Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 100: Licking the Glass

In the preliminary plan of Chen Mu and Tang Jing, the tunnel was not only meant for avoiding danger but also needed to serve as an evacuation route.

In case the storage room came under attack and couldn't be defended, there should be another way to escape.

However, the difficulty of the tunnel was not solely in the excavation process.

The indoor cement floor had a relatively limited thickness, especially in these semi-temporary storage rooms around the canteen. They were not constructed with high requirements because of their small size and being on the ground floor, where there was no need to consider load-bearing. When the workers were laying the ground, they often did it rather casually, and the thickness of the cement mortar might be less than even 3 centimeters, beneath which was just brick debris.

The so-called cement mortar is generally a mixture of cement and yellow sand, with a ratio of 1:3, plus 0.65 parts of water. Overall, it is quite dense, with a density of only about 2g/cm3, much smaller than stainless steel, making it relatively easy for Chen Mu to manipulate.

But the brick debris below the cement was more troublesome. These scattered brick debris, used as the bedding layer, had many holes and gaps in between, just like cloth, and they proved to be formidable adversaries for Chen Mu.

Although it wasn't entirely impossible to manipulate them, the cost-effectiveness was quite low.

Fortunately, the construction team hired for the canteen seemed to be quite competent. Chen Mu dug to a depth of 4 centimeters without encountering any brick debris.

However, the cement mortar itself had a leveling function, so if they were to dig tunnels later, it was uncertain whether other areas had the same thickness.

In any case, in these past few days, Chen Mu had devoted most of his energy to building the shelter, and among the tasks, tunnel construction took up the majority.

The original plan of going out to find food was postponed again and again.

During these days, the busiest person was probably Du Jiajia.

Ever since her last face-to-face communication with Little Yellow, the cat had been coming more frequently.

Obviously, as long as Du Jiajia genuinely and earnestly anticipated seeing the cat, Little Yellow would show up as promised.

However, the communication between the human and the cat was still not smooth.

Most of the time, they just stared at each other quietly, and occasionally, the little cat meowed, and then Du Jiajia would imitate the meow.

But obviously, the human's attempt to imitate cat sounds was utterly ineffective. Even Du Jiajia, who now possessed telepathic abilities, was no exception.

The only consequence of her imitating cat sounds was earning a disdainful look from Little Yellow - of course, that was only Du Jiajia's perception.

It seemed that this situation was similar to Tang Jing's initial speculation. Since Du Jiajia could influence animals like cats from the beginning, the effectiveness of her ability was not particularly remarkable.

Being able to elicit some response from the cat was still good.

However, this kind of uncontrollable ability was still somewhat lacking in practicality.

Moreover, this telepathic ability was still quite abstract at the moment.

For example, when Du Jiajia feels bored, the little cat will come to accompany her and when Du Jiajia feels hungry, the cat will find food for her. However, no matter what she does, she can't get the cat to take away the dead mice it brings.

No matter how much Du Jiajia expresses disgust towards the dead mice, the cat remains indifferent.

Obviously, giving commands for this kind of interaction between them has become quite complicated.

In the end, Cao Zishan had to step in and throw away the dead mouse again.

As long as Du Jiajia doesn't have a strong desire to eat meat, Little Yellow doesn't bring anything over.

To address this, Dong Junwei approved doubling the amount of meat in Du Jiajia's meals to prevent her cat from causing trouble.

Initially, Chen Mu would stand guard nearby when Du Jiajia and the cat exchanged glances. However, as time passed, he noticed that the little cat had no malice towards Du Jiajia. It even seemed to be aware of the size difference between them and behaved very cautiously.

On this day, after finishing work on a tunnel, Chen Mu came to the door and checked the integrity of the glass partition.

Because Du Jiajia often lay on the glass, there could be a big problem if she suddenly rushed out.

Even though the little cat probably wouldn't eat Du Jiajia.

But what if it wanted to show affection and decided to lick her with its spiky cat tongue?

Being licked by a cat's tongue covered in tiny barbs would certainly not be a pleasant experience for humans now.

The quality of the glass partition was very good.

After checking it, Chen Mu looked at Du Jiajia lying on it and having a boring stare-off with the cat, and he took a break himself.

"Fish jerky."

"Yarn ball."

"Butterfly."

"Mouse."

"Meow..."

Du Jiajia really didn't know what else to do, so she could only mention everything that might interest the cat and then try to translate it into what she thought was "cat language."

But it was clear.

The cat showed no response at all.

"Little Yellow, how on earth can you understand what I'm saying?"

After many days of trying, there has been no progress in her communication with the cat. Although they appear close, the distance between them in terms of communication is still quite far, and Du Jiajia is clearly not satisfied with this.

However, one benefit is that since the little cat started coming frequently, everyone's sense of security has improved significantly.

Clearly, whether it's reptilian mice or hostile humans, they are all nothing before a cat.

Moreover, the cat's unique curiosity keeps smaller creatures like spiders and centipedes from approaching this area.

It's like a gatekeeper.

They even thought that it would be a good idea to have the cat stay at the door, but they lack the ability to take care of it. The little cat still needs to hunt for food on its own or rely on the older cat for nourishment.

"Have you tried singing to it?" Chen Mu suddenly had an idea.

Music is a universal language. Perhaps it could work on animals too?

Du Jiajia sighed and said, "I've tried that, I sang many songs. We sang 'Meow Meow Meow Meow Meow' together, and 'Persian Cat, squinting its eyes'..."

Du Jiajia directly sang several songs about cats on the spot, but the little cat outside seemed to show no response. It even boredly licked its paw...

"Well then." Chen Mu also felt somewhat helpless.

Until Du Jiajia found a way to actively use her ability, even Tang Jing couldn't offer any constructive advice. She could only continue to explore on her own.

"How about I go out and try?" Chen Mu suggested.

"No."

"Just for a moment, if there's a problem, you can pull me back immediately."

"No, it's too dangerous."

"But this can't go on forever. Perhaps my ability can only be triggered after I come into contact with the little cat?"

"That's possible," Chen Mu nodded thoughtfully.

"In that case, do you agree?" Du Jiajia asked excitedly.

"No!"

"Why not?"

"It's too dangerous."

"..."

The two of them continued to exchange unproductive words.

However, Chen Mu still refused to open the glass cover.

Helplessly, Du Jiajia turned her head, and for some reason, she suddenly stuck out her tongue and licked the glass in a fit of pique.

Chen Mu was speechless.

But the next moment, the giant head of the cat suddenly approached, as if imitating Du Jiajia, it also extended its pink tongue and licked the outside of the glass.

Chen Mu: "..."

Du Jiajia: "..."

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