Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 155: Temporary Worker

Chen Mu was completely unprepared for this.

However, due to his mental power, he could clearly see Tang Jing falling to the ground and instinctively wanted to help her up. But in the next moment, a stronger instinct changed his strategy.

A stone suddenly rose from the ground, like a stool, just right under Tang Jing's hips, halting her fall, but her upper body still leaned backward.

Because it happened too suddenly, when Chen Mu reacted, only about half of it was his conscious decision, while the other half was like a reflex, just like the first time he used a shield to block an enemy's spear.

Immediately, the edge of the stool abruptly rose like a backrest, stopping Tang Jing's falling body. This ability was indeed consciously executed by Chen Mu.

Tang Jing seemed to be merely performing an ordinary sitting motion, but the ground cooperated and raised a backrest chair for her.

From beginning to end, it was just a blink of an eye.

Chen Mu didn't even have time to think about what had happened.

Tang Jing's falling motion was cut short, but it shook her awake a bit.

Holding her forehead, she simply sat on the concrete chair and rested for a moment, looking up.

Chen Mu didn't ask anything.

A long while passed.

Tang Jing finally let out a long breath and lifted her head.

"I was still thinking about when you'd realize this use of your ability." She had completely shaken off her previous disheveled appearance and now returned to her confident and astute demeanor.

However, Chen Mu couldn't help but feel something strange.

Though Tang Jing smiled as charmingly as before, there seemed to be something missing from her smile. Chen Mu couldn't describe this feeling, but he felt that in that instant, Tang Jing was different from before. However, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different.

"Shouldn't we talk about your problem first?" Chen Mu was a bit displeased with her reaction.

"I'm fine," Tang Jing said nonchalantly about what just happened.

"Are you sure?" Chen Mu frowned.

"If I do have a problem, can you help me solve it?" Tang Jing asked calmly.

Chen Mu hesitated for a moment, then helplessly spread his hands. "At least you can tell us, and we can discuss it together."

Tang Jing's smile faded, and she seemed genuinely considering this possibility. After a moment, she shook her head. "Thank you, I do need your help, but not right now."

Chen Mu was a bit dissatisfied with her mysterious approach, but he thought that it might be due to the special nature of her abilities, so he didn't say anything more.

From her reaction just now, it was almost certain that Tang Jing had already awakened her powers, as Chen Mu had experienced that kind of headache-inducing response many times before.

In fact, to achieve the best training effect, he intentionally overdrew his mental power to various degrees several times to test the growth of his abilities the next day.

However, contrary to his initial expectations, the more severe the mental power overdraft, the faster the growth of abilities wasn't necessarily true. Of course, it was one aspect, but what mattered more was the overall situation of mental power usage, or rather, its efficiency.

This also involved the issue of control.

With the same amount of mental power, rough and unrefined usage resulted in much slower growth compared to precise manipulation.

This was quite reasonable.

It was like someone working out; the scientific and proper methods were perhaps more important than the time spent exercising.

But Chen Mu knew nothing about Tang Jing's situation.

"Let's talk about your case."

Tang Jing brushed her slightly messy hair behind her ears and asked, "When did you come up with this method of control?"

Chen Mu felt a bit helpless; communicating with Tang Jing often led him to follow her rhythm. While her words seemed ordinary, the combination of her tone, gestures, and expressions always allowed her to take control of the conversation.

"With your feet?" Chen Mu said, "I tried it a long time ago, but as I mentioned before, it's far less efficient than using hands."

"You know that's not what I'm asking," Tang Jing said.

"Conductivity," Chen Mu nodded.

To create that chair just now, the only way was to use his feet to control the ground, and he had tried this method long ago.

But he had never made much progress with it.

On one hand, it was because his control with his feet was far inferior to that with his hands.

On the other hand, it was because of the shoes.

This brought up another issue: the conductivity of abilities.

In simple terms, it's about how to transmit an ability through one object to another to achieve the same effect, especially when the materials of the two objects are completely different.

In this regard, Chen Mu has actually tried many times.

When the materials of the two objects are the same, it's not difficult, it's just a matter of fusion.

But when the two are completely different materials, the situation becomes more complicated.

For example, he could easily use stainless steel to make a cane and plant it on the ground, but it's more challenging to control the cement floor through the cane.

And using his feet through shoes to manipulate the ground is even more difficult.

Chen Mu wore ordinary sports shoes, 58 yuan for a pair from a street vendor, and they had surprisingly good quality after wearing them for over a year.

Of course, it would be easier if he went barefoot, but unless he had Chang Junyan's ability, it wasn't practical.

The conductivity between different materials also varies, and there are hardly any consistent patterns.

Many times, although he can use his ability skillfully, he actually knows very little about its operating principles, just like a car thief who may not understand how the engine works.

According to Tang Jing's thoughts, she also thought of this problem, but she didn't immediately discuss it with Chen Mu.

The relationship between the two has been somewhat subtle from the beginning. Chen Mu could sense Tang Jing's special attention to him, which had nothing to do with romantic feelings. It was more like he was a beautiful piece of art, and Tang Jing was the artist who admired it but also wanted to study it closely.

"The issue of conductivity is likely to be the biggest challenge you'll face in the future, so there's no need to be too eager," Tang Jing smiled. "But what you just did was really good."

"That was an instinctive action, just like the first time I used a shield," Chen Mu said.

"Being able to do it instinctively proves that you already have the strength for it. The rest is about practicing how to actively apply it," Tang Jing said. "You can try to retract the chair... Wait for me to stand up first."

Just as Tang Jing stood up, the cement chair suddenly disintegrated, collapsing as if it had melted, but the ground still couldn't return to its previous smooth state.

At the same time, a raised portion appeared not far from where the chair was.

Chen Mu felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head. "I'm still not proficient enough."

He tried again, and it was somewhat better than before, but compared to the very first catch of Tang Jing, both the speed and accuracy were far from it.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind.

After a few minutes, Chen Mu realized that the ground beneath his feet had been completely ruined, pockmarked and uneven, giving a desolate feeling of complete devastation, as if it had been bombed.

The worst part was that some of the cement had climbed up to his knees.

If he kept going, he might end up like a terracotta warrior.

He activated his ability to remove the constraints on his legs and took a few steps back.

"The strength is already quite good, but the control aspect is still lacking," said Tang Jing.

"Not just lacking a bit, but lacking a lot," Chen Mu shook his head. He was well aware that the whole area of damaged ground, while seemingly powerful, actually exposed his weakness.

He squatted down, placing his right palm against the ground.

In the next moment.

The cement ground seemed like a crumpled piece of paper, suddenly pulled taut, becoming smooth and even in an instant, even more regular than the surrounding original ground.

The mess created by his feet was neatly cleaned up with just one touch of his hand.

However, Chen Mu didn't feel much joy.

Tang Jing noticed his mood and smiled, "Take it slow."

...

...

Since the battle with Yizhong, the atmosphere within Qiming had visibly changed, and everyone became more proactive in their work.

Chang Junyan, Zhao Xiaoyan, and others who used to follow Dong Junwei's arrangements obediently now also began actively paying attention to the organization's overall development, occasionally asking about long-term matters.

It was clear that when uncertainty arose in their survival, everyone wanted to take control of their own future as much as possible.

On this day, as usual, Du Jiajia prepared lunch for everyone, and after they finished eating, she would clean up the tableware.

She initially took the initiative to take charge of cooking out of fear of being abandoned by the team, but now, as one of the main sources of Qiming's confidence, Du Jiajia's position was as steady as Mount Tai.

Yet, she didn't give up cooking; on the contrary, her interest grew stronger with the abundant ingredients.

However, the kitchen was no longer Du Jiajia's one-woman show.

Due to the increased number of people, the workload of preparing three meals a day had greatly increased.

With no other option, Du Jiajia requested the organization to assign her an assistant.

The target was clear—Zhao Xiaoyan.

And Zhao Xiaoyan readily agreed, evidently the two of them had already colluded in private.

As it wasn't a big deal, Dong Junwei just sought everyone's opinion during the meal and quickly made a decision.

Zhao Xiaoyan got her wish and became the second official employee in the Qiming kitchen. With her abilities, she was quite suitable for kitchen work. On the day she took up the role, Dong Junwei encouraged her, expressing her expectation that Zhao Xiaoyan would elevate the kitchen's work to a higher level...

Moreover, Dong Junwei also provided the kitchen with two temporary workers - Feng Xiaoyu and Qian Fei.

As the only two non-awakened members left besides Tang Jing, it was understandable to assign them part-time work in the kitchen.

Qian Fei, as one of the original members of Class 9 in Senior 3, currently had the least active role. While others like Zhu Hao had a role to research every day, he could only do some ordinary physical tasks.

Of course, within Qiming, regardless of the ability, including Dong Junwei herself, everyone also had to do some regular physical work every day.

This was related to the current focus of their work.

Based on the future one-month work plan made at Qiming's fourth general meeting, in the short term, apart from a few members of the Qiming Construction Company, the rest would primarily focus on organizing the lower shelves and floor.

Feng Xiaoyu's identity was a bit awkward as a newcomer with few acquaintances in the team. Coupled with her lack of awakening, her presence was low.

Sun Yuan, who came along with her, had already become good friends with Zhu Hao and others, known as the "Three Troublemakers" of Qiming, and their reputation spread far and wide.

Furthermore, as an observer, Feng Xiaoyu was well aware that Tang Jing valued Sun Yuan even more than Chang Junyan and the others.

Being highly regarded by Tang Jing was indeed unlucky, but it also proved his enormous potential.

During this period, Feng Xiaoyu became increasingly anxious, her thoughts similar to those of Du Jiajia back when she first joined, fearing being abandoned by the team.

In private, she also asked He Ying if it was possible for Dong Junwei to arrange some regular tasks for her, at least giving her the opportunity to prove her worth.

It was precisely because of this that she was given the title of a temporary worker in the kitchen.

The two temporary workers had no actual responsibilities; they only needed to help out when Du Jiajia and Zhao Xiaoyan got too busy. Of course, Du Jiajia also assigned them a fixed task.

Qian Fei's main job was to clean up the tableware after meals and help with washing dishes and chopsticks.

Feng Xiaoyu was responsible for serving food to everyone.

Yes, she was the same as the aunt who used to often shake when serving food in the canteen before.

...

After the addition of three helpers, Du Jiajia felt significantly less pressure, allowing her more time to contemplate and study her ability.

Today, after finishing up in the kitchen, she walked briskly towards the door.

Her meetings with Xiao Huang had become more and more regular, proving the deepening bond between Du Jiajia and the cat.

As usual, when she reached the door, Du Jiajia heard the familiar sound of a cat's meow, but she didn't pay much attention and absentmindedly opened the door and went outside.

However, as soon as she stepped outdoors, Du Jiajia shivered.

She looked up.

It was a cat, but not Xiao Huang.

A pure white, slightly smaller cat than Xiao Huang sat obediently on the ground.

Du Jiajia's heart almost stopped.

This was clearly the little white cat that had been driven away by Xiao Huang last time. She thought it wouldn't come back, but here it was, suddenly appearing at the door after just a few days.

Du Jiajia had only heard its voice from behind the door last time and had never really seen it. Now, facing it up close, she was completely at a loss.

Will it attack me?

Du Jiajia didn't dare to make any sudden movements, afraid of causing any misunderstandings.

But her heart was pounding.

However, the little white cat just tilted its head, looking curiously at Du Jiajia, making no aggressive moves.

The two, the girl and the cat, remained in this tense standoff.

Suddenly, the little white cat stood up.

Du Jiajia was frightened and almost wanted to run back inside, but her legs were weak, and she couldn't move.

But in the next moment, the white cat simply changed its posture, lying down with its front paws stretched out, and resting its head on them, looking innocent.

"Ah, hey?"

Du Jiajia instantly calmed down because she was very familiar with this gesture.

Isn't this the same posture that Xiao Huang used to communicate with her?

Could it be that this white cat is also attracted to her and came here because of her?

Du Jiajia remembered what Tang Jing had told her before and suddenly understood.

She recalled how everyone had encouraged her to take this little white cat under her wing, but Xiao Huang's jealousy had prevented her from fulfilling that wish.

Now that Xiao Huang happened to be absent... Du Jiajia felt like she was cheating on him...

Indoors.

Sun Yuan was the first to sense that something was wrong. After using his ability to listen, he immediately informed Tang Jing. However, Tang Jing didn't seem concerned, even too lazy to pay attention, and continued to focus on writing something on the paper.

In the end, it was Dong Junwei who couldn't rest easy and called Chen Mu to come to the door together.

Afraid of startling the white cat, they could only move in its blind spot, keeping an eye on Du Jiajia.

Du Jiajia summoned up the courage and slowly approached.

When she reached the white cat's paws and was about to reach out, she looked around with some concern, afraid that Xiao Huang might suddenly appear.

Finally, finding no issues, she bit her lip and reached out to touch the cat.

A familiar warmth surged up inside her.

When she first made contact with Xiao Huang, she had a similar feeling.

"Meow..."

The white cat seemed happy too, blinking its eyes and licking its lips, lowering its head even further.

...

Inside the room, He Ying and the others nervously stared outside, initially grumbling about Du Jiajia being too impatient. But now they felt a bit relieved.

Chen Mu didn't particularly like cats, nor did he dislike them. In his view, if Du Jiajia could tame another cat, the safety level of the organization would increase.

Next time there was an intruder, they'd have an extra layer of protection.

Of course, the premise was that these two cats didn't fight.

"Does this count as Du Jiajia being a two-timer?" Zhao Xiaoyan joked.

"You have to distinguish between friendship and love," Zhu Hao spoke like an experienced person.

"But Xiao Huang didn't seem to think so. Didn't they have a fight last time?" Feng Xiaoyu seemed to enjoy the gossip and couldn't help but join in.

"Yeah, cats' jealousy is something else, especially female cats. Oh, by the way, is Xiao Huang male or female?" Lu Shanshan also joined the conversation.

Dong Junwei smiled and said, "Du Jiajia mentioned that Xiao Huang seems to be female."

"What about this white one?"

"Not sure."

"Regardless of gender, this white cat might be Xiao Huang's sibling," Zhao Xiaoyan pondered.

"Wow, the plot is getting more exciting!"

"..."

Just as everyone was gossiping, a clearly angry and unwilling meow came from a distance.

"Uh-oh!"

It was obvious that Xiao Huang had arrived.

It seemed like last time's drama was about to repeat itself.

Du Jiajia was absorbed in communicating with the white cat and didn't notice, but the white cat's sensitivity was far superior to that of humans. It quickly pulled back its paw and crouched to the side.

Xiao Huang was probably the boss of the house, and its siblings were a little afraid of it. Now, striding over with a mighty presence, it completely overwhelmed the white cat.

However, before it could charge ahead...

Du Jiajia spread her arms and stood in front of the white cat.

"Xiao Huang, don't bully it!"

This time, Du Jiajia didn't hesitate like last time; she boldly blocked Xiao Huang.

With her current physique, being wedged between two little cats, she couldn't even be considered a stumbling block. However, Xiao Huang was clearly subdued by her. With a sudden brake, due to inertia, it rolled on the ground for a few rounds, skillfully avoiding Du Jiajia.

After getting up, Xiao Huang still stared angrily at the white cat, even threateningly hissing a few times, but it couldn't bring itself to look at Du Jiajia.

On the other hand, the white cat remained crouched in the corner, not daring to lift its head.

Du Jiajia had an unprecedented sense of confidence.

"Don't scare it!"

"Sit down!"

"Exactly, talk things out nicely."

"You are siblings, why fight?"

...

The reprimands flowed from Du Jiajia's mouth, leaving everyone in the room stunned.

Surprisingly, the two cats seemed to understand her. Xiao Huang indeed restrained itself a lot, but still felt a bit defiant, occasionally trying to intimidate the white cat. The white cat, on the other hand, must have felt it had a protector now and was no longer as afraid as it was at first, though it still only dared to hide behind Du Jiajia.

"Siblings, huh?" Feng Xiaoyu's expression was strange, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

"Can they live together peacefully?"

"That depends on Du Jiajia's ability."

"If she can claim all the kittens as her own..."

"Then won't the cat mom come after Du Jiajia?"

"She can even take the adult cat together..."

"You're so wicked."

"I mean play the card game 'Dou Dizhu' together, what are you thinking?"

"Your cat can play 'Dou Dizhu'?"

"..."

Amidst the lively chatter of everyone, things were progressing well for Du Jiajia.

Xiao Huang was still a bit defiant, but it didn't dare show any emotions towards Du Jiajia.

A small human, standing between two cat giants, lecturing them, this scene was truly magical.

In the end.

Du Jiajia summarized, "Alright, from now on, we're still good friends, no, good siblings. We should love and care for each other. Come, let's shake hands."

Amidst the laughter of the people in the room, the yellow and white cats indeed reached out their paws to touch each other, but quickly separated.

Xiao Huang was no longer angry, as if it had accepted this fact, but it still maintained a domineering appearance towards the white cat.

Clearly.

Even if a third party intervened, it still wanted to be the main partner.

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