Chapter 233: Morning Meeting

Chapter 233: Morning Meeting

Wu Chengyu’s words struck a chord with the students, and they all turned to Liang Yue with pleading eyes, crowding around her and tugging at her clothes, hoping for her protection.

“Ms. Liang, you have to help us!”

“You’re our teacher. It’s your responsibility to care for us!”

“We can’t handle hard labor. Please talk to the base and see if we can get work done more easily.”

After a day of rest, Liang Yue’s strength had almost fully recovered. She was now formidable in combat, capable of quickly taking down armed soldiers. However, she was rational and wouldn’t act impulsively out of emotion.

After listening to Wu Chengyu, Liang Yue didn’t find any severe issues with the West Hill Base; it was simply a case of social stratification—a common occurrence throughout human history. She didn’t agree with her students’ desire to avoid labor either.

“I will protect your safety, but I need more time to observe the situation before making any decisions about work,” she replied.

The students were clearly dissatisfied with her answer, but since Liang Yue was now their last hope, they didn’t dare to express their displeasure as openly as before. Instead, they continued to plead with her, whispering in her ear.

Feeling overwhelmed, Liang Yue finally said, “It’s getting late. Everyone should go back and rest. We have work tomorrow, and you’ll need your energy.”

Reluctantly, the students left, but not before reminding Liang Yue to help them negotiate lighter duties.

Liang Yue did intend to talk to the base leaders the next day. The current living conditions were oppressive, and if she could do something to improve the situation, she was willing to make the effort.

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The next morning at six, the dormitory loudspeakers blared, waking everyone up. The newly arrived students followed the others to wash up, completing their morning routine in the allotted half-hour.

Liang Yue and the rest then joined the larger group in the cafeteria. The female leader of the power plant, accompanied by several soldiers, greeted them. She looked out over the hundreds of workers and forced a smile.

“Good morning, everyone! Today marks the 48th day of our survival. Thank our great leader, Comrade Chen Xinian, for guiding us to this day of safety and happiness!”

Immediately, someone raised their hand and shouted, “Long live our great leader, Comrade Chen Xinian!”

The rest quickly raised their fists and echoed, “Long live our great leader, Comrade Chen Xinian!”

They chanted this three times before stopping. The woman continued, “Yesterday, our team rescued another group of survivors from the outside. From now on, they are part of our family!” She looked toward Liang Yue and her group, smiling as she added, “Come on, family members, please introduce yourselves to everyone!”

Applause erupted as everyone turned to look at Liang Yue and the others. Liang Yue felt a chill run down her spine. She recognized this scenario all too well—it was brainwashing.

The scary part was that Liang Yue knew how effective this kind of brainwashing could be. It wasn’t just about being smart or staying vigilant to avoid being assimilated. The herd mentality could make you gradually identify with the group and environment to the point where, even if you kept telling yourself it was just brainwashing, your mind and body would adapt, trapping you in that environment.

This was why so many intelligent people, including college students and professionals, had fallen into the traps of organizations like pyramid schemes.

“They’re using this to manage the lower classes?” Liang Yue thought, taking a deep breath. She understood but felt powerless to change it. The herd mentality was a natural, pervasive force.

Reluctantly, she led the students to the front and, as instructed, introduced themselves one by one.

“Now, let’s proceed with our daily morning meeting. Who’s leading today?” the woman asked.

A middle-aged woman raised her hand. “It’s my turn today!”

“Alright, let’s get started!” The woman didn’t leave but joined the others in the front row.

Brimming with enthusiasm, the middle-aged woman took the stage, smiling with satisfaction as she looked out at the crowd. She seemed to relish the opportunity to feel like a leader again.

“The first item of our morning meeting: Praise the Organization!” she announced, leading everyone in a song.

“With the light of the rising sun, we illuminate the dreams of West Hill. Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, we face the snow and frost together.

“With our passionate aspirations, we ignite the strength of West Hill!

“You and I, together we create new glory!

“We fulfill our dreams, our passion soaring, embracing the next moment’s brilliance!

“We fulfill our dreams, our blood boiling, together we sail through the storm, together we set sail!”

Liang Yue and her group mumbled along to the song, trying to keep up. The host reminded the newcomers that they had three days to learn the song, as someone would check.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Next came a series of games. They played three games: “Carrot Squat,” “Draw and Guess,” and a group exercise routine.

After all this, the workers were returned to their posts to generate electricity for the base. Liang Yue noticed a subtle change in her students’ expressions after the morning meeting. Though they still looked unhappy, they seemed to slowly integrate into the group, chatting with coworkers they had met during the games.

“This might be for the best. If we can’t resist, we might as well accept this life. At least we’ll survive,” Liang Yue thought. If life continued like this, it was better than waiting to die outside.

But in life, you never know whether a surprise or an unexpected event will come first.

Around ten in the morning, a group of heavily armed soldiers arrived at the power plant, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. The factory leader hurried over to greet them.

The soldiers stood at the entrance, and then a young woman in a suit, wearing burgundy glasses, slowly walked in.

“Secretary Ge, why did you come here in person? If you need something, just tell me, and I’ll take care of it,” the factory leader said, her tone ingratiating.

Secretary Ge didn’t even glance at her, instead asking, “There was a group of survivors rescued yesterday. Is Ms. Liang Yue here?”