Axolotl Translations

Xu Xingran’s sincerity was so direct, so unreserved, that even Gu Mengran’s hardened heart cracked—just a little.

And it was only a little.

Because if sincerity were scored out of a hundred, she had maybe earned a few points.

Gu Mengran was no longer the naive rookie he’d been when the apocalypse first began. He didn’t doubt her gratitude for being saved, but in this chaotic, lawless world where survival trumped morality, was she truly laying her greatest asset bare simply out of trust? He wasn’t convinced.

Still, he preferred people who cut to the chase over those who danced around the subject. So, instead of replying, he simply rested his chin on his hand and watched Xu Xingran, waiting for her to continue.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because she shifted uncomfortably for a moment. But she quickly regained her composure, met his eyes without hesitation, and spoke softly, “The world’s in chaos. Supplies and fuel have become scarce resources.”

“You must need fuel as much as we do, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have made this trip. The moment my brother and I saw Windwing’s name, we decided—if the ship’s crew turned out to be you, and if you were willing to travel with us, we’d supply Windwing with fuel for the entire journey.”

The entire journey? All the fuel they needed?!

Gu Mengran’s fingers twitched slightly. He stared at Xu Xingran in disbelief. “Where are you headed? And what’s the catch?”

“If you haven’t changed your plans, we’re headed the same way. We decided to take your advice and go to Yinan.” Xu Xingran paused, sighed softly, then continued, “Honestly, I feel bad even mentioning this. No amount of fuel could ever repay you for saving our lives, but…”

“But favors are favors, and business is business,” Gu Mengran interrupted before she could stumble over her words. The offer was too tempting to ignore. He was already calculating what they could offer in return.

Xu Xingran rubbed her temples, picking up on his train of thought. “Juqing 5 is far too conspicuous. Anyone with half a brain would be able to tell what we’re carrying at a glance. On our ship, it’s just me, my brother, and a man who can’t even lift a chicken. If someone decides to target us, we’d be completely defenseless.”

Xu Xinghe’s face immediately darkened. “What do you mean, ‘a man who can’t even lift a chicken’? Sis, that’s completely unnecessary—”

“Shut up.”

“…Oh.”

Ignoring Xu Xinghe’s wounded protests, Gu Mengran nodded thoughtfully. “So, your plan is to provide the fuel, and in exchange, the two ships travel together. If trouble arises, we help each other out, and we keep an eye on each other along the way?”

Gu Mengran had phrased it so diplomatically that Xu Xingran gave him a grateful look and nodded immediately. “Exactly. What do you think?”

She’d expected them to trade fuel for supplies, but instead, they were only asking for basic cooperation—barely even a request. It was practically a gift.

What did Gu Mengran think? Two ships simply traveling together—no extra obligations? Of course, he was more than happy to agree.

But free things often carried the highest hidden costs. If he were just an ordinary person, this deal would be a win-win. But as someone with a spatial ability, if something happened to them along the way, could he really just stand by and do nothing?

A good-natured little brother and a sister who clearly valued loyalty—calling out Windwing by name, arranging a meeting so quickly… This wasn’t just a business deal. There were emotions involved.

Ah… Gu Mengran sighed quietly, meeting Xu Xingran’s expectant gaze. Then, he said casually, “I don’t see a problem with it, but you guys might be getting the raw end of the deal. We don’t have many people on board, and we’re all just ordinary folks. If we run into serious trouble, there’s only so much we can do.”

In other words: Small troubles? They’d lend a hand. Big troubles? Don’t count on them—they’d prioritize their own survival.

Xu Xingran understood the implication and chuckled softly. “I get it. To be honest, ever since we started sailing Juqing 5, we’ve been on edge every day—afraid of running into people, afraid of being targeted.”

“You and Xiao Liang are capable people. Back at the port, you saved so many lives. You’re definitely more reliable than my reckless little brother. Two teams working together are stronger than one—if we travel together and look out for each other, we’ll at least feel a little safer.”

“Sis!” The so-called reckless little brother was clearly unhappy with this assessment.

Xu Xingran didn’t even glance at him, keeping her focus on Gu Mengran.

At this point, there was really no reason to refuse.

But a nearly full oil tanker sailing down the Huang River? That was no different from parading a sack of gold through the streets. Right now, the scorching heat kept most people indoors, but once the rainy season hit and temperatures dropped, more people would be on the move.

They couldn’t just take the benefits and offer nothing in return. Rather than dealing with problems after they arose, it was better to prevent them altogether.

Gu Mengran tapped his fingers lightly against the can in his hand, considering for a moment before looking up at Xu Xingran. “I’m fine with traveling together, but Juqing 5 really stands out. Have you considered camouflaging the deck?”

“Of course we have,” Xu Xinghe jumped in immediately. “But as you can see, Juqing 5 is basically all deck except for the stern superstructure. It’s such a massive surface—what could we possibly use to disguise it?”

Oil tankers had layer upon layer of sealed compartments, built for waterproofing and security. They weren’t designed with things like rainproof tarps in mind.

The two ships were about the same size, meaning Windwing’s tarps could be repurposed. Without much hesitation, Gu Mengran cleared his throat and said, “Alright. In a bit, we’ll send over some waterproof tarps and steel frames. You guys can set up a framework over the deck and cover it with the tarps—make Juqing 5 look more like a bulk cargo ship.”

“But the bigger issue,” Xu Xinghe frowned, voicing his concern, “is that even disguised as a bulk cargo ship, the draft will be too shallow. Fully loaded ships sink deeper in the water, and anyone who knows what they’re looking for will still be able to tell something’s off.”

Before Gu Mengran could answer, Xu Xingran seemed to have a realization. Her eyes lit up as she turned to him, cautiously testing the waters. “Xiao Gu, does Windwing still have space for extra cargo? We have a lot of empty oil drums onboard—could we transfer some of our diesel over to your ship?”

Talking to smart people always made things easier. Gu Mengran nodded lightly. “If you trust us, of course. Windwing has a maximum capacity of three thousand tons, and most of our cargo is dry goods. We can take some of the load off your hands.”

Xu Xingran didn’t hesitate for even a second. “Then it’s settled. I’ll go prepare the barrels right now.”

She was about to stand up when Gu Mengran quickly stopped her. “No rush, Sister Xu. The waterway is too narrow right now. It’s better to wait until we dock before transferring large amounts of diesel. Using small fuel boats would take forever. Let’s talk about something else first—do you guys need any supplies?”

Taking so much fuel while only offering companionship in return—there was no doubt the siblings were getting the short end of the deal. Owing too many favors wasn’t ideal, so Gu Mengran wanted to offer something practical in return.

At the mention of supplies, Xu Xingran hesitated for a moment before sitting back down, gripping the armrest of the sofa. She gave a somewhat embarrassed smile. “Now that you mention it, there are actually a few things we’re missing. Xiao Gu, Windwing was a supermarket ship before all this, right?”

Gu Mengran wasn’t surprised she knew—after all, they had met before the disaster, back when Windwing still had ‘Floating Supermarket’ painted in bold letters across the hull. He didn’t bother hiding anything and nodded frankly. “That’s right. So our supplies are still fairly well-stocked.”

Xu Xingran hesitated before awkwardly asking, “Then… do you guys have any, uh…”

Xu Xingran, usually so direct, suddenly became hesitant, her words vague and uncertain. A faint blush crept onto her pale cheeks, and her eyes darted away uneasily.

What on earth could be so hard to ask for? Gu Mengran was momentarily puzzled and was about to inquire when Liang Zhao, sitting calmly beside him, suddenly spoke in a steady tone: “Sanitary pads?”

The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell silent.

Neither Gu Mengran nor Xu Xinghe had expected that, and both looked slightly taken aback. As for Xu Xingran, she froze for a second before her already flushed cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson, spreading all the way to her ears.

Judging by her reaction, Liang Zhao had hit the mark. Gu Mengran cleared his throat lightly and broke the awkward silence. “No need to be embarrassed. It’s just a basic necessity. We actually have some—we’ll send a few boxes over along with the tarps. Anything else you need?”

His casual response helped diffuse the tension. Xu Xingran gradually regained her composure and followed up, “Also, clothes, blankets… do you have any extras?”

“We do.” Gu Mengran found it odd. After a brief pause, he asked, “So you’re only short on daily necessities? You’re not low on food?”

Xu Xinghe shrugged, looking rather pleased with himself. “Food’s not really an issue for now.”

Since they weren’t offering any details, pressing further would be impolite.

With the important matters settled, it was time for some casual conversation. Gu Mengran was genuinely curious about what they had been through, so when Xu Xingran got up to prepare breakfast, he seized the opportunity to grill the ever-carefree Xu Xinghe with a barrage of questions.

Xu Xinghe was as straightforward as ever. Maybe he had never intended to keep anything a secret, or maybe he was just naturally talkative—either way, he answered everything without hesitation, freely sharing their experiences.

After the earthquake, Xu Xinghe and his sister were constantly worried about their family. But at that time, Heng Rong Sheng’s main engine had suffered water damage, rendering the control system completely inoperable. The ship was stranded at anchor, unable to move.

Home was too far away, and there was no way a small diesel boat could make the journey. Their only hope lay onshore—to find someone at the port who could repair Heng Rong Sheng or locate another means of transportation.

Going ashore was an easy decision. But just before they did, Xu Xinghe suddenly recalled Gu Mengran’s warnings—about how the world had descended into chaos, how order had collapsed, and how money was no longer enough to secure supplies.

Better safe than sorry. Even though they hadn’t planned to venture far, they still took the precaution of gathering whatever useful supplies they could carry.

The earthquake had been devastating. When the siblings arrived at the port the next day, they found nothing but ruins. The docks had been reduced to rubble, communication lines were down, there were no signs of rescue, and what remained was a scene of pure devastation—a hellish wasteland filled with confused and desperate sailors, with lifeless bodies buried beneath the wreckage.

With visibility too low and knowing they could do nothing to help, they didn’t linger. Just as they were about to leave and search for another way out, a deep rumble erupted across the river like distant thunder. In the blink of an eye, murky floodwaters surged forth, swallowing the docks in seconds.

“You have no idea—it was terrifying!” Xu Xinghe shuddered, rubbing his arms as goosebumps formed. “We couldn’t see a thing, and suddenly someone screamed, ‘Flood!’—and then everyone started running. We got lucky, blindly following the crowd to an access bridge. But it was absolute chaos—everyone was panicking, pushing and shoving to get onto the bridge, and then…” He let out a heavy sigh.

Xu Xinghe clutched his chest, still shaken. “I’m not exaggerating—our feet had barely touched solid ground when the bridge collapsed behind us. The people behind us fell like dumplings into a pot, one after another, plunging straight into the water. If we’d been even a second slower, my sister and I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now.”

Gu Mengran patted Xu Xinghe’s shoulder twice—a silent gesture of comfort—before asking, “And then?”

“Once we realized just how bad things were, we didn’t waste a single second. We turned around and rushed back as fast as we could. But the fog was too thick—there was no way to drive. We ended up dragging two bicycles out from beneath the wreckage of a collapsed carport and pedaled our way back, slowly. It wasn’t until the fog finally lifted that we managed to find a truck and drive the rest of the way.”

“But we’d already lost too much time. We were still too late.”

At those words, Xu Xinghe’s shoulders slumped, his entire body deflating before their eyes.

The pain he’d been trying to bury resurfaced, raw and unbidden. His brows knitted tightly together, his gaze went vacant, and the liveliness he had just moments ago disappeared entirely. He stayed silent for almost five minutes before finally taking a deep breath and murmuring, “Home was gone. The house had collapsed. My dad… he was buried under the ruins.”

“He was a drunk. A gambler. He wasted his days away, doing nothing with his life. I used to think that if he died, I wouldn’t feel a thing. But… but when I saw him lying there, rotting alone beneath the rubble… I actually felt a little sad.”

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