Chapter 122: The City of Qingliu (2)

After getting off, Lin Muxue clung nervously to Sang Chu as she looked at the darkening sky. “Suddenly I feel uneasy. It’s so dark!”

“It’s okay. Once we’re done here, we’ll head back to base,” Sang Chu comforted her, patting her hand.

Lu Minli gazed at the massive city gates of Qingliu City, a hint of worry in his eyes. “This place gives me a bad feeling.”

Yi Peng agreed, “Yeah, same here.”

If even he could sense something was off, then there was definitely a problem.

Sang Jingwen gathered everyone together and said, “Let’s go in and take a look. Everyone, stay close and don’t fall behind. Be careful—there might be psychic ability users inside who can sense our items. Try not to use anything inside unless necessary.”

Sang Chu replied, “Alright. You’ve all used your communication stones, right?”

These items, even for psychic users, were hard to detect and much safer than light-type abilities, which could easily be sensed by others. Communication stones were crafted according to the method taught by the demon orb, and though there weren’t many, everyone had one for now.

Lin Muxue was the first to raise her hand. “Already used mine!”

The demon orb wasn’t big, so she’d strung it into a bracelet—very convenient, and outsiders wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

Sang Jingwen nodded. “Alright, let’s head in. Be careful, and hopefully we’ll find the people we’re looking for.”

“Okay!”

The city gates of Qingliu weren’t guarded, and the inside looked deserted, as if everyone had disappeared. But the predatory stares from the shadows told them people were lurking, lying in ambush.

Qingliu City seemed like a land overtaken by mutated plants—thick vines sprawled everywhere, and if you weren’t careful, you could easily trip.

Looking at the scene, Lu Minli couldn’t help but worry. If his parents were really in Qingliu City, surviving here would be nearly impossible.

“Hand over everything you’ve got!”

Suddenly, a group of ability users appeared, brandishing all sorts of weapons at Sang Chu and the others.

Sang Jingwen stepped forward, shielding the group. “Let’s not do anything rash. We’re all ability users here—no need for violence.”

A rough-looking man sneered, “Come on, hand over your food and water!”

“Yeah, give it up and we’ll let you live!”

Yi Peng, with his fiery temper, shoved Sang Jingwen aside. “Let me see you try! You say you’ll let me live? Ha!”

As he spoke, flames burst from his hands and shot toward the attackers, who scrambled to put up earthen walls to block them.

Yi Peng smirked, clapped his hands, and said, “Fire, restrain them!”

This was a new move he’d learned—using psychic power to shape the flames. In an instant, the fire wrapped around the attackers’ necks, choking them tightly.

“Let go, let go...”

The men gasped, while the rest tried to flee, only to have Lu Minli block their escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Earth, prison!”

With a shout, he gathered energy in his hands, and a massive earthen cell rose up, trapping the men inside.

Muxue watched, her eyes shining with excitement. Amazing!

So impressive!

Sang Chu noticed her expression and couldn’t help but whisper in her ear, “Wipe your drool.”

“Huh? Oh, right!”

She really thought she’d started drooling. Just as she was about to wipe her mouth, she saw Sang Chu’s teasing smile and glared at her, feigning annoyance. “You’re teasing me, Sang Xiao Chu!”

“You’re the silly one.”

Sang Jingwen just smiled at their banter, then Yi Peng dragged one of the men over.

“What do we do with this guy?”

“Boss, boss, please let me go! I was just too hungry, I just wanted something to eat, that’s all. Please let me go!”

“Yeah, boss, I haven’t done anything truly bad—I just wanted food.”

“Your food smells so good!”

As he spoke, everyone caught a whiff of the aroma coming from him. They’d all been holding back, but hunger was getting the better of them.

At this point, one of the men trapped by Lu Minli spoke up, “Boss, I have crystal cores! I can trade them for food!”

“Yeah, me too!”

Crystal cores?

Sang Chu glanced at Lu Minli, who nodded. Sang Chu stretched out her hand. “Show me the crystal cores. If they’re real, I’ll give you food.”

“They’re real, I swear!”

He fished out the crystal cores and handed them to Lu Minli, who squeezed them, closed his eyes to sense them, then nodded at Sang Chu. “They’re real.”

“If you have crystal cores, why don’t you use them yourself?”

Sang Chu approached, and the man trapped in the earth cell explained, “These cores can only increase our powers, not fill our stomachs. And ever since Qingliu City was sealed, there’s been no food at all. Everyone’s starving. Even if you have crystal cores, you can’t eat them.”

“You can’t leave? Why?”

Faced with her question, the group could only shake their heads. “We don’t know. We’ve tried everything, but we just can’t get out.”

“Then where did you get these crystal cores?”

Suddenly, the group fell silent.

“We don’t know, either. All we know is that every day, someone dies on the street, and their cores are left behind for others to take.”

A burly man stood atop a pile of rubble, looking down at them with a cold expression. Sang Chu followed his gaze and frowned slightly. This guy’s powers were strong.

“Are you the boss here?”

Nan Song shook his head. “No one dares call themselves king here. If you want to trade food for crystal cores, I can trade with you too.”

“Me too!”

Before they knew it, more people emerged from the shadows. Nan Song said directly, “I have a lot of high-grade crystal cores.”

He was the strongest, so he got the most food each day, but he wasn’t a wood-type user. In fact, there didn’t seem to be any life-type ability users left in Qingliu City.

Sang Chu said, “I can trade with you, but I need a safe place. There are too many people here—I don’t like it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of wind swept out, instantly blowing everyone except Sang Chu and her group hundreds of meters away.

Impressive!

This guy’s wind powers were strong!

For the first time, Sang Chu felt a sense of caution toward someone who could use such a powerful wind ability.

Nan Song said, “Come with me.”

He didn’t say much, just turned and led the way. Muxue clung to Sang Chu’s arm and whispered, “Sang Sang, is this guy trustworthy?”

“It’s fine. Stay alert, I’ll go with him.”

“Mm-hmm.”"

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

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**Chapter 123: Song**

The dim basement was filled with a strange smell.

Song turned on the flashlight he’d set aside for illumination. “How did you end up here?” he asked.

Sang Chu replied, “Just looking around. What about you? How did you get trapped here? Can you tell us what happened?”

Song sat on a creaky, sharp-edged stool, looking at her with a lazy, indifferent gaze. “Food.”

“Here you go!”

Mu Xue, who had been prepared, immediately took out a meat bun and handed it to him. His eyes lit up, and he snatched it, devouring it ravenously.

After finishing, he looked eagerly at Lin Mu Xue. “Are you a spatial ability user?”

Seeing his look, Lu Minli immediately stepped in front of Mu Xue, acting tough. “We gave you food, and you want our crystal cores too?”

“Pfft, you little brat!”

Song leaned back lazily, rolled his eyes, and directly pulled out a crystal core, tossing it to him. “I have no idea how many people are left in Qingliu City, but if you want to get out of here, you’ll need my help. Let’s cooperate.”

As he spoke, his gaze landed on Sang Chu. Although this woman looked thin and unremarkable, he knew she was the one calling the shots.

Sang Chu smiled. “We can cooperate, but you need to tell me—what’s the current situation in Qingliu City?”

“Food.”

“Mu Xue, give him the rest of the buns.”

At Sang Chu’s words, Mu Xue pouted unhappily and handed over the remaining buns. “These were specially made by Uncle Gao, delicious and fragrant. You’re really getting a good deal!”

Uncle Gao?

Song looked at her seemingly casual manner, but inside he was shocked. The buns were made with fresh meat, but Qingliu City had already been overrun by mutated plants—there shouldn’t be any bases left, let alone fresh meat!

This group of people might really be able to help him survive.

As he ate, he started thinking about how to stick with them and stay alive.

He’d suffered enough in this hellhole.

No matter how strong his ability was—he was already level seven—he still couldn’t make it out. If he hadn’t run into Sang Chu and the others, he’d probably have ended up like those other high-level ability users: dying on the road and being devoured by mutated plants.

Mouth still greasy from eating, Song’s expression turned grim. “I don’t know how many people are left in the city. All I know is that the mutated plants here eat people. I barely escaped with my life—they were chasing me!”

Sang Jingwen glanced at Sang Chu, thinking of the plants outside the base. Sang Chu understood her brother’s concern and gave him a reassuring look.

“So you can’t get out because of those mutated plants?” Sang Chu asked.

Song shook his head. “I don’t know. All I know is, everyone who tries to leave dies mysteriously. Ordinary people die and their bodies are just left on the road, but when ability users die, the mutated plants go crazy devouring them.”

Mu Xue said, “But when I came in, I didn’t see any bodies?”

According to his description, shouldn’t there be a lot of corpses if the plants don’t eat ordinary people?

Song glanced at her, suppressing a laugh. “Looks like you’ve had it pretty good in the apocalypse.”

“Ah? Well, I guess so.”

Song gave a bitter smile. “When people are desperate, they’ll eat anything.”

His words made everyone’s faces change, except for Sang Chu, who remained calm.

Lu Minli grew anxious, worried that his parents might have been among the victims. If only he’d come sooner...

Seeing Lu Minli’s anxious expression, Sang Chu remained composed and said, “If you can gather all the survivors in Qingliu City—both ability users and ordinary people—I’ll provide as much food as you need. As long as someone is found, I’ll give food.”

Song asked, “You have that much food?”

“I’m a water and wood dual-ability user. I can produce food and water!”

Song suddenly stood up, knocking over his stool in shock. “You’re a life ability user!”

“That’s right. As long as you can gather everyone in Qingliu City, I’ll give you food and water.”

Song looked at her, suddenly realizing, “You’re the one they’re looking for, aren’t you?”

If it were just Lu Minli, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. The only possibility was that she was the one everyone was searching for.

Sang Chu nodded. “Yes, but I don’t want people to know I’m looking for someone. So I hope you’ll keep it secret. If you can gather everyone and help me find the person I’m looking for, I promise you’ll survive.”

“What guarantee do I have that you’ll keep your word?”

Sang Chu smiled. “There are no other life ability users left in the base, but I appeared—and I’m still alive.”

Song said, “Alright, I’ll try. But ordinary people are hard to find—I can’t guarantee I’ll get everyone.”

“That’s your problem. I’ll only help if I find the person I’m looking for. If you don’t want to die trapped here, you’d better do your best.”

Song was a bit taken aback by Sang Chu’s attitude. “You don’t seem in a hurry to get out.”

“I’m really not. I know how to deal with the mutated plants—they can’t do anything to me. There’s no point in fighting them.”

Sang Chu’s tone was calm, but Song stared at her in shock. “You—you know?”

“Of course. That’s why I said I can get out. Whether you survive depends on whether you can do what I ask. If you do well, I can take you back to my base. There, you’ll have food and water, and won’t have to suffer anymore.”

Looking at her well-dressed and healthy appearance, Song couldn’t help but believe her a bit more.

“Alright, I’ll go. But you’d better keep your promise. I can’t deal with the mutated plants, but I’m willing to take the risk. I’d rather die trying than rot here!”

With that, he turned and left, but suddenly seemed to remember something. “Wait here for me—I’ll be back soon!”

After he left, Lu Minli walked over to Sang Chu. “I’ll follow him and keep an eye out.”

“Okay, be careful.”

“Got it.” Before leaving, he glanced at Mu Xue.

Sang Jingwen asked, “Sis, what about me?”

“Brother, you and Yi-ge can patrol Qingliu City using particle form. There aren’t any psychic ability users here, otherwise the mutated plants wouldn’t be so rampant. Use light communication, and if you see Lu Minli’s family, let everyone know.”

“Alright.”

Watching Sang Jingwen and Yi-ge leave, Mu Xue leaned against Sang Chu, bored. “So what should I do?”

“Wait. Wait for that guy to come back.”

“Sang Sang, do you really want to bring him back to the base?”

Seeing Mu Xue’s slightly frightened expression, Sang Chu comforted her helplessly. “He’s just desperate.”

“I know, but... it’s still kind of scary.”

Eating human flesh—just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

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Let me know if you need any adjustments or further context!"