Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 83: Awakening

Chen Mu read the list of the field team again, and Chang Junyan was dumbfounded.

He thought Chang Junyan would be afraid and would refuse to go, but in the next moment, he sprang up and said, "So, does that mean I can go out and have a look too?"

This caught Chen Mu off guard.

Is this a good thing?

"You have some special skills in defense, and it's a waste to stay at home all the time. Going out for some exercise might even lead to a breakthrough in your abilities."

"Okay."

Chang Junyan nodded and then asked with a normal person's mindset, "Is it dangerous?"

Chen Mu smiled and said, "There will definitely be dangers, but unless we encounter some unforeseeable enemies, there shouldn't be a problem. Actually, staying at home doesn't guarantee complete safety either."

After confirming the four members of the field team, Chen Mu said, "The current problem is where to find food. Most of the food and supplies are concentrated in the canteen, and I don't know if we can still access the storage room we visited last time."

"I don't recommend you go back there," Tang Jing said.

"But what about other places?"

"The current food resources will eventually run out. Sooner or later, we all have to find new ways to survive in this post-apocalyptic world. Maybe we should adapt to the rules of survival from the early days of humanity."

"What do you mean?"

"The initial source of human food..."

"Hunting?"

"Exactly."

"So, we should go back to the idea of eating ants and insects?"

This statement made everyone uncomfortable.

"For the time being, this is a necessary stage we must go through. From the perspective of human evolution, in the beginning, we would scavenge food left behind by other animals to satisfy our hunger. As the population grew, this mode of sustenance couldn't meet our daily needs, so we gradually evolved into hunting for ourselves."

"This is an extremely lengthy stage. Our ancestors relied on gathering wild fruits and hunting animals for thousands of years before gradually developing domestication and cultivation, up until now."

"But eating animals and eating insects are quite different things." Du Jiajia, as a chef, would be the first one to come into contact with ingredients. Obviously, how to cook a worm is a serious concern.

"All I can say is that you'll get used to it." Tang Jing helplessly shrugged her shoulders, clearly not willing to accept this fact herself.

"But we can't just eat meat."

"We can ration the vegetable supplies and make them last for about three months. We can only hope that within these three months, we can come up with some other solutions."

"Are there any edible plants among the wild grasses?"

"Most plants have coarse fibers and almost no nutritional value. Some wild grasses have roots and tender shoots rich in carbohydrates and are edible. However, the problem is that the ones planted on the school grounds are mostly decorative and ornamental, not for consumption..."

"Succulent plants should be edible, right?" Zhu Hao asked.

"Yes, I heard many people eat cacti."

"There are some behind the teaching building."

Tang Jing smiled and said, "Indeed, many succulent plants are edible. The most typical one is Ice Grass, but other than that, the others aren't that great."

"Plants like Stone Lotus and cacti used to be considered as weight loss remedies, with effects such as lowering blood sugar, reducing cholesterol, and eliminating fat."

"That doesn't sound bad, right?" Zhao Xiaoyan's eyes lit up.

"But we don't need to lose weight now. On the contrary, high-calorie foods are what we need the most. Of course, it's not like those plants are devoid of calories, but clearly, they have a low cost-effectiveness. It would be too much effort to bring them back, and they won't last long unless we can bring back a whole pot of succulents."

"So, it will be very difficult for us to have vegetables in the future?"

"For the time being, it is indeed more troublesome. In previous years, there used to be some wild arrowheads by the school's landscape lake, which is a good food source. However, picking them is a challenge, and we'll have to wait until autumn at the earliest."

"For now, let's not worry about those things. I think hunting should be our primary focus for the time being, with earthworms and ants as our main targets." Chen Mu interrupted the vegetable discussion; clearly, those options were still too distant.

Dong Junwei said, "Earthworms are actually not bad, high in protein, and if cooked according to the method Chen Mu mentioned earlier, they might be acceptable."

"What method?" Du Jiajia was curious.

"After dissection, roasting, and making them into jerky, it's both convenient for preservation and won't leave a bad impression."

"What about ants?"

"Ants may not be as good as earthworms," Chen Mu said, "I dissected one last time, and most of it was organs and intestines."

However, Tang Jing shook her head and said, "Ants' muscles are mostly in their legs, with high density, making them good food."

Chen Mu paused for a moment, then understood and nodded, "So, we just need to bring back their six legs next time?"

"Yes, after roasting, I think they might taste like fried chicken legs, and their meat would be even firmer." Tang Jing made a joke.

"But how do we solve the staple food issue?" Dong Junwei asked.

"That is indeed a problem; carbohydrates are important too."

"We can only rely on luck," Chen Mu sighed, "I still plan to go to the canteen again."

"But the people from Yizhong..."

"That's precisely why I want to go to Yizhong. The exact location of Qingbei is unclear, but as for Yizhong, He Ying has gathered some information. I want to go there again, on one hand, to see if there are any other food sources, and on the other hand, it's good to know our potential rivals."

Dong Junwei sensed a mischievous tone in his words and expressed some concern, "Isn't it too risky?"

Chen Mu smiled and replied, "I've been fine lately... I'll be very careful."

Since he said that, others couldn't refute it.

After a busy day, everyone was tired and returned to their rooms early to rest.

Sealing the door gaps would still take three to four days to complete. After that, Chen Mu would venture outside. Although there was still a month's worth of food supply, it was essential to plan ahead as not every trip outside would yield results. Leaving some room for maneuvering was necessary.

Chen Mu quickly fell asleep. His daytime activities drained mostly his mental energy, making him require more sleep than others. However, for some reason, he had high sleep quality, and he slept less time compared to others. Though he was a light sleeper, it was easy to wake him up at night.

And tonight was no exception.

In the middle of the night, Chen Mu was awakened by some sounds.

This was not unusual since there were always some small flying insects or creatures making noises during the day, but they posed no threat to humans and were quite small in size, resembling sparrows from the past.

However, tonight's sounds seemed different.

After waking up, Chen Mu maintained his original breathing rate and subtly turned his body. He was positioned closest to the door, and through the gap in the plastic door, illuminated by the moonlight, he finally saw the situation outside.

There were several stealthy figures.

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