Chapter 9: Testing

As of now, the whole team is almost entirely relying on Chen Mu and Wei Dalei to get the cakes, kill the earthworms, and protect everyone on their way here.

Wei Dalei is actually a good old soul. Whenever he can help others, he never hesitates or expects anything in return.

Though Chen Mu might not be as noble as him, he understands that sticking together is the best choice in times like this.

His special abilities aren't strong enough to go solo.

Going out alone would be pretty much like walking into death's arms.

Besides, he's just one of the first to awaken his powers, and his abilities are currently quite limited. At least in the early stages, he still needs to rely on others.

Dong Junwei called for Wei Dalei and explained her plan.

"No problem, Squad Leader. I promise to bring back a large water container," Old Wei assured her, patting his chest.

Chen Mu asked, "Old Wei, how much weight do you think you can lift with your current strength?"

"Well..." Wei Dalei scratched his head, clearly not having thought about such a specific question before.

Chen Mu looked around the room.

On one side of the wall, there was a shelf with some pots and pans on it, but the shelf had limited capacity, so most things were placed directly on the floor.

In the far corner, some scattered stainless steel tableware was thrown there, probably defective items that were ready to be discarded.

Chen Mu pointed to a stainless steel chopstick and said, "Let's try moving this."

It was just an ordinary stainless steel chopstick, but in front of everyone, it seemed as thick as a utility pole.

Wei Dalei walked up to the thin end of the chopstick, kicked it twice with his foot to get a sense of it, then bent down and embraced the chopstick, which was about as thick as a person's arm. He exerted force and lifted it up effortlessly.

One end of the chopstick was on the ground, and the other end was lifted to his shoulder. Wei Dalei balanced it as he walked forward, and when he reached the center of gravity of the chopstick, he effortlessly carried the whole chopstick on his shoulder.

"No big deal," Wei Dalei said, then gently placed the chopstick back on the ground, only slightly panting.

"Let's try this fork next."

Chen Mu pointed to the side.

The weight of the stainless steel fork was probably equivalent to that of two chopsticks.

Following the same procedure, when Wei Dalei lifted the fork above his head, his body was already trembling slightly.

Clearly, a fork was his current limit.

"Okay, put it down," Chen Mu said.

Wei Dalei was clearly not as composed as before. As he let go, the fork fell to the ground with a clatter, startling everyone.

"Boss, I can try something heavier."

"No need. I have a good idea of your capabilities now. When the time comes, you'll not only have to lift things but also walk a long distance with them."

"Oh." Wei Dalei nodded.

Chen Mu said, "Metal containers are too heavy, and they hold too little water. It's better to find some plastic ones."

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

After speaking, she led a few people to a nearby cardboard box.

The enormous cardboard box was already worn and torn, especially now that they were smaller, they could faintly see what was inside through the holes.

"Dalei, can you tear it open?"

"No problem."

Wei Dalei stepped forward, gripped a hole, and with a strong pull, the already dilapidated cardboard box instantly tore open.

Countless scraps of paper mixed with dust floated down, like a mini snowfall.

"Phew, phew, phew..."

Tang Jing saw that Wei Dalei seemed eager to continue tearing, so she hurriedly stopped him and said, "Alright, that's enough."

Through the torn opening, they could clearly see what was inside.

It was bundles of neatly arranged disposable plastic cutlery, mostly transparent spoons.

Wei Dalei went up, and using the machete Chen Mu had given him, he cut the ropes that bound the cutlery. Then he held the front end of a spoon with both hands.

This stuff was much lighter than stainless steel tableware, and Wei Dalei easily pulled out a spoon.

"Is this okay?" Tang Jing asked.

"I'll give it a try."

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

His ability required physical contact with an object as a prerequisite for activation. Clearly, these so-called superpowers weren't all-powerful; there were various limitations, and Chen Mu hadn't fully figured them out yet.

The entire spoon was still too big for him; with his current ability, he couldn't change its overall shape.

However, he could separate a part of the spoon from the rest.

Soon, Chen Mu obtained a plastic sphere that looked like a basketball, which had some weight to it. Changing plastic was much easier compared to metal. Before long, a simple plastic bucket took shape.

Wei Dalei shook his head, "It's too small. It's not worth making a trip like this."

Chen Mu nodded and continued to concentrate.

The walls of the plastic bucket gradually became thinner, but the entire bucket visibly grew larger, until it reached about half the height of a person.

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

However, Tang Jing interjected, "It's almost good enough. If this is filled with water, it'll be enough for us to drink for a long time. Besides, you'll have to travel a long distance later, and it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Okay." Wei Dalei didn't insist and asked, "But where can we get water?"

"Not far from here, there's a storage room where the cafeteria keeps bottled water. We can go there and find some." Tang Jing said, adding, "It's about a dozen meters away."

A dozen meters was roughly equivalent to more than one kilometer in the past.

A round trip of three kilometers.

Not too far, but Chen Mu knew how dangerous it could be along the way.

They were close to the cafeteria, and while the school was relatively clean, it was still more cluttered compared to the teaching area.

Encountering a rat could basically mean certain death.

In this apocalyptic world, most people would choose to find a relatively safe place and survive for as long as they could. But perhaps due to his experiences, Chen Mu was more inclined to take control of his own destiny. When faced with challenges, his first thought wasn't to hide, but to solve the problem.

For example, right now, when others were thinking about hiding as much as possible, Chen Mu preferred to actively adapt to the apocalypse.

This approach might not necessarily be correct, and he might not survive past a few chapters.

But it was hard to change his nature.

With everything ready, Chen Mu planned to set off with Wei Dalei, but at this moment, Tang Jing volunteered to join them.

Chen Mu glanced at Dong Junwei.

In the current team, Chen Mu, Tang Jing, and Dong Junwei were subtly seen as leaders. After Chen Mu and Wei Dalei, the two most combat-capable members, left, it was obviously better to have more people remaining.

Although Tang Jing didn't have combat ability herself, she had the best mind among everyone. When they first encountered the first ant, everyone was scared and paralyzed, but she was the first one to suggest using stones to fight back, ultimately escaping unharmed.

From Chen Mu's selfish point of view, he naturally wanted Tang Jing to accompany him and offer strategies when needed.

But from the perspective of team balance, the people who stayed behind needed her more.

Dong Junwei didn't hesitate and readily said, "Listen to Tang Jing."