Chapter 233 Morning Meeting
Warren's words really struck a chord with the students. They all turned to Lily, eyes wide and desperate, crowding around her, tugging at her clothes like she was their lifeline.
"Mrs. Evans, you gotta help us!"
"You're the teacher; it's your job to take care of us!"
"We can't handle this hard labor. Can you talk to the base and get us something easier?"
After a day of rest, Lily was almost back to full strength. Her combat skills were sharp, and she could easily take down armed soldiers. But she was rational and wouldn't act on impulse.
Listening to Warren, Lily realized West Mountain Base wasn't in terrible shape. It was just the same old story: social stratification, the same power dynamics that had always existed.
Lily didn't agree with the students wanting to dodge work. She said, "I'll keep you safe. As for the labor, I need to observe more."
The students weren't happy with her answer, but Lily was their last hope, so they didn't dare be rude. They kept pleading with her.
Annoyed, Lily said, "It's late, and we have work tomorrow. Go rest, or we'll be too tired!"
Reluctantly, the students left, still asking Lily to help with their work situation.
Lily planned to talk to the person in charge of West Mountain Base the next day. The current living conditions felt oppressive, and she wanted to help improve them.
At six the next morning, the dormitory loudspeakers blared, waking everyone up. The new students followed the others to wash up, finishing in half an hour.
Lily and the group headed to the cafeteria. Erica, the female leader in charge of the power plant, arrived with a few soldiers. She forced a smile at the hundreds of power workers below.
"Good morning! Today is the 48th day of our survival. Let's thank our great leader Peter for leading us to live happily until now!"
Someone raised their hand and shouted, "Thank you, great leader Peter!" Others quickly followed, "Thank you, great leader Peter!" They shouted three times before stopping.
Erica continued, "Yesterday, our team rescued another group of survivors. From now on, we're all in this together, as one family." She looked at Lily and the others, smiling. "Come, introduce yourselves!"
Everyone clapped enthusiastically. Lily felt uneasy. She knew this scene all too well. It was brainwashing, and she understood how dangerous it was.
Even the smartest person might get sucked in, no matter how alert they stayed. The herd effect made people start identifying with everyone and everything around them once they joined a group.
Eventually, even if you kept telling yourself it was just brainwashing, your mind and body adapted, making it hard to escape. That was why so many smart college students and professionals fell for pyramid schemes they once despised.
"Are they using this to control the lower class?" Lily wondered, taking a deep breath. She understood but felt helpless. The herd effect was powerful.
She led the students to the front and introduced them as Erica instructed.
"Next is our routine morning meeting. Who's today's host?" Erica asked.
A middle-aged woman raised her hand. "It's me today!"
"Alright, let's begin!" Erica said, surprisingly staying to stand with the others.
The middle-aged woman walked to the stage, beaming. She felt like a leader again.
She loudly announced, "First item of the morning meeting, let's praise the organization!"
Everyone started singing the West Mountain organization's song. Lily and the others mumbled through it. The host told the newcomers they had to learn the song within three days, and someone would check.
Then came the game session: cornhole, Pictionary, and group exercises.
After that, everyone went to their workstations under Erica's command to start generating power for the West Mountain organization.
Lily noticed the students' expressions had subtly changed after the morning meeting. They still looked unhappy but seemed to be integrating, chatting with coworkers they met during the games.
'I guess it's for the best. If you can't resist, then accept life obediently. At least you can survive,' Lily thought. 'If we can keep living like this, it's better than dying out there. There's still hope.'
But life was unpredictable.
Around ten in the morning, a few well-armed soldiers arrived at the power plant, catching everyone's attention. Erica quickly walked over.
A young woman in a suit and burgundy glasses slowly walked in.
"Mrs. Grant, why did you come here personally? If you need anything, just let me know, and I'll handle it," Erica said, trying to please her.
Lisa didn't look at her but said, "Yesterday, a group of new survivors arrived. Is Mrs. Evans here?"
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