Chapter 37 The Superpowered's Revenge
Jiang Rong looked up from behind the computer, pointed to the people in line, and smiled slightly: "Why don't you rest for a bit? I'm a little busy right now. Can we talk in detail later?"
He wasn't trying to neglect Pan Pan, but he was genuinely quite busy. The meat from those thirty-odd wolves weighed several thousand pounds, and with just a few of them, they were simply overwhelmed.
Pan Pan nodded: "Please go ahead with your work." Then he quietly withdrew.
As darkness fell, only one light remained on in the activity center. This light hung above the square table where the meat was being distributed, powered by a car battery. The bulb was low-wattage, casting a dim, yellowish light, which, combined with the surrounding crowd, made Jiang Rong's eyes water.
However, having any light was already a blessing, as most people were left in complete darkness. To conserve electricity, Guan Shao and the others lit a fire and used its light to clean the wolf meat.
The weather was already hot, and the firelight made the wolf meat smell even stronger, attracting swarms of flies and mosquitoes. Poor Guan Shao, whose injuries hadn't healed, was now being sucked by mosquitoes.
Suddenly, a bright light pierced through the crowd and shone onto the square table. Jiang Rong looked in that direction and saw a bright "street lamp" standing in the square in front of the table. Calling it a street lamp was a stretch; it was really just a large light bulb propped up on a bamboo pole. The bulb was oddly shaped, with an unusual design. However, it had a high wattage and a bright color, illuminating a large area.
The light bulb flickered slightly. Jiang Rong squinted and saw Pan Pan standing under the "streetlight," apparently lit by him. To ensure the light beam fully illuminated the square table where wolves were skinned and meat was sold, Pan Pan used one hand to fine-tune the bulb's direction. His expression was serious and focused, and he quickly found the optimal angle.
With sufficient light, the speed and efficiency of everyone's work greatly improved. Seeing the light, the crowd became more lively.
After a busy period, Jiang Rong finally had a chance to catch his breath. He took two bottles of water from the basket and walked towards Pan Pan. Only when he got closer did he realize that the light bulb above his head came from Pan Pan's electric scooter. No wonder the light bulb looked strange; it turned out it had been embedded in the front of the scooter.
Thin wires connected the light bulb and the electric scooter's battery; it was surprising that Pan Pan could build such an impressive lighting system using an electric scooter. After observing it, Jiang Rong couldn't help but praise, "Really good."
Pan Pan smiled modestly: "My dad is an electrician, and I learned some things by watching him work."
Jiang Rong unscrewed the mineral water bottle and handed it to Pan Pan: "Very impressive."
Pan Pan took the bottle of mineral water, still covered in ice crystals, took a small sip, and then put the cap back on. He straightened up and said, "Jiang Rong, I want to join your team."
Before coming to the activity center, Pan Pan's heart was pounding. He roughly knew why Jiang Rong and the others had specifically summoned him. That idiot Pan Xiaoquan must have revealed his supernatural abilities to Jiang Rong and the others, otherwise why would Jiang Rong and her group only seek him out? His mind was filled with thoughts of how to protect himself and how to distance himself from them.
But once he arrived here and saw Jiang Rong and his group, his thoughts quickly changed.
The outside world is in chaos, with some superhumans taking advantage of their abilities to seize territory and loot supplies. But Jiang Rong and his group didn't. They could have easily joined forces to sweep through the surrounding villages and plunder vast amounts of resources. However, instead of doing so, they shared the wolf meat they had painstakingly hunted with ordinary people.
Everyone knows how precious meat is these days, so Jiang Rong and his group didn't take the opportunity to exploit the villagers. The exchange rate they set was even similar to what it was before the major crisis.
Upon arriving here, he saw long-lost smiles and anticipation on everyone's faces, and his anxious heart gradually relaxed.
After meeting Jiang Rong and exchanging a few words with him, Pan Pan's previous thoughts began to waver. He realized that he had been too wary of other superhumans; perhaps not all superhumans were ambitious, and some simply wanted a peaceful life.
During the time Pan Pan was facing the soup bowl, he struggled and hesitated, wondering whether he should change his mind. It was then that he met Jiang Rong's baby.
He was a well-behaved child without any special abilities. He was obedient, cute, and even Pan Pan, who usually disliked children, couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.
Those few glances were what made Jiang Xiaoheng notice Pan Pan's presence. He asked Pan Pan with concern if Yu Xi's wound hurt, and then took out some mints from his pocket and offered them to himself.
Pan Pan fell in love with the baby after just a few words. He believed that family values and upbringing reflected a person's character, and that someone who could raise such a child couldn't be a bad person.
After taking a few sips of water, Jiang Rong spoke up: "Actually, we don't have a team yet. But if you'd like to join, we'd love to." He didn't like beating around the bush, and he was pleased that Pan Pan was being so proactive.
Pan Pan said seriously, "However, I must make it clear to you that my defection is conditional."
Jiang Rong nodded: "Go ahead."
Pan Pan said, “I want to bring my mother with me. Of course, my mother doesn’t need your care; she can live at home normally. But if I go out with you, my mother has to stay in a safe place.”
He observed the ordinary people with Jiang Rong and the others; their complexions were rosy, their clothes clean and tidy, indicating they were well taken care of. He hoped his mother could also live such a life, and if Jiang Rong and the others couldn't accept it, he would immediately turn around and leave. He didn't want his mother to be in danger while he risked his life on the front lines.
Jiang Rong nodded, "Okay." He understood Pan Pan's feelings; when he went out on business, he would make sure his son was settled. After a pause, he said, "If we go out together in the future, your mother will be with my son and Chu Qiang's parents. What do you think?"
Pan Pan breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his youthful face: "Boss, I'll follow your orders from now on."
Jiang Rong: !!!
The address of "boss" came so suddenly that Jiang Rong felt his demeanor had undergone a complete transformation. He said tactfully, "How about you use a different form of address?"
After thinking for a moment, Pan Pan readily nodded: "Brother Jiang!"
Jiang Rong: ...
Around midnight, Pan Pan's electric scooter ran out of power, leaving only a flickering firelight in the activity center. However, the wolf meat had already been divided up, and only a few people remained to wrap things up.
Jiang Rong rubbed his aching shoulders: "Finally over." Next time he has to divide the meat, he'll definitely find more people to share the workload. If this keeps up, who can handle it?
Guan Shao sat on the steps and drank most of a pot of water: "Practice makes perfect, you'll know next time."
Hu Hechu had been working for several hours and was now too weak to even stand. He sat on the steps with his head down, his hands trembling slightly. Jiang Rong handed Hu Hechu a bottle of mineral water: "Don't worry, Xiao Hu, we'll take you home when Chu Qiang gets back."
Just then, the sound of a pickup truck came from outside the activity center, and a moment later, Chu Qiang drove it into the parking lot. He had been busy transporting and unloading goods all day, and luckily he was in good physical condition, otherwise he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Chu Qiang jumped off the pickup truck and called to Pan Pan and Hu Hechu, "Let's go, I'll take you back."
Only then did Pan Pan remember his main task at the activity center today: his troublesome cousin was being held captive.
Pan Xiaoquan had been bound and gagged for several hours. When he saw Pan Pan, he was so frightened that tears streamed down his face and he trembled like a leaf. The flickering firelight reflected on Pan Pan's face as he glanced at Pan Xiaoquan expressionlessly and said, "Get up there."
Pan Xiaoquan was startled and scrambled to the back of the pickup truck.
Seeing this, Jiang Rong found it unbelievable. Pan Pan seemed like a pushover to him, so why was Pan Xiaoquan so afraid of him? However, it was not appropriate for him to pry into other people's family affairs.
After dealing with Pan Xiaoquan, Pan Pan turned to Jiang Rong and bowed: "Brother Jiang, thank you for today. I will take care of things at home tonight, and I will be here on time tomorrow afternoon."
Jiang Rong nodded slightly: "Okay, be careful on the road."
After the pickup truck drove off, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao walked side by side towards Chu Qiang's house; it was time to pick up their two sons. Having been busy all night, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao both smelled rather unpleasant. Guan Shao, in particular, reeked of blood, causing the village dogs to bark wildly even before they reached the village.
Guan Shao looked down at his clothes and said with disgust, "I stink."
Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Go to Qiangzi's house to take a shower first. Chunlan is a doctor, so she can help take a look at your wound."
The two soon arrived at Chu Qiang's house, where the courtyard was brightly lit. Uncle Chu and his colleagues were working overtime to sort and store the supplies they had exchanged that day according to their categories. The courtyard was overflowing with goods.
Seeing Jiang Rong enter, Uncle Chu immediately came to greet her: "Little Rong, you've come at the right time! Where should we put all this stuff?" There was just too much stuff; the spare rooms in his house were already full. There was simply no more room to put it.
Jiang Rong pondered for a moment, realizing that building a warehouse was urgent. "Does Uncle Li and Aunt Li have any space to store things?"
Uncle Li was stunned. He hesitated and said, "There are plenty of empty rooms... but Xiao Rong, are you sure you'd feel comfortable leaving your things at our house?" The supplies were so valuable. If they got lost, how could he and his wife explain it to Jiang Rong?
Jiang Rong laughed and said, "What's there to worry about? We still have Hu Zi, right? Besides, the things we exchanged are meant to be used. You and Aunt Li can just take whatever you need from there."
Uncle Li and Aunt Li's eyes reddened again: "Xiao Rong, don't worry, we will definitely take good care of your things."
Looking at the supplies filling the yard, Jiang Rong sighed, "If only we had a space-type ability user."
While stockpiling goods, he envied those with spatial abilities. Their personal spaces were lightweight and didn't take up much space, making it incredibly convenient to retrieve items. A spatial ability user was like a large department store, but unfortunately, such users were extremely rare.
Jiang Rong was just making a casual remark; he didn't notice that Wang Chunlan and her daughter, who were sorting out supplies in the courtyard, exchanged a glance.
*
After Guan Shao finished washing up and applying his medicine, Jiang Rong and he, carrying their sleeping child, prepared to go home. Just then, a pickup truck horn sounded at the door, and Chu Qiang rushed in carrying someone: "Sister Chunlan, come quick!"
Jiang Rong glanced over but couldn't see the person's face clearly, though he did see a pale green dress stained with blood.
It's Ruan Hanyu!
Jiang Rong's heart sank. It seemed he was right; someone had robbed Ruan Hanyu. He and Guan Shao exchanged a glance, then quickly turned back towards the living room.
Ruan Hanyu lay on the sofa, her face ashen. The shy and kind girl who had left now had her eyes closed, her cheeks swollen and her neck covered in bruises. Her beautiful green dress was torn and splattered with dark red blood.
Wang Chunlan pulled up a cloth in front of the sofa to block everyone's view.
Chu Qiang stood under the eaves, his face ashen: "I just took Pan Pan and the others to the Fifth Village, and on my way back I passed through the Sixth Village. I saw the Ruan family's gate wide open, and my heart skipped a beat. I knew something must have happened."
Jiang Rong had originally intended for Ruan Hanyu to go back with Pan Pan and the others, but Pan Pan stayed behind. Chu Qiang then escorted Ruan Hanyu out alone, and also retrieved the remaining 19 bags of cat litter she had exchanged.
The Ruan family lived in the front row of Liucun. After Chu Qiang finished moving the cat litter, he specifically told Ruan Hanyu to close the doors and windows and be careful.
He only left after confirming that Ruan Hanyu had locked the door. However, a few hours later, when he passed by the Ruan family's house again, he found the door wide open. Alarm bells rang in Chu Qiang's mind; he knew something must have happened.
When he rushed into the Ruan family's gate, he found five corpses lying in the living room, half of which were stained red with blood. Chu Qiang found Ruan Hanyu lying on the floor in a corner of the living room. After checking her pulse and breathing, he found that she was still alive, so he quickly brought her back.
Chu Qiang said hatefully, "Those dead were from nearby villages. They were idle and lazy, and probably heard that Ruan Hanyu had traded a lot of meat, so they set their sights on her. Those beasts..."
If it were just about stealing meat, Chu Qiang wouldn't say anything. But if they were to lay a hand on a girl, that would cross his line.
As she spoke, Wang Chunlan came out from behind the curtain, her eyes red-rimmed. "He's not seriously injured, just has multiple soft tissue contusions."
As a woman herself, Wang Chunlan understood the vulnerability of women and their helplessness when faced with violence. Her hands trembled as she examined Ruan Hanyu. She couldn't imagine how Leilei would feel if this happened to her. All she knew was that seeing Ruan Hanyu's injuries caused her unbearable heartache.
Chu Qiang's voice trembled: "Those beasts...did they violate her?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Chunlan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a relieved smile: "The little girl is lucky; she wasn't ruined."
Upon learning the result, everyone present subtly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, those beasts hadn't caused Ruan Hanyu irreparable harm.
Just then, a scream came from behind the curtain, and Ruan Hanyu finally woke up. Wang Chunlan and Aunt Chu quickly lifted the curtain and ran in: "Don't be afraid, you're safe now."
In the past few hours, Ruan Hanyu had a nightmare. After Chu Qiang left, she closed the doors and windows and focused on processing the meat. Her house had no electricity, so the meat she had exchanged had to be processed quickly, otherwise it would spoil easily.
Just as the meat was almost cooked, she heard the sound of someone trying to pry open the gate in the yard. Before the major crisis, even a petty thief could easily break down the gate, and it was opened in no time. Five men burst in, and Ruan Hanyu tried to hide, but her house was only so big, and she was quickly dragged out of the cupboard.
This was a disaster. Ruan Hanyu cried out to heaven and earth in vain; even if she screamed until her throat was hoarse, no one would come to her rescue. In her despair, Ruan Hanyu had only one thought in her mind: she hated these bad people who broke into her home, and she hated her own powerlessness to resist.
Just before she was about to faint, the entire living room lit up briefly, and then she lost consciousness.
Realizing she was safe, Ruan Hanyu burst into tears. She was socially anxious and rarely spoke loudly; she never imagined she would encounter something so terrible. She clung to Wang Chunlan, crying so bitterly, as if trying to release all the pent-up grievances she had felt.
This is a good thing; it's better to be able to cry than not to. In her past life, Jiang Rong witnessed a girl who had been assaulted choose to commit suicide. The fact that Ruan Hanyu could cry proves that she still knows fear.
Suddenly, Guan Shao gently nudged Jiang Rong's arm, gesturing for him to look at the small coffee table next to the sofa.
There was a water glass on the coffee table, half-filled with water, and a layer of white substance adhered to its surface. As Ruan Hanyu cried, the white substance rapidly accumulated.
Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Jiang Rong picked up her water glass and examined it. As she lightly scraped her fingertips, a layer of white frost appeared on her fingertips. Sensing the warmth of human body heat, the frost quickly melted.
Jiang Rong and Guan Shao exchanged surprised glances. This is... an ice-type ability user?
*
Given Ruan Hanyu's condition, it's clear she can no longer stay at home. Since Chu Qiang brought her home, she'll have to stay at his place for the night.
The extra rooms in the house were all occupied by supplies, and now with the addition of a girl, Chu Qiang had no choice but to give up his room. Tonight and for the next few days, he would have to sleep at Jiang Rong's house.
Walking down the street, Chu Qiang still hadn't given up thinking: "Xiao Jiang, who do you think saved Ruan Hanyu?"
When he arrived at the Ruan family's residence, he saw no one except the dead and Ruan Hanyu. The bodies of those people were gruesome; each had been pierced dozens of times in the chest and abdomen by sharp blades, and they had almost bled to death.
Ruan Hanyu herself said she didn't know who did it. There were five grown men involved, and even if she used all her strength, she wouldn't be a match for one of them. Not to mention she was almost knocked unconscious and had no power to resist. Even if she were given a knife, she wouldn't have the strength to hold it.
Chu Qiang was completely baffled: "If it was Ruan Hanyu who did it, I didn't find the murder weapon. If it was someone else, who could it be?"
Guan Shao carried Jiang Hao ahead, and after hearing what Chu Qiang said, he asked in return, "Have you noticed that the temperature in your house is a little different?"
Chu Qiang was stunned for a moment: "The temperature is different?" How is it different? It's so hot right now that it's about to explode. To save electricity, his family only dares to run the air conditioner for a few hours at a time.
Jiang Rong pursed her lips, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes. Water-type ability users are already very powerful, let alone ice-type ability users, the kings of the water-type.
She can extract moisture from the scorching air, freeze it into ice, and accurately deliver icicles into the murderer's chest... Ruan Hanyu's superpower is terrifying.
He wanted to invite this superhuman to join his superhuman team.
However, Ruan Hanyu was frightened today and will need several days to recover. There's no rush; we can talk about it slowly after she's recovered.
As the group walked through the orchard, Chu Qiang suddenly remembered something: "Hey, Xiao Jiang, you'd never guess what I saw when I took Pan Pan home." He had originally planned to tell Jiang Rong when he got home, but he didn't expect that besides Ruan Hanyu's matter, he only remembered it now.
Jiang Rong replied, "Hmm? What is it?"
Chu Qiang began to gossip vividly.
As soon as the pickup truck came to a stop in front of Pan Pan's house, an old woman rushed in from inside. Before Chu Qiang could even open the door, the old woman wiped away her tears and cried out, "My dear child!" Hearing the old woman's voice, Pan Xiaoquan wailed, "Grandma, they're abusing me!"
This crying caused quite a stir, as seven or eight people—men, women, the elderly, and children—came out of the courtyard. They walked to the trunk and hurriedly helped Pan Xiaoquan out of the car. The sounds of weeping and wailing filled the air; an outsider might have thought a funeral was taking place.
Chu Qiang turned his head and looked at Pan Pan: "What's going on here?"
Pan Pan gave a sarcastic laugh: "A relative from the stepfather's side."
If Pan Pan was a burden brought by his mother, then Pan Xiaoquan was the golden grandson eagerly awaited by the dozen or so members of the Pan family. From a young age, Pan Pan was told by his elders that he did not have the blood of the Pan family and could not be compared with Pan Xiaoquan.
Upon receiving news that Pan Xiaoquan had been detained by the superhumans, the group of relatives gathered at their house. Even though it was Pan Xiaoquan who had angered the superhumans by stealing the incomplete circuit boards to exchange for them, these relatives managed to twist the truth, claiming that he was the culprit. They argued that if they hadn't gone outside to find the circuit boards, where would Pan Xiaoquan have gone to steal them?
Under pressure from his relatives, Pan Pan had no choice but to ride his electric scooter to pick up the person.
Now that the person has been brought back, this group of people still find fault: "What was wrong with you, Yuxi? You were gone for four or five hours." "Why didn't you take good care of Xiao Quan? You actually let Xiao Quan come back sitting in the trunk."
Seeing this scene of utterly absurdity, Chu Qiang was completely shocked. He couldn't believe there was such a shameless family in the world; it was an eye-opener for him.
Chu Qiang was a righteous man, and Pan Pan was now his teammate, so of course he would look after him. So he lowered his voice and asked, "Little Pan, do you need me to stand up for you?" His identity as a superhuman was very useful; sometimes, a single sentence could shut these people up.
Pan Pan looked at Chu Qiang gratefully, but his tone was firm: "Brother Qiang, some things you have to solve yourself." With that, he opened the car door and got out with difficulty.
The crowd escorted Pan Xiaoquan toward the courtyard, but Pan Pan's mother went against the flow to greet him: "Xiao Pan, are you alright?"
Pan Pan smiled and said, "Mom, don't worry, I'm fine."
Pan Pan's mother was thin and haggard, her eyes red and swollen: "It's my fault. If I hadn't been so stubborn, you wouldn't have bothered with people with superpowers. I've figured it out. I'll go with you. It's okay to suffer a little. We're not going to put up with this anymore."
Pan Pan reached out and wiped his mother's eyes. He took out a half-empty bottle of mineral water from his pocket and handed it to his mother: "Mom, we're not going anywhere. This is our home. They're the ones who should get out. Don't worry, after today they won't dare to point fingers at us again."
As Pan Pan and her son spoke in hushed tones, screams and angry shouts erupted from the courtyard: "You little brat, get in here! Why is my grandson covered in bruises?"
Pan Pan said softly, "You stay outside the courtyard. No matter what happens later, don't go in."
Pan's mother tried to stop her son, saying, "Xiao Pan, come back. Don't argue with them. You're no match for them."
However, Pan Pan was quick. He entered the yard and locked the gate behind him, leaving his mother standing outside anxiously.
Seeing Pan's mother's extreme anxiety, Chu Qiang couldn't help but speak up: "Auntie, don't worry, Pan Pan is more worried than you think."
He had never understood why Pan Pan, a person with superpowers, would tolerate being treated so poorly by ordinary people. On the way here, he chatted with Pan Pan for a bit and learned the reason: it turned out that Pan Pan hadn't wanted to reveal his identity as a person with superpowers.
This silly kid thought that as long as he didn't reveal his identity as a superhuman, he could avoid dealing with other superhumans and save himself a lot of unnecessary trouble.
However, a superhuman's abilities cannot always be hidden. Once, while searching for supplies, he used his abilities, which Pan Xiaoquan witnessed. Fearing that Pan Xiaoquan would expose his secret, he threatened him. Because of this threat, Pan Xiaoquan became like a mouse before a cat whenever he saw him.
Pan's relatives were unaware of this; they assumed Pan Pan and his mother were just ordinary people. They thought that by driving them away, they could legitimately seize their property and belongings.
Thinking about all the humiliation he had suffered recently, Pan Pan felt incredibly stupid. He chuckled lightly, "It's alright, it's not too late to get revenge now."
Pan Pan slapped the courtyard wall with one hand, and a dark yellow supernatural energy, like an electric current, quickly drilled into the ground along the wall. The ground began to shake and crack, and blackish-yellow soil burst out of the concrete, solidifying in the air into two giant hands, each three meters tall.
The superpower was activated very quickly, and the Pan family's relatives had no time to react. A giant hand slammed down on the people shouting in the courtyard. Those who couldn't dodge in time were knocked to the ground, and for a moment, broken bones and screams of pain filled the air.
Pan Pan stood in the palm of another giant hand, looking down at his relatives who were fleeing in a sorry state. The oppression in his eyes finally dissipated.
The criticisms that had plagued him for so many years finally subsided.
Author's Note:
If I had superpowers, I'd freaking... immediately go get revenge and beat up everyone who bullied me before.
Didn't Old Cat say a while ago that he wanted to drink mutton soup, but he was too lazy to get a nucleic acid test so he didn't go?
These past two days, I made a special trip to get a nucleic acid test and drove for more than half an hour to the wholesale market, hoping to have a bowl of delicious mutton soup.
However... the mutton soup shop closed down. TAT
So many shops have closed down in the last two years.
By the way, one of the cuties was right yesterday. Ruan Meizi is super hard!
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