Chapter 344: Chapter 334: In Exchange

"They won’t. We have no idea what the outside world is like now. They’re all too busy trying to survive. No one is coming to rescue us."

It wasn’t just what Teacher Chen had said. Tang Mo herself felt that no one from the outside was coming to save them.

"They will." The principal shook his head, clearly disagreeing with what Tang Mo had said.

"You’re still young, you don’t understand. I’ve lived for more than half a century. I know they’ll come."

"Why?"

"Because you’re their children. I couldn’t guarantee it if it were any other relationship, but no one in this world would abandon their own child.

Even if they’ve been held up for now, they’ll rush here as soon as they can. You just have to wait patiently."

Tang Mo listened with wide eyes. What the principal said made sense, but deep down, she felt that something wasn’t quite right.

’Maybe it’s because I’ve always been alone, especially since the apocalypse began.’

’My mother has her own family now, and another child. I completely approve of all this, but there’s always been a barrier between Wen Jianshu and me.’

’No matter how much I pretend not to care, whenever I’m at the Wen Family’s home, I can’t help but feel like an outsider.’

Tang Mo shook her head, pushing those feelings aside.

"I need you to do me a favor."

Tang Mo hadn’t forgotten the reason for her visit. Regardless of what kind of person the principal was, her objective was what mattered most.

"If people from outside are really coming to rescue us like you say, then I’d like you to help me pinpoint the location of the new tunnel they’re digging. The more accurate, the better."

"And then?"

’A large part of the original winding mountain road is still intact. Since the mountain itself hasn’t collapsed, it wouldn’t be hard to calculate the position if they’re just digging a new tunnel.’

"What do you plan to do?" The principal was more curious about what this young girl, Qiao Jin, planned to do with that information.

"I want to get out sooner."

’If I can find out the location, then regardless of whether anyone is actually trying to rescue us, I’ll have the upper hand. At least I’ll be able to do *something*.’

’Just waiting here, watching time tick away, is far too passive. I’m not used to this feeling.’

"Xiao Jin, you just need to stay put. You’re still young; you don’t need to worry about these things," the principal said, his tone disapproving.

’Right, I don’t need to worry about it. That’s why I died outside without anyone even knowing,’ Tang Mo groused internally.

’Then again, the principal’s line of thinking wasn’t wrong. For now, the only obvious part of this apocalypse was the hunger. Everything else seemed the same as before.’

’They have no idea how powerful people can become, or how dangerous this world can get.’

’In the eyes of the adults, kids were still just kids who needed protecting.’

’I’m in no mood to explain things they can’t possibly understand right now. It’s too much trouble, and it could cause a butterfly effect in this world. I’d rather not do that unless it’s a last resort.’

"Principal, how about we make a deal?"

Tang Mo knew the principal had made his position clear. It would be nearly impossible for her to change his mind on her own.

"The school’s food supply is running low. I found a spot with a lot of fallen supply packages that no one else has discovered. If you tell me where the tunnel entrance is likely to be, I’ll tell you where the packages are. What do you say?"

If she had initially thought the principal was greedy, Tang Mo’s bargaining chip would have been useful enough.

But now, knowing he was a principal who cared deeply for his students, that same chip carried even more weight.

After all, there’s a world of difference between caring for one life and caring for over a hundred.

"Are there really that many packages that haven’t been found?"

The principal stopped nibbling on the potato he’d been carefully eating. His eyes lit up as he stared at Tang Mo.

After all, the problem of feeding over a hundred people weighed on him daily. Even at one meal a day, the current food supply wouldn’t last another two days.

The principal might have appeared calm and unbothered, but in reality, with the entire burden on his shoulders and no one to help, he had no choice but to put on a brave face.

"Of course. Sir, you should know that a child of the Qiao Family doesn’t lie."

Since their families were old friends, the principal surely knew about the Qiao Family’s reputation.

’A child from the Qiao Family wouldn’t lie, it’s true,’ Tang Mo thought, blinking innocently, ’but a child from the Tang family is a top-tier actor.’

"Fine! Deal!"

’She’s just a child. What’s the harm in telling her about the tunnel entrance? It’ll just give her something to look forward to, an extra glimmer of hope. That might not be a bad thing.’

The principal weighed the pros and cons in his mind and quickly agreed.

"Come on. I’ll take you to the tunnel entrance right now."

The principal was a man of action. He stood up at once and led Tang Mo out.

Director Yan and Teacher Chen were waiting at the door. Director Yan was the only one who knew about the principal’s act; he was a trustworthy person.

And since Teacher Chen was the person Qiao Jin was closest to, the four of them simply set off together.

Neither the principal nor Tang Mo spoke on the way. Both seemed energized, while Teacher Chen and Director Yan followed behind in confusion.

It was only when the four of them reached the old collapsed tunnel leading down the mountain, and the principal placed his hand on the wall and began tapping it, that the others realized he was searching for the likely location of the new exit.

"Principal, have you finally decided that we should start work?"

Director Yan asked, pleasantly surprised.

The truth was, it wasn’t just the students who had grown restless these past few days; the teachers couldn’t sit still either. Everyone was sick with anxiety from just waiting around, and they had all pleaded with the principal to mark the tunnel’s probable location so they could start digging from their side.

But the principal insisted it was an impossible task for them and flatly refused to mark the location of the tunnel entrance.

Everyone knew that digging through the tunnel would be incredibly difficult, especially without tools, but how could they know it was impossible if they didn’t even try? It was certainly better than just sitting around doing nothing.

But the principal just shook his head. After all, as the one with the most thorough understanding of architecture and geological structures, he knew better than anyone. Trying to dig a tunnel through a mountain like this by hand, without any machinery or explosives? It was a joke.

Food was already scarce. Wasting energy on such an impossible task was tantamount to wasting lives.

The principal didn’t answer Director Yan. He just kept walking, his hand continuously tapping against the wall.

After about a hundred meters, the principal stopped. He scanned the area—up, down, left, and right—for a long while before finally nodding. With a piece of chalk, he drew a large circle on the wall.

"This is it."

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