Chapter 90: To Stay or To Leave

Taoyuan Base, Day Two

Sang Chu and Lu Min were already waiting in the meeting room. When Xia Han came in, still chewing on his breakfast, his heart skipped a beat and he quickly swallowed what was in his mouth.

Gao Qiu was the first to speak up: “Sister Sang, Brother Lu, I’ve discussed it with my dad. We both want to stay. My dad says his skills aren’t bad. If Sister Sang agrees, he can help out in the kitchen!”

Sang Chu nodded and looked at the others. “What about you?”

Ruan Yaru said, “My dad and little brother both agree. I don’t want to leave either, and I would never betray the base or act disloyally.”

Wei Zaixuan hesitated, but before he could speak, An Hao said, “Sister Sang, if someone needs to leave, let Brother Yi send them out, right?”

Lu Min replied, “Brother Yi has other things to handle. I’ll take you out.”

After he spoke, An Hao fell silent, while Xia Han, who was always a bit timid, quickly lowered his head.

Wei Yu said, “Sorry to trouble you, Brother Lu. Please take my family out.”

An Hao added, “I’ll go with them.”

Sang Chu said, “Lu Min, sorry to trouble you, please take them back. Those who want to stay, come with me!”

After she finished, she turned and left. Wei Yu hadn’t expected Sang Chu to answer so decisively, but when he thought of what his sister had said, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Wei Zaixuan, An Hao, and his family followed Lu Min out.

Lu Min led them all the way down the mountain pass. Wei Qian asked, “Brother Lu, why is this different from when you brought me here?”

Lu Min patiently explained, “Because there’s a new defensive formation on the mountain, it’s safer to go down this way. There’s a path here that leads outside, and I usually park my car here.”

He opened a door, revealing several vehicles parked inside. An Hao’s eyes flashed with greed, but unfortunately, Lu Min didn’t notice as his back was turned.

“My car’s over there. Get in, I’ll take you back.”

After An Hao got in, he looked at the window. “Lu Min, can you open the window a bit? I feel a little carsick.”

Lu Min smiled, “Sure, An Hao, open it yourself.”

As soon as he finished, he started the car. At that moment, An Hao’s expression changed slightly, but Lu Min didn’t notice. An Hao had been found in the base’s basement, and originally, they hadn’t planned to let him leave. But now, seeing this, maybe their investigation hadn’t been thorough enough.

Lu Min started the car. The road ahead was pitch black, with only faint lights illuminating the tunnel. The surroundings were impossible to see clearly.

The entire way was a narrow, dark tunnel, making people feel a bit uneasy.

Lu Min said, “Hang in there, everyone. It’s a bit dark here, but once we get through this stretch, we’ll be outside.”

……

Meanwhile, Xia Han and the other two followed Sang Chu through a corridor deep inside the pine forest.

Looking at the numbers on the walls, Ruan Yaru finally understood why Ruan Siyu had insisted on staying.

He had walked for at least ten minutes, passing rows of villa-style dormitories. The whole way felt like walking through a heated, cozy empty house.

“This connects to another mountain. This is the key, and this is the lock.”

Sang Chu held a badge-shaped card in one hand and a key in the other. She walked up to a door with flowers painted on it, pressed the card to a reader, and a keyhole appeared. She then used the key to unlock the door.

“This is a special lock and key. If there’s a nameplate on the door, it means someone lives here. If not, the lock won’t open. So if anything unusual happens, you can immediately put your hand on the peach blossom on the door and press hard. The room will instantly be sealed, and the air will be sucked out, causing anyone inside to immediately fall unconscious, just like this.”

She walked up to a door, closed it, and gave it a firm slap. “Attach your vine to the door.”

Ruan Yaru was the first to comply. Among those present, her ability was second only to Sang Chu’s. But as soon as her vine touched the door, it curled up and withdrew.

“The air inside has already been sucked out?”

Sang Chu smiled, “Yes.”

After that, she unlocked the door. Everything inside was perfectly intact. If Sang Chu hadn’t checked the interior herself, no one would have guessed that, even in the apocalypse, such a high-tech room existed.

Sang Chu said, “I know, because of the base’s secrecy, you’re all a bit anxious, wondering what kind of place this really is. Honestly, I’m a bit anxious too, wondering if you’re really worth trusting.

“But I wanted to take the first step and show you my cards. When you saw that document and decided to stay, I didn’t expect it. At least, more people chose to stay than I’d hoped for.

“You’ve seen it for yourselves. Building such a large base in the apocalypse isn’t easy, so I don’t want my family to be put in danger. I’m sure you feel the same. But I can’t do it alone, that’s impossible. So before we can develop further, we have to trust each other.”

Ruan Yaru said, “As long as you don’t treat me like a blood bag, I won’t betray the base.”

Sang Chu replied, “Of course. If you’re worried, I can take you to see my breeding room right now!”

Gao Qiu said, “Sister Sang, wood-ability users are treated as blood bags everywhere. I escaped from another base because of that. I think the same as Ruan Yaru—so long as you don’t treat me like a blood bag, I won’t betray you.”

Xia Han looked at him, “You make it sound like I’m the one who’d betray Sister Sang. Don’t worry, since I’ve chosen to stay, I already see this place as my home!”

Sang Chu said, “Alright, I’ll take you to see the breeding room!”

She was about to leave when a voice sounded in her earpiece, calm but urgent: [Ah Chu, something’s wrong in the breeding room. An Hao is a seven-ability user.]

Sang Chu’s expression changed instantly. She turned to Ruan Yaru and said, “Here’s the key. Go find Yu or Muxue, either one is fine. I need to step out for a moment.”

Seeing her serious expression, the three exchanged glances, all a bit nervous.

Sang Chu handed the key to Ruan Yaru, then used her instant movement ability and disappeared in a flash.

Xia Han asked, “What… what happened?”

Gao Qiu and Ruan Yaru both had their suspicions. It was probably something to do with clearing out the people who were leaving, but they kept it to themselves and wouldn’t say a word.

Seeing their silence, Xia Han asked awkwardly, “So, what should I do now?”

Ruan Yaru replied, “Let’s go back first and talk there.”

The three of them retraced their steps. On the way past the cafeteria, they saw Xia Ru busy in the kitchen, along with Grandma Lin, Muxue, Yu, and a group of others.

Ruan Yaru said, “Yu, Sister Sang gave me the key. She said you and I should go check the breeding room!”

Xia Han saw his brother and quickly pulled him aside to tell him what had happened. But his brother, like Gao Qiu, immediately seemed to realize something and his expression turned serious.

Fine, they’re all smart people—looks like I’m the only fool here!"

"**Chapter 91: An**