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| ← Ch.029 | Ch.031 → |
Is this what you think this is? YES IT IS!!
I know I know, please don't cry. This chapter is particularly dense and full of important stuff (I WON'T GO INTO DETAILS CAUSE O, O)
Thank you all for the love <3, the support and the threats and the stalking and the always welcomed comments 😀
You guys are nearly the best thing about translating this novel ❤ Normally I would have said something like"omg ❤ you guys are just the best ❤" but then... I TRANSLATED Chapter 32 AND I REMEMBERED WHY I WAS HERE o, o
*SCREAM* translated by: HappySheep and Selwyna
As Xiao San voice faded into silence, the couch reappeared into the room, undamaged.
Bai Jing's eyes were glowing with defiance as his past agitation had now vanished completely; colors were blooming again on his cheeks.
In front of him, Xiao San face expressed as usual little to no emotions but in his heart, he felt happy. He has been at first shocked, but before his thoughts could turn into chaos, the sight of Bai Jing's face instantly calmed him down.
" This time, you believe me."
Bai Jing's eyes were sparkling as he was now in high spirit, even acting like a proud peacock.
Xiao San loved watching the boy when he carried himself that way but at the moment, his heart was too consumed with doubts to truly enjoy the sight. But really, who could blame him? Anyone who heard this kind of story would think it came from a thousands and one nights!
Still prudent, Xiao San sincerely asked
" Don't take it the wrong way since I know what I saw, but this fails to explain why there will be an Apocalypse."
Xiao San words were sharp but Bai Jing didn't care. The fact that he was taking that detail into consideration was proof enough that he was not regarding this as a joke anymore.
" Since you understand, you have to believe me. It's in a dream, really, where I saw the Apocalypse! First I dreamed of the weather changing suddenly just as it's happening now... But I also saw nature everywhere turning dangerous and deadly. It was like a biochemical disaster where everyone who couldn't escape would turn into zombies. Animals, plants and people would mutate and soon there were be no land to cultivate on and no more meat to eat.
Everyone will turn numb to their own pain and their face will only reflect hopelessness.
Those are the reasons why I opened the supermarket, why I collect materials and buy weapons and drugs...
Xiao San you have to believe me, what I saw will happen..."
As he finished talking, Bai Jing looked up, his eyes unconsciously full of earnest hope as his whole person seemed shrouded in a faint layer of sadness and inexplicable fear.
" Stop worrying so much, I am with you."
Xiao San hugged him, his voice deep and sweet like a whisper, giving to the one listening a feeling of safety.
Even if in his heart there still were some doubts, Xiao San just had to think of Bai Jing's power to foreshadow what was to come. He thought of the recent change in the weather, those countries going through different disasters and his heart ached.
" In addition to what you told me, what else do you know? "
Bai Jing took a moment to think
" If I didn't guessed wrong, after the rain the temperature will get increasingly high and near the end it will be very hot. And then meteorites will fall from the sky. People will soon catch a fever even if no one had a cold. And not long after that the Apocalypse will break out and everywhere there will be undead roaming around. The entire world will fall into chaos."
" Are you serious? And since when do you know? "
Xiao San frowned deeply as he pictured in his mind the image Bai Jing was describing. At this point, he was considering his story but a small part of him was still in utter disbelief. He felt he has to wait until the damned sunny days and, if the heatwaves truly hits, his heart would then need no more proof.
Bai Jing heard his question and, still hiding the truth, answered
" It was the day after I saved you. With the image of your body drenched in blood, I went back home and that same night I had terrible nightmares. I saw pieces of what I told you about and at first I was terrified. But somehow I obtained my storage space and after that I knew it was all real. But it's only recently that my premonitions got more and more intense. You must trust me on that."
Xiao San was silent for a while but then patted Bai Jing's back.
" Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, I will protect you."
" I know that you will protect me, but I still worry."
Bai Jing's voice was so soft, Xiao San heart's melted at the sound of it. Regardless of whether this was true, he had decided that no matter what he would believe his kitten's words.
" But tell me, does your space has different functions? What are the effects? "
Xiao San suddenly got very curious. Even if he was an underworld boss, this ability or power honestly, it was the kind of thing you could only see in movies.
" Don't underestimate all the strengthening I've done to that space, but concretely a lot can be stored in it. Since after the end begins commodity will be scarce, the inside has to be huge."
explained Bai Jing as he smiled proudly.
Seen him with such a happy expression, Xiao San's mind relaxed a little, just enough to let his face reveal a bit of his hidden curiosity.
" Are you talking about internal strength? The type from the Wuxia novels? "
Bai Jing nodded excitedly. He then took the opportunity to explain the details to Xiao San but also insisted on teaching him. The older man felt helpless but looking at his baby cat acting so intimate, he ended up not refusing the help. The boy could ask him to go through fire or water and he would willingly go. And if afterwards he could be reward with a kiss, it would be even better.
The two kept talking upstairs as time went by, undisturbed.
On the first floor, the others bored to death, were watching TV when they saw Bai Jing coming down the stairs in an obvious good mood.
The boy casually ignoring their noticeable curiosity, smiled at Xiao San and said
" Sit first, cooking will take a while. Is there anything you like in particular? "
The question came out of nowhere, surprising Xiao San as he joyfully answered
" Normal food is good! "
" Then let's go with shrimps... And how about some soup and a few vegetables dishes to go with it."
As he smiled, Bai Jing turned around and entered the kitchen. In his mind, he just had thought of a way to get Xiao San to drink the water from his spring. He was of course including Wang Xuebing, Cao Lei and now, the others living in his house into his scheme. In the back of his head, Bai Jing was a bit worried about them, particularly in respect to Qin Yin's little brother Qin Hao and his girlfriend Xu Lei...
During the apocalypse, Bai Jing never heard of the famous Qin Yi having any living relatives.
Maybe they died early on.
Or maybe they turned into zombies.
But about the spring, although the water could not be giving to them directly, he still could use it to cook. Not to mention the seafood he had copiously raised in his space, Bai Jing was very desirous to have a taste at everything.
In the other room, a satisfied looking Xiao San sat in one of the sofas, paying no attention to the few who were left dumbstruck.
Fortunately, Wang Xuebing and Cao Lei already knew that the young master could cook. As for Qin Yi, Xu Lei and even Qin Hao, they were so shocked their chin almost fell off. They were already under the impression that Bai Jing was a genuine God's favorite but they couldn't have guessed he could also cook!
Xiao San somehow was feeling really good. He felt proud and, seeing their surprised looks, he felt even better. He thought of his kitten scolding face and how earlier he couldn't kiss him.
This man really, his consciousness wasn't very clean.
Before long, Bai Jing came out carrying six dishes, a soup and some cooling plates for the table. As they all started to eat, Xu Lei heart grieved. The kitchen has been her thing since she arrived here but having been made aware of the young master evident talent in cooking, where was she supposed to shine now!
" Taste good. Hey, those shrimps are exquisite! Where did you buy them? "
" Mhm, this is delicious."
" This is mine. Don't touch it."
"..."
Everyone's chopsticks were like in a rush, running nonstop between their mouth and their plates.
In his seat, Xiao San face was dark as he fiercely immersed himself in eating. But inside, he was truly annoyed as he bitterly watched the others wolfing down everything on the table.
Looking at the scene, Bai Jing lips pursed as he smiled lightly. He had taken a few mouthfuls of every plates and, considering that all the ingredients came from his secret space, he felt pretty good as even the shrimps tasted better than the one bought outside. The goal was to make them drink some spring's water and having decided on the method, Bai Jing started to cook everyday, sometimes twice on some occasions.
The end of the world was at their door and yet, he wouldn't let destiny force itself on him. There were things only he could do and naturally, Bai Jing wasn't the kind to shy away from doing what he thought he should do.
That day casually ended just like any other days and Xiao San's mind, troubled even though if he didn't fully believed Bai Jing's words, felt a bit more at peace.
During the ten days that followed, the weather did not turn for the better. But ever since Bai Jing and Xiao San had their deep talk, Bai Jing felt panicked no more. Everyday, he handled his matters methodically, no longer caring to hide or disguise his massive acquisitions.
The two also started to move separately as Xiao San, by the influence of the boy, also began commanding his people to hoard materials.
Busy as they were, time flashed by and on the 21th of May, the weather finally cleared as the sun shone brightly on a cloudless sky. It rose high and strong, but outside the climate was gentle and soft as nothing betrayed the impetuously hot summer that was to come. The sky was clear and calm, the vegetation was pleased. Everything was flourishing.
Seen that, Bai Jing couldn't relax as he could feel the crisis hidden in this calm before the storm. His mood turned from friendly to restless as he speeded up his operations. Xiao San took over the warehouse in D City as he had experience with requisitions and now Bai Jing's time was divided into two things; making sure the suppliers delivered the goods and going everywhere collecting gasoline.
As Bai Jing was getting more and more busy, Xiao San naturally followed. But now, just as if the boy had put a curse on him, whenever he looked at the sky he began to fear. In his mind he might still think that this whole end-of-the-world thing was pure nonsense but the weather did go as Bai Jing predicted.
But honestly, he was running up and down simply because he was scared his kitten would exhaust itself.
And as he did, he considered his feelings towards Bai Jing and felt that they were in fact, much more than a modest liking or simple interest.
Day went by and before he could convince the boy to take a break, the 24th of May came and the weather suddenly changed. The temperature went from 24℃ to 33℃ (75℉ to 91℉) and before he could regard this as pure luck, on the 25th it escalated to 39℃ (102℉). Xiao San heart sank and every words said by Bai Jing were finally accepted as the truth.
That evening, after the young man took the commodity of the day into his space, out of the blue Xiao San asked
" Just how much space is there inside? "
Bai Jing smiled as if amused and threw him a condescending look. In the last few days, Xiao San has been weirdly hesitant to ask him that question but would always stop before doing so, probably scared of what his reaction would be.
Does he truly believe him blind?
Humph!
Who would have thought.
Xiao San stood still and silent, only deeply staring at the boy with his pair of profound eyes. Staring back at him for a moment, Bai Jing gave up quite fast for in the end he was expecting him to ask. He curled his lips and said
" More than one Mu probably " (667㎥)
When it came to after the outbreak, Bai Jing already had a plan. Space abilities were among the earliest power to be awakened but the largest one he ever heard of was only about 120㎥. He would therefore declare to the world to have 180㎥ so no matter how much material he would take out, no one would get suspicious.
As for Xiao San, the dimension he just told him was the real one. Certainly, the plantations were his trump cards and for the moment, he didn't want to reveal it to anyone else.
The older man was silent for a moment until his eyes reflected some obscure thought
" About the Apocalypse, what else do you know? "
Suddenly, Bai Jing felt deeply in his heart the good fortune of having met Xiao San in advance. Happens what happens, things that were destined to change will inevitably be different this time.
But some things were also destined to stay and he happened to know quite a good one. Thinking for a moment, he answered
" After the breakout, every average human will have the chance to awake different abilities. That's pretty much it. I don't know anything else."
"You mean I will get a power too?! "
Xiao San felt an immediate relief as a weight lifted from his heart. He was already anxious about how to protect his kitten in the future but if he would also have some abilities of his own, then everything would be okay. As he rubbed Bai Jing's head, he spoke
" Don't worry I will protect you. Wherever you go, I will be by your side. Is there is anything you are missing? On my side, I'm ready. If I remember correctly, you went once to T city, right? Do you have to collect more jade? Is there enough ammunitions? No, according to what you know I have to prepare more..."
Bai Jing looked at him as a smile played on his lips.
" You are asking many things, what should I start with? "
" It's all the same for me."
" Um...... Actually when my space was awaken, it was only 60㎥. But after storing into it a relic my mother left me - a jade in form of a unicorn - the space suddenly got bigger but as a result the jade is gone. So I've been gathering these until now but they are frighteningly expensive."
If anyways Xiao San was to collect more of it for him, he might as well openly tell the truth.
" All the jade I sent to you also went there? "
Xiao San was slightly vexed as those gifts were tokens of his good will. But Bai Jing straightforwardly refuted
" The end of the world is approaching. Things that are not needed do not enter the space."
" I see. Anything else? "
Having been fed that argument, Xiao San understood.
" There's... Ah yes, after a while zombies will evolve. At a certain point ordinary bullets won't have any effect."
" ok, I will think of a way. The next batch of weapons will be more powerful. But won't guns and munitions end up been useless at some point? "
" You are a man of the underworld, can't you guess for yourself? As things get worst, you will kill more looters than people who got infected."
" Hearing you talk, it's as you experienced it yourself..."
" I dreamed of it."
" Do you dream of me? "
"..."
As they kept talking, the gap between them gradually got shorter.
And although the future was uncertain and despite the impending fate awaiting them just around the corner, at that moment, they were simply unbothered and happy.
It's funny how " a jade in form of a unicorn " appeared as a " Yuqilin " in some of my MTL
Yuqilin = rubik's cube. *WAHT*
Something I've learned: " Triad " is the word used to talk about the mafia/yakuza of China. I will keep using " underworld " though as I feel its more... universal. XD
| ← Ch. 029 | Ch. 031 → |