Back to the Apocalypse

translator: xiin

editors: apricot & juurensha

“Why are you still here?” Bai Jing raised his head and found Xiao Sa staring at him, causing him to quickly take a few steps back before swimming into the deeper area of the spring and leaving only his head above the surface of the water.

Xiao Sa laughed and gave Bai Jing an amused look as he took in his reaction. He thought about it but ultimately decided not to frighten him. Not only was the spring water very effective for Little Jing, it also infused Xiao Sa with energy. However, Little Jing had been tormented enough last night – he could let him off today.

“The space is growing bigger. I’ll go around and take a look. If there's anything, just call out. I promise I'll show up at your service." Xiao Sa smiled as he joked, his eyes full of naughty intentions.

“Go, go." Bai Jing waved his hand grandly and rolled his eyes. His tone was not polite as he commanded, "Go and collect the harvest, then wash some vegetables. I want to eat chicken today. Get it ready."

Xiao Sa rubbed his nose. He didn't mind doing this kind of physical labor but asking him to wash and cook was really making things difficult for him. He hesitated for a moment, "Are you sure?”

Bai Jing looked at him with disdain, "I'm only asking you to wash vegetables and kill a chicken. What do you think I'm asking you to do?"

Xiao Sa withdrew. His wife naturally had the final say…

Because it was inconvenient to do so on the road, they hadn't been in the space for several months ever since they left K City Base. Bai Jing was now a level three ability user, and the space had more than doubled. Xiao Sa thought that besides harvesting rice, washing vegetables, and killing chickens, he should also plan out how to use the increased space. They could expand the farm a little more, put in a few more paddy fields, and…

There were things that needed to be done, and Xiao Sa did not delay. He was soon immersed in his tasks.

Bai Jing sat down cross-legged in the water, closed his eyes, and meditated for two cycles before emerging. He grabbed a clean suit of clothes from his space at random, put it on, then turned around. "Oh?"

He suddenly discovered that a small lotus seed pod had grown out of the lotus plant next to the meteorite inside the spring.

“Xiao Sa--” Bai Jing's call rang through the air.

“What's going on?” After a while, Xiao Sa jogged over slowly. His bare upper body was covered in sweat, and his strong muscles made Bai Jing jealous.

“Look!” Bai Jing pointed to the lotus pod, bright excitement flashing across his eyes.

Xiao Sa frowned, “What's this?”

Bai Jing waved his hand, and the lotus seed pod fell into his hands intact.

Twelve lotus seeds were contained within, glittering and translucent. They seemed to emit a constant, mesmerizing fragrance.

“Lotus seeds.” Bai Jing quickly plucked one out and held it in his hand. Xiao Sa might not completely understand it, but he was very clear that the existence of the spring and the way he could farm and raise animals in the space was all due to the existence of the meteorite. The lotus flower had come from the meteorite, and although he didn't know what role it played, it couldn't be bad. He had a strong intuition that the lotus seeds were made of pure essence.

Bai Jing peeled the lotus seed and stuffed it into his mouth.

Xiao Sa turned angry from worry and pulled down his hand, "You're crazy." How could he be so daring when faced with the unknown?

“Do you trust me or not?" Bai Jing held the lotus seeds and fixed his gaze on Xiao Sa.

“What does this have to do with trust?" Xiao Sa was genuinely angry now, and frustrated that Bai Jing wasn't being careful with himself. Was that something he should just randomly eat?

“Relax, nothing bad will happen. I'm certain that it's a good thing. You have one too." Bai Jing grinned and dexterously stuffed a lotus seed into Xiao Sa's mouth before he could reply.

“You…” Xiao Sa was instantly left speechless. The lotus seed was swallowed straight down his throat into his abdomen, and a faint energy spread out, immediately sweeping through his body. He gave Bai Jing a fierce look that said he would settle accounts with him later, then quickly sat down on the ground and began to meditate in order to absorb the energy the lotus seed had contained.

Bai Jing pouted. He wasn't worried at all as he peeled another lotus seed and stuffed it into his mouth before closing his eyes and falling into meditation.

Time crept by bit by bit. They were unconscious of the flow of time on this side, unaware that the outside world had already turned upside down.

The next day, nobody was surprised when the two of them didn't come out. They were young and full of energy, and others were worried that they might get struck down by lightning for interrupting their good times. Everyone tacitly avoided knocking on the door. Of course, it would have been useless even if they had; Xiao Sa's barrier wasn't just for show, and up until now, nobody had ever successfully broken through.

On the third and fourth days, no one was calm anymore. Although there was no shortage of food and drink in the house thanks to Bai Jing's space, it had been three straight days since they had seen any hint of the two of them, and Bai Jingcheng had already made countless inquiries. Zhang Qiucheng had sent people to visit, and Song Yi had also come by with the intent to spar. What exactly were those two trying to do by disappearing without a trace?

As a team that had just arrived at the Capital, even if they didn't intend to settle here, they had set off such a big wave on the first day only to disappear into obscurity before anything else happened. What were they trying to do?

The most depressing thing was the temptation that their team presented to all of the factions. Whether or not the existence of a level five ability user was real or false was a rumor that flew through every corner of the base.

Although they had Bai Jingcheng's support, and nobody dared to openly provoke them, getting pestered by some small snakes, insects, mice, and ants was still very annoying. As long as anyone from the team went out, they would encounter some inexplicable situations. They were accused of molesting proper women, causing disputes with other mercenary teams, and other such infamous, miscellaneous things. In short, there was an endless amount of trouble, and they had almost ended up in real trouble with the other parties. Fortunately, Zhang Qiucheng always brought people over quickly, and they didn't suffer any genuine losses.

After this series of unfortunate events, no matter how stupid they were, they would still be able to tell that things weren't quite right. A vague sense of anxiety rose up in their hearts, and they could only stare helplessly at the closed door to Bai Jing and Xiao Sa's room.

Wu Guoan patrolled the house, and on the fifth day, he gave an order that no one was allowed to leave. He felt some worry about Xiao Sa's situation, but the barrier was still intact, and that meant that they must still be alright. Since the two of them hadn't come out yet, they just had to sit tight and wait for news. Everything else could be discussed later; without Xiao Sa's status as a level five ability user to support them, it was a bit difficult to make any gains in the Capital. Bai Jingcheng was an old fox, and although he was capable of helping them, he also wasn't willing to unnecessarily offend others.

Wu Guoan smiled grimly and steadfastly continued to support Brother Sa without looking back. He believed that based on Young Master Jing's temper, there would be a good show to watch by the time they emerged.

“Why are you smiling so wickedly?" The atmosphere in the villa was quite dully and sombre. They couldn't go out and could only squat inside; it was extremely boring.

“The ability user team came over yesterday and requested that we take on some tasks." Wu Guoan spoke faintly. He seemed to have just recalled something, and his expression turned ugly. It was obvious that going out on missions was just an excuse.

“What did you say?” Qin Lie frowned. Yesterday, Zhang Qiucheng had sent a message saying that it had been the Zhou Family who had made a move this time.

“I handed it over to Mr. Bai. His son disappeared without any reason, and we can't just leave. The Zhou Family is obviously waiting for us to leave so that they can deal with us."

Qin Lie sighed and did not speak. Xiao Sa had kicked up too big of a fuss when he had appeared at the base but had now disappeared in the blink of an eye. Rumors were now circulating everywhere around the base that there hadn't actually been a level five ability user after all, and the machinery had simply malfunctioned that day. Now, they were left in a very passive situation.

“Damnit!” Yang Lin cursed in a low voice as he smashed a wave of power against Xiao Sa's barrier, causing a circle of ripples to appear on the golden screen. He was calm again a moment later as he spoke coolly, "What else? Say it all at once."

Wu Guoan laughed bitterly, "The Capital has a rule that all residents must contribute to the base. Bai Jingcheng won't be able to hold them off for too long." It meant that they would have to go out on a mission.

“Has there been a similar situation before?" Li Xun hesitated for a moment before asking. He wasn't afraid of taking on a task, but he was worried about Xiao Sa and Bai Jing's safety. If the two of them had run into problems, he needed to make some preparations for it now. It wasn't that he lacked morals; he also needed to be responsible. Since he had led the Cheetah Mercenary Corps to join Xiao Sa, he was responsible for his people.

Multiple pairs of eyes glanced over their way upon hearing his words.

Wu Guoan became anxious inside, "We were separated from Brother Sa after the apocalypse. The specifics aren't clear, but I reckon that they are in the process of powering up. You guys don't need to be concerned."

“Are you sure?” Li Xun stared at him closely as though requiring an absolute answer.

“Not certain. It's just my guess, but I believe in Brother Sa and Young Master Jing." Wu Guoan shook his head and answered. He chose his words carefully, understanding that if people's hearts weren't united at this time, others wouldn't even need to make trouble for them because they would fall apart on their own. He didn't want to see it happen, but he really didn't know what else he could do.

Li Xun shifted his gaze away, thought deeply for a moment, then raised his head and said firmly, “I believe it too.” Sometimes, making a choice was just like making a bet. Last time, he had chosen correctly and arrived at the Capital. This time, he also believed that he would make the right choice.

“I also believe it. Say, do you guys think that Brother Sa will come out as a level six ability user?"

“It shouldn’t be that fast. I'm guessing that it's Young Master Jing advancing in rank."

“Me too.”

“You guys are wrong. I'm guessing that both of them are advancing. I'm willing to bet on it."

“Why?”

“Are you silly? Since they went missing together, they must be advancing together. What else could they be doing if that wasn't the case?"

“Well… there’s some logic to your words.”

Wu Guoan smiled slowly. He was very satisfied with the situation, "Old Bai can delay for ten days, but after ten days, we'll have to go out. Everyone should get ready."

Yang Lin grinned and stroked his beloved gun, toting it on his shoulder, "Who cares about whatever Zhou Family or Li Family. As long as they dare to scheme against us, we'll kill one if one comes and kill a pair if two come."

“Yeah!” Xu Feng cheered and clapped his hands to show his support. He placed his hands on his waist, puffed up his chest, and was full of bold vigor.

A few days passed, and in a twinkling of an eye it was the ninth night. In recent days, Song Qisheng had come to ask if they needed help, but Wu Guoan refused politely. Bai Jing and Xiao Sa were absent, and he didn't want to step in and make decisions in their stead. It was hard to repay favors, but he accepted the thoughts behind the offer.

Zhang Qiucheng sent them a lot of information about the Zhou Family along with details on the relationship between the Zhou family and Bai Jingcheng. He also kept them updated on current events so they were clear on all the happenings and how things had developed to this point.

The Zhou Family had known very early on that Bai Jing was coming to the Capital, but they hadn't cared. At the end of the day, he was a very insignificant person, and who would take it seriously? Only Mrs. Bai had been concerned at all, but that changed on the day they had actually arrived at the Capital. The Zhou Family began to pay more attention when news of a level five ability user spread out and wanted to establish good relations, but Mrs. Bai had vehemently disagreed. As a result, even before they could discuss it, Bai Jing and Xiao Sa disappeared on the next day. Young Miss Bai learned about her half-brother and naturally sent people to make trouble for them. They had already laid down their plans and made their move, but the main character in this play disappeared again. In order to prevent Xiao Sa from retaliating, the Zhou Family simply decided to oppose them completely and thoroughly eradicate them.

With Zhang Qiucheng and Bai Jingcheng in the Capital, the Zhou Family was unable to find any opportunity to make their move, which was why they brought up the matter of compulsory missions. As long as the team was out of the way, even if Xiao Sa and Bai Jing were unharmed, they would be like a lion without claws and teeth and would be much easier to deal with rather than confronting an entire team. Additionally, according to Zhang Qiucheng’s news, the Capital Base's gene solution for level five ability users was about to succeed. By then, they would have nothing to fear from Xiao Sa. The Zhou Family had calculated well with their schemes!