Ch 71: Opening a Survival School Before the Zombie Outbreak

When the two arrived at the principal’s office, quite a few people were already inside.

At a glance, many familiar faces could be seen.

For example, Qin Yufei, whom Song Rushuang had once met at the barbecue restaurant, and Su Huaijin, whose dormitory was not far from hers.

Fangzhou did not have a large student body to begin with, and classes were mixed rather than fixed by homeroom, so many students had crossed paths before in one way or another.

Moreover, both the school and the students themselves had been making an effort to become familiar with more classmates.

When the critical moment came, it would make mutual support easier.

Once the apocalypse arrived, even if no one in the outside world could be trusted, they would still have one final refuge: Fangzhou’s two thousand fellow students.

After so many days of shared hardship, of keeping secrets together and resisting unknown enemies hidden in the dark, even classmates who had never met or taken a class together could confidently entrust their backs to one another.

When the last student entered and closed the door behind them, Fu Qing signaled to the person standing by the entrance to lock it.

Song Rushuang quietly counted heads.

Thirteen people in total.

Fu Qing set down the documents she had been reading, glanced at the students standing stiffly upright, and couldn’t help smiling wryly as she gestured for them to sit.

“No need to be so nervous.”

Only then did she notice the strange expressions on their faces and their hesitation. Following their gaze, she realized the problem.

There were too many people. Translated on Hololo novels. The single shabby sofa in the principal’s office could not possibly seat everyone.

…Right.

She simply stood up herself, leaned casually against her desk, and spoke while facing them at eye level.

“I didn’t call you here to give orders, but to discuss something. Something that may affect the rest of your lives.”

“So after you hear what I have to say, you don’t need to decide immediately. I’ll give you one week. Before the end of this week, you can come to my office anytime and tell me your answer. Whether it’s yes or no, there’s no pressure.”

Here it comes again, Su Huaijin thought instinctively among the crowd.

The principal’s usual style was decisive and uncompromising, her decisions often enforced without room for negotiation. Yet at crucial moments, she always returned the power of choice to the students.

It was as if all the hardship they endured under her strict guidance existed so that one day they would possess enough strength to take responsibility for their own decisions, to bear the consequences of their own lives.

Never for her sake.

After delivering this preface, Fu Qing studied their expressions. Only once the initial surge of excitement from receiving her message had settled did she continue.

“Some of you have already encountered the infected members of the believers at West Mountain. They are a new type of zombie we’ve never faced before. While possessing evolved zombie abilities, they retain human intelligence, making them far more dangerous than any zombie we’ve previously known.”

“With intelligent zombies hidden among the population, the apocalypse will contain far more variables than we originally anticipated.”

Without hesitation, Fu Qing categorized these infected individuals as zombies, stripping them of their human identity and referring to them plainly as such.

After all, they were the ones who had betrayed humanity first.

Zhao Yunxiao and Lu Yan had spent the entire winter break researching the Devotees and already understood much of this. Zhao Yunxiao would soon repeat the same information in upcoming zombie studies classes so all students could prepare mentally.

But for most of the students standing here now, this was entirely new intelligence.

They listened intently. Their breathing trembled slightly from tension and shock, yet remained controlled, revealing disciplined training.

“These infected individuals themselves cannot spread the virus. They are all infected by a single organism carrying an enormous viral load. We even suspect that the growth of this organism’s power is directly tied to zombie evolution.”

Su Huaijin could not help speaking up.

“…The Zombie King?”

She was the only member of the publicity team present and among the first students to learn about the believers, so the connection came naturally.

Fu Qing nodded.

“You can call it that.”

Su Huaijin abruptly held her breath.

After two lifetimes of searching, they had finally touched upon the hidden existence operating behind the scenes. Imagining herself in the principal’s place, she could almost feel the excitement Fu Qing must have felt.

Yet Fu Qing concealed every trace of emotion beneath a calm surface. She had no intention of stirring their passion or hatred through shared emotion. Instead, she spoke simply and decisively:

“The Zombie King must die. Otherwise, zombie evolution will never stop.”

“It must be eliminated as soon as possible after the apocalypse begins. Only then can losses and risks be minimized.”

Her gaze swept across everyone present.

“And the reason I’ve gathered you here is to form an elite team to assist me in killing the Zombie King.”

“While we act, I will also attempt to contact the police and see whether we can obtain support at the national level. But I must be honest, I’m not optimistic about that,” she continued. “At the early stage of the outbreak, society will descend rapidly into chaos, and I cannot reveal this information in advance.”

If she could inform the authorities even two or three days before the outbreak, the situation would already be very different.

The existence of infected individuals alone would serve as strong proof that her warnings were real, allowing her to quickly gain official trust.

But the system forbade her from revealing information about the virus beforehand.

Which meant she could only reach out after zombies appeared.

And by then, persuading anyone would become exponentially more difficult.

She was far more likely to be treated as someone trying to take advantage of chaos during a crisis. If she avoided being detained for investigation, that alone would already be fortunate.

Perhaps she would be forgotten after being locked away. Or perhaps, after a long investigation, they would finally believe her and agree to cooperate.

But she could not gamble on that, nor could she afford to wait.

No one knew the upper limit of the Zombie King’s power. One day’s delay could mean the appearance of dozens, even hundreds, of new intelligent infected.

There was only one Zombie King. Rather than wasting time and energy persuading the military, Fu Qing preferred that official forces focus on coordinating civilians and disaster relief, while she assembled an elite team to hunt the Zombie King herself.

Each side doing what it did best would likely be far more efficient.

No student voiced doubts, yet Fu Qing still patiently explained her reasoning in full.

As soon as she finished, someone tried to speak, only to be silenced by a single look from her.

“Not everyone here will be able to join this team. To avoid drawing suspicion, I will select at most five students. Until the apocalypse arrives, I will personally train those five to ensure maximum coordination between us. The training you face will be far harsher than anything in the past six months.

“And if, after training, I judge that your strength is still insufficient to face the Zombie King… it’s possible that in the end, none of you will remain.”

No one responded aloud. Everyone listened in silence.

Yet their expressions told Fu Qing that not a single person had retreated because of the difficulty she described.

They seemed to understand her intention. Each of them met her gaze firmly, stubbornly.

For a fleeting moment, Fu Qing felt the urge to avoid their eyes. Her tone hardened.

“Even if a team is successfully formed, that will only be the first step.”

“We know almost nothing about the Zombie King. With less than seven months before the apocalypse, even if we devote every moment to gathering intelligence, the moment we set out to hunt it, the road ahead may still be filled with uncertainty and the unknown.”

“I can tell you now: this is a path where survival is unlikely. If you join this team, you will face enemies even more terrifying than the infected you encountered at West Mountain, and they will protect their faith at any cost.”

Whether intentionally or not, the office window remained slightly open. Cold air seeped through the gap, carrying a bone-deep chill along with her words.

“This is not a holographic assessment. Not a simulation chamber scenario. Death means death. There is no second attempt.”

“Think about your families. Think about everything you care about. Then make your decision.”

Her final word fell softly.

“You may go.”

---

After leaving the principal’s office and walking down the long corridor of the administration building, neither Song Rushuang nor Shen Qingqing spoke for quite some time.

The air felt frozen. The excitement they had felt when leaving the dorm earlier had completely vanished.

Su Huaijin walked some distance behind them, moving slowly.

On the same path back to the dormitories were Qin Yufei, Liang Yi, and others, their youthful faces filled with confusion.

Song Rushuang kept replaying the principal’s words. Gradually she realized that the final “You may go” had not been spoken from the position of a superior giving orders, but rather as advice from someone who had already walked this road, an elder urging caution.

Go back. Think carefully about whether you truly want to walk this path.

Unlike Fu Qing, they still had families, people and things they cherished. If the world truly stood on the brink of ending, every shared second was precious. Should they really sacrifice that time for a faint hope buried in endless uncertainty?

Perhaps knowing how impulsive young people could be, every sentence Fu Qing had spoken today subtly urged restraint.

She had presented countless reasons pushing them toward the least regretful choice.

Even if… that meant she would have to walk the path alone.

Song Rushuang suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingqing snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her roommate.

Startled, Song Rushuang forced a smile and shook her head. “Nothing. Let’s head back first.”

Everyone was still nearby. She could not turn back now in front of them all. After thinking it through, she returned to the dorm with Shen Qingqing as if nothing were wrong.

After sitting there for a while and enduring Zhang Han and Sun Wei’s rapid-fire questioning, she finally found an excuse to pick up a package and slipped out.

She wandered briefly near the delivery station, confirmed no one was following, then exhaled in relief and turned decisively toward the administration building.

Third floor. Left turn. First office.

Her steps suddenly halted.

Eyes wide, she stared in shock at the scene outside the office door.

One, two, three… eight… plus herself, thirteen people in total.

After returning to their dorms, each had secretly taken a different route, circling back separately to the same destination.

“So… you all came back too?” she murmured in disbelief.

Shen Qingqing spread her hands calmly. “What can we do? The delivery station is so far from the admin building. Of course you’d be the last one here.”

Su Huaijin, who had been crouching nearby, jumped up the moment she saw Song Rushuang. “Let’s go register. The principal’s probably already heard us.”

Fu Qing had given them a week to decide.

Yet less than thirty minutes later, she received everyone’s answer.

Looking at the list, thirteen names neatly followed by identical words: Decision: Participate.

Even Fu Qing, usually composed, checked the list several times before letting out a complicated sigh.

She could not tell whether she should lament their impulsiveness or feel moved by the fearless sincerity unique to youth.

“System, create a new course.”

【Course Information】

Name: Special Operations Elite Training Program (Elective)
Location: Classified
Instructor: Fu Qing
…

On the first day of the new semester, Fangzhou University’s Elite Class was officially established.

These selected students barely had time to feel joy or fear about their decision before facing their first challenge.

“Come.”

On the training field the next day, Fu Qing stood before the thirteen students dressed in a pure black combat uniform.

Her short hair had grown slightly long and was tied into a tiny stubby ponytail at the back of her head, yet it did nothing to diminish the imposing, almost untouchable presence she held in their eyes.

With that tiny ponytail swaying faintly, she looked at their increasingly alarmed expressions and said calmly:

“Your first assignment is to last one minute against me.”

“Who wants to go first?”

The thirteen elite trainees: “………………”

Was it still possible to quit now?!

₊˚.🎧📓✩

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