Amidst this atmosphere, the thirty-some students suffering from organ failure didn't attract much attention. After being sent to the school hospital, they were left to lie there, and aside from the occasional bit of food, no one paid them any mind.
After all, everyone was going to die eventually. Whether it was sooner or later made little difference, and no one had any sympathy to spare.
Half a bottle of water a day was naturally not enough for Tang Mo, so to avoid suspicion, she would use a huge thermos to collect her ration.
Then, when no one was looking, she would secretly pour out water from her Space. She did this both when she was out catching fish and back in her dorm room.
In reality, Tang Mo still had plenty of reserves. Not to mention the untouched supplies that filled her Space, even the stock she kept in her dorm room was enough to make her a minor heiress.
The food and water she kept out in the open were gone, but locked in her cabinet were still eight 24-packs of mineral water, totaling nearly two hundred bottles.
As for compressed biscuits, instant noodles, and chocolate, she still had over a dozen boxes. Tang Mo counted on her fingers. If she rationed them carefully, these supplies alone might be enough to last her the remaining four-plus months at school.
She wouldn't even need to touch the things in her Jade Pendant Space—with the exception of the cooked meals, of course. Those were for satisfying her cravings, an important tool for holding onto the good things in life.
Tang Mo cherished every single one of those hot meals. She usually only allowed herself to eat one portion a week. There were still several hundred portions left, and she had done the math—if she ate them sparingly, they would last her for several years.
No matter how careful she was with the supplies she kept out in the open, there was no hiding them from the roommates she lived with day in and day out.
Everyone was well aware that Tang Mo had things in her cabinet; they just didn't know how much.
Both Song Qing and Li Lanlan were not greedy people. One meal a day was a struggle, but it wasn't enough to starve them. Although their own stashes were nearly depleted, they hadn't yet reached the end of their rope.
Besides, they figured Tang Mo had a few bags of supplies at most. Compared to the two dorm rooms next to theirs, it really wasn't much.
There's never a shortage of enterprising students with a knack for business, and the occupants of the dorms to the left and right of Tang Mo's were just such people.
During the previous semester, each of those two dorms had set up its own little snack shop, mainly selling various drinks, braised eggs, sausages, instant noodles, and other foods perfect for a late-night snack.
All it took was one phone call for an immediate delivery right to your door. The two dorms sold different yet complementary items, so business was incredibly good for both, and they had stockpiled a large inventory in their rooms.
Only two people from the dorm on the left were staying for the break, and three from the dorm on the right. Their inventory was enough to feed them for a long, long time.
Now *those* were the real rich girls. There wasn't a single person in the entire building who didn't envy them.
Some shameless people even went to their dorms to beg for supplies. After enough of them were rejected, they gradually stopped, leaving them with nothing but simmering resentment and jealousy.
The water was no longer drinkable, and the school-organized trips up the mountain grew less frequent, dropping from five days a week to just one.
Climbing the mountain made you thirsty, and being thirsty meant you needed water, but now there was no water.
With the mountain trips reduced to once a week, it was now on par with the fishing detail. As a result, the students who had originally chosen fishing to get out of hard work rejoined the mountain-climbing teams.
The fishing group hadn't been large to begin with, and now it was down to just twenty-some people—not even enough to fill five small boats.
But the school's hands were tied this time. Life was already so hard; they didn't want to be overly strict about things.
Tang Lianwei, however, still hadn't given up on Tang Mo. Every time food was distributed, he would linger in front of the Life Science Institute's line for a good while, leering at her and making everyone around him sick to their stomachs.
As the next fishing expedition was breaking up, Tang Lianwei finally made his move.
"Tang Mo, wait a second." Seeing that most of the people around had left, Tang Lianwei called out to her.
But Tang Mo couldn't be bothered with him and just pretended she hadn't heard as she walked away.
"Don't go yet! Wait, I'll show you something good."
Tang Lianwei scurried a few steps to block her path. He pulled off his backpack, unzipped it, and opened a small gap for her to see inside.
While holding the bag open, his eyes darted around furtively, terrified that someone might see.
Seeing his pathetic act, Tang Mo let out a bitter laugh and peered into the bag.
"Well now, a bottle of water and two packs of instant noodles," Tang Mo said, raising an eyebrow.
"Now you see what I can offer, right? All this can be yours if you're with me. I'll even give you this much every week. How about it?"
Tang Lianwei's face twisted into a lecherous grin, his expression screaming one thing: he was sure to get what he wanted.
It wasn't that Tang Lianwei was being overconfident. These days, everyone was hungry and thirsty. People's lips were so chapped they had started to crack and bleed.
In a time like this, the allure of a bottle of water and two packs of instant noodles was greater than that of two Hermès bags in the prosperous world before.
"I don't think you need any more time to think about it, do you?" When Tang Mo didn't answer, Tang Lianwei assumed she was stunned into silence. He couldn't imagine any girl refusing such a generous offer.
"The supplies are nice," Tang Mo said with a cryptic smile, "but they're not exactly 'clean,' are they?"
Tang Lianwei's face paled for a second. "Don't worry about where they came from. Just tell me if you want them or not."
Ever since he'd become one of the people in charge, he had managed to build up quite the private stash.
Some he had skimmed from others' rations; some he had secretly taken from the warehouse when no one was looking. The origins of every single item wouldn't stand up to scrutiny.
"I'm. Not. Interested."
Tang Mo bit out each word. She shoved the bag back at him, pushed him aside, and left.
"Fine! Keep up your act! Don't come crying to me when you're about to starve to death!" Tang Lianwei shouted after her, gritting his teeth.
...
"Momo, why is there so little rice in your bowl?" Li Lanlan asked, looking at Tang Mo's portion, which was clearly half the size of everyone else's. She was indignant on her friend's behalf.
"It's nothing. They probably see I've got some meat on my bones and want me to eat less. You know, save the food for those who really need it," Tang Mo joked, shoveling rice into her mouth.
Thanks to her frequent extra meals and daily exercise, she did indeed look more toned than the others. She was well-proportioned with a rosy complexion, completely lacking the sallow, emaciated look everyone else had.
Tang Mo knew perfectly well that this was Tang Lianjie's "masterpiece."
As representatives of the school administration, Tang Lianjie and An Yang controlled the food supply and held considerable sway among the other student leaders.
Tang Mo found Tang Lianjie's retaliation genuinely laughable. 'And here I was, wondering what he'd do to me,' she thought. 'Turns out it's just docking me half a bowl of rice every meal.'
For a moment, Tang Mo felt like she was back in elementary school squabbling with her deskmate. It was utterly childish.
But Tang Mo hadn't considered that while half a bowl of rice meant nothing to her, for anyone else, it was as precious as their own life.
Suddenly, the bowl in Tang Mo's hand felt heavier. She looked down and saw an extra scoop of rice.
Across from her, Song Qing pulled her chopsticks back, not saying a word, as if nothing had happened.
"Sigh, my stomach must have shrunk from being hungry all the time. I can't finish all this," Li Lanlan muttered, scooping some rice from her bowl into Tang Mo's as well.
Looking down at her bowl, which now held more rice than both Song Qing's and Lanlan's, Tang Mo felt a pang in her heart.
She suddenly remembered that they had been just like this in her previous life. Even though they barely had enough for themselves, they had always shared their food with her when she was being ostracized.
Tears splashed into her bowl. Knowing she couldn't refuse the food they had given her, Tang Mo stopped trying. She just lowered her head and forced herself to eat.
This was a kindness she would never forget.
She had secrets from Song Qing and Li Lanlan, but everyone has secrets, no matter how close a relationship.
The one thing she was sure of was this: she would get her roommates through the next six months and make sure they all left the school safe and sound to reunite with their families.
Six months later, only half of the people at the school would make it out alive. Tang Mo and Song Qing had been among the lucky ones, dragging their skin-and-bones bodies out with the survivors.
Li Lanlan, however, had died in a later accident. It was an incident caused by a terrible decision on the school's part, and the casualties numbered over a hundred.
To prevent infection, the school immediately cremated the bodies of the dead. If a student's parents could be contacted, the school would send a message. If not, the student simply became another missing person. After all, they were all trapped here. There was no rescue on the way, and there was no law.
This time, she might not be able to save anyone else, but she would protect her two roommates. She was determined to keep them safe.