Chapter 98: Teacher Chu
At first, the teachers at the university organized the students to face the harsh weather together, and things were relatively orderly.
But as the food and water dwindled day by day, everyone’s patience wore thin. Anxiety and unease spread like a virus.
The tipping point was a single sentence from a female student:
“Why don’t you boys go out and find something to eat? Do you expect us girls to go out and find food for you? Are you even men? You have no courage!”
These words ignited the anger of all the male students. She was immediately beaten to a pulp. After that, no female student dared to speak out of turn.
The male students, seeing the girls’ fear and dependence, became more and more bold, especially towards the girls they had admired before. The situation was deteriorating step by step.
But it was still more civilized than some residential complexes. It was still in the stage of food-for-favors, not yet forced, although there were many secret deals between boys and girls.
But with the sudden drop in temperature and the previous break in the rain, many outsiders had rushed into the university to snatch the young women. The male students, of course, were unwilling to let them, and a battle of cold weapons ensued.
Many male students were killed or injured, and many female students were taken away. This, combined with the harsh weather, made everyone feel like they were going to die in their prime.
Now, it was no longer about secret food-for-favors, but open demands.
However, not all the male students had crossed the line. They still held onto their morals and protected the female students from bullying.
But there weren’t many of them. The leader was a sophomore named Xu Fu, from a rural area. He was honest, kind, and had been working tirelessly since the apocalypse began.
But because he couldn’t stand the behavior of some of the male students, he had parted ways with them, taking a group of righteous boys with him.
They had moved from the library to the indoor basketball court. Fortunately, the power was still on, so they weren’t yet feeling the cold.
“Xu Fu, Gao Shengtian and his group will come for us sooner or later. We don’t have many people left.”
The speaker was Xu Fu’s roommate, Jiang Shan.
The other two roommates had been killed by the outsiders during the break in the rain.
Their group of a hundred had been reduced to just over thirty boys, and twenty of them were injured.
But they had to protect over a hundred girls.
Xu Fu had tanned skin and calloused hands from helping his family farm. He was stronger than his peers. Jiang Shan was from Hua’an City, but he was a fitness enthusiast, with a strong build. The two of them were the core of the group.
Xu Fu looked at the girls tending to the wounded. Their spirits were low, but they were all gritting their teeth and holding on, hoping for a rescue team…
But it had been so many days. The rescue team seemed to be just a fantasy.
“Teacher Chu, I don’t need any more water. I’m not going to make it.”
A voice suddenly called out. Xu Fu and Jiang Shan immediately ran over.
A boy’s arm was gone, the stump wrapped in a girl’s underwear to stop the bleeding.
He was pale from blood loss.
Tending to him was Teacher Chu, the most beautiful teacher in the eyes of the male students. She was elegant and gentle, her eyes as clear as a lake, her skin still fair despite the circumstances.
“Don’t be silly! You’ll live!”
Chu Liu said sternly, but the boy just smiled at her and slowly closed his eyes.
Chu Liu clutched the mineral water bottle, and the surrounding girls started to cry.
“Teacher Chu, there are a lot of mats in the warehouse behind us. We can move them out…”
Xie Mingyue ran over, but seeing the dead boy, her slightly cheerful expression froze.
Chu Liu took a deep breath and stood up. “Girls, come and help me move things.”
The girls who had refused to join Gao Shengtian’s group were all self-respecting, with their own dignity and bottom lines. They all stood up to help. They knew the boys needed to rest to protect them. The more they rested, the safer everyone would be. The girls could do the logistical work.
“Teacher Chu, we’ll help you.”
Xu Fu said, walking over.
Chu Liu shook her head. “No, we girls need to do our part. We can’t always hold you back.”
“Yes, we have hands and feet. You all get some rest.”
Xie Mingyue was outspoken. As a “commoner campus belle,” she was popular with the boys, more so than the aloof “ice queen” campus belle.
Xu Fu didn’t say anything more. The boys, after a day of fighting, did indeed need to rest.
“Thank you, Teacher Chu.”
Xie Mingyue suddenly shouted to the girls, “Sisters, we can also pick up weapons and fight those animals! We can’t always rely on the boys to protect us!”
The girls were stunned. Girls fighting those men? They would be crushed.
We’re all just trying to get by, and you want to be a hero?
At least thirty girls thought this, but a dozen or so stood up to support her. The others said they could take care of the wounded, and one even claimed to have a sprained ankle.
“Alright, we’re all volunteers. We won’t force anyone.”
Chu Liu, hearing their murmurs, immediately interrupted. They couldn’t afford internal conflict now.
Everyone listened to her. After all, she was their only teacher.
When they were alone, Chu Liu said softly to Xie Mingyue, “What you said just now could easily offend the boys.”
“Huh? I was trying to help them.”
Xie Mingyue quickly explained. How could she have offended them?
“But what was the reaction of the other girls after you spoke? And what does that look like to the boys? What was their sacrifice yesterday for? People have feelings.”
Hearing Teacher Chu’s words, Xie Mingyue instantly understood. She had meant well, but she had made a mistake.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”
“But what you said was right. The girls do need to pick up weapons.”
Chu Liu’s gentle eyes hardened. At this stage, she understood that to survive, you had to be more ruthless than the men.
Xie Mingyue nodded and took out her phone. There was no signal.
I wonder how Auntie is doing? Is she okay? Is she still alive? And Mom and Dad, are they okay?
Auntie said Uncle would come and save me. Why didn’t I see anyone when the rain stopped?
Chu Liu knew about Xie Mingyue’s situation and felt that her aunt was likely in danger, especially after the break in the rain.
Those animals, to get to the women, had even rushed into the university and started killing, their methods appalling.
