Ch 34: Opening a Survival School Before the Zombie Outbreak

Searching for what?

Fu Qing felt that her conversation with Zhao Yunxiao had not cleared up her doubts at all. Instead, it had only deepened the mystery.

“That’s everything I know,” Zhao Yunxiao said apologetically. “Feels like I didn’t help much.”

Fu Qing pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, it’s fine. I’ll ask around later.”

She still had another method in reserve.

Drawing cards.

Zhao Yunxiao had opened up a new line of thinking for her. The believers still alive in this lifetime had not revealed any flaws yet, but the dead could still speak.

When hiring teachers in the future, she could ask each of them. Sooner or later, she would gather more intelligence.

With enough luck, she might even draw a former zombie believer directly from the card pool…

There were still many available approaches. Combined with the system’s earlier explanation, Fu Qing relaxed somewhat.

She remembered Zhao Yunxiao’s reason for coming. “You mentioned the simulation combat pods?”

“Yeah, I saw the notice you sent,” Zhao Yunxiao shifted awkwardly on the sofa, his voice growing quieter. “But… I don’t think I have any memories suitable to input.”

That morning before training, Fu Qing had indeed sent a message to all teachers, reminding them to visit the two rooms containing the combat pods.

This was related to how the simulation combat pods functioned.

Simply put, because the pods were inexpensive, their capabilities were naturally inferior to the one-time full holographic simulations that could recreate countless environments. The built-in “chip” could only generate simple scenarios, such as a training room with ten zombies, or a straight highway jammed with vehicles while zombies crawled across car roofs.

More complex environments could not be simulated unless additional “scenario packs” were purchased.

100 teaching points for a pack containing 50 randomly generated scenarios of varying difficulty.

When Fu Qing first learned this mechanism, she had nearly clenched her fists.

To avoid being beaten up by its host, the system hurriedly defended itself:

【Isn’t it the same when you buy games? You buy the console first, then the games separately. Otherwise it wouldn’t be this cheap—】

Fu Qing: Say that again while looking at my fist.

The system paused under her expression.

【…Alright. There is another method.】

【The combat pods can read memories from the human brain. You may manually import sufficiently intense or dangerous segments. Because these events truly occurred, the environments and characters will naturally be realistic, forming detailed scenario instances.】

【Of course, this only borrows settings and characters from your memories. It does not recreate your past exactly. Players may make different choices within the memory, producing different outcomes while still achieving training purposes.】

That was why Fu Qing had notified all teachers to select memories for import themselves.

By choosing personally, they could avoid exposing memories that were too sensitive or private.

She herself had already gone through the process.

Compared to everyone else, she had experienced far more, which meant she could import far more memories as well.

Fifty scenarios saved her 100 teaching points, so Fu Qing exploited her own experiences thoroughly.

Compared to her, Zhao Yunxiao’s experiences were pitifully limited. From the moment the virus outbreak began, he had been tightly protected within an institution, spending day after day fighting zombies under heavy guard, surrounded by armed protection. There was neither difficulty nor training value.

Even Granny Liu had barely managed to import a low-difficulty scenario labeled: “Dusk,” “Residential Area Daily Environment,” “Initial Zombie Ambush.” Zhao Yunxiao, meanwhile, could only think of sterile laboratory walls.

After hearing him explain, Fu Qing felt oddly sympathetic.

Of course, in the apocalypse, everyone was pitiable in their own way.

“Then forget it. No pressure,” she said.

She had already decided: memories would be imported, and the 100-point scenario pack would also be purchased.

Otherwise, relying only on teachers’ memories risked exposing private experiences. Adding random scenarios would at least provide some cover.

Zhao Yunxiao sighed in relief. “Alright, I’ll import my memory of escaping the school… though it might overlap with yours.”

He had already checked some of Fu Qing’s imported memories and knew one included a “university campus escape” scenario. Scratching his nose awkwardly, he added, “But, uh… the layouts are different. One’s a boys’ dorm, one’s a girls’ dorm.”

Fu Qing shrugged. “That’s fine. The more scenarios, the better.”

Already embarrassed enough, Zhao Yunxiao seized the chance to leave immediately.

After closing the door, he recalled the massive number of scenarios Fu Qing had imported, many involving being surrounded by dozens of evolved zombies or escaping alone through dark mountain forests. The sheer quantity and difficulty had stunned him.

Then he remembered confidently declaring during the monthly exam that “Teacher He is stronger than the principal,” and covered his face.

“So this is what it means to fail to recognize greatness…”

Was it still possible to take those words back?

*

After all teachers finished importing memories, Fu Qing visited the simulation training room again and purchased the scenario pack.

【Memory scenarios generating…】

【Generation complete】

【Scenario pack loading…】

【Loading complete】

【You may now use the [Simulation Combat Pod] for training!】

Before allowing students to use it, Fu Qing decided to test it herself.

She lay inside the pod. The hatch closed automatically above and below, plunging her vision into pure darkness. Her body felt weightless, floating upward. Her consciousness blurred for a moment, then snapped back into clarity.

She distinctly felt solid ground beneath her feet.

A system menu floated before her eyes, displaying options:

“Log into Personal Account”
“Select Scenario”
“Continue Scenario”
“Multiplayer”
“Start Recording”
“Export Recording”
“Leaderboard”

The interface was clean and intuitive, as always.

Fu Qing selected “Choose Scenario,” and the display shifted into a gallery of thumbnails.

Some showed apartment buildings at sunset.
Others depicted abandoned factories beneath moonless skies.
There were warm bedrooms bathed in dawn light, campsites lit by bonfires, and distant watchtowers with sentries silhouetted against the horizon.

Selecting a scenario revealed detailed descriptions, including time, environment tags, maximum player capacity, and difficulty classifications: low, medium, and high.

She could choose manually, or allow the system to select one at random.

Fu Qing brushed her fingers across the thumbnails, pausing slightly, yet never pressing confirm.

From many of the tags, she could already guess who had imported each memory.

A sudden thought crossed her mind. If the original owners themselves entered these scenarios, would they be able to experience memories that had already begun to fade? Could holographic simulation allow them to see once more those from whom they had parted, or those who had already passed away?

Unfortunately, the combat pods were fundamentally designed for battle and only allowed segments involving “crises” to be selected.

Granny Liu and Bai Tang had never seen their families again after the zombie outbreak. According to Zhao Yunxiao, although his mother had been brought into a base, she died of illness two years later and had never faced danger, meaning her memories could not be imported either.

Fu Qing’s own family had long since passed away. Teacher Hao had not mentioned it, but he also seemed not to have imported anything similar.

The possibility of reunions with loved ones inside the combat pods was erased, which felt somewhat regrettable.

But on second thought, perhaps that was a blessing. At least they had never endured those hellish days.

At present, there were 81 available scenarios:
31 beginner-level,
35 intermediate-level,
12 advanced-level,
and 3 hell-level scenarios.

Among them, the hell difficulty displayed a predicted clear rate below 0.1%, calculated by the system.

Additionally, the combat pods allowed full recording of runs, which could be exported to wristbands or other devices for repeated review and analysis. The technological immersion was impressive.

After reviewing all functions, Fu Qing felt reasonably satisfied.

She did not log into her personal account. Instead, she used an anonymous guest account, selected a random scenario, and prepared to experience it firsthand.

A cheerful sound effect played. When the selection finalized, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the chosen thumbnail.

Creeping ivy climbed the aging walls of a residential compound. Dusk settled heavily, evening wind drifting softly, like a summer twilight frozen in eternity.

Her vision blurred.

The next instant, Fu Qing stood inside a dim, narrow stairwell. Glue stains from old advertisements marked the walls; peeling paint flaked everywhere. The air smelled of cooking food and oily stir-fry smoke.

A notification sounded beside her ear.

[Random starting weapon generated. Please make good use of nearby tools, familiarize yourself with the scenario environment, and strive to survive.]

[Current Scenario Difficulty: Beginner (Estimated clear rate < 50%)]

[Clear Condition: Successfully escape the first wave of zombie attacks and return home (Incomplete)]

[Additional Conditions:]

1. Kill zombies (no requirement, no limit)
2. Rescue nearby residents (no requirement, no limit)

[Note: Completing additional conditions increases evaluation score. Final rating is determined by completion status, clear time, and other factors.]

Random starting weapon?

Fu Qing lowered her head and discovered she was holding a plastic watering scoop.

“….”

Just then, an auntie in pajamas walked past and greeted her familiarly.

“xxx, going to water the flowers again?”

“I heard things outside aren’t peaceful lately. Several murder cases already. I just saw Old Wang’s grandson come back covered in blood. I tried talking to him but he ignored me. Who knows what’s going on. You’d better stay indoors.”

To protect privacy and enhance player immersion, the system censored certain key information.

Yet in Fu Qing’s ears, the missing name automatically filled itself in as Liu Yingchun.

It was unavoidable. Granny Liu’s habits were too distinctive. Who else would stubbornly go out to water plants while chaos spread everywhere?

Fu Qing gave a vague response.

The auntie NPC stopped chatting and allowed her to continue downstairs.

As they passed each other, Fu Qing suddenly caught a faint scent of blood.

She stopped. “Are you hurt?”

The woman looked surprised. “No… oh, just a small cut. My cat bit me. Nothing serious.”

Seeing her still clear-headed, Fu Qing did not press further. “Go home quickly. Lock your door.”

The woman laughed. “You’re unusually serious today. Got it.”

Fu Qing listened as her footsteps climbed upward. A metal security door slammed shut with a clang. Only then did she hurry downstairs.

Turning a corner, she spotted a pile of discarded items left by residents. She placed the watering scoop atop a bundle of tied newspapers, bent down, and picked up a dark green shard from a broken beer bottle.

She happened to be wearing the gardening gloves Granny Liu often used while tending plants. The durable cotton fabric prevented cuts even when gripping glass.

The shard was palm-sized, with one razor-sharp edge. Deadly, yet small enough to conceal within her hand.

The moment she saw the scenario spawn inside an old residential compound, Fu Qing had already formed her strategy.

Fully prepared, she strode downstairs.

It was rush hour, when people returned home from work and school. Neighbors passed back and forth below.

In old residential compounds, people usually knew one another and always stopped to greet each other. But today, something different lingered in the air.

Several elderly residents gathered near a flowerbed. One stood in the middle holding an old-style phone at maximum volume, playing a short video.

“Guys, I’m at the xx intersection right now. There’s a group fight happening. Better take a detour if you pass by. Wait, what the hell, why are they biting people?”

“—Get away from me! Are you insane?!”

The recording ended with a sharp impact sound and a scream.

An old man wearing reading glasses sighed. “Look at this. All afternoon it’s been videos like this. What’s happening to society?”

“Things really do seem unstable,” another elderly woman said. “My daughter called and told me not to go outside. Said things are chaotic out there. But she couldn’t explain clearly before hanging up. It’s not going to be war, is it?”

Fu Qing couldn’t help glancing at her.

The virus had not erupted nationwide at the same moment. Remote areas with low population mobility might take another day or two before disorder appeared.

So even though the woman’s daughter had sensed something wrong and warned her earlier, the mother, seeing no changes nearby and unfamiliar with smartphones, had not taken it seriously.

During the early outbreak, such situations happened repeatedly. Some ignored warnings; others assumed disasters online would never reach them, leading to countless tragedies.

The elderly group continued chatting. One of them held a swaddled baby.

The infant kicked and cried loudly.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart, don’t cry,” the elder coaxed in a panic.

Fu Qing stepped forward. “Haven’t you seen the news? The government issued a notice. A new virus is breaking out everywhere. The fatality rate is extremely high!”

She deliberately emphasized her tone.

“xxx?” they greeted her first, then looked shocked. “Really?”

“Of course it’s real. I just turned off the TV and came downstairs because I was afraid you hadn’t heard.” She raised her voice further. “You over there, did you hear me? Go home now! Don’t go outside for the next few days!”

At a stage when zombies had not yet appeared in the neighborhood, explaining everything risked disbelief. It was far more practical to simply persuade everyone to return home first.

The neighbors passing by quickly nodded and hurried their steps.

The remaining few were clearly more familiar with her. Half believing and half doubting, they tried to hold Fu Qing back to ask for details.

But Fu Qing’s tone was unusually firm.

“Why would I lie to you? The news said many people have already died.”

“The virus spreads extremely fast, something like rabies. Once infected, people go mad and start biting others!”

“If someone at home has a wound, isolate them and let them rest. Hospitals will definitely be overcrowded these next few days, so don’t go.”

Even though the news had not actually aired yet, even though isolation and rest would not truly help, and even though rabies did not make people bite others like that, hearing her list so many specific details left the elderly group dizzy and overwhelmed.

Once panic set in, no one had time to think carefully.

If she could say so much, then there must really be a virus!

They exchanged looks and hurried toward the apartment entrance.

At that moment, someone staggered toward them from a distance.

His hair was completely white, yet his stride was longer than that of an ordinary elderly person. His joints moved with a strange disconnection, as though the tendons binding his body had been severed and only some unknown force was dragging him forward.

Like a puppet pulled by invisible strings. Fu Qing recognized it instantly with a single glance.

A classic zombie gait.

With age loosening his vocal cords, the growls emerging from his throat sounded thick and sticky.

The elderly group had nearly reached the building entrance. The last man seemed to hear something and began to turn around.

Earlier, when Fu Qing had fabricated her warnings, she had deliberately mimicked Granny Liu’s elderly posture and mannerisms to sound convincing. Now, the moment someone started turning back, her slow and gentle movements changed instantly.

She stepped forward in one swift motion.

Her left arm blocked in front of the zombie’s neck, stopping its attempt to lunge and bite. Her other hand shot behind its head, gripping its hair. With a sharp pull, the zombie’s head snapped backward, exposing cloudy, unfocused eyes.

The sagging facial muscles twisted viciously as it instinctively opened its mouth toward her.

Confirming it was a zombie, Fu Qing did not hesitate. She clamped its jaw, then twisted sharply sideways while gripping the back of its head.

Crack.

The cervical spine snapped cleanly.

The roar that never escaped dissolved inside its chest.

In less than two seconds, she verified the target, broke its neck, and completed everything silently.

The old man at the rear turned around just in time to see the zombie’s body slump crookedly into Fu Qing’s arms.

“What happened to Old Zhang?” he asked, adjusting his reading glasses.

“It’s nothing. He stumbled. I caught him,” Fu Qing said calmly in Granny Liu’s tone, patting “Old Zhang” on the back. “You go upstairs first.”

With its neck broken, the zombie had lost mobility. It could only open its mouth faintly by instinct, producing barely audible sounds that attracted no attention.

As the old man turned away, Fu Qing flipped her wrist, revealing the shard of glass in her hand, and drove the sharp edge straight through the zombie’s eye.

The body went still. Damp warmth spread across her palm.

Fu Qing did not even frown. Supporting it like a drunken person, she half-dragged, half-carried the corpse into the shadows beneath the stairwell before letting go.

The heavy body hit the ground softly, raising only a few drifting specks of dust after she absorbed most of the impact.

She turned and closed the building’s main door.

The door could only be opened from outside by pulling outward. Zombies lacked the coordination to pull and would only push forward blindly, so there was no need to lock it.

The door was left for later survivors.

Her movements had been so fast and effortless that the elderly group had only just reached the second-floor landing.

Fu Qing’s strategy this time was simple: send as many people home as possible without causing panic.

Once inside with doors closed, their children or family members would explain everything.

If the elders had noticed anything strange downstairs, Fu Qing likely would not even have managed to kill Old Zhang quietly. They would only believe the danger after someone was bitten and chaos erupted.

She had no intention of waiting that long.

She quickened her pace to catch up with them. One resident living on the second floor had already gone inside. The others bent forward, leaning on their legs or canes, laboriously climbing the stairs.

Every few steps they stopped to catch their breath, opened their health flasks, and took sips of tea.

Fu Qing: “……”

Was this some kind of forced animation sequence?

Even a speedrunner had to stop and watch the cutscene.

Helpless, Fu Qing slowed down and followed behind them with her hands behind her back, prematurely experiencing what her own old age might feel like.

Then a faint noise reached her ears.

It was only a slight creak, but Fu Qing instantly identified its source.

…the security door of the auntie’s apartment from earlier.

Her nerves tightened immediately. Dropping the act, she took the stairs three at a time, slipping past the elderly residents lined along the railing.

Like a gust of wind, she sped ahead, leaving them far behind.

The group stared blankly at her rapidly disappearing figure.

After a long pause, one elderly woman suddenly slapped her thigh.

“See? I told you that health supplement I recommended to her last time really works!”

…

From the moment she smelled the faint scent of blood on the aunt, Fu Qing had already sensed something was wrong.

It was already evening. After being bitten by a cat that afternoon and then going out for a walk, so much time had passed. How could the wound still be bleeding?

If the aunt had a clotting disorder, she would not have treated it so casually. So the most likely explanation was
that the cat itself was the problem.

The zombie virus did not infect only humans. A very small number of animals could also be infected and mutate.

Unlike humans, however, infected animals could not transmit the virus to other animals. After death, the virus inside them naturally dissipated. That was why, even when humanity was nearly wiped out, many animals continued living as they always had, carefree and at ease. In fact, with industrial pollution and human waste gone, many species lived even better than before.

Infected animals shared only one similarity with human zombies: an intense aggression toward humans.

Humans bitten by them would mutate as well.

At the same time, because animals differed from humans in strength, agility, and physical capability, animal zombies were often far more dangerous than human ones.

Once infected, they were immediately equivalent to mid- or high-level zombies.

And since most people lacked experience dealing with animal zombies, a single moment of carelessness often led to disaster.

Of course, Fu Qing did not fall into the category of “inexperienced.”

Once, while searching for a medicinal herb field deep in the mountains, she had accidentally entered the territory of mutated wild wolves and been chased the entire night by five mutated wolves leading a larger pack. After that experience, every other mutated animal she encountered seemed almost gentle by comparison.

The cat was locked inside the apartment, and Fu Qing had not intended to deal with it.

She had heard no disturbance earlier, suggesting the virus was still in its incubation stage. It was impossible to know whether the aunt or the cat would mutate first.

So according to Fu Qing’s original plan, once the aunt closed her door, the threat would temporarily be contained, allowing everyone to return home safely.

Who would have expected that only three minutes later, the door would open again, and at the exact moment everyone was crowded into the narrow stairwell?

Fu Qing’s temple throbbed. She felt absurdly unlucky.

She hurried through the corridor, grabbing an empty wine bottle from the trash pile at the corner where she had passed earlier.

Sure enough, when she reached the fourth-floor landing, she saw the aunt.

The thin summer pajamas she wore were soaked red with blood. She staggered out of her apartment, both hands clamped over her throat, yet unable to stop the blood pouring wildly between her fingers.

“Help… help…”

Her eyes widened unwillingly, as if she could not believe disaster had fallen upon her so suddenly.

Her trachea had been torn open. Soon she could no longer form words. Her eyes rolled upward, and only a hollow, chilling rasp escaped her throat.

Fu Qing glanced at her, eyelid twitching slightly, then shifted her gaze to the half-open security door behind her.

A beastlike growl came from inside. That was not a sound any ordinary housecat could make.

“What’s going on up there?” the elderly neighbors called from below as footsteps climbed upward.

Turning the corner, they saw the aunt collapsed on the floor and screamed.

She was no longer making sounds, only twitching reflexively.

Her hands slipped away from her throat, revealing a horrifying wound.

A neighbor they had lived beside for decades, someone who had just moments ago been smiling and greeting them, had suddenly become a lifeless body. Terror and disbelief froze the retired elders in place.

Beside the dead neighbor stood another familiar figure.

But now “she” stood in the stairwell with lowered brows. Though her posture appeared relaxed, every ounce of her attention focused on the half-open door. Her eyes were sharp, as if she might explode into motion at any second.

The fading evening light flashed across her figure, and for a moment they seemed to glimpse a powerful soul bursting beneath an aged shell.

“You… you’re not her…” murmured one of Granny Liu’s former colleagues.

That expression could never belong to Liu Yingchun.

Fu Qing glanced at her and made a quieting gesture.

Though it sounded lengthy in description, only seconds had passed since Fu Qing rushed upstairs and the others followed. The cat inside was still wary of the doorway and had not emerged.

Even mutated animals retained instinct. When fresh flesh was nearby, their attention focused first on the corpse. And Fu Qing was certain that from beginning to now, she had never entered the cat’s line of sight.

If it did not know she existed, the problem became easy.

Listening carefully to the sounds inside, Fu Qing waited until the mutated cat suddenly fell silent, preparing to charge. She dashed forward onto the landing.

A glance confirmed it. Inside the doorway stood a mutated orange tabby, eyes blood-red, muscles swollen, its body nearly the size of a tiger.

It saw her too. The fur along its back and tail bristled as instinct warned it of danger.

With a roar, both lunged at once. But Fu Qing, already prepared, exploded forward even faster than the mutated cat.

The wine bottle in her hand smashed into its face with a loud crack, shattering instantly. Caught off guard, the cat reflexively shut its eyes. Fu Qing tilted her head to avoid the flying shards while her other hand seized the security door and slammed it shut.

She turned sideways, bracing her shoulder against it, feet planted firmly to maximize friction.

She had never intended to fight the mutated cat head-on. Her only goal was to close the door.

Less than half a second later, the cat recovered from the blow, completely unharmed, and hurled itself at the obstacle in fury.

Bang!

The impact shook the door violently, as though a truck had slammed into it rather than a cat.

But Fu Qing held firm. Using the moment it recoiled for another charge, she pushed forward and finally shut the door completely. The lock clicked into place as stunned onlookers broke into cold sweat.

She straightened calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Like the mutated cat, Fu Qing remained entirely uninjured.

Despite the enormous disparity in size, the confrontation had not left even a scratch on her.

A beastly roar sounded from behind the door. Fu Qing glanced at the terrified crowd.

“A small number of animals can also be infected by the virus,” she said calmly. “They become violently aggressive. Do not get bitten. Once infected, death is the only outcome.”

“Now, quietly go upstairs. Go home. Close your doors and windows tightly. Unless it’s your family knocking, do not open the door.”

Still shaken, everyone could only nod.

Only on their way back home did they realize how close they had come to death.

If a monster that size had entered the stairwell, none of them would have survived.

The realization made several elderly residents clutch the railing and pat their chests, nearly triggering heart attacks from delayed fear.

After everyone entered their homes and locked their doors, Fu Qing followed the system’s instructions and returned to Granny Liu’s apartment.

As she closed the door, a thought suddenly surfaced.

Among the elders downstairs earlier, one had been carrying a crying infant.

But from the moment they began climbing the stairs, she had not heard the baby cry again.

Fu Qing formed a quiet suspicion just as the system notification appeared.

【“Instance 004” Cleared!】

【Clear Time: 5 min 19 s】

【Overall Rating: SSS (Flawless performance!)】

【Current Instance Rank: 1】

【Overall Rating Rank: 1】

₊˚.🎧📓✩