his teeth: "No objection." He had made up his mind; he was going to cremate Jiang Rong's ashes in a moment!
The superhumans from Peace Base quickly stepped forward and stood behind Zhou Xing at the foot of the arena, while the people from Spark Base stood at a distance, showing no intention of cheering for Jiang Rong.
Zhou Xing gloated, "Your people at the base are quite perceptive, knowing to stay far away." His flames could shoot over a hundred meters away; if the people from the Starfire Base were close, they could be cremated together.
Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Yes." After a pause, he asked a question: "By the way, Captain Zhou, I have a question for you. When you passed by the cross-river bridge yesterday, did you see the words on the bridge clearly?"
Zhou Xing paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You mean that vine that I burned down? Was it your little pet? Sorry, I didn't see it before I set the fire, I only saw the sign after the fire was over."
Last night, on a whim, he decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood. Unexpectedly, he saw a huge, mutated creature on the bridge spanning the river. He hurled a ball of fire at it, and the thing was reduced to ashes. Later, he noticed the sign on the bridge. Instead of apologizing for his recklessness, he mocked Xiao Guai for overestimating himself.
A thing that can be burned in a fire, how can you expect it to protect pedestrians?
Zhou Xing lowered his body, a bright yellow flame surging around him, and said insincerely, "I apologize for the accidental killing last night. But don't be too sad, after all, you'll see your little pet in a little while."
A dazzling red burst suddenly erupted from behind Jiang Rong, and thousands upon thousands of vines lashed out at Zhou Xing with lightning speed. Little Guai Guai howled, "Bad guy!"
Jiang said last night that it can retaliate against anyone who hits it in the future. It's been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!
The closer the vines got to Zhou Xing, the higher the temperature they were exposed to, and the thin vines quickly burst into flames. However, many more branches, undeterred by the heat, wrapped themselves around Zhou Xing's body. Fearing Zhou Xing would struggle, Xiao Guai Guai grabbed him by the feet, hung him upside down, and slammed him to the ground several times: "I'll hit you!"
Although Zhou Xing was a fire-type ability user, his physique wasn't strong enough to rival that of an enhancement-type ability user. Even Chu Qiang acknowledged Xiao Guai Guai's strength; for it, throwing Zhou Xing was a piece of cake. Zhou Xing was nearly killed; his ears were ringing, blood rushed to his head, and his prized ability was completely unusable.
Just then, Zhou Xing felt his skin being pierced by the Bloodthirsty Vine, and he heard a swallowing sound. Zhou Xing's pupils contracted, and his body trembled violently. Only then did he remember the name of this mutated plant. This thing was called the Bloodthirsty Vine; as the name suggests, wasn't it a vine that loved blood?
This is a mutated plant that eats people! Feeling his blood and superpowers rapidly disappearing, Zhou Xing's scars contorted in terror.
He was a level two fire-type ability user; only a handful of top ability users emerged from over a million people in the Peace Base. Yet, he couldn't even last half a minute against Jiang Rong. This man didn't even have to lift a finger; he was subdued by his little pet.
Who exactly is Jiang Rong? Why would such a powerful expert exist in the obscure Xinghuo Base?! They clearly appear to be novice ability users, so how do they possess such strength?
Zhou Xing was unaware that the Spark Base did not follow the usual path.
Jiang Rong always believed that true progress came from everyone progressing together. Whenever he collected crystal cores, he would always find reasons and excuses to distribute them to the ability users in the base. In addition, with mutated plants like Xiao Guaiguai around who could advance without crystal cores, the number of crystal cores their base could collect every day was quite considerable.
The people Jiang Rong brought were almost all Level 2 ability users. Even if they were only at the early stage of Level 2, they could still overwhelm and tear apart higher-level ability users who were several times stronger than them. Not to mention that the members of the core team had all improved their abilities to the mid-to-late stage of Level 2, and they would be able to advance to Level 3 ability users in a little while.
This is also why Jiang Rong dared to challenge the Peace Base. Although their base had fewer people, in a real battle of strength, the Peace Base might not be their match.
Seeing Zhou Xing hanging upside down by the Bloodthirsty Vine, Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Captain Zhou, can we sit down and have a proper discussion now?"
The superhumans at Starfire Base mimicked Zhou Xing's tone: "Discuss? Does Peace Base even deserve to be compared to our Starfire Base? This is a world where the strong prey on the weak; whoever has the biggest fist has the right to speak!"
Everyone burst into laughter: "Captain Zhou, hang in there! If you can hold out for even one minute with Little Darling, we'll give you a truckload of crude oil. The longer you hold out, the more oil we'll give you!"
Seeing their leader captured, the superhumans at Peace Base panicked. They drew their weapons and pointed them at the other side: "Halt! Release Captain Zhou!"
Guan Shao raised his hand, and a ball of blue-purple lightning appeared at his fingertips. As the lightning flashed, the superhumans at the Peace Base felt a numbness in their bodies, and then stiffened and fell to the ground.
Chu Qiang sighed, "Sigh, he's bad at the game but likes to show off. What's the point?"
Author's Note:
Little Darling: Does it hurt?
Zhou Xing: It hurts...
Little Darling: Will you still be so impulsive in the future?
Zhou Xing: I'm not cheap anymore.
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