Chen Mu had thought more than once about what to do if he encountered someone from his school. He had even discussed with Tang Jing that if the other party's influence was significant enough to lead people around them to a better life, then joining them might be considered.

But he never expected that such a situation would come so soon.

These five people, including He Ying, were influenced by Li Xu in the past, and they had always admired the stronghold on the playground of their own school. Even He Ying herself had considered it as a goal, but due to objective constraints, she couldn't go there.

At this moment, when someone suddenly arrived, Chen Mu couldn't predict how He Ying would react.

And then, from the ventilation holes of the distribution box, several people crawled out one after another.

Chen Mu carefully observed and counted; there were a total of seven people, including Feng Xiaoyu.

In other words, four people came from the other side.

The one who came first was a boy about the same height as Chen Mu. Although his face was dusty like everyone else's due to the lack of washing for a long time, he exuded an undeniable vigor and confidence.

He wasn't wearing the school uniform.

There was a high probability that he was also a third-year student.

Unfortunately, Ziyu High School had 15 classes in the third year, with nearly 700 students. Chen Mu wasn't someone like Dong Junwei, who was socially adept, so he naturally couldn't recognize him.

"He Ying, it's been a long time."

When that boy saw He Ying, he couldn't hide his joy on his face. He approached her with a smile and spoke naturally, as if there was no apocalypse, and they were just classmates who happened to meet on the campus road.

"Song Yu?"

He Ying obviously knew him and even turned her head to whisper to Chen Mu, "His name is Song Yu. He's the class monitor of Class 1 in the third year and also the vice president of the Student Council."

Unlike in college, the Student Council in high school had relatively low visibility; it was like a student organization and was somewhat in the hands of the school's disciplinary office, with a sense of nominal existence.

However, the positions within the Student Council were still well-structured, with one president, three vice presidents, and nine council members, following a similar model to universities. Of course, most of these positions were directly assigned by the school teachers.

Even so, those who could hold positions in the Student Council usually had some abilities. They either had good grades, special skills, or were particularly clever and good at socializing.

The Student Council sometimes organized extracurricular activities, although they would always be under the supervision of the teachers.

The most typical activity was the annual exchange event with Yizhong High School.

This exchange event has become a tradition between the two schools, lasting for over twenty years. They take turns hosting it, with last year's event held at Yizhong High School and this year's at Ziyu High School.

Officially, the event is initiated by the Student Council for student-initiated exchanges. However, everyone knows the reality. For instance, this year, the number of students coming from Yizhong High School was predetermined by the school—three buses, along with the accompanying teachers, totaling 150 people.The exchange activities cover a wide range of subjects, from regular classes to sports, music, art, and even extracurricular interests like anime and model figures.

During this time of the year, the role of the Student Council becomes somewhat apparent. However, because the third-year students have to prepare for the college entrance exams, activities like these are minimized, and even the Student Council itself is mainly composed of first and second-year students.

Chen Mu didn't have much of an idea about the Student Council; he only knew that Dong Junwei used to be the vice president but voluntarily withdrew after entering the third year.

Therefore, Song Yu, as the class monitor of Class 1 in the third year, still being in the Student Council until now, indicated that either he was genuinely capable enough to balance his academic duties while participating in activities, or he had a genuine interest in this aspect.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that they dared to bring people out to search for survivors proved that they had enough abilities to protect themselves.

"I'm really glad to see you all. The number of survivors we've encountered in recent days has been dwindling. Those who survived in the school probably don't even make up one-tenth of the total population."

Song Yu's words carried a sense of familiarity, yet they weren't off-putting. He spoke not only to He Ying but also included Chen Mu, whom he had never met before, taking care of them as if they were already familiar friends.

"Hello..."

He Ying seemed somewhat familiar with Song Yu, and Chen Mu could sense that she had let down a considerable portion of her guard. However, it was evident that although He Ying was good at sports, she wasn't very eloquent, leaving her momentarily unsure of what to say in this situation.

Thankfully, Song Yu didn't make her feel uncomfortable and spoke first, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. We originally sent people to this area, but later, we found that Yizhong High School's survivors were gathered here, and our team seemed to have been dispersed. Moreover, we have many other places to search, so we arrived a bit late."

"Li Xu..."

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

"It's a pity..."

"I already know. Feng Xiaoyu told me just now," Song Yu sighed.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect him." He Ying had been trying not to dwell on the loss of her companion during this time, but the memories were still saddening when stirred up.

"It's not anyone's fault. If we have to blame someone, it's the people from Yizhong High School. That's why we've been speeding up the search for survivors."

It must be said that Song Yu's way of speaking and behavior easily evoked a sense of goodwill, especially in this post-apocalyptic world, where sunny and confident individuals were more likely to be trusted. For example, Dong Junwei's charisma, even before awakening any special abilities, had far exceeded that of Wei Dalei, who had already awakened his powers.

Charm didn't necessarily correlate with abilities; sometimes, it was simply a feeling.

"Have you been searching for survivors all this time?"

He Ying discreetly glanced at Chen Mu, seemingly wanting him to negotiate with Song Yu. However, seeing that Chen Mu didn't show any intention of speaking, she continued the conversation with a forced smile.

Hearing this, Song Yu's face showed a hint of pride, and he smiled, "Yes, due to some special circumstances, a large part of the group from our school that was originally on the playground managed to survive. Currently... we're managing to get by. So, we all felt obligated to take in the rest of our schoolmates. That's why people like us have been out here."

"Thank you all for your hard work."

Due to Li Xu, He Ying did indeed hold a great deal of goodwill toward Song Yu. At least, coming out to search for survivors in such a dangerous environment was no easy feat."We're all classmates, and especially during times like this, we should support each other," Song Yu replied politely. Then, he shifted his gaze to the two people beside He Ying and smiled, "This should be Sun Yuan, the junior student, right?"

Then, he looked at Chen Mu and asked, "I don't know who this fellow student is?"

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