Chapter 87: The Base’s Rules

“Sister Sang, @ isn’t this a bit too strict?”

Xia Han originally wanted to nudge his good friend Miao Miao, but when it came time to face Sang Chu and her rules, he couldn’t help but speak up.

Lu Minli said, “It’s a bit strict, yes, but for the people who are important to the base, rules are the best protection. If you can’t accept it, I won’t force you. I can send you back.”

An Hao said, “I can guarantee that I’ll follow the rules, but what about others? If someone I bring in doesn’t, but their family does, I can’t do anything about it, but they’d still be driven out. Isn’t that a bit unfair?”

Wu Yu said, “That’s true. @ This could cause dissatisfaction among others.”

Sang Chu looked at him coldly and said, “What is fairness? In my eyes, what I say is fairness. If you’re not convinced, you can leave. I won’t stop you. Besides, whether you’re here or not doesn’t change anything for the base. At most, it’s one less mouth to feed. Having you here doesn’t make much difference, except maybe one more person to cause trouble. So tell me, under these circumstances, do you think you have the right to negotiate with me?”

An Hao was chilled by her words, his heart skipping a beat. “Sister Sang, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just thinking that maybe in the future, Miao Miao and the others might have similar concerns.”

Sang Chu said, “It’s not easy for anyone to survive in Taoyuan Base. So, you don’t need to worry about others. What you need to consider is the present. Like Minli just said, if you don’t want to stay, you can leave. Every room has a timer. The base’s rules are set according to the timer. It’s now 9 p.m. We’ll meet again at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Whether you want to leave or stay, it’s all up to you. After that, we’ll talk about what comes next.”

Lu Minli added, “The showers are open now. If you need to wash up, go ahead, but be careful not to waste water. After you’re done, collect the water and pour it into the storage tank outside the public restroom. If you need water later, you can fetch it from there. Go talk it over with your family first. Once you’ve decided, let us know tomorrow.”

At this moment, Ruan Yaru and Gao Qiushan, who had been silent, spoke up, “No need to discuss. My family and I have decided to stay.”

After speaking, they looked at each other in disbelief.

Gao Qiushan had been picked up by Yi Ping and Lu Minli on the road. He didn’t want to be used as a blood bag, so he wanted to find a way to join a base with his parents.

Ruan Yaru’s situation was similar. If Ruan Siyu hadn’t found Yi Ping, she might already be dead. As long as she and her family had a safe place to stay, anywhere was fine.

Sang Chu said, “No rush. Go talk it over with your family first. There’s hot water in the showers, so you can wash up and get a good night’s sleep. We’ll talk about the rest tomorrow. Xiaoyu, go with Lu Minli if you need anything.”

Ruan Yaru looked at her for a while before saying, “Alright.”

She didn’t want to leave, but Sang Chu had already made herself clear. There was no point in staying any longer. She stood up and bowed slightly. “Thank you.”

After that, she left. The words “thank you” might have sounded strange, but Sang Chu understood what she meant, so she didn’t say anything more.

After she left, the others followed.

Yi Ping let out a long sigh. “When it comes down to it, it’s not so easy to persuade people.”

Lu Minli sat down beside him, patting his shoulder. “Human nature is complicated. That’s why I insisted on having him secretly follow me. He’s an ability user. No matter which base he goes to, he’ll be welcomed. So when the time comes, if he wants to leave, he’ll just find an excuse not to be blamed.”

Yi Ping looked at him. “You knew he wanted to leave?”

“Not necessarily, but he’s got the option. As long as he doesn’t fall out with his current base, he can go back easily because of his abilities. Also, my base is different from others. I don’t need a lot of people, just elites—at least people who can hold their own. That way, if we’re attacked, everyone can contribute.”

Yi Ping felt a bit disappointed. Everything had been agreed upon, but now, just because of some rules, people were having second thoughts. Didn’t that mean they were afraid that they or their families couldn’t follow the rules?

That’s betrayal!

Sang Jingwen said, “Ah Yi, don’t overthink it. Go keep Aunt company. Don’t let these outside matters cloud your mind.”

Sang Chu said, “Then I’ll leave it to you, Brother Sang. You take care of things here.”

“Alright, you should get some rest too.”

There wasn’t much entertainment in the apocalypse. When it got late, everyone just went to sleep. It was actually quite healthy.

After Lu Minli and the others left, he looked at Sang Chu with a serious expression. She nodded, indicating her agreement with his approach.

Sang Chu said, “This stays between us.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything slip.”

Sang Chu glanced outside and said, “I’ll go check on things.”

“Alright.”

The underground prison quietly held those who had been secretly detained.

This place was under the underground city, in a tightly sealed space. Even Sang Jingwen’s light ability couldn’t detect its existence.

Looking at the row of exhausted prisoners, Lu Minli threw a compressed biscuit at one of them, who scrambled to grab it and wolfed it down.

“There are a total of ten ordinary prisoners here. I didn’t tell him. They were all secretly moved here. Your reason last time was good, but...”

Before he finished, Sang Chu already knew what he meant and felt a bit helpless. “I know. Let’s just keep things as they are for now. If any of them develop abilities, I can take their crystal cores directly. If not, we can keep them locked up here. At least they won’t cause trouble outside.”

Lu Minli said, “Alright. If anyone wants to leave tomorrow, find an excuse to keep Yi Ping and the others here. I’ll take care of sending him out myself.”

Sang Chu said, “Okay, I know. Keep things clean. The base is still stabilizing, so don’t let any news leak out.”

Lu Minli sighed, “Let’s just hope he doesn’t make the wrong choice.”

Sang Chu said, “It’s the apocalypse. Even kindness can put us in danger. My brother wants to save the world, but you and I can’t afford to. The things he won’t do, I’ll do myself. Lu Minli, the more blood on our hands, the cleaner his hands stay.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t hesitate.”

“Alright, I’m going to check on the peach saplings he’s cultivating. If you’re free, go check out the training room in the underground city. I’ve set up a weapons storage next to it. There are some good weapons and some not-so-great ones, but they’re all hard-won. Find one that suits you—it’ll double your abilities.”"