Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 190: Friction

"Moreover, it's challenging for humans to be completely rational," Tang Jing continued. "If someone with higher abilities than Dong Junwei were to join us now, would everyone accept them as the leader?"

The crowd exchanged glances and then shook their heads.

"What's the current situation with Qingbei?"

"The overall strength is still quite good, at least the combat power hasn't weakened much. We've had several major battles with One Middle School, and it seems like we've had the upper hand."

It was evident that An Rusu was more inclined to support Qingbei. When talking about this side, there was a hint of pride on her face, but it quickly dimmed.

"Last time, when Song Yu led people to the canteen area, they seemed to have been repelled by One Middle School," Chen Mu recalled the time they tried to steal cars.

"That time, they returned without achieving anything, but no one died. On the contrary, One Middle School suffered some casualties during the pursuit. Senior Song is still formidable in this regard. It's just that... the auxiliary ability users down below have lost their enthusiasm, and the construction speed of the base has noticeably slowed down."

"Back in the day, we could build one floor in a day, but now...," An Rusu sighed.

Chen Mu suddenly became curious and asked, "How many ability users are there in Qingbei in total?"

"Well, there are a total of 200 people in Qingbei, and over 100 of them have abilities. However, the abilities of some individuals are still unclear. For example, there is someone who grew a tail, but until now, we don't know what it's used for..."

As soon as An Rusu mentioned it, everyone's eyes focused on Zhu Hao.

Thinking he might be ashamed, Zhu Hao straightened his back and said, "You see, this isn't just my problem, others are like this too!"

An Rusu continued, "Out of the 100-plus ability users, there are only around 20 who are combat-oriented, and some are barely relevant. The rest, like me, are auxiliary ability users."

Chen Mu asked, "I haven't asked yet, but what's your ability?"

"Ah, didn't I say it before?"

An Rusu smiled shyly, "My ability is to polish the surface of objects, making them smoother."

"Reducing friction?" Chen Mu exclaimed.

"Yes, you could say that," An Rusu nodded.

Hearing this, most of the Qiming group showed delight.

The meaning of reducing friction in the industry was evident, even a middle school student could understand it.

Such a powerful ability, yet Qingbei forced her into exile. It's unclear whether it's their misfortune or Qiming's luck.

"I saw Qingbei's people using a huge iron box to transport rice. The bottom of that box was processed by you, right?"

"Yes," An Rusu replied. "Qingbei only has three of those boxes. It's not that the boxes are hard to make, but with my ability, it takes about ten days to reduce the friction on the bottom of the box to a level where dozens of people can drag it. For this, I've been scolded several times."

"Why were you scolded?"

"They said I didn't practice hard enough and didn't prioritize the organization's construction. But I've already tried my best; I've fainted from exhaustion several times, but my ability improvement has been very slow."

"Besides this, what else do they make you do?"

"Basically, it's similar things, making the surfaces of large objects smooth and easy to move."

Chen Mu glanced at Tang Jing, who clearly showed a disdainful look, apparently looking down on Qingbei's wastefulness.

"Then..."

Chen Mu turned his gaze to the girl next to An Rusu, "Your name is Yang Li?"

"Yes."

The girl who hadn't spoken since she came in nodded with some shyness and fear.

It was evident that between these two, An Rusu was more talkative, while Yang Li was almost invisible.

She looked at An Rusu, clearly hoping her companion would speak for her.

Chen Mu immediately said, "It's just describing your ability. Don't be afraid; we're not cannibals."

The girl's behavior was as if she had entered a tiger's den. Everyone around her seemed like fierce tigers. Nowadays, it's rare to see high school students so shy.

Yang Li nervously took a deep breath and then meekly said, "My... ability is to release a scent that drives away various insects and bugs."

"Jasmine scent?" He Ying suddenly interjected.

"Yes, yes."

Yang Li looked surprised, apparently curious about how He Ying knew about it, but she didn't dare to ask.

At this moment, Chen Mu also remembered that when he was eavesdropping on Qingbei's rice transportation, He Ying had mentioned the scent of jasmine at the scene. At that time, Chen Mu didn't pay much attention, but now He Ying brought it up again.

"Can you try it?" He Ying asked.

"Oh."

After Yang Li finished speaking, she didn't make any movements, and her expression remained unchanged. However, in just one or two seconds, a faint fragrance filled the air, even Chen Mu, who wasn't particularly sensitive to smells, could clearly smell it.

"It's indeed this scent," He Ying said with a smile. "So, you're Qingbei's bug repellent? When everyone goes out to work, they can bring you along and not worry about insects?"

"Yes," Yang Li nodded.

An Rusu apparently felt that her companion's answer was too brief and hurriedly added, "Yang Li's ability is very practical, but it requires someone to stay awake. Once she falls asleep, the ability becomes useless."

"How long can it last?" Chen Mu asked a more specific question.

"It seems to last quite a while..." An Rusu looked at Yang Li.

Yang Li nodded, "It can last for four or five hours, but that's already the limit. After it ends, I need to rest for at least an hour."

"That's already very good," He Ying said with a smile.

This ability is somewhat similar to Xue Xu's, but Xue Xu's is an emergency measure, while Yang Li's provides sustained protection, each with its own advantages.

Of course, Xue Xu's ability has significant side effects.

Hearing He Ying's praise, Yang Li's eyes brightened a bit. She glanced at him and immediately lowered her head, but her body visibly relaxed.

Chen Mu noticed all this and thought, "How suppressed is this girl usually? Even a simple compliment can make her happy like this?"

The true nature of these two abilities cannot be fully understood for a while. If they really decide to take them in, Tang Jing will have to conduct systematic inquiries and tests in the future.

Chen Mu asked again, "What will Qingbei do to people like you who escape?"

"I don't know," An Rusu shook her head and sighed. "Until now, no one has ever escaped from Qingbei. After all, even if it's tough and sometimes we get bullied within the organization, it's still better than living a precarious life outside. With abilities like mine, I probably wouldn't survive even a day out there."

"I remember Song Yu said that you could leave anytime, right?"

"That's what they say, but they also promised equality, and now, isn't that just an empty promise?"

An Rusu sighed again and added, "Moreover, when Xia Jie let us leave, she also warned us that the organization might come after us to bring us back."

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