Chapter 26: Finding Yi Ping

Sang Jingwen was in the middle of modifying the L-seat when he suddenly stopped, turned to look at Lu Minli, and said:

“If you want to build a base, I suggest you explore deeper into the mountains. You don’t need to modify Sang Sang’s mecha for this—it’s already quite safe. In the mountains, you can use mutated plants to build a nest. For a short time, you won’t be discovered by others. Also, the mountains are vast, and most people won’t venture deep inside. For the early stages of development, it’s the best choice!”

After saying this, Sang Jingwen turned to Sang Chu and asked, “Sang Sang, how many laser weapons do you have?”

“I have ten attack lasers and ten cold weapons, all stored in my mecha!”

“That should be enough. Lu Minli, you, Mu Xue, and Grandma each take one. The three of you head into the mountains, use the particle mecha, and once you’ve found a good location, start clearing out the surrounding threats. Sang Sang and I will go find Ah Yi and then meet up with you.”

Lu Minli said, “Okay. Ah Chu, Wen-ge, be careful.”

After Mu Xue and the others left with the mecha, Sang Chu looked at Sang Jingwen. “Brother, do you not trust Lu Minli?”

“Sang Sang, do you know what rumors have been spreading lately?”

Sang Chu shook her head.

Sang Jingwen said, “A lot of people in the base are saying that if you eat an ability user, you can awaken abilities yourself. The stronger the ability, the more valuable the person.”

“What?!” Sang Chu was shocked. “Brother, are you worried that Lu Minli might hurt Ah Yi?”

“Sang Sang, he’s your friend, and I shouldn’t doubt him. But in the apocalypse, I’ve seen too many people who look decent on the outside but are rotten inside. I don’t even know what’s happened to Ah Yi right now. If he’s been hurt or something’s happened to him, and Lu Minli betrays us, I wouldn’t be able to guard against it. Little sister, I can’t take that risk.”

Sang Chu looked at Sang Jingwen and said, “Okay, I understand, Brother. Here, take this.”

A palm-sized blue sphere appeared in Sang Jingwen’s hand. He stared at it in surprise. “What’s this?”

“It’s a mecha. Just activate it with light energy and you can use it immediately.”

Sang Jingwen was stunned. “Didn’t you say you only had three?”

“Brother, did you really think I wouldn’t save something for you? Even if I can’t be sure you’ll survive the apocalypse, what if you do?”

Sang Chu looked at him seriously and said, “Brother, ever since I was little, even though we went to different universities and were separated, I never thought our bond would fade. I always believed you were alive. It’s just that it’s so hard to find someone in the apocalypse, so I made Haishi my first stop. I knew you’d come back here too.”

“Is this what they call sibling telepathy?”

Sang Jingwen looked at Sang Chu with a smile in his eyes, but after a moment, he said, “Come on, help me finish modifying the off-road vehicle!”

“Alright, just a second.”

Sang Chu stood by, eating an apple, while watching Sang Jingwen work on the off-road vehicle.

The more she watched, the more she felt she needed to study harder in the future.

[Ding—]

[Detected a modification blueprint. Would you like to modify the mecha according to the blueprint’s design?]

Sang Jingwen looked at Sang Chu. Only after she nodded did he confirm.

A black off-road vehicle instantly appeared.

Sang Chu was the first to climb into the passenger seat. Tu You, the little rabbit, squatted on her shoulder, staring wide-eyed at the huge mecha. “Ah Chu, your brother is amazing!”

Sang Jingwen suddenly heard a boy’s voice and looked around in surprise.

A little white rabbit with big ears was dozing in the passenger seat.

“Li—Little sister? Who—who is this?”

Tu You hopped in front of Sang Jingwen and introduced himself confidently, “I’m Tu You, Ah Chu’s little spirit. Hello, Ah Chu’s big brother!”

“H—Hello!”

“Brother, let’s get going. I want to find Yi-ge.”

Sang Jingwen was still in a daze, but his body had already climbed into the driver’s seat.

He kept staring at Tu You, who was right in front of him.

Tu You, seeing his wide eyes, simply sat on his lap. “Big brother, doesn’t this feel a bit surreal?”

“Ah? Um! It does feel a bit unreal.”

He reached out and curiously played with Tu You’s ears. “Are these ears or wings?”

“They’re both.”

As they chatted, Sang Chu retracted her hand, operated the light screen, and a transparent projection instantly appeared.

The screen was analyzing traces on the ground.

After a while, a female voice said, “Detected that a group of ten people passed by here earlier, heading west on foot. Would you like to follow these traces?”

Sang Chu looked at Sang Jingwen. “Brother, do you think this is the right time?”

“If not, we’ll have to search more thoroughly, but that will take longer. After all, footprints like these are hard to track if too much time passes.”

“It should be about now. I’ll go catch up and see. If it’s not them, I’ll come back!”

It would only take a day to catch up using the mecha.

“Xiao A, activate stealth mode and head forward at full speed.”

Xiao A: “Yes, Master. Please fasten your seatbelts!”

Sang Chu glanced at Sang Jingwen. “This mecha is really safety-conscious.”

Sang Jingwen nodded, quickly buckling up.

Xiao A switched to stealth mode. Sang Chu glanced at the off-road vehicle on the light screen.

All the empty spaces that could be used for storage had been folded away. According to the instructions, she opened a panel, took out an apple, and handed it to Sang Jingwen. “Brother.”

“I wonder if your Yi-ge is on this road.”

Sang Jingwen took the apple, looking a bit worried as he gazed out the window, eating.

“Don’t worry, Brother. Xiao A is going full speed. We’ll catch up soon. If it’s not them, I can always turn back and look elsewhere.”

“Let’s hope he’s on this road.”

Xiao A: “Master, detected people ahead. Slowing down. Should I approach the group?”

“Switch to stealth and reconnaissance mode.”

“Yes.”

Sang Chu glanced at Sang Jingwen, who immediately took out his flamethrower, unlocked the safety, and opened the window, aiming outside.

Sang Chu nodded, signaling Xiao A to move forward.

At this moment, Yi Ping was crouched beside a corpse, covered in blood.

Looking at the unrecognizable body, he gave a bitter smile. “I never thought I, Yi Ping, would die at the hands of my own people. After all this time, I was ambushed by my own after the apocalypse!”

“Ah Yi!”

Seeing that Yi Ping was still alive, Sang Jingwen quickly opened the back door. “Ah Yi, get in!”

Yi Ping thought he was hallucinating, but when he looked in the direction of the voice, he really saw Sang Jingwen.

And there was a woman in the passenger seat!

His originally lifeless eyes suddenly lit up."