Chapter 102 If a group of children were truly to shoulder this responsibility...

Having come this far, Fu Qing knew that in order to convince them, he had to explain everything clearly.

Even if the facts are absurd, they are still facts.

However, if she chooses to lie or fabricate, any logical flaws that are exposed could affect her subsequent plans and actions.

"Both Mr. Zhao Yunxiao, who is sitting next to me, and I have been reborn. In our previous lives, we witnessed firsthand how a virus destroyed human society, and how the entire planet was eventually taken over by the zombie species."

"After being reborn, I received a mission: to establish a university called Fangzhou and lead more than two thousand teachers and students to prepare for the apocalypse over the next year."

"But the premise is that we must strictly guard the secret of the impending virus outbreak; any act of actively or passively leaking information will be blocked..."

She revealed everything about the system and Fangzhou without reservation.

Zhao Yunxiao added at the right moment, and took out the data from his backpack to show some of his research results on the zombie species.

Xue Ran also briefly described his learning and life in Fangzhou over the past year from a student's perspective.

The conference room fell into a deathly silence.

The attendees were all well-informed, but they had never heard of anything like this before!

Could this be part of a novel or TV series?

That's...that's absurd.

They felt as if a disaster was unfolding, yet they had wasted their precious time listening to a science fiction story.

However, upon closer examination, Fu Qing's behavior perfectly matched everything she had said and done before, without any logical errors.

Director Liu interrupted Fu Qing midway through the conversation, cautiously asking her if she could use the lie detector. Fu Qing shrugged and said, "Go ahead."

The latter part, verified by the instruments, leaves no room for doubt.

Everything she said was true.

Some facts that were previously hidden in the system's blind spots have also been revealed and brought to light.

For example, it is unbelievable that a university like Fangzhou, which is not registered at all, could appear out of thin air and even select suitable students directly from the college application system for admission without attracting anyone's attention.

What's even more frightening is that no one, including Director Liu, the deputy director of the S City Public Security Bureau, seemed to find it unusual that a school had suddenly appeared on that barren land outside the city.

It's as if it was always meant to be there, perfectly reasonable.

The fog surrounding everyone was lifted only after Fu Qing revealed the truth.

Only through personal experience can one truly understand how terrifying the system's ability to create higher-dimensional entities is.

Even during the conversation, Fu Qing's hands never stopped moving. A realistic zombie would appear next to him, a box of instant noodles would appear, or a huge capsule would appear, which would shake the projector and camera when it landed.

Everyone witnessed the screen trembling: "..."

The next second, all the items that had been taken out of the system's inventory and filled the entire conference room disappeared with a light, casual gesture from Fu Qing.

The software used in the internal meeting had a strict audit and monitoring mechanism for the data stream. The video footage presented to them could not have been modified. With multiple layers of evidence, even if it defied common sense, they still had no choice but to believe Fu Qing's words.

In the previous life... or rather, in another parallel world that was over 95% similar to this world, humanity had already become extinct.

And the starting point of this disaster is today.

Fu Qing's mention of world consciousness and the existence of the zombie king further explains why the virus could break out simultaneously around the world.

Everything sounds absurd, yet inexplicably logically sound and impeccable.

But it is equally chilling.

For a long time, humans have considered themselves the masters of this planet. They have surpassed all other species, achieved the best evolution, controlled this planet, and often look at other creatures from a superior, condescending, and pitying perspective.

But at this moment, they suddenly realized that they were also ants in the eyes of other beings.

The billions of humans living on the entire planet Earth are nothing more than pawns that can be sacrificed or abandoned at any time in the game of higher-dimensional creation.

Their struggles and suffering were utterly insignificant in the eyes of the system and the zombie king.

"On what grounds?"

Some people could no longer bear it and forced out a mournful question through their teeth.

—On what grounds?!

"I can't accept this..."

These people hold high positions of power and have worked their way up over decades to get where they are today. Yet, at this moment, these people, who are almost at the pinnacle of their respective fields, have lost the ability to even open their mouths and organize their thoughts. They can only express their feelings in the simplest, almost childlike words.

I cannot accept this.

I reject this result.

The deaths of hundreds of thousands of people are already alarming and painful, let alone the sudden realization that all of humanity may perish within the next few years.

At that time, everything that they cherished, despised, and fought for on this land will lose its meaning.

The death of an individual is not terrible; in fact, it can be said that no one at the scene was afraid of death.

They were always prepared to sacrifice themselves.

The disappearance of a nation, a race, or a species can truly deprive people of their spiritual support.

The man sitting at the head of the table had a flash in his eyes and was about to speak to break the gloomy and oppressive atmosphere when Fu Qing, who had just finished speaking, suddenly spoke up again.

"I can't accept that either."

The same sentence was not spoken in a tone of despair.

“I can’t accept it, that’s why I’m standing here now.”

“My students couldn’t accept it either, which is why they were able to grit their teeth and persevere through the past year.”

"And all the teachers in our school, they can't accept it either, so even if they die, they won't be able to close their eyes in peace."

Xue Ran suddenly felt her vision blurring. She forced back her sobs and tried her best not to think too much.

The principal's words were as calm as ever, a calmness that was characteristic of her personality. Even if Mount Tai collapsed before her, she would not change her expression. But at this moment, such calmness only made Xue Ran feel a pang of sadness.

Zhao Yunxiao also lowered his head, then raised it again after a moment.

Because it is unacceptable, we must seize every possible opportunity to resist.

“The system told me that as long as there are still people who refuse to accept their fate, it will continue to appear in this world, in every world.” Fu Qing blinked her eyelashes and said firmly, “It doesn’t matter if we fail again this time, or even if I am not in the next life, there will always be other people.”

"That person will continue to grasp at increasingly faint hopes, keep going, and look for a way out."

"The further we go, the more hope there will be for humanity in that world we don't know."

"So what's there to be afraid of?" she asked.

Is it true that the system says humanity will be unable to fight the zombie king in the next life? The world's consciousness wanted them dead, but they still struggled to survive into this life, didn't they?

There will always be a world where humanity will be able to defeat the zombies, civilization will be preserved, and the species will continue.

Even if they can't witness all of this, what does it matter?

The man in the Zhongshan suit jacket tapped the table lightly, drawing everyone's attention. He said in a deep voice, "It's too early to think about these things now. If the chance of humanity surviving is one in ten thousand, then we must strive for that one in ten thousand possibility."

"Ladies and gentlemen, a life-or-death crisis is imminent. This is the moment when our country and people... no, this is the moment when humanity needs us most. From this moment on, I urge you to use all your knowledge and do your utmost to protect this country and this planet."

After he finished speaking, he paused, having already gotten the answer he wanted from everyone's expressions.

The meeting was temporarily adjourned, and the man left, presumably to report to higher authorities and convene a joint meeting. At this point, not only Director Liu, but even his superior, the provincial public security bureau chief who had just attended the meeting, was no longer qualified to attend. However, less than half an hour later, news arrived that China had activated a Level 1 national biosafety response.

Fu Qing was politely invited into a new meeting. Apart from Director Liu, the police chief who had just sped back to the police station, and Zhao Yunxiao, everyone else was asked to leave the meeting room temporarily.

An emergency management command center was established at a higher level to coordinate various departments and divide them into several special task forces, which are responsible for areas such as virus prevention and control, vaccine research, social stability maintenance, and material supply.

During the meeting, instructions were discussed by many senior executives and quickly issued to various departments.

Due to the urgency of the situation, all cumbersome procedures were simplified to the extreme, driving the task execution with the highest efficiency and speed.

The lifelike zombie donated by Fu Qing, along with Zhao Yunxiao, who possesses experience in serum and vaccine research, will be escorted by the military and immediately sent to the research institute in the capital. The elderly woman with white hair who spoke first will personally lead a team composed of top experts and professors from across the country to fully dedicate themselves to developing the vaccine.

Shelters and quarantine facilities will be established across the country. The former will accommodate all people who are in exile and have nowhere to go, while the latter will be used for medical purposes to centrally and in batches isolate infected individuals who are still in the incubation period and those whose infections have mutated. Unless absolutely necessary, no one will be killed, but once these people enter the quarantine facility, it will be very difficult for them to get out.

Armed forces, including the military and armed police, have been mobilized. Some have been deployed to major hospitals to protect medical personnel, while others have gone out into the streets to find infected individuals and send them to shelters, as well as protect civilians who have fled. A third force will be deployed to nuclear power plants and other facilities across the country to ensure the supply of water, electricity, and gas. National strategic reserves will also be mobilized to regularly provide essential supplies to residents staying at home via airdrops and community delivery.

All land border crossings will be closed, with strict border controls implemented. Meanwhile, maritime ports will employ different management strategies for foreign and Chinese cargo ships. All foreign cargo ships must anchor at designated locations outside the territorial sea and be monitored by the coast guard, while domestic vessels will be subject to at least three weeks of maritime quarantine. During this period, the government will provide both sides with essential supplies for survival.

In addition to sending the video of this meeting to higher levels, they will also send it to governments of various countries after redacting some key information (such as the existence of Fu Qing and Fang Zhou).

They must protect the students of Fuqing and Fangzhou, but beyond that, China will not hold back on anything regarding the virus and zombies.

All conflicts should cease in the face of a crisis affecting humanity's survival.

The rest is up to each country to react.

Their people are protected by their governments, while the Chinese government has people it is determined to protect.

...

Fu Qing listened to the entire meeting almost entirely as an observer.

Everything that needed to be said had been said. Inviting her to attend seemed to be purely out of respect. As she listened to the instructions that were being rapidly issued to various departments, a strange emotion quietly grew in her chest.

After a long time, she felt that feeling of "peace of mind" again.

There is a being stronger and more powerful than her.

It seemed she could finally rely on something.

At this top-level meeting that ordinary people could never participate in their entire lives, Fu Qing was surprisingly somewhat distracted.

To her surprise, in the year since her rebirth, more and more people have appeared around her, and the path she had embarked on alone has unknowingly gained countless companions.

Some remained silent, some made a fuss, some started out weak and insignificant, while others joined with great strength from the very beginning.

But in any case, they all walked firmly beside her without exception.

...

To Fu Qing's surprise, despite the extreme shortage of resources, the higher-ups still managed to set up a special task force to go to City S to liaise with her.

The team leader was a capable woman with short hair from the military region, over fifty years old, named Tian Xuejun. Fu Qing glanced at the medals on her uniform through the video and felt a deep respect.

Little did they know that after hearing the whole story, Tian Xuejun harbored the same thoughts about Fu Qing and Xue Ran and Zhao Yunxiao beside her.

She had already embarked on her journey to City S, and in the video call, she briefly reported to Fu Qing on the duties of the special operations team: "Simply put, it is to fully cooperate with your operation and protect you and the teachers and students of Fangzhou."

"The crisis of national subjugation and racial extinction is too great. We cannot expect all of humanity to truly unite. If the system's affairs and your identity are leaked, not only the devout believers you speak of, but other countries will also do everything in their power to find you. Our primary duty is to protect you from these foreign spies. Furthermore, you can tell me any information or intelligence that needs to be conveyed, and I have the authority to report it directly to the highest levels."

Fu Qing was skilled at killing zombies, but the thought of the investigative methods of foreign intelligence agents that she had heard about and seen in movies made her feel dizzy.

She was indeed not good at dealing with these things, and she was far less experienced than Tian Xuejun.

Professional tasks should be left to professionals.

Fu Qing didn't try to be brave: "This is troublesome."

“It’s no trouble at all, how could it be troublesome?” Tian Xuejun sighed softly on the other end of the phone. “You don’t know, I could hardly believe my ears when I heard all this. Many people are vying for this mission, and I feel very honored and happy that the organization entrusted it to me.”

“I really want to do something,” she said, her tone tinged with a hint of shame. “If we really let a group of eighteen or nineteen-year-olds shoulder the responsibility of saving the world, how can we adults bear it?”

"These responsibilities have weighed on your shoulders for far too long. Let us shoulder the rest together with you."

*

While sitting in the car, Tian Xuejun spoke with Fu Qing for a while longer, discussing future matters.

Whether it was her personal attitude or an order from above, she gave Fu Qing enough respect.

"If you have any requests, please feel free to let us know. We will definitely give your opinions full consideration," she said sincerely.

Since she had said that, Fu Qing no longer held back.

She does indeed have two urgent requests.

"First, I hope the authorities will not interfere with Fangzhou's internal management, including the venue, personnel, and future operational arrangements," Fu Qing explained. "Fangzhou was established by the system and is bound to me. Only I can change any of the buildings and facilities, and all the teachers and students have already integrated with me. Outsider intervention will only reduce our operational efficiency."

"On the other hand, building the school is a task assigned to me by the system. Even after the apocalypse, when the main quest is completed, I can still earn some teaching points through small tasks such as maintaining the school. You can think of it as a kind of points to exchange for resources in the system's shop. For example, the simulated zombies were bought with teaching points."

"Through the system shop, we have the opportunity to obtain some items that far exceed the current level of human technology, some of which may even play a key role in the fight against the devout and the zombie king. I cannot lose the channel for earning teaching points. For example, if Zhao Yunxiao goes to the capital to cooperate with the research, he will consume 24 teaching points every day he is away. I need a continuous income."

Tian Xuejun nodded in agreement, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "This request is very reasonable. The teaching points you mentioned are very important strategic resources, and the means of acquisition are limited. We must do our utmost to ensure their normal acquisition. However, I would also like to make a request, and I hope you can consider it."

Fu Qing: "Go ahead."

Tian Xuejun: "Can I send a team to accompany you into Fangzhou? I guarantee that the team will not exceed twelve people, and we will bring our own supplies."

Fu Qing was not surprised by her request. For a school as large as Fangzhou to exist for a whole year while deceiving everyone's eyes, the methods used were beyond human comprehension.

Who knows if Tian Xuejun and the others will be able to find her after Fu Qing returns to Fangzhou?

It's perfectly normal to ask someone to follow along.

“No problem,” Fu Qing said.

“Okay, I will lead the rest of the team to set up a temporary command center near Fangzhou. It won’t disturb your daily life,” Tian Xuejun said. “Once we arrive, I will give you satellite communication and positioning equipment. I hope you can cooperate with us and stay in touch at all times. In addition, our team will patrol the area around Fangzhou 24 hours a day. When you need to go out, we need to provide close protection as inconveniently as possible. There may be some inconveniences, but please understand that I must ensure your safety.”

Knowing that Fu Qing was almost absolutely safe in Fangzhou, Tian Xuejun did not suggest sending a female officer to protect him 24 hours a day at the school.

In fact, given the current attitude of the higher-ups towards Fu Qing, they would love to send an army to protect her, for fear that any zombies or anyone else might harm her in the slightest.

"Close protection..."

Fu Qing repeated those four words, never expecting that she would one day be protected by someone. Finding it somewhat amusing, she chuckled softly, "Okay, thank you for your trouble."

"?" Tian Xuejun was a little confused, but she didn't think too much about it and still said, "Our people are all armed, and zombies absolutely cannot get close to them."

These specially selected, highly trained gunmen are far more accurate shooters than ordinary police officers; they are even capable of headshotting fast-moving zombies.

This did stir something in Fu Qing's heart.

Guns are indeed a good thing, but I don't know if I can borrow a few to use.

In her previous life, when she was scavenging for supplies everywhere, she found quite a lot.

Although guns are banned in China, you can still find all kinds of homemade guns and hunting rifles in rural areas, and some even have weapons stored in safes in the basements of luxurious villas.

Who knows how they got it or what they used it for?

Fu Qing tried it a few times and her aim was pretty good. The gun was useful in the early stages of fighting the zombie horde, but as the number of zombies increased and the number of humans decreased in the later stages, she dared not take it out anymore.

The evolved zombies have such sharp hearing that they can hear gunshots from a great distance, so melee weapons are still more effective in situations like this.

Therefore, although there were one or two guns involved in the simulation pod, she did not have the students focus on training their shooting skills because it was simply not practical.

Not to mention that acquiring firearms and ammunition domestically is a major problem, even if they were available, it would be impossible to find and use them in large quantities. Furthermore, while firearms can bridge the gap in physical fitness and combat skills, they also present problems such as being more difficult to carry and easier to lose.

If in actual combat, without a gun, one is left at the mercy of others, then such a useful tool can actually become a limitation.

Fu Qing and the students don't have much time, so they have to make choices.

Practicing shooting takes a lot of time, let alone mastering the skill of hitting a fast-moving target at close range with a single shot.

Instead of wasting time, they would have preferred to hone their skills in using cold weapons; this was the result of their choice.

After several thoughts, he realized that in the eyes of Tian Xuejun and the others, let alone students who were eighteen or nineteen years old, even he, who was only in his twenties, was probably considered a junior.

Even if you survive a long time in the apocalypse, if you encounter soldiers, you are still an ordinary citizen who needs protection.

They'd be a fool to let her touch a gun.

Fu Qing had no choice but to regretfully abandon the idea.

Tian Xuejun had no idea that in that short moment, Fu Qing had already set his sights on her weapons: "You just said you had two requests, what's the other one?"

“Another one…” Fu Qing snapped out of her reverie and finally got back to the point, “Fangzhou’s students come from all over the country, and at this time, many of them have not yet returned to school.”

“I promised to let their families stay in the shelter as well. They have been planning and mentally rehearsing this journey back since the first half of the year. I believe that with the capabilities of our students, we can bring their families back safely. So I hope you will not stop them from returning to school.”

Two thousand people plus their relatives is not a small number, but it is definitely not a large number on a national scale.

After all, there are still at least hundreds of thousands of infected people wandering the streets.

Whether or not to give them the green light is entirely up to Tian Xuejun and the people behind her.

Fu Qing patiently explained, “These students have undergone training, and each one of them is an experienced survivor of the apocalypse. Their physical fitness far surpasses that of most ordinary people, not to mention their combat skills honed against zombies and their understanding of them. Hunting the devout followers is impossible without their help.”

“But if we want them to go out and fight with peace of mind, we must ensure the safety of their families. Rather than leaving them to local communities or having local police officers provide special protection, it is better to gather them together. Fangzhou is definitely much safer than most shelters at the moment.”

The Youth Development Foundation decided to release asylum slots largely so that students could go out to fight without any worries.

This reason convinced Tian Xuejun: "I understand. Please compile a list of Fangzhou students and send it to me later. I will register their identities and then send someone to contact the local community and the police."

Fu Qing understood that this meant that Fangzhou students' every move in the future would be subject to covert monitoring and protection.

Each and every one of them is a vital force in the fight against zombies.

Tian Xuejun gave them the green light, which will make their future actions much easier.

Fu Qing breathed a sigh of relief and was also filled with gratitude for Tian Xuejun's hard work and cooperation.

The other party expressed strong goodwill. Although it was not said explicitly, every word and every action showed that I am on your side.

This allowed Fu Qing to confidently entrust her with his work and cooperate with her.

She sat in her car, Zhao Yunxiao remained at the police station, and Xue Ran sat in the passenger seat, listening quietly to the principal's speech without making a sound.

Fangzhou's school gate came into view. As the iron gate slowly opened, Fu Qing saw two police cars that had been following her at a distance stop in the rearview mirror, seemingly watching her go.

Only after Fu Qing's car successfully entered the school did they start the engine, turn the car around, and head back.

This made Fu Qing's lips curl slightly.

She politely replied to the person on the other end, "I have no problems. I look forward to meeting you."

Tian Xuejun paused for a moment, then spoke again, her voice more relaxed: "Me too."