Chapter 11: Longing

The Shangshi where Rose High School is located lies on the eastern coast, belonging to a typical subtropical monsoon climate with long summers, high temperatures, and abundant rainfall.

By mid-May, almost everyone had already put on short sleeves.

Chen Mu and the others had gone over a day without a drop of water, yet their activity level was not low; thirst was unbearable, and their bodies felt sticky and uncomfortable.

"Drink your fill first, then we'll talk."

After Wei Dalei pulled out his spear, he handed it to Chen Mu, stepped aside, and gestured for Tang Jing to drink first.

Thirst is harder to endure than hunger.

Tang Jing also stopped being polite, went up and washed her hands, then cupped her palms together like a bowl, caught water, and gulped down "two big bowls."

Afterwards, she stepped aside.

Chen Mu and Wei Dalei stood on either side of the water flow, each catching water to drink.

When they had drunk their fill, both cupped water and washed their faces.

Wei Dalei went even further, taking off the "hula hoop" from his body, stripping off his upper garment, pressing the mineral water bottle against himself below, letting the water pour down from overhead, and incidentally taking a shower.

"Watch out for catching a cold," Tang Jing said with a laugh from the side.

"It's fine, I feel full of power right now, haha..." Wei Dalei struck a chuunibyou-esque exaggerated bodybuilding pose, laughing loudly while showering.

Whether strength enhancement can guarantee not getting sick, Chen Mu doesn't know, but Wei Dalei's physique was already excellent, and as a child he often rinsed himself with a tap in summer.

But Chen Mu himself didn't dare do that at this moment, just as Tang Jing said—if he got sick, it could truly be life‑threatening in such circumstances.

After the two finished rinsing, Tang Jing also stepped forward to wash her face, took out a pack of tissues she carried, dampened them with water, and carefully wiped her neck, arms, and similar spots.

After wiping, she offered the tissues to Chen Mu and Wei Dalei, asking, "Do you want some?"

"No thanks."

The two shook their heads.

Wei Dalei was soaked through; a single pack of tissues would be useless, so he wrung out his shirt and used it as a towel, while Chen Mu merely flicked his shirttail to wipe himself.

The water flowing from the mineral water bottle increased, forming a little stream on the ground that slowly crept toward the door crack.

"Hurry up and catch the water, or it'll all run out soon."

Chen Mu quickly restored the "hula hoop" back into a plastic bucket.

Wei Dalei went up to collect water.

Because the hole was small and the water pressure insufficient, the flow couldn't form a column, resembling more a spring, and as the bottle's water level dropped, the amount diminished further.

Fortunately, compared to this bottle of mineral water, Wei Dalei's plastic bucket in his hand was like a drop in the ocean; the moment he placed it under the flow, it filled up instantly.

He was about to lift it onto his shoulder when Chen Mu stopped him.

"Let me seal the opening for you; it'll be easier to carry."

Having said that, Chen Mu pressed both hands against the bucket.

In the next instant, the original bucket's walls began to elongate upward, gradually closing together.

Soon, it had become a sealed bucket.

It looked like the plastic buckets used on water dispensers, only much larger.

"This is good."

No need to worry about water spilling; carrying it is of course much more convenient.

Wei Dalei laughed heartily, hoisted the bucket, and walked off.

……

……

Dong Junwei gazed at the last sliver of sunset streaming in from the storage room window, watching the surroundings gradually darken, her brows furrowed tightly.

On one hand she was tormented by thirst; on the other, she worried that Chen Mu and the others might have met some mishap.

If we lost those three, the remaining people would probably not be able to hold out until tomorrow.

While she was lost in such thoughts,

"Haven't Chen Mu and the others returned yet?" Du Jia Jia walked up beside her.

Dong Junwei forced out a smile: "They should be back soon; you haven't fallen asleep, have you?"

"I fell asleep, then woke up thirsty."

"We'll have water to drink shortly."

Although Dong Junwei had never made any substantive contribution, in the team she acted like a parent—she had to care for everyone and also mediate disputes.

"What if… class monitor, what if they never come back? I know saying that isn't right, but I can't help worrying; without water, I feel I won't make it through tonight." Du Jia Jia's voice grew noticeably weaker, her spirit already showing a hint of haze.

A person can go several days without food, but three days without water makes survival very difficult.

Given the current weather, and with everyone having just suffered a great disaster, they need even more fluid replenishment.

They have gone more than a day and a night without water, already nearing their limit.

"It's fine; hurry up and get some rest, speak less, and when Chen Mu and the others return I'll wake you up for water." Dong Junwei said this despite her own throat feeling like it was on fire, still comforting Du Jia Jia.

"I… I'm afraid that if I fall asleep I won't wake up again."

"It won't happen; wait another half hour, and if they still haven't returned, I'll go look for water."

Of course that was just reassurance—let alone her not being able to find water alone, even if she did, she couldn't bring it back.

"Don't go, I'm scared…"

Du Jia Jia was clearly becoming a bit dazed, wanting to sleep yet afraid to do so.

Dong Junwei was also feeling terrible at this moment, but she dared not show any weakness, fearing it would make others even more desperate.

Seeing Du Jia Jia's eyelids already drooping, yet she stubbornly resisted sleep, Dong Junwei went over, took her hand, and the two sat on the edge of the towel, supporting and encouraging each other.

The last sliver of sunset vanished; only the newly risen moon brought a glimmer of light.

The surroundings seemed to grow even quieter.

Dong Junwei could even hear the sound of her classmates swallowing saliva in their sleep.

A sucking sound came from behind, obviously someone else had been awakened by thirst.

"Class monitor..."

Zhu Hao walked over, his voice hoarse to a frightening degree.

He hadn't revealed the horns on his head; what use is this ability, and so far he still couldn't figure it out.

Dong Junwei nodded at him.

"Chen Mu and the others..." Zhu Hao swallowed another mouthful of saliva, letting himself speak more smoothly.

Dong Junwei shook her head helplessly.

Zhu Hao also didn't speak further, and like Du Jia Jia, found a place to sit down.

One after another, people woke up.

But when they discovered that Chen Mu and the three of them still hadn't returned, they all fell silent in disappointment.

"They've been gone for half an hour; why don't I go fetch them?"

A male student named Qian Fei said.

Qian Fei was also tall, but unlike Wei Dalei, his temperament was always gentle, even a bit timid; usually girls liked to occasionally tease him, and he never got angry.

Since the disaster, Qian Fei had been hiding in the crowd, daring not to take the lead; everyone knew his personality, so they didn't blame him, and furthermore he still hadn't awakened his Special Ability, so he really couldn't help much.

But faced with desperation, his personality ultimately couldn't withstand the will to survive.

Qian Fei finally stepped forward; on one hand for survival, on the other hand because he felt guilty for not having contributed anything so far.

However Dong Junwei shook her head: "Don't move for now; Tang Jing said before leaving that they'd probably need about an hour to return, and only half an hour has passed. If we rashly go out and miss them on the way, we'll only waste time."

Qian Fei didn't insist, and sat down again silently.

About another ten minutes passed.

Dong Junwei watched helplessly as her classmates slowly slumped sideways, nearly unconscious as they lay on the towels, and her own vision began to blur.

Just then, footsteps sounded from afar.