Back to the Apocalypse

translator: xiin

editors: apricot & juurensha

After they left, Xiao Sa grabbed hold of Bai Jing, his tone full of jealousy as he asked, "Who is Tian Yongping?”

Bai Jing couldn’t help but laugh, "How would I know?" It was just someone who had been the subject of army gossip. Who told him to have such good hearing? He had used his spiritual power today and heard several pieces of gossip on Tian Yongping. Luckily, it had come in handy today.

Xiao Sa harrumphed twice, signifying his forgiveness, then declared, "In the future, you’re not allowed to use that kind of expression when talking about women."

What kind of expression? Bai Jing was perplexed, then made a 囧 face; hadn’t he just spoken with respect? It wasn’t as though Xiao Sa was unaware of the situation they had been in just now. Tian Yongping’s woman was so sultry, willful, and influential that even the soldiers disliked her, nevermind himself.

Bai Jing rolled his eyes at Xiao Sa before continuing onward, secretly feeling a little delighted. He really liked Xiao Sa’s domineering attitude and jealous appearance.

Xiao Sa noticed from the corner of his eye that the tip of his lover’s ears were red and hurried to follow him. Although he really wanted to take his lover into his arms and ravage him, their current task was more important.

The two of them walked onward; their goal was the convoy of trucks. Other than being intercepted and interrogated twice on the way over, they managed to pass through smoothly by using Tian Yongping’s name. Perhaps that woman’s reputation was too bad, because with the addition of Bai Jing’s arrogant, contemptuous attitude, it only reinforced other people’s impression that he was looking down on them. When faced with those who despised them, people would naturally feel less suspicious - some human behavior always stayed constant. What’s more, the soldiers they encountered were all ordinary soldiers. Other than a few experienced soldiers who had been assigned to the night shift, the ones who really could judge if there was a problem had mostly been assigned to guarding the barracks or were soundly asleep. Under such close watch, who would have thought that someone would dare sneak in to attack?

They found the supply trucks and counted them – there really were quite a few rows of vehicles lined up. They saw that a few of the soldiers were grouped together, chatting in low voices while a fierce bonfire burned nearby. Based on their conversation, the trucks should contain both weapons and food.

Bai Jing’s lips curved into a smile as they hid in the shadows of the night. They weren’t that close to the vehicles; he clearly knew that with level-one ability users in the army, if he wasn’t careful, he would expose their whereabouts. He moved wordlessly in sync with Xiao Sa as they watched for a gap that would allow them to sneak into the nearby thicket. The darkly painted night was their best natural protection. Xiao Sa shielded him as he made use of his greatest cheat and teleported into the trucks.

He had only just managed to catch his footing when he was caught off guard by an alarm that resonated through the night. Bai Jing did not dare delay for a moment. His space shield had already disappeared, and he had to act as quickly as possible. He didn’t have time to check what was in front of him as he stuffed everything into his space regardless of what it was, working as quick as lightning. After he was done, he tossed out a timed grenade and hurriedly moved on to the next car. It only took him 30 seconds to sweep through it all, but the barracks were already swarming with activity by then, and a large number of soldiers had arrived.

“Assemble...” A solemn command sounded out.

It was followed closely by the clompof hasty footsteps and accompanied by soldiers’ anxious cries, "Hurry up, quickly, go and see what’s going on!"

“Stop yelling, we’ll be there soon."

“Oh no, could it be a zombie attack...”

“...”

The ruckus outside did not affect Bai Jing at all as he collected the day’s spoils of war in an orderly manner, leaving no trace of himself. He reverted to his usual pace after completing his task and returned quickly to Xiao Sa’s side. They boldly and naturally followed behind the soldiers that were rushing over, blending in with the crowd. It could be said that the most dangerous place was actually the safest place, and in this case, it was true. It really was a shame that Yan Gang valued his life so highly that he hadn’t come out even when the supplies in his convoy of trucks had been stolen. However, the best part was yet to come...

“Tick! Tick! Tick!” The night was filled with noise, obscuring the sound of the bomb timers, but it was clearly audible to the ears of ability users.

Bai Jing’s lips formed a bland smile as he internally counted: Ten, nine, eight, seven... three, two, one...

“Get down, quickly...” There was a roar.

“Boom!” Sparks of flame scattered everywhere as the supply vehicles suddenly exploded without warning. Since soldiers were trained to react quickly, they all jumped back and laid down almost instantaneously. A heavy heatwave hit, and everyone came to their senses only after it had passed. Fortunately, Bai Jing still retained some conscience and hadn’t used anything too lethal; his purpose had been to create chaos, not to hurt people. Even so, a few soldiers hadn’t retreated in time and were injured. However the chaos only lasted for a short time before a battalion commander began to organize everyone, quickly stabilizing the situation and starting a head count. People responsible for first aid also rushed over with stretchers.

When Bai Jing and Xiao Sa noticed the situation, they found a chance to bypass the headcount by assisting with bringing the injured back to camp, apologizing silently along the way. He hadn’t meant to hurt them, but they were on different sides. Fortunately, the chaos hadn’t taken anyone’s life - Bai Jing felt no disgust towards the soldiers; if anyone was to blame, it would be those higher-ups who were jostling for power.

The two of them left as soon as they set down the injured. If they really were caught in a roll call, their status as outsiders would definitely be exposed. They couldn’t fish in troubled waters forever.

Noticing the sky gradually brightening, Bai Jing felt quietly anxious. The security around Yan Gang was very strict, and they hadn’t been able to find any opportunities they could take advantage of. Even if Bai Jing used teleportation and caught them unawares, he couldn’t guarantee a safe retreat. This would have all been for nothing if he had to use himself to pay for their success.

Xiao Sa frowned tightly and decided they would temporarily bide their time. Since they had already beaten the grass and scared the snakes, he would simply make their next move even bigger.

Very soon, the sun rose from the east, and the army prepared to depart. The vanguard troops and the ability users took the lead, while commanders and researchers were positioned in the middle, ordinary soldiers bringing up the rear. They wound through the rugged mountain roads with a line of vehicles that stretched on for miles. Anyone could tell from a glance that the scale of the army was huge. If the world hadn’t been in chaos, this kind of army, with its soul-stirring momentum, would surely have moved people’s hearts and minds, stealing their breath away and making them yearn with its majesty.

The two men joined the ranks of ordinary soldiers, locked onto their target, and leisurely kept pace with the convoy.

As the name implied, Falling Wind Canyon was set in low, flat terrain with sheer cliff faces on both sides. Cold wind blew through the middle, which was the reason for its name.

The ability users at the front passed through smoothly, while the vanguard troops made up of special force soldiers explored carefully, investigating even the slightest disturbance on the road. Bai Jing paid constant attention to their movements, his heart clenching and relaxing over and over again. He believed that if the people who had set up the traps hadn’t been a group of talented people from prison, they probably would have been exposed long ago.

The convoy travelled very slowly. The army was huge, and a tense atmosphere hung overhead; even the mountain wind seemed to carry a sense of crisis.

“Caw—Caw—” Birds flew through the dim sky, and the cawing of the crows echoing through the silent mountains made the atmosphere seem even more eerie.

“Bang! Bang” A few shots rang out and echoed through the canyon; the sound of gunfire rang in the soldiers’ ears.

"Whooosh—" The sound of gunshots alarmed the birds and animals in the mountains. The trees rustled, and a wave of ominous black rose up. Crows covered the sky even as the soldiers at the front quickly opened fire.

Xiao Sa’s expression changed. At this moment, it became clear that these were no ordinary animals. As though it had been pre-arranged, the crows split into two streaks as they flew over.

Bai Jing’s eyes were still fixed on the distance. His pupils suddenly contracted. He had originally planned to take advantage of the chaos and launch a sudden attack with Xiao Sa, but unexpectedly it was all for naught as their plans couldn’t catch up to external changes.

“Damn it!” Bai Jing scolded in his heart. He would have preferred that such changes had never occurred. They had just escaped from the mouth of the ants, and now a murder of crows had appeared. Heavens knew what would happen later. He had already known that there were many snakes, insects, and ants in the mountains, but he had underestimated the situation. Their road had been too smooth before, so he’d forgotten about the potential dangers. In fact, he should have realized as soon as they’d entered a big mountainous district like Phoenix Mountain that their journey had been too smooth and calm, to the point where they had forgotten to be cautious.

Did he really have to praise Zhang Qiucheng’s luck? The only danger they had encountered had been when they passed through the tunnel. Seeing that more and more crows were gathering together, Bai Jing’s expression became incredibly ugly, and he couldn’t help but recall scenes from his past life. If he was right, the crows should be obeying orders. Amongst them, there must be some high-levelled crows who had developed wisdom and become leaders.

Looking at Bai Jing’s pale face, Xiao Sa wordlessly reached out to gently hold his lover’s hand. No words were needed as the warmth in his palm seemed to reach even the bottom of Bai Jing’s heart. Bai Jing smiled in understanding and looked up at Xiao Sa. He actually wasn’t afraid of the danger that lay ahead since he could always just hide in his space if they couldn’t handle it, but he felt a little uneasy seeing the chaos taking place in front of them. Yan Gang was still extremely well protected, surrounded tightly by guards on all sides as they retreated down a small path. It would be as difficult as trying to climb up the sky if they wanted to kill him at this moment.

Xiao Sa naturally also noticed the current situation, and his heart sank slightly. Rather than killing Yan Gang, he was more concerned with protecting Little Jing and ensuring he stayed safe. In the eyes of the army superiors, they were nothing but cannon fodder that they could use to charge ahead. He didn’t want, nor was he willing to see Little Jing encounter any danger.

“Hey, brother, pay attention to Jing. The rest of us are all lone wolves.” A soldier next to him laughed and patted Xiao Sa on the shoulder. He did not seem to be taking the imminent danger they faced seriously.

“You guys have such a good relationship!" Another man spoke with a little envy in his tone. He looked to be in his twenties, and although he had a smile on his face, his eyes were bleak and indifferent, as though he had seen through the truth of his world and was looking at his own tragic death.

“Which team do you guys belong to? How come we’ve never seen you before?" Someone asked curiously.

Xiao Sa hesitated. Acting as though he didn’t care that they were surrounded, he brazenly held onto Bai Jing and asked worriedly, "The front probably won’t be able to hold on. Where will we withdraw to?"

The large soldier laughed sarcastically and gave him a sidelong look: “How would I know?We’ll listen to the orders from above."

Everyone around them turned silent as they heard this. The eyes of the young man who had forced himself to be cheerful turned slightly red. No matter how calm he appeared on the surface, he was still afraid inside. Who wouldn’t want to stay alive and live well...

“Brother Xiang, I don’t want to die. I miss home, I miss my mother. I don’t know how she is now..." The young soldier began to sob bitterly.

As though infected by the atmosphere around him, Xiang Zi punched himself and tried his best to endure the pain in his heart. He carefully brought out a photo that he had looked at many times before, and his heavy voice affected everyone’s mood, "I also don’t want to die. My wife just gave birth this year, but I’ve never even seen the kid..."

The overwhelming sense of oppression in the air turned even more stifling as the group of men began to cry bitter tears.