Ch 29: Opening a Survival School Before the Zombie Outbreak

After the publicity group’s five members were officially assembled, they did not rush to create Sun Wei’s account.

Because this week, they had something more important to deal with.

The monthly exam was coming.

With the task of getting at least 800 students to a B rating within 30 days, Fu Qing had already sent a campus wide notice at the start of the third week, reminding everyone that there would be an assessment at the end of the month.

This assessment would still use the “full realistic simulation” item, but there was no longer the new semester discount. The shop price had gone up, and it pained Fu Qing to buy it.

Previously, the discounted full realistic simulation (one hour) cost 30 Teaching Points, while the original price was 50.

The item’s price also varied by duration, with a maximum duration of twelve hours. Twelve hours cost 200 Teaching Points. This time Fu Qing bought the three hour version, spending 100 Teaching Points, bringing her balance down to 450.

If the students passed successfully, the task reward would be an emergency shelter module that could accommodate several hundred people for short term use.

But if they failed to meet the target, those 100 points would be essentially thrown away.

Because of that, Fu Qing specifically suspended all PE classes on the day of the monthly exam, letting the students rest fully. Only after they had recovered and built up their energy did she have them gather in the auditorium in the afternoon.

……

On the day of the monthly exam, 4:50 PM.

Having learned a brutal lesson from the last cafeteria cleaning fiasco, no one dared arrive late this time. Everyone was present ten minutes early, watching as Fu Qing stepped onto the stage right on time.

The principal swept her gaze over the audience. She seemed quite satisfied with everyone’s obedience. She adjusted the microphone height and then said, “The exam will begin in ten minutes. I’ll go over the rules once, briefly.”

The same style as always: straight to the point the moment she opened her mouth.

But this time, after a month of getting to know each other, no one looked confused. They snapped into listening mode at once, afraid of missing even a single detail.

On those youthful faces, newly adult or not yet adult, was a seriousness that did not belong to their age.

Brows lowered, expressions focused, so much so that Fu Qing paused for a moment without even realizing it.

After a month, the changes in these two thousand plus students were impossible to ignore.

Especially from where she stood.

Sun tanned skin; a roughness that was more apparent than before; the gradually tightening lines of waist, abdomen, hips, and legs; the long hair many girls had cut off.

The loss of childishness, yet an expression still warm and sincere.

Standing in the same place, at the same angle, facing the same group. Everything that changed under time, and everything that stayed the same, was painfully clear to Fu Qing.

Like tender sprouts pushing up under sunlight, their impact on the earth still negligible, yet representing a vigorous life force breaking through the soil.

Something that made anyone who saw it feel full of anticipation for its future.

Fu Qing quickly came back to herself and lifted the corner of her lips slightly.

“The exam starts at five o’clock sharp and lasts three hours, ending at eight. The scope is the entire campus.”

“During the exam, you will need to confront 2,000 beginner level zombies.”

“For every zombie you kill, you will receive 1 point. There is no cap. If you die mid exam or are infected, your points will be reset to zero. If you survive the full three hours, you will receive an additional 5 survival points.”

“During the exam, climbing the exterior walls of campus buildings is permitted, but you must use a safety harness. Harnesses are placed throughout the campus. You may search for them during your escape, but note that the number is limited. First come, first served. Anyone who climbs in violation will have all points deducted and be eliminated on the spot.”

“In addition, supply packs that spawn randomly around campus contain different weapons. Before using them, remember to weigh your own ability.”

“After the exam, rankings will be announced, and a comprehensive rating will be determined based on the results of the first two exams. This rating may affect future class placements.”

“Five minutes from now, the exam begins. Everyone present will be randomly teleported to different corners of campus. Prepare yourselves.”

“Then, good luck.”

Fu Qing stepped off the stage as soon as she finished, leaving the students to erupt into frantic discussion after a brief silence.

What the principal had said sounded concise, but the information density was huge. If they did not sort it out carefully, it would be easy to miss key points.

Fu Qing had not revealed the exam format beforehand. The students had arrived confused, so now they had only five minutes left to brainstorm.

Unlike last time, most students were not afraid now, but eager.

Because this was one of the few ways they could earn points besides classes and running check ins.

And there was no cap!

Some people who had diligently farmed for a whole month now began to worry. “If I’d known points were this useful, I would’ve realized the best way to earn points on campus is killing zombies in exams. I wouldn’t have fought like my life depended on it to get into the farming class. I’m getting ripped off.”

Hearing that, those who had suffered through a month of combat training suddenly felt vindicated.

They completely forgot how they had once fought tooth and nail to enroll in the farming class.

But among the farming class crowd, some were more rational and quickly began analyzing. “I heard last time there were only 1,000 zombies. This time, if the map size stays the same and the number doubles to 2,000, the zombie density will be higher. The assessment time has also been extended from one hour to three. Just surviving will be very difficult.”

“Don’t forget, if you die in the middle, any points you gained don’t count. People who actively go after zombies could easily overplay their hand,” he said. “If we keep our heads down and play it safe, we can still end up as winners.”

“From the first farming class, didn’t we already learn this? There’s more than one way to survive besides fighting,” the boy said earnestly.

Everyone fell into thought. “That makes sense.”

“Running away is shameful but useful.”

“We might not be good at fighting, but we’re good at running! PE is required, after all.”

Not only were the farming class students encouraged, but even those who were itching to show off their skills calmed down after hearing it.

Right, if you died, your points would reset to zero.

Song Rushuang listened to the discussion for a while, then turned to her three roommates. “Both exams have emphasized that dying resets your points. I suspect the principal is doing it on purpose.”

In the real world, there was no chance to restart.

Once you died, everything was over.

Even if it was a mock exam, she did not want students acting recklessly and forming habits.

Shen Qingqing said, “That’s what I think too. Being cautious and valuing your life are the keys to surviving the apocalypse.”

She had always been someone who preferred stability and strongly agreed.

“There’s no time. Can we talk about all this later back in the dorm?” Zhang Han said nervously. “Let’s discuss tactics, everyone. The principal just said we’ll be randomly teleported when the exam starts. What if I get teleported right in front of a zombie’s face?”

With a miserable expression, she added, “I trained for a month, and the only thing I’m best at is digging. When the time comes, should I just turn around, dig a hole, and bury myself on the spot?”

Zhang Han had always been very clear about her role: a logistics support, healer type. She was terrified of getting separated from the team.

The thought of being chewed on by zombies was simply unacceptable to her.

“No. The principal doesn’t waste words. Since she specifically mentioned that, she must want us to be prepared. I’m guessing there’s a way to teleport together, like holding hands?” Song Rushuang guessed, drawing on her recent experience reading novels.

It was Sun Wei’s first time participating, and she was still injured. Translated on Hololo novels. She had already resigned herself to doing nothing. “I’ll pass. Just let me find a place and fend for myself. Honestly, I’ve never seen what a horde looks like when it breaks out. It scares me.”

Zhang Han patted her shoulder. “Then I’ll go with you. I’m not good at much, but I do have brute strength. Carrying you up a tree wouldn’t be a problem. We can squat in a tree the whole time. It’s just that late September mountain weather is cold. Might chill our butts.”

Song Rushuang rejected the idea without even thinking. “The more people, the more strength. The four of us shouldn’t split up.”

She could vaguely hear discussions around them. Once close friends realized that holding hands might prevent separation, most were forming groups of their own.

Shen Qingqing shook her head. “Don’t forget, Teacher Zhao said beginner zombies have a tendency to gather toward places with more people. If they have to choose between one person and three people, they’ll choose the latter one hundred percent. If it’s two people versus three people, there’s around a sixty percent chance they’ll choose the group of three.”

“So the larger the group, the more dangerous it is. According to Teacher Zhao, four people is already a number that’s very likely to attract zombies.”

Zhao Yunxiao had once participated in zombie research within an official institution. Unlike Fu Qing, a self taught survivor, his understanding of zombies came more from precise study than intuition or lived experience, and the numbers he gave were more authoritative and accurate.

After a month of learning, the students had also developed the basic habit of thinking tactics from zombie traits first.

When Shen Qingqing finished, the four fell silent again.

What should they do?

The wristbands on their arms, just like last time, popped up a countdown page.

Only ten seconds left.

Without further discussion, Shen Qingqing had already made her choice. She grabbed Zhang Han’s hand.

Zhang Han froze for a beat, then decisively wrapped both arms around Sun Wei’s. Sun Wei reached for Song Rushuang’s hand.

With her free hand, Song Rushuang scooped up the crutch Sun Wei had forgotten.

Four interlinked hands bound the four girls tightly together.

The countdown ended. The scene before their eyes burst into a swirl of color. In the next second, they vanished from the auditorium.

*

The administrative building.

After finishing her speech, Fu Qing came here directly.

This floor housed the teachers’ offices. She opened the door to one of the rooms, and a small conference room came into view. The other four teachers were already assembled, leaving the center seat open for her.

On the round table in the middle of the room, the system displayed a massive three dimensional projection of Fangzhou University. From the red and blue light points on it, one could see at a glance where students and zombies were encountering each other and how many were still alive.

The projection was interactive, almost like a live game stream. The system would automatically capture the more intense combat situations, split them into several smaller screens, and project them above the map.

If any teacher was interested in a certain area, they only needed to tap the corresponding zone to pull up the relevant footage. They could also rewind within a certain range to review what had happened earlier.

Compared to the huge round table, the screens were not eye catching, but they were more than enough to see clearly.

During the opening simulation exam, Fu Qing had used these functions to pick out every single student who broke the rules.

It was the teachers’ first time seeing technology like this. Zhao Yunxiao and Bai Tang could barely sit still, circling the table with eager curiosity.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, the blue light points teleported out of the auditorium and appeared across various corners of campus.

At the same time, within the landscaped areas and dark corners, the red light points clustered together in such numbers that it was hard to distinguish one from another. They writhed and began moving slowly toward the students.

Bai Tang whistled. “It’s started!”

Zhao Yunxiao was fully immersed. He was already so nervous he muttered to himself, “Final boss question, final boss question… poke the eyes, poke the ear holes… final boss question…”

The students had to hold it together!

Liu Yingchun was worried about something else. “Uh, in those weapon packs, are there hoes and sickles and stuff? My students are better with those. We can’t discriminate against their profession…”

Hao Zhenye folded his arms and glanced at the sky outside. His gaze finally settled on Fu Qing’s calm expression.

“Looks like it’ll be a hard fight…”

The Zhao Yunxiao beside him did not catch it. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Hao Zhenye shook his head.

When the first blue light point met the first red light point, he unconsciously stood up as well so he could see more clearly.

Fu Qing took in everyone’s reactions in the conference room, lowered her head and chuckled, and opened her notebook.

*

The moment Su Huaijin’s vision returned, she turned to look for Wen Yu beside her.

Seeing that Wen Yu was still there, Su Huaijin let out a sigh of relief.

Because they were worried that gathering would attract zombies, their dorm had decided from the start to split into pairs. Fortunately, their guess had been correct. As long as they held on tightly before the random teleportation, they would not be separated.

Wen Yu saw her too, and the worry in her chest instantly eased. “Xiao Su, what do we do now?”

She could already faintly hear zombies roaring and felt her scalp prickle.

Back during the opening simulation exam, Su Huaijin had relied on positioning and planning to kill two zombies. She was a pure brains type. Wen Yu had long since decided she would cling tightly to this golden thigh of a roommate.

Before the exam, the two had already divided their roles. Su Huaijin would command from the rear, while Wen Yu would charge in front. Sisters working together made the work easier.

Su Huaijin was also listening intently, carefully judging the movement around them. Determining that there were no zombies nearby for now, she whispered, “First, we find the weapons and tool packs the principal mentioned. The principal said this time it’s all beginner zombies, with stiff joints and restricted movement. They can’t climb walls. If we can climb, that’s a huge advantage.”

Everyone already knew from PE class that there were only one hundred safety harnesses in the entire school.

First come, first served. Whoever got one of those one hundred harnesses basically had a survival guarantee. Even if you couldn’t beat zombies, you could just hang somewhere high and last until the exam ended, earning those five survival points.

“The campus is huge. Wandering aimlessly won’t work. Since the principal said it, I think there must be clues hidden somewhere.”

As soon as Su Huaijin finished speaking, Wen Yu began peering around.

Sure enough, on the roof of a teaching building not far away, there was a blue marker flickering in midair.

It was a small hammer icon.

Wen Yu quickly gestured for Su Huaijin to look that way. “That should mean weapons, right? Should we go over first?”

Before someone else grabbed it!

“No rush.” Su Huaijin shook her head. “Harness first.”

The two of them moved quietly, taking advantage of the fact that no zombies had reached their area yet to search as quickly as possible. Not long after, they found it: behind the half drawn curtains of a second floor room in the neighboring building, a blue mountain peak symbol was partially visible.

A mountain peak, corresponding to climbing. It should mean the safety harness.

The room’s curtains were thick and light blocking. It looked like an audio visual room where one could watch the zombie holographic projection.

Su Huaijin’s spirits lifted.

Wen Yu’s mouth fell open into a perfect circle. She said with sincere amazement, “This is incredible… it feels like we’re playing a huge holographic game.”

“More like a real life battle royale,” Su Huaijin said. The smile on her face flashed past and then froze.

She had noticed that the weapon icon they had spotted first had, at some point, changed from blue to red.

“Does that mean someone took it?” Wen Yu guessed.

The next second, someone on the rooftop briefly popped their head out, glanced down, then hurried away, confirming their suspicion.

Not daring to waste more time, Su Huaijin grabbed Wen Yu. “Come on, we have to get the harness. Now.”

*

“Run!!!”

Elsewhere, the 1111 squad realized the situation was bad almost the moment they landed.

Unluckily, they had spawned in an open area in front of the teaching buildings. Quite a few other people had spawned there too, and because of that, when the zombies appeared, they were drawn over almost immediately.

It was Sun Wei’s first time seeing a zombie horde. Before she could even scream, the three experienced girls shouted in her ears at the same time to run.

“Run? How am I supposed to run!”

A giant question mark practically appeared over her head. Swinging two crutches, she hopped on one leg at a speed she had never achieved in her life.

The crutches were practically smoking, and she still fell behind.

Panting, Sun Wei said weakly, “D don’t mind me… I swear, I’m dying here.”

Song Rushuang, who had reached the doorway first, saw Sun Wei about to be caught and decided it would not do. She shoved Zhang Han. “Get her inside.”

Then she bent forward, snatched both crutches from Sun Wei’s hands, and tossed one to Shen Qingqing.

Sun Wei: “???”

Sun Wei: “I’m not even dead yet. Are you looting my remains right in front of me?”

The complaint had barely left her mouth when she saw Song Rushuang grip the crutch, gather all her strength, and swing it at the zombie charging in front.

The zombie’s body tilted, and it stumbled and fell. Shen Qingqing immediately understood, stepped forward, and drove the crutch tip into the fallen zombie’s eye socket, delivering a perfectly coordinated finishing blow.

Her movement was precise and steady, killing it in one strike.

Unfortunately, because the bottom of the crutch was blunt rather than sharp, there was some resistance pushing it in. Otherwise the kill would have been even cleaner.

Song Rushuang examined her new weapon, delighted by how solid and handy it felt. “This actually works pretty well.”

Sun Wei: “……”

Shen Qingqing yanked the crutch out of the zombie’s head. The end was smeared with a red and white mixture, and she wiped it on the ground in disgust.

Sun Wei let out a shrill, piercing squeal.

*

Su Huaijin and Wen Yu walked on tiptoe, silently making their way to the building where the safety harness was located. Somehow, they were lucky enough not to encounter a single zombie.

Next, they only needed to reach the corner staircase, go upstairs, and enter the audio visual room on the second floor to get the harness.

The light of victory was right in front of them. They quickened their pace. Just as they were about to reach the corner at the end of the hallway, the door to a nearby room suddenly swung open.

A hand shot out through the crack and clamped tightly around Su Huaijin’s wrist!

Every hair on Su Huaijin’s body stood on end. She tried to wrench free and failed, then spun and drove a knee strike forward. She felt the grip loosen instantly.

The other person hopped back quickly. Staring at Su Huaijin’s knee at close range, he looked terrified. “That’s way too brutal!”

Su Huaijin focused her eyes and saw a tall boy with wheat colored skin.

She did not recognize him.

Her guard rose.

“Qin Yufei?” Wen Yu poked her head out from behind Su Huaijin and recognized him as someone she knew. She introduced him to her roommate. “I had a combat class session with him. We know each other, we know each other. Don’t panic. This is my roommate Xiao Su, Su Huaijin.”

After introductions, Wen Yu asked, “So why are you stopping us?”

“Get in first.” Qin Yufei gestured them into the room and shut the door behind them before speaking. “You’re trying to go upstairs for the harness, right? There are a ton of zombies up there. Don’t go.”

“You’ve checked?” Su Huaijin asked.

Qin Yufei scratched his head. “Yeah. I was going to grab it too, but someone got there first. I had just started up the stairs when he opened the audio visual room door. I didn’t expect…”

He had not expected zombies to be hiding inside, lying in wait by the door after hearing the boy’s movement, and they hit the unprepared boy with a perfect jump scare attack right in his face.

A month of training might make him less afraid of zombies, but fear of a jump scare was instinct burned into the bones. Otherwise, this tired old horror movie trope would not have stayed so effective for so long.

The boy screamed, instantly drawing every zombie in the stairwell. Sensing disaster, Qin Yufei bolted downstairs and hid.

The moment he shut his door, he heard the boy wailing past his room, with a whole zombie train thundering after him.

“From the sound of it, I’d say he pulled in zombies from at least half the building,” Qin Yufei said.

Su Huaijin: “……”

Wen Yu: “……”

They mourned the unlucky guy for three seconds. Then Su Huaijin asked, “But if he already led the zombies away from the first floor and died outside, wouldn’t that give us a chance to go to the second floor and grab the harness?”

If Qin Yufei had heard the boy run past their door, didn’t that mean the second floor might be empty now? Why stop them?

Su Huaijin was baffled.

Qin Yufei glanced at her as if she were odd. “Who said he died? He’s still alive.”

Su Huaijin: “???”

Qin Yufei looked at the time on his wristband. “About now.”

He raised a finger in a shushing gesture. The three held their breath and listened, and at last they heard, coming closer and closer:

“AAAAAAAHHHH!”

The scream passed their door, then gradually faded. Right after it came a thunderous, majestic chain of footsteps.

Wen Yu stared in shock. “How many zombies did he attract?”

Su Huaijin was equally stunned. “If he attracted that many, how is he still alive??”

Qin Yufei shrugged and answered both at once. “No idea. Maybe because he runs faster than beginner zombies.”

“I’ve been in this building almost ten minutes. He’s run past my door three times. There’s no pattern. I’m guessing it’s random.”

Su Huaijin and Wen Yu were full of question marks. This thing can be random?

They thought about it and then understood.

After screaming once at the beginning, the boy had drawn all the zombies on that floor. He had no choice but to flee. But with a whole “train” trailing behind him, the noise was huge, so as he ran he continued drawing in every zombie along his route.

Beginner zombies moved slowly, not slow enough for him to shake them instantly, but not fast enough to catch him right away either. So he had to keep running until the entire building’s zombies were pulled in.

As for why he did not open a door and hide in a room, he was probably traumatized by the first jump scare and afraid another zombie would pop out, trapping him between front and back and ending him on the spot.

The reason he had not left the building was likely the same. After running several loops inside, at least he knew it was “safe.” Charging outside might draw in even more zombies.

“So that’s the situation,” Qin Yufei said with a helpless spread of his hands.

As he explained, the boy ran past again, wailing so loudly it echoed through the building, lingering like an aftersound.

“At first he wasn’t even screaming. Later he probably figured there were too many zombies and staying quiet didn’t matter, so he just gave up and let it rip,” Qin Yufei said after the boy passed. “With that many zombies, I don’t dare rescue him. I’m afraid the ones behind won’t be able to stop and will slam the door open.”

All three fell silent, thinking that some people looked alive, but were basically dead already.

Still, the fact that the boy could keep running up and down like that meant the devilish PE training had worked.

“So what do we do? We can’t exactly ask him to lure the zombies away so we can grab the harness,” Wen Yu said. It felt unethical.

If they went without asking and he “refreshed” right at the door, wouldn’t they be done for?

Su Huaijin said, “If we get the harness first, we can try to rescue him. He’ll probably agree.”

The question was how.

When the boy ran past yet again, Qin Yufei judged from his weak, fading cries, “He’s about to give out.”

Wen Yu: “…I don’t know how to say this, but I feel like if he didn’t keep screaming, he’d have more strength left.”

Qin Yufei asked, “So are we saving him or not?”

Su Huaijin finally made up her mind. She lifted her head from her thoughts. “We save him.”

Wen Yu and Qin Yufei both turned to look at her.

₊˚.🎧📓✩

Previous