Chapter 112: Fei’s Dungeon 3

“Go ahead and pick them, but be careful.”

Sang Chu glanced at Sang Jingwen, who seemed like he wanted to say something, but in the end, just closed his mouth.

Sang Chu looked over the rest of the plants. Most of the fruits hanging above were ripe, some even had her companion mark. As for those that weren’t fully grown, she still didn’t know what they were.

She could only quickly pick the ripe ones and handed a share to Sang Jingwen. She also sent a message to everyone: [This is the Encyclopedia of Demon Plants. All the demon plants in the greenhouse are listed here. If you’re unsure about anything, take a look.]

Sang Jingwen looked up at Sang Chu and nodded slightly. Meanwhile, Ruan Yaru, Gao Qiu, and Xia Han had already picked the fruits and come down to the ground, but their expressions were a bit awkward.

Xia Han said, “Sang-jie, I’m sorry, I… I got too excited and picked all the fruits.”

The three of them had picked from different spots, and none of them expected that such a big tree would only have ten fruits—no, including the one the rabbit just ate, there were eleven in total.

Sang Chu finally said, “Mm, a milk fruit tree only produces eleven ripe milk fruits at a time, and the older the tree, the more effective the fruit. The deeper the lines on the fruit, the older it is. These are all one-year fruits, so they’re considered ripe. This time, everyone gets to try one. If you want more milk fruit in the future, you’ll have to work hard for it.”

Xia Han immediately said, “Don’t worry, Sang-jie, I’ll work hard! No matter what you need me to do, I’ll do my best!”

He wished his brother could awaken too. Besides, this Taoyuan Base was so good, it almost made him forget the apocalypse outside.

Sang Chu said, “Since everyone wants their family members to awaken abilities, let’s give this batch of fruits to those who haven’t awakened yet. If one of them awakens, that’s a good thing. Currently, there are eight people in the base without abilities. Give one to each of them. As for the rest, Uncle Gao, save one for the kitchen tonight so everyone can have a taste. The last one, Yu He and Si Yu, take it to that guest and store it in the warehouse.”

Yu He and Si Yu, hearing their names, immediately raised their hands. “Yes, Sang-jie!”

They each picked up a fruit and ran off. Uncle Gao looked at Sang Chu, wanting to say something but hesitating. Lu Minli noticed and said, “Uncle Gao, if you have something to say, just say it. We’re all family here, no need to hold back.”

With everyone looking at him, Uncle Gao felt a bit embarrassed. Since the apocalypse, this was the most comfortable place he’d ever stayed. He hoped the base would grow stronger, so everyone could live better.

“Ah Chu, isn’t it a bit wasteful to give these milk fruits to us? Wouldn’t it be better for the young people to eat them?”

Hearing this, Sang Chu was stunned for a moment, then smiled. “Uncle Gao, this is the first batch of milk fruits, so let’s share them. If someone can awaken, it’s a good thing. In the future, the milk fruits won’t be so easy to get. Only if everyone works together can the base develop better. If everyone can awaken, our base won’t have to fear anyone!”

For a base to develop well, it’s not enough to have strength and skills—you need something attractive. These demon plants, with their unique products, are what make us stand out in the apocalypse.

Of course, having more people also means more trouble, so Sang Chu was a bit apprehensive. But with only a few people, it’s hard to achieve much. For now, she could only do her best to build a solid foundation.

After finding Lu Minli’s father, Sang Chu planned to take him on a journey through the apocalypse, to train and grow stronger in this new world.

Uncle Gao, hearing this, took a big bite of the fruit but was still worried about causing trouble. He really felt that it didn’t matter if he and the other older folks awakened or not—he just hoped the young people could live a little safer and have a better life in this harsh world.

His thoughts were simple: he just wanted the young people to get stronger and the base to be more secure.

Gao Qiu could tell his father was uneasy, so he patted him on the shoulder. “Dad.”

Xia Ru, always calm, said, “Uncle Gao, don’t worry. Only if Sang-jie and the young people get stronger can the base develop better.”

Gao Zhe nodded, and the others finally relaxed, realizing he really just wanted the young people to have a chance to awaken, not to take the fruit for himself.

Who wouldn’t want to awaken an ability?

But after hearing Xia Ru’s words, they realized they’d been overthinking it. Gao Zhe really had no other intentions—he just wanted the young people to get stronger.

That’s not a bad thing at all.

Li Cai (Gao Qiu) said, “That’s what my old man means. He just doesn’t say it out loud, so don’t mind him. I just think, if these fruits are so good, it’s best to give them to the kids so they can get stronger.”

Xia Ru said, “Uncle Gao and Aunt Gao’s thoughts are right, but I think Sang-jie wants everyone to awaken, so the base will be safer. In the future, when Gao Qiu goes out on missions, you won’t have to worry so much. Besides, these milk fruits only ripen once a year. If we want more, we’ll all have to work hard. It’s a good thing for the base, so Uncle and Aunt Gao, don’t worry too much.”

Sang Chu glanced at Xia Ru. She’d always thought he was clever, and now she saw he was not only smart but also ambitious—a real talent.

“Uncle and Aunt Gao, Xia Ru is right. Since you’ve joined the base, we’re all family. There’s no need to be so reserved. As long as you’re loyal to the base and never betray it, Taoyuan Base will always be your home. Here, you don’t have to be so restrained.”

Xia Ru looked at Sang Chu. Was she testing him?

“Sang-jie, don’t worry. As long as Taoyuan Base stands, I, Xia Ru, will never betray it!”

As he said this, he looked straight at Sang Chu, implying that as long as the base existed, he would always be loyal.

Sang Chu understood, and couldn’t help but feel that these old-timers really knew how to win people over.

“Alright.” She nodded, then turned to Gao Zhe. “Uncle Gao, don’t worry. I believe Gao Qiu would love for you to awaken an ability, so you can look out for each other on missions. Let’s all drink the milk fruit now. If you awaken, that’s great. If not, don’t worry—maybe there are other ways.”"