Chapter 12: Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Dong Junwei's eyes widened sharply; in the dim background, three figures slowly walked toward them.

From their silhouettes, one person was carrying a huge object on their shoulder.

……

Chen Mu and the two others approached, and in the faint moonlight saw the miserable state of their classmates, startling them; they initially thought an attack had occurred.

Only when Dong Junwei and Qian Fei came forward to greet them did they realize the others were merely exhausted to the limit.

Wei Dalei set down the water bucket.

The few who were still conscious saw the bucket full of water, and their spirits lifted.

Chen Mu stepped forward and reopened a small opening in the sealed water bucket.

"How should we drink it?"

Qian Fei looked at the clear, transparent water before him, swallowed, and asked.

We can't all lie by the bucket to drink.

Dong Junwei looked at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu didn't need her reminder; he nodded and said, "I'll make a few cups."

For something as light and simple as a cup, Chen Mu could now make it effortlessly.

He took a piece from the earlier plastic spoon, then skillfully separated and transformed it.

Soon, round cups emerged from his hands one after another.

To save time, he didn't attach handles to the cups.

They also looked a bit crude.

Perhaps they were more like bowls.

But everyone no longer cared about that; they took the cups and moved to the bucket.

Considering hygiene, Dong Junwei didn't let everyone scoop water individually from the bucket; instead, she used a single cup to scoop water and then poured it out for each person.

Although they could barely endure it, when fetching water they still habitually lined up, with the girls in front and Qian Fei at the back.

Each person took one cup, drank it, returned to the end of the line, re-formed the queue, and took a second round.

The scene was very quiet, making the sound of everyone gulping water especially noticeable.

Wei Dalei said anxiously, "Class monitor, Xiao Yan and the others are still asleep."

He needed to hold the bucket steady so Dong Junwei could scoop water more easily, and besides, Chen Mu's craftsmanship was still a bit rough, the bucket's bottom uneven; if not held, it might tip over.

Tang Jing smiled lightly: "I'll go wake them."

Having said that, she went to wake the three still sleeping on the towel, which included Zhao Xiao Yan and Gu Ping.

Everyone's tolerance for thirst differed; Zhao Xiao Yan, who usually spoke little, was just as thirsty but fared much better than the others.

After being woken, Gu Ping quickly understood, took his own cup, lowered his head and walked to the bucket's edge to accept the "gift" from the class monitor; he knew the water had been carried by Wei Dalei and didn't dare glance at him the whole time.

Although the two didn't get along, Wei Dalei didn't make things difficult for him in this regard; after all, he couldn't really watch a classmate die of thirst.

After everyone had finished drinking, Dong Junwei finally poured herself a full cup, forcing herself to slow down and sip slowly.

Chen Mu had already had his fill; watching from the side, he couldn't help but admire Dong Junwei's willpower.

He himself might be able to do the same, but that would be due to the willpower forged in hardship since childhood.

But Dong Junwei came from a wealthy family; her father is a well-known entrepreneur in the city. Although Chen Mu doesn't know exactly what the Dong family's business is, he often sees her father on TV news.

For a girl like her to have such self-discipline and sense of responsibility is truly not easy.

The effect of drinking water was immediate.

The previously lifeless scene now became lively again; everyone seemed to have been reborn, starting to chat and laugh.

Less than a third of the water in the bucket had been used; at this rate, it could last about three more days.

Dong Junwei walked over.

"Chen Mu, you should go to sleep early; from fetching the cake to now, you've been running around nonstop, and I honestly feel bad about it."

"It's nothing, just doing what I can." Chen Mu didn't add more: "Then I'll go sleep now."

According to the time, it's only about seven or eight o'clock now; normally, in mid-May, before the college entrance exam, this period would be the final review crunch.

There is no college entrance exam.

Perhaps this is the sole advantage of the apocalypse.

……

Chen Mu had indeed expended considerable physical and mental energy that day and urgently needed a long sleep to recover.

However, before sleeping, he still went to seal the water bucket to keep out dust and prevent anything else from drinking from it.

After those events last night, he then found a spot at the edge of the towel to lie down.

Earlier, several towels had been scattered on the ground, but Dong Junwei, fearing someone might be isolated and attacked, still had everyone sleep on a single towel; fortunately the area was spacious enough not to feel crowded.

After Chen Mu lay down, he quickly fell asleep.

Dong Junwei still arranged night watches; aside from Chen Mu and Wei Dalei, everyone took two‑hour shifts. Fortunately, the others had gotten some sleep while Chen Mu's group fetched water, so they could still manage.

"Class monitor, I'm not tired and can also take night watch," Wei Dalei assured, patting his chest.

Dong Junwei said, "I know you're not tired, but carrying such heavy things all the way certainly affects your stamina; you are our team's main fighting force, and if anything happens we'll still need your strength. Even so, we can spare you—please go rest properly."

Wei Dalei had wanted to insist, but Zhao Xiao Yan came over and persuaded him; the big lug immediately obediently ran to the towel, found a spot not far from Chen Mu, lay down, and fell asleep.

Dong Junwei sighed, "Looks like it really is a case of one thing subduing another—this stubborn ox Wei Dalei still needs Xiao Yan to keep him in line."

Zhao Xiao Yan's pretty face flushed.

……

Because he had gone to bed very early the previous night, Chen Mu woke up at the first light of dawn amidst Wei Dalei's snoring.

Judging by the degree of daylight, it was probably around five o'clock.

He glanced around and saw that the two on night watch had also leaned against each other's backs and fallen asleep.

The night shift was indeed tough; everyone was just an ordinary high school student, so they couldn't possibly have military‑level discipline.

Mei Mei slept a while, and Chen Mu felt his body and mind return to peak condition, so he picked up his weapon and headed for the door crack.

For 99% of people, the first thing upon waking in the morning is…

Urinate.

Chen Mu bent over and slipped out through the crack in the door, first breathed in the outside air scented with grass, then found a gap in the concrete floor and relieved himself.

But he didn't dare go too far.

As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm.

Chen Mu certainly didn't want to be that worm.

Thinking of Luo Hui's fate, he silently sighed.

He and Luo Hui weren't particularly close; they were merely classmates.

But if Luo Hui were alive, the team would have a flying ability user, and the help would obviously be enormous.

Thinking of Special Ability, Chen Mu picked up his "weapon" again.

He was pondering whether to do some morning training when he heard someone approaching from behind.

"Getting up this early?"

Tang Jing walked over, using her fingers to comb her long hair.