Apocalyptic Charity Plan [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 12

Jiang Fanxing found a reasonably clean house and took a quick shower, finally washing away the disgusting, itchy sensation from his body. Afterward, he searched through a few neighboring houses and managed to find a change of clothes. He could now condense a significant amount of water, and with two large oil drums full of water parked at the village entrance, he decided to indulge himself by washing his new clothes. Thanks to the extreme heat, the clothes dried completely in just a few minutes, smelling faintly of the sun. He put on the fresh outfit and washed the suit he had been wearing before folding it neatly and stowing it in his backpack.

He wiped the dust off a chair with a tissue he had found and slumped into it, feeling drained of all energy. The confrontation from earlier had exhausted him, and all he wanted was to rest.

“110, how many exchange coins do I have now?”

110 came online. “Host, you currently have 772 exchange coins in your account.”

“That many?” Jiang Fanxing was surprised. He opened the system account details and discovered that he had received 413 coins from the child alone. He sighed, “That kid was worth saving.” He wished he could save a dozen more like that little angel, but he knew better. As long as the next people he saved were not as ungrateful as the adults he had encountered, he would be satisfied.

He looked down at his green-tinted hands, condensing a small bead of water in his palm. He let it drip to the floor, watching it vanish instantly. The events of the past few days were a stark lesson in the importance of not showing off one’s wealth. He had learned his lesson; he would never expose this ability again.

Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, Jiang Fanxing pondered his next direction. He had not lied to Lin Zihan; he did intend to visit other villages to find survivors. However, with his past experience, he would be fully prepared this time to ensure he was never treated like a piece of meat to be preyed upon again.

The next morning, fully geared up with a hat, mask, gloves, backpack, and a large duffel bag, he rode his tricycle toward the west. He did not ride fast, and it took about two hours to reach another village. Seeing corpses on the ground, he remained calm; he had grown accustomed to it. He pulled a megaphone from his bag. The plastic casing was warped from the heat, making it look deformed, but it still functioned.

Jiang Fanxing placed the megaphone on a rock, set down one of the oil drums, and laid out a stack of bowls, five thermal mugs, and a hand-drawn map. The map led to one place: the Ice and Snow World. He switched on the megaphone and quickly rode away.

“Water! Fresh, free water! If you want a drink, come to the north end of the village. I will only be here for two hours, so do not be late!”

His voice was intentionally deepened to sound enticing. As long as there were people left in this village, they would take the bait. He did not go far; he parked his tricycle behind a small hill and found a vantage point to set up a small stool and wait.

After some time, he heard footsteps. Two elderly people, leaning on each other for support, shuffled out of the village toward the oil drum. Jiang Fanxing was surprised to see that their mental state seemed relatively good. They were alert, scanning their surroundings with suspicion, and when they saw the drum, their faces betrayed a mix of joy and deep skepticism. They could not be sure if it was a prank.

Seeing no one around, the grandmother whispered to her partner, “Let us go check it out.”

The grandfather nodded, though he remained cautious. Even if it were a trap, they had to know. Many of the elders in their village had already refused food and water to allow the younger generation a chance at life. The two of them had lived this long in agony, always hoping to do something for the others. This was their chance. Even if the giver had malicious intent, they were ready to risk their lives to protect the village.

The grandmother forced the lid of the oil drum open. A bead of water spilled onto her shriveled hand, and the sensation of moisture left her stunned.

“Old man! It is water, it really is water!” she cried out in excitement.

“Close it quickly! Do not let it evaporate!” the grandfather added.

The joy swept away their initial caution. They began calling out to the village, “There is really water! Come here!”

A group of sturdy young people rushed over, cheering as they prepared to carry the drum back to their village. A girl, noticing the stack of bowls, spotted a piece of paper underneath. She picked it up and gasped, “Brother, there is a map here! It says this map leads to an Ice and Snow World where we can get more water!”

“What? Is it real?” The map was passed from hand to hand, drawing gasps of disbelief. If it were real, they would not just have water; they had seeds stored away. If they could select heat-resistant crops, they would have food too!

After the excitement died down, the group wondered about the intentions of the benefactor. “Grandpa Zhao, Grandma Li, did you see who left these things?”

When the elders shook their heads, the group fell silent. The girl’s brother finally spoke: “Whoever it is, they are our benefactor. Since they do not want to be seen, we should not pry. When the temperature drops this evening, a few of us will go to the Ice and Snow World and check it out.”

The young people, who had watched over each other through the apocalypse, eagerly volunteered. Once the leader selected a team and set a time, they hauled the supplies back to the village.

From his hiding spot, Jiang Fanxing watched them leave. Seeing their happy faces, he felt his own lips curling into a smile. This was the best group of people he had seen since arriving in this world. When 110 informed him that this group had provided 1,060 exchange coins, his mood soared.

He took out his communicator; it was a square, palm-sized device with only two buttons: power and call. He switched it on, and the light turned green. He did not hesitate; he pressed the call button to reach the rescue team.

“Hello, this is the survivor base. How can we help you?” A sweet female voice answered.

Jiang Fanxing raised an eyebrow. He had not expected to be connected directly to the survivor base, and it seemed they already knew he was not one of them. He did not ask how; he simply said, “I found a group of survivors, mostly young people. I do not know the coordinates; can you track this location?”

“I am sorry, sir, we cannot track your location. Please provide your address, such as the province, city, county, and village.”

Jiang Fanxing frowned and walked into the village, ignoring whether he might be seen. He searched the walls until he found a sign that read: “Welcome to Jinji Village, XX County, XX City, XX Province.” He read the information out, word for word.

“Understood,” the woman replied. “We have recorded the information and will dispatch a rescue team immediately. Thank you for your assistance. We look forward to your arrival at the base.”

“I am fine. Goodbye.” He hung up and rode off.

He did not know when the rescue team would arrive, and he did not want to risk running into the four people from the real world again.

At the Survivor Base:

Xie Yunqing’s team traveled for a day and a night before reaching the base at noon the following day. One of the rescued survivors had a punctured lung that Zhou Peng had stabilized, but the wound was infected. Once they arrived, Zhou Peng went off to attend to the patients, while Xie Yunqing and the others were brought before the base leader.

The leader greeted them and asked, “Captain Xie, what do you think of the thermal-control suits? Are they suitable for widespread use?”

“Very good,” Xie Yunqing replied.

“They protect against both cold and heat, which is perfect for rescue work,” Lin Zihan added, “though they are a bit tight.”

The suits were one-size-fits-all, and Lin Zihan’s athletic frame did not quite fit the design. Zhang Zhiyuan cast a silent glance at her and simply said, “They are fine.”

The leader looked slightly embarrassed. “As long as they work. We will be mass-producing them and will account for different body types in the future. Please wait a moment, Ms. Lin.”

After the team left, Xie Yunqing lingered. “Director Zhou, our world is quite amazing. To have a situation where one half is ice and the other is fire, do you know how this happened?”

The director looked at him and said, “Captain Xie, imagine our world as an egg. Half the egg is in hot water, and half is in cold. The temperature is unbalanced, the chick inside is getting sick and will not be able to hatch. To survive, the chick must learn to adapt to this temperature.”

Back in his room, Xie Yunqing pondered these words. The egg, the chick… Did the egg represent the world, and the chick the people? He could not find an answer, so he sat down to write his report. When his thoughts drifted to that person, his expression became complicated.

He suspected the man who claimed to be doing performance art possessed special abilities. How else could someone ride a tricycle in 70-degree heat? At that temperature, a normal person would dehydrate and collapse within minutes, let alone perform physical exercise. Thinking of the survivors’ claims that the man could condense water, he bit his lip.

Have the people in this world evolved special abilities too? He looked at his own hands, clenching them into fists. We only evolved our physical bodies. Why did that person evolve the power of nature itself? Is it because we come from different worlds?

Jiang Fanxing had no idea he was being doubted. At that moment, he was witnessing a bullying incident.