“Everyone, quiet! Today we have two tasks. One is to go up the mountain to catch rabbits and wild chickens. The other is to go down to the lake to catch fish. Decide which task you want to do. Those going up the mountain, stand on my left; those going fishing, stand on my right,” Anyang shouted into the megaphone.
“Wild chickens might still eat some bugs, but rabbits eat grass. Now all the plants are dead—how are there even rabbits on the mountain? Total waste of time,” Li Lanlan muttered.
Unlike her initial excitement when hearing about the tasks, after thinking it over, Li Lanlan realized it made no sense. Without food, how could rabbits survive? The school must be joking.
“Maybe rabbits, like the chickens, eat insects now?” Tang Mo replied.
It was actually true. The star rain that fell that day not only increased people’s attributes but also caused varying degrees of mutation in animals. The natural food chain had become completely chaotic. Some animals even ate stones.
Within minutes, everyone had chosen their tasks.
Looking at the divided teams, Anyang and the student leaders were speechless. On the left stood a huge crowd going up the mountain, stretching out of sight. On the right, only eight people—including Tang Mo—were ready to fish. It looked pitiful.
Tang Mo glanced at the few people standing with her. All were boys, and she silently admired their courage: real warriors.
It was late August, practically autumn. The weather was especially cold this year. Everyone in thin jackets already felt the chill—let alone those going into the water.
Yes, into the water. The T University Lake was shallow, only reaching the chest of an adult male, but it was enormous in area. Catching fish in it was like looking for a needle in a haystack—extremely difficult.
The school had two small boats but no fishing nets and no bait. Catching fish was entirely up to personal skill. Who would willingly spend hours in icy water?
Even Tang Mo couldn’t understand the courage of the boys around her. If she didn’t have a special purpose, she would have been crazy to choose to fish. Going up the mountain would have been much easier, even if she failed to catch a rabbit or chicken—at least she could rest for a while.
“Those going up the mountain must attend five days a week. Fishing, due to its special nature, requires only one day per week.”
Seeing the massive disparity in numbers between the teams, Anyang immediately changed the rule. They weren’t sure if any animals were left on the mountain, but the lake certainly had fish. Every day, anyone crossing the bridge could see schools of fish swimming happily below.
“Think carefully and choose again,” Anyang announced.
Small discussions broke out in the crowd. One by one, boys left the mountain team and joined Tang Mo’s fishing team.
Li Lanlan and Song Qing, Tang Mo’s roommates, anxiously stomped their feet, eventually running over to pull at her.
“Tang Mo, are you crazy? It’s so cold! Why do you want to suffer? Come with us!” Li Lanlan urged.
“Girls staying in cold water isn’t good for their health. Come with us,” Song Qing added, clearly worried.
Touched by her roommates’ concern, Tang Mo held their hands.
“Don’t worry. I love sleeping in, and I’d never wake up early. I’m healthy and I’ve loved water since I was little. You two go back,” she said confidently—almost convincing herself.
In truth, she had already planned this. The lake contained something she needed. In the apocalypse, each rare treasure caused a huge stir. In the past half-year, the school had produced three rare treasures: one was the spirit mushroom she had already consumed, and the second was a silver koi in the lake.
The koi had been caught by a boy in the third month of the apocalypse. By then, the school had officially announced the existence of rare treasures. Its strange color made it clear it was no ordinary fish. The boy secretly ate it, gaining 10 agility points—a very high attribute bonus for early apocalypse treasures.
Tang Mo had no guarantee she would catch the fish, but the rare treasure had not yet been publicly revealed. If she watched carefully to see whether anyone around her obtained it first, she might still get it. Even a 1% chance was worth trying. Ten agility points were worth it; she would brave anything for that reward.
Seeing Tang Mo determined, Li Lanlan and Song Qing gave up trying to convince her and reluctantly returned to the mountain team, glancing back repeatedly. Tang Mo smiled at their worried expressions.
After another 20 minutes, the fishing team had grown from eight to over eighty people. Anyang was satisfied.
After discussing briefly with Tang Lianjie, Anyang picked up the microphone to speak.
As he scanned the crowd, he noticed Tang Mo standing among a group of boys.
“Female student, are you sure? It won’t be easy for girls to fish in the water,” he asked carefully. Anyang was thoughtful and meticulous.
Tang Lianjie looked where Anyang pointed and was impressed. Despite Tang Mo’s short hair and plain sportswear, her delicate face and tall figure stood out among the boys. She exuded a heroic, striking aura.
Tang Lianjie’s lecherous gaze didn’t escape Tang Mo’s notice; a trace of disgust flashed in her eyes.
“I’m fine. I know what I’m doing,” Tang Mo replied, feeling more respect for Anyang. He had the bearing of a natural leader, someone who would achieve great things in life.
“Alright, everyone is dismissed. Meet at the playground tomorrow morning, and we’ll set off together!”
The next morning, everyone gathered again. To save time at lunch, the school handed out today’s rations in advance to carry along.
Anyang and Tang Lianjie led the mountain and fishing teams, respectively. Tang Mo glanced at Tang Lianjie leading her fishing team, feeling slightly unlucky to be under his supervision.
There were five small rowboats for fishing, each holding around six people. Teams took turns entering the water every hour.
“Take off your clothes and get in the water,” Tang Lianjie said, sitting casually on the shore.
Six people per boat: two stayed on board to row and watch over equipment, while the remaining four went into the water. Tang Lianjie wouldn’t participate; he only supervised from the shore.
Watching the boys remove their shirts, Tang Lianjie’s gaze fell on Tang Mo, leering slightly.
“Tang Mo, you stay here and watch the oars. I’ll go down,” said one boy, standing up to remove his clothes. Tang Mo recognized him as her class monitor from the life sciences department. Although they weren’t close, he was responsible and brave enough to step in, unlike Tang Lianjie who merely supervised.