Ch 76: Opening a Survival School Before the Zombie Outbreak

The truth of the world slowly unfolded before Fu Qing.

The electronic voice carried no emotion, yet the undertone of its words was unmistakably stirring.

Through its explanation, the curtain lifted, allowing Fu Qing to glimpse a corner of a higher reality.

The underlying logic of the world resembled a precisely operating machine, pushing them again and again toward a predetermined ending.

Humanity had already failed once. How many chances to resist remained?

“You said the species that once dominated the world had to die for a new one to be born. So humanity’s successor… will be zombies?”

【Not necessarily,】 the system replied. 【Most zombies lack reproductive ability. In a few more years they will naturally decay and lose mobility. The remaining intelligent infected are too few to form a sustainable population. However, it is possible that new seeds of life may emerge from them and, after millions of years of evolution, become an entirely new species beyond your imagination.】

Its tone was detached, carrying the cold indifference of something observing the fate of lower lifeforms from afar.

Fu Qing nodded, losing interest in the zombies’ future. She caught the key point instead.

“The number of intelligent zombies is small because they must be personally infected by the Zombie King?”

【Yes. Each infection also costs it something. Intelligent infected serve as leaders within the zombie population. There is no need for many leaders,】 the system said tactfully. 【Much like you and your students.】

“Then why didn’t I encounter intelligent zombies in the previous life?” Fu Qing paused before asking again, “And why didn’t you establish Fangzhou directly back then?”

【The cycle of the world is an ongoing game. In the previous life, the Zombie King gained the advantage and thus acquired greater abilities. As for me…】 the system hummed briefly before answering, 【I believed individual strength alone would be enough to win. Later, I learned that was a mistake.】

Fu Qing considered this. “Maybe choosing a different host last time would have worked better? Zhao Yunxiao’s personality wasn’t suited for such radical actions.”

【He was the best choice under those circumstances,】 the system replied without elaborating. 【Successful resistance against the world consciousness is extraordinarily rare. Zhao Yunxiao’s failure was normal.】

“The best choice” could be interpreted many ways. Fu Qing suspected that during the first cycle, lacking knowledge of everyone’s capabilities, the system had hastily bound itself to someone almost at random.

Zhao Yunxiao might not have been exceptional, but he was genuinely kind.

There were probably very few people in the world who, after obtaining a miraculous advantage, would immediately choose to hand it over.

Fu Qing silently complained to herself.

By the second cycle, with data to reference, the system had deliberately chosen her, the one who survived until the end. Translated on Hololo novels. That made sense.

But the system’s final statement tightened something in her chest.

“You heard my conversation with Lu Yan,” she said. “If we kill the Zombie King… is there really a chance to save the world?”

【Yes. Without its assistance, humanity’s accumulated experience from previous cycles will be enough for you to achieve victory.】

The system answered firmly.

The tension in Fu Qing’s body finally eased.

The system left part unsaid: from its perspective, even if only one human survived, it would still count as humanity’s victory.

But Fu Qing knew that meant one thing. The longer it took to kill the Zombie King, the fewer humans would remain alive.

Still, knowing there was a solution was encouraging.

Her mood lifted slightly. After a moment’s thought, she asked one final question.

“If we fail this time… will there be another cycle?”

【Probably not.】

The system continued:

【Repeated failures allow the Zombie King to accumulate increasing advantages. In the next rebirth, it might awaken half a year or even a full year earlier than I do. By the time the apocalypse truly arrives, it would already be too late. The chance of victory would be negligible.】

Silence filled the air.

The weight of responsibility pressed heavily onto her shoulders, making even Fu Qing’s breathing feel difficult.

After a long while, she said quietly, “I understand.”

*

Leaving the room, Fu Qing turned toward the teaching building.

The memories she had just relived suddenly made her want to see someone.

The sunlight was bright. The walk from the simulation training room to the academic building required crossing the entire field, a fairly long distance. As she walked, she continued speaking with the system.

“Right before I woke up, I think I saw memories that didn’t belong to me.”

“…Who was the person that fired the gun?”

The system fell silent for a moment, as if thinking.

【At the time, I was competing with the Zombie King for control of the simulation pod. The data was extremely unstable. Other scenes may have been inserted accidentally.】

It explained:

【Most simulation dungeons are reconstructed from real events of the previous world. The database also contains many scenes not yet turned into playable instances. Those are preloaded when the machine is purchased, but can only be accessed after payment authorization.】

Fu Qing gave an acknowledging hum. So it had been like triggering a bug, accidentally unpacking unreleased content.

With her question answered, she arrived at her destination.

First aid class was in session.

Several realistic zombie models lay neatly on dissection tables while Lu Yan guided students through suturing practice.

The simulated zombies allowed wounds to be created anywhere on their bodies for training. Resetting restored the tissue instantly and expelled the sutures automatically. It was an extraordinarily convenient teaching tool.

Ten minutes remained before class ended. Waiting outside felt boring, so Fu Qing decided to enter through the back door and check on the students’ progress one by one.

At other schools, principals or administrators might occasionally visit classrooms on a whim, but since the term began, Fu Qing had never exercised that sort of authority.

With the system monitoring things, nothing serious could happen anyway. She preferred not to create extra work for herself.

This was her first time appearing inside a classroom.

The students were divided into small groups, each assigned a “cadaver teacher.” They stood around the tables, some suturing limbs, others working on abdominal closures, while one student stood at the zombie’s head, holding a medical razor in one hand and parting greasy hair with the other to locate a wound.

The simulated corpse was covered in wounds from head to toe, used to maximum efficiency. Clearly someone had subjected it to particularly brutal experimentation earlier.

Watching, Fu Qing felt the points spent on these teaching props were absolutely worth it.

They could practice combat, pursuit scenarios, dissection, treatment, zombie research, and even combat assistance when necessary… truly multi-purpose. Where else could you find such a useful tool person, no, tool corpse?

She clicked her tongue in approval.

The student suturing the head wound carefully lifted strands of oily hair and made a faintly disgusted face.

After all, zombies were still decomposing bodies. Their skin texture and organ structure differed from living humans. Yet the emergency medicine students were clearly already accustomed to it.

The student examined the wound and prepared to use the electric razor when, from the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed someone standing beside her.

That person leaned slightly over her shoulder, studying the zombie with apparent interest.

But Instructor Lu was clearly across the room guiding another group, and everyone else was busy with their own work.

So who was this?

She turned in surprise and met Fu Qing’s gaze.

Fu Qing looked back innocently. Interpreted generously, the principal’s expression seemed to say: Why are you looking at me? The answers aren’t written on my face. Or perhaps: Lose focus during practice and I’ll deduct your credits.

Student: “…”

Her mind went blank for two seconds, and she nearly let out a shriek.

Wait… why was the principal here?!

How come no one on the forum had ever mentioned she did classroom inspections? And of all times, her very first visit just happened to land on her?

Was this bad luck or good luck…?

The student’s electric razor was already running. Startled out of her wits, her hand slipped. The trimmer plowed from the crown straight to the forehead, hair dropping in clumps, leaving a clean strip of bare “no man’s land” like the crescent-bang look from period dramas.

Simulated zombie: “…”

Girl: “…”

Luckily, the simulated zombie was not a real patient, or she would have earned a spectacularly bad review.

Still rattled, she darted another glance sideways and found the principal had already moved on, now checking the next group. The student there nearly jabbed a needle into someone’s arm.

By the third group, the student under observation simply could not bring herself to needle down. She kept her head lowered, trembling, and swabbed with alcohol again and again until that patch of skin was cleaner than the surrounding area, practically glowing, before the principal finally moved along.

Wherever the principal went, chaos followed.

After she had terrorized over half the class, Lu Yan finished his demonstration, looked up, and finally noticed the unexpected extra person in the room. Hands clasped behind her back, she was strolling like an old man on a walk, as if “checking in” meant startling students one by one. He found it absurd and funny in equal measure.

He signaled for the students to start wrapping up, removed his mask, and strode over. To avoid disturbing the class, he lowered his voice.

“What are you doing?”

Fu Qing was clearly distracted. She was not really inspecting anyone’s technique, only frowning unconsciously while thinking, which was enough to scare everyone half to death.

Lu Yan almost felt sorry for the students.

They stood in a corner. Class was not over, so everyone kept working, but their attention had obviously drifted. Ears were tilted toward them, trying to figure out why the principal had shown up in person.

Lu Yan did not even need to turn around to know exactly what they were doing. He smiled to himself and did not stop them.

The apocalypse was approaching, and the students were perpetually on edge. He occasionally let them drift for a moment so they would not snap from holding themselves too tight.

Fu Qing leaned against the windowsill, rubbing her earlobe with one hand. Her gaze was loose, fixed on some point in empty space. She frowned.

“I saw Fan Zheng.”

The smile vanished from Lu Yan’s lips. A shadow crossed his eyes, dark and sudden.

Fan Zheng was the traitor’s name.

They had known him for three years. The first time they met, he was not part of their team. He was wandering alone through the apocalypse with his elderly mother and his wife and child.

In the apocalypse, people who could still travel with elders and children might not have been rare at the beginning, but as the years went on, they became fewer and fewer. Their first impression of him had not been bad.

The second meeting came two years later. Fan Zheng’s mother, wife, and child were gone. He was starving and barely coherent. When he saw them, he dropped to his knees and begged for a bite of dried food.

Fu Qing gave him some.

By then, there were not many survivors left. The early days of fighting over supplies and shelters had also largely faded. Most of what people saw day to day were roaming zombies, and toward the remaining humans there was an instinctive sense of kinship. Still, most survivors had fixed teams. If they crossed paths while scavenging, they might exchange a greeting and move on.

A lone drifter like Fan Zheng was rare. When encountered, almost every team would try to recruit him, partly to strengthen themselves, partly because no one wanted to watch another human die.

Fan Zheng joined Fu Qing’s team naturally.

He spent half a year earning their trust. His combat ability was poor, but he was quick-witted, good at finding things, and brought back plenty of supplies, proving his usefulness. He was also skilled at getting along with people, and quickly blended in with everyone.

He seldom spoke of his family, and no one was tactless enough to poke at old wounds.

After all, each of them had someone or something they did not want to speak about.

No one imagined that someone who seemed like a quiet, decent man would stab them in the back at such a critical moment.

The bell rang. Lu Yan came back to himself, smoothed away the sudden chill in his expression, and returned to the front to dismiss the class.

Students hurried out with their bags, but as they left, many cast an ostensibly casual glance at Fu Qing.

She had lowered her eyes, sunk into her own world.

When Fu Qing refused to reach outward, she became like an island, cold and inaccessible.

But the students already knew what that island looked like. Translated on Hololo novels. The wind there was warm, the soil soft. They were no longer afraid of drawing close.

They were simply curious, and vaguely uneasy, about what could make the principal wear that expression.

With no class next, Lu Yan locked the classroom door in case someone wandered in by mistake.

“You said you saw Fan Zheng. How?”

Fu Qing briefly explained the simulation pod accident.

Lu Yan scanned her quickly from head to toe, then held up a hand and formed a number with his fingers, asking with earnest seriousness, “How many is this?”

Fu Qing: “…”

Expressionless, she folded his two fingers back down.

“My head is very clear. That thing was dealt with in time. It didn’t leave any lasting effects.”

“Good.” Lu Yan shrugged, then, unusually serious, added, “Don’t dwell on Fan Zheng… that wasn’t anyone’s fault. He hid it too well. No one could have expected…”

He paused, lowering his voice.

“I’ve always thought something about it was strange. Turning on us like that gave him nothing.”

Worried Fu Qing might blame herself, he was about to continue when her gaze drifted over and she said, genuinely puzzled, “I didn’t think it was my fault.”

Lu Yan: “?”

His temple twitched. His smile stiffened.

“I suddenly feel like… maybe you could blame yourself a little, just a tiny bit?”

It was not that Fu Qing had made any wrong call.

Saving their companions was a collective decision. Fu Qing took on the infiltration role, carrying the greatest risk herself, and even the other two teams’ actions had been reviewed by her. Every step had gone smoothly. In fact, even if they failed to rescue their teammates, Fu Qing still had the ability to withdraw safely. The only variable was Fan Zheng, who had supposedly already died, reappearing.

Yet when teammates die, everyone who lives carries a kind of guilt, closer to survivor’s guilt than any rational assessment. It is irrational, senseless, a trauma response that insists you should have died with them.

Lu Yan had been haunted by that for a long time. But looking at Fu Qing now, he thought that perhaps being more rational was not a bad thing. Otherwise, the weight on her shoulders would be unbearable.

Fu Qing said, “No. Running into Fan Zheng in the pod actually helped me understand a few things.”

As Lu Yan had said, betraying them at that moment benefited him in no way.

There were hardly any humans left on Blue Star. Staying with Fu Qing’s team would have allowed him to live longer.

If, as he claimed, he had long harbored resentment toward Fu Qing, it still should not have been strong enough to make him throw away his own life by betraying them at the critical moment and inviting the team’s hatred. It was simply too stupid.

Unless… it did benefit him.

“I always found it strange,” Fu Qing continued. “There were far too many zombies around that factory. Without you all, even I couldn’t have gotten in smoothly. So how did a useless guy like Fan Zheng manage it? I gave him all kinds of excuses. Maybe when we fled, the zombies were distracted and he hid in some back room. Or maybe he just got lucky…”

A thought surfaced in Lu Yan’s mind: so she did not come here to reminisce after being triggered by the simulation pod.

In that instant, he felt the same bleak, inexplicable despair Xu Mingyue so often wore, the kind that made you wonder what, exactly, you had been hoping for.

Fu Qing did not notice his shift in mood. She continued.

“The one possibility I never considered was that the zombies never meant to attack him in the first place.”

Given what the Fu Qing of that life knew, she could not have imagined such a direction.

“And there’s another issue,” she said. “Shi Man’s mutation.”

Shi Man was the teammate trapped in the factory who mutated after death and attacked them.

“Special zombies are one in ten thousand. How could Fan Zheng be so sure Shi Man would mutate, and would help him attack me? If she had just turned into an ordinary zombie, then all his scheming, luring the horde, faking death, separating from the team, would have been pointless.”

His plan was too risky, too dependent on coincidences, to the point that Fu Qing had been troubled by his way of thinking for a long time afterward.

Why did the horde gather around the factory on the very night Fan Zheng was on watch?

How did Fan Zheng evade such a massive swarm?

Why did Shi Man just happen to mutate into a high-offense special infected?

When the Fu Qing of that life decided to go back for the rescue, she could never have anticipated these “coincidences,” which was why she had been caught off guard.

Now, in this life, with more information, she finally saw the answer.

“The Zombie King choosing him as a host confirmed it for me,” Fu Qing said, the tight knot between her brows loosening. “Fan Zheng was most likely a Believer all along, just extraordinarily well hidden.”

She lifted a hand and touched her abdomen, where a scar ran across her side.

It was long, twisting like a centipede, and from its shape alone you could imagine how brutal the wound had been.

Yet now it was neatly closed, stitch by stitch. Fu Qing had touched it many times, and still found it hard to imagine how Lu Yan had managed such precise suturing under those circumstances.

“So…” Lu Yan asked, “you ran over here, couldn’t even wait until class ended, just to tell me this line of reasoning?”

As if realizing his tone sounded odd, he added, “But you’re right. Back then, we didn’t even have the concept of ‘Believers.’ Of course we wouldn’t think someone might willingly ally with zombies to attack humans.”

“No.” Fu Qing lowered her hand, thoughtful. “I was just thinking…”

“Don’t you feel like there are a lot of Believers around me?”

₊˚.🎧📓✩

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