Wei Dalei got new equipment, and at this exciting moment, he held an axe in one hand and a shield in the other, continuously performing charging, swinging, and blocking movements.

Because of his massive body and exaggerated weapon, he indeed looked very cool, giving people a feeling of a monstrous rampage.

The others stood not far away, watching him while laughing and applauding.

"I thought you were going to make armor for everyone," said He Ying, who was a newcomer to the team. She still had many questions about the team. Although Chen Mu didn't talk much, he was quite easy-going, and she found it easier to communicate with him. On the other hand, Dong Junwei and Tang Jing, who were also girls, put some pressure on her.

"Armor?" Chen Mu smiled and replied, "I did consider it, but it might take some time."

"Why? I think armor is better than shields."

"Even if it's good, it won't help much. I would like to have a charging spear, or even crossbow bolts, but it's just not feasible," Chen Mu said with a wry smile.

"Is making armor so difficult?" He Ying looked puzzled.

"If it's just a metal bucket covering the body, it's not difficult, but what's the use of that?" Chen Mu shrugged.

At this moment, Tang Jing suddenly walked over, seeming to have overheard their conversation, and she interjected with a smile, "We have discussed this issue as well, and Chen Mu even made some prototypes of armor, but in the end, we had to give up."

Seeing Tang Jing approaching, He Ying's expression immediately became more formal, no longer as relaxed as before, and she asked seriously, "Is it because it's challenging to manufacture?"

Chen Mu nodded, "Indeed, it's very difficult. Just the connectors between the various components gave me trouble. I tried a dozen times, but couldn't achieve both flexibility and sturdiness. Additionally, the protective armor needs to fit the body as closely as possible, and that's also challenging. If the craftsmanship is not up to par, wearing the armor could be more of a burden than protection."

"If we were only talking about breastplates, helmets, knee guards, and the like, it might be doable, but those things have very limited functionality."

"Why?" He Ying was puzzled.

"If we encounter a centipede, do you think a helmet alone can solve the problem unless you have an Iron Man-like suit? Our best bet is to quickly return to the room and lock the door. At that point, the armor on our bodies would become a hindrance."

"But our enemies are humans," He Ying's experiences were evidently different from those of Chen Mu and the others. Gu Ping and Luo Hui were killed by the avian insects, while her companions were all killed by people.

"Indeed, armor can be useful in fights between humans, but that kind of crude defense probably won't be as effective as a shield. Moreover, the main point is that we don't need to engage enemies in close combat."

"Don't need to get close?" He Ying wondered.

"You'll find out soon enough," Tang Jing teased, leaving them with suspense.

Regarding armor, Chen Mu and the others did have discussions.

Tang Jing's viewpoint was that before the craftsmanship reached a certain level, armor would be a burden rather than an advantage, especially for members like them who didn't need to venture outside. With hand grenades and fortified houses, having a few shields to deal with long-range attacks would be sufficient.

However, Chen Mu had some of his own thoughts, but it was quite challenging to achieve them before his abilities reached a certain level, so he didn't say much about it.

With Tang Jing's addition, when He Ying asked questions, she no longer held back. Soon, after Wei Dalei calmed down, Dong Junwei and others came over to join them.

They heard that they were discussing the issue of armor, which piqued everyone's interest.

Various strange ideas emerged for a while.

...At night, He Ying naturally went to the girls' room to sleep. On the boys' side, with Sun Yuan's presence, it became much livelier. He was a flatterer, able to compliment anyone. Coincidentally, there was also Chang Junyan, who was equally playful. The two of them hit it off and chatted non-stop.

It wasn't until Wei Dalei proposed to separate their beds that things settled down.

Before going to sleep, Chen Mu took the time to make several shields suitable for ordinary people. As they had to go out the next day, he didn't dare to work too late, so he only made five thin stainless steel shields and stopped there.

Just as he was about to sleep, he suddenly remembered something.

Without disturbing others, he silently went to where the materials were stored and took a small piece of stainless steel...

...

The next morning.

Chen Mu still followed his own biological clock and got up early. However, he found that He Ying was up even earlier than him, and by the look of it, she seemed to have just finished her morning exercise.

"I'm used to early morning workouts."

"Yeah." Considering her expertise in physical activities, Chen Mu didn't find it strange. Half-jokingly, he said, "Even the apocalypse can't interrupt your morning exercise. Your self-discipline is quite impressive."

He Ying smiled slightly and then sighed, "Everything has changed now. If I can't even hold on to this, I feel like I won't be able to find a reason to live."

"Do you need a reason to live?"

"Don't you?" He Ying asked in return.

"I don't know. I have always only known that I need to stay alive, but as for a reason... I've never really thought about it."

Due to his background, Chen Mu rarely set lofty ideals for himself.

In today's society, welfare is quite good, so even as an orphan, he had no problem with survival. However, his material conditions were obviously not comparable to those of an average high school student.

Perhaps because of his humble starting point, Chen Mu's goals were usually very practical, such as doing a bit more work today to add an extra pork cutlet to his lunch.

He couldn't understand someone like He Ying, who needed morning exercises to remind herself of the meaning of life.

He rarely opened up to others, feeling uncomfortable doing so, and immediately changed the topic, saying, "We will depart around 8 o'clock, still have about an hour and a half. Anything you need to prepare, get it done during this time, or you can catch some more sleep."

He Ying smiled and replied, "No need, thanks."

Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and asked, "How do you guys tell the time?"

"Generally, we rely on our feelings. If we need precise time, we go to Tang Jing."

"How does she know?"

"It's said that she calculates it based on the date and the position of the sun."

"Wow, impressive," He Ying exclaimed.

"Yeah," Chen Mu chuckled. "To get to this point, Tang Jing is probably the biggest contributor."

"What about you?""Me? ... I'm just a handyman," Chen Mu shrugged.

He Ying couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Chen Mu suddenly said, then quickly walked back to his room. When he returned, he had a long, rectangular object in his hand.

"It's for you."

He Ying took it, looking down at the object with puzzlement.

Then, her eyes brightened.

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