The discussion among the three individuals didn't lead to any substantial progress, but their understanding of superpowers continued to deepen.
Their current situation was akin to being trapped on a deserted island, completely unaware of what was happening outside. They didn't know how many people were still alive or what condition they were in.
Therefore, all they could do was continuously improve and strengthen themselves to face the dangers that might come at any time.
This was undoubtedly the most significant survival crisis humanity had encountered in thousands of years.
But for the nine students of Class 4 in their senior year, life was still bearable.
At least they had some roasted flatbread to eat.
"Is everyone awake? I'll go make breakfast," Chen Mu offered, feeling responsible.
"No need, we can't let you do everything. Last night, Du Jiajia talked to me and said she's willing to take care of the cooking," Wang Wei said.
"Du Jiajia?" Chen Mu was a bit puzzled.
Apart from Wei Dalei, he wasn't very familiar with his classmates. Du Jiajia was usually quiet, and her school supplies were covered with various photos of celebrities, like a fangirl immersed in the world of idol chasing.
And she was a foodie.
Chen Mu had witnessed her breaking the school rules more than once, secretly bringing snacks into the classroom.
However, Du Jiajia was also quite generous.
Whenever someone encountered her, she would share some of her snacks with them.
Once, when Chen Mu passed by her desk and caught her eating potato chips, she smiled mischievously and offered him a piece, making a gesture for him to keep it quiet.
At that moment, Chen Mu thought she was... a bit foolishly cute.
Of course, as things stood now, Du Jiajia's "bad habit" of being a foodie had actually saved them all.
Without that piece of cake, they might have run out of strength much earlier.
Concerned about Du Jiajia taking charge of the cooking, Chen Mu asked, "Can she cook?"
On one hand, he didn't trust her culinary skills, and on the other hand, he worried about how much food would be left if Du Jiajia handled the cooking.
"She says she'll learn slowly," Dong Junwei sighed. "Deep down, we all want to contribute in some way, especially someone like Du Jiajia who hasn't awakened any abilities and feels useless."
Chen Mu understood Du Jiajia's feelings.
As a team, no one would like a freeloader.
Before the apocalypse, who wasn't the darling of their family? Why should I be responsible for taking care of you during such dangerous times?
At the beginning, everyone was just classmates, and even if they didn't have particularly close relationships, inertia would still make most people willing to lend a helping hand.
Few people would let their savage instincts take over right after the apocalypse. After all, no one knew if they would return to normal in the next moment. Even if the law didn't hold them accountable, they would be socially dead.
But as time went on, things became less certain.
Even if the relationships were strong, when it came to survival, human nature would eventually revert to instinct.
Du Jiajia clearly felt the crisis.
She hadn't awakened any superpowers and couldn't offer strategic advice like Tang Jing. Other boys without powers could still contribute with physical work, but she couldn't help in any way.
In the long run, she might be abandoned by the team.
Chen Mu smiled and said, "Actually, she doesn't need to worry. Every person who hasn't awakened has potential, and besides, our current situation is different from the typical apocalypse. Food is never an issue; feeding one person or ten people doesn't make much difference. Having one more person means having a little more strength."
"I also comforted her that way, but it's necessary for everyone to share some responsibilities. Cooking is one of those things; we can't let you do it all the time."
"Okay," Chen Mu naturally had no objections.
Dong Junwei laughed and added, "But at the beginning, you might need to teach her. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't have anything to eat today."
"No problem," Chen Mu readily agreed.
After their discussion, just as they were about to head back, they heard some commotion not far away.
Chen Mu had been on guard, and he was the first to notice something amiss. When Dong Junwei and Tang Jing followed his gaze, they saw three people running from around the corner of the storage room's outer wall.
Three strangers.
Since the disaster began, it was the first time Chen Mu and the others had encountered outsiders.
Dong Junwei was momentarily stunned, but then she showed a look of delight.
This proved that there were other survivors in the school.
If they could gather everyone together, their strength would undoubtedly be greater, and their chances of survival would be higher.
However, things didn't go as they hoped.
"Be careful of them," Tang Jing whispered as a reminder.
Dong Junwei quickly realized that something was wrong.
The three people on the opposite side were approaching quickly without any intention of slowing down. They were holding long-shaped weapons, but it was difficult to tell exactly what they were.
In the next moment, all three of them raised their weapons.
At that moment, everyone knew they meant harm.
Chen Mu had been prepared for a fight since he noticed the movement. Throughout his life, he had used his fists more often than words to reason with people.
In this post-apocalyptic world, he was always ready to fight for his life.
But he also held a glimmer of hope.
He hoped that the three people approaching might have good intentions.
At least they could observe and listen to what they had to say.
However, the three individuals on the opposite side were ruthless; they didn't utter a single word and attacked immediately.
Dong Junwei and Tang Jing couldn't help but panic and feel a bit lost. They could accept the fact that centipedes were eating humans, but seeing fellow humans, without any reason, killing each other, even in this post-apocalyptic world, was difficult to comprehend.
Chen Mu was already poised and ready.
Even before the three individuals on the other side got closer, he pushed Dong Junwei and shouted, "Go inside and call for help!"
At the same time, he himself bent over and slipped back inside the doorway.
However, he was well aware that even if he could outrun the three people, Tang Jing and Dong Junwei had no hope of doing so.
So, after the two women came inside, he held his weapon and waited behind the door.
At this moment.
Tang Jing ran and shouted, "Dalei, help!"
In the distance.
Wei Dalei reflexively jumped up, grabbing his giant wolf-tooth club and rushing over as if flying.
However, he still had some distance to cover.
As soon as he got up, the three people outside the door had already bent down and crawled in from under the door slit.
Chen Mu was prepared long before.
Without saying a word, he thrust his spear towards the closest person.
His target was clear - to disable one person first, to intimidate the others. If he could buy some time for Tang Jing and Dong Junwei to run far away, and wait for Wei Dalei to arrive, he wouldn't be too worried.
He was well-versed in fighting techniques.
Either don't engage, or engage to disable the opponent.
...
Three men against one man and two women.
The three people outside the door were confident and never expected Chen Mu and the others to counterattack so decisively after fleeing. They chased inside without a second thought.
"Splurt."
Chen Mu thrust with all his might, directly stabbing one of them in the neck.
The man had been bending over, obstructing his vision. Just as he raised his head after coming in, he was struck in the throat by the spear.
Chen Mu didn't directly pull out the spear.
Instead, he used his ability to make the long spear thinner and easily withdrew the weapon.
Blood gushed out!