ABFA Chapter 62

A flash of lightning split across the night sky, illuminating Jiang Yue’s face with stark brightness. Thunder rumbled repeatedly in the distance, yet her heart was unusually calm at this moment. Even in her gray eyes, which rarely revealed any emotion, there appeared a trace of gentle warmth filled with nostalgia.

How could she ever forget those days?

Through the terminal, she heard Xiang Sui’s loud and boisterous voice, and memories of life at the military academy came flooding into her mind all at once.

She could hear Xiang Sui chewing on bones. If her guess was correct, that guy was definitely eating barbecue.

Xi Boyu’s voice came through the terminal. As always, his tone was calm and even. Jiang Yue took a deep breath, doing her best to make her own voice as composed as his.

She said, “There’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”

…

Three minutes later, the call ended.

Xi Boyu stood in the dorm room for a long while, unable to snap out of his daze. Xiang Sui’s big head leaned over. “What’s up? Who was that call from?”

After a moment of silence, Xi Boyu replied flatly, “It was Jiang Yue.”

Xiang Sui’s eyes widened. “Jiang Yue?”

Jiang Sen asked, “What happened to her? Did she run out of money on her card? I’ll transfer some to her later.”

Xi Boyu said, “No. She escaped from prison.”

With a clatter, the game controller slipped from Kuri’s hand and rolled across the floor.

The honey-glazed chicken wing in Xiang Sui’s hand dropped to the ground. He let out a howl, “Escaped from prison?!”

Bai Wang was dumbfounded. Jiang Sen fell silent. Xiang Sui was stunned. Kuri was completely bewildered.

Only Xi Boyu was still barely maintaining his composure.

Xiang Sui blinked like a rusty robot. “No, wait—then why did she contact you? She’s caused such a huge mess. There’s nothing us brothers can do about it!”

Xi Boyu said, “Calm down first. There are a few important things I need to tell you.”

His roommates all turned to look at him and listened in silence.

“First, Jiang Yue currently has 302 underage Omegas with her. The order on the Garbage Planet is in complete chaos, and a group of scavengers is trying to seize these Omegas for human trafficking. Jiang Yue is holding them off right now, but they need official rescue.”

“Second, her psychic entity never exploded, which means the charges brought against her back then do not actually stand. She needs a highly professional lawyer.”

“Third, there will inevitably be people who try to prevent Jiang Yue from returning. She needs public support, and this is an excellent opportunity to bring attention to her situation.”

Xiang Sui said, “I’ll contact my brother right away and find out whether there are any peacekeeping warships near the Garbage Planet.”

Jiang Sen snapped his fingers. “I’m pretty good at guiding public opinion. Leave that part to me.”

Bai Wang said, “My dad knows a really formidable lawyer. I can take care of that.”

Kuri looked at them, then bent down to pick up the game controller from the floor and asked, “Then what am I supposed to do?”

Xi Boyu replied, “Work with Jiang Sen to monitor public opinion. We’ll help however much we can.”

Xiang Sui thumped his chest and said, “Jiang Yue really is someone who does big things!”

…

After the call ended, Jiang Yue absentmindedly lowered the terminal. Seeing the vacant look in her eyes, the Chubby Boss couldn’t help but grow nervous. He waved a hand in front of her face and cautiously asked, “How did the conversation go? Were you able to work things out?”

Jiang Yue handed him the green terminal. Her voice was inexplicably hoarse as she said, “The peacekeeping warship closest to the Garbage Planet will arrive here within two days. If we can hold out for those two days, these children will be saved.”

It was as though all the strength had suddenly been drained from his body. The Chubby Boss’s legs gave way, and he was just about to collapse to the ground when Jiang Yue grabbed his arm and hauled him back up.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Thank heavens! Thank heavens!”

The Chubby Boss clutched his chest and panted heavily, gripping Jiang Yue’s arm as he slowly struggled back to his feet.

Jiang Yue asked, “Are you still able to ride the motorcycle in your condition?”

The Chubby Boss waved a hand dismissively. “Who are you looking down on? If it’s time to go, then let’s go!”

He instantly perked up, suddenly full of energy. Even his stride seemed to carry a gust of wind as he walked. Jiang Yue followed behind him and climbed onto the motorcycle.

The motorcycle roared to life. As he drove, the Chubby Boss said, “Li Si, I get the feeling you’re a bit down. If something’s bothering you, talk to me about it.”

Jiang Yue pulled her scattered thoughts back together and said softly, “I just don’t know what I’ll be facing when I go back. I made a very serious mistake in the past.”

The Chubby Boss said, “You know, no owner of a recycling station on the Garbage Planet cries over spilled trash.”

Jiang Yue paused for a moment. “Isn’t it supposed to be spilled milk?”

The Chubby Boss snorted. “What nonsense! Where are you going to find milk on the Garbage Planet? There’s only trash here!”

“Hey, don’t get hung up on the details! Whether it’s trash or milk isn’t the point. What’s the point? The point is, if something can be fixed, then do everything you can to fix it. If it can’t be fixed, then let it go. Even if you spend the rest of your life suffering over it, you still won’t change the outcome. So what’s the use of tormenting yourself?”

Jiang Yue sighed. “That’s true, but…”

The Chubby Boss cut her off. “No ‘buts.’ What’s with all these ‘buts’? You’re always saying ‘but.’ You and Old Pan have read too many books. You think that just because you’ve got two drops of ink on your chest hair, you’ve risen above low-level interests.”

Jiang Yue corrected him, “The saying is ‘The chest contains not a dot of ink.’¹ 胸無點墨 Literally: “the chest contains not a dot of ink.” Meaning: an uneducated person; someone with little learning.”

“Ah, whatever! That’s not important, not important at all. You’ve got to focus on the main point. Stop nitpicking my wording all the time. As long as the meaning gets across, that’s good enough! That’s the principle I’m talking about. Whether it’s hair or no hair doesn’t matter—doesn’t matter!”

“What I’m saying is, use a bowl as big as the amount of grain you’re going to hold²“Know your limits.”: If you only have a small amount of grain, you don’t need a huge bowl. If you have a huge amount of grain, a tiny bowl won’t do. The bowl should match the amount of grain.. You’re just a little brat, and you’ve already ended up as a criminal. If you can’t even sort out your own situation, why are you spending all day worrying about these things? You’re in a state where you can’t take care of your head or your ass, you’re no good at anything!”

Jiang Yue: “……”

That really hit where it hurt.

In all those transmigration novels she’d read, the other female protagonists were already well on their way to conquering the world.

And her?

Fucking hell, she hadn’t even figured out the meaning of life yet. Every day she muddled through in a daze, completely just drifting along.

Jiang Yue sat dejectedly on the back seat of the motorcycle, gazing gloomily at the night sky in the distance. In an equally gloomy tone, she said, “I originally just wanted to be a salted fish.”

The Chubby Boss snorted as he drove. “If I didn’t know you were eighteen, I’d think you were eighty.”

“Young people shouldn’t be so gloomy. As they say, people move toward higher places; water flows toward lower places.³人往高處走，水往低處流: People naturally seek better opportunities, higher status, better living conditions, and a better future, just as water naturally flows downhill. If you stay on the Garbage Planet forever, then you’re just willingly degenerating yourself and willingly making yourself lowly. What kind of place is this, anyway? This place is full of the lower nine professions.⁴Traditional Chinese society sometimes divided occupations into: 上九流 (upper nine professions) 中九流 (middle nine professions) 下九流 (lower nine professions) The exact lists varied, but 下九流 generally referred to occupations that were looked down upon, marginalized, or considered disreputable. Depending on the era, this could include things like: Prostitutes, pimps, thieves, swindlers, fortune tellers, street performers, beggars, executioners, and other socially stigmatized occupations Even birds passing overhead wouldn’t be willing to shit here.”

“If you save those 302 Omegas, you’ll immediately become a hero. All the mainstream media on Beta Star will be singing your praises. Before long, you’ll be able to wash away the accusations from your past. And even if you can’t completely clear your name, with your ability to materialize spiritual power, the people in the military will be falling over themselves to pull you out.”

Jiang Yue said, “When I did this, none of that crossed my mind.”

“Ah, I know. People like you, with a bit of ink on your chest hair, are all very noble.”

Jiang Yue: “…”

Forget it. As long as the Chubby Boss was happy. Though, to be honest, Jiang Yue really wanted to tell him that there wasn’t actually much “ink” in her belly.

And of course, she didn’t have any chest hair, either.

The motorcycle sped along like the wind. It didn’t rain on the way back. By the time she and the Chubby Boss returned to the area around the warehouse, the scavengers had already trashed the row of single-story houses, leaving the place in complete disarray.

After parking the motorcycle, the Chubby Boss and Jiang Yue made their way back into the tunnel.

Pan Bu’en and Zhang San had been waiting by the entrance to the passage the whole time. The moment they saw the two return, Pan Bu’en immediately asked anxiously, “How did it go? Were you able to get in touch with them?”

Jiang Yue wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Yes. I made contact and sent them our coordinates. The peacekeeping warship will arrive here in two days.”

Pan Bu’en let out a long sigh of relief.

Beside him, Zhang San clapped his hands. “Congratulations. You’ll be leaving the Garbage Planet very soon!”

For some reason, Jiang Yue couldn’t bring herself to feel happy. Noticing the subtle shift in her mood, Zhang San quietly asked her when Pan Bu’en and the Chubby Boss were out of earshot, “You’ve saved so many people. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

Leaning against the wall, Jiang Yue replied, “Those are two completely different things.”

Zhang San narrowed his eyes. “What are you afraid of?”

Jiang Yue glanced at him. She had to admit that Zhang San could be remarkably perceptive at times. When it came to reading people, he seemed to possess an almost uncanny talent for seeing straight into their hearts.

Perhaps because she had been worrying too much lately, Jiang Yue was mentally exhausted.

She rubbed her temples and couldn’t help saying, “There are too many things I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of trouble. I’m afraid that my unusual identity will bring misfortune to the people around me. And I’m also worried about whether I’ll still be able to keep up with the coursework once I return to the military academy.”

Leaning against the wall, Zhang San pulled a handful of candy from his pocket and held it out to her.

Jiang Yue looked at him. She had to admit that Zhang San was exceptionally handsome. He wasn’t handsome in a dignified or conventional way. His features had a somewhat manga-like quality to them. His eyes were long and narrow, like a fox’s, and his eyelashes were thick enough to look as though he were wearing eyeliner.

Perhaps because he had been through plenty of relationships, there was a sense of frivolity and fickleness in the corners of his eyes and brows. At a glance, he looked like the type who took romance very lightly. Yet, because of his research background, he also carried a refined, scholarly air about him.

Altogether, he had exactly the vibe of a gentle scum. Since Jiang Yue had grown so accustomed to seeing his cowardly side back in the First Prison, she always looked at him through a sort of “looks-depreciation filter.” She had never really thought of him as handsome.

Of course, Jiang Yue herself hadn’t exactly looked her best in the First Prison either. Back then, she had been little more than a walking skeleton, so thin that her face had become gaunt and hollow.

She took a piece of candy from his hand. It was a mint candy with a sharp, cooling flavor, and the taste instantly reminded her of Xi Boyu.

The candy rolled around on her tongue. Jiang Yue reached up and scratched the back of her neck, where her gland was located.

Stimulated by the external influence, an intensely cold scent suddenly spread from her gland.

Zhang San doubled over in misery, clutching his stomach as he sucked in a breath. “Hey, seriously?! I give you one piece of candy and you go into heat? I mean, sure, I’m fine with either Alphas or Omegas, but at least give me some warning! Let me prepare myself mentally first, okay?”

Jiang Yue: “…”

She immediately snatched her hand back and pulled up her collar to cover the gland, then snapped angrily, “Pah! In your dreams. With the way you are, only a ghost would ever fall for you!”

The icy scent gradually faded away. Zhang San grinned. “Hey, give me one gay chance!”

Jiang Yue folded her arms and walked ahead. Following the scent trail, she found Pan Bu’en and the Chubby Boss in one of the mine tunnels. The two of them were busy planting explosives deeper inside the passage.

Zhang San strolled over with a cheerful smile. “Need a hand? I know a thing or two about demolition myself.”

Pan Bu’en had a rolled cigarette dangling from his mouth. He shook his head and said, “No need. We’re almost done.”

Jiang Yue asked, “Did you plant explosives around the houses too?”

The Chubby Boss patted the dirt off his clothes. “Of course we did. We planted a whole lot of them. Those scavengers are guaranteed to be blown sky-high.”

Jiang Yue looked somewhat troubled. “The peacekeeping warship won’t arrive for another two days. Two days is still a long time. I’m worried that something unexpected might happen before then.”

Pan Bu’en flicked the ash from his cigarette and said, “Those people think there are only a dozen or so Omegas here. How could they possibly know there are actually 302 children?”

The Chubby Boss cut in from the side. “Most of the kids who grew up here left long ago. But some of them forgot where they came from. When they couldn’t make it out there, they started setting their sights on these children too.”

He curled his lip. “Old Pan’s knife hasn’t gone without tasting blood. Later, just to be safe, we split the children up and kept them from knowing exactly how many people were here. Fortunately, there are plenty of tunnels. These past few days are the first time we’ve gathered all the children together in one place.”

Jiang Yue said quietly, “Just to survive, they’ve abandoned even their most basic principles.”

“So Old Pan’s had it pretty rough all these years. Fortunately, most of the kids know how to repay kindness. They quietly help support him whenever they can.”

Being a good person wasn’t easy.

Being a hero was even harder.

There were very few heroes. There were plenty of bad people. There were some good people too. And most people were neither particularly good nor particularly bad. Jiang Yue considered herself one of those people.

It’s always much easier to go downhill than uphill. Pan Bu’en chose the road that led upward. And precisely because of that, Pan Bu’en was a genuine hero.

After finishing the wiring, Pan Bu’en packed up the detonator lines, and the four of them began to withdraw. The children had all been settled in a completely safe location. In two days, they would be taken away from the Garbage Planet by the peacekeeping warship.

A bright future was waiting for them. The explosions would be blamed on the scavengers. Everyone here would be innocent victims, and righteous defenders of justice.

That meant that after the explosion, and before the peacekeeping warship arrived, not a single one of those scavengers could be left alive.

“The waste oil is already prepared. After the explosion, I’ll set the waste oil around the houses on fire. Once that happens, the burning area will become your hunting ground for the slaughter,” Zhang San said.

The Chubby Boss gloated, “Once you’ve done a lot, you’ll end up killing yourself. That ring of waste oil around the houses was originally set up by those bandits to hunt us down.”

Jiang Yue opened her mouth. As someone who had majored in Chinese Language and Literature in university, she had a strong urge to correct him and tell him that the idiom was actually “Commit many unrighteous acts, and you will inevitably destroy yourself.”

But on second thought, as long as the Chubby Boss was happy, that was enough. There was no need for her to put on airs and play the cultured intellectual here.

Chang Geng was returned to Jiang Yue’s hands.

She climbed out of the tunnel and made her way onto the roof of the warehouse.

In the pitch-black night, a gray mushroom cloud suddenly erupted from the cluster of small houses. Brilliant crimson flames shot into the sky like a blazing torch.

The hunt had begun. The time for killing had arrived.

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• 1
  胸無點墨 Literally: “the chest contains not a dot of ink.” Meaning: an uneducated person; someone with little learning.
• 2
  “Know your limits.”: If you only have a small amount of grain, you don’t need a huge bowl. If you have a huge amount of grain, a tiny bowl won’t do. The bowl should match the amount of grain.
• 3
  人往高處走，水往低處流: People naturally seek better opportunities, higher status, better living conditions, and a better future, just as water naturally flows downhill.
• 4
  Traditional Chinese society sometimes divided occupations into: 上九流 (upper nine professions) 中九流 (middle nine professions) 下九流 (lower nine professions) The exact lists varied, but 下九流 generally referred to occupations that were looked down upon, marginalized, or considered disreputable. Depending on the era, this could include things like: Prostitutes, pimps, thieves, swindlers, fortune tellers, street performers, beggars, executioners, and other socially stigmatized occupations