Chapter 123 : Chapter 123
Chapter 123
Night arrived quickly.
Compared with how things had broken up unhappily during the day, the atmosphere that night could not exactly be called harmonious, but it was at least barely passable. Miao Miaonian's father was far more eloquent than Miao Miaonian himself. As he chatted with Jiang Cuo, he somehow ended up talking more and more until he completely opened up.
Jiang Cuo's years of wandering across north and south, together with Miao Miaonian's father's more than eight years of hunting experience, created an intense sense of shared understanding.
Perhaps because he had found an unexpectedly kindred spirit, the drunken Father Miao sighed with emotion, “Back then, I never thought I'd amount to anything. My elder brother and younger brother both shone far too brightly. As the second son, my Ability was poor, my temperament was mild, and my future looked utterly bleak.
“But in the end, I was the only one left.
“The old man used to despise me all the time. He was always saying that I was no good at anything, that I could never compare to my two brothers. But who would have thought that his most ordinary child would be the one to remain by his side in the end?” Father Miao threw his head back and laughed a few times, then said with a trace of wistfulness, “Now I've already lived longer than my elder brother ever did.”
“Don't even mention it—”
Half-drunk and bleary-eyed, Jiang Cuo waved his hand dismissively.
Indignant, he complained, “My dad despised me back then too. He said I was no good, my reactions were no good, and even my Ability was no good. Did he really think the Ability from my mom's side was some kind of treasure? Why did I have to inherit it? That damned bastard of a father didn't even realize he had a child until I was about to start middle school. God knows how miserably I lived before that...”
“He only treated me a little better in the last few years, that's all. I'm never going to forgive him that easily.” Jiang Cuo spat out a few curses in frustration. “Trash. Bastard. Garbage!”
“That's right, he's a complete bastard!” Father Miao fiercely agreed.
The two of them found common ground once again in the strangest possible place. The others present could not help exchanging glances, and Miao Miaonian's reaction was the most obvious of all. With vacant eyes, he muttered, “So that was it...”
To think Jiang Cuo could actually resonate with his father over the subject of parents who had never deserved to be parents.
Miao Miaonian could already imagine why Jiang Cuo had suddenly turned hostile and stormed off that morning. Although Jiang Cuo's father was not exactly the same sort of father as Miao Miaonian's grandfather, Miao Miaonian had grown up hearing his father talk about the way he had been treated. That kind of experience truly was awful.
But it seemed that his father's relationship with his grandfather had only improved after they left Central City. Miao Miaonian thought absentmindedly that the departure back then really had changed quite a lot.
Meanwhile, Zhou Que's cheeks were puffed out with food.
He was annoyed, but the dishes were delicious. He was annoyed, but the dishes were delicious. He was annoyed, but the dishes were really delicious... Ji Qing could clearly read all of that from Zhou Que's expression. As visitors from out of town, they could only follow the restaurant guides they found online, but the Father Miao and son had lived in Huangtie City for many years.
No one present knew Huangtie City better than they did.
As for Xie Chang’an, he ate in an orderly, proper manner. The two invited guests were both people he did not know well, and the cold treatment he had received that morning still stung a little. Inwardly, Xie Chang’an thought, Damn it, one day he was definitely going to fit in successfully!
He would turn his grief and indignation into motivation and eat, eat, eat!
After several rounds of drinks, Jiang Cuo curiously asked Father Miao, “Brother, why did you choose to settle in Huangtie City? Ding’an City isn't bad either, and aren't there several large towns east of Huangtie City? This place feels practically like a prison.”
“Ah...” Drunk and tipsy, Father Miao let out a long sigh. “I thought about that too back then. But making a living isn't that easy.”
He heavily patted Jiang Cuo on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Young man, you'd better keep your eyes open in the future. If you ever stop wanting to be a hunter, hurry up and ask your friends whether they can put in a referral for you. I really stepped into a huge trap back then, and it dragged my son down with me too.”
“Uh...” Miao Miaonian froze when he heard that.
Dad, why are you even saying that out loud too? After one round of drinking, he really could blurt out anything. No wonder Grandpa cursed him every day for being useless. He had no guile at all. But perhaps that was also why his father had never managed to inherit Grandpa's connections.
Ji Qing sat quietly at the side, calmly observing the lively chaos before him.
Aside from Xie Chang’an's reaction, which left him caught between laughter and helplessness, everyone else's behavior was more or less within his expectations. Ji Qing turned to glance at Zhou Que, who was still eating with his head lowered, and Zhou Que, cheeks still puffed out, blinked at him.
He truly had no intention of taking the initiative at all. Ji Qing felt inwardly resigned.
So Ji Qing took the initiative and asked Miao Miaonian, “Speaking of which, did you never attend high school?”
“That's right.”
Ji Qing continued, “Was it because you never wanted to? A B-rank Ability would still be considered fairly good at an Ability High School.”
“Actually, it's because I've been busy.” Miao Miaonian said, “My family only started contracting the mining, processing, and transportation of iron ore in the last few years. As for school... the Federation isn't that strict about academic qualifications, and later on I can still attend a Regular High School.”
“You never considered an Ability High School?”
“It's a little embarrassing to admit.” Miao Miaonian scratched his head awkwardly. “I'm not really suited to being an Ability User. I can't even compare to my dad. Since I'll end up going back to an ordinary profession in the future anyway, I figured I might as well avoid making a fool of myself.”
“I understand,” Ji Qing said with understanding.
That really was something worth considering. Just as one of his university professors in his previous life had once emphasized, not every student could build a lasting career in the field they had studied. Life had always been full of uncertainty, and no one should let their future be restricted to a single possibility.
Going to school had never been the only choice.
What came afterward was much simpler.
After the dinner gathering that night, Ji Qing and the others spent the next day purchasing equipment they might need, just as they had planned during the day. Ji Qing deliberately bought some large-caliber ammunition in preparation for Aberrants with hardened skin.
Unlike Jiang Cuo and the others, Ji Qing did not equip himself with a gun.
Compared with live firearms, his combat style relied more on his Ability. Jiang Cuo and Xie Chang’an, on the other hand, depended more on external tools, either because they lacked an Ability or because their Ability types came with limitations.
Seeing this, Jiang Cuo lamented bitterly, “Damn it! Every time I think about this, I feel like such trash!”
“Then what am I supposed to do?” Xie Chang’an turned his head and asked blankly.
Jiang Cuo froze for a moment, then muttered with a conflicted expression, “Brother, your case really can't be helped. Come to think of it, you make me feel like my own life isn't actually that terrible. So there really is no harm without comparison?”
“If my dad were still alive, I'd definitely drag you over to meet him! He'd absolutely put you on a pedestal like some kind of rare animal!”
“...”
Xie Chang’an fell silent.
After a long silence, he expressionlessly let out a few dry laughs.
Jiang Cuo had been the first to call him brother, and Jiang Cuo had also been the first to mock him. But Xie Chang’an's reaction was not as strong as before this time, because what Jiang Cuo said was the truth. Ever since leaving school, Xie Chang’an had been able to sense that from many people's attitudes and remarks.
That was exactly why he treasured even more the friends who were willing to spend time with him.
And then came the departure by car in the early hours of the third day.
At 6:07 in the morning on the third day, at Huangtie City's gate.
After going through a series of tedious procedures for leaving the city, the Ore Truck Convoy drove out of Huangtie City. Ji Qing and the others' first A-Rank Commission officially began in the pale light of early dawn.
There were nine vehicles in total on this trip: five transport trucks loaded with iron ore, and four armed vehicles accompanying them. Huangtie City was fairly close to Ding’an City, and very few people would choose to carry out a robbery on the outskirts of the wasteland, so the convoy's main precautionary target was Aberrants.
According to the earlier arrangement—
Zhou Que and Jiang Cuo were at the front of the convoy, while Ji Qing and Xie Chang’an were at the rear.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
The vehicles passed over a plain covered in broken stones, and the bodies of the cars jolted violently.
Seeing this, Ji Qing hurriedly grabbed the handrail by the door, while Xie Chang’an chose to lean half his body against the seat. But after a sharp turn, Xie Chang’an unfortunately ended up face-to-face with the window glass. Through the dark gray glass, he saw the Elevated Tracks on the horizon.
The sun rose in the east, while a silver-white train sped from the southwest toward the northeast like a howling gale.
Before the image of the train could fully reflect in Xie Chang’an's eyes, he had already caught sight of the rushing turbulence it carried along in its wake. Even though he himself had arrived here by train, the moment he saw the route of the Elevated Tracks stretching across the distance, he felt a deep sense of awe from the bottom of his heart.
“So amazing,” Xie Chang’an murmured softly.
He remembered the history of railway construction that the school had once taught. The earliest railways had been built by humanity before the apocalypse. Back then, the railways had extended in every direction, linking all the towns built by humankind. They had even made it possible to travel from one continent to another.
After the apocalypse, the surviving humans had made use of the existing rails to build the elevated railway before his eyes.
Sometimes, Xie Chang’an also wondered just how far human civilization had advanced before the apocalypse, before the disastrous meteor crashed into the planet they lived on. It had to have been hundreds, thousands, countless times better than it was now.
Unable to stop himself, Xie Chang’an spoke up. “Ji Qing, did you see it?”
“See what?”
Ji Qing swept his gaze over the direction Xie Chang’an was looking toward, but all he saw was a stretch of sand and stone, a section of rail, and a few mutated animal carcasses.
His gaze lingered on the carcasses for a moment, as he tried to identify what species they had belonged to and what had caused their deaths. But Ji Qing quickly gave up on that and shifted his eyes back to Xie Chang’an.
Frowning, Ji Qing said, “There aren't any Aberrants over there.”
“Not the Aberrants...” Embarrassment appeared on Xie Chang’an's face. In a small voice, he said, “I meant the Elevated Tracks over there—the train we rode when we came to Huangtie City. Don't you think it's impressive?”
Ji Qing looked at him speechlessly.
At that moment, he once again had the feeling that he was taking care of a child. Normally, only children would make a fuss when they saw a train or an airplane. But then he remembered that very few people in the wasteland ever had the chance to admire the sight of a train racing across the wilderness, and he could only say helplessly, “It is pretty impressive.”
He had simply grown tired of the sight long ago, Ji Qing silently added in his heart.
Ji Qing had, after all, lived in a normal world. Let alone trains—airplanes, subways, ships, sea-crossing bridges, and all kinds of other transportation infrastructure were things he had personally ridden or witnessed before. He was the one most capable of imagining the grandeur of Earth before the apocalypse.
Although the wasteland's technological development was somewhat different from that of his world, the difference was not all that great.
Come to think of it... Ji Qing realized belatedly. Along the way, he had never tried to hide his real feelings, nor had he ever hidden his disdain for Xie Chang’an. By the standards of the wasteland's people, wasn't that a little too composed?
Ji Qing suddenly fell into thought.
After a long while, he let out a long sigh inwardly. Fine. This was yet another bit of foreshadowing from the manga proving that “Ji Qing is an aberrant.”
That Aberrant identity seemed practically fixed onto him for good.