Ch 107: Opening a Survival School Before the Zombie Outbreak

Wang Yuqin’s shocking actions caught everyone completely off guard.

No one had expected the woman who doted so much on her son to suddenly lose control like that. After the gathering dispersed, a few people stayed behind to help move Zhao Yongxiang’s body, while the others walked home in small groups, sighing and whispering among themselves.

Grandpa Shen, unusually talkative, made several remarks along the way. None of them were kind. Between the lines, he insisted Wang Yuqin had simply gone mad from the shock of her husband’s death.

He had seen hysterical women like that before. Since it was someone else’s family matter, he felt entirely detached and unconcerned.

That detached attitude was completely shattered early the next morning when the village chief arrived at his house with several people.

“You’re saying someone from our family has to go work in the fields?” Grandpa Shen’s voice rose in disbelief. “Me?”

Village chief: “…”

Apparently Shen Qingqing had not discussed this with the old man at all after going home the night before.

Whether she had been too lazy to explain or simply trusted him too much was unclear.

“Why not send Shen Qingqing? She looks full of energy these days,” Grandpa Shen said suspiciously, convinced his granddaughter must be behind this somehow.

In the village chief’s mind, Shen Qingqing’s importance now surpassed that of most able-bodied villagers. Without hesitation, he sided with her.

“Everyone agreed yesterday. Every laborer in the village matters now. Anyone without work has to step up. Shen Qingqing has her own vegetable plot to take care of, she’s busy. You’re the only one free in your family. If you don’t go, who will?”

Grandpa Shen: “…”

The village chief coaxed him gently. “Uncle Shen, everyone’s already waiting outside. Let’s go.”

“I…” Grandpa Shen sputtered angrily, about to protest, when several young men stepped straight into the Shen family courtyard.

They were among those who had previously avoided work. After thinking things over late into the night, they had realized this arrangement was almost certainly Shen Qingqing’s suggestion.

After all, she had been the one arguing with Zhao Hailin earlier, and now she was also one of the beneficiaries receiving vegetables.

Having figured that out, none of them had slept well. Now, upon arriving, they scanned the courtyard with displeased expressions.

Shen Qingqing’s door was still locked, and she appeared to be sleeping, so their irritation fell squarely on Grandpa Shen instead.

In their eyes, the Shen family acted as one unit. Sending the old man as their labor representative clearly meant trying to avoid work.

They had already decided that today, under no circumstances, would they allow Grandpa Shen to slack off.

Though no one spoke, the oppressive stares alone made him falter.

“Fine, I’ll go,” he muttered, grabbing a straw hat resentfully.

After a moment’s thought, he picked up a pack of cigarettes as well.

Before he could tuck it into his pocket, the village chief stopped him.

Recalling Shen Qingqing’s final words from the night before, the chief spoke gently but firmly, “Better leave the cigarettes. There are children working with you today. Consider this a good chance to quit anyway. Who knows when you’ll be able to buy more.”

Grandpa Shen: “…”

He looked outside in shock and saw a line of children waiting, even five- or six-year-olds sent by their families to pull weeds.

The sooner the fields were prepared and crops planted, the sooner they could harvest. Until then, they would have to borrow vegetables from others.

And borrowed food had to be repaid. Crops they grew themselves would at least leave them seventy percent.

Everyone understood that calculation clearly. Though reluctant, no one dared avoid labor.

Grandpa Shen had planned to rely on his age to claim the easiest tasks and finish early, but seeing the row of small children, his face twisted in discomfort.

Even he could not bring himself to compete with six-year-olds for lighter work.

And so he followed the group to the fields.

Zang Lijun and Grandma Shen watched him leave in stunned silence, unable to process what had just happened.

At that moment, Shen Qingqing’s door creaked open.

She stepped out fully dressed, looking nothing like someone who had been sleeping in.

Seeing the two women preparing vegetables, she sat down and began helping swiftly, saying casually, “From now on, we’ll handle breakfast. Dad cooks lunch. Grandpa makes dinner. Division of labor. No objections, right?”

Grandma Shen dropped the beans she was holding. “What did you say?”

Patiently, Shen Qingqing replied, “Everyone in the family has work now. Dad doesn’t count for the moment since he’s still recovering, but once he’s better he’ll help in the fields too. Since everyone has responsibilities, housework should be divided as well.”

“What if you cut your hand doing chores, or cooking takes too long and the fields aren’t properly tended? Are we supposed to live on air?”

“I haven’t even mentioned the rest yet. Cleaning, chopping firewood, all of it should be assigned too.”

Grandma Shen glared. “It’s just cooking. How could that possibly waste time? Haven’t we always lived like this? Why are you stirring up trouble again?”

She had long suspected the village chief’s labor team plan had something to do with her granddaughter.

She had seen Shen Qingqing go straight to speak with him after returning, and within minutes he had called everyone together.

Grandma Shen had always known her granddaughter’s obedience was only an act. Recently she had not even bothered pretending. Still, she had thought Qingqing was merely being rebellious, never imagining she would actually gain influence with the village chief.

A few words from her had secured so many vegetables.

Combined with the vegetable patch Shen Qingqing had cultivated herself, the Shen family had suddenly become one of the most “well-off” households in the village.

As long as nothing unexpected happened, they would not need to worry about food even if the village remained sealed.

That realization had softened Grandma Shen’s attitude toward her somewhat.

Yet in less than half a day, the girl was stirring trouble again.

Shen Qingqing treated her grandmother’s complaints as background noise and smiled lightly. “You may like living that way, but I don’t.”

She rose and began chopping vegetables on the cutting board, the loud thuds making people uneasy.

“More than half the grain at home was bought with my own money,” she said calmly while chopping. “It’s just stored together with yours for now. If you don’t want to live the same way as me, that’s fine. We can separate all household duties and meals.”

“You can keep cooking for Grandpa and Dad. I’ll cook for myself. We’ll divide the grain too. If you run out later, you can ask me for some. I’ll give you as much as you need, but it’ll be exchanged for vegetables.” She spoke gently. “And of course, during special times like this, grain and vegetables harvested daily won’t have the same value. You understand that.”

Shen Qingqing had also stockpiled plenty of compressed biscuits, planning to bring them back to school if necessary, so she had no fear of running out of food.

Zang Lijun lowered her head and continued working silently.

Grandma Shen’s fingers trembled with anger. “We raised you all these years, and now you’re calculating everything so clearly with us. Are you even human?”

“Grandma, you were the one who said I had to earn my own food,” Shen Qingqing replied evenly. “I started pulling weeds in the fields as soon as I could walk. By seven or eight I was cooking on a stool. I’ve never done less housework than anyone else. Why shouldn’t I keep accounts?”

She paused, calm and steady.

“You should think carefully about who exactly you’ve been raising.”

Grandma Shen fell speechless.

Shen Qingqing ignored everything else and began stir-frying the vegetables. At last, Zang Lijun stood up and hurried over to take the spatula from her.

“It’s too hot. I’ll do it. You shouldn’t stay here, let Grandma think things through herself,” she whispered softly.

Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow in surprise, glanced at her grandmother sitting there sulking, then nodded in agreement.

Grandma Shen was busy calculating how long the remaining grain at home would last, and if she really had to trade with that heartless granddaughter, how many vegetables she would have to give away.

In truth, aside from the family’s daily consumption, the vegetables in their field were more than enough to exchange for grain. Translated on Hololo novels. But then there would be little left to store.

In times like these, not having a reserve of vegetables made her deeply uneasy. What if the chaos outside lasted all the way into winter?

After thinking for a long time, she finally slammed the basket in her hands onto the floor in frustration.

Zang Lijun kept her eyes lowered and continued stirring the wok, pretending not to hear a thing.

After that, surprisingly, Grandma Shen did not go looking for trouble with Shen Qingqing again.

No one knew what she said to Grandpa Shen, but that evening the two argued behind closed doors for a long time. After a bowl shattered inside, Grandpa Shen opened the door with a dark expression and, astonishingly, walked straight to the stove.

Shen Qingqing watched everything quietly. After symbolically tasting two bites of the charred, blackened dish he cooked, she simply chewed on compressed biscuits and returned to her room.

Grandpa Shen nearly fainted from anger.

Closing her door behind her, Shen Qingqing reflected calmly.

She knew perfectly well that her grandfather had intentionally ruined the dish to discourage everyone from letting him cook again. But she refused to yield. No matter how many small tricks he played, they would only waste the family’s already limited grain and seasonings.

Before long, even Grandma would lose patience. The resentment directed at her would inevitably turn into conflict between the two elders themselves.

All she had to do was wait.

Still…

Shen Qingqing glanced at her wristband. The apocalypse countdown displayed on the student device had already switched to a forward timer, now reading:

[1 day 5 hours]

She did not have much longer to remain in this village.

She needed to reunite with the principal as soon as possible.

Throwing herself onto the bed, she buried her face in the pillow and let out a long sigh.

*

Early on the second morning after the outbreak, Tian Xuejun arrived at Fangzhou with a twelve-member squad.

They brought along a military truck loaded with supplies.

Originally, Tian Xuejun had prepared far more, intending to hand everything over for Fu Qing to distribute. But Fu Qing explained that Fangzhou already had its own reserves and declined most of the materials.

Resources outside were extremely scarce. These supplies would be better used by those in greater need.

So Tian Xuejun kept only what the squad required for short-term living and transferred the rest to the city authorities of S City, to be used either for future shelters or distributed immediately to trapped civilians.

The squad leader was Bai Xianglei, a man around thirty-five, sharp-browed and clear-eyed, with a lean, capable build.

Tian Xuejun’s special operations group oversaw all matters related to Fangzhou and Fu Qing. Since she could not remain on campus long-term, she assigned Bai Xianglei to lead the team stationed there.

Whenever Fu Qing or the students left campus in the future, Bai Xianglei would arrange escorts for their protection.

Although Tian Xuejun herself would not live on campus, their temporary command post was nearby. If anything happened, reinforcements could arrive within minutes.

Fu Qing and Tian Xuejun had already met the previous day. Neither was talkative, and their reunion was brief. After introducing Bai Xianglei and exchanging a few words, Tian Xuejun departed to handle other matters.

After seeing her off, Fu Qing turned to face the neatly lined twelve-person squad behind her.

To avoid drawing attention, they had changed into civilian clothes, yet their crisp haircuts and perfectly upright posture instantly revealed their military background.

Fu Qing could not help finding it slightly amusing.

After introductions, she led them to the dormitories prepared in advance. The twelve split up, female soldiers staying in former student housing, while the male soldiers occupied dormitories converted from classroom buildings.

She gave them half an hour to settle in. When she returned, she announced she would take them on a campus tour.

Bai Xianglei naturally agreed, though he cast an extra glance at the group following behind Fu Qing.

Their faces were youthful, unmistakably students. Before arriving, he had heard that the school’s students were only in their second year of university.

Yet their expressions, their posture while walking, even the sun-weathered marks on their skin, were indistinguishable from the soldiers behind him.

Rather than ivory-tower students, they looked like warriors forged through harsh training.

He also noticed something interesting. Unlike soldiers selected through rigorous military screening, Fu Qing’s students clearly differed greatly in physical foundation.

One boy stood nearly six feet three; another girl barely reached five feet. Some wore glasses. Others had pierced ears or dyed hair, faint streaks of color still lingering at the ends.

Standing together, they were mismatched in height and appearance. At best, diverse. At worst, chaotic. No one could guess what criteria Fu Qing had used to assemble such a team.

And yet, seeing them in person made the higher command’s words suddenly real.

These were ordinary college students who had spent an entire year transforming themselves to fight the apocalypse.

Bai Xianglei felt admiration, mixed with curiosity.

If this was merely a tour, why involve them as escorts?

Fu Qing seemed oblivious to his unspoken question. Once everyone assembled, she led them through the campus section by section.

Starting from the east gate, they passed through the quarantine zone, the residential area, the facilities sector, and finally the underground complex.

Fu Qing explained the design philosophy and functions of each area in detail.

Bai Xianglei quickly realized this was not only meant to familiarize future residents with the campus. It also served as a reference model for the government’s future shelter construction.

Officials would certainly consult experts for more technical designs, but time was short. And unlike those experts, Fu Qing had already lived through an apocalypse once.

Many of her design decisions anticipated future developments, including viral evolution and long-term survival challenges. She had prepared against dangers before they even appeared.

For the authorities, that experience was invaluable.

He hurriedly called a halt. At first he wanted to ask whether experts could be brought in to observe, but then remembered that the shelter design team was still in the capital. Left with no better option, he awkwardly pulled out his phone and asked, “Um… would it be all right if I recorded what you’re saying…?”

“And… could you please speak a little slower…” The more he spoke, the more embarrassed he felt.

Fu Qing was simply talking too fast. He genuinely could not keep up.

The remaining eleven squad members caught their captain’s signal at once. Some scrambled for their phones, others dug out notebooks, all beginning to take notes so their captain could later fill in any gaps.

As for Song Rushuang and the others beside them, barely suppressing their laughter as it leaked out in little bursts, well, kids liked to laugh. They could laugh all they wanted.

None of the elite special forces soldiers had expected that their first mission upon arriving in Fangzhou would involve furiously scribbling notes.

They felt vaguely bewildered. Was this what people meant by adapting to local customs?

Had coming to a school somehow infused them with scholarly spirit…?

But hardly anyone here even looked like they were seriously studying.

…

By the time they reached the agricultural zone, all twelve were completely convinced.

If not for the original building names still hanging overhead, who would have guessed this place had once been a school?

Even the shelters the authorities were planning to build could never begin with facilities this complete.

Four-person dorm rooms with private bathrooms. Plenty of recreational space. Daily supplies of fresh vegetables, eggs, and milk. A robotic chef cooking meals. Even the menu was varied. Although the types of vegetables available each day were limited and portions were rationed per person, the weekly menu rarely repeated dishes, and every meal was designed to ensure balanced nutrition.

They had arrived early, just as breakfast service began. Though they had already eaten before coming, Fu Qing still handed each of them a meal voucher and sent them off to get food themselves.

The breakfast selection astonished them: pancakes, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, stuffed flatbreads, porridge, noodles, even tofu pudding in both sweet and savory versions. Drinks included soy milk and fresh milk.

Considering this was an apocalypse shelter, the food was remarkably abundant.

They had brought their own rations and military field meals, fully prepared not to take even the smallest advantage of civilians. If necessary, they had even been ready to donate their own supplies.

Yet now they realized the civilians neither feared being taken advantage of nor, quite possibly, had any interest in their rations at all.

No one had warned them the food here would be this good.

This was nothing like the disaster shelters they had imagined, filled with refugees waiting for aid.

Steam rose from every serving window in the cafeteria. The aroma of freshly cooked food drifted through the air. People lined up in orderly queues, collected their meals, then returned to sit with family and friends.

They chatted while eating. Though not as relaxed as before the outbreak, no one felt their life was in immediate danger, and the overall atmosphere remained light.

This did not feel like a shelter at all. It felt like a peaceful university cafeteria before an early morning class.

Clutching their meal vouchers and breathing in the tempting smells, the soldiers swallowed instinctively. Only after Fu Qing explained the grain production on the plains outside campus did they justify to themselves that “experiencing cafeteria standards is also part of intelligence gathering,” and hurried off to get food.

Bai Xianglei continued recording notes on his phone. Faced with the astonishing variety of dishes, he felt words were insufficient and tried to open his camera to take a picture.

The moment the camera activated, the screen went black.

Song Rushuang said from beside him, “Photography isn’t allowed here. Camera functions are automatically blocked. Only the school-issued wristbands can take pictures.”

She raised her wristband as demonstration.

Bai Xianglei fell silent.

Was this really a university? Even their military district did not possess technology like this. They relied on signal jammers or confiscating devices outright, yet his phone still worked perfectly.

Every app functioned normally except the camera, which alone was disabled. Was something like that even possible?

He recalled the vague mention from higher command about Fu Qing possessing a higher-dimensional entity called a System, and the shock in his heart only deepened.

Left with no choice, Bai Xianglei switched back to handwritten notes and asked, “With so many dishes prepared every morning, aren’t you worried about food waste?”

Before Fu Qing could answer, Su Huaijin eagerly replied, “The cafeteria publishes the next day’s menu on the wristband system the night before. Everyone registers what they want to eat, then uses the wristband to scan and collect meals at the corresponding window.”

“Since everyone receives fixed portions each day, there’s no issue of some people eating too little and leaving leftovers or others not getting enough. Once preferences are registered, the kitchen knows exactly how much to prepare, which minimizes waste.”

He added, “It’s not just meals. Showers, daily supplies, labor assignments, basically everything needed for daily life in Fangzhou can be registered through the wristbands ahead of time. It saves a lot of manpower.”

Although the students had stockpiled plenty of goods and had not yet needed to claim supplies, each person already had an allocated quota in the system. If someone ran out of toothbrushes, toilet paper, or toothpaste, they could simply request more through the wristband.

With the System aggregating data in real time and calculating allocations automatically, human staff only needed to record incoming inventory.

Bai Xianglei was stunned. No wonder Fangzhou had managed to operate for an entire year with only a handful of teachers.

This system was astonishing. The wristbands it issued were directly linked to each person’s biometric information, creating a strong, individualized binding.

Still, he reassured himself, they could develop similar management software for shelters later. Facial recognition could achieve much the same result.

That thought finally steadied him a little.

Su Huaijin added, “Of course, even if there really are leftovers, there’s no need to worry. Fangzhou’s waste-processing system is very complete. All kitchen waste is collected the same day, then sorted and processed into fertilizer, animal feed, and other materials. In the end, we can achieve almost one hundred percent resource reutilization.”

As she finished speaking, the squad members who had already sat down to eat were done with their meals and were returning their spotless trays to the collection area.

As they passed, they glanced at the slop bucket by the entrance and found almost nothing inside, only a few eggshells.

Everyone understood the situation was unusual and did not dare waste food. Even if someone could not finish their portion, someone else was usually still hungry, and sharing among themselves solved the issue. Ironically, the small robot stationed there, though expressionless, somehow gave the impression that it was disappointed at not having any work to do.

The group fell silent.

Su Huaijin paused as well. “…So, at the moment, recycling results aren’t exactly ideal.”

“But it’s fine,” she quickly added, brightening again. “The principal said that even if there isn’t much waste, we don’t need to worry about feed supplies. She’ll figure something out.”

Her tone carried absolute trust in Fu Qing.

Bai Xianglei and the others soon learned exactly how Fu Qing intended to solve the problem.

Because they watched, with their own eyes, as she casually raised a hand and erased an entire shimmering lake.

It vanished cleanly and completely, as if its existence had been deleted from the map itself.

…

[Do you wish to dismantle “Artificial Lake”?]

[Notice: Dismantling a structure refunds 50% of its purchase cost in Teaching Points. Demolished facilities must be repurchased if rebuilt.]

[“Artificial Lake” is a starting bonus structure. Purchase cost: 0 Teaching Points. Original store price: 300 Teaching Points. Refund upon dismantling: 0 Teaching Points. Please confirm carefully.]

[Yes]

The moment Fu Qing selected Yes, the calm surface of the artificial lake suddenly churned.

People walking nearby cried out and hurried away as the soil and grass along the shore expanded inward at astonishing speed. Earth rose upward, greenery intertwined with water, and within moments the vibrant green overtook the blue. In the blink of an eye, the vast lake was replaced by a flourishing lawn.

Not only Bai Xianglei and his team but even Song Rushuang and the others had never seen anything like it. They stared, dumbfounded.

The principal’s magic was not finished yet. Fu Qing then dragged several previously purchased structures out of her inventory.

A fish farming zone.
A black soldier fly breeding facility.
A spirulina cultivation pool.
And…

All twelve soldiers, along with Fangzhou’s elite student team, watched with greenish faces as masses of pale, plump black soldier fly larvae wriggled and poured from empty air like a waterfall, tumbling noisily into rows of breeding containers.

“…Had the principal really been carrying these things around the whole time?”

In the blink of an eye, several brand-new buildings stood beneath the sunlight.

The sheer wonder of the System completely convinced Bai Xianglei.

All he could feel now was relief that the person who possessed such power had chosen to use it not for personal gain, but to shelter as many people as possible.

For a long time to come, Fangzhou would undoubtedly remain one of the world’s foremost shelters.

Watching residents curiously gather near the breeding facilities to peer inside, Bai Xianglei could not help but sigh inwardly.

Those living here, brought in before or just as the outbreak began, likely had no idea how fortunate they were compared to people outside.

Fu Qing introduced each facility’s function in turn, then registered the related farming tasks into the wristband system. Only then did she look back at Bai Xianglei and the others.

“Before we head to the agricultural zone,” she said, “there’s one more place I’d like to show you.”

She tilted her head toward the direction of the athletic field. Bai Xianglei followed her gaze in confusion and noticed Song Rushuang and the students suddenly brighten, barely able to hide their excitement.

The students subtly gathered around Fu Qing at the center of their formation. Whether they had intentionally drawn closer to their principal or whether it was a habit formed through long training even they did not notice was impossible to tell.

Noticing their small, barely concealed expressions, Fu Qing spoke considerately:

“Before the tour continues, I have a question.”

“I wonder whether you would be interested in a friendly match with Fangzhou’s students?”

₊˚.🎧📓✩