Chapter 117: The Beginning of Division of Labor

“I found out something while I was in Dudu’s place,” Mu Di said. “It seems that the nearby bases all have some kind of private dealings with many cities. They have their own communication channels, but I don’t know the details.”

She had thought about this for a long time before speaking. Sang Chu looked at her and asked, “What exactly do you know?”

Ruan Yaru shook her head. “When I was in the plant cultivation room, I overheard them talking because they didn’t have their guard up. I don’t know much, but I feel that if the base wants to expand, it might not be easy if the nearby people or those with ties to Dudu are involved.”

Xia Ru, looking thoughtful, said, “Speaking of that, I actually know something too.”

Sang Chu looked over, and Xia Ru said, “Yi-ge, when you went to Shangjing to look for that Awakened person, did you notice anything strange?”

Yi Peng nodded. “Yeah, I found it odd. That Awakened is very xenophobic. Every time I tried to explain my intentions, he still refused to see me.”

Xia Ru said, “I heard that the real boss behind Dudu and the one behind that Awakened might actually be the same person.”

Sang Chu suddenly thought of An Ta, but he just didn’t seem like he was part of that group. Hadn’t he been unfamiliar with them before?

“Xia Ru, how do you know they have the same boss?”

“It’s something that only came to me after thinking about it for a long time. Back then, someone at Dudu’s place said that as long as you drank the blood of an Awakened, you could gain abilities. Ah Han didn’t say anything, he just cut his own hand for me, but it was useless. Then that person said maybe it was because Ah Han’s ability level wasn’t high enough, but there were high-level Awakened in Shangjing. If I could find one and get their blood, it could be used on me.”

Hearing this, Yi Peng became angry. The people who went to Shangjing with him were all his brothers. “So that’s why I was targeted on the way!”

Sang Jingwen patted him on the back, comforting him. “It’s all in the past now.”

Xia Ru continued, “When Yi-ge was recruiting people, someone said that I could awaken abilities, but since I went to Shangjing with Yi-ge, I noticed there were both plant-type Awakened and ordinary people in our group. It seemed suspicious. My parents and brother were all there, so I didn’t dare take the risk and refused. Yi-ge, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this at the time.”

Yi Peng waved it off. “Forget it. You didn’t have any abilities then, so there wasn’t much you could do anyway.”

Sang Chu said, “So you’re saying that Dudu, or rather, the people behind Dudu, have some connection with those in Shangjing?”

“Yeah, maybe they’re researching how to turn ordinary people into Awakened for their own use. Their methods probably aren’t very ethical.”

Lu Minli thought for a moment, then stacked the empty cups on the table and said, “So that’s Haishi, Shangjing, and Xinshi. These are the three places I know of so far that are involved. They’re using ordinary people to extract crystal nuclei and raise ability levels. I think Dudu might not know who’s really behind the Awakened, but their main interest is the crystal nuclei.”

Xia Ru nodded. “That’s what I think too. If that’s the case, and we want to expand the base and recruit people, it’s best not to go to any of those three cities!”

For safety’s sake, he hoped Sang Chu would go farther away to find people—it would be safer that way.

If he ran into An Ta again, he couldn’t afford another setback.

Sang Chu glanced at the map Lu Minli had spread out. Judging by the distances, Qingliu City was pretty far from those three places. “In that case, I’ll just go straight to Qingliu City. It’s outside those three cities. If it’s safe, I’ll recruit people from there!”

Sang Jingwen said, “Little sister, if that’s the plan, then I’ll probably have to send all my people out as well.”

It wouldn’t be good if only one person returned.

Sang Chu said, “Actually, there’s a transport vehicle in the base. I can use that, which will cut the travel time by a lot.”

As soon as she said that, Sang Jingwen, who knew her well, immediately understood what she wanted to do. “Little sister, what about Grandma?”

“Grandma will stay at the base and take care of things. If anyone needs to go out, they’ll have to get Grandma’s permission. This time, my brother, Muxue, Minli, Yi-ge, and I all have to go out, so there will only be plant-type Awakened and Aunt’s psychic-type Awakened left in the base. I suggest you don’t go out. It’s too dangerous outside.”

Xia Ru said, “If that’s the plan, Sang-jie, it would be even better to seal off the base. Everyone inside can take turns patrolling. If there’s any trouble, we can deal with it right away and prevent any information from leaking out.”

Sang Chu listened to him and couldn’t help but look at him. “Don’t you think that’s like imprisoning you?”

Xia Ru smiled. “Compared to having our information leaked and being hunted down, I’d rather be trapped in here. What do you all think?”

His father was the first to respond, “Of course! This place is great. I’d be willing to stay here forever!”

He laughed, and Gao Qiu added, “Sang-jie, you have no idea what my life was like before. Living here is already heaven for us!”

Otherwise, why would he have tried to escape with his whole family? They had nowhere to eat or live, wandering around like beggars, even though he was an Awakened. In the end, he couldn’t even protect his parents.

Sang Chu said, “Since you agree, then when I leave, I’ll activate the outer shield. If anyone tries to break in, you can patrol the underground city and caves as you see fit. Everyone should be careful. All the weapons in the armory are available for everyone to use. Make sure to register anything you take, and keep track of what you have. Xia Ru, you’ll be in charge of this. Check the inventory regularly, and if anything is missing or needs to be restocked, make sure it’s done in advance. If I’m not here, you’ll be responsible for supplies.”

She took out a key from her pocket and handed it to him. “This is the key to the supply room. You keep it for now. After you finish eating, I’ll take you to have a look and show you what needs to be done.”

“Thank you for trusting me, Sang-jie. I’ll do my best!”

“Good. Once everyone’s finished eating, you can go check out your rooms and pick one you like. The underground city is big enough for everyone to have their own room. Siyu, you and Yuping stay with Grandma and help her with some chores. Ruan Yaru, you’ll be in charge of the plant cultivation room.”

Ruan Yaru nodded. “Okay, I understand, Sang-jie.”

Ruan Siyu looked at Sang Chu and raised her hand. “Sang-jie, what about delivering food to Boss Qin?”

“You and Yuping can handle that too. Whatever he wants to eat, just let Uncle Gao know. If we don’t have the ingredients, ask your sister. If he needs anything special, go to Xia Ru.”"

"Here is a natural, fluent English translation of your provided text:

---

**Chapter 118: Dividing the Sectors**

Currently, there are several areas in the base that need special attention. The main ones are the cultivation hall, the livestock breeding area, the underground city, and the outside perimeter—each of these needs to be managed. The cultivation hall is mainly overseen by Grandma, the livestock breeding area by Riya Ru, and the underground city by me. Xia Ru, come with me. Muxue, brother, you stay here with Riya Ru and help her keep an eye on the livestock area.

Sang Jingwen said, “Alright, I understand. You and Xia Ru go ahead.”

“Okay.”

Xia Ru followed Sang Chumiao and asked, “Where are we going first?”

“Let’s go to the storage area.”

“Alright.”

Once the door was opened, you could see a long corridor, with rooms on both sides.

Sang Chu explained, “There are several rooms here. The left side is for weapons, the right side is for food and seeds. Most of our seeds are stored here. Which do you want to see first?”

“Let’s look at the seeds.”

“Alright, follow me.”

The stairs were the same as before; only after unlocking the door could you enter. Xia Ru saw a room full of seeds and asked, “Sister Sang, what are these?”

“These are spring water seeds. The ones soaking in the water are special seeds—they’re the main crops we grow in the underground city. This place is very private, and to keep these secrets safe, you should know that the food I eat is never ordinary.”

“Yeah, I always feel really good after eating it.”

Sang Chu led him closer. “This pool is filled with spring water. Part of your job will be to soak the seeds needed for the livestock in this water. Once they sprout naturally, you can transplant them. This is a tedious job, and Grandma is getting old, so I’m entrusting it to you. Can I trust you?”

Xia Ru replied earnestly, “Of course, Sister Sang. Don’t worry, I’d never betray the base!”

He knew Sang Chu had secrets, but he hadn’t expected them to be this big.

Sang Chu smiled, “No need to be so serious. I trust you, or I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Alright.”

The livestock area was a large room with shallow pools of water everywhere, and the temperature was kept high.

Sang Chu said, “These are all the poultry we currently have. You have to keep the temperature here above 30°C, and watch the spring water levels—add more if it’s low, but don’t overdo it. These poultry are fragile and die easily.”

This was the best method she could think of. The poultry were really hard to raise—maybe it was just that the apocalypse made breeding them so difficult.

She’d lost count of how many had died. The ones still alive outside had only survived thanks to that strange child who kept feeding them energy every day. Otherwise, they’d all be dead by now.

So Sang Chu had no choice but to try this unconventional method—soaking them in spring water to barely keep them alive.

The chicks were much easier to care for than the adults—they needed less energy, and when it was time to eat, you could just stimulate their growth, saving a lot of time and effort.

When Xia Ru saw the poultry, he was a bit stunned, but quickly composed himself. “I understand.”

Sang Chu said, “There’s nothing else that needs special attention. The main hall is the only area that absolutely no one can enter without permission. If you ever need to go in, you’ll have to go with someone I trust. Later, I plan to install a detector at the entrance—if anyone with abilities enters, it’ll trigger an alarm. That way, we’ll know if it’s an ability user or an ordinary person. Of course, the alarm is just a precaution.”

“Sister Sang, you’re worried about ability users sneaking in, right?”

“Exactly. These are the core areas of the base, so we have to be careful. The keys are just for show—right now, only you and I can enter the main hall. Even if someone else has the key, they still can’t get in. There are a lot of traps inside, so if anyone tries to steal a key and break in, they’ll fall right into them. So you don’t need to worry too much.”

Xia Ru said, “Don’t worry, Sister Sang. I’ll be careful.”

“Good. Now, let’s look at the weapons storage. These weapons are all special—they use light energy. You’ll need to make sure they’re charged regularly.”

High-tech?

First there were the special poultry, now high-tech weapons—Xia Ru was more and more amazed.

What kind of base was this, really?

Sang Chu continued, “Most of these weapons are already set up. The white boxes are energy storage units. After you use the weapons, just put them back in here to recharge. Also, this is a physiological inhibitor—it can reduce the monthly troubles for girls. If you ever need it, just use it here. There’s no need for a specific person to administer it. If you don’t want to use it anymore, just return it.”

Holding the items Sang Chu handed him, Xia Ru felt more and more that this base was a treasure trove—not just for the apocalypse, but even before the apocalypse, this stuff would have been rare.

“Alright, I understand.”

Seeing his calm and collected demeanor, Sang Chu knew she hadn’t chosen the wrong person. Even though he was curious and confused, he never showed any signs of greed or restlessness—he was the right kind of person.

“That’s all for official business. Now, let’s talk about something personal.”

“What is it?”

Xia Ru didn’t understand what Sang Chu wanted to discuss, but he looked at her seriously.

Sang Chu sat down on a bench, placing her hands on the table. “You want to awaken your ability, right?”

Xia Ru’s eyes lit up with anticipation. He didn’t know what Sang Chu wanted to say, but he had a feeling it was something big—something that could change his life.

Sang Chu said, “Actually, there’s a breeding area in the underground city that’s a bit special. Only Lu Min and I know about it. Do you know why?”

“Sister Sang, do you want me to go there for a while to try to awaken my ability?”

Sang Chu smiled, “You’re straightforward, I like that. Yes, that’s what I was thinking. Don’t worry, I won’t use people for experiments—just the poultry you saw earlier. Most of them die naturally anyway. If you’re not afraid, I’ll give you access to the breeding area. Go there every day, observe the poultry, and keep an eye on their condition.”

Xia Ru said, “Since you trust me, Sister Sang, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Are you sure? The breeding area is very dangerous, and you’re just an ordinary person without abilities. If something happens, and I’m not there, no one will be able to save you.”

“Sister Sang, the apocalypse is dangerous everywhere. Besides, if you’re not there, at least someone will be looking after the poultry.”

Since she hadn’t told anyone else, it was clear the others didn’t agree with this method. But he didn’t mind—breeding is breeding, as long as it doesn’t cost human lives, he had no psychological burden.

“Alright, since you don’t mind, I’ll take you to have a look. Come on, let’s go.”

---"