16 Chapter 14: Qin Jiagui's Inner Conflict

Everyone fell silent, then a man in his twenties said, "I'll take him back to the school."

This man was also a teacher at the school, but he had only been teaching there for a year. Most of the group consisted of students as the teachers and professors at school were older, and hence there were few teachers in this group. Among those currently alive, there were only two teachers, and he was one of them.

"Take him back to the school?" After hearing his words, everyone was slightly taken aback.

The teacher nodded and said, "Fortunately, the school is not too far from here. He's been severely injured and can't continue, but we can't just leave him here. I'll take him back."

Ma Ziye suddenly said, "Teacher, you're scared, aren't you? After you take him back to school, you won't come back, right?"

Ma Ziye's question was blunt. The teacher's face flushed a little, revealing a hint of embarrassment. She had hit the nail on the head.

Su Yu twirled her hair and nodded in agreement.

Ma Ziye snorted, "Who else wants to go back? You might as well leave with him now. If you're really scared, staying in the team won't do any good and will only drag us down."

Looking at each other, apart from the teacher, two others stood up as well, though they hung their heads in shame.

The teacher carried the severely injured student, and along with the other two people, they left the group and headed back towards the school.

Just like that, they were down by four people, leaving only fourteen behind.

Among these fourteen, there were thirteen students and one teacher. The remaining teacher was named Lin Shi, who taught foreign languages and was not familiar with Su Yu and the others.

Lin Shi looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wore glasses for myopia, and appeared scholarly and reticent. He had killed three Goblin Beasts but because he was always silent, not many people noticed him despite him being a teacher.

Among the fourteen people left, all had killed Goblin Beasts and attained special powers, becoming Black Iron Warriors. They sat on the ground, eating lunch while taking the opportunity to rest.

They didn't have much time left.

Among the fourteen, besides Su Yu, Zhang Zhongmou, Qin Jiagui, Zhao Shichang, Ning Yan, Ma Ziye, and Lin Shi, the others were Hu Ge, Zhang Runsheng, Wei Zhangming, Zhuang Xiaohua, Li Dong, Zhou Huakang, and Wen Rui.

During the break, they chatted casually, getting to know each other a little better and somewhat diluting the atmosphere heavy with blood and gloom.

After eating a couple of simple sandwiches and having a drink of water, Qin Jiagui had regained some of his strength. He put down his backpack and began to move the bodies.

All eyes were immediately on Qin Jiagui.

Qin Jiagui's respect for the dead was beyond imagination. Without asking for help, he took it upon himself to move the bodies during the break, putting them up in the trees to prevent them from being damaged or eaten by the creatures.

Su Yu ran her hand through her hair without giving it much thought and got up to help.

Seeing Su Yu move, very quickly, Zhang Zhongmou, Zhao Shichang, as well as Ma Ziye and even the usually silent teacher Lin Shi, also got up to assist.

Of course, many others looked on with odd expressions, feeling that Qin Jiagui was making a big deal out of nothing. Despite the dangerous journey, they weren't sure when they would face death. Given the circumstances, they deemed it was best to rest and recover, and felt it was a waste to spend time on the deceased.

Qin Jiagui carried the body of the school security guard and seeing the remaining fist tightly clutching some weeds, he was reminded of the man's dying moments. He said, "He had a three-year-old child."

Su Yu, who was next to him, nodded and said, "Yes, I think his name was Hao'er."

Everyone had heard the guard's anguished screams before his death, but no one was able to save him.

As Su Yu watched Qin Jiagui carry the guard's body, she was reminded of the conflict he had with the guard over the burial of the bodies. The guard had vehemently opposed Qin Jiagui's 'waste of time'. Now, his body was carefully placed by Qin Jiagui on a thick tree branch, which gave Su Yu a strange feeling.

Seeing Qin Jiagui's reverential attitude towards the deceased and the serious look on his face, Su Yu felt a touch of unease, tangled her hair a bit, and felt something was off.

Qin Jiagui glanced at Su Yu, seemingly aware of her thoughts, and softly said, "Su Yu, do you think I'm making a big fuss over nothing?"

Su Yu shook her head, thought for a moment, and said, "You're not wrong, but right now... these are exceptional times."

"I understand what you mean," Qin Jiagui sighed lightly, and quietly said, "You should know that my father died when I was very young."

Su Yu was taken aback, then nodded. Although they were not very close at school, she vaguely knew that Qin Jiagui grew up in a single-parent family and heard that his father had died when he was young.

A hint of sorrow flashed across Qin Jiagui's face as he slowly said in a low voice, "I grew up in the countryside. My father was a farmer. We were poor, but... he was very good to me. He used to farm during the day and cut trees for money at night in the forest, even though it was illegal... Many people in our village did the same."

Qin Jiagui paused here, a bitter smile appeared on his face as he said, "One day something happened. By the time my mother and I got the news and rushed over, my dad... my dad's body was horribly mangled..."

As he spoke, Qin Jiagui clenched his fists tightly, and a metallic blotch appeared on the back of his right hand.

Su Yu was taken aback and said, "Your father..."

"He was attacked by a pack of wolves. When he was found, his body had been eaten so much that there wasn't much left... I couldn't believe... that... that mess of flesh... belonged to my father, my kindly father!"

Qin Jiagui's teeth gritted, and he growled, "Su Yu, do you understand? These bodies... if we don't handle them properly, they... they might end up horribly eaten by those green-skinned monsters. Have you ever thought about how the dead might feel? Even though they're dead, their souls... their souls are still watching us from above."

Su Yu was stunned. She never imagined that Qin Jiagui had such a tragic past. His unexpected reverence for the dead, his fear of the bodies being eaten or desecrated, all stemmed from his father's gruesome death.

"Maybe... I can't do anything... Even I don't know when I'll..." Qin Jiagui looked up at the bodies on the treetops, a sorrowful expression on his face.

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