Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 241 The Conflict at Eagle Ridge
A group of eight or nine students arrived at the entrance gate, their faces showing a hint of nervousness, wondering if they could sneak out of the city.

It's actually quite difficult for administrators to distinguish between students and non-students. This is because the current surviving population is predominantly young and middle-aged, and college admissions don't consider age, with students ranging from teenagers to those in their twenties and thirties.

However, because Zhou Qinfeng had given prior notice and given the approximate time for the student council to leave the city, the administrators asked the people leaving the city a few more questions when that time came.

What are you going to do outside the city?

When questioned by the management, one student pretended to be calm and recited a prepared response.

"We're going to Ming City."

The students did their homework in advance and knew what reasons they could use to leave the city smoothly.

Ming City is a city adjacent to Pinglu. Both are mountain cities, but Ming City is much worse in terms of infrastructure and has a smaller urban area.

However, quite a few people who moved to Pinglu felt that Pinglu was too crowded and wanted to live in Ming City. This was officially approved, and it was a reason to leave the city that was almost impossible to get blocked.

The manager glanced at the group, then, remembering his superiors' instructions, narrowed his eyes and asked carefully, "Are you really going to Ming City?"

"of course it's true."

At this moment, Teacher Chen walked out of the pavilion and headed towards the sluice gate.

A sharp-eyed student spotted her and immediately exclaimed in a low voice, "Teacher Chen!"

The other students looked over at the sound and were startled to see Teacher Chen. Their expressions immediately fell, knowing that once the college teacher appeared, they would definitely not be able to leave.

Teacher Chen walked up to the group, frowned, and said, "Don't you know that the academy has a rule that students are not allowed to leave the city without permission?"

"..."

"Get back to the academy quickly, don't forget that violating the rules could result in expulsion!"

"understood……"

The students walked back dejectedly, and one of them asked unwillingly, "Teacher Chen, how did you know we were going out today?"

Teacher Chen said calmly, "I don't know, I just happened to be passing by on my way to run some errands and saw you guys."

"Oh? What bad luck, I should have gone with them..."

"what?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

After the students had walked away, Guan Tong also came out of the pavilion.

Teacher Chen said to him, "Teacher Guan, we can go back now."

Guan Tong suddenly mentioned, "I remember the dean said before that there were more than a dozen students in the mental network who wanted to leave the city, but there are only seven or eight. The number doesn't seem to match up."

"There must have been some who changed their minds, right?" Teacher Chen guessed. "I guess a few students thought that if they were found out, they would be punished for violating the rules, so they didn't dare to do it when the time came."

Guan Tong nodded.

However, the next moment, the two heard Dean Zhou Qinfeng's urgent voice in the connected mental network.

(Teacher Chen, Teacher Guan, are you there? Can you hear me?)
Guan Tong and Teacher Chen exchanged a glance, clearly having both heard it.

(You can hear) Teacher Chen speaking in the online chat: (Dean, we just stopped and persuaded several students who were leaving the city to turn back. What happened?)
(You've stopped those who were leaving through the main gate! Just now, counselor Fang Qian reported that she heard the students you stopped speaking in the online forum. They said they should have taken the mountain path like the others! Some students didn't go through the gate and slipped out of the city through the mountain path!)
Zhou Qinfeng's words surprised Teacher Chen, who looked at Guan Tong.

She realized that Guan Tong's suspicions were correct; the discrepancy in the number of people wasn't because someone was scared, but because they hadn't taken this route.

Pinglu is a mountain town built against the mountains, and there are indeed some mountain paths leading down to it. However, these paths are quite steep and dangerous, and apart from a few locals familiar with the terrain, no one else would risk taking them.

However, everyone overlooked the fact that what was a treacherous mountain path for ordinary people in the past is nothing at all for those whose physical abilities far surpass those of ordinary people. While they might not walk on flat ground, the probability of slipping and falling to their death is extremely low.

Teacher Chen asked anxiously, "(Dean, what should we do? Is it too late to intercept them now?)"
(It's too late, those kids have already gone down! I'll probably have to go out of the city to find them!)
Guan Tong then spoke up: (How about this, Dean? I'll go out of town and bring them back. Have Teacher Chen meet with counselor Fang Qian to find out how many people went out via the mountain path, and then let me know through the mental network.)
Teacher Chen asked in surprise, "Teacher Guan, are you going out alone? Isn't it dangerous?"

"No, it won't happen," Guan Tong said.

(Okay, then as Teacher Guan said, Teacher Chen, you should come back to the college first.)
(Understood, Dean.)
"Then I'll go back now and contact you again via the telepathic network later. Teacher Guan, please be careful when you leave the city."

"Do not worry."

After Teacher Chen left, Guan Tong exited the city through the gate.

He wasn't as angry as the dean about the students sneaking out; he was just a little worried.

After all, as a seasoned outdoor enthusiast, he knew very well that the outside world was not as suitable for exploration as the students imagined.

……

"Haha, those unlucky guys who took the main road got blocked by Teacher Chen!"

The five students who had come down the mountain path were still basking in the excitement of having successfully escaped the city.

They received a message from the mental network that students who tried to leave the city through the main gate were blocked by teachers and brought back to the academy, which made them realize that choosing to come down the mountain path was the right choice.

After the group of a dozen or so met, they disagreed on which route to take out of the city. Some thought the main road was safer, while the mountain path was dangerous. Others thought the mountain path was dangerous for ordinary people, but safe for them, the ascended beings, and the chances of being caught were much lower.

Now that they had successfully left the city via the mountain path, the group naturally mocked those who had taken the main gate in their online chat.

"Brother Yun, which way do we go?" After descending the mountain and leaving the city, several students looked at the young man in his early twenties who was leading the group. This man was named Shen Yun, a prominent figure in the academy, who had many followers due to his excellent grades and magnanimous personality.

“Head south,” Shen Yun said. “I’ve heard that the scenery at Eagle Ridge to the south is quite nice, and there’s a camp there too. We can go check it out!”

"Okay, I'll listen to Brother Yun."

South of Pinglu city lies a continuous mountain range.

Some of the foothills were commercially developed, but were abandoned after the apocalypse.

According to some online reports, some people who frequent the wilderness will specifically seek out such places to set up camp.

A sturdy, long-term campsite can't be built with just cars and tents; it needs some other structures. It's definitely more convenient to occupy some abandoned, government-built structures in the wild than to start from scratch.

This has led to many well-developed 5A-level scenic spots in various places becoming "camping disaster areas," with many being occupied and turned into campsites by people who frequent the wilderness.

The authorities have essentially tacitly approved of this.

On the one hand, the people living in the wild also need to survive; on the other hand, these scenic areas themselves lack the energy and manpower to maintain them, so it's not a big deal to provide housing for these people who choose to live in the wild.

On the edge of the southern mountain range near Pinglu, there is a once-popular tourist attraction called "Eagle Ridge," which was the destination of this group of students.

The five students walked along chatting and laughing, paying close attention to the scenery along the way. However, contrary to their expectations, there was nothing particularly interesting to see besides the dusty road and some overgrown weeds.

When they arrived at the foot of Eagle Ridge, the gate tower in front of the steps leading up the mountain had become dilapidated because it had been neglected for almost two years.

"Look at how bad this sign is. In a few more years, it'll look like a historical site."

"I think it's already a ruin now."

"These man-made things will decay quickly without maintenance. Tsk, I guess in the future, except for densely populated cities, all other cities will be ruins."

"What about later? After the earthquake rules were implemented, it would have been all ruins anyway!"

The students were deeply moved by the scene and sighed with emotion.

Shen Yun smiled and said, "Alright, stop being so sentimental. I believe that humanity will build an even more glorious world in the future. Let's go, let's go up and take a look!"

"go!"

Since this is a developed scenic area, the mountain path has steps, making it very convenient. The students, all being advanced learners with plenty of energy, quickly reached the viewing platform of Eagle Ridge.

In front of the viewing platform, there is a cluster of antique-style buildings, which were built by the government to provide tourists with a place to take photos.

The group was excited to go inside and take a look. Just as they approached a building, they heard the wooden door creak open.

Then some people came out from inside.

These people were mostly dressed in mixed clothes, with gloomy expressions, silently looking the students up and down.

Although the students had a rough idea that there was a campsite here, they were still a little surprised to meet so suddenly. It was Shen Yun, who was leading the group, who took the initiative to say, "Hello, we came from Pinglu to take a look."

These people ignored Shen Yun. One of them shouted, and then many people came out from the other pavilions.

The sheer number of forty or fifty people surprised Shen Yun and his companions. They hadn't expected so many people to be in the camp, and the way these people were looking at them was clearly not friendly.

"What...what are you doing?" a student asked nervously. "We just came to take a look, we mean no harm."

Another student mustered up his courage and said, "We are students of the college."

These words, once spoken, caused the faces of the campers to instantly darken, revealing an undisguised hatred.

"Academy students?" At this moment, a burly man with a full beard stepped out from the crowd, stared at the group, and said, "Do you know who we are?"

"Aren't you people who live in the wild?" Shen Yun said, then, seeing the unfriendly expressions on everyone's faces, added in confusion, "We haven't offended you, have we?"

The bearded man chuckled coldly: "We 'inferior people' are not worthy of being offended by you proud sons of heaven."

As soon as the words "inferior people" were uttered, the students immediately understood what was going on.

One of them blurted out, "So you're all just ordinary people!"

Previously, there were self-righteous individuals online who contemptuously referred to ordinary people as "inferior beings." Over time, some ordinary people also began to use "inferior beings" to mock themselves, but this self-deprecation was inevitably tinged with some kind of hatred.

Shen Yun knew these people were ordinary people, and he understood why they harbored hostility and even hatred. After all, compared to ordinary people, those who had undergone transformation had a higher status, and the students in the academies that were being groomed by the state had an even higher status than ordinary transformation individuals.

Given the past rules that have given college students special treatment, it's not surprising that they attract resentment.

"In that case, we've disturbed you. We'll head down the mountain now." Shen Yun didn't want any conflict with these people and planned to leave as soon as possible.

However, the tall and strong student who came with him looked unconvinced.

"Brother Yun, why should we back down? We're just a bunch of ordinary people. What can they do to us even if there are more of us? This Eagle Ridge doesn't belong to them. Why can't we enjoy the scenery before we leave!"

Shen Yun turned and glared at his companion. Before he could speak, the bearded man sneered, "Good lad, I was going to tell you to get lost. But since you treat us so casually, we have to teach you a lesson. Brothers, grab your weapons!"

"Oh!"

Some people ran into the room and came out carrying various weapons: machetes, wooden clubs, crossbows, hunting rifles, and even firearms like pistols and rifles!

(End of this chapter)