Axolotl Translations

The thin morning mist gradually dispersed as the scorching sun peeked over the horizon.

A five-person team—three men and two women—trekked through the rubble-strewn streets, heading towards the entrance of a small Western-style house, surrounded by ruins.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock—

The woman leading the group rapped on the door and waited silently under the eaves with her companions.

Five minutes passed. No response.

She reached for the doorknob, twisted it lightly, and the door swung open easily.

“It’s unlocked. Looks like they’ve already left.”

“Probably. Let’s head inside—see if there’s anything worth scavenging.”

After a brief exchange, the woman pushed open the door and led the others inside.

The air was still. The doors and windows were tightly shut, letting only faint slivers of sunlight filter through the gaps in the curtains.

Dust coated the coffee table, its surface bathed in the dim golden glow. At the center sat a single glass jar of canned yellow peaches, its syrupy contents glistening in the light—like a carefully set trap, waiting for prey.

“Damn! Who leaves behind a can of yellow peaches?!”

“Quick! Check if it’s still good!”

The others rushed forward eagerly. The woman didn’t stop them; she was about to check the bedrooms when a startled voice made her pause.

“Sister Jing! There’s a piece of paper under the can! Looks like there’s writing on it!”

“What does it say?” the woman asked.

The man unfolded the paper and read aloud: “Go to the backyard and find the storage room. The door’s unlocked. Take the stairs down—there’s a basement below.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

With a wave of her hand, the woman ordered, “Let’s check it out.”

Wary of potential traps, the group advanced cautiously, testing each step as they moved. It took them over ten minutes just to make their way down the stairs and unlock the basement door.

The underground room was pitch black, an eerie darkness swallowing everything beyond arm’s reach. The woman hesitated before stepping inside. Instead, she switched on her flashlight—revealing a basement the size of a full apartment, mirroring the house’s layout above.

Before anyone could fully take in their surprise, something on the dining table immediately caught their eye—another can of yellow peaches, sitting in plain sight.

The woman strode forward, already anticipating what she’d find. Sure enough, tucked under the can was another piece of paper.

She unfolded it, skimmed the first line, and promptly gave orders: “Check the hallway. See if there’s a storage room in there.”

The others didn’t hesitate. Flashlights clicked on, their beams slicing through the dimness as they moved cautiously into the hallway.

Barely two minutes passed when startled shouts echoed through the basement.

“There—there’s a storage room! A huge one!”

“Oh my god, Sister Jing! There are so many woven sacks in here, and they’re filled with wheat! It looks exactly like the batch those people split with us!”

“Jackpot! There are even two boxes of milk powder!”

The woman’s fingers trembled slightly as she gripped the note. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she gave firm instructions: “Someone, go back and get Brother Gang. Hurry!”

The moment the words left her mouth, a man rushed out of the corridor. His silhouette vanished into the darkness as he sprinted away.

The woman turned her attention back to the note, carefully reading it in full.

At the end of the corridor, there’s a storage room. Everything inside is yours.

No matter who finds this note, please—out of consideration for the supplies—make sure to deliver this message to Brother Gang of Jiu Street:

After the extreme heat subsides, a heavy rainstorm will follow. It will last for a long time and bring flash floods and mudslides. The situation in the mountain city will become extremely dangerous.

If you believe me, you should prepare for both possibilities:

1. Once the rain begins, evacuate all survivors to Xinjing. The government has set up a base there. The journey will be grueling and dangerous, but it will give you the best chance of survival.

2. If a large-scale migration isn’t an option, start looking for boats while scavenging for supplies. The Huangjiang dock, or shipyards in nearby cities—gather as many as you can. They will be your lifeline in the future.

This might sound alarmist, but the reality is just that bad.

Make sure to keep this quiet to avoid causing panic.

May we all survive this chaos. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.

……

The air conditioning hummed softly, sending cool air throughout the bus. Blue pleated curtains hung down on both sides, blocking out the glaring sunlight and keeping the relentless summer heat at bay.

The pleasant temperature lifted everyone’s mood, and with a can of sweet, syrupy yellow peach preserves in hand, all the exhaustion from their journey seemed to melt away. Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the cabin.

If the kids got to enjoy it, the adults wouldn’t miss out either. As the rich, fruity scent filled the air, Gu Mengran tightened his grip slightly, and with a soft pop, he cracked open his glass jar of yellow peaches.

With a whole jar to himself, there was no need to share. He took a sip of the sugary syrup—only to almost choke on how sweet it was. Resisting the urge to drink it like his grandfather used to, he reached for the fork he had prepared and speared a translucent golden peach slice.

Before he could take a bite, the seat beside him suddenly sank under a new weight. Gu Mengran turned his head and saw Zheng Yijie lounging beside him, legs crossed, a smirk playing on his lips. The can of peaches in his hand was nearly empty.

“What do you want?” Gu Mengran shot him a wary glance and instinctively tucked his jar closer to his chest. “A whole jar wasn’t enough for you?”

Zheng Yijie blinked, then burst into laughter. “Relax, I just came over to chat. You thought I was here to beg for food? Am I that greedy? Besides—” he pointed at the jar in Gu Mengran’s hands, grinning, “that can of peaches? It came from my house, didn’t it?”

Zheng Yijie’s words lacked conviction, making his claim sound even less credible.

Gu Mengran chuckled softly. He lifted the slice of yellow peach to his mouth, savoring its sweetness before casually replying, “Not bad. On behalf of the kids, we thank you.”

The unexpected gratitude caught Zheng Yijie off guard. He scratched his head awkwardly, then quickly changed the subject. “By the way, you left two cans at my house, right? It’s been three days… you think they’ve found them yet?”

Gu Mengran had been wondering the same thing, so he went along with the conversation.

“They should’ve seen them by now. Before we left, I mentioned to Brother Gang that your house still had tables, chairs, and beds—stuff they’d definitely need. Once we were gone, they were bound to send people over to move things. They’d find the note then.”

He paused, drawing out the last word. “The real question is… will they believe it?”

Zheng Yijie’s smile faded. He looked at Gu Mengran with a hint of uncertainty. “You think… maybe we should’ve just told them straight? Leaving cryptic notes like that—it’s not exactly convincing.”

Gu Mengran didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he threw the question back. “Without revealing our abilities, how would you explain it if they asked?”

Zheng Yijie fell silent, idly poking at the peaches in his jar with his fork.

Gu Mengran took another bite, his tone light and unconcerned. “You’re not responsible for other people’s lives. As long as we’ve done our part and given them a warning, that’s all we can do. Whether they believe it or not—that’s up to them.”

“Besides,” he added, “Shancheng is inland. Unless the sky literally collapses and dumps a flood on them all at once, they’ll still have a chance to save themselves. And even if they don’t believe us now… once the rain starts, they might start reconsidering.”

Zheng Yijie stared at Gu Mengran, his gaze unwavering. After a moment, he let out a long breath, a genuine smile spreading across his face. “Damn, you’re good at comforting people. You’re way more level-headed than me, and you’re younger too. Honestly, I’m starting to doubt your real age.”

Before Gu Mengran could respond, Zheng Yijie deliberately lowered his voice and muttered to himself, “Before I met you guys, I just wanted to survive—hang on for as long as I could. But after meeting you all, especially after seeing your abilities… for a moment, I really felt like I’d joined the main cast of some novel, like we were about to go save the world.”

“You’ve definitely read too many novels.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, Zheng Yijie covered his face with one hand and continued, “But reality isn’t a novel. No one can single-handedly save everyone, and there’s no need to burden ourselves with that kind of responsibility. We’re just ordinary people.”

Gu Mengran wholeheartedly agreed. With a piece of yellow peach in his mouth, he couldn’t speak, so he simply nodded.

As if something suddenly occurred to him, Zheng Yijie leaned in close, cupping his hand over his mouth as he whispered in Gu Mengran’s ear. “You guys should never reveal your abilities so easily. Since the disaster, I’ve met a lot of people, but I’ve never seen anyone else with powers like yours.”

“Your abilities are way too overpowered! If word gets out, people will definitely come after you. Worst-case scenario? They don’t just want to use you as a walking storage unit—they might even cut you up for research. That would be a real problem. So be careful. Keep it strictly confidential. The fewer people who know, the better.”

Gu Mengran swallowed the last bite, then curved his lips into a smile as he looked at Zheng Yijie. Half-jokingly, he said, “Technically, only four people know about this secret right now. And the one I trust the least…”

He trailed off deliberately.

Zheng Yijie immediately pressed, “Who? Who is it?”

Gu Mengran lifted his chin. “You tell me.”

“Me?” Zheng Yijie pointed at himself with his index finger.

Gu Mengran smiled but didn’t say anything, simply giving him a meaningful look.

Zheng Yijie furrowed his brows, lowering his head as he quietly counted on his fingers. “Grandpa Meng… You… Liang Zhao… Me… That makes four. So that means…”

His eyes suddenly widened as realization struck. His pupils contracted, and he instinctively glanced toward the back of the bus. When he looked back at Gu Mengran, his face was filled with barely concealed shock. He lowered his voice, just enough for the two of them to hear.

“They don’t know? You guys are traveling together—why are you keeping it a secret from them?”

That much of a moral compass, huh? Gu Mengran coughed lightly before explaining in a calm voice, “They’re just temporary companions. Didn’t I already tell you? We can’t take care of that many kids ourselves—we’re only escorting them to the government base.”

“Oh, right, I forgot about that,” Zheng Yijie muttered, shaking his head. “Still, I’m surprised. You’ve all been traveling together for so long, eating and sleeping in the same place, and they haven’t noticed a thing?”

Gu Mengran almost wanted to say: You didn’t notice either. Every night, I disappear into the space to feed the chickens and pigs, even let the dog out to eat, and yet, you never noticed a thing.

Of course, he kept that thought to himself. At least until the kids were safely delivered and he returned to the Windwing, he had no intention of letting Zheng Yijie know about the second space.

The canned peaches were gone, leaving behind half a can of syrup.

Gu Mengran screwed the lid back onto the glass jar and stuffed it under the seat. He looked up and nodded toward Zheng Yijie. “Nap time. Go back to your seat. I’m covering for Liang Zhao this afternoon, so let me lie down for a bit.”

“Got it.” Zheng Yijie nodded and swiftly stood up, taking his half-full can of peaches with him. But instead of leaving immediately, he hesitated for a couple of seconds before leaning back toward Gu Mengran.

“I have another question.”

“Go ahead.”

Zheng Yijie asked, “Besides the part about the rain, what else was written on that note? And… where’s our next stop?”

Gu Mengran shot him a glance. “That’s two questions.”

“Ugh, fine. Just answer the second one, okay?”

Gu Mengran leaned back against his seat, closing his eyes. “Next stop—Xinjing.”

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