Chapter 59 Seizing Power
When Jiang Rong returned home, she saw the fairy girl slumped against the courtyard wall, her plump body looking like a shriveled balloon. Jiang Rong exclaimed in surprise, "Fairy girl, what happened to you?!"
The little fairy listlessly shook the small ball on her body and greeted him dejectedly, "Engineer Jiang..."
Jiang Rong quickly walked to the cactus, reaching out to touch its dark green outer skin, bypassing the sharp thorns. The skin felt fine, as sturdy as ever. He asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
The fairy snorted twice: "There's a problem..."
After Jiang Rong entered the fairy's consciousness, he understood why the fairy had become like this.
The little fairy encountered a big problem: all her friends could move around, but she was the only exception.
Jiang Rong and Jiang Xiaoheng, needless to say, they can sing and dance, and often disappear without a trace once the car starts moving.
Lele and Junjun can run freely, especially Xiao Guaiguai, who often goes out on missions with Jiang Gong. Missions are great! Not only can they accompany Jiang Gong, but they can also see beautiful scenery and encounter all sorts of animals from cartoons.
We're all mutated plants, so why can some of them roam freely while I'm stuck stuck in the same place like this?
It also wanted to go out with Jiang Gong, to see the blue sky and white clouds, and to see other small animals. But with its large body, how could it possibly wander around?
The fairy shifted her body sadly and sighed heavily, "Sigh..."
Jiang Rong didn't know how to comfort Little Fairy. If it were still as petite as before, he could put it in a flowerpot and take it around. But Little Fairy's size... far exceeded the carrying capacity of a heavy truck. Let alone a heavy truck, even a crane probably couldn't lift it.
The fairy said softly, "Engineer Jiang...there's a problem..."
The little fairy always thought its size was its advantage, but now its biggest advantage is actually limiting it. How can it possibly accompany Jiang Gong everywhere like Little Darling does?
This is a serious issue.
*
For the next two weeks, Jiang Rong and his team worked from dawn till dusk every day, keeping themselves extremely busy.
During this period, the base's infrastructure work has made significant progress: Jingyi Optoelectronics' production line has reopened, and the first batch of solar panels will soon be ready for use after the major crisis.
With these solar panels, the electricity demand at the base will be greatly reduced. It is estimated that by October, 80% of the people at the base will have access to electricity.
In addition, the construction of the warehouse has also begun.
Since Li Bin and his team joined the base, the surveying and mapping work has sped up several times over, and the blueprint for the warehouse has been finalized in just half a month.
The senior engineers' vision and decisiveness far surpassed those of the students. After surveying the area, Li Bin and his team decided to hollow out the surrounding mountains and build the warehouse inside. The resulting warehouse was several times larger than originally planned, and with the mountains as cover, it became much more concealed.
Of course, Li Bin and his team weren't just making assumptions. Before the blueprint even appeared on Jiang Rong's desk, they had already submitted a budget proposal. According to the budget, the materials the base currently possessed were sufficient to support the warehouse construction. If things proceeded quickly, military vehicles could be moving into the warehouse before the Chinese New Year.
In just a few days, the superhumans had built a wide road leading to the mountain valley, with a large number of construction vehicles loaded with materials coming and going.
Jiang Rong and his team's pressure didn't lessen with the start of the project; on the contrary, the pressure on their shoulders grew heavier. September was fast approaching, and they had a lot to do.
Within this month, they will need to prepare all the arable forests and land within the base. While preparing the land, they will also need to find suitable seeds and saplings.
They missed the rice harvest, so they couldn't afford to miss the wheat planting. Time was of the essence; every day they were late meant less grain, and the people at the base would go hungry…
All of this had nothing to do with the little fairy; it was just a cactus that couldn't walk after losing its animated film. All it could do was watch Jiang Gong and his friends come and go every day, and hear only the snippets of conversation that Little Darling had with it.
The little fairy has been listless for almost half a month, so depressed that she won't even bloom.
On the last day of August, after nightfall, the little fairy, who had been languishing on the courtyard wall for a long time, suddenly perked up. She abruptly straightened her body and shook her sharp spikes, which made a clear, rustling sound. The little fairy tensed her body, and the small ball on her sphere facing east began to sway up and down.
After the black rain, the fairy's thorns were stained mottled black. As she swung them, the black on the thorns gathered like flowing water and converged towards the small ball in the east.
The creamy-yellow spikes on the small ball turned into regular blackish-yellow patterns, and spiraling black stripes appeared on its surface. The ball swayed more and more violently, and with its final sway, the nearly one-meter-diameter ball detached from its parent body and fell onto the concrete ground with a thud.
Falling from a height of over ten meters, the ball didn't shatter into pieces; instead, it bounced twice solidly on the concrete. The spikes propped up the ball, and the dark blue-green ball began to spin rapidly on the ground.
The little fairy twisted her body and let out a joyful laugh: "Hahaha~"
It worked! It finally learned how to move on its own. From now on, it can follow Jiang Gong everywhere, just like Little Darling!
This is all thanks to Little Darling; without Little Darling's guidance, it wouldn't know how to control its little ball to obey. The little fairy happily called out to its companion, "Darling! Darling!"
Hearing the fairy's voice, Little Darling poked her vines out from the roof. Seeing the little ball on the ground, Little Darling happily made several heart shapes with her hands, "Let's go?"
The ball rolled twice on the ground and made a crisp sound: "Go!"
The little fairy can't wait to see Jiangxi University of Technology's Spark Base!
Junjun, who was resting in the courtyard, heard a rolling sound coming from outside the courtyard wall. It crossed the west wall and followed the mutated plant that was taking a midnight stroll. Having stayed at Jiang Rong's house for so long, its bones were almost rusty, and now it was finally time to go out for a walk.
On the winding mountain road beside Lingshan Reservoir, Jiang Rong's pets were happily running along the path. Junjun and Xiaoguai were running ahead; they had run this mountain road countless times, and could find Jiang Rong's house even with their eyes closed.
They run a distance and then stop, waiting for the little fairy.
As a cactus venturing out for the first time, everything was new and exciting to the little fairy. It would stop and take a look at a bird's nest by the roadside. It would stay and check on a broken-down car. Because of its unique shape, it would sometimes get tangled in roadside vines. Whenever this happened, the little darling would stretch out its vines to rescue it.
The three little ones headed southwest, heading to visit another mutated plant in the base: the old camphor tree.
Normally, it only takes my little one half an hour to get to the foot of the old camphor tree, but today it took more than an hour. Having friends with her makes her happy, and my little one felt that today's walk was the most enjoyable one yet.
Since the old camphor tree was transplanted to the mountain outside the resort, its life couldn't be more comfortable. The reservoir nearby has abundant water and clean air, and its roots have taken deep root in the ground, absorbing countless times more nutrients than when it was on campus. The whole tree has become much more vibrant.
In just over a month at the base, the old camphor tree has grown to over forty meters tall, becoming the most prominent feature in the entire southwestern hilly region.
If there's anything it's not used to, it's probably that fewer students are around it now. Without the students chattering away, the old camphor tree feels a bit lonely. But it's fortunate to have made new friends at the Spark Base; every evening, the Bloodthirsty Vine comes to visit it.
When Little Darling and Little Fairy swung over, Old Camphor chuckled and revealed his human form: "Little Darling, who is this?"
Little Darling proudly flicked the vines and pushed the little fairy forward: "Little Fairy!"
The old camphor tree gracefully descended from the treetop, cupped its hands in greeting to the little fairy, and said, "So you are the little fairy from the Jiang family. I've heard so much about you!"
The fairy shook the thorns on her body: "Engineer Jiang!" Although she didn't understand what "I've long admired you" meant, Old Zhang knew Engineer Jiang, and the fairy immediately became much more enthusiastic towards Old Zhang.
At that moment, the grass rustled slightly, and Junjun strode confidently through it.
Little Darling introduced, "Juju..." Human language is very complex, and Little Darling is currently trying hard to learn to speak. Perhaps because it is too small, its pronunciation is not as standard as the old camphor tree's.
Junjun flicked its tail and lay down on the ground, seemingly not very satisfied with the introduction of the little darling. The well-informed Old Camphor already knew Junjun's identity, and he cupped his hands in greeting to Junjun: "So you are the Mountain Lord, my apologies for not recognizing you."
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Old Zhang rubbed his hands together with a smile: "Shall we begin the lesson?"
If someone were to walk under the old camphor tree now, they would be so startled by what they saw that their heart would stop. A small blackboard hung from the trunk of the old camphor tree, and an old man, his figure radiating light, was drawing and writing on it with chalk. Facing him, two balls and a tiger crouched, and as the old man instructed them, the two balls tried their best to utter, "Oh~"
Old Zhang's lessons only lasted two hours, and by the time they ended, it was already late at night. He asked with a smile, "My little darling, my little fairy, Mountain Lord, did you understand everything I taught you today?"
The little darling swung its vines, "Ah, oh, uh." The little fairy hummed twice, "I woo hoo."
Junjun yawned and lay down.
Old Zhang was satisfied: "Very good. Practice more when you get back. We'll continue the lesson tomorrow. get out of class is dismissed now!"
Upon hearing the words "class is over," the little fairy eagerly rolled away, with the little darling close behind. Old Zhang watched the two balls roll away, both amused and exasperated. "Wrong way!"
The resort's asphalt roads were wide and extensive, and although many trees on both sides were damaged, there was still more surviving vegetation than elsewhere. Late at night, two wobbly, rolling balls appeared on the road, humming the Meowth Team theme song with great delight.
The little fairy was so happy she could fly; it felt so great to be able to travel freely. Tomorrow she can go out with Engineer Jiang!
Just then, the sound of car engines came from the winding mountain road. Looking closely, a row of military off-road vehicles was speeding towards them. Little Guai Guai, who often wandered around the base, was already experienced. It stretched out its vines and pulled, dragging the little fairy into the roadside bushes.
A soft "pop" sound came from the grass, as if something had exploded.
Not long after, an off-road vehicle roared past the two balls, and a moment later, a red vine wrapped around a cactus the size of a fist emerged from the grass.
The little darling curled up in confusion with its little friend. Why had its little friend suddenly shrunk? The shrunken fairy was no longer domineering; its sharp spikes had turned into soft fur, making it look like a strange-looking toy.
The little fairy twisted her body and rolled in the direction the military vehicle had gone: that vehicle looked like the one Jiang Gong usually drove, could it be Jiang Gong sitting inside?
*
The military off-road vehicle slowly came to a stop in front of a villa. The adjutant opened the door, and several students stepped out. The adjutant said in a low voice, "The major is inside. You can go straight in."
If Li Bin were here, he would recognize that the leader of these students was one of the people he had seen complaining by the window on the day he first arrived at the base. The leader's name was Dou Zhang, the student union president of D City Vocational and Technical College.
When Jiang Rong went to D University to pick up people, she also picked up students from other schools in the D City University Town, including Dou Zhang. Dou Zhang had awakened a metal-type ability, and he thought that with his abilities, he could be highly valued in the base and make a name for himself.
Unexpectedly, after arriving at the Spark Base, they were either made to remove weeds, till the land, or be recruited as volunteers. After more than a month, they didn't have a single opportunity to showcase their abilities. What's worse, they were also made to witness the inequality between people.
But things are better now; he's found someone who appreciates his abilities. It doesn't matter if Jiang Rong and the others don't recognize his talent; the Spark Base just needs to find someone who does.
The first floor of the villa was brightly lit, and Xu Kaitai was sitting behind his desk with his legs crossed. Seeing Dou Zhang enter, Xu Kaitai smiled kindly: "Little Dou, what brings you here so late?"
Dou Zhang quickly took out several sheets of A4 paper from his briefcase. "General, look, this is the proclamation we wrote to launch the attack!"
Before entering the Xinghuo Base, Xu Kaitai was a brigade commander in the B City garrison, commanding 5,000 soldiers. After the Great Crisis, only a little over 2,000 men remained under his command. To survive, he was forced to submit to Jiang Jinhu and was demoted from brigade commander to battalion commander.
As the old saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope." Identity doesn't matter; as long as you survive, you'll seize the opportunity and have the last laugh.
Although Xu Kaitai's military rank had not yet reached that of a general, he felt pleased to hear Dou Zhang call him a general.
Xu Kaitai took the A4 paper, glanced at it, and his smile widened: "Jiang Rong's ten deadly sins? Hahahaha!"
The A4 paper listed Jiang Rong's "crimes," the first being: nepotism. It stated that Jiang Rong assigned important tasks to those around him, even those without ability, ensuring they held high positions.
Next came a series of accusations against Jiang Rong, including "stubbornness," "eliminating dissidents," and "monopolizing power," each clearly listed. The author of this manifesto was quite eloquent, employing numerous idioms and allusions.
Xu Kaitai laughed and said, "Such a proclamation can be used in battle between two armies."
Dou Zhang said indignantly, "General, you are right. We are an army, a student army aimed directly at Jiang Rong's heart." After a pause, he said, "I have already united students from other colleges. On the third day of September, we will hold a demonstration outside the Fishery Village Activity Center. We want to force Jiang Rong to step down and fight for our legitimate rights."
"The Spark Base belongs to everyone. We deserve fair treatment for our hard work. Jiang Rong's nepotism and one-man rule make her think she's some kind of local tyrant."
"Everyone else is afraid of him, but we aren't. We'll expose his true colors when there are the most people around, make him lose face, and make him behave himself from now on!"
Xu Kaitai's smile deepened: "The idea is good, but I think it's unnecessary."
Dou Zhang was taken aback: "General, what did you say?"
Xu Kaitai rested his chin on his hands, his eyes like an eagle's as he looked at Dou Zhang. "You're still too green. Making such a big fuss is like an immature child. You should know that a real change of power doesn't require a big commotion."
To catch the thief, first catch the king. There are only two people in power at the current Starfire Base: Jiang Rong and Guan Shao. There are only fifty or sixty superhumans surrounding them at most.
As long as these people are brought under control, especially the several superhumans around Jiang Rong, the power of the Starfire Base can be transferred.
People at the bottom of society never care about changes in the upper echelons; all they care about is having enough to eat and being able to live and work in peace. To them, as long as they can survive, what difference does it make whether it's Jiang Rong or Xu Kaitai giving orders?
Moreover, Jiang Rong had only recently established the base and didn't have much prestige within it. If they acted now, who would care who the base's former leader was?
Dou Zhang was initially somewhat resentful after his manifesto was rejected, but after hearing Xu Kaitai's words, his eyes brightened: "General, you mean to say..."
Xu Kaitai nodded slightly: "You must keep this a secret, you must not divulge a single word. After it's done, I will need you to do a lot of things. Xiao Dou, you are a student with vision and a broad perspective, I admire you very much."
Dou Zhang's cheeks flushed with excitement. He stood up straight and said, "Thank you, General! Dou Zhang will certainly live up to your mission!"
Hearing the engine sound fade into the distance, Xu Kaitai asked his adjutant in a low voice, "Are they gone?"
The adjutant replied, "He left, smiling broadly as he went."
Xu Kaitai smiled insincerely, his eyes sinister, and said, "He's just a hot-blooded student who's never experienced hardship. He talks a lot about benevolence, human rights, and fairness, but he has no idea how difficult the world is. Right now, we still need the students' support, so let's keep him for now. We'll find an opportunity after this is over..."
The adjutant straightened up: "Yes, sir!"
*
As soon as dawn broke, Jiang Rong got up. After drawing back the curtains, his pupils constricted sharply: "This…"
On the windowsill sat a small cactus, about the size of a fist. Its body was covered in dark blue-green veins and a layer of yellowish-black fuzz. He had never seen such a strange-looking cactus before. Was it real or inanimate?
The cactus quivered, and the little cactus twisted its body, eagerly greeting him through the window: "Engineer Jiang! Engineer Jiang!"
Jiang Rong was incredulous: "Little...fairy?" No wonder he kept hearing someone calling him in his daze; it wasn't a dream after all.
The little fairy quietly unleashed a powerful move: she split off a small ball from her body. This small ball, which had been so large when it was on the main body, had now shrunk considerably. It seems the little fairy is really going all out to get out for a stroll!
This was the first time the little fairy had nestled in Jiang Rong's palm. It happily rubbed against Jiang Rong, saying, "Jiang Gong~"
It's great that it can change size; from now on, it can accompany Jiang Gong like a little darling. Although its original form still can't leave the yard, it's much better than standing alone outside waiting for everyone to come home.
*
A small flowerpot had appeared on the roof rack of the SUV, containing a uniquely shaped cactus. Chu Qiang chuckled upon seeing it: "Xiao Jiang, why did you put such a toy on the roof? It doesn't suit your style at all. And the placement is wrong too; if you put it on the roof, won't the soil inside be turned upside down when you drive? Should I have Panzi come and reinforce the soil around it?"
Just as Chu Qiang's fingers were about to touch Xiao Guaiguai's soft fur, Jiang Rong warned, "Don't touch it, it's poisonous."
As if to prove Jiang Rong's words, the little fairy hummed twice: "Baldy, baldy..." These black and yellow spikes are not to be trifled with; they grew after the black rain.
The fairy once used one of these thorns to prick a mouse. The thorn only made a small cut, but the mouse foamed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground. During this split, the fairy instinctively transferred these troublesome thorns to the small ball.
When traveling, one always needs some means of self-defense. Moreover, it bears a heavy responsibility: to protect the Jiangxi University of Technology!
Chu Qiang abruptly withdrew his hand: "Holy crap? Little fairy? What happened to you?!"
The little fairy wiggled her body triumphantly: "Fairy~"
A cute little girl passing by enthusiastically flattered her, saying, "Little fairy~"
Chu Qiang: ...
These days, plants are practically sentient; you can't mess with them.
Seeing his father about to leave again, Jiang Xiaoheng hugged Jiang Rong's leg and sweetly asked, "Daddy, when will you come back?"
Jiang Rong gently patted her son's head: "Daddy went outside the base to find seeds, he'll be back soon. You and your brother have to be good and listen to Grandpa and Grandma, okay? Don't run around, okay?"
Jiang Xiaoheng buried her fair face in her father's arms: "Daddy, come back soon, and be careful on the road. Don't eat anything from strangers."
Jiang Rong kissed her son's little face: "Okay."
After putting his son down, Jiang Rong patted Jiang Hao's head and said, "Little Hao, be a good boy." When he got up again, he said softly to Uncle Chu and the others, "Uncle and Aunt, I'm entrusting the two children to you."
Uncle Chu laughed and said, "Why is this child so clingy today? Don't worry, my wife and I will stay here today. Come back early, we'll cook your specialty dishes!"
*
Jiang Rong's convoy slowly headed towards the D City seed station. Just half an hour after they left, over a hundred military vehicles arrived in front of the fishing brigade, and heavily armed soldiers rushed towards the office in the activity center. They knocked on the office door and forced several clerks to kneel on the ground: "Don't move!"
The people at the activity center had never seen anything like it before, and the more timid girls burst into tears. One girl cried and asked Lin Meng, "Mengmeng, what happened?"
Shouts erupted from the soldiers: "Search! Find the families of those with superpowers!"
Lin Meng pursed her lips. "Don't speak, just kneel properly." A bad feeling rose in her heart; this situation looked exactly like a military coup. Had these soldiers seized power while Jiang Rong and the others were away from the base?
Oh no, how do I tell Jiang Rong and the others this?
*
Half an hour after the convoy set off, it arrived at a newly built road. When the lead vehicle drove up a gentle slope, a muffled "thud" came from under its wheels.
"boom--"
A violent explosion erupted from beneath the vehicle, sending flames soaring into the sky and a deafening roar through the air. Amidst the bluish-black smoke and dust, several vehicles ahead crashed heavily into the dry fields beside the road.
Xu Kaitai, who was lying on the mountaintop not far away, excitedly slammed his binoculars on the ground: "Beautiful!"
So what if they have superpowers? He's a superpowered person too, but he feels that even the most powerful superpowered person is no match for [the enemy's] forces right now. Besides, Jiang Rong is a wood-type superpowered person, and Guan Shao hasn't awakened his powers yet. How could the two of them possibly withstand such advanced landmines?
Xu Kaitai grinned and said, "This is what they call the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Thank you for building this empire for me."
Author's Note:
Xu Kaitai: The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!
Little Darling: Yellow Bird No. 1 is here.
Little Fairy: Yellow Sparrow No. 2 is here~
I'm sorry, I just couldn't get the writing going, and even after working all night, it was still a few minutes late.
Sorry, sorry~
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