Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 217: Meditation

Chapter 217: Meditation

Liang Yue gripped her Tang sword tightly. Despite the gnawing hunger, it could also ignite a fierce will to survive—an instinctual drive. The students' faces were filled with numbness and madness in the gymnasium. Over the past month, they had constantly faced death, witnessing their friends die one by one. This relentless strain had fractured their sanity.

Just last night, a girl hanged herself from the basketball hoop while everyone was distracted. The next morning, when the others discovered her body, no one cried; they remained eerily calm.

Liang Yue knew things couldn’t go on like this. As the only teacher in the group, she felt responsible for giving these kids a fighting chance for the future. As she pondered their situation, class president Wu Chengyu and youth league secretary Shen Miaoke approached her.

"Ms. Liang," Wu Chengyu began.

Liang Yue looked up at them.

"Shouldn’t we go out to find some food?" Wu Chengyu suggested. "If this continues, we’ll starve to death."

Shen Miaoke, with her hands clasped in front of her, looked sorrowful. "You’re our only hope. What will happen to us if you stay here resting instead of looking for food?"

Liang Yue was taken aback. She realized they thought her reluctance to search for food was due to fear of the monster, that she was afraid to die.

Taking a deep breath, Liang Yue reminded herself not to get angry with her students. "What if the monster attacks while I’m gone?" she asked.

Shen Miaoke frowned. "That’s why you need to be quick! Grab the food and come right back!"

Wu Chengyu added, "Don’t worry, Ms. Liang. We’ll do our best to protect everyone."

He looked at Liang Yue with a touch of disdain. At a time like this, still thinking about protecting everyone—are you stubborn or just foolish? But he also acknowledged her utility, thinking, At least you’re useful enough to keep us alive. Just listen to smart people like me, and everything will be fine. If the monster comes, we’ll sacrifice a few to buy time until you return.

Shen Miaoke clasped her hands together, pleading, "Ms. Liang, please! Our lives depend on you!"

Liang Yue gazed deeply at the two students. Without a word, she used her Tang sword to help herself stand up. "Alright, I’ll go out now. Take care of yourselves," she said.

Wu Chengyu and Shen Miaoke readily agreed. Wu Chengyu had learned the monster’s habits well over the past month. It enjoyed toying with its prey and stored food, so it only killed a few at a time.

Liang Yue walked out of the gym, Tang sword in hand, stepping into the icy corridor. Several students quickly closed the door behind her. Exhaling a puff of white breath, she looked towards the end of the ice corridor before heading towards the cafeteria.

She hadn’t gone far when she quickly hid in a corner of the ice tunnel, pressing her back against the wall and closing her eyes. She entered a state of meditation.

Meditation wasn’t a mystical ability. Even ordinary people could learn it with proper guidance and achieve a state of inner peace. For martial artists, it was a required practice to clear their minds and focus inwardly. Legends spoke of martial masters who, through meditation, entered a profound inner realm. Liang Yue hadn’t reached such heights, but as a top martial artist, she could use meditation to calm and conceal her presence.

I can’t wait any longer. Rather than being picked off individually, taking a decisive stand is better. Liang Yue resolved, determined to either kill the monster or die trying. She was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, driven by her duty to protect her students.

Meanwhile, she overlooked that felines, as natural hunters, were experts at concealing their presence. Back in the gym, the students instinctively huddled in the corners after Liang Yue left. Yang Xinxin sat in her wheelchair, looking fragile like a crystal rose.

Lu Keran knelt beside her, gently touching her arm and leg. "Does it still hurt?" she asked.

Yang Xinxin had been used as bait a few days earlier and was pushed out to lure the monster. Luckily, the creature was more interested in moving targets, and she had survived, though bruised and injured.

Forcing a pale smile, Yang Xinxin replied, "I’m okay. It’s so cold I can’t feel the pain anymore."

Lu Keran relaxed a bit, seeing her friend smile. "Don’t give up hope. We have to survive, right?"

Yang Xinxin nodded firmly. "Yes, we’ll survive. We have to."

Nearby, Zhang Mengning sneered, her face twisted in madness. "You think you’re so lucky, don’t you? You believe luck will always be on your side?"

"Even if you survive, what good will it do? You’re just a cripple, a burden to everyone."

"If I were you, I’d have killed myself already. You’re living a painful life and dragging others down with you."

Other students also looked at Yang Xinxin with twisted smiles. They felt it was unfair that she, despite being disabled, had the same right to live as they did. "What’s the point of clinging to life?"

"When the monster comes next time, you won’t be so lucky."

Yang Xinxin remained silent. She was never good at arguing, preferring to avoid confrontation unless online. Lu Keran, unable to bear it any longer, was about to speak up when she noticed a huge amber eye peering through a nearby window.