Humans Shrunk 100 Times

This was already Chen Mu's fifth time venturing outside.

Among the group, besides Wei Dalei, the others were the ones who frequently roamed outside, and their experience was even richer than Chen Mu's.

Lu Shanshan even felt a bit nostalgic about the old days.

"So, you guys used to wander outside, and you really could find food?" Chen Mu listened to some of Lu Shanshan's experiences and found it somewhat unbelievable.

"At the beginning, when there were more people, it was okay. We had a companion with an ability to go into a soul state during sleep, exploring the surrounding environment without any danger."

Lu Shanshan sighed, "Unfortunately, he died shortly after awakening."

"Soul state? What's that all about?"

Chen Mu was curious; psychic abilities were extremely rare. Until now, he only knew about Du Jiajia and He Ying, the deceased companion.

"It's like sleepwalking in the soul state. You see everything just like in reality. Once we figure out where there's food, we can head straight to our destination the next day."

"It has to be after falling asleep."

"Yes, it has to be genuine sleep."

"Can the soul state be noticed by others?" Chen Mu asked again.

Lu Shanshan explained, "According to him, it can't be noticed. However, the soul can pass through walls, fly, and go underground, but it can only observe and can't do anything."

"Hmm..."

Chen Mu felt it was a bit strange.

This ability could be considered strong, but it seemed to have little use for personal strength improvement, yet it didn't feel right to call it weak either.

For reconnaissance and gathering intelligence, it was simply divine.

Of course, it could be used for peeping too.

A bit wicked.

But it could only be used when one was genuinely asleep, which was a significant limitation.

In peaceful times, many people would definitely envy having such an ability.

However, in the current situation, it could only serve as pure support.

Lu Shanshan continued, "After that person died, it became increasingly difficult and dangerous for us to obtain food. More people died, and when there were only four of us left, we were basically surviving by eating insects and ant corpses."

From the initial interrogation, Chen Mu had already heard this story from Lu Shanshan.

Honestly, it was quite heart-wrenching.

However, these experiences also made them stronger.

At least when they were discussing eating ants and insects together, Lu Shanshan and her group remained unfazed.

Jokingly, they had even crouched over corpses and gnawed on raw meat. Were they supposed to be afraid of barbecued bugs?

"Your way of eating, without getting sick, is really fortunate."

"Yes," Lu Shanshan recalled those experiences and couldn't help but feel emotional.

Xue Xu laughed, "At that time, Lu Shanshan was braver than all of us. When she was extremely thirsty, she even drank insect fluids."

She was quite something.

He Ying could relate and chimed in, "During our most difficult times, we even considered drinking the water from bird droppings. Fortunately, we later found a water faucet."

Wei Dalei couldn't stand listening anymore and pushed the cart forward, clearing some distance.

Chen Mu interrupted their nostalgic conversation and said, "The food issue is only temporarily solved for us now. If humanity wants to continue reproducing, relying solely on hunting and gathering will probably be difficult."

"Yes, meat is actually not that bad, but what about grains and vegetables? Are we going to eat wild vegetables forever in a few years?"

"As you have seen, even vegetables don't taste as good as before."

During their last encounter with celery leaves, although everyone seemed to enjoy it, even Chen Mu could sense that the rough texture was far from delicious.

The plant fibers had become coarser. Eating a celery leaf felt like chewing on a banana leaf.

"Will we be able to grow our own vegetables in the future?" He Ying suddenly asked.

"I and Tang Jing have discussed this, and theoretically, it's entirely feasible. However, achieving it would probably be quite challenging. First of all, obtaining seeds would be difficult, and even if we manage to plant them, given our current size, how would we water and fertilize them? Relying solely on nature for food wouldn't be very meaningful, and there are also issues with harvesting and storage."

"So, it's almost impossible," He Ying felt a bit disheartened.

"That's not necessarily true."

"Hmm?"

"You shouldn't forget that our survival so far is not entirely due to intelligence."

"Are you saying it's because of our abilities?"

"If abilities can't be duplicated, then even if there are only 100 million people left out of 7 billion, it's still a terrifying number. With so many people, there will always be those whose abilities lean towards things like cultivation."

"That makes sense."

He Ying agreed with this, but then she said, "But when will we encounter someone like that? What if Qingbei or Yizhong already has people with such abilities..."

"These are all unknowns, and worrying about them now will only add unnecessary stress."

Chen Mu smiled, "Let's think more about this journey for now."

At this moment, Lu Shanshan asked, "Where exactly is our first destination?"

When Chen Mu sought her agreement earlier, he mentioned going towards the cafeteria to search for food and gather information about Yizhong. However, he didn't specify the exact plan, and Lu Shanshan didn't ask further.

"My idea is to find a safe place for you and Xue Xu to hide first. He Ying and I will investigate the situation, and when we come back, we'll join you to search for food together."

"Okay."

Lu Shanshan had no objections. Her function was mainly for carrying goods, and if there were ever a need for combat, she would become a burden. As for Xue Xu, he was the ultimate weapon that could harm enemies while hurting himself. They tried to avoid using him, especially during the reconnaissance phase, as it could easily lead to exposure.

Speaking of Xue Xu.

Chen Mu curiously asked, "Xue Xu, do you... smell bad when you use your ability?"

"It does smell bad, but not as exaggerated as others. Senior, you wouldn't know. The first time I awakened, the fart I released directly knocked two people out. It was a real knockout, and I thought they were doing it on purpose. But then several others started vomiting. If it weren't for that time when I drove away a group of ants, I probably would have been kicked out of the team."

Xue Xu seemed a bit aggrieved and embarrassed.

Chen Mu could understand that. Unexpectedly smelling such an odor without any warning could truly mess with someone's mind.

Lu Shanshan clearly remembered that unpleasant memory; she was probably one of the people who vomited.

As a tough girl who could eat insect corpses raw, she still had lingering fears of that smell.

Chen Mu laughed, "Your ability is actually quite practical. But from what you're saying, most of the time, you instinctively release it in critical situations. While that's good, it's not stable enough. I think you can do some targeted training in self-control."

"Self-control?" Xue Xu was puzzled.

"If you can control the strength and even the direction of the smell at will, the effect will definitely be better."

"That's true, but how do I train for that?"

"I can't really guide you on that; you'll have to experience and figure it out on your own. But from my experience, abilities like these can be improved through practice and repetition."

"Okay, I will practice diligently in the future." Xue Xu became motivated.

"Remember to practice in a place with no one around," Chen Mu quickly added.

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