Chapter 124: A Wealth of Talent

""Brother Song, do those people really have food?""

Song glanced at his brothers, feeling a little embarrassed. ""Yes, they do. One of them is a life-type ability user, and another has a space-type ability. From what I saw, their abilities aren’t especially high, but they’re tough. If we fought head-on, I might not win. Plus, I think they have a way to get out of here.""

Zhou Li looked at the oil on Song’s lips and teased, ""Brother Song, you already ate, didn’t you?""

After Zhou Li’s words, the rest of the group started grumbling, ""What happened to ‘brothers live and die together’?""

Wang Jin said, ""Alright, Li, let Brother Song finish what he has to say. If there’s really a way to get food, I don’t want to be the only one starving while Song watches.""

Song chuckled, ""He said he’ll exchange food for crystal cores. Spread the word—let the ability users go to him for food. Then, quietly go to the air-raid shelter and find the ordinary people. As long as we find them, I’ll go with him.""

Wu Shi frowned slightly. ""Brother Song, do you think he can really take us out?""

Song smiled, ""Even at my lowest, I’m a level six. That’s not too shabby. I haven’t been outside the base, but I’m sure nowhere else has developed as fast as we have.""

Tang Lei sighed, ""Definitely not. We’ve been stuck here so long, I don’t even dare to level up. If I break through to level eight, I’ll be dead for sure.""

At this, both he and Song’s faces darkened. If he reached level eight, he’d die, but if he didn’t, he’d die anyway. It was a dead end.

Song said, ""It’s alright. I think he can do it. Even if it’s not perfect, it can’t get much worse. Let’s give it one last shot. If it doesn’t work, we’ll fight to the death!""

He said ""fight to the death"" with particular weight, like he’d made up his mind.

Zhou Li said, ""Alright, then it’s settled. Wu and I will find the ability users. Brother Song, you go find the ordinary people—they trust you more.""

Unlike other ability users who bullied or killed indiscriminately, Song had always protected the ordinary people, so they trusted him. If anyone else went, they probably wouldn’t even get in the door, but Song could.

Underground Air-Raid Shelter

Lu Minli followed the winding path, the air damp and dark, moss covering the walls.

Song knocked on the heavy door. Inside, it was silent—no one answered.

""I’m Song. Don’t be afraid, everyone. I’m here to share some news. There’s a life-type ability user outside who needs a lot of crystal cores. As long as you give her crystal cores, she’ll give you food.""

Creak—

The heavy door opened a crack, revealing a small window. An old man peered out. ""Really?""

Song replied, ""Uncle Yan, when have I ever lied to you?""

Uncle Yan’s trembling hand passed a pouch of crystal cores through the window. ""Take them, then.""

He didn’t dare go outside—out there, ability users saw ordinary people as food. Many people hadn’t survived six rounds already.

Song hesitated, ""That might not work. She wants to see you in person. She seems to be a good person, so Uncle Yan, do you want to go out, or should I bring her here?""

A good person?

Uncle Yan glanced back at the old, sick, and weak behind him, gritted his teeth, and said, ""You… you can bring her in!""

""Alright, I’ll go talk to her about it.""

Since Uncle Yan didn’t want to go out, Song didn’t push. The air-raid shelter’s door was ingeniously built—unless you knew how to open it, you’d never get in.

As Song left, Uncle Yan was about to close the door when a small child tugged at his leg. ""Uncle Yan, is Mu Mu’s family coming to find her?""

Looking at the frail Mu Mu, Uncle Yan knelt down and gently stroked her head with his dry, cracked hand. ""Mu Mu misses her dad?""

""Mm. When is he coming back? I’m so hungry.""

Mu Mu’s dad had gone out to find food and never returned. The adults all knew what that meant, but no one dared say it in front of the children.

Lu Linlin hugged her own daughter tightly, tears in her eyes as she watched Mu Mu.

That one weak cry made Lu Minli, who had just left, pause. He quickly took out his communicator and sent a message as he re-entered the shelter.

Was that really his sister?

And the child she was holding—was that her daughter?

Seeing that they were alright, Lu Minli’s eyes reddened as he messaged: [Achu, I found my sister and her child. They’re in Song’s group. He said you want to trade. I’m sending you their images now. I’ll go with him to the second group. My dad isn’t here—I’ll keep looking for him.]

When Sang Chu received the message, she was stunned. She hadn’t expected them to be found so quickly. Seeing the images Lu Minli sent, Mu Xue’s eyes filled with tears. ""It’s so hard for them here.""

The children were all skin and bones, the elderly little more than skeletons. The ground was littered with gnawed bones and melon rinds.

""Achu, can I bring them out too?""

""Yes, bring them out.""

""Okay.""

Mu Xue hugged Sang Chu tightly, burying her face in her shoulder. She knew she was being sentimental, but she really couldn’t bear to see so many people suffering like this. Right now, she had the power to save them—how could she not?

Sang Jingwen was also having some luck. He piloted his drone through the ruins and found several large warehouses—most had already been emptied.

[Sang Sang, take a look at this.]

After opening the video feed, Sang Chu saw the warehouse filled with crystal cores.

[Brother, get a little closer so I can see.]

[Okay.]

Sang Jingwen carefully maneuvered the drone closer and saw that inside was a person—another survivor. But this one looked even more human than the ones outside the base.

Seeing that person, Sang Chu suddenly thought of Qin Si.

If, after the apocalypse, only these kinds of people were left—would this world ever return to what it once was?

She’d never dared imagine it before, but now she had to face the truth.

After the apocalypse, what remained were either ability users, monsters, or a world of the exhausted and desperate. It was no longer the world she once knew.

[Brother, Lu Minli has found his family. Come back first.]

[Alright, I’ll head back now.]

Seeing all this, he felt a chill run down his spine. Once Sang Chu left, he wouldn’t hesitate to leave, too."