Chapter 163: Teacher, Why Were You Beaten?
"The food is ready."
Hearing this, Meng Ci went to the bathroom to wash his hands and then came out to start eating.
A bowl of mung bean soup, a plate of shredded potatoes, a dish of braised eggplant, and a pot of potato cakes.
After the two of them finished eating, Meng Ci packed the leftover food into an insulated box and drove over to Yun Jingcen's place.
However, this time, Fang Shurui said they had already eaten and politely declined Meng Ci and Shen Que's offer.
"Thank you, Meng and Shen."
"We have already eaten, so there's no need to trouble you in the future."
Fang Shurui even bowed deeply to Meng Ci and Shen Que.
"The points you prepaid, we will return them to you later."
Meng Ci helped Fang Shurui up and said, "There's no rush with the points. We can wait until you're fully recovered."
"As for the food, since it's already here, you might as well keep it."
"Since the teacher said you'll be cooking your own meals from now on, we won't bring any more."
Fang Shurui nodded, feeling relieved that Meng Ci agreed to let them repay the points later.
In the past, when they lived on the 17th floor, Meng Ci and Shen Que had taken good care of them. Now, causing them more trouble made them feel guilty.
Although they were older than Meng Ci and Shen Que, their abilities were not as strong.
The only thing they could do was to pay back what they owed.
When Meng Ci asked why they had been beaten, Fang Shurui sighed deeply and explained the situation.
"Among those people, there were students we had taught before."
The incident was simple. Yesterday, while Yun Jingcen and the others were out collecting bricks, they suddenly encountered two former students.
Upon seeing them, the two students didn't say much; they just suddenly knelt down in front of Yun Jingcen and the others, crying and pleading that they had come out to collect bricks but ran into a group of people who not only took their bricks but also injured several of them.
These two students had used bricks to hit one person's head and managed to escape by fighting for their lives.
"Teacher Yun, Teacher Fang, please help us."
"If you don't go soon, Jiang Ye and the others will be killed." The two students were banging their heads on the ground, crying bitterly.
Yun Jingcen and Fang Shurui had survived in the post-apocalyptic world for a long time. Normally, they wouldn't easily believe strangers.
But the two kneeling before them had red heads from banging them, and their genuine emotions seemed real.
Moreover, these two were their former students, so they couldn't just stand by and watch them get hurt.
Thus, Yun Jingcen and the others followed them.
They thought that with six of them, and their improved skills in the post-apocalyptic world, they wouldn't have to fear any danger.
However, as soon as they crossed a small hill, they were surrounded by about ten people hiding around them.
Most of these people were their former students.
Although they looked disheveled, some familiar faces could still be recognized.
Yun Jingcen initially wanted to ask how these students were doing, but before they could speak, they were blinded by dust thrown at them and then surrounded and beaten.
Despite their improved skills, the six of them couldn't withstand the overwhelming number of opponents.
One-on-many, and the opponents were young men in their late teens, whose skills had also been honed by the post-apocalyptic world.
After a chaotic fight lasting over twenty minutes, Yun Jingcen and the other five were all injured to varying degrees.
Only Ruan Qing, who appeared weak, was dealt with by just one person.
That person, seeing Ruan Qing's round eyes and despite his emaciated appearance, still recognized his beauty.
For some reason, he developed a beastly desire and wanted to assault him on the spot.
Cheng Yu knew they were outnumbered and that the five of them were injured. So, he and Fang Shurui slowly retreated to Ruan Qing's side.
The two of them fought off the people surrounding him and held them back, allowing Ruan Qing to run and seek help from the authorities.
Seeing Ruan Qing run away, the others vented their anger and attacked even harder.
"What was their goal?" Meng Ci asked.
Fang Shurui replied, "They must have been watching us for a long time, knowing we had points to rent a place, and assumed we were wealthy."
"So, they threatened us to hand over everything we had at home and convert our points into goods for them."
Points were very important, and Yun Jingcen and the others naturally refused to give them up.
As a result, the attackers became even angrier and more violent.
They even tried to sexually assault Yun Jingcen and the others.
Fortunately, Ruan Qing acted quickly and found Meng Ci and the others for help.
After Fang Shurui finished recounting the events, his straight back bent, and his face was filled with confusion.
"They are all students, and they were all our students."
"If there were difficulties, they should have spoken up. We would have helped if we could."
"But why..."
Fang Shurui, who usually prided himself on his composure, now clutched his head in agony.
In the apocalypse, Fang Shurui and his colleagues did not trust others, but these were their own students.
When they were in school, these students were mischievous at times, but none of them were evil. How could they turn into people who beat others and stole things in the apocalypse?
Worse still, they even wanted to kill them.
Yun Jingcen and her group could only take care of themselves in the apocalypse, and sometimes, when it didn't harm their own interests, they would help others.
Even after all they had been through, they never forgot their identity as teachers.
Seeing their former students transform so drastically, they naturally felt puzzled and heartbroken.
Meng Ci said, "Mr. Fang, you said they were once your students."
"But now, it's the apocalypse."
"In the apocalypse, anything can happen to survive."
There were those who ate the bodies of their relatives to fill their stomachs.
There were those who fought bitterly over bricks and glass to earn points.
There were those who willingly degraded themselves, trading their bodies for food to survive.
Could they be blamed?
Before the apocalypse, every step these people took was wrong.
But now, it's the apocalypse, and they just want to survive.
What is wrong with wanting to survive?
"Besides, they might have already done things that go against morality."
Fang Shurui leaned back in his chair, his head hanging low. He had also come to understand this.
A few young men, to survive in the apocalypse, probably couldn't survive without being ruthless.
It was their own fault.
Having said what needed to be said, Meng Ci and Shen Que went to check on the others and then left.
However, they unexpectedly saw the people who had brought them here yesterday at the main gate.
Su Luo stepped forward and greeted them, "Hello."
Meng Ci didn't know why he had come. Could it be that the dozen or so people he injured yesterday had come to seek trouble?
"Comrade Su, hello."
"How are those people from yesterday?"
Mentioning those people from yesterday, Su Luo's expression turned grim.
"They are all dead."