CH 26

Thank you didi for the donation! My little didi is so kind, supporting this immature gege.

“Ah! Why are you in here?” A razor sharp voice destroyed the hard to attain warm morning atmosphere between Lian Hua and Pig Leg, making Lian Hua jump. He looked outside the door. It was Jiang Siyu, and she was even carrying something in her hands. She was definitely bringing Pig Leg breakfast, quite thoughtful! Lian Hua suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. As for why he felt uncomfortable, he didn’t dare to think about it too much.

Xia Zhi furrowed his brows. He also felt that this person’s appearance upset the feelings in his heart.

“Is there a problem?” Xia Zhi asked calmly.

“In the end, why are you in here?” Jiang Siyu pointed at Lian Hua as she spoke like a person with mental illness. For the past few days, she regularly gifted things to Xia Zhi. However, he would blandly refuse every time. He wouldn’t even let her set foot in the doorway, so for what reason was this little brat able to share a meal with Xia Zhi? The atmosphere was even harmonious! She didn’t want to admit defeat. She firmly believed that as long as she continued being persistent, sooner or later, Xia Zhi would definitely become hers as easily as child’s play. But how could she have forgotten that after the apocalypse, men getting with other men was completely normal!

Jiang Siyu forgot that she didn’t even know whether Xia Zhi liked men or women! After realizing this fact, her heart grew cold in the blink of an eye.

“Right now, I’m the nanny next to Brother Zhi. NEXT TO.” Lian Hua purposefully stressed the two words “next to”. Thinking about how this little sister dared to dream about Pig Leg, Lian Hua hated that he couldn’t chase her out.

“How could that be? Did this you use your body to climb the ranks, little brat? Don’t you know shame? You’re a man, but you can even engage in such depraved acts. You’re just a freeloader, yet you want to seduce Brother Xia! How do you plan to uphold Brother Xia’s reputation in the future? Wake up and get away from Brother Xia!” Jiang Siyu pointed at Lian Hua’s nose and shouted.

Lian Hua: “…”

Why did he become a male vixen in her heart? Obviously, Pig Leg was the one who told him to come here to be a nanny. It was like the cheesy love story about a little sister who liked the male protagonist. Regrettably, in this particular male protagonist’s eyes, this little sister was just a third wheel that seduced other men all day long. Clearly it was not his fault. Lian Hua was a little upset, so he glared at Pig Leg.

“Naturally, this was arranged by Brother Zhi. Brother Zhi is right here, just ask him if you want to.” Lian Hua pointed at Xia Zhi.

Receiving Lian Hua’s look of resentment, Xia Zhi finally opened his mouth slowly, “That’s right, I arranged it. Miss Jiang, are you unsatisfied with my arrangement?”

Jiang Siyu would never dare to question Xia Zhi’s decision. She could only stomp her feet and run away with tears in her eyes, forgetting to take the things she brought with her.

Lian Hua opened the lids of the containers Jiang Siyu left behind. Ah, steamed buns! Every day, the support team had to make lots of food. It was rather tedious to make steamed buns, so they were a rarity.

Lian Hua picked one up and took a huge bite out of it. It was a steamed bun stuffed with cabbage. After such a long time in the apocalypse, only their group had vegetables. Aside from the things that were easy to store, like potatoes and radishes, all other types of vegetables were either nonexistent, or dried. Lian Hua was the only wood esper in the group, so fresh vegetables weren’t as rare, but he sold any extras.

“Brother Zhi, you should eat too.” Lian Hua passed the container of steamed buns to Xia Zhi and smiled endearingly.

Xia Zhi looked at him expressionlessly, then picked one up to eat. Lian Hua breathed out in relief.

At eight sharp, they set out. Xia Zhi gave Bai Yi’s group a truck large enough to carry the entire group, and even split some of the resources with them. Although Xia Zhi hated that he couldn’t kill Bai Yi, the living survivors in Bai Yi’s group were innocent.

Lian Hua silently calculated that his cousin’s group only had around thirty people. He expected that his cousin would quickly start to recruit fighters.

“Xiao Zhi, thanks for your concern these past few days. When we get to the next settlement and find supplies, we’ll definitely pay you back.” Bai Yi still seemed to be charismatic. He looked at Xia Zhi full of deep love and sincerity. What a pity, Xia Zhi was already clear about Bai Yi’s character. He cold replied, “I don’t need it”, then didn’t bother to pay attention to Bai Yi any longer.

Unfortunately, Bai Yi was the type of person to have thick skin. He incessantly rambled on in front of Xia Zhi, and the more Xia Zhi heard, the darker his face got. Was Bai Yi trying to prove just how stupid he was? Lian Hua heard his older cousin talking to Pig Leg and silently burned a candle[1] for him. What Pig Leg hated the most was remembering scum Bai’s past stupid actions. At this time, Bai Yi still dared to bring up this subject in front of Pig Leg; didn’t this mean he wanted to die?

Sensing that Pig Leg was almost unable to endure any longer and scum Bai’s subordinates were nowhere to be seen, Lian Hua couldn’t sit on the sidelines any longer. Lian Hua quickly interrupted Bai Yi, “Cousin Yi, we should prepare to leave. If we’re late, we won’t be able to move far.” All of the luggage and miscellaneous goods were arranged in mountainous stacks.

“Xiao… Hua, you’re right. Let’s go already. Come with me. We’re going back home. Grandfather and second uncle[2] are very worried about you.” Bai Yi seemed to be very serious as he spoke.

Lian Hua thought to himself that the people from the Bai family probably wanted this cousin to check him out.

“Xiao Hua is coming with me.” Before Lian Hua could even open his mouth, Xia Zhi already coldly replied.

Bai Yi was shocked, as if he couldn’t believe that Xia Zhi was the one who spoke. He turned his head to look in Lian Hua’s direction, “Xiao Hua, who do you want to go with?”

“I’m going with Brother Zhi!” Lian Hua quickly expressed his position. If he was slow to answer and Pig Leg’s temper flared, he would be finished. Right now, Lian Hua didn’t dare to joke with Pig Leg. 〒_〒

The color of Bai Yi’s face started to get ugly, but Xia Zhi was in a good mood. Lian Hua quickly stood behind Xia Zhi.

“It’s not like you can’t go with Xiao Zhi.” Bai Yi found it difficult to speak. His heart ached a bit, “However, when you reach the capital, you should come home. After all, that is your home.”

Lian Hua: “…”

He really didn’t know how this cousin could shamelessly say those kinds of things. In Lian Hua’s memory, Bai Lianhua was still unable to set foot in the Bai family’s main house to this day. He stayed outside with his foster father. The Bai family refused to accept him as their descendant.

Lian Hua cruelly guessed this cousin of his definitely saw that he was an esper and wanted to give the Bai family a pawn that was both free and loyal. He played the intimacy card in order to pull human resources. Lian Hua was not the former Bai Lianhua. He was not easy to deceive.

“Alright then.” As soon as Lian Hua thought of something, Xia Zhi immediately dragged him to the modified Hummer. Lian Hua climbed in first. He could still see the poisonous hatred in Jiang Siyu’s eyes and was slightly startled. Lian Hua thought it would be best if he could get far away from this woman.

“Hello!” Xia Xingwen greeted Lian Hua in high spirits. This morning, the boss didn’t blow up a storm. It seems that Old Bai was very useful[3].

Lian Hua didn’t pay attention to Xia Xingwen. He couldn’t figure out this crazy guy’s brain waves. Why should he bother with it?

First, Lian Hua carefully stashed his precious backpack. Then, he chose the seat furthest from Pig Leg as per usual. Xia Zhi’s expression immediately became unhappy.

“Old Bai, Old Bai, sit over here, sit over here!” Xia Xingwen took one glance at his boss’s face and took the initiative to pull Lian Hua. He pointed at the seat next to Xia Zhi, “Sit over here, so it’s convenient to chat.”

Lian Hua: “…” Aside from Xia XingWu who was driving and Xia XingWen who was sitting in the passenger seat, Lian Hua and Pig Leg were in the back seat with a miniaturized Big White. Aunt Li was sitting in the supply car because she was in charge of distribution. It was so empty, how would it be hard to chat?

However, Lian Hua still obediently scooted over. Being so close to Pig Leg made him nervous. Lian Hua sat up straight.

Jiang Siya saw that they had a large group, yet were forced to crowd onto a small truck. There really was no other option. “Brother Yi, Brother Xia is really stingy. He only gave us one vehicle even though we are so crowded! It will definitely be very difficult!” Jiang Siya’s eyes trembled with tears. If she really cried, there were so many men in one area that it would feel uncomfortable.

“Siya, endure it for a while. Wait until we get to the next town, then we’ll change cars. Right now, we still have to rely on Xiao Zhi.” Bai Yi patted Jiang Siya’s shoulder. An Zhiqi had still not uttered a word from the sidelines. Jiang Siyu fleetingly glanced at her precious sister. She was sitting on a Hummer, which angered Jiang Siya so much that her teeth ached. However, Jiang Siya could only climb into the truck.

…

“Boss, we’re running out of supplies, especially gasoline. It is estimated that the entire convoy will only last for three days. In addition, rations such as grain and flour will only last for about 5 days. We don’t need to worry about water because we have water espers.” Xia Xingwen started to report the situation. Lian Hua shut his mouth and didn’t say a word.

“Mm!” Xia Zhi shut his eyes and replied, “At the next town, look for a gas station to increase gas. Look for a few supermarkets and increase training with higher level mutant animals. You can’t neglect your training because you have guns and bullets. After level three, they become useless. Take this into consideration. Furthermore, pay attention to mutated plants. Stay away from small roads and keep to the highway.”

“Boss, right now plants are evolving at a rapid pace. Are they all mutant? Are they similar to Old Bai’s tropical pitcher plant?”

“No, the appearance is only a little bigger. That don’t count as mutation. Only a portion of them are mutants. Mutated plants also have self awareness and they’re difficult to deal with. You shouldn’t pay too much attention to mutated plants. Not every creature can be recruited. Don’t lose your life over a small opportunity.”

Lian Hua: “…” He felt that Pig Leg’s words were intended for him to hear. Was Pig Leg reminding him to watch out for his insignificant life?

“Mm!” Xia Xingwen nodded his head. “There’s more. Right now, our troops have a total of 108 people, of which 80 are espers. Of those, 38 people have reached level two. These are the people who came with us from the beginning and are trustworthy members. The rest are level one. These people have just joined and need to be tested. We only have one person at level three.” Xia Xingwen looked at Lian Hua. Lian Hua rubbed his nose and looked away.

“There are two espers with pocket dimensions. One is at level one and the other is at level two. The larger one has 100 meters squared, the smaller one has 20 meters squared. However, it is still enough to be of use. Right now, these two people are managed by Aunt Li. Boss, do you want to have them store all of the supplies rations?”

“These two people need to have armed supervision. We absolutely cannot make a mistake with the supplies. Put half of the rations in the pocket dimension. Leave the rest in the car.”

“Alright. Judging by our current speed, we need about two months to reach the capital. The Xia family has probably already made preparations to receive us there.” Xia Xingwen hesitated a bit, but he still continued, “Boss, will allowing Mr. Bai to follow us really not cause any problems? Recently, I saw that Mr. Bai’s group and ours have been interacting frequently. Some espers may have already changed factions.”

“If they have moved, then they are not on our side. Those kinds of people who quickly change sides will easily become traitors. They aren’t worth mentioning.” Xia Zhi appeared disinterested.

Lian Hua’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. Pig Leg, are you really not warning your brother? Your brother is right here. Can you guys stop pretending I’m not here and casually reveal confidential information? Your brother feels as if he’s carrying a mountain on his back!

Lian Hua was forced to focus his attention outside of the car.

They rested and recovered their strength at a village that was relatively empty. It was so far that not many people lived in the surrounding area, but they would occasionally see a gang of mutated beasts rushing out onto the highway. Sometimes, they would even chase after the convoy. However, they could be scared away with just a warning shot. Right now, they did not need to fight.

The convey traveled on the freeway. The survivors on the road started to increase. Lian Hua could see that there were people hiding in the cars in fear, people who looked forward to the future enraptured, and people who looked self satisfied. Those were probably espers who wanted to use their powers to find fame and glory.

The survivors on the road watched as a large group of cars passed by and took the initiative to get out of the way. Xia XingWu’s driving skills were very good. He could skirt around the abandoned cars on the highway. How could one compare him to that asshole Xia XingWen who only charged ahead?

Translator’s Notes:

U-urp… there were a few blips where I felt like “I really wanna look at the raw”, but if I looked at the raw for that part, I feel like I should TLC the whole thing and… I don’t wanna ;v Sorry this took so long, I decided to get some of my editing backlog out of the way… *mumbles* You’ve probably seen me more as an editor than as a translator…

[1]In Vietnamese, it said “incense”, but I know the Chinese version is “candles”. I’m defaulting to Chinese versions when I catch it. In case you don’t know, it basically means “RIP”.

[2]…I remember that Zombie was having trouble later on because of certain naming conventions. This might actually be the eldest son of the grandfather (probably Bai Yi’s father?), but I’m too lazy to double check. Pls don’t shoot me. I’m tired OTL

[3]Not sure if super effective Pokemon joke.

MTL LOL of the day: “Some new hypothetical omnivores have been added.” > “Some espers may have already changed factions.”