Axolotl Translations

Shancheng was over two hundred kilometers from Jincheng. Given the state of the roads after the disaster, it would take around five hours by car.

A round trip could be done in a day—not too bad. But Gu Mengran had no intention of going.

Firstly, Jincheng had no wheat. Making a trip there for nothing was a waste of effort, not to mention the wear and tear on their vehicles.

Secondly, if a force like Jiu Street existed in Shancheng, then who’s to say Jincheng didn’t have something similar

In these times, trust was a luxury. With no pressing need for supplies, venturing into unknown territory was reckless. That’s why Gu Mengran had opted to trade with Brother Gang instead of scavenging for vehicles in Jincheng.

His initial plan was straightforward: three cars, three people, a joint expedition. Once they left the city, they’d find an isolated spot, store the vehicles in his space, and enjoy a proper two-day vacation—an actual break.

Then, when the time was right, they’d load up the wheat, drive back, and wrap up this so-called Jincheng trip.

But plans never keep up with change.

If Liang Zhao stayed behind, they’d have to bring an outsider along. Forget finding someone willing to come—how could they stick to the plan without revealing his space ability?

Gu Mengran racked his brain for a solution, but came up empty. Liang Zhao was equally stumped. So after finishing their self-heating meals, they hopped into the van and headed back to ask the old man for advice.

The northern part of the city had been largely cleared by Jiu Street. Debris and rubble were pushed aside, abandoned cars moved—making the main roads surprisingly navigable.

But the city’s labyrinthine side streets remained a chaotic mess.

After a bumpy ten-minute ride, they finally spotted Emerald City in the distance—only to find the road completely blocked.

They hadn’t intended to drive all the way back anyway. Gu Mengran pulled over, and both he and Liang Zhao grabbed their backpacks before stepping out.

Afterward, they strolled through the ruined streets, acting as if nothing was amiss. Once they confirmed they were alone, Gu Mengran slid back into the driver’s seat and, guided by Liang Zhao, maneuvered the van behind a pile of collapsed building debris.

The mist was rapidly thinning, significantly improving visibility. Using his spatial ability in the open required extreme caution. Taking advantage of the lingering fog and the rubble for cover, Gu Mengran stepped out, placed his hand on the dust-covered hood—and in an instant, the black van vanished.

With the biggest problem solved, Gu Mengran felt a surge of relief. He turned to Liang Zhao, gestured for him to follow, and started walking back over the scattered rubble. As they walked, they reviewed their cover story:

“We’ll tell them Jiu Street provided us with two vehicles. When we ‘return from Jincheng,’ we’ll take a bus out of the storage space to make it look like we brought it back. No one else interacts with Jiu Street, so they can’t verify. And later, when a car breaks down, we’ll pretend to search for a replacement nearby, then simply pull another one from the space.”

“A backup vehicle without exposing the space? Sounds like a perfect plan,” Liang Zhao said, quickening his pace to walk alongside Gu Mengran. He didn’t hesitate to praise him.

Gu Mengran chuckled. “Right? But at this rate, I’m getting too used to lying. It feels a bit wrong.”

“Don’t look at it that way.” Liang Zhao shook his head. “Ensuring your own safety while doing good? You’re not in the wrong. In fact, it’s a form of—”

But before he could finish, he abruptly stopped. His expression turned grim, his eyes narrowing as he stared ahead.

The sudden silence sent a shiver of unease through Gu Mengran. He followed Liang Zhao’s gaze—and the moment he saw what lay ahead, his mind went blank.

The fog had mostly lifted, revealing the wreckage of Emerald City in the distance. And standing on the roof of a half-collapsed shop was a man.

Short stature. Black-rimmed glasses. Even from a distance, his face was indistinct, but his outfit was unmistakable.

It was Zheng Yijie.

What the hell?! He wasn’t there a second ago!

How long had he been watching? What did he see?

Gu Mengran’s mind went blank. His heart pounded, and he spun around, fixating on the pile of rubble. He needed to know—had Zheng Yijie seen anything?

But before he could assess the situation, Liang Zhao, who had been standing perfectly still beside him, suddenly surged forward.

A gust of wind brushed Gu Mengran’s face. By the time he looked back up, the figure on the rooftop was gone.

Shit!

That confirmed it—Zheng Yijie must have seen something. There was no time to hesitate. Gu Mengran took off running.

With two whole streets separating them, catching up was impossible—but it didn’t matter. He could run, but he had nowhere to hide.

Gu Mengran sprinted back to the villa, burst through the back garden, and dashed to the storage room entrance, gasping for air. Liang Zhao was already there, blocked by the security door. That meant Zheng Yijie had made it back—and locked himself inside.

“Open up! Zheng Yijie, open the door!”

Liang Zhao was drenched in sweat, one hand frantically twisting the doorknob while the other pounded on the door.

Gu Mengran didn’t waste a moment. He immediately pulled a lockpicking tool from his spatial storage and stepped forward. “Stand back, I got it.”

But just as he positioned the tool at the keyhole—the door swung open from the inside. Standing behind it was Grandpa, lazily fanning himself, his face full of disdain as he frowned at the two of them.

“What’s gotten into you two? Acting like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Where’s Zheng Yijie?” Gu Mengran didn’t have time to explain. He pushed past the door, trying to get inside.

“In the house. Just got back,” Grandpa replied, his expression shifting from confusion to concern. He peered outside, scanning the area. “What’s going on? Why are you both soaked in sweat? Did you two make someone angry? Get into a fight?”

Liang Zhao followed Gu Mengran closely, descending the stairs with him. Worried about startling Grandpa, he turned back to reassure him. “It’s nothing, Grandpa Meng. We didn’t get into a fight or anything. I’ll explain everything shortly.”

The bedroom door was locked from the inside.

With the teachers and children in the living room, Gu Mengran didn’t want to force his way in immediately. He stood at the door, still catching his breath, and knocked politely, forcing himself to remain patient.

Two minutes ticked by.

Liang Zhao moved forward, but there was still no response from within.

Gu Mengran’s anxiety surged, but he knew he couldn’t afford to panic. Taking a deep breath, he quelled his unease and leaned towards the door, speaking in a calm, gentle tone. “Zheng Yijie, can you open the door? You’ve been with us for the past few days—you know what kind of people we are. Just open up, let’s talk.”

If his spatial ability had been exposed, he was in grave danger. They needed to get Zheng Yijie under control—quickly. They couldn’t risk him spreading the information.

If he stayed inside, it wasn’t too critical. But they had never been inside that bedroom—what if there was another exit?

That thought shattered Liang Zhao’s remaining composure. He stepped past Gu Mengran and banged twice on the door, his voice low and sharp, laced with threat. “You have five seconds to decide. Either open the door and talk—or we’ll open it ourselves and have a very different conversation.”

“What’s happening?”

The noise didn’t intimidate Zheng Yijie—but it did draw attention. Wei Qianlan and Zhou Qin peered out from the living room, looking concerned.

Gu Mengran was still searching for a response when Zhou Qin hesitated, then asked, “Did you guys… get into a fight with Brother Zheng?”

“Not exactly a fight,” Gu Mengran quickly responded, keeping things vague. “Just a minor disagreement. Were we too loud? We’ll keep it down.”

“What happened? If there’s a problem, you should talk it out—”

Before Zhou Qin could finish, Wei Qianlan grabbed her arm and pulled her away. They disappeared down the hallway, leaving only a quick, “You guys handle it.”

Gu Mengran silently thanked Wei Qianlan, then turned back to the door.

“Zheng Yijie, you do remember I can pick locks, right? Knocking is just us being polite. Hurry up and open the door.”

They tried everything—soft words, tough threats, persuasion, intimidation. Nearly five minutes passed before a muffled voice finally came from inside.

“I don’t want to talk right now. Just leave me alone.”

Liang Zhao let out a sharp laugh. “Are you sure about that? We can leave right now. Of course, we wouldn’t mind taking all the supplies from your storeroom with us.”

The moment those words were spoken, a flurry of footsteps sounded from inside. The noise grew louder—five seconds later, with a sharp click, the door unlocked.

“I took you in, and this is how you repay me?”

The door cracked open, and Zheng Yijie stood behind it, his hair a complete mess, looking like he’d just fought a battle inside his own head. His fingers twitched, as if he’d nearly scratched his scalp raw from stress.

Gu Mengran didn’t bother responding to his complaint. He and Liang Zhao pushed inside, their eyes sweeping the bedroom for any other exits. Finding none, Gu Mengran subtly exchanged a glance with Liang Zhao.

Catching on immediately, Liang Zhao shut the door and locked it behind them.

Zheng Yijie’s face turned deathly pale. His eyes widened in alarm as he stumbled backward.

“What… what do you want?”

“Relax. We’re not here to hurt you—I just have a few questions.”

The more flustered Zheng Yijie became, the calmer Gu Mengran grew. The secret might already be out, but he couldn’t afford to show any weakness. If he let himself get rattled, Zheng Yijie would gain the upper hand.

So, Gu Mengran raised his chin slightly and took a deliberate step forward. With his taller build, he towered over Zheng Yijie, his expression serious. “What exactly were you doing out there?”

A man over six feet tall standing this close was naturally intimidating. Zheng Yijie instantly looked away, avoiding eye contact. “W-What do you mean? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gu Mengran’s brow furrowed. His gaze darkened. “Can we skip the games?”

Zheng Yijie licked his lips before blurting out, “I was looking for supplies! What else? Brother Gang said their people wouldn’t come near this area, so I figured I’d search more thoroughly—see if I could find anything useful.”

Gu Mengran gave a slight nod, signaling him to continue.

Zheng Yijie sighed in frustration. “I was scavenging when I suddenly heard a car. I wasn’t sure if it was you guys coming back or someone else, so I didn’t reveal myself right away. After that, I saw you get out of the car, so I went up to the rooftop. Figured I’d wave from a distance, but then…”

“Then what?” Liang Zhao pressed.

“What exactly did you see?” Gu Mengran asked directly.

The pressure was at its peak. Zheng Yijie’s shoulders slumped, and he hesitated for a long moment before stammering, “I… I just, you know…”

“Spit it out!” Liang Zhao’s expression darkened, and his voice suddenly rose.

He’d completely forgotten that Zheng Yijie responded better to a gentle approach. The moment he was yelled at, he flushed crimson with anger, glaring furiously at Liang Zhao.

“Oh, so we’re just seeing who can be louder now?!” he snapped. “Yeah, I saw it! So what?! If you didn’t want anyone to know, maybe don’t go flaunting your superpowers in broad daylight—”

“Wait, wait, hold on—what did you just say? Superpowers?”

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