"These should be enough."
Zhao Xiaoyan looked at Wei Dalei working so hard and couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him.
Chen Mu said, "It's enough. Let me see, two packs of powdered noodles, one pack of sauce, five packs of vegetable mix..."
The seasoning alone didn't consume much, and they brought two packs just in case of any unexpected situations. After all, in terms of importance, the pack with a large amount of edible salt was the most crucial.
But relatively speaking, the vegetable mix was the most heavily consumed.
In fact, Chen Mu wasn't too worried about meat; it was the vegetables that couldn't be guaranteed in the short term.
The existing vegetables would soon rot, and within the school area, there were only some ornamental green plants, maybe some of them were edible, but harvesting them would likely be much more difficult than catching ants and earthworms.
However, these packs of vegetable mix could at least ensure a vegetarian supply for the nine of them for several months.
Chen Mu opened each bag of instant noodles.
Wei Dalei was responsible for crawling inside and bringing out the seasoning packs.
These tasks weren't too difficult, but they took time.
The most challenging part was actually emptying one pack of instant noodles.
For someone with Wei Dalei's strength, dragging a piece of the noodle block wasn't hard, but taking it out of the plastic bag without damaging the bag was quite troublesome.
In the end, Wei Dalei, who was accustomed to using brute force, still tore the bag apart, and Chen Mu had to fix it.
By the time they packed the eight small seasoning packs into the instant noodle bag, the outside had already darkened.
What used to take just a few seconds to do now required the effort of three people and almost half a day to complete, not to mention having someone like Wei Dalei, who was a powerhouse.
"Are we going to rest here for the night?"
"We can't. With so many food scraps around, there might be insects coming over. If we wake up surrounded by ants tomorrow morning, it'll be a disaster."
Chen Mu looked at the messy scene in front of him, feeling somewhat helpless.
Originally, he had the same idea as Wei Dalei, wanting to finish all the packing today and rest at the same spot for the night, then start the journey back early in the morning with high spirits.
But obviously, he didn't expect the current situation.
"Should we just head back directly?"
"It's too dangerous to travel at night. We'll leave the cafeteria area first and then find a place to set up camp."
"Okay."
"Old Wei, you're responsible for dragging this big bag of seasoning packs. I'll handle the handcart."
"Are you sure you can handle it, boss?" Wei Dalei looked doubtful.
Chen Mu showed full confidence, "Of course... not, so we'll have to discard some of the flour."
...
The sky was completely dark, and the results of the environmental management in the commercial area were remarkable. One could now see the faint starlight at night, and the air had improved even further due to no emissions from cars and other vehicles in the past week.
The three individuals reached the slope outside the cafeteria building.
"Let's stay here for now and wait for daylight before moving on."
"Is it safe?"
"No problem."
After Chen Mu finished speaking, he got to work.
A larger plastic cover was slowly brought together above the three of them.
Finally, it formed something resembling a tent.
The handcart was also covered, but due to the large size of the instant noodle bag, they could only leave it outside. However, Chen Mu sealed the bag and firmly pressed down its four corners using the cement ground to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.
As they had enough time, Chen Mu meticulously created a T-shaped groove on the ground and secured the bottom edge of the plastic cover into it, forming a very sturdy structure.
Wei Dalei pushed it with his hand and nodded in satisfaction.
"Rest assured, unless a determined mouse comes to gnaw on the plastic, we won't have a problem with ordinary animals."
Chen Mu had some confidence, which was why they dared to spend the night outside.
The plastic had decent transparency, and the three of them leaned against the handcart, looking up at the hazy night sky. They chatted casually for a while and then fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, Chen Mu was suddenly awakened by rustling sounds.
He didn't immediately wake up Wei Dalei but calmly opened a small hole in the plastic cover to look outside.
Under the moonlight, two figures were sneakily inspecting their instant noodle bag.
Clearly, their belongings had caught their attention.
Chen Mu wasn't sure if these two were part of Li Hewei's group, and for a moment, he hesitated whether to confront them directly.
Wei Dalei's snoring effectively deceived the people outside, but Chen Mu didn't dare to wake him up either. Otherwise, if the snoring suddenly stopped, it would clearly indicate to those two individuals that they had been discovered.
As Chen Mu was pondering what to do, the other side suddenly stopped their actions and gathered together. Although their faces couldn't be seen clearly, based on their figures and movements, they didn't seem to be part of Li Hewei's group. Moreover, the one leading them was obviously a woman.
The two people deliberated for a moment in their original position, glanced a few times toward the "tent," and just when Chen Mu thought they were about to take action, they turned around together and left in the direction of the cafeteria.
Chen Mu couldn't determine their intentions for a moment.
Did they feel unsure and went to get others?
Or did their conscience kick in, making them feel guilty about stealing from someone else?
Chen Mu didn't dare to follow and investigate further since whoever dared to wander around at midnight must have some backup. He didn't want to take any risks and quickly woke up Wei Dalei and Zhao Xiaoyan, telling them what he had discovered.
"Boss, what should we do?" Wei Dalei, although impulsive, understood that this situation, where the enemy was in the dark while they were exposed, was highly unfavorable, especially with Zhao Xiaoyan around. If they really started a fight, he had to consider her safety as well.
"We can only take a little risk and hurry on the road."
Traveling at night was troublesome because of the limited visibility. They might not have enough time to activate the defense cover if they encountered danger.
But compared to dealing with unknown enemies, Chen Mu preferred taking this kind of risk.
Wei Dalei immediately agreed.
The three of them quickly organized their belongings.
Chen Mu pushed the handcart, and Wei Dalei dragged the instant noodle bag.
They retraced their steps.
Throughout the journey, the three of them were extra cautious.
However, not long after they started, Chen Mu suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong, boss?"
"Nothing, I need to go to the bathroom."
Chen Mu walked a short distance away, dealt with his needs, and then the three of them continued on their way.
...
Meanwhile, about two meters behind the three of them.
A man and a woman were secretly following.
"They've stopped," the man whispered, lowering his voice.
"What did they say?" the woman asked in a hushed tone.
"Hush..." The man made a gesture for silence and then listened intently for a moment before shaking his head. "Nothing. That guy went to pee."
"Are you sure?"
"I vaguely heard the sound of water. What's the matter? Is there a problem?"
"Nothing. I'm just worried we might be discovered."
"How is that possible? Who could have hearing as good as mine?"
"Better be careful."
"They're getting up again."
"Let's keep following them."