To escape punishment and live longer, then don't mention gadgets, don't involve oneself in trouble, stay silent and be obedient. No matter what happens, stick to these rules. Even if that meant watching somebody die before you.
This might sound extreme, but in a place where cruel and heartless instructors were gods, they had no choice but to accept that death, harassment, and violence as norms. The majority were practically abandoned. To survive, the only options were to either become the greater devil, or submit.
However, it was hard for children to do the first since when compared to the adults, they would be like eggs trying to tackle a huge rock. Their strength was feeble. Even if one managed to think of using numbers as their advantage, the others were too meek or tamed to try an uprising.
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