Chen Mu nodded, deciding to give it a try. He pondered for a moment and concentrated on imagining what Peppa Pig looked like. As he focused, the stone in his hand began to transform, following his thoughts.
It felt a bit like playing with clay.
Because he wasn't very skilled, it took about half a minute to complete the task.
However, Chen Mu's artistic abilities were clearly lacking. The Peppa Pig he created only had the appearance of a pig's head with a long nose. Overall, it was full of pits and looked awful.
But surprisingly, it had a somewhat cute feeling to it.
It's what you might call "ugly-cute."
It was also quite challenging to do.
"Ha!"
Chen Mu sweated nervously.
How should he put this?
Changing the shape of objects might sound amazing at first—changing the world with just his hands, like a real-life version of a video game protagonist who can create airplanes and tanks, or at least make handguns and crossbows for self-defense, right?
However, through the experiment just now, Chen Mu realized that reality could be cruel.
His ability was merely to change the shape.
Making a handgun?
Sure, but what about bullets and gunpowder?
Making a crossbow?
That's possible too, but what about the material for the bowstring?
Moreover, he could barely create a passable Peppa Pig earlier, let alone something as intricate and complex as a handgun. With his current ability, even shaping a basic outline would be a miracle.
Maybe he should consider making some weapons and armor for self-defense?
The staple on his hand was made of metal, so making a knife should be possible.
The classroom's desks were vintage wooden pieces. Perhaps he could fashion some plate armor to increase his defense?
He immediately began to experiment, and the staple in his hand slowly started to change its form.
Stretching... handle... blade...
Gradually, it took on the appearance of a longsword.
However, even this simple longsword he created was crooked and lacked any sense of beauty. The blade wasn't sharp enough either.
Chen Mu realized that this ability, whether it was meant to be funny or not, required a certain level of imagination and skill to support it—similar to drawing. In the beginning, you couldn't even draw a perfect circle, but with continuous practice, you could gradually master it. Maybe someday he could create airplanes with his bare hands, but for now, the possibilities were quite limited.
He temporarily abandoned the idea of making armor since it wasn't just about wrapping someone in a cylindrical container. If the craftsmanship wasn't good enough, it would be more of a burden.
However, he could consider making some self-defense weapons, like a stick or a spear. It shouldn't be too difficult.
Chen Mu shared his thoughts, and Dong Junwei nodded, saying, "It's already impressive. Many of us haven't awakened any abilities yet."
Indeed.
Until now, out of the dozen or so people, including the deceased Luo Hui, only five of them had awakened abilities. The rest showed no reaction.
...
The sun was slowly setting, and the approaching darkness cast an even heavier shadow on everyone's vulnerable hearts.
The fear of the dark made them huddle together even tighter.
Zhao Xiaoyan unconsciously leaned towards Wei Dalei. Earlier, it was Chen Mu who had given them great confidence, but now, Wei Dalei, who had awakened his power, was an even more reliable pillar.
Dong Junwei said, "We don't have enough time tonight, so we'll have to sleep in place. Tomorrow, we'll figure out a plan. However, just in case, we need to take turns keeping watch. Dalei, Chen Mu, Zhu Hao, you three are the strongest in the group right now. Please don't sleep too deeply tonight. We might need your help at any moment."
Zhu Hao was the guy with the horns on his head from earlier. Although they didn't know exactly what his power was, he was still an ability user, and if necessary, they might need him to "hold the fort."
As for Chen Mu, even without any special abilities, he was more than capable of handling himself.
Dong Junwei then arranged a specific schedule for everyone to take turns keeping watch, and everything was well organized. Her composed demeanor gave everyone a little more confidence.
The group settled down to sleep on the ground.
Chen Mu and three others were assigned the first watch. Each of them took one corner of the group, and their task was to wake everyone up if they sensed any danger. Although their visibility was poor in the darkness, it was the best they could do.
After a long day of exhaustion, everyone was soon lulled into light snoring.
Sitting on the ground, Chen Mu earnestly listened to the surrounding sounds while pondering about his newfound ability.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit dissatisfied.
The staple in his hand kept changing shape, and Chen Mu was gradually getting the hang of it. He realized that his ability not only relied on his own imagination and skill but also seemed to have certain limitations concerning the weight of objects. At this point, the staple was almost at its limit, and anything larger would be too much for him to handle.
In the end, Chen Mu transformed the staple into the shape of a samurai sword.
This single-edged weapon was easier for him to manage and provided more flexibility in times of need. Of course, it was only a rough resemblance to a real samurai sword.
Time passed quickly, and before midnight, Wei Dalei came to relieve Chen Mu. This shift was the most demanding.
Chen Mu was already quite tired, so he returned to the group, lay down on the ground, and quickly fell asleep.
...
A faint light appeared in the eastern sky.
As someone accustomed to waking up early, Chen Mu was the first to wake up. He got up quietly and took a stroll not far from the group.
The samurai sword in his hand, although roughly crafted, felt powerful when swung. He initially thought of finding a few ants to practice with, but after circling around, he didn't find anything.
In fact, the classroom was usually kept clean, making it relatively safe.
As he returned to the group with the morning dew on his face, Tang Jing and Dong Junwei were already awake.
Last night, we slept relatively early, but sleeping on the floor was still tough for these delicate girls. Luckily, it's summertime, so the floor isn't too cold.
"Chen Mu, Tang Jing, let's discuss our next plan," Dong Junwei said, pulling the two of them aside to a corner of a nearby table to avoid waking the others.
The once small table legs, which used to be perfect for reading books, now looked like giant pillars that several people couldn't even wrap their arms around.
"What do you think? Should we stay here or venture outside?" Obviously, in Dong Junwei's mind, only Chen Mu and Tang Jing were the ones worth consulting.
Chen Mu spoke up, "This classroom may be relatively safe, but it has no food. For us to survive, we have to go out, no matter what."
Tang Jing agreed, "I share the same view. Considering the current situation, the chance of us returning to normal size is very low. Before we plan our next steps, I think we should find a place to settle down—a place with food reserves and some defense capability."
Dong Junwei frowned, "I was thinking the same, but... it's easier said than done."
Tang Jing replied, "We'll figure out a way slowly, but right now, the most urgent matter is to get the cake. Otherwise, even if we leave the classroom, we might not find food in the short term."
By now, the sky was bright.
Dong Junwei said, "Let's go back. Everyone should be awake now."
Upon returning to the group, the remaining classmates were already awake.
Dong Junwei explained the current situation and their future plans briefly. But when it came to retrieving the cake, everyone fell silent once again.
Among the awakened ability users, Zhu Hao's unicorn ability seemed useless in this situation, and Zhao Xiaoyan's heightened sense of smell could only help locate the cake.
All eyes gradually turned to Wei Dalei.
To eat the cake, someone needed to climb onto the table.
With enhanced strength, climbing up should be no problem, right?
Wei Dalei's face immediately turned bitter.
"It's not that I don't want to go, but... I'm afraid of heights..."