Chapter 76: Matters Concerning Yi-ge

“Sang Sang?”

Sang Jingwen waited anxiously outside. When he saw Sang Chu finally coming out, he hurried over, his face full of concern as he looked at her.

“You’re awake, that’s wonderful!”

Although Sang Chu had already recovered physically, in Sang Jingwen’s eyes, she was still his little sister, safe and sound, and that was all that mattered in his world.

“Brother, why are you outside alone?”

Sang Jingwen patted her head and said, “Let me fill you in on what’s been happening lately. You’ve been unconscious for about half a month. Most of the nearby bases already know that A-Yi and I have started our own group and are recruiting people. So, some folks have come to join us on their own, while others have gone to other bases. Lu Min and A-Yi have been handling things. There’s a lot of good stuff hidden in the surrounding areas, and some people even took off after looting everything once you were down.

Word has spread, and now everyone’s on edge. Our base has some powerful residents and a flood dragon, so the spies from New City can’t get in. Right now, everyone’s focused on us. I’m the one making plans. Min found a wood-type ability user who could be useful, but he has family, and he’s still deciding whether to bring them all here. After all, our Taoyuan Base is a bit special.”

After he finished, he looked at Sang Chu, waiting for her decision. He hadn’t made any decisions about accepting ordinary people—he always waited for Sang Chu to decide.

Sang Chu remembered what Tu You had said: if ordinary people really couldn’t awaken abilities and would slowly die off after their energy ran out, then what would happen to her brother?

Thinking of this, she felt a wave of helplessness.

It took her a long time before she finally exhaled and said, “Let them in. It’s the apocalypse—everyone should help each other. If anyone with bad intentions shows up, we’ll deal with them then.”

“Min thinks so too. Most people are fine, and as long as we’re careful, there shouldn’t be any big problems.”

Sang Chu nodded. “Once untrustworthy, always untrustworthy. My rule is: as long as an ability user can contribute, they can stay. But if their family causes trouble, or if the ability user themselves does, then they’re all out—no exceptions.

Don’t tell me about taking responsibility for your own actions. If you don’t want to be kicked out or punished, then keep yourself and your family in line. Brother, that’s my stance. I hope you…”

Sang Jingwen looked at Sang Chu helplessly. He knew she couldn’t accept this kind of thing, and couldn’t help but smile.

“In your eyes, is your brother really that soft-hearted? I’ve seen a lot since the apocalypse started. I understand your concerns. Your brother will always be on your side. If someone breaks the rules, they’ll be punished. I won’t go easy on anyone!”

“Brother…”

When Sang Chu looked at her brother, she let out a small sigh. But seeing him hesitate to speak, she faced him, her gaze earnest. “Brother, what do you want to say? When did things get so distant between us?”

Sang Jingwen found it hard to speak. Sang Chu asked, “Is it about Yi-ge?”

“You know?”

Sang Jingwen looked at Sang Chu in surprise, but she just smiled. “I don’t know exactly what you want to say, but as for Yi-ge, I’ve guessed a little. I’ve been waiting for you to tell me, but you never did.”

“I just don’t know how to say it. I don’t know what happened to you while you were out, but I know it was dangerous. I didn’t want to add to your worries.”

Sang Chu said, “Brother, the apocalypse is dangerous, so we have to make the most of every resource we have. If you don’t tell me, and I guess wrong, what then?”

Sang Chu had guessed a little about Yi-ge’s situation, but not much, so she’d been waiting for Sang Jingwen or Yi-ge to explain.

Sang Jingwen smiled at her. “Why don’t you guess that Yi-ge and I are a couple?”

Sang Chu gave him a teasing look. “Are you?”

“I’m just good friends with Yi-ge. His situation is special—he can’t live alone. If it weren’t for the apocalypse and my own abilities, I wouldn’t have followed him. But I can’t let him wander around alone—it’s too dangerous.”

Sang Chu asked, “Does he feel pain? Does he have PTSD?”

Sang Jingwen was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “When I first met him, I just thought he was a good guy, always following me around like a lost puppy. He didn’t have any sense of boundaries, and everyone in the dorm thought he was weird. I only realized something was off because he was better at basketball than me.

One time, he got hurt—his knees were all scraped up, blood soaking through his pants—but he acted like nothing happened. I thought it was strange, but figured maybe he was just a bit of a fool. Later, there was an accident, and that’s when I found out he doesn’t feel pain.”

This was the first time Sang Chu had heard that Yi-ge couldn’t feel pain. She remembered seeing him covered in blood, wounds all over his body, but he walked as if nothing was wrong, even leaning on his Tang sword for support, with no sign of pain at all.

It was as if the person who was hurt wasn’t him.

But when Sang Jingwen mentioned there had been an accident, Sang Chu realized it must have been something serious—so serious it left a deep mark on his heart. Otherwise, with his personality, he wouldn’t allow a man with no sense of boundaries to stick around.

Although Sang Chu didn’t want to pry into others’ privacy, she knew she had to understand this. Otherwise, if only Sang Jingwen paid attention to Yi-ge in the apocalypse, it would be too dangerous.

“Brother, can you tell me what happened?”

Sang Jingwen took a deep breath. “He’s always been like this, never hiding his condition. Even after all these years in the apocalypse, he hasn’t changed much, but he can be a bit off-putting. Before the apocalypse, even I didn’t like him much, so I applied for a single room. But I didn’t get one, so I thought, fine, I’ll just apply for a double. As long as I could move out, I didn’t care.”

At this point, Sang Jingwen paused, a bit helpless. Sang Chu smiled, “But he moved in with you anyway, right?”

Sang Jingwen nodded. “Yeah, he just moved in, no questions asked. I don’t know why he insisted on following me. At first, he was always chattering at me, and I found it annoying. But by then, I couldn’t switch dorms anymore, so I started avoiding him. I took on part-time jobs just to stay away. Maybe he realized I didn’t like him, so he gradually stopped coming around.

At that time, I finally felt like I could breathe. I started going back to the dorm to rest like normal. One night, I noticed he went to bed especially early, which was unusual. But in the middle of the night, I heard the sound of dripping water. It was strange, so I got up to check. I didn’t expect to see water dripping from A-Yi’s bed. I was so startled that I pulled back his curtain to take a look, but the more I looked, the more wrong it seemed…”"

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

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**Chapter 77: The Breeding Farm**

“Is it Yige?”

Sang Chu frowned slightly. Sang Jingwen sighed and said, “If I had avoided him back then and not gone back to the dorm, I might have just stayed at my part-time job. Maybe things would have turned out differently, and I wouldn’t have forgotten about him.

The university dorms had lights-out, so I couldn’t see what was dripping onto the floor. I just felt something wet on my leg, so I used my phone’s flashlight to check, and it turned out to be all blood. I was stunned. I immediately called 120, then ran to find the dorm supervisor. He was in the hospital for a long time before he was saved.

The doctor said if I’d been even a minute later, he would’ve died. That was when I found out he doesn’t feel pain. The reason he always stuck to me was because he saw me saving a stray cat. He thought I was a good person, and that if he ever got hurt, I would help him too. But because of his lack of self-help, I almost killed him. I’ve always felt guilty about this. Even now, whenever I see him, I remember that night—the blood on the bed, on him and me.

Sang Sang, not only does Ah Yi not feel pain, but even his wounds heal slower than normal people. If he gets hurt somewhere he can’t see, he doesn’t even notice. By the time he does, it’s already infected!

Sang Chu looked at her brother’s guilty expression and patted him on the shoulder. “Brother, you can’t blame yourself for this. No one knew he was like that at the time.”

“I know, but I just can’t get over it. After that incident, we gradually became friends. It was only after getting to know him that I realized his lack of boundaries isn’t because he’s not afraid, but because he’s too scared. He wants to stick close to everyone—it’s his way of asking for help. He doesn’t want people to think he’s sick, so he never talks about it. Even his dad doesn’t know about his condition. Sang Sang, if you ever meet someone who can heal this kind of thing, please help him. He’s really suffering.”

Sang Chu nodded. “I understand, Brother. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out.”

Sang Jingwen said, “I’m not telling you this to add pressure. If he can be cured, that’s great. If not, it’s okay. I just hope he can have a better chance at life.”

“Mm, I’ll pay attention. I’ve already asked all the wood-type ability users.”

After learning the whole story, Sang Chu didn’t want Sang Jingwen to dwell on the past, so she changed the subject.

Sang Jingwen said, “By the way, if you don’t mind, I can call all the ability users over now. I’ll bring Lin and Ah Yi, and have everyone gather.”

Sang Chu replied, “That’s perfect. I have something for them to help with at the breeding farm.”

“Alright, I’ll go get them now.”

Sang Jingwen and Sang Chu headed toward the base, chatting about everyday things as they walked.

As they came down the stairs, they saw Mu Xue and Yu tending to the breeding farm, so they walked over.

When Mu Xue saw Sang Chu, she ran over excitedly. “Sang Chu, you’re back!”

Sang Chu smiled. “Yeah, I’m back. What are you up to?”

Mu Xue happily took Sang Chu’s arm. “These are all plants that Yu accelerated. Take a look—even though we can’t plant large-scale crops yet, with wood-type ability users around, we can harvest and regrow them quickly.”

She winked playfully at Sang Chu. Yu, on the other hand, nervously twisted his fingers and didn’t say much. Sang Chu noticed Yu’s anxiety but didn’t comment, just turned to Mu Xue and said, “Have all my food supplies been transplanted?”

Sang Jingwen walked over and said, “Most of the crops have been moved here. Yu’s ability is a bit weaker, so the growth is slower, but for now, our food supply is enough.”

After Sang Chu’s last trip to another world, they had already transplanted some plants to the breeding farm. Grandma Lin and Mu Xue managed the underground city’s crops, but since neither of them were wood-type ability users, it was a bit tricky.

For now, all their food was grown by Yu’s ability. Luckily, Sang Chu had brought back a lot from the mutant world, so they wouldn’t run out anytime soon.

Sang Chu took out a few small animal cubs from her bag and handed them to Yu. “I found these little ones outside. I’ll leave them in the breeding farm for you to take care of. Can you handle it, Yu?”

Yu’s eyes lit up instantly. “I can, Sang Chu! I can do it!”

Sang Chu smiled. “Good. Even though your ability isn’t very strong, it’s enough to take care of these little guys. Just pay attention to them, and if anything happens, use your wood ability to heal them. I’ll head downstairs now.”

“Okay, I got it! Leave it to me!”

Yu was eager to show Sang Chu his worth. Sang Jingwen looked at his enthusiasm and smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

The group followed Sang Chu to the breeding farm. After selecting some cows and sheep to put in the secondary breeding area, Sang Chu took out a lamp.

“This is a lamp. If you need light, just press the switch. If not, close it. It’s very convenient. From now on, all the lighting in the base will use these, so we won’t have to waste energy on lighting anymore.”

When Mu Xue saw it, her eyes widened. “Wow, this is beautiful!”

Sang Chu saw how much she liked it and handed her another one. “You can put one in your room too. This lamp uses energy stones for power, so it’s very efficient. With these, we don’t have to waste energy anymore.”

“Thank you, Sang Chu! You’re the best!”

Mu Xue hugged Sang Chu tightly, expressing her gratitude. Sang Jingwen looked at the lamp. Even though he didn’t know which world Sang Chu had visited this time, she always came back with something useful.

“Sang Chu, are these animal cubs special?”

He was worried that if they were just ordinary animals, they wouldn’t survive long in the apocalypse.

Animals without abilities usually couldn’t last more than a day. That was why, before plants returned to the world, so many animals died out.

If an ordinary person’s constitution was a bit weak, they’d die quickly too. Even those in good health could only last so long—no one knew how long they could survive, just taking it day by day.

“Don’t worry, Brother. If any of them die, we’ll just have a feast.”

Yu chimed in, “Brother Jingwen, Sister Sang Chu, don’t worry! I’ll take good care of them. As long as I’m careful and give them energy in time, I can definitely keep them alive!”

Seeing his confidence, Sang Chu and Sang Jingwen didn’t say much more.

Sang Chu said, “Alright, I’ll leave it to you. I’m a bit tired and going to rest. Please keep an eye on things here.”

“Don’t worry, Sister Sang Chu! Leave it to me!”

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