this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
“Everyone, please line up. Don’t push or shove. Each person can have two pot helmets and a bowl of hot soup,” Jiang Ci called out to the crowd.
“We can get some too?!” The survivors’ voices were filled with disbelief. “Are you really giving this to us? But we… we might not have enough crystal cores on us right now.”
“Don’t worry, Boss Jiang is giving these out for free,” another survivor who was helping out said. “Boss Jiang runs a hotpot restaurant in our city and has already helped many survivors. When two other bases were attacked before, Boss Jiang brought ingredients to help without expecting anything in return. She’s widely recognized as a good person in our city.”
The scene erupted in murmurs. It was hard to imagine that in times like these, there were still people who could afford to act like that.
This survivor clearly knew more, and the look he gave Jiang Ci was filled with admiration and excitement.
Jiang Ci’s face turned as red as a monkey’s bottom from the praise. Seeing the survivor still excitedly rambling on about her great deeds, she quickly interrupted him, “Alright, let’s get started. I’m sure everyone’s starving right now.”
The survivor finally stopped his flattery, and began helping Jiang Ci prepare the food.
The aroma of the food grew stronger, and the survivors couldn’t help but swallow their saliva several times, their eyes almost glued to the pot. At this moment, all their fear, grief, and other emotions seemed to fade away into the background.
After a while, the pot helmets and soup were finally ready, and the survivors began organizing themselves into a line.
Not all survivors were obedient; some tried to rush forward and directly steal the food, but they were quickly subdued and beaten by the majority.
Jiang Ci ladled out the soup while Song Jinchuan handed out the pot helmets.
The two worked in harmony, their cooperation seamless.
Guo Jia was also in the line, hoping to get a meal for her and her father. In the previous attack, her father had protected her and ended up losing an eye and injuring a leg. The wounds were still swollen, only roughly bandaged. Although her father hadn’t said a complaint and instead, comforted her, she knew he must be in unbearable pain.
She thought if they could have a sip of hot soup and some proper food, it might make them feel better psychologically.
But hearing the beautiful girl say that each person could only get one portion, she figured she and her father would just have to share one meal.
When it was her turn, Guo Jia saw the beautiful girl pause, as if recalling something, “I remember there was another severely injured person with you, right?”
Jiang Ci had a deep impression of this father and daughter. She had seen them not long after they arrived and accidentally overheard a bit of their conversation. The daughter, who only had minor injuries, was crying uncontrollably, while the father, pale from his severe injuries, was still smiling and comforting her.
This reminded Jiang Ci of her own father. He once had a severe back injury, so painful that he had gone to the hospital by himself without telling her. She only found out about his injury when she happened to return home and found her father lying on the floor in a sorry state, probably trying to get something but had fallen and couldn’t get back up while her mother had gone out to buy groceries.
After helping her father up, she had started crying, feeling like she was a very inadequate daughter.
Father Jiang was just like this father, his temples dripping with sweat from the pain, yet still smiling and comforting her, saying he was fine.
That scene had been particularly heartbreaking, which was why Jiang Ci had such a deep impression of Guo Jia.
Guo Jia didn’t expect Jiang Ci to know she was with her father and nodded hurriedly, her eyes instantly reddening and her nose tingling with emotion, “Yes, his foot is injured and he can’t move, so he’s waiting for me over there.”
Jiang Ci nodded, “Then take two portions back.”
Guo Jia kept thanking her and then took the two portions of food back.
Seeing this, some people behind her also wanted to follow suit to get more food, but as soon as they spoke up, they were scolded by those queuing behind, “Come on, you’re here all alone, so where the hell did you pull that you had a sister from?”
“I’d advise everyone not to lie, otherwise you’ll get nothing.” A survivor nearby naturally took on the role of playing bad cop, and with the big guy’s stern face, he was indeed quite intimidating.
The survivors were quickly suppressed before they could make a fuss, so they continued to queue up and wait their turn obediently.
Guo Jia carried two bowls of soup and four pot helmets back to her father, noticing that his complexion looked even worse, with beads of sweat now dripping freely from his temples.
Guo Jia quickly put down the food to check her father’s injury. As the pain intensified, half of Father Guo’s face had swollen, and his foot was had swelled to a steam bun.
Father Guo waved his hand dismissively, “It’s nothing, come and let me see what you’ve brought back. It smells delicious.”
Even at this moment, her father could still calmly change the subject.
Guo Jia held back her tears and opened the box containing the meal, “Have some hot soup first, it’s just been ladled from the pot and it’s still warm. Look, there’s even the pork belly you used to like.”
“It looks delicious, but I’m not very hungry right now. You eat first.” Like always, her father would let Guo Jia eat first.
“I got two portions, the boss said she saw us before and knew I had an injured father who couldn’t come line up, so she specially gave me two portions of food. Hurry and eat.”
Father Guo didn’t let Guo Jia feed him, taking the bowl from her hand, and stirring it with a spoon, only then discovering that there were a substantial amount of ingredients hidden underneath.
Slices of fatty beef, lamb rolls, pork belly, vegetables; with all kinds of ingredients combined together, the taste was unexpectedly delicious.
He scooped a spoonful of soup into his mouth, the warm broth flowing down his throat into his stomach.
At this moment, Father Guo felt as if the pain from his wounds had disappeared, with the most humble aroma of food soothing his body’s fatigue and pain.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of soup, Father Guo’s originally pale complexion took on a slight flush.
“This is so good.” Guo Jia took a bite, her eyes full of surprise.
“It really is delicious.” Her father also agreed.
It wasn’t just them, but all the survivors in the base were immersed in the deliciousness of the food, with only sounds of praise echoing all around them.
By the time everyone had eaten, it was already five or six in the afternoon, and those who had ordered takeout still hadn’t had the time to eat their meals.
Jiang Ci ladled a bowl of hot soup for each of them and reheated their pot helmets.
As everyone started eating, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan also casually ate some of the remaining hot soup.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Ci realized that both of her tasks were only half complete. She checked the map and noticed several red dots in another location.
Upon asking around, she learned that some people had taken a different gate of the base at the time. After being forced to split up, they had never seen each other again. However, according to the survivors who came to help, the other group of survivors was now in a factory in the suburbs.
“Boss Jiang, could you please check if there’s a girl named Yang Min over there? She has short hair, slightly dark skin, and only four fingers on her right hand,” a woman approached Jiang Ci and pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.
Following this, many other survivors came forward, begging Jiang Ci to see if their loved ones or friends were still alive.
Jiang Ci sighed, “There are so many of you, I can’t possibly remember everyone. Here’s a piece of paper—write down your names and the names of the people you’re looking for. I’ll do my best to check for you, one by one.”
Looking into the eyes of these survivors, her heart ultimately softened.
With the paper filled with names in hand, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan set off on their journey once again.
As the electric scooter left the abandoned base, the survivors chased after them, expressing their gratitude. They thanked Jiang Ci for bringing them hope for survival. If it weren’t for her timely appearance, they didn’t know how long they could have held on.
It was already dusk, and the electric scooter moved forward against the setting sun. The orange-red sunset painted the sky in a gentle hue, creating a strange yet beautiful contrast with the withered land and ruined buildings around them.
The suburbs were still some distance away from the abandoned base. By the time the two reached the factory, the sky had already turned gray.
The conditions of the final stretch of the journey wasn’t suitable for the electric scooter, so Jiang Ci decided to put it away when they were close enough to continue on foot.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
Not long after they started walking, Jiang Ci faintly heard the sounds of cursing, punching, and kicking.
Song Jinchuan, who was beside her, heard the sound clearly as well, his expression becoming vigilant. Hui Hui, who was on Jiang Ci’s back, poked her head out as well, her beady eyes fixed on a certain direction.
Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan quietly approached the source of the noise. Behind a broken wall, several survivors were surrounding two others who were curled up on the ground, kicking and punching them while hurling obscenities. It seemed they were trying to snatch the supplies the two were holding.
The two being beaten appeared to be a mother and son. The mother was mute, and despite her mouth struggling to form words, only a few garbled syllables came out.
The son was thin, his wolf-like eyes glaring at the people in front of him. In the next moment, he was slapped. Although both sides of his face were now swollen, he still did his best to protect his mother.
From Jiang Ci’s vantage point, she could see one particularly lecherous man taking advantage of the chaos to reach for the woman’s chest. Just then, sharp earthen spikes suddenly emerged in front of them, piercing the man’s hand. Pain surged through him, and he clutched his hand, letting out a loud cry.
“Who’s there?” The man’s companions panicked, looking around nervously. They were probably the type who bullied the weak but feared the strong.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan stepped out from behind the wall.
“We… we were catching a thief,” they stammered, noticing that one of Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan was an ability user. They didn’t dare tell the truth. “They stole our supplies.”
“He’s lying!” At this moment, a boy who had been lying on the ground struggled to sit up and shouted angrily, “They were trying to rob us of our supplies, just because they thought we were easy targets!”
Seeing that their scheme was exposed, the men began to retreat, thinking of a way to escape while backing away.
They were just ordinary survivors in this post-apocalyptic world. This time, they hadn’t brought any supplies with them and had been starving since yesterday. When they saw this mother and son pair all alone, they decided to take advantage of the situation.
Just as they were about to flee, a scorching heat suddenly enveloped them. Looking down, they saw a circle of fiery flames surrounding them.
Their faces turned pale, and they froze in place, not daring to move any further.
Jiang Ci went over to help the woman and the boy to their feet. Their external injuries looked quite severe, with bruises all over them.
The woman struggled to gesture to Jiang Ci, and the boy translated for her, “Thank you.”
Jiang Ci shook her head. “It’s nothing. Let’s go, we should head back first.”
“What about them?” The boy’s gaze fell on the trapped men, his eyes filled with hatred.
“Let them stay in there, so they don’t cause any trouble for others,” Jiang Ci said. “But if you want, you can also choose to beat them up to vent your anger for your mom.”
Jiang Ci glanced at Hui Hui and Song Jinchuan, who immediately withdrew the fiery ropes and replaced them with sturdy earthen ropes.
After saying this, Jiang Ci, Song Jinchuan, and Hui Hui headed towards the factory.
Soon, the sounds of wailing and pleas for mercy could be heard from behind.
As they approached the factory, Song Jinchuan sensed the presence of an ability user whose level of power wasn’t low.
Before long, Jiang Ci saw a tall, burly man emerge from the factory, his face filled with excitement. As he approached, he punched Song Jinchuan on the shoulder. “You brat! You’re not dead!”
Jiang Ci winced, imagining what it would feel like if that punch had landed on her—she probably would have been knocked out on the spot.
“What happened? When I ran into your team earlier, they were crying like crazy. Did you tell them you’re alive?” The man’s voice was loud, and it was clear he was genuinely happy that Song Jinchuan was alive. It seemed the two had quite a good relationship.
“It’s a long story, but they all know now,” Song Jinchuan replied, a rare smile appearing on his face.
“And who’s this? Your lover?” After some small talk, the man’s gaze finally landed on Jiang Ci.
“Hello, I’m the owner of A Hotpot Restaurant. Song Jinchuan is working with me now,” Jiang Ci said with a smile. Having run a hotpot restaurant in this post-apocalyptic world for so long, she was no longer the socially awkward person she used to be. Greeting people had now become second nature to her.
The man also extended his hand to shake Jiang Ci’s. He had heard of that hotpot restaurant before; it was incredibly popular now. He never expected the boss to be such a young and beautiful girl.
“Jiang Ci is also my lifesaver. Although I’m no longer with the Cheetah Squad, I can still treat you to a meal when you come to the hotpot restaurant in the future,” Song Jinchuan added.
After exchanging a few more words, regardless of how confused the man was or how many questions he had, the two decided to head to the factory first. After all, there were still so many survivors red dot orders waiting for them to deliver to them.
As the sky was about to darken, they thought it best to complete their mission first.
Upon hearing that they were going to the factory, the man quickly pushed aside all the questions in his mind and led the way.
He was also here for the rescue mission, but when he spoke about the situation inside the factory, his expression turned grave, indicating that things inside weren’t very optimistic.
“Eleven survivors died today. Their injuries were too severe—even with the medicine we brought, there was nothing we could do. Those bastards were too cruel,” the man shook his head, his tone heavy.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
