Chapter 30 Ambush
Li Xiaojun's group consisted of fifteen people, and they owned four cars and an old military truck. After leaving the orchard, the group drove north along the mountain road.
The distance from their hometown to the base in N City is only 200 kilometers. They estimated that even with traffic congestion, they could cover 70 or 80 kilometers overnight without any problem. 200 kilometers is no big deal; they will arrive at the base the day after tomorrow.
But after leaving the orchard, their luck turned extremely bad. They hadn't gone five kilometers when the military truck's engine made a strange noise, the vehicle began to shake, and then it lurched back and forth twice before breaking down.
The military truck was loaded with most of the supplies and fruit looted from the orchard. Its breakdown forced the other vehicles ahead to stop. A group of people got out of the car, cursing and swearing. Cao Qian, clutching her stomach and looking displeased, nudged Li Xiaojun, "What kind of junk is this... Li Xiaojun, go check it out."
Since leaving the orchard, Li Xiaojun has been bombarded with accusations from his wife and in-laws. They accuse Uncle Li and Aunt Li of being heartless and of not standing up for them. Qianqian, in particular, has been relentlessly criticizing him, leaving him feeling completely overwhelmed. Even though he tries to control his emotions in front of his in-laws, he's starting to get annoyed.
With a stern face, Li Xiaojun quickly walked to the military truck and opened the engine hood. As soon as the hood opened, a thick plume of black smoke billowed out. He shone a flashlight on it, and his expression worsened: "The engine is smoking; there might be a problem."
As soon as the words were spoken, the Yue family relatives started discussing amongst themselves. After a while, a group of people stood in front of the military truck, gesturing and pointing, but no one offered a definitive opinion. These people were used to being all talk and no action; they knew nothing about car repair and maintenance. After some discussion, they gave Li Xiaojun an order: "Xiaojun, this car is yours. You'd better fix it as soon as possible!"
Li Xiaojun didn't know much about cars either, but he knew a bit more than the others. He responded and then, with a flashlight in his mouth, focused intently on fiddling with the engine.
The repair took three hours, from sunset to moonrise, without Li Xiaojun drinking a drop of water or sitting down for even ten minutes to rest. To save fuel, the others found a slightly open space next to the convoy and started a fire.
The campfire illuminated the faces of a group of people, each face slick with oil, resembling a chicken roasting over the fire. Mosquitoes swarmed in the mountains, and they chatted while spraying themselves with mosquito repellent.
When Jiang Rong and Guan Shao arrived at the nearby hillside, they saw this scene: Li Xiaojun was repairing a vehicle, covered in oil stains, while his in-laws were chatting and laughing around a campfire.
Jiang Rong sighed and shook his head: "He could be a prince at home, but he insists on becoming a servant in someone else's household."
Li Xiaojun had witnessed firsthand how good Uncle Li and Aunt Li were to him. The elderly couple couldn't bear to see their son suffer, and after a long day's work, they would brave the high temperatures to bring him fruit. But he, on the other hand, felt that his parents couldn't help him and even sided with outsiders to belittle his parents.
Guan Shao responded softly, "There's nothing we can do; there are always some shameless people in this world."
As he spoke, Guan Shao wiped his face. He wore a strange-looking hat with two layers of mesh hanging from the brim. The mesh drooped down to his shoulders and neck, covering his bare head and neck.
This is a mosquito-proof helmet he made himself. The mountains are hot and humid with many mosquitoes. If you don't take precautions when going out at night, you might not be able to come back alive.
Homemade helmets are never as good as professional protective gear, and tiny mosquitoes always manage to sneak in through the seams and bite his face. Even as he was talking to Jiang Rong, he already had several mosquito bites on his face.
These days, mosquito bites are so venomous that they're both painful and itchy. After swatting the mosquito, Guan Shao took out some Tiger Balm and applied it to the spot where he had been bitten, through the filter.
In the past, he wouldn't have dared to make so many small moves during missions. Now, his opponents weren't well-equipped foreign colleagues, but unsuspecting civilians, and they were still dozens of meters away from the group. Under the cover of the plants, Guan Shao wasn't worried at all about the group discovering him.
Seeing Guan Shao being bitten by mosquitoes, Jiang Rong suddenly realized the benefits of wood-type superpowers. Being spared mosquito bites after a major crisis was truly the happiest thing in the world.
Seeing Guan Shao suffering from mosquito bites, Jiang Rong thought about how to make him more comfortable. He had heard that some plants could repel mosquitoes, so he decided to look around and find some to shelter Guan Shao from the mosquitoes.
As soon as Jiang Rong started to move, Guan Shao reached out and grabbed him: "Where are you going?"
Jiang Rong whispered her thoughts to Guan Shao, "Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back."
Guan Shao squinted and smiled, "No need to trouble yourself. I'm mainly worried that these people will discover us, otherwise the mosquitoes won't be able to get close to me."
Seeing Jiang Rong's confusion, Guan Shao took off his gloves and touched the filter. A layer of tiny electric sparks quickly appeared on the filter. When a flying insect hit this layer of electric sparks, it would make a small "pop" sound and then fall straight down.
The more mosquitoes that crashed into Guan Shao, the brighter the arc of electricity became. Jiang Rong actually saw Guan Shao's face in the darkness, and only then did he understand what Guan Shao meant by being afraid of being discovered.
Following the "walking power bank," Jiang Rong discovered that lightning-type ability users are also "walking electric mosquito swatters." This ability... is incredibly convenient and practical, and Jiang Rong was envious once again.
Guan Shao quickly withdrew his hand and put on his gloves. "It's nothing, these mosquitoes are nothing. Let's continue watching the show."
After three hours of hard work, Li Xiaojun was covered in dust and dirt. He was not a professional and did not have any suitable tools. Not only could he not find the problem, but even if he did find the problem, he could not find the replacement parts.
Exhausted and thirsty, Li Xiaojun walked towards his in-laws' direction, saying dejectedly, "I can't do anything about it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Cao Qian's face darkened: "There's no other way? What do you mean there's no other way? There are so many supplies on the military truck. What will we do without it?"
Li Xiaojun stared at Cao Qian, and seeing only blame on his wife's face instead of concern, his temper flared up: "I never knew how to do it. I told you not to pick up cars parked on the side of the road, not knowing what problems might arise, but you wouldn't listen. Now I have no choice, whoever is capable can do it."
He plopped down in an empty seat, pulled out a bottle of mineral water, and gulped it down. The water made his empty stomach rumble. Li Xiaojun reached out towards the roast chicken propped up on the fire. One chicken couldn't possibly feed so many people; now only the carcass remained.
There wasn't much meat on the chicken carcass, so Li Xiaojun tore off a bone and started gnawing on it. Without any oil or salt, the bone had a lingering, unpleasant fishy smell. He'd just taken a bite when his mother-in-law's voice rang out: "Oh dear, what are we going to do? Oh..."
The father-in-law grunted twice: "What can we do? Nothing. There's no village or shop in sight. What else can we do? I think we'll have to camp out in the countryside tonight."
After being pinned down by Hu Zi, he felt a dull, aching pain in his chest. Sitting by the fire, he had already cursed Hu Zi's ancestors for eighteen generations, but upon seeing Li Xiaojun return, his father-in-law's demeanor changed completely. Holding his thermos, he said earnestly, "Xiaojun, don't take today's incident to heart. Your parents are just getting old and find it hard to leave their homeland. We'll come back for them once we've established ourselves at the base. Old people are all tough on the outside but soft on the inside; what parent wouldn't abandon their child, right?"
The mother-in-law muttered, "Pah, what do you mean by 'reluctant to leave one's homeland'? I think they're just giving us attitude. They only turned on us because we stayed at their house for over a month and ate some food. They show no mercy whatsoever. Before the big crisis, they were always so polite to us. Now they just think we're useless..."
A relative nearby chimed in, and Cao Qian's pent-up resentment erupted once more: "If I hadn't married you, our whole family wouldn't have been reduced to having to be subservient to others."
“Li Xiaojun, tell me yourself, since we got married, how much have your parents helped us? For the five million house, my parents contributed two and a half million, while your parents only contributed six hundred thousand. When my best friends got married, they all went on vacation abroad and bought one-carat diamond rings. Only I have to listen to you complain about being poor when I buy some gold jewelry.”
“I knew you and your parents were unreliable. I stayed at your house for over a month and ate some of your food. Look at your parents’ faces. When they saw me, they looked at me with disdain. I was pregnant with your child, and they didn’t take care of me for even a day. Not only did they not take care of me, they also went to coax other people’s children.”
"Tell me yourself, is it easy to get a spot at the base? Are we trying to harm them by sending them there? You ungrateful wretch, you take my kindness for granted. The worst part is that he even had his dog bite my dad! Wasn't my dad good to you? Wasn't he good to them?"
“I know what your parents mean. They want you to find a girl from the village who can farm for your family, have children, and serve them faithfully, like a paid nanny. Let me tell you, Li Xiaojun, I will remember the abuse your parents have inflicted on me these past few days for the rest of my life!”
Qianqian rambled on and on about her resentment, especially her disgust for Uncle Li and Aunt Li. From the first time she visited, when Aunt Li gave her a smaller red envelope than she should have, to all the unpleasant things that happened after she got married... Her words were fast and sharp, leaving everyone who listened bewildered.
Li Xiaojun, clutching a chicken bone, stared listlessly at the campfire. Cao Qian's shrill voice and the echoes of his relatives faded into the distance. His face was burning hot from the fire, sweat mixed with grease sliding down his forehead. As a mental laborer, when had he ever endured such hardship?
Seeing Li Xiaojun's vacant eyes, Cao Qian was furious. She grabbed a handful of pebbles and threw them at him: "Li Xiaojun, are you deaf?! I'm talking to you!"
The sudden pain on his face snapped Li Xiaojun out of his reverie. He glared at Cao Qian, a fierce glint in his eyes that he himself didn't even realize had appeared.
This was the first time Cao Qian had seen such a terrifying expression on her husband's face. Her words caught in her throat, and fear crept onto her face: "What, what are you doing?"
Li Xiaojun gave Cao Qian a cold look. If this woman hadn't felt neglected and made a scene, threatening to leave, he would still be at home. He wouldn't be working late at night fixing his car, nor would he be arguing with his parents. If anyone's unlucky, it's a mystery who's truly unlucky.
Cao Qian moved her lips twice and then burst into tears: "Mom and Dad—look! Li Xiaojun is yelling at me! He's yelling at me!"
Cao Qian's mother-in-law quickly comforted her, "Don't cry, don't cry. Qianqian, you have a baby in your belly, don't get upset."
The father-in-law tried to smooth things over, saying, "Don't argue, don't argue, we're all family, what's there to argue about?"
The relatives from the Yue family chimed in, "Xiaojun, that's not right of you. Qianqian is pregnant, you have to give way to her."
"That's right, Qianqian has a point. You're a grown man, be more magnanimous. Go apologize, your wife needs to be coaxed."
Li Xiaojun looked down at the chicken carcass in his hand and found it somewhat amusing. What right did these people have to be above him? He admitted that his father-in-law had indeed helped him at work, but what about the others? What had they done for him?
He knew his family wasn't well-off, so after marrying Cao Qian, he always humbled himself. Hadn't he suffered enough grievances and endured enough bitterness? After the major crisis, these people clearly depended on him for their livelihood; they only had a place to stay because of him. Now, the supplies in their truck belonged to his own family; why should they expect him to be subservient?
Cao Qian was still wailing shrilly, "He doesn't love me anymore! Mom, I want a divorce!"
Li Xiaojun couldn't take it anymore. He raised his hand and smashed the meatless chicken carcass into the campfire: "Shut up! You want a divorce, huh? Divorce is easy these days, you don't even need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Let's get a divorce now, whoever doesn't is a coward!"
The chicken carcass landed heavily in the campfire, sending embers flying. This action stunned the Yue family relatives. Cao Qian, who had just been wailing about wanting a divorce, stared blankly at Li Xiaojun's face, her crying abruptly ceasing.
None of them are fools. Li Xiaojun is the youngest and most hardworking member of their group. If he really turns back, it's uncertain how far they can go.
The in-laws who had just been criticizing Li Xiaojun suddenly changed their tune. This time, they began to advise Cao Qian: "Qianqian, Xiaojun didn't say anything. Don't be so persistent. Women should be gentler."
"Yes, Qianqian, Xiaojun treats you very well. You should be content!"
Jiang Rong watched with amusement; this was much more entertaining than the soap operas on TV. They were a united family just a moment ago, and now they're starting to split up. You never know the pain until you experience it yourself.
Without his parents to back him up, Li Xiaojun truly felt the pain. Having lost all the privileges he had before the major crisis, even someone who was once high and mighty had to bow his head.
That's good, but I hope the pain comes even more intensely.
Just as Jiang Rong was completely absorbed, Guan Shao suddenly nudged him: "Something's getting close."
Jiang Rong frowned, releasing his supernatural power through the surrounding plants. He was utterly astonished by what he saw: "A wolf?"
It wasn't just one wolf, but a pack. They nimbly moved through the forest, silently approaching their prey. The darkness provided them with perfect cover; had Jiang Rong not used her special ability, she wouldn't have been able to see them at all.
That's strange. I've never heard of wolves near my hometown, let alone wolf packs. Could he be mistaken? Or maybe it's a pack of mutant dogs?
Upon closer inspection, Jiang Rong became even more certain that what was coming in this direction was a wolf. He had seen wolves several times in his previous life when he was on missions with other ability users. Although wolves and dogs looked very similar, their temperaments were completely different.
The coordination and ferocity of a wolf pack far surpass that of a stray dog pack. The mutated wolves are even more terrifying; the average member of a wolf pack is as big as a tiger. Let alone an ordinary person having no chance against them, even Jiang Rong in his current state wouldn't stand a chance.
After thinking for a moment, he remembered something: the D City Zoo is only a dozen miles east of Lingshan Reservoir, and these wolves may have escaped from the zoo.
Twenty or thirty wolves were rapidly closing in from behind them, and would arrive nearby in no time. Their target wasn't Jiang Rong and his companion, but rather Li Xiaojun and his group, who were foolishly eating roast chicken and talking loudly in the mountains. These people, thinking themselves superior in numbers, were completely unaware of how dangerous the world was.
Jiang Rong only wanted to teach Li Xiaojun and his men a lesson, not to kill them. He nudged Guan Shao: "You go first, I need to tell them."
Guan Shao lowered his voice and said firmly, "I'll go with you."
Jiang Rong was stunned for a moment. In his previous life, when he went on missions with people with superpowers, he and other ordinary people were always the first to be abandoned if there was any disturbance. They were bait, expendable pawns, and worthless weeds, but never companions.
Seeing Guan Shao's unwavering determination to stand by him through thick and thin, it would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. Jiang Rong nodded: "Alright, let's find a place to hide first."
The two were hiding under a large tree. Jiang Rong looked up at the tall trunk and used her supernatural power to command the kudzu vines around her to grow rapidly. The kudzu vines supported the two of them and climbed upwards, soon lifting them to the treetop.
The kudzu vines twined around the tree canopy, quickly forming a shelter large enough for the two to fit inside. This shelter was conspicuous during the day, but in the darkness it became the perfect refuge. The wolves couldn't climb trees, and even if they spotted them in the trees, they were helpless against them.
Jiang Rong used his ability skillfully, and the effect was just as he expected. Guan Shao couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "Amazing, I didn't expect wood-type abilities could be used like this."
Wood-based superpowers have many uses. For example, right now, Jiang Rong slapped a kudzu vine. The superpower traveled along the kudzu vine's roots to other plants, quickly spreading throughout the forest.
A pack of wolves moved silently through the forest. As they passed a clump of wild roses, a branch suddenly shot out and swiftly ensnared one of the wolves. The thorny vine scraped against the giant wolf's belly, and a pitiful howl echoed through the forest: "Awooo—"
The wolf's howl echoed through the mountains and forests, and Guan Shao was truly impressed: "Impressive."
However, Li Xiaojun and his companions were completely oblivious. They looked up dumbly and asked, "Was that a wolf howling just now?"
"Who's playing a prank? There's no way there could be a wolf here."
"Oh my god, I'm so scared I'm going to pee my pants..."
Jiang Rong and Guan Shao exchanged a glance, seeing helplessness and absurdity in each other's eyes. Even given a chance to escape, they wouldn't take it; good advice is useless against these damned devils.
Li Xiaojun and his group's dawdling delayed their escape. Guan Shao's warning not only failed to save them, but also gave them something to talk about. The man who had just said he was about to wet himself walked towards the mountains, unzipped his pants, and relieved himself: "I'm not driving for a bit, anyone want to switch with me?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a dozen giant wolves rushed out of the forest. The man who was relieving himself cried out in alarm, "Holy crap! Wolves! Run!" Although he shouted to run, his legs were so weak that he couldn't move at all.
Just as the giant wolf was about to pounce on the man, it suddenly staggered. The enormous wolf stopped its forward movement and instead turned its head to viciously bite at its hind legs. It wasn't biting its own legs, but rather gnawing at the kudzu vines that were wrapped around them.
Sometime during the night, a dense patch of kudzu vines appeared by the roadside. The sturdy branches of the kudzu vines stretched up a meter high, swaying gently in the air. As the wolves crossed the vines, the seemingly harmless vines suddenly sprang to life. They coiled around the giant wolves' bodies, halting their advance.
The wolves, entangled by the kudzu vines, were forced to stop, tearing at the vines that blocked their path. However, the more fiercely they bit, the faster the kudzu vines grew, and the tighter they entangled. In an instant, kudzu leaves and tendrils snapped and flew everywhere, and the wolves' whimpers as they were bound echoed throughout the area.
This scene, which appears to be a clash between mutated animals and mutated plants, is actually a battle between Jiang Rong and a pack of mutated wolves.
Jiang Rong, perched in the tree canopy, wore a serious expression as he continuously channeled his supernatural energy into the kudzu vines. The vines severed by the wolves were useless; he could only increase his energy output to make the kudzu vines grow faster, thus giving Li Xiaojun and his group a better chance to escape.
This sounds easy, but it's incredibly difficult in practice. Jiang Rong might have a chance against just one or two mutated wolves. But there are over a dozen wolves entangled in the kudzu vines, and the intelligent mutated wolves can accurately bite through the vines; it's only a matter of time before they break free.
The people, initially terrified by the appearance of the giant wolf, finally came to their senses and screamed as they scrambled towards the truck. By then, no one was reluctant to leave behind the truckload of supplies: "Drive! Drive!"
But not all the wolves were tripped up by the kudzu vines. Two wolves that arrived later leaped off the vines and charged into the crowd. The first one to land bit the thigh of a person running away in front of him, who howled in pain, "Help! Help!"
When the wolf pack launched their attack, Li Xiaojun was a little confused: How come there are wolves in this place?
When he saw wolves the size of calves with his own eyes, saw their fierce green eyes, and smelled their scent, his scalp tingled and his legs went weak. At that moment, the fear in his body reached its peak.
He had to escape immediately, or he would lose his life.
However, when he heard his in-laws' relatives crying for help, he hesitated. The relative who had been bitten by the wolf had some influence, and without him, they might not have been able to easily enter the base.
After figuring it out, Li Xiaojun picked up the half-burnt log and rushed over: "Uncle, I'm here to save you!"
The burning wood struck the giant wolf, the flames scorching its fur. The wolf howled in pain and released its grip, rolling on the ground. After a few rolls, the flames on its back were extinguished, leaving behind a pungent smell of burning fur.
Li Xiaojun quickly helped the man up, saying, "Uncle, let's go!"
Still shaken, the relative did something astonishing: he shoved Li Xiaojun hard. This shove sent Li Xiaojun flying straight into the wolf pack. Li Xiaojun's pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with shock. He stared blankly at his relative fleeing desperately, his heart sinking deeper and deeper.
Not everyone could run nimbly towards the car. Cao Qian was clumsy, and when she saw the wolf, her legs went weak and she couldn't run at all. She grabbed her mother's hand and cried, "Mom, Mom, I can't move. Mom, Mom, save me..."
The mother-in-law desperately pulled at Cao Qian, her forehead covered in sweat: "Qianqian, get up! Get up!" But she was weak and couldn't move her daughter no matter what she did. She could only helplessly call out to her husband: "Old Cao, Old Cao, come and help!"
She called out several times, but her father-in-law didn't appear. Her mother-in-law turned her head and saw him; her blood ran cold.
The husband she had trusted for half her life climbed into the car without looking back, and no matter how much she and her daughter cried and screamed, he didn't even glance at his wife and daughter.
In their most desperate and helpless moment, her good husband stepped on the gas and sped away with a few relatives. The red taillights flashed and quickly disappeared on the mountain road. Qianqian and her daughter stared at the direction the car had disappeared in, then stopped crying and remained motionless.
Author's Note:
Mutant Wolf: Surprised? Unexpected? When it comes to ambush warfare, we're the masters.
Rather than having the protagonist jump out and beat up the supporting characters, Old Cat prefers to watch dogs fight each other.
As I've been writing this, some readers think Jiang Rong isn't kind, saying he got something for nothing when he sold the house; others say he's too saintly because he didn't kill Li Xiaojun and his group, leaving himself with potential problems.
What I really want to say is that Jiang Rong is just an ordinary person who wants to survive in the apocalypse; she's neither that gentle nor that cruel.
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