Humans Shrunk 100 Times - Chapter 191: Dark Water

Upon hearing these words, Chen Mu frowned slightly.

It seemed that these two individuals were indeed a time bomb. Even if they were not spies, harboring them could still bring trouble. What if Qingbei came looking for them? Should they hand them over or not?

“It’s getting late,” Tang Jing suggested, “Regardless of the situation, let’s finish our meal first.”

“Agreed,” Dong Junwei nodded.

There were still many questions to ask about Qingbei, but it was evident that both of them were getting tired after the interrogation that lasted for over an hour.

After the meal, the five of them gathered to discuss the matter.

Since it was no trivial issue, Wei Dalei was also brought in for the discussion.

“Chen Mu, what do you think?” Dong Junwei naturally sought Chen Mu’s opinion in external affairs. After all, harboring these two individuals might provoke Qingbei, leading to potential conflict.

“The importance of these two individuals is self-evident, and it would be a waste to let them go,” Chen Mu said.

“But we are afraid that Qingbei might come looking for them,” He Ying expressed her concerns, “We are already at war with Yi Zhong, is it wise to provoke another adversary?”

“We have already provoked what we needed to provoke. With Qingbei’s ambitions, even without any excuse, they will sooner or later target us. We cannot bet our peace on the mercy of our adversaries,” Chen Mu thought, reflecting on how he had initially insisted that Qingbei was not an enemy, but now, even he found it hard to believe his own change of perspective.

“What Chen Mu says is right,” Tang Jing added, “In fact, I wanted to say the same thing. Even if Qingbei doesn’t provoke us, we will eventually have to provoke them.”

“Huh?” He Ying was taken aback.

“We can’t be trapped here forever. If we want to develop, population is crucial. The school can only accommodate so many people. Absorbing Qingbei’s population is the most cost-effective solution, but they started making trouble themselves.”

In truth, Tang Jing had expressed similar thoughts long before, but back then, no one paid much attention or thought it was too far-fetched.

However, now that Qingbei’s people were actively coming to join Qiming, it inevitably stirred up thoughts in people’s minds.

Perhaps Tang Jing’s idea had some real potential.

“We also need to be cautious about these two individuals. If they set off a betrayal, things could get ugly,” Chen Mu added.

“I will take care of that,” Tang Jing said with a slight smile.

With her assurance, Chen Mu and the others felt relieved.

…

An Ruosu and Yang Li watched the entire territory of Qiming with astonishment on their faces.

Several rooms that were completely indistinguishable from before;

Beds made;

Tables, chairs, and stools;

Bathrooms and toilets;

Even paper and pens were provided.

These familiar yet unfamiliar things made them feel as if they had returned to the time before they were shrunk.

Currently, within the residential area, as long as they didn’t look up or around, they could hardly feel that people had been reduced in size.

Within this small area, people’s lives were almost comparable to before.

Dong Junwei didn’t pay much attention to An Ruosu’s thoughts, but she still wanted to discern the difference between Qingbei and Qiming from her expression.

Based on the current situation, Qiming was far superior.

Indeed, An Ruosu and Yang Li had not expected the scene before them. The main reason they sought refuge here was at Xia Qing’s command, but the remaining motivation was to hope for better interpersonal relationships here. In other words, they wanted to relive the early days of Qingbei. They didn’t have much hope for material conditions.

After all, with just around twenty people, what could they develop into? Qingbei had even built high-rise residences.

However, now they could see that they had underestimated these people.

The conditions here were much better than in Qingbei; they were living in villas.

But what surprised them the most was the massive water diversion project.

Although the contraption looked peculiar, anyone could immediately tell its purpose, and the reservoir was filled with clean water, which brought a sense of relief.

Water supply wasn’t much of an issue in Qingbei.

Apart from a few water coolers and buckets on the playground, they would collect dew in the grass every day, and if it rained, they could collect some in containers.

But the biggest problem was water usage.

Aside from drinking, only the boys could bathe in the large outdoor pool they built when it rained.

As for the girls, they could only wipe themselves with clothes.

But here?

It was unimaginable.

Bathtubs and hot showers?

This was just too extravagant.

…

Tang Jing asked Zhao Xiaoyan to familiarize An Ruosu and Yang Li with the environment of Qiming.

Chen Mu knew that regardless of whether these two were spies or not, he wouldn’t let them leave. At least, they had to wait until the outcome between Qiming and Qingbei was determined before making any decisions.

Therefore, there was nothing to hide.

During lunchtime, An Ruosu and Yang Li looked at the tomatoes and potatoes on their plates with a surreal feeling.

“What is the source of food in Qingbei?” Chen Mu took a few bites and suddenly thought of this question.

“Um…” An Ruosu struggled to swallow a mouthful of food before replying, “There’s plenty of rice, and the rest is basically meat, like grasshoppers caught on the playground. Sometimes, we gather some wild grass…”

“How do you cook it?”

“There are specialized people who can cook the food.”

“How do they do it?”

“There’s an esper in Qingbei whose palms can generate high temperatures, and he uses his hands to cook the food.”

“This should be considered a combat-type ability, right?” Chen Mu asked curiously.

“Uh… When he heats his palms, he has to maintain a certain position and can’t move…”

“That…” The more they knew about esper abilities, the more they discovered the various quirky and seemingly strong but restricted powers, which became somewhat laughable.

Like this person.

Clearly, he was like a human stove.

“Just relying on him alone can cook for over 200 people?”

“In fact, only a small number of people can eat the food prepared this way. For the rest, there are other methods.”

“What methods?”

“For example, there’s someone with an ability similar to sterilization. Food processed by him, although not cooked, won’t cause illness if eaten raw; there’s also someone with an ability resembling material conversion. He can turn any living thing into a black liquid. Drinking it is equivalent to eating that living thing.”

When An Ruosu spoke these last few sentences, she seemed conflicted.

“Is the liquid not good-tasting?” Chen Mu noticed her expression.

“It tastes awful, like traditional Chinese medicine.”

“But it can stave off hunger?”

“Yes.” An Ruosu nodded, “For example, if he turns a grasshopper’s leg into a large pot of black water, everyone just needs to share the water, and it’s like eating grasshopper meat.”

After hearing this, Chen Mu felt quite moved.

Just as Tang Jing had said before, esper abilities come in all sorts of bizarre forms, leaving people bewildered.

Turning food into medicinal soup.

While this ability was undoubtedly practical, there was a sense of helplessness when thinking about it.

However…

If the abilities really don’t repeat, then this situation is understandable.

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