Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 189: Suppression

After listening to An Ruosu's explanation, Chen Mu somewhat understood the management system of the Qingbei. He asked, "Do the people in the lower levels have no objections to being classified in this way?"

"What objections could they have?" An Ruosu shrugged. "The people above are more powerful, and there are also those at the bottom to support them. Each level has its own quotas for food and daily necessities. It doesn't mean that those in the upper levels are nobler than the ones below. Except for Xia Xuejie and her two companions, the rest of us cannot directly command the people in the lower levels. Moreover, as long as your abilities grow, you can move up."

"That sounds acceptable," Chen Mu replied.

Although their system was not as harmonious as his own, he thought that with more than two hundred people in Qingbei, the current management model, like what Qiming was implementing, might not be suitable.

However, An Ruosu sighed and said, "Saying one thing and doing another is the reality. In the beginning, everyone was indeed harmonious, even the people in the lower levels were enthusiastic. As more awakened individuals emerged, everyone started to believe that Qingbei could shoulder the responsibility for humanity's future development... but gradually, things changed."

"What went wrong?"

"It seems that the conflict between the three major managers, which appeared to be relatively harmonious on the surface, became more evident as Principal's health deteriorated. It escalated until the incident with Xin Ping happened, and Tong Bin and Song Xuechang were on the verge of getting into a direct confrontation."

"Xin Ping? Why?" Chen Mu was puzzled.

"Because Xin Ping was Tong Bin's person. Now that he's in such a state, Song Xuechang blamed him for his own actions. Tong Bin spread rumors within the organization, saying that Song Xuechang and Senior Brother Chen Mu were colluding and seeking outside help..."

An Ruosu looked at Chen Mu's calm expression and hesitated to continue.

But the meaning was already quite clear.

Chen Mu thought to himself, no wonder An Ruosu said those words at the beginning. So, he was already so well-known within Qingbei?

This was clearly not a good thing.

At least, that Tong Bin must hold a grudge against him. It's no wonder he displayed such animosity the first time they met.

"How is the Principal now?" Chen Mu asked again.

"On the day Xin Ping returned, the Principal fainted. He was in a coma for several days before waking up, but his condition has worsened."

"Are you affiliated with Xia Qing?" Chen Mu inquired.

"Yes."

"What's her stance in all of this?"

"Xia Xuejie actually dislikes fighting, but she just doesn't want to see Tong Bin and Song Yuchi managing Qingbei."

After thinking for a moment, An Ruosu continued, "Xia Xuejie never actively provokes anyone. It's just that, because she's a girl and her strength is formidable, us female students prefer to be under her leadership."

"Since that's the case, why did the two of you come here?"

"It was Xia Xuejie who sent us here."

"What does she mean by that?" Chen Mu was puzzled.

"I'm not entirely sure either."

An Ruosu said, "That day, Xia Xuejie approached us and asked if we were disappointed with Qingbei and wanted to leave. Naturally, I said I didn't want to leave, but Xia Xuejie got very angry and insisted that we should leave. She even specified that we should come to this place to find Senior Brother Chen Mu."

After hearing this, Chen Mu exchanged glances with Dong Junwei and others.

Who exactly is Xia Qing?

She is one of the managers at Qingbei, yet she made her subordinates go seek refuge elsewhere. Setting aside the relationship between Qiming and Qingbei, the act of voluntarily driving away her subordinates and weakening her own influence is something hard to understand.

"She asked you to come, and you came?" He Ying still seemed somewhat doubtful.

"In fact..."

An Ruosu hesitated for a moment and continued, "Even without Xia Xuejie's order, we were indeed very disappointed with Qingbei."

"Why?" He Ying asked, "Apart from the three managers not getting along, isn't Qingbei considered fair in other aspects?"

"It's not just that," An Ruosu said, "Although Qingbei has always claimed to be equal, there has been a severe two-tier division. The combatants have openly oppressed the non-combatants, and since the people above are all combatants, unless something goes extremely wrong, it will always be overlooked."

"Unfortunately, those who do most of the work are people like us, with supportive abilities. Over time, everyone's mindset changes, and now, there is a serious sense of negativity within Qingbei. Although people dare not speak out, they are no longer as proactive as before. We are just not sure if the higher-ups are aware of this."

"At the beginning, we really liked Qingbei and hoped to contribute to the organization. At that time, everyone worked together, and although we were tired every day, we could still discuss our ideals, the future of humanity, and imagine what our days would be like in the future. But now..."

After finishing her words, An Ruosu sighed, seemingly immersed in the memories of the past happy times.

The people from Qiming felt deeply touched.

Especially those like Feng Xiaoyu, who had no abilities or had abilities of little use. If they were in Qingbei, working hard every day but still being oppressed, they would definitely be unhappy.

Putting themselves in that position, there really wasn't a good solution.

Resist?

Those people are combatants. If one could resist, how could they be oppressed in the first place?

Endure?

It might work for the short term, but in days where there is no hope, who would be willing to live like that?

With such thoughts, it can be said that Qiming was lucky to have people like Dong Junwei and Chen Mu. These two individuals were initially even hesitant to take the position of Chief.

Indeed, people are different from one another.

An Ruosu continued, "Actually, if it were just that, everyone could still endure it. But now, the higher-ups are preoccupied with internal strife and neglect the thoughts of those below. Recently, the food quotas have been reduced a bit, so we had to think of another way out."

He Ying suddenly sighed, "Although I don't know Tong Bin and Xia Qing, I know Song Yuchi. Doesn't he understand that under such circumstances, internal strife and self-destruction are no different?"

However, Tang Jing said, "If you're not in their positions, it's not easy to judge. In the eyes of outsiders, this might be internal strife, but regardless of Tong Bin or Song Yuchi, every insider believes that they are the ones fighting for justice."

"Moreover, in the eyes of some, internal strife doesn't necessarily lead to destruction. But if you don't fight for your position, you'll definitely be eliminated. So why not fight for it? In the grand scheme of things, what's more important, the future of humanity or one's own future?"

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