Chapter 2: Awakening of the Masses

Not long ago, they had just suffered an attack from ants. Even two of their classmates had been torn apart by these fierce ant creatures. And now, these ferocious ants were bowing down beneath the feet of Ji Chang?

This was nothing short of astonishing!

"Ji Ge, you're back! This is amazing! I thought you were gone..." After a few minutes, tears welled up in Huang Mang's eyes as he rushed forward. Originally, he had intended to give Ji Chang a warm embrace, but upon seeing the presence of the ants, he hesitated and could only fidget nervously.

Not only Huang Mang, but the other classmates also stood at a distance, not daring to approach. The visual shock caused by the ants tearing their classmates apart earlier had left them trembling at the mere sight of ants. If Ji Chang hadn't been riding on the back of an ant right now, they wouldn't have dared to get close.

Then, Ji Chang dismounted from the ant and signaled for it to stay in place before walking toward his classmates.

"Ji Ge! Sniff... It's so good to see you again!" As Ji Chang approached, Huang Mang choked up and excitedly opened his arms.

However, Ji Chang dodged to the side, and with a slight smirk, he said, "You're the one who's gone! I'm doing just fine!"

Huang Mang was Ji Chang's classmate, someone who had been in the same class with him since primary school, all the way up to their senior year. Despite Huang Mang's tall and robust appearance, even after shrinking in size, he still looked strong. But back in elementary school, he had been small and frail, often bullied by his classmates.

One day, on his way home from school, Ji Chang had stumbled upon Huang Mang being cornered by a few classmates. Using the martial arts moves he had learned from the temple's guardian, Ji Chang managed to rescue Huang Mang. Since then, Huang Mang had become his little follower.

"Ji Ge, you're so cool, even riding on ants! You have no idea, we encountered an ant just now... I... I almost wet my pants!" Huang Mang looked at Ji Chang and then glanced at the ant standing not far away, unable to help but admire him.

But when the topic shifted to the two classmates who had been killed, a hint of fear appeared in his eyes. And not just in Huang Mang's eyes, but also in those of the other classmates.

Seeing Ji Chang return safely from outside, Chen Lingxue, the class monitor, stepped forward and said with admiration, "Ji Chang, you truly live up to your reputation. We all thought..."

Her words trailed off as she noticed the ant not far away. After shrinking in size, Chen Lingxue had immediately checked on the condition of her classmates and actively organized them to stick together. Not long ago, they had even repelled an ant's attack under her leadership. If not for that, they might have been wiped out by the ants.

Although they managed to fend off the ants, the fact that they had turned into ferocious creatures after shrinking had shattered their morale. Some were even considering giving up. In the face of their despondent and on-the-verge-of-collapse emotions, Chen Lingxue was still trying to figure out how to ignite the desire to survive in everyone. And right at that moment, Ji Chang returned.

They had learned from Huang Mang that Ji Chang had just gone to the restroom. After shrinking, even a gentle breeze could potentially blow them away, not to mention the harsh conditions in the small courtyard. So, in their perspective, Ji Chang might have encountered something unexpected.

But here he was, Ji Chang, back and safe!

Not only back, but also riding atop a fearsome ant!

"Now, what should we do?"

"What's going on exactly? Why did our bodies suddenly shrink?"

In a short time, two classmates asked in succession.

Another girl spoke softly, "I'm so scared, I want to go home."

"Ji Ge, what's going on? Why have we all become small? And how come you're riding on an ant?" Huang Mang asked shortly after.

"Hmm? You're asking me? Who should I ask?" Ji Chang shrugged. "As for the ant, I'm not entirely sure either. It became quite obedient after I encountered it."

"As for going home... that might be difficult. We've shrunk by an unknown factor. I remember that the distance from the bathroom to the door used to be about two to three meters, but after shrinking, that two to three meters..."

At that moment, Chen Lingxue interjected, "I made a rough estimate. We've shrunk by about three hundred times! If we consider an original height of one meter eighty, we're now reduced to about six millimeters!"

"Six millimeters?" Hearing Chen Lingxue's words, Huang Mang lowered his head to examine his own body, pondering.

"That's right. Based on this calculation, when Ji Chang walks a meter now, it's as if he's traversing three hundred meters. Our usual one hundred meters is now equivalent to thirty thousand meters, or thirty kilometers. Not to mention going home, even leaving this courtyard is a daunting task! Moreover, we're currently in the suburban area. The straight-line distance to the fourth ring road in the city is already fifteen kilometers!"

Chen Lingxue sighed slightly and answered.

Hearing this, Ji Chang also glanced at his own body, silently agreeing as he remembered his return journey.

Although he hadn't calculated as precisely as Chen Lingxue had, he knew that leaving the courtyard was an incredibly difficult task. Not to mention the powerful insects they might encounter along the way, the vast distance alone could exhaust them.

"Why did this happen? Why did we become small?" Huang Mang sighed and continued asking.

"As for the reason for becoming small, I'm not entirely sure. At least, for our current situation, this shrinking doesn't conform to the physics and biology we know. According to our shrinking ratio based on height, our volume should have reduced by a million times. This would have caused disruptions in our brain capacity, bone density, blood... all indicators. But that hasn't happened."

"Could it be the Trisolarans invading?" Then Huang Mang suddenly looked up, realizing, "Did protons unfold into multiple dimensions? And then we shrank!"

Chen Lingxue shook her head. "Highly unlikely. Putting aside whether the concept of protons unfolding into multiple dimensions is valid, even if such a thing happened and caused us to shrink, it wouldn't be only us. Everything on Earth, including the ants we encountered and this house, would have shrunk too."

"Alright, I was just talking nonsense."

Huang Mang scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, then suddenly reacted with surprise, "So you're saying physics doesn't exist anymore..."

"For us, perhaps alongside the shrinking, other changes occurred, like how Ji Chang managed to make the ant obedient!"

Not delving further into the debate about the existence of physics, Chen Lingxue turned her attention to Ji Chang and the docile ant. "Maybe while we shrank, we gained extraordinary abilities!"

"Extraordinary abilities?"

"Extraordinary abilities!"

"Extraordinary..."

"...abilities!"

As Chen Lingxue's words trailed off, everyone fell into contemplation. At the same time, all eyes turned to Ji Chang.

Then, suddenly, Huang Mang cried out, "Ah! My head hurts!"

Before anyone could react, they saw Huang Mang's body tilting to the side.

Ji Chang, who was closest to Huang Mang, swiftly reached out and supported his body.

The situation with Huang Mang caused a moment of panic among everyone. Before they could say anything, Huang Mang opened his eyes again.

But the next moment, everyone displayed astonishment.

Including Ji Chang, who was equally surprised.

Because at that moment, Huang Mang's legs were visibly changing at a rapid pace.

In less than half a breath's time, Huang Mang's body turned into a texture resembling cement, just like the ground beneath!

"Ji Ge, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Damn it, what's happening to my body..."

Regaining his senses, Huang Mang looked at Ji Chang with an odd expression in his eyes. He had intended to ask something, but suddenly felt something unusual in his body. When he saw his body resembling cement, he couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Then, Huang Mang exclaimed excitedly, "Damn it, Ji Ge! I've gained extraordinary abilities too!"

The crowd looked on, amazed by the unfolding events.

Ji Chang leaned in closer to Huang Mang and asked, "Mangzi, what just happened?"

Seeing Ji Chang voice the collective confusion in their hearts, everyone's gaze fixed on Huang Mang.

"Just now... just now, I felt like there were a few muffled thunders in my head, then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found you holding me, and then my body had turned like this," Huang Mang answered after a moment of reflection. Then he remembered something and asked, "By the way, Ji Ge, how long was I unconscious for?"

"A few seconds, I guess! Other than feeling thunder in your head, was there anything else?" Ji Chang continued to inquire.

"No, nothing," Huang Mang nodded, then continued, "Ji Ge, how did my body change back? I'm not going to stay like this forever, am I? And... how will I find a wife like this?"

"Take your time and feel your body slowly."

Seeing this, Ji Chang thought for a moment before speaking.

The others stood by, listening to their conversation. They knew that only Ji Chang, who had already awakened to these extraordinary abilities, could help Huang Mang at this point.

As Ji Chang's words fell, Huang Mang closed his eyes slightly and began to feel his body.

A few minutes later, with everyone's eyes fixed on Huang Mang, his head gradually returned to normal, but his body remained cement-like.

At this moment, Huang Mang opened his eyes, excitement written all over his face as he looked at Ji Chang. "Haha, Ji Ge, I think I've regained sensation!"

As Huang Mang's voice trailed off, his body rapidly transformed, returning to its original state!

"It seems that Huang Mang's extraordinary ability is turning into a cement body. This way, the ants won't pose a threat anymore!"

Chen Lingxue, who had been observing from the side, nodded as she spoke.

"Ants! Ants, where are you, ants? Come out! Today, I'll show you how to write 'Mang'!" Mentioning the ants, Huang Mang instantly perked up, shouting excitedly.

"Hmm?" Ji Chang raised an eyebrow at this.

Following Ji Chang's command, the ant that had been quietly waiting nearby quickly lunged at Huang Mang!

"Damn it! Ji Ge, Ji Ge, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Caught off guard and not yet accustomed to his transformation, Huang Mang saw the ant charging at him like a fierce tiger. He turned and fled, begging while running...

This scene triggered laughter from the crowd.

Ever since they shrank, a cloud of gloom had been hanging over everyone's hearts. But now, that cloud gradually dispersed.

Just as Huang Mang dodged the ant, suddenly, two other classmates cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.

Simultaneously, the phenomenon seemed to spread like a toppled line of dominoes, affecting everyone.

"Hey? What's going on? There's a flame on my fingertips!"

"Oh my, there are ice shards on my nails!"

"Goodness, a pair of light and shadow wings grew on my back!"

...

In an instant, everyone who had gotten up from the ground was astonished by their own changes.

"Huh? Zhou Jun, what's your extraordinary ability?"

"I don't know, I don't feel any changes in myself!"

"Class monitor, how about you?"

"I... I also don't know what my extraordinary ability is!"

As they inquired of each other, when they heard the class monitor Chen Lingxue's words, everyone turned their gaze toward her.

Ji Chang did the same.

Shortly after, under everyone's gaze, Chen Lingxue demonstrated her own extraordinary ability. She extended her palm, and a verdant mist sprayed from her hand, and then that was it...

Ji Chang noticed that among those present, apart from himself and Huang Mang, Chen Lingxue's palm could spray green mist, Wang Lingling had grown a pair of light and shadow wings, Dong Xuan's fingertips flickered with flames, Zheng Haiyu's nails were covered in ice shards.

As for Zhou Jun, after fainting, there was no change in him.

And Xiao Feng, similarly, didn't notice any extraordinary abilities within himself...

After inquiring with Ji Chang, he found that everyone, just like him and Huang Mang, had felt a rumble of thunder in their minds when they passed out. But other than that, there was nothing.

Only he could see the window.

The window that displayed his information and represented his "Beast Subduing" ability.

Now, he could summon that window at will.

However, it was the same as when it first appeared, with no change.

According to the information in the parentheses under the "Function" column, he understood that his current strength was insufficient.

But regarding this, Ji Chang's anticipation grew faintly.

In the subsequent time, everyone sat together discussing matters related to their extraordinary abilities.

Through Ji Chang's explanation, everyone came to generally understand that using these extraordinary abilities consumed something akin to mental energy or some other form of energy, and prolonged usage could lead to headaches and physical exhaustion.

Of course, Huang Mang unintentionally provided everyone with an "on-site commentary," frequently transforming his body into a cement-like material, which now left him sitting helplessly on the ground unable to stand...

Not long after, with Ji Chang's general explanation, everyone gained some insight into their extraordinary abilities.

At this point, Wang Lingling looked at everyone and asked, "What should we do next?"

"Currently, even though some of us have acquired extraordinary abilities, we still can't use them for extended periods. So, for now, we should find a safe place and figure out how to become stronger. Moreover... we need to address the issue of food and water!"

Licking his parched lips, Ji Chang spoke.