The next morning, as soon as Gu Chengyuan got up and finished washing, Pu Guangqiang reported on the situation with the school's survivors.
"Commander, the sentries reported that last night twelve students came running to the dormitory area, eight males and four females, seeking refuge with us!"
Gu Chengyuan wasn't particularly surprised by this news. After all, the commotion last night was quite significant, and it was only natural for frightened students to seek shelter. It would have been strange if no one had come.
"Gather the students, and bring Cai Anxin and the other two as well. We'll meet in the activity hall on the first floor in ten minutes. I have something to say!"
"Understood!"
Ten minutes later, in the first-floor hall, the twelve newly arrived students displayed a variety of expressions—some fearful, some confused, and a few muttering incessantly.
Cai Anxin and his two companions were much quieter, with the secretary and driver standing silently behind him.
Cai Anxin observed the newcomers with a calm expression, as if calculating something.
Tap, tap, tap~
The rhythmic sound of combat boots hitting the floor drew everyone's attention toward the staircase.
Soon, they saw Gu Chengyuan, in a crisp combat uniform, tall and imposing, with a handsome and resolute face, followed by the fully armed Pu Guangqiang holding a shotgun, walking toward them.
Seeing Gu Chengyuan's rank insignia, a few of the male students who were former soldiers looked surprised, while the other males simply thought he looked impressive.
The four girls didn't say anything, but their eyes noticeably brightened.
"Hello, students! I am the commander of this squad, Gu Chengyuan!"
"You all know what the world is like now, so I won't waste words!"
"Thanks to your trust, you are willing to entrust your safety to me, Gu. I have the responsibility to protect everyone's safety!"
Hearing Gu Chengyuan's promise, the eyes of those present lit up. They had risked their lives to come to Apartment No. 22 for this very assurance.
"So, for everyone's safety, I must establish some rules!"
First: Males and females will live on separate floors, no crossing floors!
Second: Military control will be implemented. All actions must follow commands, and orders must be fully obeyed!
Third: In this apocalypse, food is precious. A minimum living guarantee quota system will be implemented. Food above the guarantee line will be distributed according to labor; more work, more gain; no work, no gain!
Fourth: Due to limited manpower, we have more important tasks to complete. Survivors will currently be managed by Mr. Cai. Mr. Cai is the chairman of Hongtu Group, so everyone should be familiar with his management capabilities.
Please cooperate with Mr. Cai's work, and Mr. Cai, please bear with the hard work. If there are any unreasonable aspects in the management process, you can appeal to me!
These are the current regulations, and they will be further improved in the future to better serve you all!
As Gu Chengyuan announced each rule, some people in the crowd grew increasingly dissatisfied. After he finished speaking, a tall, thin male student with glasses couldn't help but speak up. You are reading on NovelPing, the official source.
"Commander Gu, I think there's a problem! According to your rules, the military has too much power. We are students, not your soldiers! This is the era of democracy!"
"Absolute power breeds absolute corruption. I believe power should be regulated! I suggest establishing a supervisory body composed of us students as a third party to oversee the exercise of power!"
Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the "pawread dot com"
After the tall, thin student finished speaking, some people in the crowd seemed to find an outlet and immediately echoed:
"Yes, yes!"
"We're not soldiers, why should we be required to obey orders absolutely? Are we supposed to go to our deaths if ordered?"
"Isn't the purpose of the army to protect us?"
As the scene grew increasingly noisy, before Gu Chengyuan could speak, Cai Anxin stepped forward to persuade:
"Students, please quiet down and let me say a few words, okay?"
"You are all well-educated, capable, and thoughtful! I understand what you mean! Power indeed needs oversight!"
"But now we are in an apocalypse, and you must have heard the saying 'harsh measures for troubled times'! If we sheathe our swords during chaotic times, it will only invite greater chaos!"
"So, my personal suggestion is, if you are worried about your rights not being protected and want to establish a supervisory body, then establish one to oversee me!"
"After all, I am the primary person responsible for directly managing you!"
"The military is a national institution. Logically and emotionally, we have no right to supervise it!"
"Moreover, military-civil integration has always been a tradition of our Zhou Nation. Now, with the country in crisis, everyone has the responsibility and obligation to obey conscription!"
After listening to Cai Anxin, the tall, thin student, Lu Shengfu, slowly relaxed his tightly furrowed brows, seemingly convinced.
"Chairman Cai, you make a very good point. In times of national crisis, everyone has a responsibility and an obligation to contribute! I am willing to contribute myself, to help the country and my fellow students!"
"I was previously the head of the Student Union Discipline Department. Are there any other students willing to help establish this body to protect everyone's rights with me?"
Two male students who had previously echoed the sentiments immediately raised their hands.
"I am willing!"
"I am willing to work with Director Lu to protect the rights of the students!"
Seeing this, Cai Anxin raised an eyebrow but said nothing, instead looking at Gu Chengyuan.
"Since you've already discussed a plan, I won't interfere with the details! I'll give you autonomy."
"But the rules I've mentioned are non-negotiable! In this apocalypse, I hope you all take care of yourselves!"
"If anyone hinders the execution of military tasks, don't blame me for dealing with it according to military law!"
The last sentence was a blatant threat, spoken with particular seriousness by Gu Chengyuan.
Cai Anxin and the tall, thin student, Lu Shengfu, repeatedly assured that they would do their jobs well and definitely not hold back the military.
Seeing this, Gu Chengyuan didn't waste any more time. After instructing them to organize personnel for logistics work, he left and got into a vehicle.
The previous arguments about military control being undemocratic and lacking freedom magically disappeared.
Lu Shengfu initially had the typical mindset of a university student, speaking of democracy and freedom, and personal rights.
But he was clearly not a fool. When Cai Anxin mentioned "harsh measures for troubled times," he was startled and quickly calmed down.
Yes, it's no longer a time of peace. If he continued to stand out, he might end up as the sacrificial example.
So his mind quickly spun, taking advantage of Cai Anxin's attempt to redirect the conflict onto himself, seeking to curry favor with Gu Chengyuan by shamelessly volunteering to gain power.
Cai Anxin, on the other hand, thought that Gu Chengyuan, who held the truth, would certainly not compromise with the students and damage his authority.
This gesture of goodwill not only showed that he understood the bigger picture and gained trust, but also made Gu Chengyuan feel that the students were ungrateful, prompting him to take action, indirectly boosting his own authority.
In the future, when students thought of opposing him, they would subconsciously think they were opposing the military!
However, Gu Chengyuan saw through all of this. Although Lu Shengfu was a refined egoist and somewhat hypocritical, Gu Chengyuan didn't like him.
But Lu Shengfu's emergence showed him another method, which was to let the survivors form an internal balance, with himself stepping in as the referee!
In this model, both sides would strive to carry out his orders, and their threshold for obedience would become increasingly lower.
It was like a competition among sycophants, where those who couldn't keep up and lost favor would be eliminated!
To deal with unruly people, give them power! When they transform from warriors into dragons, they will genuinely uphold the dragon's order.
Just like the so-called young people reforming the workplace, it's only because they haven't shared in the benefits of the workplace order.
When they gradually become beneficiaries of this order, they will, like Lu Shengfu, transform from skeptics into defenders!
Moreover, Gu Chengyuan himself had no interest in managing these survivors. As long as the military was developed well, all conspiracies and tricks were nothing but trivial matters!
Grasp the gun, and you hold absolute authority.