Chapter 7: Challenges Arise

Replenished with renewed mental vigor, their pace quickened substantially. After just over ten minutes, they arrived at the makeshift lodging arranged by Chen Lingxue.

Dong Xuan, who had been guarding everyone, finally relaxed her furrowed brow upon seeing the return of the trio. She gestured to the resting group to rise and called out, "Brothers, water's here!"

With the help of the ants, the leaves of the locust tree were pulled through the gap beneath the bedroom door. Huang Mang let out a hearty proclamation.

In this moment and scene, propriety took a backseat as everyone crowded around the locust leaves, gulping down water without reservation.

Amidst the water-drinking commotion, Ji Chang appraised his surroundings. In a corner of the bedroom door, gaps between the floor tiles and the baseboard had been filled with soft materials resembling tissue paper, and beside it, stones were used to seal the openings.

Moreover, stones were also stacked along the edges of the gaps, forming walls, and a designated passage for entering and exiting was left open.

On these "walls," several strategic gaps had been preserved, seemingly intended for observing the outside environment.

For their current circumstances, this setup was of urgent necessity. Furthermore, due to its strategic positioning, it could repel the approach of larger insects.

Ji Chang admired Chen Lingxue's ingenuity in establishing this stronghold for them. If he had been tasked with the same, he might not have considered such comprehensive measures.

Just as Ji Chang was scrutinizing the arrangement, Chen Lingxue, having finished drinking water, approached.

"With limited resources, we can only manage like this temporarily. However, it should ensure our current safety concerns," Chen Lingxue exhaled softly as she watched the united effort of everyone.

"Not bad at all, Squad Leader!" Ji Chang smirked, giving his approval.

Yet, even in this moment, Chen Lingxue's face still bore traces of worry. On the journey back, Huang Mang's mental energy had gradually recovered under the influence of the green mist, and he had become more talkative.

From Huang Mang, she learned about their journey to fetch water, including their encounter with the grasshopper.

From Huang Mang's account alone, Chen Lingxue sensed a thread of fear. She knew that continuing in this manner would not suffice.

Although they had managed to bring back water, quenching their thirst temporarily, the water transported using leaves wouldn't remain fresh for long.

If they continued to fetch water frequently, the dangers would only compound.

Aside from the water issue, the problem of sustenance loomed large.

Satiated by water, their hunger diminished. However, relying solely on water couldn't be a sustainable solution. Resolving the issue of food had to be their next priority.

Moreover, there was the matter of their extraordinary abilities.

How to strengthen these abilities and effectively harness and control them—these were the questions that troubled Chen Lingxue.

In light of this, she confided her thoughts to Ji Chang, who was by her side.

Hearing Chen Lingxue's concerns, Ji Chang, who had also pondered similar issues, regarded his class leader with newfound respect. His upbringing in a temple, his experiences shifting between foster families, including the year he had to drop out due to circumstances beyond his control—these were experiences that Chen Lingxue, Huang Mang, and their privileged backgrounds couldn't fully comprehend.

Thus, Ji Chang was well-versed in the art of survival, knowing how to stand on his own, protect himself, and thrive amidst difficulties.

Ever since shrinking and reuniting with his classmates, Ji Chang had been contemplating numerous matters. Yet, he hadn't voiced these thoughts.

However, in this moment, he was taken aback by how closely Chen Lingxue's considerations aligned with his own thoughts.

Honestly, although they had been in the same class for two and a half years, Ji Chang didn't know much about Chen Lingxue as a class leader. If he combined all the conversations they had over these two and a half years, they wouldn't amount to what they could say in a single day now.

But one thing Ji Chang was certain of: Chen Lingxue had been raised under excellent conditions. Even today, when they came to Grandpa Zhou's house for their interest group's research on crop growth, they were chauffeured by Chen Lingxue's family driver.

Two cars with small wings attached to their fronts brought the ten of them.

Moreover, Ji Chang saw things in these cars that he didn't associate with vehicles in his past experience: a wine cabinet and a refrigerator.

In his eyes, perhaps after the disaster struck, Chen Lingxue, driven by her natural instincts as a class leader, would take care of her classmates and organize them.

However, now Ji Chang's perception of Chen Lingxue had changed.

Particularly upon learning about Chen Lingxue's sequence of considerations and worries, as well as her actions from the time of shrinking up until now, Ji Chang found himself taken aback.

As for Chen Lingxue's understanding of Ji Chang at this moment, it wouldn't be accurate to say she knew him well.

But she understood that Ji Chang seemed different from the other classmates.

If she were to find words to describe it, it would be that he exhibited a level of "maturity" and "steadiness" that extended far beyond what was typical for their age group.

Especially when they first experienced their reduced size, Ji Chang's ability to return from the courtyard to the room and join them was a relief. This included his initiative to fetch water for everyone, venturing into the perilous confines of the courtyard. It displayed a noble quality of disregarding his own safety.

Especially in the face of a disaster, such a trait was truly admirable.

Her upbringing and experiences taught her that people often talked big, but when it came to taking action, they frequently made excuses or procrastinated.

This is why she felt a sense of security with Ji Chang around.

With this in mind, she shared all her thoughts with Ji Chang.

At this moment, Ji Chang had no idea that Chen Lingxue held him in such high regard.

Disregarding his own safety?

Not quite, for Ji Chang valued his life.

Whether it was fetching water or protecting his comrades, the main reason for his actions was that Ji Chang understood that only by sticking together could they survive long-term in the face of disaster.

Furthermore, going to fetch water wasn't a monumental task, considering that the water tap wasn't very far and there were ants guarding it, not to mention the sturdy Huang Mang.

Had the water tap been located deep within the courtyard, Ji Chang might have readily considered Huang Mang's suggestion—to drink urine if the situation became dire—rather than going there...

His qualities weren't as noble as Chen Lingxue thought. Ultimately, his motivations stemmed from the desire to survive.

Of course, Chen Lingxue wasn't concerned about what Ji Chang thought. She was impressed by his actions, and that was enough to earn her silent respect.

"As for the issue of water storage, I don't have a solid solution at the moment. The main problem is the lack of proper water storage containers. We need to find something suitable to store water if we want to completely resolve the water supply issue. However, regarding food, I think..."

As his words reached this point, Ji Chang gestured subtly towards Zhou Jun, who was a short distance away, drinking water.

Chen Lingxue followed his gaze, slightly puzzled.

Before she could voice her curiosity, Ji Chang continued, "Although Zhou Jun's grandfather hasn't lived here for a long time, I believe things like rice and flour wouldn't have gone bad, right? Let's not even consider whether they've been taken away when moving. I think there should be some leftovers in the cupboards or wherever rice and flour were stored. After all, even if there's just a grain of rice left, it would be enough for us to have several satisfying meals!"