Axolotl Translations

“Sigh… lying is easy, but keeping up the act? That’s another story. I can’t even imagine how bad it’ll be when the kids realize their parents aren’t coming. They’re going to break down… Can those two teachers handle it?”

In the dim night, four figures crouched at the base of a tree, backpacks slung over their shoulders. They gazed down the eerily clean yet deserted street, towards the distant ruins where flickering lights danced in the darkness.

The air was thick and stifling, offering no hint of a cool breeze.

Nearly an hour had passed, and Zheng Yijie—soaked in sweat—couldn’t sit still any longer. Fidgeting with a half-empty water bottle, he stood up, glancing between the ruins and his three silent companions.

Yet no one responded to his musings. They just kept staring into the distance, unmoving.

Unbothered by the lack of engagement, Zheng Yijie took a swig from his bottle and squatted down beside Gu Mengran. “Bro, how long are we planning to wait here? If we’re worried they won’t find the base and come looking for us, couldn’t we just wait in the car?”

Before Gu Mengran could answer, the old man—who’d been fanning himself vigorously—chimed in immediately. “Exactly! We could be waiting in air-conditioned comfort instead of roasting out here!”

The heat was making everyone lethargic. Gu Mengran wiped his sweat and sighed. “Who wouldn’t want to be in the car? But this is a government-controlled base. If there are patrols, I’d rather avoid the hassle of explaining ourselves.”

“Hmm… yeah, makes sense.” Zheng Yijie slumped back onto the ground, adjusting his black-framed glasses. Worry etched on his face, he muttered, “I just hope they find the base easily. Two women carrying all that luggage, plus a bunch of kids…”

“Don’t worry. The Xinjing base isn’t just a walled compound with a single entrance. The subway stations, underground malls, air-raid shelters—everything’s been taken over by the military. It won’t be hard to find. Those lights in the distance serve as a guide. They’ve probably made it already.”

Gu Mengran puffed out his cheeks and exhaled a warm breath, explaining at a steady pace.

The old man stopped fanning himself, raising an eyebrow at Gu Mengran with mild surprise. “You’ve never been to Xinjing since the disaster… How do you know all this?”

Caught off guard by his grandfather’s scrutiny, Gu Mengran froze. He realized he had let slip more than he should have. Before he could think of an explanation, Zheng Yijie slapped his thigh, brimming with confidence. “It’s gotta be Liang Zhao’s fores—”

Cough, cough, cough!

A sudden, violent coughing fit interrupted him. Liang Zhao hunched over, pressing a hand to his chest, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Alarmed, Gu Mengran moved closer, patting Liang Zhao’s back while gently asking, “Hey, you alright? Feeling dizzy? Man, you might be getting heatstroke. Let’s get moving before it gets worse.”

Liang Zhao remained silent. Gu Mengran, however, continued his impromptu performance and turned to call out to his grandfather and Zheng Yijie. “Alright, let’s go. No point waiting around. If everything went smoothly, they should already be inside. We need to keep moving.”

The first part of his sentence was welcome news—they could finally leave. But the second part…

Zheng Yijie scrambled to his feet, brushed himself off, and caught up with Gu Mengran. “It’s this late, and you still want to keep going? Shouldn’t we find a place to rest?”

“We keep moving. Once we’re out of Xinjing, we can rest as much as we want.”

Gu Mengran adjusted the heavy backpack on his shoulders and started walking.

The fog had cleared, the kids were safely at the base, and now they needed to regroup and return to the Windwing. But pulling out the Windwing right under the military’s nose wasn’t wise. If they wanted to rest, they had to leave Xinjing first.

And so, the bus quietly left the scene, replaced by a more discreet van under the cover of night.

They took turns driving, eating, and sleeping in the van, traveling from the quiet of midnight to the scorching heat of noon, and then into the golden hues of sunset as the setting sun painted half the sky red.

As they turned onto a rural road, the ride became bumpier. In the backseat, Gu Mengran, who’d been dozing off, was jolted awake by the rough terrain.

Yawning, he lifted his wrist to check the time, then glanced out the window through the tinted glass. The sky was still glowing red.

The heat kept the days long—at 7:30 PM, the sun had barely dipped below the horizon.

It would still take some time for full darkness to settle in. Rubbing his empty stomach, Gu Mengran reached into his space and pulled out four soft, jam-filled buns, handing one to each person.

Bread didn’t keep well, so Zheng Yijie hadn’t had any in ages. The moment he tore open the package, he stuffed a bite into his mouth, speaking between hurried chews. “Man, having a space is great. You can just grab whatever you want, and nothing ever spoils.”

As soon as he said that, something seemed to click in his mind. He frowned and turned to Gu Mengran, puzzled. “Wait a minute. You guys had spatial storage even before the disaster. So besides bread, instant noodles, and all that meat and produce from before… you seriously didn’t stock up on any other ready-to-eat food?”

Before, with outsiders around, it made sense to hold back. Zheng Yijie understood that. But now? It was just the four of them, and every meal was still bread, canned congee, and instant noodles?

Gu Mengran washed down his bread with a sip of water and asked, “Like what?”

Zheng Yijie thought for a moment, then replied earnestly, “If it were me, I’d have ordered a whole takeout feast while I still could! Hotpot, braised chicken, fried chicken, spicy snacks, bubble tea… I’d have stocked up on everything I liked and eaten it slowly.”

Wait… you could do that? Gu Mengran had completely overlooked hoarding takeout.

Suddenly, the bread in his hand seemed less appealing. He stared blankly at Zheng Yijie and said with genuine regret, “I should’ve met you sooner.”

“Right? When it comes to food, I’m an expert. If you’d known me before the disaster, you’d all be at least ten pounds heavier by now.” Zheng Yijie thumped his chest, full of confidence.

Taking another bite of his bread, he nudged Gu Mengran with his elbow and continued, “Come on, tell me—what did you guys actually stock up on? We’ve been traveling together this whole time; no need to be secretive, right?”

There really was no need to hide it, but the sheer amount of supplies was hard to explain. So, Gu Mengran summed it up vaguely, “Rice, flour, oil, grains. Tea, salt, soy sauce, vinegar. Pots, pans, bowls, utensils. Fruits, vegetables, chicken, duck, fish, meat… that kind of stuff.”

Zheng Yijie, emboldened by Gu Mengran’s earlier approval, shook his head and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Nope. Your whole stocking-up strategy is flawed.”

“If we had a fixed place to live, then sure, your choices make sense. But you’ve seen the weather—it’s either extreme heat or pouring rain. We’re constantly on the move, with no real home base. Where are we supposed to cook? Are we just going to set up camp and start grilling every day? In this kind of heat, I’d probably be cooked faster than the meat!”

Gu Mengran finished his bread and nodded. “Makes sense. So, what do you suggest we do?”

“Let me think.”

The responsibility landed squarely on Zheng Yijie’s shoulders, and for some reason, it felt heavier than before. Even his appetite vanished. He pondered for a few seconds before suggesting, “We need to find a safe place to stay for a while and start cooking all the raw ingredients in the space. Otherwise, once the land is gone, we won’t even have a place to cook.”

“Good idea. Let’s do that—find a place to settle first.” Gu Mengran took another bite of bread, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“But… where should we go?” Zheng Yijie stared blankly out the window. The sky had darkened, the road was increasingly narrow and winding, and the more he looked, the more he felt something was off.

“Wait… where are we going? Why does it feel like we’re heading into the middle of nowhere?”

From the passenger seat, the old man chuckled and said casually, “Didn’t you say to find a place to stay?”

The bumpy mountain road stretched ahead, flanked by withered grass and dead trees. Not a single ruin was visible—only a long, winding flood barrier snaking through the wilderness. The faint sound of flowing water echoed in the distance.

Zheng Yijie’s face fell. His brows furrowed as he asked, “Where the hell are we supposed to stay out here? If we go any further, we’ll reach the river. There’s not a single building in sight! If the sun comes out, we’re gonna roast!”

“That’s exactly where we’re going,” Gu Mengran offered helpfully.

Zheng Yijie was a smart guy. It only took him a second to put the pieces together.

The moment he heard that, Zheng Yijie’s eyes lit up. He leaned forward eagerly, peppering Gu Mengran with questions. “I knew it! You guys have a boat! What kind? Gotta be a yacht, right?”

Gu Mengran smiled faintly. “Can’t afford anything that fancy.”

“Then…?”

“Just a small boat,” Liang Zhao interjected from the driver’s seat, clearly in the mood to mess with him.

Zheng Yijie visibly deflated. Who knew what grand vision he’d conjured up? He slumped back in his seat with a long sigh, muttering, “Four people on a tiny boat? We’ll be lucky if we all fit, let alone cook.”

Half an hour later, the van rumbled across the open plains and stopped atop the flood barrier.

The four of them snacked on whatever they had left in the van, filling their stomachs before curling up in their seats for a quick nap—until the alarm blared.

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

The sharp, urgent ringing shattered the silence, and the once-still vehicle buzzed with movement.

The excitement of returning home easily outweighed any lingering drowsiness. Gu Mengran groggily opened his eyes, silenced the alarm on his watch, and straightened his seat. Then, he looked outside.

Night had fallen. There was no moon, no stars—just endless darkness stretching in all directions, as if they were floating in a vast abyss. The van’s headlights were the only light source.

With the mist gone, the night itself became their perfect cover. Gu Mengran stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh before nudging his still-sleepy grandfather and Zheng Yijie awake. Then, without hesitation, he quickly stowed all their hiking bags into the storage space.

The moment the car door opened, a wave of scorching heat washed over them, prompting groans and complaints. Empty-handed, they stepped out of the vehicle one by one.

As soon as the engine was turned off, thick darkness swallowed them whole.

Gu Mengran pulled out two high-powered flashlights, handing them to his grandfather and Liang Zhao. Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he pressed his hand down—and the van vanished into his storage space.

The relentless heat had caused the Huang River’s water level to drop instead of rise. Using their flashlights, they carefully descended the flood embankment, trudging across cracked mud for a while before reaching the riverbank.

The water near the shore was too shallow—Windwing would definitely get stuck there. After a moment’s thought, Gu Mengran crouched down, dipped his hand into the water, and retrieved a small diesel boat from his space.

The river rippled as the sudden appearance of the boat sent gentle waves outward. Under the flashlight’s beam, a dark green, diesel-powered vessel floated on the water.

It was narrow. Dirty, too. The light revealed streaks of mud still clinging to the cabin, swaying slightly with the boat’s movement.

Zheng Yijie knew they’d said “small boat.” He’d tried to prepare himself. But seeing this tiny, grimy thing bobbing on the water, he couldn’t help it—his fingers trembled as he pointed at the boat, his voice incredulous. “Th-This?! This is it?!”

Forget cooking—fitting four people on that thing would be a miracle! His excitement dissolved into disappointment, followed closely by regret. Had he made a terrible mistake? Were these people even reliable? Why did he agree to come with them?

Gu Mengran, aware of his thoughts, didn’t bother explaining. Instead, he turned and waved Zheng Yijie forward. “Don’t just stand there. Get on.”

Get on? What’s the point?!

Zheng Yijie’s entire body screamed resistance, but with his supplies held hostage, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and reluctantly board the diesel boat.

Once everyone was seated and secure, the engine roared to life, shattering the silence as the boat slowly cut through the water. Within moments, it came to a stop—right in the middle of the Huang River.

What the hell was going on?

Sitting there, stranded in the center of the river, Zheng Yijie was utterly confused. Just as he was about to ask, he saw Gu Mengran lean halfway out of the cabin, his right hand gently touching the water’s surface.

That movement… looked familiar…

Before he could see clearly—

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, the engine revved to its maximum power. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, the small boat shot toward the opposite shore.

Simultaneously, the once-calm river erupted as if a torpedo had detonated beneath the surface. A towering surge of water crashed down around them, sending droplets flying everywhere.

A sudden downpour engulfed them, drenching everyone on board in an instant.

Wiping the water from his eyes, Zheng Yijie turned back—only to see the once-empty river now held something enormous, something that hadn’t been there moments before.

A colossal vessel loomed over the water like a floating mountain.

A small boat? Too expensive to afford?

Stunned, Zheng Yijie froze, completely dumbfounded. His brain short-circuited, and the only words that managed to escape his lips were—

“…Holy sh*t.”

---

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter