In the mercenary dormitory, Tu You rolled around on the bed laughing as she looked at all the things she had managed to bring back.
“That was hilarious! I really want to see the expression on that couple’s faces when they realize they’ve been robbed!”
“All right, be careful not to fall off the bed.”
While organizing the water containers Tu You had stolen, Sang Chu set aside the old one, planning to clean it and refill it with fresh water.
“I won’t fall!”
Tu You jumped up, flew to the refrigerator, grabbed a bunch of grapes, and munched while watching Sang Chu work. “Ah Chu, is this enough for you? If not, should we go steal some more?”
“No need. Doing business isn’t easy for anyone. If they hadn’t tried to scam me, I wouldn’t have asked you to take all their new-energy water containers.”
Tu You blinked. “You really don’t seem like someone from the apocalypse. In my memories, people in the apocalypse were all extremely selfish.”
“I know. I’ve seen it too. Maybe, before long, I’ll also become like them—selfish and indifferent. But before that day comes, I want to hold onto what remains of my principles, and not let myself become a complete monster.”
Her voice was calm and flat. Tu You froze for a moment, then shoved a grape into her mouth. “You won’t. I know you’re a good person.”
Sang Chu didn’t answer. In the apocalypse, there were no good people—only a few fragments of humanity left.
Tu You pointed at the containers. “Ah Chu, so what are you going to do with all these?”
As she watched Sang Chu set them near the purifier, she asked curiously. Sang Chu projected a tutorial video from her light-brain and followed the instructions to drain the containers.
Tu You, eating fruit beside her, watched for a long time but didn’t see any water flow out. “Ah Chu, why isn’t any water coming out?”
Sang Chu pointed to the sink. “This is a special mineral from Starfish Planet. According to the video, it absorbs water infinitely. As long as the storage valve is opened and placed on top of it, the stone will drink up all the water on its own.”
“Oh! So we just need to put them all on top of it?”
“Yes. It will take about one night to drain all of them. I’m going to sleep first. When I wake up, I’ll start refining the gold beads for Dr. Li.”
“Wait!”
Tu You quickly pulled out the mental cultivation manual and handed it to her. “Ah Chu, don’t sleep yet. Read this and train according to it.”
“This is the spiritual cultivation manual you mentioned?”
Sang Chu opened it. Inside were diagrams of meridian flow and explanations regarding spiritual power.
“Yes! Once you train and increase your spiritual strength, refining the gold beads will go much faster. When someone is exhausted, it’s the best time to cultivate!”
“There’s a saying like that?”
Seeing her confusion, Tu You lifted his chin proudly. “Of course! You barely slept when you were out in the wild, and now you’re in a state of mental tension. Once you fall asleep, your mind will relax and you’ll miss the best training window. So don’t rush to sleep—read it first. Even if you don’t fully understand it yet, at least meditate and adjust your spiritual strength.”
Sang Chu nodded, sat down on the floor, and began cultivating according to the manual.
Time passed slowly. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she breathed heavily, trying to gather her scattered mental power.
Suddenly—
A surge of immense, overwhelming power poured through her mind, as if trying to break free from its restraints.
Just as she thought she was about to succeed, a sharp pain pierced through her skull—so intense it felt like her brain was being torn apart.
She gritted her teeth, not daring to relax even for a moment.
The moon fell, the sun rose.
Spiritual power in her mind finally condensed into fine threads.
“Hah—”
She woke with a heavy exhale, drenched in sweat. Tu You was still sitting amidst a mountain of fruit, eating contentedly, his mouth covered in crumbs.
“Ah Chu, you’re awake! How do you feel?”
Sang Chu glared at his comfortable posture. “Terrible. I’m taking a shower. Clean up your mess.”
After washing up, she changed clothes and lay down, only then realizing she hadn’t bought any extra clothes.
Forget it. I’ll buy some after I wake up. I’m so tired…
She drifted into sleep instantly.
When she opened her eyes again, two whole days had passed.
The room was filled with supplies. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked, “What is all this?”
Tu You flew over and sat on her stomach. “Dr. Li brought it! She knocked, but you didn’t wake up. She got someone to open the door. She saw you sleeping and tried waking you, but when you still didn’t respond, she used a medical scanner and confirmed you were fine, so she left everything here. Oh, here’s her message.”
Sang Chu read the note:
Everything is ready. Once you wake up, remember what you promised me.
Everything was ready?
She jumped out of bed and rushed to the table. Water containers, a light-brain device, a mini medical pod, spatial bands, new-energy water containers—everything was there.
Inside the spatial band were clothes, food, weapons—much more than she had prepared.
The more she checked, the bigger her smile grew. “There’s so much! This should be enough for us to survive the apocalypse for a long time!”
“More than enough!” Tu You nodded. “You’ve always been so alert, so you must have overexerted your mental strength that night. That’s why you slept for two days. Try your wood ability now—see if there’s any improvement.”
Sang Chu paused while storing the supplies, then took out a vine from which she had previously harvested a watermelon.
Placing both hands on it, she focused.
In moments, a large watermelon grew. It sounded crisp when cut open. The flesh was bright red and incredibly juicy.
One bite—sweet, refreshing, unbelievably delicious.
“I didn’t expect mental power to boost my ability this much. It’s so sweet!”
Tu You urged, “Then hurry and refine gold beads! She brought you so much, and you haven’t given her even one! The Otherworld Train will arrive within the next two days.”
Hearing that, Sang Chu wiped her mouth and began refining.
This time was much easier. Soon she had a small pouch of beads. But it was still far from the amount she promised Dr. Li, so she continued nonstop.
That entire day, she did nothing else.
Tu You stored all the food in the mercenary dorm, replaced the stolen storage containers’ water with clean water, and packed everything up.
After a day and night, they were finally ready.
【Dr. Li, sorry. I was sleeping these past two days. I just woke up. I’ve prepared everything you asked for. Come pick it up.】
(End of Chapter)