Chapter 18: Dong Junwei Awakens

Chen Mu had no objection to Dong Junwei's suggestion; giving each person an extra bit of self-defense ability increased the team's safety a little.

Although this increase might not actually be useful, at least in critical moments it won't drag the team down.

Moreover, in this environment survival is literally wrested from tiny cracks; putting in ninety-nine percent effort for a one percent chance of survival is worthwhile.

Considering the girls' strength, Chen Mu split his weapon in half and made an iron rod for Tang Jing.

He didn't dare give her a bladed weapon, fearing she might cut herself while swinging it.

Tang Jing hefted the iron rod in her hand and asked, "Should I hit its head?"

Perhaps sensing the scattered rice on the ground, those few rice worms furtively crawled out.

Chen Mu said, "Strike where its mouth would be; that's the softest part."

The rice worm has no true mouth; the front of its head is a slender proboscis resembling an elephant's trunk.

"Hmm."

After saying that, Tang Jing was the first to step forward.

Wei Dalei, fearing any mishap, also shouldered his wolf-tooth club and followed, standing guard nearby.

The battle actually turned out a bit comical.

Although Tang Jing was quick-witted, she had no experience in fighting; gripping the iron rod, she suppressed her discomfort and brought it down vertically on a rice worm.

However, the first strike missed the rice worm entirely, thudding onto the ground; instead, it startled the worm, which turned and fled.

Unwilling to give up, Tang Jing chased after it and struck a second blow.

This blow landed, but only hit its rear.

This small crustacean-type creature has an extremely hard shell.

Tang Jing's strike did almost no damage to the rice worm, but the attacked worm still sped up its escape.

Seeing she couldn't catch it, Tang Jing switched to another worm.

Yet after several consecutive strikes, she either missed or merely tickled it, posing no threat to the rice worm.

She returned, panting, and shook her head: "I can't do this."

Seeing Tang Jing show a defeated expression for the first time, Chen Mu felt a bit amused.

"Next, I'll go." Zhao Xiao Yan was the second to step up.

For safety, Dong Junwei allowed only one person to act at a time.

Wei Dalei's expression instantly turned serious, and he gripped his wolf-tooth club tighter.

However, Zhao Xiao Yan's "battle results" were even worse than Tang Jing's; she kept striking the ground from start to finish, never even touching the worm's body.

"That's enough; just get used to it gradually—you don't have to become experts right away." Dong Junwei said with a smile.

Afterward, people went up one after another.

Since the boys' strength is naturally greater, Chang Junyan, though he didn't hit accurately, struck the worm's foot with a rod, instantly sending it scurrying away in pain.

Yet the best performer turned out to be the usually meek Qian Fei.

He seized the moment, striking the worm's face with a blow that made it curl up; afterward, the good-natured Qian Fei, as if venting, went mad and struck the worm's body over a dozen times in succession.

The hard shell finally broke, and the rice worm was smashed into a pulp.

Dong Junwei was the last to go up.

Although the class president usually seemed queen‑like, when she actually fought she was no better than Tang Jing; Dong Junwei was just more composed, each strike aiming for full power and precision, yet she still couldn't kill a single rice worm.

All together, only Qian Fei had actually killed a rice worm in the true sense.

Dong Junwei's forehead beaded with slight sweat as she returned, panting, and she laughed: "It's easy to say, but actually doing it—even killing such a tiny, defenseless rice worm—is not easy."

Speaking, she handed the iron rod back to Chen Mu.

"The rice worm is indeed tough; in game terms, its armor is just too high."

Chen Mu joked, casually taking the weapon Dong Junwei handed over.

But the moment the iron rod entered his hand, he felt as if burned and instantly pulled his hand back.

"Clang!"

The iron rod fell to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Dong Junwei wondered, assuming Chen Mu had just fumbled, and she bent over to pick up the rod.

Chen Mu quickly shouted, "Don't touch it!"

For some unknown reason, the rod had become scorching hot, as if it had been in a fire; although the temperature wasn't high enough to burn skin, it was still too hot to touch barehanded.

However, he had previously spaced out a moment, and his warning came a step too late; Dong Junwei had already gripped the rod again and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Chen Mu was greatly surprised: "Are you all right?"

"What could be wrong?" Dong Junwei wondered.

"Not hot?"

"What? This rod?"

"Hmm."

"I don't feel anything." Dong Junwei grew more puzzled.

Chen Mu, half‑believing, half‑doubting, reached out again to test the rod.

The next instant, he pulled his hand back again.

It was still scorching.

But Dong Junwei, gripping the rod with both hands, felt nothing at all.

What on earth is going on?!

"Da Lei, you try."

Everyone gathered around; Chen Mu explained briefly, stirring everyone's curiosity.

Wei Dalei reached out to grab the iron rod, but just like Chen Mu, he was burned and jerked his hand back.

Almost everyone tried, but none could touch it.

This iron rod is just very hot.

But only Dong Junwei was fine.

"Perhaps this is the class leader's ability?" Tang Jing blew on her palm and suddenly said.

"I... have I awakened an ability?" Dong Junwei said, half-surprised, half-delighted.

"Besides this, there seems to be no other explanation."

"But what exactly is this ability? Isn't it afraid of heat?" someone wondered.

"It shouldn't be just that; why is the iron rod heating up? When we each used it before, everything was fine."

"Perhaps it's... changing the temperature of objects?" Chen Mu said.

Tang Jing said: "It's possible, but not certain, Chen Mu, give Dong Junwei another piece as well... well, just give her another iron block."

Chen Mu nodded, reshaped the other half of the weapon into a rectangular iron block, and handed it to Dong Junwei.

Dong Junwei took it, a bit bewildered, and said: "What should I do?"

"Press both hands against it, focus your mind—I don't know how to describe it, but just try to feel it yourself." Chen Mu, combining his own ability, gave an unprofessional suggestion.

The activation of an ability is indeed a process hard to describe in words; it's purely a feeling.

However, soon Dong Junwei exclaimed with surprise and joy: "I feel something."

"What?" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"It feels like heat is being transferred from my hand to this iron block." Dong Junwei said while focusing even more.

"The class leader probably awakened her ability after intense focus during the recent battle." Tang Jing speculated.

Chen Mu recalled Dong Junwei just gripping the iron rod with a serious, tense expression, and nodded in agreement.

However, just as everyone was chatting and discussing.

The iron block in Dong Junwei's hand began to emit wisps of blue smoke.

Obviously, the temperature increase had far surpassed that of the earlier iron rod.

And Dong Junwei herself remained completely unaware.

"Holy crap!" everyone exclaimed in shock.