Chapter 54: Song Yu

Chen Mu had thought more than once about what to do if he encountered people from his own school; he and Tang Jing had even discussed it, and if the other side truly had enough power to lead the surrounding people to a good life, then joining them could be considered.

But he never expected such a thing to happen so quickly.

He Ying and these five people, initially influenced by Li Xu, had always looked forward to the school's main base on the playground; even He Ying herself had once taken this as a goal, but due to objective constraints, she couldn't go.

At this moment, someone suddenly arrived, and Chen Mu could not predict what He Ying's reaction would be.

Just then.

Several people crawled out one after another from the ventilation hole of the power distribution box.

Chen Mu observed carefully and found that, including Feng Xiao Yu, there were seven people in total.

In other words, the other side had brought four people.

First, a male student about the same height as Chen Mu walked over briskly; although his face was as dirty as everyone's from not having washed for a long time, he nevertheless showed an undisguised vigor and confidence.

Looking at his attire, he was not wearing a school uniform.

He was very likely a senior-year student.

Unfortunately, Ziwei High School's senior year has fifteen classes, nearly seven hundred students, and Chen Mu is not a social butterfly like Dong Junwei, so he naturally couldn't recognize him.

"He Ying, long time no see."

Seeing He Ying, that male student couldn't hide his delight, smiling as he approached; his speech was completely natural, as if there were no apocalypse at all, and the two were merely classmates who happened to meet on campus.

"Song Yu?"

He Ying obviously knew him as well; even before he got close, she turned and whispered to Chen Mu, "His name is Song Yu." Afraid Chen Mu might not understand, she added, "He's the class monitor of Senior Year Class 1 and also the vice-chairman of the Student Union."

Unlike in university, the student union in high school actually has a low presence; it's essentially just a student club, and what's more, the so-called student union is basically controlled by teachers from the school's Office of Discipline, making it somewhat nominal.

However, the positions within the student union are still strictly defined: one chairman, three vice-chairmen, nine committee members, basically following the university model; of course, most of these people are directly appointed by school teachers.

Nevertheless, those who hold positions in the student union usually have some ability—either good grades, a particular skill, or being especially quick-witted and sociable.

The student union also regularly organizes extracurricular activities, although they are always conducted under teachers' supervision.

The most typical example is the annual exchange activity with Yi Zhong.

This exchange activity has become a tradition between the two schools, lasting about twenty years, with each side taking turns hosting; last year it was held at Yi Zhong, this year at Ziwei High School.

Nominally this activity is a student-initiated exchange launched by the student union, but everyone knows the reality; for example, the number of students from Yi Zhong coming over this year is set by the school—three buses, together with their supervising teachers, totalling 150 people.

The exchange activity covers rich content, from regular courses to sports, music, art… even extracurricular hobbies like anime cartoon model figures are included.

Only at this time each year does the student union's role become somewhat apparent.

But because senior-year students must prepare for the college entrance exam, such activities are avoided as much as possible; even the student union itself mainly consists of first- and second-year students.

Chen Mu had no concept of the student union; he only knew that Dong Junwei used to be its vice-chairman, but she quit voluntarily upon entering senior year.

Therefore.

As the class monitor of Senior Year Class 1, Song Yu has remained in the student union until now, indicating either that he is truly capable enough to guarantee his studies while participating in activities, or that he is genuinely interested in this.

Either way.

The fact that they dare to bring people out to look for survivors at least shows that these people have sufficient self-defense ability.

"I'm really glad to see you; these days the survivors we've encountered are dwindling, and I fear that fewer than one in ten of the people who stayed at the school are still alive."

Song Yu's speech gave off a feeling of instant familiarity, yet it wasn't off-putting; moreover, while speaking, his gaze was not only on He Ying but also took in the completely unfamiliar Chen Mu, as if everyone were already old friends.

"Hello..."

He Ying still seemed relatively familiar with Song Yu; Chen Mu could feel that she had let down most of her guard, but it was obvious that He Ying, while good at sports, was not particularly eloquent, and in this situation she actually didn't know what to say for a moment.

Fortunately, Song Yu didn't put her on the spot and spoke up himself:

"I'm sorry you've had to endure this; we originally sent people to this area, but only later did we discover that Yi Zhong had gathered here, our people seemed to have been scattered, and we still had many places to search, so we arrived late."

"Li Xu..."

"Yes, Li Xu is one of the people we sent out."

"Too bad..."

"I already know; Feng Xiao Yu just told me about it." Song Yu sighed.

"I'm sorry, I failed to protect him." He Ying had been trying not to imagine losing a companion these days, but now that the memory was triggered, she still felt sad.

"It's nobody's fault; if we must blame someone, it's the problem of those from Yi Zhong, so we've sped up our search for survivors during this period."

It must be said, Song Yu's words and deeds easily inspire goodwill; especially in this apocalypse, a sunny and confident person is more likely to be trusted. For example, Dong Junwei, even before awakening any ability, her charisma still far surpassed that of Wei Dalei after his awakening.

Charm is not necessarily tied to ability; sometimes it's purely a feeling.

"Have you been searching for survivors all along?"

He Ying glanced at Chen Mu without a trace, seemingly wanting him to negotiate with Song Yu, but seeing that Chen Mu had no intention to speak, she forced herself to continue.

Hearing this, Song Yu's face showed a hint of pride as he smiled and said, "Yes, due to some special reasons, most of the group we had on the playground initially survived; life is still manageable for now, so everyone feels obliged to take in the rest of our schoolmates, which is why we have these people wandering outside."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Because of Li Xu, He Ying indeed felt considerable goodwill toward Song Yu; at least in such a dangerous environment, coming out to search for survivors is no easy feat.

"We're all classmates; especially now, we must help each other."

After exchanging a couple of polite remarks, Song Yu smoothly shifted his gaze to the two people beside He Ying and smiled, "This must be your junior, Sun Yuan, right?"

He then turned to Chen Mu and asked, "I don't know who this classmate is...?"