LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 158: Students
While Chinese people often presented a modest and somewhat low profile image to others when it came to martial virtue, few others could compete with them.
Since ancient times of kings and generals to the modern rejuvenation of the nation, Chinese people had faced challenges head-onYu taming the great flood, Hou Yi shooting down the nine other suns, Yu Gong moving the mountains. Embracing defiance as a righteous way of life, the Chinese had never concealed their martial virtues. [TL note: The feats noted here are mostly Chinese fables.]
Yang Qiu, a true Chinese in essence, only played the role of a madman disturbing the peace when conditions were against him. But with favorable circumstances, his inherent martial spirit running in his blood could no longer be containedwith over three thousand undead at his disposal, conquering a small territory like Indahl was certainly within reach. However, securing Indahl with just the undead was not without its challenges.
It couldn't be said that conquest was difficultno army could outlast the undead in attrition, and factors like morale, food, and supply, critical to ordinary warfare, posed no issue to the undead. As long as Yang Qiu provided temporary teleportation points while continuing to be the power source for players to have limitless respawns, winning any battle was merely a matter of time.
The real challenge lay in smoothly taking over administration and maintaining order post-conquest. The American military's experience in Afghanistan was a case in point. It took less than half a year to control major cities, but the ensuing 18 years of counter-insurgency warfare were grueling.
When players first took over Weisshem, it was a night's job. But establishing stable rule in Weisshem under the "Taranthan faction" took three full months.
In these three months, Rex, Ji Tang, Zhao Zhenzhen, and many others had put in great effort, and even Yang Qiu himself had to move several containers of instant noodles
Indahl, with its one major city, over 20 towns, and about two to three hundred villages, with a population over a million, was too vast for the current administrative team of Weisshem to manage effectively.
After dropping his bombshell and leaving the stupefied Rex behind, Yang Qiu briskly left, leaving the sweating Ji Tang to immediately log out and seek reinforcementseven if Zhao Zhenzhen wasn't away on a mission, a political officer like her alone wouldn't be able to manage either!
The expert task force had conducted a comprehensive psychological assessment of Yang Qiu and had prepared for his potential offensive against Indahl, especially after he revealed to Zhao Zhenzhen that he was from Earth and highly suspected to be Chinese.
The "Taranthan approach" of settling in a small part of someone's home and refusing to leave was bound to provoke backlash. Being a Chinese himself, Yang Qiu must be aware of the timeless principle: "How can one tolerate others snoring at one's beside."
Therefore, to prevent enemies from invading and disrupting the hard-earned stability, Yang Qiu was more likely to opt for a preemptive strike.
November 23, 8 a.m., Saturday Earth time. 2 in the afternoon in OtherWorld.
Two skeleton frames silently emerged from the ground at the respawn point in Exile Town's center.
These two skeletons curiously surveyed the scenery of Exile Town's central crossroads, then swiftly got down the earthen platform and met with Ji Tang, who was waiting nearby.
Ji Tang quickly led these two newcomers into a back alley and handed them a set of beginner gearT-shirt, shorts, steel knife, leather armor with iron plates, and a waist pouch.
Now that these two resembled ordinary players, Ji Tang promptly took these two reinforcements straight to the Undead Merchant Association
In the large Undead Merchant Association canteen, other than the two "tool players" Master Liu and Old Geng were about 20 natives.
These natives were naturally Mia's fellow people from Camore Town, who had followed Yang to Taranthan back then, including Collins Carter, the limping man who once relied on Mia for survival, and Martina, a woman previously rescued by the players. freeweb . com
Several months had passed, and the once frail Collins, who could barely lift a finger, and Martina, who struggled to see beyond a meter, were now in much better health. Collins, despite his limp, could briskly carry 20 kilograms of frozen meathe used to be a robust cotton farmer. Martina's vision was still poor, but with glasses, she could now see normally.
Ji Tang ushered these two newcomers into the canteen, and the Camore natives, including Collins and Martina, promptly stood up and bowed uniformly.
"Eh? What's with all this?" The two newcomers didn't seem too pleased with this welcome and one of them chided, "Look, Young Ji, you guys are here to work. Don't get too carried away with being treated like a king here."
"No need to be so strict, Brother Zhou," Master Liu intervened with a chuckle to save Ji Tang's blushes. "They did it on their own accord. We made it clear that no one is forcing them to. This world views the relationship between teacher and student with great importance, and there are many rules. It took us a long time to convince them to agree to learn from you two. If even a basic courtesy is too much for you, they might think you don't want them as students."
The big shot with the name of Zhou pointed a finger at Master Liu, whom he saw as being overly slick, but restrained himself in front of a youngster.
"Alright, alright. When in Rome, do as the Romans do," Master Liu said, unbothered with how Zhou viewed him. "These students might have rough backgrounds, but they're eager to learn. Carter, especially; despite his leg issue, he is sharp and motivated. You'll need to put in some extra effort, Old Zhou."
With little choice, Old Zhou turned to face the students. They were quite mature in age, seemingly averaging over forty (in actuality, the average was under forty), with calloused hands and faces marked by the vicissitudes of life. It was clear that they had harsh backgrounds.
Among the 24 students, 19 were women, all under 1.6 meters tall due to chronic malnutrition and wearing glasses. Yet, their spirit and determination were evident. Master Liu and Old Geng had put thought into selecting them.
Old Zhou, seasoned from years of grassroots work and with a keen eye for potential, quickly recognized the enthusiasm in his mature students for changing their lives and destinies. He nodded in approval. It was vital, he believed, to have the spirit to start afresh, regardless of age. This was what gave life purpose and meaning.
"Everyone, please take a seat." Old Zhou gestured for the students to sit down. Instead of diving straight into teaching, he pulled up a stool and started chatting with them, breaking the ice with some light conversation.
The other prominent figure, seeing Old Zhou smoothly taking charge, naturally didn't contest and turned to Ji Tang. Ji Tang promptly brought him to Weisshem via teleporting.
Having seen the situation with Old Zhou and expecting to teach mature students as well, this other newcomer instead followed Ji Tang to a place labeled "resettlement shelter" and was brought in front of a group of gorgeous young men and women.
He turned to give Ji Tang a deep, questioning look.
Sweating, Ji Tang explanced at once, "Sir, please don't don't misunderstand. These are the people mentioned in the report, those who have suffered maltreatment."
Recalling the report's details, this figure surveyed the group of young and attractive students once more, his gaze softening. He saw in their eyes a blend of anticipation, nervousness, curiosity, and, above all, a desperate eagerness to prove themselves.
The figure nodded slightly.
Despite unfortunate backgrounds and fate, these people yearned for a chance to change their lives through learning and to validate their worth. They deserved a positive turn in their fates.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang"
Ji Tang quietly left the makeshift classroom, leaving the space in Jiang's capable hands.
The additional helmets obtained from the second beta were primarily used for medical research and couldn't be widely employed to send people into this "game." Furthermore, considering the size of the known world in "OtherWorld," continually sending administrators would be an endless drainChina had its own fair share of domestic issues to manage.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
This age-old saying was one that held firm even in this other world.
And the revolution of this world couldn't be one where its own people were absent.
As he emerged from the shelter, Ji Tang encountered a weary-looking group, including Shirley and Sibyl, returning from their shift.
"Hurry to the room at the far left of the second floor in building three. The class just started; you're not too late," he urged them swiftly.
The clerks, aware of the highly skilled teachers Ji Tang had invited to teach them, instantly felt rejuvenated and rushed toward the building.
In the nearby wash area, where people were doing laundry, a woman suddenly flung her bar of soap into the basin with force. The splashing water irked a neighbor, who snapped, "Phoebe, what's gotten into you?"
Already simmering with rage, Phoebe lunged at the woman in fury, igniting a scuffle.
Ji Tang, who hadn't even left the shelter's main gate, was startled and hurried back shouting, "Stop it! What are you all doing?!"
However, those not bearing the cuckoo flower lapel voice couldn't understand the "undead tongue." Phoebe and her antagonist, oblivious to Ji Tang's intervention, continued their fierce brawl. With no other choice, Ji Tang restrained Phoebe and called for Mia, currently the head steward.
Such a brawl was unprecedented in the shelter, so Mia took the matter seriously. She dropped her tasks and hastened back, taking both Phoebe and the other woman aside for questioning.
On confirming that Phoebe had instigated the fight, Mia sent the other woman back to rest and had Phoebe stay for a private conversation.
Now alone with Mia, who had always been responsible for their welfare and was known for her approachability, Phoebe finally opened up.
"I can read too. I've endured as much as anyone else on this street. I'm no less capable than others, and I'm much younger than Shirley and the rest. Why wasn't I chosen to be a clerk?!"
Mia fell silent
After a long while, Mia sighed softly. "It's because you are lacking something, Phoebe."
"What am I lacking? How am I inferior to someone like Sibyl who struts around on the streets?!" Phoebe retorted, unable to hide her resentment.
"You lack empathy for the suffering of others," Mia said softly. "Haven't you noticed? You're someone who only cares about herself."
"Stop with the high-sounding words. Tell me, who in this world doesn't just care about themselves?" Phoebe exclaimed angrily.
"There's nothing wrong with having concern for oneself, Phoebe. Everyone needs to look out for themselves, and it's perfectly reasonable. It's acceptable to be a bit selfish if you're just an ordinary person," Mia patiently explained. "However, to be a clerk for the town hall and to wield authority, you must empathize with the pain of others. Without empathy, the power in your hands won't help you serve the town hall better; instead, it becomes a blade you wield to harm others."
When expanding the administrative team, Ji Tang, the town mayor, had always insisted on recruiting from the most suffering and oppressed proletariats.
It's not that those who had suffered would always remain fair and just. In fact, there were many who, having endured hardships, wished for others to suffer even more.
Those who had suffered yet maintained empathy were the ideal candidates for public service. Those with empathy but no experience of suffering could be naively idealistic and impractical in their actions. Conversely, those who had suffered but lacked empathy could turn into tyrants once they gained power.
Whether in Exile Town or Weisshem, this principle guided the selection of clerks, officers, and the current students for learning programs. Mia, as the head steward of Weisshem's logistics, understood this all too well.