6 Walls and science (2/2)

”Those who attempted all died from starvation,” Zhang Jinglin said.

”Could all of that knowledge really have become lost through the generations?” Ren Xiaosu could not accept it.

Zhang Jinglin looked at Ren Xiaosu seriously this time and said pointedly, ”They are in the possession of a small number of people.”

”That's enough.” Zhang Jinglin stood up and said, ”Don't pursue this matter any further.. It's time for class.”

Ren Xiaosu pestered Zhang Jinglin with a final question. ”Teacher, when were the walls of the stronghold built? And why did they build them?”

”After The Cataclysm, wild animals ran rampant. A very long time ago, there was even a bug infestation. As such, humans were forced to build tall walls to ward off the danger,” Zhang Jinglin explained.

”But even though animals have evolved, they don't actually initiate attacks on humans.” Ren Xiaosu was curious about this. Monkeys still remained omnivores, and sparrows still loved eating grains, so it was not like they would actively try to make a meal out of humans.

In the ”ring” where humanity was living in at Stronghold 113, the majority of the more ferocious animals had actually been isolated outside of it.

The higher the number of a stronghold, the more dangerous a place it was. For example, the legendary Stronghold 178 would often see many casualties each year as they tried to expel beasts from around their area.

Meanwhile, Stronghold 113 was considered to be an ”inland” area.

There were still many dangers lurking out in the wilderness though, like the wolf pack he had encountered before. However, it wasn't impossible to overcome them. So then why were there still such towering walls built in a huge gathering place of humans like this one?

Zhang Jinglin smiled and said, ”So long as danger still exists on the outside, refugees must depend on the stronghold to make a living. In this way, the stronghold will gain a large force of cheap labor. Do you think that the organizations controlling the strongholds do not have the ability to eliminate those dangers out there? The firearms and explosives that humans possess are more powerful than you can imagine. But why would they want to eliminate them? They don't pose any threat to the organizations at all.”

Ren Xiaosu fell deep into thought. Although he was mature beyond his years, there were still some things he hadn't experienced. As such, it was expected that he could not understand them. This was also the reason why he was so thirsty for knowledge.

Zhang Jinglin continued, ”They won't topple the walls. Why would groups with a vested interest behind the walls give up a stronghold that gives them a natural class superiority?”

Zhang Jinglin then went to get a change of clothes. Ren Xiaosu asked, ”Teacher, why did you change your clothes? Your previous set of clothes were not dirty at all.”

Zhang Jinglin adjusted his collar and replied, ”The set I was wearing earlier reeks of cigarette smoke. It is not good for the students if they smell it.”

Yan Liuyuan's respect for him deepened, but Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt a little unhappy. ”So it's alright for me to smell it then? It wasn't like you asked me to stand further away from you just now, right?”

Zhang Jinglin thought for a long while. ”Get lost.”

All of a sudden, Ren Xiaosu heard a voice speak again from the palace in his mind, ”Quest: Thirst for knowledge is never a bad thing. But you have to teach other people whatever you've learned.”

Ren Xiaosu was stunned. He did not fully understand what this quest required him to do.

…

During the afternoon class, the students found it very refreshing when they saw Ren Xiaosu, who was a few years older than them, standing outside the door. It made many of the students turn their heads to look at him.

Zhang Jinglin had to knock on the blackboard several times before he could get the students' attention. He said, ”I'll be teaching about survival for the afternoon class.”

This was the current era, and the distinctiveness of school came from not only teaching the arts and sciences, but also teaching survival.

However, Zhang Jinglin had always felt exasperated when teaching this lesson, because he wasn't experienced with surviving in the wild.

Therefore, for most of this lesson, he could only teach it according to what was written in the books that were preserved from the past.

Zhang Jinglin looked at the students in the classroom. ”Pay attention and listen in class. Don't think that danger is very far from you. For now, your parents are still protecting you. But when you grow up, you have to learn how to protect yourselves. For today's lesson, we'll be discussing what you should do if you encounter a pack of wolves.”

The students in class actually liked listening to the survival lessons the most. The other subjects were still a little boring for their current age group, whereas they found the survival lessons to be the most interesting.

The classroom quieted down. Zhang Jinglin looked at Ren Xiaosu, who was standing at the door and listening in on the lesson. ”You there, tell us what you do when you encounter a pack of wolves in the wild.”

Ren Xiaosu gave it some thought before replying, ”I'd try my best to find a slope surrounded by greenery, because that will be the most suitable place for an auspicious burial ground.”

Zhang Jinglin was surprised.