Ch 101: Opening a Survival School Before the Zombie Outbreak

Fu Qing and the other two followed them into a prepared conference room. A technician was busily adjusting the equipment, while several others stood inside the room, two of them still on the phone. When they noticed Fu Qing standing beside Officer Chen and realized her identity, they immediately straightened up and nodded to her with solemn, respectful posture.

A stern-looking middle-aged man stepped forward at once to shake Fu Qing’s hand. Officer Chen introduced him at the side. The man’s surname was Liu, deputy director of the S City Public Security Sub-bureau.

Director Liu had long heard of Fu Qing. During their conversation he showed no airs, speaking politely. When he noticed Xue Ran and Zhao Yunxiao beside her, he also inquired about their identities.

Upon hearing about Xue Ran’s family situation, both Director Liu and Officer Chen’s expressions shifted slightly. A trace of pity and sympathy appeared in their eyes as they looked at the young woman.

At their age, both men already had families and children. Deputy Director Liu even had two daughters, the younger one about the same age as Xue Ran.

Putting himself in Xue Ran’s parents’ position, imagining if they too had left this world and their young child had been left alone to survive… the mere thought made his heart ache.

Xue Ran was no stranger to such looks. Growing up, she had been raised under the care of her parents’ colleagues. Toward the police station, she naturally felt a sense of belonging.

Still, Director Liu was puzzled. “But why are you with Principal Fu? Are you her student?”

“We’ll explain that gradually later,” Fu Qing said, glancing at the time. “Right now, it seems we’re running out of time.”

The technician had already begun the final adjustments. The meeting was about to start, and unrelated personnel would soon be asked to leave the conference room.

Fu Qing could only hurry and continue introducing Zhao Yunxiao. “He is our… researcher specializing in virus-related matters.”

Zhao Yunxiao did not bother correcting how tenuous that title sounded. Only then did he open a shoulder bag he carried with him, revealing a thick stack of documents inside.

They were intelligence materials on zombies compiled over the past half year by him and Lu Yan, based on memories from their previous life, even including sections related to serum research.

But Zhao Yunxiao did not take the documents out immediately.

The information was far too detailed, even touching on future evolutionary directions of the zombies. Translated on Hololo novels. Producing it before Fu Qing had gained the trust of higher authorities would attract too much attention.

Director Liu glanced at it, but before he could clearly see the contents, the bag was closed again. Zhao Yunxiao said seriously, “These materials will be useful during the meeting later. After it concludes, I will hand them over to you.”

The technician on the other side looked up, indicating the meeting could begin at any moment.

Everything proceeded quickly and in orderly fashion. Only about twenty minutes had passed since Fu Qing arrived at the police station.

Everyone quickly took their seats. Director Liu yielded the central main seat to Fu Qing and sat beside her. Zhao Yunxiao sat on her other side, followed by Xue Ran.

The meeting soon began.

The large screen at the front lit up, divided into several sections. Some showed scenes from different conference rooms, others displayed individual experts or scholars. Fu Qing swept her gaze across them. Some wore understated Zhongshan jackets, others military uniforms or police attire, and still others were doctors or researchers in white lab coats.

They had all been urgently summoned from their respective posts, and their gazes, almost in unison, fell through the screen onto Fu Qing.

Some people were still unclear about the situation. Director Liu opened the meeting as host, first introducing Fu Qing’s background, her identity as a university principal, and her act of bravery on the pedestrian street nearly a year ago, then briefly summarized her purpose in coming today.

The meeting screen split into two halves, and the other half began playing footage from the livestream.

Only then did Fu Qing learn that the livestream had indeed drawn the attention of cybersecurity authorities. Even before Director Liu reported it, they had already begun searching for the video’s uploader. The technicians had not yet found results when Director Liu’s side made contact first.

The two sides’ efforts converged, which led to this meeting.

After Director Liu finished the introduction, one participant spoke in a deep voice. “Before we begin, I would like you to answer one question first. How did you know all of this?”

His tone was far from polite, heavy with suspicion. “Please forgive me, but I truly cannot understand how a university principal whose duty is to educate could so decisively kill a ‘human.’ The combat skills you displayed and the calmness with which you struck make it difficult for me to believe what you claim.”

The meeting had been convened too hastily, and not everyone had watched the livestream beforehand. Seeing the zombie’s death on screen for the first time naturally made some people uncomfortable, even provoking resentment toward Fu Qing.

At present, everyone’s attitude was still to protect and contain those who had mutated while seeking a way to cure them. Yet Fu Qing had killed one outright. How could that not unsettle people?

All eyes turned toward the young person seated at the head position. Faced with open questioning, nearly accused of cruelty outright, Fu Qing’s expression did not change in the slightest. No anger could be seen as she spoke:

“Before answering your question, I need to state several facts first. You may question them afterward, verify them by any means you can think of. But regardless of whether you choose to believe them now, please listen to what I am about to say with these facts in mind.”

“—That will save us a great deal of time,” she said calmly.

A young person who appeared barely in her early twenties, being scrutinized by leaders and authorities across multiple fields, yet still able to respond with such composure and organization, made Officer Chen glance sideways at her, once again revising his impression of Fu Qing.

The other party’s words had indeed been impolite, but Fu Qing’s attitude was not particularly gentle either. Director Liu was momentarily startled, yet upon reflection realized that rather than arrogance, her manner stemmed from a pursuit of efficiency, which made her sound blunt.

Yes… excessively blunt.

Director Liu wanted to remind her to be mindful of the identities of those on the other side, but after reconsidering, he remained silent.

At a time like this, efficiency was the correct priority.

“First: this is not a terr—or attack. It is a virus that has never before appeared on Blue Star. Everything an infected person displays is basically no different from the zombies in film and television. They become driven by an instinctive pursuit of human flesh and blood, highly aggressive. Some individuals will also further evolve at the moment of infection, with one or more abilities enhanced to a level far beyond that of ordinary humans.”

The person who had been somewhat irritated by Fu Qing’s earlier words could not help holding his breath as he listened.

While speaking, Fu Qing flicked her gaze over his expression and realized he did not actually have anything against her personally. His doubts were likely raised purely out of a sense of justice.

That was good. At least it meant the people present truly had the public’s welfare at heart.

Someone else, upon hearing “never before appeared on Blue Star,” could not help opening his mouth to speak, but Fu Qing did not give him the chance.

Without pausing, she continued. “Second: this virus can spread through biting. As long as a wound is created and the blood comes into contact with the other party’s saliva, infection is one hundred percent guaranteed, without exception. It’s just that depending on the individual, some people will mutate immediately, while others will enter an incubation period of varying length.”

“The longest incubation period we know of can even last several weeks, and it is not an isolated case. The intelligence we currently have is that the smaller the body, the faster the onset, but I have also seen a five-year-old child whose incubation period lasted as long as eleven days. Adults’ incubation periods are even harder to predict.”

Officer Chen spoke up at this moment. “I can testify to that.”

He recounted what had happened with the middle-aged man at their bureau, then added, without drawing attention to it, that if Fu Qing had not warned them in time, their young detective would likely already have been infected. Translated on Hololo novels. The others’ expressions grew even more grave as they listened.

Someone else seemed to think of something, and his face had already gone a little pale.

The virus had been erupting for less than two hours. Everyone knew very little about the infected, and every sentence from Fu Qing was overturning their prior understanding and imagination.

They were desperate, and yet afraid, to hear more from her.

“Third.”

A heaviness sank into everyone’s chest.

“Third: at the instant of infection, the infected are already confirmed dead. Their subsequent actions are not under their own control, but are an attack instinct belonging to the zombie species. Since they are already dead, naturally there is no way to cure them.”

As her words fell, an elderly voice came from one of the screens, trembling. “In just the past hour or so, at least a hundred thousand infected have appeared nationwide. Are you saying that none of them can be saved?”

“Are you telling us to abandon those people?”

In the frame, the white-haired elder’s eyes were reddened. She asked stubbornly, “There truly is no way to save them?”

“Not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance? We can’t just sentence them to death. We have outstanding scholars, we can research…”

Fu Qing was silent for two seconds. She met the gaze of that highly respected elder who had appeared in many news reports, and a moment of reluctance flashed through her heart. “No. I will explain the reason later. But I must emphasize: the virus spreads extremely fast. Untrained ordinary people have almost no ability to resist in front of zombies, that is, the infected. I also mentioned earlier that the conditions required to kill a zombie are extremely stringent, and ordinary people will find it very hard to do.”

“There are still more than a billion people nationwide facing the risk of infection at every moment. The first thing we should be thinking about is how to protect them.”

The elder said nothing more, only shook her head, sorrowful and despairing.

This was not something that could be stopped the moment one wanted to stop it. The decisions they made now would not only be abandoning the lives of those hundred thousand people.

She hoped what Fu Qing said was not correct, so that they would still have hope, and yet she also hoped it was absolutely accurate, so that they would have something to rely on.

What a contradiction.

By the time Fu Qing reached her third point, she had already built a picture cruel enough that the others were almost afraid to hear her say more. Fortunately, she seemed to have finished for the moment, but then she immediately added, “This is the basic intelligence regarding zombies and the virus.”

Basic.

Everyone present was smart. They almost instantly caught what she meant.

She had more she had not said aloud.

No one had the bandwidth to care anymore exactly how much she knew, or where she had learned it. They fell silent, turning over the three points again and again.

One: a virus transmitted through biting. Two: one hundred percent infection and the existence of an incubation period. Three: certain death after infection.

On the first point, they were already almost convinced.

Their initial suspicion of a terr—or attack had come from the idea that someone might have dispersed drugs on a massive scale, perhaps with hallucination-inducing effects, producing the victims’ heightened aggression.

But the two facts of a simultaneous global outbreak plus transmissibility had almost reduced the probability of a terr—or attack to zero.

As for the second point, whether the virus truly caused one hundred percent infection would require laboratory verification and weeks of real-world observation. None of that could yield an immediate conclusion.

But Officer Chen’s statement greatly increased the credibility of Fu Qing’s “incubation period theory.”

And the intelligence that kept coming in mid-meeting was also confirming that some people did not mutate immediately after being bitten, only to flare up suddenly afterward.

On this point, believing Fu Qing and raising vigilance brought no harm.

After thinking it through, one of the screens showed a man in a Zhongshan jacket who had been seated in the center of a circle and had not spoken until now. After a moment’s thought, he issued an order. “Immediately send a notice to hospitals, communities, and public security bureaus everywhere. Strictly inspect whether members of the public who come for treatment or assistance have wounds. Separate those with wounds from those without. For those with wounds, isolate them as much as possible in single rooms to prevent mutation from harming ordinary citizens.”

“Also, spread Officer Chen’s method nationwide. Anyone who needs to come into contact with the infected must ensure all exposed skin is fully covered. Mobilize protective supplies and distribute them to every unit. Those who cannot obtain protective supplies for the time being can use thick clothing, fabric, and other items on hand as makeshift protection. Absolutely forbid contact without protection.”

In truth, protecting against saliva was not difficult.

In the background on his side, someone seemed to respond, then hurried away.

Hearing this, Zhao Yunxiao let out a heavy breath of relief deep inside.

In their previous life, during the early stage of the outbreak, hospitals and police stations almost without exception fell early, precisely because they took in huge numbers of people seeking refuge and treatment, yet failed to isolate them properly.

That led to severe losses among medical staff and frontline police, even though they were exactly the most vital force after shelters were established.

One misstep, and every step after went wrong. It all started at this moment.

Zhao Yunxiao could not help feeling a trace of relief in his heart. At the very least, hadn’t they already caused some small change to the future now?

A surge of emotion suddenly welled up within him. He secretly took several deep breaths before suppressing it.

Only after the orders had been issued did Fu Qing speak. “Isolation alone cannot solve the problem. The number of infected is too large. Within three days, every hospital and police station will collapse under the strain.”

The man was not angered by her bluntness. He spoke to her in a completely level tone. “You should understand that we cannot, and it is impossible for us, to immediately order the killing of what you call zombies.”

Of course Fu Qing understood.

They could not even publicly announce the virus’s extreme lethality and infectiousness nationwide, nor could they tell people that all infected individuals were, in fact, already confirmed dead.

Those whose relatives or friends had been infected would never accept that they were already dead. Before witnessing the zombies’ destructive power firsthand, they would desperately stand in the way of anyone attempting to take the infected away.

At this moment, such actions could very likely plunge society into chaos.

Although zombies had already appeared, society was still functioning normally. Water, electricity, and gas were supplied as usual. People could still communicate through the internet. For many, the danger posed by zombies existed only online.

They were not Fu Qing. They could not see the future. From the surface, no one could tell that the social system was rapidly and irreversibly heading toward collapse.

So even if the authorities completely believed Fu Qing, the infected still could not be killed.

This had nothing to do with the nature of zombies themselves. It was purely for the sake of social stability.

They could not even announce the virus’s one-hundred-percent fatality rate. If they did, countless people, out of fear of being “dealt with,” would conceal the fact that they had been bitten.

A long incubation period would give people false hope.

That false hope had cost countless lives in their previous life.

The more Fu Qing thought about it, the more her head began to ache.

She was used to acting alone. Now that she had chosen to cooperate with the authorities, she could rely on the immense machinery of the state to accomplish things impossible for an individual, but she was also bound by equal constraints.

“But there is still much you can do.” She pressed her temple, her thoughts clear as she pointed out, “At the very least, more than vague, non-mandatory stay-at-home advisories like the ones currently being issued.”

“Correct.” The man nodded. “Which is why I need you to tell me your source of information, or provide evidence sufficient to convince me to issue orders.”

This meeting was being conducted in secret. His tone sounded casual, yet Fu Qing could still sense the decisiveness and unquestionable authority behind it.

The two looked at each other through camera and screen for two seconds.

To outsiders, a young person of unknown background speaking on equal footing with someone of this rank was already astonishing. At this moment, however, Officer Chen felt even more shaken.

Fu Qing was actually thinking.

She was actually considering whether she could trust him.

After a brief moment, Fu Qing seemed to have made her decision. She spoke calmly. “What if I told you that I already knew the virus would break out?”

Fu Qing’s words were like a thunderbolt striking out of nowhere.

Officer Chen nearly sprang to his feet, and Director Liu, seated closest to her, could not stop himself from widening his eyes in shock.

Urgent, overlapping questions erupted from one screen after another.

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean you already knew? Please explain clearly!”

“You understand that withholding information about something that endangers national security is also a crime, don’t you?”

Fu Qing had already revealed so much information that many people had begun quietly wondering how she knew all this.

Some had even started speculating whether the virus came from some secret research project. Since Fu Qing was a university principal, perhaps it had even originated from a biological laboratory at her school.

If that were true, they could first obtain intelligence from her now and evaluate responsibility afterward.

But no one expected Fu Qing to state it so openly.

An act bordering on self-incrimination, yet she carried it out with complete composure.

Even Zhao Yunxiao and Xue Ran beside her wiped sweat from their brows.

Following their principal into this situation really required a strong heart.

Ignoring the pressing questions thrown at her, Fu Qing continued, “Not only that. I knew about all of this a year ago.”

She suddenly reached into the bag she carried. The others in the conference room instinctively moved to reach for their guns, only to stop awkwardly the next second when Fu Qing pulled out a tablet.

She directly opened the profile page of @DormitoryEscape on the screen and handed it to Director Liu while saying, “You can investigate this account called @DormitoryEscape. It was created about a year ago by students at my university. All the videos were independently planned and filmed by them.”

“The account established a fictional setting in which a zombie apocalypse would arrive roughly one year later. A group of university students prepared for this imagined apocalypse by repeatedly simulating various dangerous scenarios and making preparations, including but not limited to growing vegetables on dormitory balconies, stockpiling supplies, and training combat skills.”

“The zombie designs that appeared in the videos are identical to the zombies currently appearing, both in attack methods and weaknesses.”

“In addition, you can search for the account @TeacherFangHasSomethingToSay. Besides videos, we also shared written content there.”

Fu Qing said, “As early as one year ago, all students at Fangzhou had already begun preparing for this inevitable apocalypse.”

Across every screen came the sound of people sharply inhaling.

Director Liu stared at the tablet in his hands, his mouth slowly falling open.

Meanwhile, personnel from the cybersecurity department had already pulled up the account page on the large screen and rapidly filtered for segments featuring “zombies.”

At the same time, another person found the livestream announcement released in advance by @DormitoryEscape. Translated on Hololo novels. It showed that today’s livestream was their “one-year anniversary.”

The account had not even existed for a full year yet, so why call it a one-year anniversary?

They found the answer in the comment section.

Because today was precisely the day @DormitoryEscape had predicted the apocalypse would arrive.

The cheerful-toned livestream announcement was frozen on the screen. Most of the people present were older and could not understand the internet slang within it, nor could they comprehend why such a flippant, unserious tone was being used to greet a catastrophe facing all humanity.

Some were already looking at Fu Qing with hostility.

Others, however, thought more deeply, including the middle-aged man who held overall authority for the meeting.

He carefully reread the announcement once, and only then did the tight crease between his brows slowly relax, though confusion still remained. “The giveaway event and participation conditions mentioned in your announcement… were they meant to encourage more people to prepare for staying at home after the outbreak?”

He quietly consulted the person seated beside him and, under their guidance, somewhat awkwardly scrolled down to the comment section. There, he discovered many netizens enthusiastically signing up.

[All the supplies I passionately stockpiled at home after watching TaoTao can finally be put to use!]

[I just ordered a whole box of the agricultural products TaoTao recommended last time. Super fresh! Just a bit too much, enough to last me a month.]

[No more words needed, please look: (photos of supplies including flashlights, hand-crank generators, military knives, compressed rations, etc.)]

[I’ve been eating scallions and bean sprouts I grew myself for half a year already. Never thought following TaoTao would actually save me money.]

Some people were showing off supplies, others their newly trained muscles, and still others posted photos of vegetables thriving in their homes.

It was a world completely unfamiliar to him.

Yet he could still see that all of this had come about because of Fu Qing and her students’ influence.

He then opened the homepage of @TeacherFangHasSomethingToSay and discovered that the account updated almost daily, sometimes even posting several articles a day. Judging by the writing styles, there were no fewer than ten contributors.

The topics covered an extremely wide range, using absurd, attention-grabbing titles to present serious educational content.

The reading statistics below were quite impressive. Judging from the profile pictures in the comment section, most readers were middle-aged or elderly.

No one realized what they were truly trying to say, yet everyone had been subtly influenced.

The cheerful tone and ridiculous headlines were only surface appearances. Beneath them, an urgent warning was ready to burst forth. They had been striving to warn the public of this disaster and encourage more people to prepare.

Nearly a year of persistent updates and management, written posts spread across multiple platforms beyond the videos, dense and seemingly endless to scroll through. The effort invested was obvious.

But why?

“Why didn’t you come to us from the beginning?” he asked. “Was it because you didn’t trust us?”

Fu Qing shook her head. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. I simply couldn’t.”

With a turn of her hand, a lifelike zombie suddenly appeared beside her.

Its realistic appearance made several people in the room cry out in alarm. Those less composed practically sprang from their seats. Participants on the screens rubbed their eyes repeatedly, their expressions turning into ones of existential disbelief after confirming what they were seeing.

“….” Xue Ran, however, felt a strong sense of familiarity. The principal’s habit of presenting evidence without preamble was something she had experienced on the very first day of school. She simply had not expected that even powerful figures of such high status could still be startled again and again by her.

“Th-this… what is going on?” someone finally asked, daring to speak while examining the suddenly appeared object.

Although it resembled the infected outside, its motionless stance made it look more like a robot.

“This is a training prop normally used at Fangzhou, something called a simulated zombie. It can replicate various existing zombie types, though its capabilities do have limits,” Fu Qing explained.

It was something she had brought with her, intending to donate it for research.