Chapter 9: Chapter Nine: Test

As of now, the team almost entirely relies on Chen Mu and Wei Dalei to get cake, kill earthworms, protect everyone, and walk all the way here.

Wei Dalei is actually a good-hearted person; whenever he can help others, he never hesitates, nor does he think about what reward he should get.

Although Chen Mu isn't as noble as he is, he also knows that in such times, sticking together is the first choice.

His special ability is still not enough for him to go it alone.

Going out alone is basically tantamount to suicide.

Moreover, he merely awakened his ability first; this ability isn't that great, and he may have to rely on others in the future.

Dong Junwei called Wei Dalei over and explained her idea in full.

"No problem, monitor, I guarantee I'll bring back a big tub of water." Old Wei slapped his chest and agreed.

Chen Mu asked, "Old Wei, roughly how heavy can you lift with your current strength?"

"This..." Wei Dalei scratched his head, obviously never having considered such a specific question.

Chen Mu looked around the surroundings.

On one wall of the room, a rack was set up, holding some pots, pans, bowls, and utensils, but the rack's capacity was limited, so most things were simply placed on the floor.

Yet in the farthest corner, some scattered stainless‑steel utensils had been tossed aside, apparently defective picks meant to be thrown away.

Chen Mu pointed to a stainless‑steel chopstick and said, "Come, try moving this."

It was just an ordinary stainless‑steel chopstick, but before everyone it seemed as thick as a utility pole.

Wei Dalei walked to the thin end of the chopstick, first kicked it twice with his foot, gaining a rough idea, then bent down, wrapped his arms around the chopstick—about as thick as a person—and with a heave lifted it straight up.

One end of the chopstick stayed on the ground while the other was raised to his shoulder; Wei Dalei wobbled the chopstick as he walked slowly forward, and when he reached its balance point he effortlessly hoisted the whole thing onto his shoulder.

"Trivial."

After saying that, Wei Dalei gently set the chopstick back on the ground, merely a little out of breath.

"Try this fork next."

Chen Mu then pointed to the side.

The stainless‑steel fork is estimated to weigh as much as two chopsticks.

Wei Dalei followed the same procedure, and by the time he lifted the fork over his head his body was already trembling slightly.

Obviously, a single fork is already his current limit.

"All right, put it down."

Wei Dalei was clearly less adept at handling it than before; when he let go, he dropped the fork straight onto the floor with a clang, startling everyone.

"Boss, I can handle something heavier."

"No need, I've figured it out; by then it won't just be about lifting—it'll also require walking a long distance."

"Oh." Wei Dalei nodded.

Chen Mu said, "Metal containers are too heavy for the little water they hold; it's better to look for plastic."

Tang Jing replied, "I know where to find some."

Having said that, she led a few people to a nearby cardboard box.

The huge cardboard box was already torn and tattered; especially after we shrank, we could faintly see its contents through the holes.

"Da Lei, can you tear it apart?"

"No problem."

Wei Dalei stepped forward, gripped a tear, and with a heave ripped it open with a ripping sound; the already dilapidated box instantly split open.

Countless paper scraps mixed with dust drifted down, as if snow were falling.

"Pah pah pah..."

Seeing Wei Dalei still eager to keep tearing, Tang Jing hurriedly stopped him, saying, "All right, all right, that's enough."

From the torn opening, the contents inside could be clearly seen.

They were neat bundles of disposable transparent plastic utensils, mostly clear spoons.

Wei Dalei stepped forward, used the machete Chen Mu gave him to cut the binding rope, and grabbed the front end of a spoon with both hands.

This was far lighter than the stainless‑steel utensils; Wei Dalei easily pulled out a spoon.

"Will this work?" Tang Jing asked.

"I'll give it a try."

Chen Mu walked over and pressed both palms against the spoon.

His ability requires bodily contact with an object; because of this limitation, Chen Mu increasingly feels that this special ability is hardly useful, only able to fashion a container at times like this.

The whole spoon is still too big for Chen Mu; with his current ability he cannot yet change its overall shape.

But he can easily split off a piece from the spoon.

Soon Chen Mu obtained a plastic sphere, which in his hand felt like a basketball and had some weight to it.

Altering plastic is far easier than altering metal.

Not long after, a simple plastic bucket took shape.

Wei Dalei shook his head: "Too small; making the trip wouldn't be worth it."

Chen Mu nodded and kept pressing on.

The bucket's walls grew thinner while the bucket itself expanded at a visible rate, until a half‑person‑tall plastic bucket appeared before everyone.

"It can still be bigger," Wei Dalei said.

Tang Jing countered, "That's about right; filled with water it would last us a long time just for drinking, and you'll have to walk a long way later—better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes, 'a hundred steps with no light burden.'"

"All right," Wei Dalei said without boasting, merely asking, "But where are we supposed to get water?"

"Not far from here there's a storage room where the cafeteria keeps its drinks; we can go there to look for bottled water." Tang Jing added, "It's about ten‑odd meters away."

Ten‑odd meters, which equals more than a kilometer in the old scale,

A three-kilometer round trip.

Not too far.

But Chen Mu is very clear about how dangerous this route is.

This place is already near the cafeteria; although the school is fairly clean, compared to the teaching area it is still relatively messy.

If you encounter a mouse, you can basically close your eyes and wait to die.

In the apocalypse, most people's choice is to find a relatively safe place and live as long as they can; but perhaps because of his experiences, Chen Mu prefers to take control of his own fate. When faced with difficulties, his first thought is not to avoid them but to solve them.

For example, now, while others think of hiding as much as possible, Chen Mu tends to actively adapt to the apocalypse.

This approach is not necessarily correct; it's very likely he won't survive past chapter three.

But nature is hard to change.

Everything prepared, Chen Mu intended to take Wei Dalei with him, but Tang Jing then volunteered to go, wanting to join them.

Chen Mu glanced at Dong Junwei.

In the team, Chen Mu, Tang Jing, and Dong Junwei are implicitly the leaders; after Chen Mu and Wei Dalei, the two most combat-capable members, depart, the more people remaining, the better.

Although Tang Jing has no combat ability, she is the smartest of all; when they first encountered an ant, everyone panicked and collapsed, and it was she who first thought of having everyone pick up stones to retaliate, ultimately escaping harm.

According to Chen Mu's personal wishes, he naturally hopes Tang Jing will follow him to provide advice at crucial moments.

But from the perspective of team balance, those who stay behind need her more.

Dong Junwei showed no hesitation, happily saying, "Let Tang Jing decide for herself."