Chapter 8: Mattress

Everyone is not stupid; after a slight reaction, they realized it was just an ordinary earthworm.

If it were a snake, it would probably have grown huge by now.

But even knowing it was an earthworm, nobody felt reassured; after all, an earthworm as thick as a person is still frightening.

Wei Dalei leaned his shoulder against Chen Mu and said, "Boss, I'll take care of it."

Chen Mu doubted, "Is that necessary? We can go around it."

Wei Dalei said, "Those two ants just now weren't satisfying enough, and although I've awakened my ability, I still think I need real combat to practice."

Tang Jing added, "Da Lei's idea is fine; earthworms don't eat people, just watch out not to get crushed."

"This earthworm is a bit big, but it shouldn't be enough to crush a person," Wei Dalei muttered to himself.

Chen Mu recalled his own experience and felt Wei Dalei made sense; to survive this disaster, special ability is the greatest reliance, and if one doesn't train regularly, it may not be dependable in a true crisis.

"Alright, I'll help you."

Chen Mu made a quick decision.

Earthworms are hard to kill; even if cut in half, they can keep living for a long time.

Chen Mu observed for a moment, then led Wei Dalei around to the earthworm's head.

Near the head there was a brightly colored ring; Chen Mu had often caught earthworms for fishing as a child and could tell them apart. Earthworms have no eyes, only a faint light‑sensing organ, so they showed no reaction to the two approaching.

This was a good sign.

Chen Mu's will stirred; his samurai sword remelted into an iron ball, split in half—one half shaped into a large sword which he gave to Wei Dalei, the other half into a heavy‑backed cleaver for himself.

Since recovering from crawling over the desks, his ability has become much more proficient; for something not too complex like a sword or blade, he can whip it up instantly, though the result is rather rough and not very sharp.

Wei Dalei shook his head: "Boss, make me a spiked club."

Obviously he's the violent type.

"Fine, I'll chop its neck later; you smash its head to pieces."

As he spoke, Chen Mu turned his long sword into a spiked club and handed it to his friend.

"Okay!" Wei Dalei grinned.

Chen Mu turned and charged at the earthworm.

Wei Dalei gripped the spiked club Chen Mu gave him and followed closely.

Ordinarily the earthworm looks docile, but when hurt it thrashes violently, so we need a quick finish.

Chen Mu sprinted forward, raised his cleaver, and with the momentum of his body swung it down hard.

He put all his strength into that blow; the blade sliced through the worm, scraped the concrete, and emitted a grating hiss that made teeth ache.

Only a thin layer of flesh remained connecting the worm's head to its body.

Wei Dalei rushed up, raised the spiked club, and brought it down hard.

*Pfft! *

Not only was the worm's head smashed to pulp, a large crater appeared in the ground.

The worm's body thrashed violently, and the two leapt aside in a hurry.

Although it's said an earthworm can survive being cut in half, that's not so easy; its self‑healing requires stringent conditions, and with its head crushed and lying on scorched concrete, it simply cannot live.

Chen Mu and Wei Dalei disposed of the earthworm cleanly, eliciting a round of cheers from the classmates behind them.

In this disaster, having strong companions is naturally a good thing.

The group regrouped, detoured around the still‑thrashing earthworm, and pressed on.

Grass lawns lined both sides of the concrete road.

The grass rising above the road looked like tall trees, stretching out like a forest, while the real trees in the distance seemed to reach the sky.

The occasional sparrows flying overhead chirped like ancient beasts.

Honestly, if we weren't worried about our safety, the scene before us would actually be quite spectacular, stirring the heart.

"We're almost there, right ahead."

Tang Jing was right; although we'd been nervous all the way, we hadn't suffered any further attacks.

After about two hours, a group of over ten people arrived at the destination.

The storage room not far from the cafeteria was actually tiny—just a few square meters—but to Chen Mu and company it felt larger than a giant palace.

As one of the kitchen's warehouses, it normally held spare pots, bowls, utensils, and tools.

After everyone crawled in through the door crack, they found the place swept clean; although the room was full of stuff, there was still plenty of space to stay.

"Looks like it's not that great either."

After taking a good look at the room's interior, someone began to complain; just like the classroom, it lacked basic necessities, and for those who'd slept on the floor all night, what they needed most now was a soft bed.

Tang Jing scanned the room, pointed at a corner, and said, "Let's go that way."

Everyone was puzzled, but they followed anyway.

When they neared the corner, everyone finally understood.

In the corner lay a bundle of brand‑new towels, presumably used as rags in the cafeteria—white and soft.

Even the dullest person knew they wouldn't have to sleep on the floor tonight; their hard trek had finally paid off.

Dong Junwei was puzzled and asked, "Tang Jing, how did you know there were towels here?"

Tang Jing laughed, "My uncle works in the school cafeteria and manages this storage room; I occasionally visit him, so I know exactly where things are kept."

Everyone realized.

"Everyone, step back a bit."

Chen Mu lifted his knife and cut the towel bundle's rope half by sawing, half by slicing.

The towels spread out; one lay flat before the crowd, who stared for a moment then shouted and rushed forward.

A towel half a person thick was practically a luxury mattress—soft and comfortable to lie on, and large enough to sleep dozens.

Everyone was so excited they were rolling on the towels; even the steady Dong Junwei and Tang Jing were stroking the soft mattress and smiling silently.

After more than a day of fatigue, plus psychological torment and dehydration, everyone was in terrible shape, and several people simply lay down on the towels and fell asleep.

Dong Junwei found Chen Mu and Tang Jing and said, "Several people already show signs of dehydration; the water problem must be solved."

Chen Mu asked, "Where is the nearest water source?"

Dong Junwei said, "There's a faucet for watering the plants over by the cafeteria that's loose and keeps dripping, but the problem is how we're going to transport it—we can't have everyone go out every time we want a drink."

Tang Jing shook her head. "Tap water won't do."

"Why?"

"Unsanitary." Tang Jing said.

"We're already like this; we don't need to be so particular, right?" Chen Mu was somewhat speechless.

Tang Jing is usually a quiet, well-behaved girl; saying she has a bit of a cleanliness obsession is understandable, but at this point, clinging to the idea of not drinking raw water seems a bit excessive.

Who would have thought Tang Jing would say, "If it were before, it wouldn't be a problem, but now that we've shrunk, all harmful bacteria appear much larger to us; I'm not sure whether the danger increases, but given a choice, it's safer to be cautious."

"Do we have any other options?"

"I know where there's bottled water, and it's not that far away."

Since there's a better option, nobody else would object either.

The only problem is how to get the water.

Dong Junwei said, "I have an idea, Chen Mu—can you make a water bucket?"

Chen Mu said, "That depends on how big."

Dong Junwei said, "As long as it's full, Da Lei should be able to carry it."

Chen Mu immediately understood what the monitor meant.

Make a big water bucket ourselves, find the water, then have Wei Dalei carry it back.

Honestly, this method is a bit clumsy, but its simplicity and directness are its strengths—when everyone is parched, there really isn't time to consider a stable water supply system.

Dong Junwei said, "But this will just be more trouble for you and Da Lei."

Chen Mu nodded without saying anything.