Chapter 51 Private Grain Stations
Jiang Rong had only seen five or six people at the Cheng Gang gym before, and he thought that Guan Shao's teammates, even with their families, would only number around ten or twenty. With so many empty houses in the base, they could easily accommodate one or two thousand people, let alone ten or twenty. But he never expected that Guan Shao would bring back more than eight thousand people at once.
Looking at the endless line of military vehicles winding down the mountain road and the young men in camouflage standing beside them, Jiang Rong was uncharacteristically stunned for a long while. After a while, he took a breath: "Guan Shao, just tell me the truth. What exactly were you doing before?"
Where are the employees from the international security company? What security company can employ so many people?
Guan Shao said frankly, "Before joining the security company, I spent several years in the military. They are all my comrades-in-arms, you can trust me."
Jiang Rong nodded slightly: "I believe you." The military is a big family; once you enter this door, everyone is one family. Even if Guan Shao brought 80,000 men, let alone 8,000, Jiang Rong would still open the base gates to welcome them.
Guan Shao waved to the crowd, and five men quickly walked over from beside the military off-road vehicle and stood in front of the two. The leader extended his hand to Jiang Rong: "Jiang sir, we meet again! Do you remember me? I'm Wang Chenggang, the owner of Chenggang Gym. We've spoken before."
Jiang Rong smiled and extended her hand: "I remember, welcome to Xinghuo Base."
The people behind Wang Chenggang also looked somewhat familiar; if he remembered correctly, they were the same people he had seen when he last visited Chenggang's gym. Jiang Rong extended his hand to shake hands with each of them and quickly memorized their individual features.
Wang Chenggang goes without saying; after the great crisis, he became a speed-type ability user in the enhancement category, and could accelerate from 100 meters to 100 meters in just a few seconds.
The tall, round-faced young man is named Zheng Zhanqing. He has a lively personality and is always accompanied by a large wolfhound. He is also an ability user who can control mutated animals, and his wolfhound "Overlord" is his most beneficial partner.
The burly, hairy, and ruddy-faced man is Jiang Jinhu, a fire-type ability user.
The fair-skinned young man with a baby face was named Wang Ting. When Jiang Rong shook hands with him, he suddenly became transparent, which startled Jiang Rong.
The only non-superpowered member of this group is named Meng Weixian.
Although he hadn't awakened any special abilities, he was already a renowned genius in the military before the major crisis. He could remember everything he saw with perfect clarity, even more accurately than a computer. It was because of him that everyone was able to choose a shorter and less congested route to reach the Starfire Base.
After days of traveling, everyone was exhausted. Jiang Rong quickly summoned his team of superhumans, and it took them a whole day to properly settle the group.
The base suddenly gained more than 10,000 people in a short period of time, making some things that were previously under control more urgent.
For example, there aren't enough solar panels. Five or six thousand solar panels can barely be used by ordinary people in the base, and there's no way to allocate them to soldiers.
For example, there's the issue of accommodating thousands of military vehicles. Although Jiang Rong and his team have already started construction on warehouses, the warehouses under construction can only barely accommodate the supplies they've gathered, not so many military vehicles.
The most important and acute issue is food. Jiang Rong and his team did find a considerable amount of grain, but that grain could only feed a little over 30,000 people until next spring. Now, with over 8,000 more mouths to feed, mostly young men, whether the food supply will last through the winter is still a question.
Seeing Jiang Rong frowning as he typed on the computer, Guan Shao put down the fruit plate and gently massaged his shoulders: "Have I caused you any trouble?"
Jiang Rong raised his hand and placed it on the back of Guan Shao's hand. He leaned back against Guan Shao and said, "How can this be considered troublesome? It's just that some problems that we'll have to face later have been brought to the forefront in advance."
The base construction requires manpower, and Jiang Rong anticipates that not many people will come to join the base before it is officially completed.
Unexpectedly, he and Guan Shao brought tens of thousands of people to the base; this was a huge leap. A larger population has its advantages and disadvantages, but as long as the problems are solved, everything else will be an advantage.
Feeling the gentle pressure on her shoulder, Jiang Rong said slowly, "Everyone came to the base to survive. If we can't even get enough to eat, then the construction of the base is a joke. Although we have enough food for a few more months, if we can't plant or harvest the autumn crops in time, everyone will go hungry."
The major crisis had been underway for two or three months, and the food supplies available outside were dwindling. Jiang Rong divided the collected food into two parts: one part for planting, and the other for their own consumption. If there were problems with the autumn planting, they wouldn't have enough food next spring.
Jiang Rong opened the map and looked at several cities next to D City: "I'm thinking of taking everyone a little further away in a couple of days to see if we can find more food."
Guan Shao bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Jiang Rong's forehead: "Don't worry, you're not alone. Everyone in the base is capable and can help."
Jiang Rong smiled and nodded, "Mm." After a pause, he asked, "By the way, how are Wang Chenggang and the others doing? Are they very hot?"
With a limited number of solar panels, the soldiers had to live in houses without electricity. Although soldiers are physically far superior to ordinary people, Jiang Rong was still worried that they wouldn't be living well.
Guan Shao laughed and said, "It's alright, they've already adapted to the high temperature. Besides, there are quite a few people with superpowers inside, so we can always think of ways to cool them down."
Jiang Rong pondered, "I've already asked Pan Pan to recruit people. As long as we can get Jingyi Optoelectronics' equipment up and running, we can manufacture more solar panels."
The best solution would actually be to restart the municipal power grid in City D. However, City D previously relied almost entirely on power support from other provinces and cities. With the upstream power outage, how can the downstream power grid be restarted?
Guan Shao pressed Jiang Rong's temples with his thumbs and said slowly, "I brought people back only to relieve your stress, not to keep you up at night."
Jiang Rong understood Guan Shao's meaning, and he smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry, I'm just prone to overthinking and anxiety."
Guan Shao bent down and put his arm around Jiang Rong's shoulder: "You're taking responsibility." The leaders of other bases only wanted to recruit more people, treating them as the cheapest labor force. There weren't many leaders like Jiang Rong who considered the people in the base in everything they did.
After a pause, Guan Shao lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Hao and the others are asleep. Why don't we go to sleep too? We can talk about it tomorrow."
Jiang Rong stiffened, his ears turning visibly red. He understood Guan Shao's meaning perfectly well; as a newly established couple, physical intimacy was perfectly normal. It was just that he felt things were moving too fast; along with curiosity and anticipation, he was also somewhat afraid.
Guan Shao said gently, "Don't worry, I will never force you if you don't want to."
*
The next day, when Jiang Xiaoheng woke up, he smelled a familiar aroma wafting from the kitchen. He skillfully carried his little stool and ran to the kitchen. After climbing onto the stool and looking at the pot, he cheered, "Big brother! There are little meat buns this morning!"
The small steamed buns in the pot were only about the size of his fist, with meat juices seeping through the skin, looking delicate and adorable. The unique aroma of meat buns filled the air, and Jiang Xiaoheng took a deep breath: "So fragrant!"
He loved his dad's little meat buns the most, and could eat several at a time. His dad's cooking was amazing, much better than anything you could buy outside. But making little meat buns was quite a hassle, so his dad didn't make them often. Jiang Xiaoheng proudly said to Jiang Hao, "Big brother, you're in luck today! My dad's little meat buns are the best!"
When Jiang Rong came out of the storage room carrying dog food, she saw two children standing on small stools in front of the stove, peering out. Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Good morning, have you washed up yet?"
Jiang Xiaoheng chuckled and said, "Good morning, Dad. My brother and I are going to wash up now." He then took Jiang Hao's hand and said, "Brother, let's go wash our faces and brush our teeth."
The sounds of a washing machine running and the theme song of the Meow Meow Team came from the bathroom. Jiang Rong couldn't help but peek out and warn, "Jiang Xiaoheng, don't fool around while brushing your teeth!"
When Guan Shao entered, he saw Jiang Rong feeding Lele dog food. The round dog had its head buried in the food bowl, and Jiang Rong stroked the dog's back with a serious expression.
Guan Shao put down the documents in his hand and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why do you look like that?"
Jiang Rong hesitated and said, "Lele... has been eating more lately." The dog food in the cupboard is being consumed very quickly. Could it be that Lele's appetite has increased since she awakened her superpower?
Guan Shao also squatted down next to Lele, stroking the dog's glossy fur: "It's okay, there's plenty of dog food in the warehouse. The mutated cats and dogs in the base won't be short of food in the short term."
Jiang Rong sighed softly and patted Lele's head: "Lele, take it easy, don't overeat and upset your stomach."
Lele innocently raised its head and started whimpering, its round eyes filled with grievance. Seeing its appearance, Jiang Rong couldn't bear it and gently rubbed its head: "I'm not blaming you, eat up."
If Lele's appetite has really increased dramatically, then it must have had a very pitiful past life. Back then, when they came out of the Peace Base, they were penniless. Lele not only had to hunt to fill its own stomach, but also had to share its food with Jiang Rong and his son.
If it weren't for Lele, they would never have been able to return to their hometown. For this kindness alone, Jiang Rong would never let it go hungry in this lifetime.
The two squatted down beside the dog, stroking its back, and their hands accidentally touched. Feeling the calluses on Guan Shao's palms, Jiang Rong's scalp tingled uncontrollably, and her ears turned red again.
These very hands nearly cost him his life last night; Guan Shao didn't even need to pick up his gun to fight, he had already surrendered.
Guan Shao took Jiang Rong's hand and began rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of her hand. Jiang Rong's face turned red, and he lowered his voice, "That's enough, mind your manners!"
Guan Shao smiled slightly: "So my wife is this sensitive all over?"
Jiang Rong gritted her teeth: "Shut up!"
Just then, the washing machine beeped, and Jiang Xiaoheng's voice came through: "Dad—the clothes are done!"
Guan Shao quickly stood up: "I'll air it out." Watching the man stride towards the bathroom, Jiang Rong raised her hand to touch her burning cheeks.
The two children loved the little meat buns Jiang Rong made. They ate them with gusto, one after another, not wanting to put them down even as the meat juice dripped from their lips. Jiang Rong carefully wiped the meat juice from the corners of their mouths, saying, "Eat slowly, there's plenty more in the pot."
Jiang Xiaoheng looked up and asked earnestly, "Dad, can you give me ten... no, many meat buns later? I want Dou Dou to taste Dad's cooking."
Jiang Rong nodded: "Yeah, sure." Some kids have come to the base recently, so Jiang Xiaoheng has probably made some new friends.
Jiang Xiaoheng smiled, revealing his little white teeth: "Dad, can I let DouDou come to our house in a few days? I'm sure you'll like it."
After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Rong politely declined, saying, "Xiao Heng, Dad doesn't object to you making friends. It's just that Dad is quite busy right now and doesn't have time to entertain him. Besides, there are some little fairies and little darlings around our house. Are you sure you won't scare Dou Dou?"
Jiang Xiaoheng gave a soft "Oh," looking rather uninterested: "I understand."
Jiang Rong patted Xiao Heng's hair: "Don't be so discouraged. When Dad has time, bring Dou Dou and the other friends home. Dad will treat them well."
Jiang Xiaoheng cheered up again: "Okay! Dad, DouDou is really cute, so well-behaved and obedient. You'll definitely like it."
Jiang Rong placed a small meat bun in her son's bowl: "The friend that Xiao Heng has chosen must be quite good. Okay, let's eat breakfast."
Watching Jiang Rong interact with the children, Guan Shao couldn't help but smile. He never imagined that one day he could sit at the dining table like a normal person and have breakfast with his family, let alone have a warm and loving family.
After breakfast, Guan Shao skillfully cleared away the dishes. Just then, the intercom in the living room rang, and Chu Qiang's voice came through: "Xiao Jiang, I've found out the address of a private grain station! Should we go check it out?"
Jiang Rong suddenly picked up the walkie-talkie: "Of course we have to go check it out. Where is the grain depot located?"
*
Since the establishment of the Spark Base, Chu Qiang felt incredibly lucky. Yesterday, Jiang Rong mentioned that their base would face a food crisis, and this morning, Ruan Hanyu sent a message: a new recruit to the base had been working at a private grain depot in the north of D City before the major crisis.
Nowadays, all the well-known comprehensive markets in D City have been thoroughly searched, and the state-owned grain depots have been dug up by countless groups of superhumans. Apart from breaking down doors and searching every house, almost no usable supplies can be found.
This private grain depot is located near D City Airport and appears to be an unremarkable food processing plant from the outside. However, only those who have worked there know that it stores a considerable amount of grain.
Chu Qiang, gripping the forklift steering wheel with one hand and holding a walkie-talkie in the other, gloated, "What does it mean to have someone deliver a pillow when you're sleepy? This is it! Xiao Jiang, I think you're the chosen one. Look, we were worried about the base being short-staffed before, but then you brought over eight thousand people to join us at the last minute. Yesterday we were worried about not having enough food, and today the location of the granary has been exposed. Hey! Even God is helping us."
Jiang Rong, sitting in the SUV behind, remained calm. "Drive carefully and watch the road. That man said there are mutated animals near the grain station. If we approach rashly, the consequences could be disastrous."
Chu Qiang said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? Before, it was just a few of us, and we couldn't handle it. But now we're not worried. We have two truckloads of superhumans here! Even if Panzi isn't here, we can win with our eyes closed."
Pan Pan needed to select and train personnel at the base to expedite the activation of Jingyi Optoelectronics' equipment, so he had no choice but to stay there. Given the long journey and rumors of mutated animals near the grain depot, Jiang Yuxi Tuanrong, as a precaution, selected fifty military individuals with special abilities to accompany them.
Ruan Hanyu said softly, "No wonder Brother Chu is so happy. When have we ever fought such a profitable battle?"
Behind the pickup truck followed two large military trucks, filled with soldiers possessing supernatural abilities. Besides their abilities, these soldiers were all highly skilled in the military, proficient in martial arts and firearms. Such powerful individuals would shine in any base; currently, they belonged to the Starfire Base, and there were quite a few of them.
This is the source of Chu Qiang and his team's confidence. In the past, the seven of them were always busy and covered in dust, but this time they were so calm and composed.
Wang Chunlan's focus was more practical: "I hope there is grain in the granary."
The survivor who gave them the information had no other choice but to find his way to their base. God knows how many people he relayed this message to during that time.
People are no longer as lost and confused as they were at the beginning of the crisis. Survivors have banded together, and all sorts of superhuman teams are everywhere. Once the news leaks out, many superhumans will definitely come in groups.
What would be left of the places they had ravaged? Wang Chunlan only hoped that people wouldn't come with high hopes only to leave disappointed.
After driving more than 70 kilometers northwest from the Xinghuo Base, Meng Weixian, who was sitting in the back seat of Jiang Rong's car, suddenly spoke up: "Jiangtou, Guantou, the small town ahead should be our destination."
The survivor who revealed this information absolutely refused to lead the way; the town was too remote and there was no navigation, making it easy for everyone to get lost. Fortunately, the group included a genius with a photographic memory. After chatting with the survivor for a few moments, Meng Weixian pinpointed the exact location. Under his guidance, everyone was able to successfully reach the town.
Jiang Rong looked up and immediately saw the tallest building in the town, with several faded characters hanging on it: Chen Dong Food Processing Factory.
Yes, this is the place.
Jiang Rong picked up the walkie-talkie and said to Chu Qiang, "Qiangzi, the town ahead is the granary we're looking for. Prepare to clear the roadblocks."
A large bus was parked across the road ahead, completely blocking the narrow road. The only way to get into town was to move the bus.
Chu Qiang rubbed his hands together, eager to get started: "Here we are! Gangzi, let's get started." It's always nice to have someone help you, especially when the other person is someone you know.
Wang Chenggang responded, "Go!"
Two forklifts, one on each side, braced the front and rear of the bus, gradually straightening it. Once the bus was upright, hundreds of small cars stacked together at the back were revealed.
Just as Chu Qiang was about to roll up his sleeves and get to work, Wang Chenggang suddenly blurted out a curse: "Damn..."
The traffic jam ahead included forklifts, excavators, and even large construction vehicles, haphazardly blocking the entire road. Seeing these vehicles indicated that people with supernatural abilities had already visited this area.
However, this wasn't the reason Wang Chenggang swore. The real reason was: countless skeletons were piled up among the congested cars, and greenbottle flies buzzed among them.
These skeletons all belong to humans.
Guan Shao opened the car door and walked to the pile of bones. He squatted down with a serious expression, carefully examining the remains. After a while, he stood up: "Judging from the gnaw marks on the bones, the attackers were mutated rodents."
Jiang Rong couldn't help but gasp: "Mutant rats?"
Guan Shao nodded: "Yes, and judging from how the skeletons have been gnawed on, this time the mutated rats are large and numerous. They are much more terrifying than the ones we encountered last time."
Outside Tangqiao Village, Jiang Rong and his team found a nest of mutated rats. To be precise, it was a nest of mutated field mice. Field mice are timid and feed on grass seeds in the fields, causing significant damage to crops. Fearing that the field mice would harm the future crops, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao joined forces to exterminate them.
The mutated rats are omnivorous animals that lived in the human world before the great crisis, residing in places without sunlight. They reproduce rapidly, carry pathogens, steal food, and destroy objects, and have always been hated by humans.
The mutated rats can grow to the size of dogs, are ferocious, and roam in packs, eating anything and everything. Grain, living people... nothing grows where the mutated rat swarms pass.
Seeing the skeletons on the ground, Jiang Rong felt a chill run down her spine, and couldn't help but recall the scene in her previous life when she and her son were overwhelmed by mutated rats.
Countless sharp teeth gnawed at his body, cutting off chunks of flesh. No matter how much he struggled and begged for mercy, the rats wouldn't let go. It was torture; he had to endure every bite until the rats gnawed at his trachea and vital blood vessels.
Jiang Rong didn't remember how long he had been gnawed by rats in his past life. After the rats blew out his eyeballs, he couldn't see anything anymore. Although he couldn't see, he could still hear the rats swallowing and tearing sounds, and he could still smell their stench and the lingering smell of blood.
Everyone present had experienced the hardships they had endured in their previous life.
Among them were parents with children, who, even with their children tightly shielded beneath them, were no match for the sharp claws of the mutated rats. Among them were elderly people with limited mobility, whose cries and pleas for mercy were met with the rats crawling onto their bodies.
Huge, mutated rats swarmed in from all directions, cutting off people's escape routes, pounced on the panicked crowd, and devoured their defenseless bodies...
The sun was blazing, yet Jiang Rong felt terribly cold standing in the middle of the road. Looking at the skeletons on the ground, his eyes reddened: "Let's... collect the remains first."
Whether the corpses on the ground belong to unarmed ordinary people or arrogant superhumans, they should not be left to rot in the streets.
This wasn't the first time the superhuman team had collected corpses. Previously, they had organized people to collect the remains in each new location. However, those corpses mostly belonged to people who hadn't survived major crises, while the corpses before them were the result of a disaster caused by mutated rats. Compared to the former, the latter's deaths were far more pitiful and tragic.
As the ability users sprang into action, the congested roads became clear. The earth-type ability users dug a huge pit in the town's largest square, and Little Darling carefully rolled up the corpses it could find and placed them in the deep pit.
The town was small, yet over six hundred corpses lay dead, devoured by the mutated rats. The mutated rats had gnawed so thoroughly that there was no need to burn the remains. The earth-elemental ability users covered the pit, leaving behind a large, unmarked grave.
Everyone stood silently before the grave, their joy at finding food completely gone. Jiang Rong took a deep breath and looked around. "Friends, we're about to face a fierce battle against mutated rats. There's a high chance of casualties. If anyone doesn't want to participate, you can take the vehicle back to base now."
A battle with the mutated rats is inevitable. Having devoured all the food in the surrounding area, the rats will eventually spread to neighboring towns. Sooner or later, they will wreak havoc on the Starfire Base. Jiang Rong would spare other mutated plants and animals, however.
But for mutated rats, there is no mercy; they must be killed.
Of course, this was Jiang Rong's own idea; perhaps everyone present just wanted to find food and get back as quickly as possible. Before taking action, he needed to consult everyone's opinions. If anyone wanted to leave, he wouldn't object, and he certainly wouldn't hold it against them afterward.
However, after waiting for a long time, not a single person withdrew. Even Meng Weixian, the only ordinary person, gripped his gun tightly. Anyone with a conscience would fight to the death to see their compatriots being devoured by mutated rats like this.
Jiang Rong nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good. It is my honor to be able to fight against the mutated rats with you all."
Author's Note:
Six years ago, in October, one day Old Cat made six big chicken legs. After they were done, he put them in a bowl next to the gas stove.
After a night, one chicken leg was missing, which left me a bit confused. I wondered if I had misremembered the number of chicken legs.
I then noticed gnawed marks on the remaining chicken leg, which confirmed that a mouse had entered my house.
After a frantic search, I found a hole three centimeters in diameter under the gas stove. It turned out that the rat had entered my house through this hole.
Ugh, that really made me so angry...
I set out mousetraps, and caught four mice in one night. It felt like I had wiped out an entire mouse family.
Later I plugged the hole. Then a week later, I found my eldest dog next to the trash can downstairs, and I haven't been bothered by mice since.
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