Axolotl Translations

Drunk, a gambler, a man who shirked all responsibility—he embodied every bad habit imaginable. In life, he was an unbearable nuisance; in death, he left behind a genuine, unshakable sorrow. Perhaps that was simply the weight of blood ties.

Gu Mengran wasn’t trying to speculate maliciously, but it was hard to ignore the imbalance—Xu Xinghe and his sister had clearly not received the same kind of fatherly love.

Time had passed since their last meeting, and Xu Xinghe now looked visibly worn down. Though he still carried the same carefree, troublemaking energy, there was no mistaking the grief of someone who had just lost a loved one and had yet to fully step out from the shadow of that loss.

Xu Xingran, however, was entirely different. There wasn’t a trace of sorrow on her face, no lingering grief from losing a parent. Instead, she exuded a sense of finality—like she had broken free from a long-held burden. If Xu Xinghe hadn’t brought it up, Gu Mengran wouldn’t have even realized that they had recently lost a close family member.

Every family has its own struggles, and Gu Mengran had little interest in prying into others’ affairs. Seeing Xu Xinghe’s red-rimmed eyes and pale complexion, he simply reached out and patted him on the shoulder again, offering quiet consolation. “The past is the past. May he rest in peace.”

“I’m fine. I’ve already come to terms with it.” Xu Xinghe wiped his face with the back of his hand and forced a bitter smile. “My sister’s right. For someone like him—who was lazy, self-indulgent, and couldn’t endure the slightest hardship—dying in the earthquake was probably its own kind of release.”

Before Gu Mengran could respond, Xu Xinghe waved it off like it was nothing. “Anyway, enough of that. Let me tell you how we got our hands on the Juqing 5—it was pure luck, honestly…”

The sudden disaster had claimed countless lives and thrown everyone’s world into chaos. Their home was gone. Their father was gone. After burying him near their old vegetable garden, the siblings were left in a daze, unsure of what to do next.

That was when Gu Mengran’s advice became a beacon of clarity. Without hesitation, they decided to listen to the man who had saved them, heading for higher ground and following the Yellow River toward Yinan.

But traveling without any means of transportation was a serious problem. The temperature had skyrocketed, making outdoor survival nearly impossible—let alone an arduous journey on foot.

Fortunately, their hometown was right next to Pingjiang, one of Huangjiang’s major tributaries in Jincheng. After some discussion, the siblings agreed to try their luck at the Ping County dock, hoping to find a small boat.

But instead of a small boat, they hit the jackpot—they stumbled upon a massive oil tanker.

At first, they assumed the tanker had an owner. They even planned to negotiate with the captain to hitch a ride. But no matter how loudly they called from the shore, the ship remained eerily silent, giving no response.

The unbearable heat pushed them to take action. It wasn’t until they boarded the Juqing 5 that they realized something was very wrong—this nearly full oil tanker was completely abandoned.

“It was honestly bizarre. A ship that size, and not a single soul aboard. At first, my sister and I thought maybe the crew had just stepped away for something, so we waited a few days. But as the temperature kept rising and we couldn’t take the heat anymore, we finally broke the lock and went into the control room.”

Catching a glimpse of Gu Mengran’s slightly skeptical expression, Xu Xinghe’s voice wavered slightly. He glanced at them, a little uneasy. “We waited, but no one ever came back. In the end, we… well, we just sailed the ship away. I mean, maybe it sounds a little unethical, but it really was abandoned! It’s not like we stole it or anything.”

“Mm, I get it.” Gu Mengran chuckled lightly.

Oil tankers usually required more crew than regular cargo ships. Two people alone could never seize a ship like that. But whether they had actually waited long enough for the owner to return… well, only they knew the truth.

As if sensing what Gu Mengran was thinking, Xu Xinghe took a small sip of tea, moistening his lips before explaining, “Seriously, we waited on that ship for at least five or six days. There wasn’t much food on board, and our own supplies were running low. So during the day, we stayed on the ship, and at night, when it was cooler, we went out searching for food. All in all, we definitely waited five or six days.”

Worried that they still might not believe him, Xu Xinghe gestured toward the young girl sitting beside them and confidently added, “Xu Yuan can vouch for us. We found her when we were out scavenging for supplies in the village.”

“That’s true.” The girl named Xu Yuan nodded hesitantly, her voice timid. “Even after I boarded the ship, we still waited a few days before leaving.”

Gu Mengran wasn’t particularly concerned about whether they had actually waited or not, but seeing how adamant Xu Xinghe was about proving his point, he simply responded with a casual “Got it. I trust you.”

Before Xu Xinghe could say anything else, Gu Mengran glanced at Xu Yuan and smoothly changed the subject. “You’ve got the same last name—are you related?”

“No, we’re just from the same village. Basically neighbors,” Xu Xinghe answered first, then patiently explained, “You know how it is in the countryside—most houses have their own granary. Our family never farmed, so our granary was empty. That’s why my sister and I thought we’d check our neighbors’ places, see if anyone was still around or if there was any food left.”

“We didn’t find any food, but we did find Xu Yuan. Her house collapsed too—only half the kitchen was still standing. Her grandparents, like my dad, got buried under the rubble. She was trapped in the kitchen for days, barely hanging on. By the time we found her, she was already suffering from heatstroke. If we’d been a day or two later… she might not have made it.”

No wonder they hadn’t been struggling for food—they had access to village granaries.

Before he realized it, Gu Mengran had let his thoughts drift. He quickly reined them in and looked up at Xu Xinghe with a small smile. “You guys had a rough journey, but at least we all made it. And now, we’re back together on the Huang River.”

“That earthquake was terrifying. Who knows how many people died?” Xu Xinghe sighed, his face full of gloom. “We barely survived, and now the temperature keeps skyrocketing. If this keeps up, the Huang River’s going to dry up completely.”

“It won’t be long now. The heat should ease up soon.”

Exhausted from a sleepless night and having chatted enough, Gu Mengran took a sip of his strong tea, forcing himself to stay awake. “How long have you been stuck here? Engine overheating? Will you be able to leave today?”

Xu Xinghe nodded eagerly. “Yeah! The engine overheated, so we’ve been stuck here for two days. But I think we can move again today—I’ll check with my sister.”

Gu Mengran set down his teacup and stood up decisively. “Alright, then let’s—”

“Wait, hold up!”

Before Gu Mengran could finish speaking, Xu Xinghe jumped to his feet, grabbing his arm with a sheepish grin. “Brother Gu, since your boat is basically a floating supermarket, you must have oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, right? My sister didn’t want to ask directly, but honestly, we’re running low. Could we trade some food for it?”

Gu Mengran pulled his arm back and yawned lazily before nodding. “No need to trade. I’ll have someone bring over a tarp and supplies for you.”

“No way,” Xu Xinghe quickly stepped forward, blocking Gu Mengran’s path. “We can’t just take it for free. We’ve got grains—rice, wheat, corn, potatoes—”

Xu Xinghe rattled off a list of food supplies like he was announcing dishes at a banquet. Gu Mengran chuckled, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. “Seriously, there’s no need. Running into you guys is already a stroke of luck for Windwing. Your fuel has been a huge help—this is nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Well… if you say so.” Xu Xinghe scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

Even though the conversation had ended, he still didn’t move aside. Gu Mengran shot him a puzzled glance, only for Xu Xinghe to grin. “No rush, Brother Gu! Stay for breakfast, let’s chat a bit. I’m curious about your journey. You guys left before us—how’d you end up behind?”

Talking was dangerous. One wrong question—like “How did you survive the flood?”—and Gu Mengran wouldn’t even know how to answer.

Better to skip breakfast altogether. He was dead tired and not in the mood to make up stories.

Seeing Xu Xinghe’s expectant gaze, Gu Mengran rubbed his temples and shook his head. “I’ll pass on breakfast. I haven’t slept all night—I’m exhausted. We’ll talk later.”

“Oh, and don’t use the public channel. Switch to channel 22.”

“Oh, got it!”

……

The river stretched out calm as a mirror beneath the scorching sun. Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao dragged their exhausted bodies back onto Windwing, too wiped out to even think about breakfast. Instead, they immediately got to work, packing up tarps and supplies for Juqing 5.

Juqing 5 was far too conspicuous. Two ships traveling together would draw even more attention—especially when they’d have to pass Lingjiang Port in a few days. To minimize risk, Gu Mengran decided to wait until Juqing 5 was properly disguised before setting out.

Building a steel frame would take time, so they needed to get the materials over as soon as possible.

Since they’d be making a trip anyway, they might as well deliver everything at once.

Tarps, steel frames, zip ties, screws… Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao sat cross-legged on the floor of the lounge, stuffing supplies into two oversized woven bags. Piece by piece, they packed for nearly half an hour until both bags were filled to the brim.

Apart from the supplies Juqing 5 needed, Gu Mengran also packed some extra spare parts and tools that might come in handy. He even threw in a hundred-pound bag of flour and two cases of instant noodles.

The instant noodles were for a bit of variety, and as for the flour…

Well, let’s just say Heng Rong Sheng’s wheat had been conveniently pre-ground.

After an entire night without sleep and another trip outside, Gu Mengran’s head was spinning. Once all the supplies were packed up, he stowed the larger items in his space and carried one of the woven bags while Liang Zhao took the other. Under the blazing sun, they trudged back to the deck.

They loaded the supplies onto the boat, tied the diesel-powered dinghy to the main ship, and just as Gu Mengran was about to step on board, Liang Zhao—who had gotten on first—suddenly reached out to stop him, nodding toward the ship.

“What?” Gu Mengran didn’t get his meaning and tilted his head in confusion.

Liang Zhao let out a helpless chuckle. “You’re about to fall asleep standing up. What do you think? Go back, wash up, and get some rest. It’s just a delivery—one person’s enough.”

“But—”

“No buts. One more person on board means one less supply item. Do you really want to make another trip?” Liang Zhao smoothly snatched the walkie-talkie from his hand and waved him off. “Go. I’ll be back soon.”

Gu Mengran’s sluggish brain failed to register that they had two boats. But after thinking about it for a second, Liang Zhao did have a point. So, he simply said, “Alright, be careful,” and turned back.

His head was spinning, and his limbs felt weak. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

Windwing blurred before his eyes, splitting into two, then three. As he lifted his right foot, it felt like he was stepping onto thin air—like the ground had vanished beneath him. Suddenly, his body gave out completely, and he plunged straight down.

Dizziness? No, wait—

Shit. Heatstroke.

His vision blacked out, and with a loud thud, Gu Mengran collapsed onto the deck.

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