Chapter 8: I've Grown Stronger

After listening to Ji Chang's words, Chen Lingxue pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement. When the topic of finding food came up earlier, everyone's eyes turned to Zhou Jun. However, upon learning that Zhou Jun's grandfather hadn't lived here for a long time, they didn't dwell on it.

At that time, Chen Lingxue had also thought that finding food would require exploring alternative methods. Now, hearing Ji Chang's suggestion, she felt a sense of accord. After all, even a single grain of rice could temporarily address their current hunger.

"In that case, later on, I'll take Zhou Jun to the kitchen to have a look. Who knows, there might be leftover grains of rice or something!" Ji Chang grinned as he saw Chen Lingxue nodding.

"Are you going soon?"

Upon hearing that Ji Chang intended to search for food soon, Chen Lingxue hesitated for a moment. She turned her gaze towards the bedroom window. The dim sunlight was only touching a corner of the window, and it seemed like it would fade completely very soon. The room was growing darker too.

She knew that they had about ten more minutes, and then the sun would likely set completely, plunging them into darkness. If they went out now, it would undoubtedly increase the level of danger.

"Ji Chang, I think we should wait until early tomorrow morning. It will be even riskier when it's dark. And if anything were to happen to you... Besides, we've just had some water, we can manage through the night!" Chen Lingxue thought for a moment and continued, "Most importantly, the kitchen is deep inside this house, quite a distance away. We'll have to pass through the living room and dining room!"

"That's a good point. Without a light source, searching will be quite challenging," Ji Chang replied after a brief consideration.

Chen Lingxue's concerns were ones that Ji Chang had just thought about. In addition to those, another reason Ji Chang decided to wait until daylight to search for food was the current state of the ants.

While his spiritual energy had recovered due to the dense green mist sprayed by Chen Lingxue into his palm earlier, and the exhaustion in his body had somewhat eased, the ants he had commanded hadn't rested since then.

They had sprinted together with him and Huang Mang, relentlessly transporting water all the way. Although he had let the ants drink some water just now, through that inexplicable connection he shared with them, he could clearly sense their fatigue.

Now the ants were resting.

Afterward, the two returned to the group and informed everyone of their plan to search for food early the next morning. Everyone unanimously agreed with Ji Chang and Chen Lingxue's decision.

"Sigh! If only the shrinking hadn't happened so soon, maybe we wouldn't be worrying about food right now!" Huang Mang rubbed his water-filled belly and let out a slight sigh.

"Yeah, I wonder how Gao Xiang and Liu Qing are doing!" Mentioning the food issue, Wang Lingling sighed softly.

Gao Xiang and Liu Qing had gone out to get takeout just before the shrinking incident occurred. However, not long after they left, the shrinking event took place.

"Do you think they... might already...?"

A tear welled up in Dong Xuan's eyes as she looked at everyone and asked.

After Dong Xuan's words, everyone fell silent, weighed down by a somber atmosphere. No one knew how Gao Xiang and Liu Qing were faring, or if they were still alive.

"It's hard to say. I remember there were many dogs on the streets and stray cats in the bushes. There were also several trash bins not far from the small courtyard's entrance, where bugs were abundant... The outside environment must be even more perilous than inside the courtyard!" After a short pause, Ji Chang let out a sigh. "And even if they managed to bring back the takeout, it wouldn't be a good thing for us after shrinking."

Of course, Ji Chang also hoped that Gao Xiang and Liu Qing were safe. Having two more people would mean having two more pairs of hands, increasing their chances of survival. But the reality was as it was, and there was nothing anyone could do.

"Not a good thing? Isn't having food to eat a good thing?" Xiao Feng looked at Ji Chang with confusion. As Xiao Feng asked, the others also gazed at Ji Chang in bewilderment, not understanding why food wouldn't be a good thing as Ji Chang had said.

"If we bring back the takeout, we won't be able to finish it right away after shrinking. As time goes on, the food will rot and attract flies and mosquitoes, posing a huge threat to us," Chen Lingxue explained.

At this, everyone suddenly realized. Huang Mang slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Damn, Squad Leader, the way you put it, I'm not feeling hungry anymore..."

Hearing Huang Mang's exclamation, Chen Lingxue smiled. To alleviate the group's low spirits, she continued, "Gao Xiang and Liu Qing, perhaps they've already found a safe haven... Maybe... But regardless, we have to survive to have a chance to reunite, right?"

Ji Chang understood Chen Lingxue's meaning and opened his mouth but didn't say anything more. He knew the chances of the two surviving were very slim.

Back when he was in the small courtyard, if it hadn't been for a leaf covering him in that emergency, he might have ended up drowned in some pit of filth by flies. This ordeal was caused by just a single fly. Not to mention the swarming flies and bugs around the trash cans, and the dogs and cats on the streets.

"Alright, everyone, let's rest well tonight and gather our strength. Tomorrow morning, we'll go search for food," Chen Lingxue called out to the group shortly after.

For safety's sake, under Chen Lingxue's arrangement, they took turns keeping watch during the night. Ji Chang and Huang Mang were the first ones on duty. According to Chen Lingxue's plan, this would allow them to rest properly until morning once their duty was done.

Following the watch schedule, Ji Chang finished his shift first. After Huang Mang took over, he went back to the "room" and fell asleep immediately. It was the first time he had ever slept on a tissue, and there was a faint fragrance on it that made it quite comfortable to lie on.

As for the ants, Ji Chang had them stationed at the entrance of the "room" to rest. If anything happened, they could react promptly.

...

The night passed without incident, and soon it was dawn. The room became bright once again. Ji Chang woke up early, looking at Huang Mang sleeping like a log beside him, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He had slept quite well during the first half of the night... until Huang Mang returned from his watch duty, producing earth-shattering snores that made Ji Chang almost want to kick him.

After a night's rest, although the quality was slightly flawed due to Huang Mang's contribution, Ji Chang felt refreshed. This feeling was different from the ease he experienced after being treated by Chen Lingxue's green mist.

Stepping out of the "room" and stretching, Ji Chang glanced at the ants by his side. However, as he sensed the ants' condition, his eyebrows slightly lifted. He had noticed that the connection between him and the ants had unexpectedly grown stronger!

Not only that, as he closed his eyes to concentrate, it seemed that his spiritual energy was stronger than yesterday. In this state, he felt an almost effortless control over the ants.

"Have I become stronger?" After a few breaths, Ji Chang mused while stroking the ant's head.