Chapter 44: Chief Chef

Due to the connection with Gu Ping and Luo Hui, Chen Mu could somewhat understand He Ying's feelings. At the beginning, her attitude and approach were similar to Dong Junwei's; she seemed to be a strong-willed person.

However, unfortunately, her luck was evidently not as good as Dong Junwei's.

"After that, we became especially cautious whenever we went out. We usually chose to go out at night, and fortunately, they didn't dare to station people near the water source, so we didn't worry about water supply."

"It seems like it's safe to directly drink tap water," Tang Jing nodded.

"Is there any problem with doing that?" He Ying asked.

"Nothing," Tang Jing shook her head, without elaborating.

"Do you have any other water sources?" He Ying asked curiously.

"We were lucky to find a case of bottled mineral water."

He Ying: "..."

"But now it seems that there is a mysterious force forcibly changing certain rules to ensure human survival."

"Why do you say that?"

"Under normal circumstances, after our bodies became smaller, many organs would not be able to cope with the current environment—water, air, and food, corresponding to our kidneys, respiratory tract, and digestive system. In theory, it should be impossible to maintain the same physiological functions as before..."

Tang Jing paused as she noticed everyone looking puzzled. She decided not to continue explaining and smiled, saying, "But if superpowers can exist, there's nothing hard to understand about these things."

He Ying continued, "After resolving the water issue, we faced difficulties with food. Fortunately, some of us awakened abilities at this time. Although not very useful, they still helped a bit. So, we entered the cafeteria again, hoping to find a safe base inside to make it easier to find food in the future."

"But unexpectedly, the students from Class 1 had already occupied the place."

"When was that?" Chen Mu suddenly asked.

"Approximately three days after the disaster."

"So, it took Class 1 three days to move from the playground to the cafeteria," Chen Mu pondered.

"Maybe it was even less than three days," He Ying said.

"Hmm?"

"When we entered the cafeteria for the second time, we found that they had created several fortress-like structures in the lobby using stainless steel basins. They were well-organized and in perfect order."

"How did they do that?"

"It seems like they just turned the basins upside down on the ground."

Tang Jing shook her head. "It should be more than that. If they just turned the basins upside down on the ground, any random rat could easily destroy them. Besides, they must have some reliance to dare set up fortresses in the open space of the cafeteria."

"I don't know about that," He Ying said. "I relied on my light movements and explored from a distance a few times, but I didn't dare get too close."

"How many people do they have in total?" Chen Mu asked.

"I estimate there are at least 100 of them," He Ying replied.

The group exchanged glances.

No wonder Class 1 dared to establish their base in the cafeteria's area. Even if half of them awakened abilities, they would still have 50 superpower individuals with all sorts of peculiar abilities, enough to sustain their daily activities.

"Did you have any more clashes with them afterward?"

"Yes, at first, I thought the cafeteria was so big that even if they had more people, as long as we were careful, we might not encounter them. So, I and a few classmates who awakened abilities went in boldly to find food."

He Ying sighed as she continued, "Unfortunately, I don't know if it was bad luck or what, but we encountered them twice in a row. At first, I wanted to negotiate with them, but they completely ignored us and attacked right away. We were no match for them, and several of us died in succession."

"Since then, I dare not enter the cafeteria anymore; I can only scavenge for food on the outskirts," she added.

The group listened with a heavy heart.

However, Chen Mu asked again, "Do you know if there are other survivors from our school?"

"Yes!" He Ying affirmed.

Chen Mu was taken aback by her certainty.

He Ying continued, "We once encountered someone from our school named Li Xu. According to him, most of the students from the first and second year survived near the playground. He was sent out to gather the students, but he got separated from the group because he went too far."

"The playground? How did they survive?"

"I don't know; Li Xu didn't want to say. But from the way he looked, he seemed proud. I guess the students from Class 1 were driven out by them, forcing them to retreat to the cafeteria area. So, they hold hostility towards everyone from Ziwei High School."

"That's possible."

Chen Mu thought about the unfounded hostility from Class 1 back then, finding this speculation quite plausible. He then asked, "Is Li Xu also a superpowered individual?"

"Yes, and his ability is quite unique. He can mentally control animals other than humans," He Ying said, sighing.

"Wow, that's incredibly powerful."

The group expressed admiration and envy.

Tang Jing shook her head, saying, "Indeed, it sounds impressive." However, her tone lacked any longing as she helplessly continued, "But in reality, its effectiveness is very limited."

"How so?" The others were puzzled.

"As you all should know, a person's ability type is just one aspect; the most crucial factor is their level of mastery and what you call 'mental power.'"

"So, his control over animals is actually very limited?" Chen Mu understood her point.

He Ying sighed, "More than limited. According to Li Xu himself, when he first awakened his ability, even controlling an ordinary ant was challenging. After a few days of practice, he could only have some influence over insects like flies in terms of their movement, not actual control, and the effect lasts for a very short time."

"That sounds quite useless."

"It's not entirely useless. On a few occasions, he managed to control an ant to explore dangerous areas for us. Although the distance couldn't be too far, and the control lasted only about five minutes, it did help us avoid some dangers."

"What happened to him later?" Chen Mu remembered He Ying mentioning that among the five of them left, only she and Sun Yuan had abilities. Obviously, the person named Li Xu either died or left.

"Li Xu kept saying he wanted to take us to the main base near the playground. Unfortunately, the journey was too far, and his abilities weren't enough to safely lead us back. So, he stayed with us temporarily, hoping to find an opportunity to return together. But unfortunately, during one of the clashes with Class 1, he also..."

He Ying couldn't help but feel a bit sorrowful. "Because of Li Xu, I always considered going to the main base near the playground as our ultimate goal. But unfortunately, the entire school is just too vast for us now. Even if we reach the playground, it's highly unlikely we'll find anyone there."

"Didn't you ask Li Xu for the specific location?" Chen Mu inquired.

"We did ask, and he seemed like he wanted to tell us, but in the end, he didn't. I didn't want to pressure him, and who could have imagined that he would meet his end so soon."

"That's pretty much all I know. Do you have any other questions?"

...

Chen Mu, Tang Jing, and Dong Junwei exchanged glances, each having some thoughts. However, it wasn't appropriate to discuss them openly in front of He Ying.

After calculating the time, it was already noon.

Tang Jing smiled, "Let's talk about the other things later. I think everyone must be hungry. Today, we have good food, so let's enjoy the feast first."

"However, we might need Chen Mu to personally take charge of cooking," Dong Junwei said with a smile.

He Ying was puzzled, "Isn't Du Jiajia the chef?"

Dong Junwei laughed, "Our chef just learned how to make rice cakes for three days. So, we have to bring back the expertise of Chen Mu, the master chef."