Chapter 104 Shen Qingqing's Plan

The Shen family.

The entire Shen family, including Shen Mingjiang who was still too weak to get up without assistance, all five members of the family gathered in front of the television in a daze.

The official press conference livestream has ended, followed by a news report from China News Channel, with the topic still revolving around the suddenly emerging virus.

"What... what's going on outside? What virus? I don't understand," Zang Lijun asked anxiously. "This isn't the same as the flu, is it?"

The village where the Shen family lived was too remote, with few people coming and going each day. The virus had not affected the village at all, so even though the outside world was in complete chaos, they didn't really feel it.

The official press conference used very formal and restrained language. In order to avoid causing panic, the theme, apart from stating the facts, was mainly to reassure and encourage the public to fight the disaster together. It was impossible to mention anything like the "zombie" virus. As a result, the Shen family members were still confused after hearing a lot of technical terms.

Judging from the footage of the military deployment, it seemed that something unusual was happening outside.

Although the online platforms were briefly dominated by a large number of real videos taken by netizens, as the authorities spoke out and relevant departments took action to monitor public opinion, those bloody videos were dealt with and deleted one by one. This included some people who were trying to stir up trouble by spreading rumors and those who were inciting fear and provoking netizens' nerves. Some were warned, and some had their accounts banned.

From a macro perspective, this approach is not wrong. Restricting the public's access to information ensures the uniqueness and authority of official statements and maintains social stability. At least this time, the outside world will not descend into chaos so quickly.

On the other hand, it also deprives people like the Shen family, who live in remote areas, of the means to understand the true horror of zombies.

Grandma Shen was saying, "Saying that infected people can bite—that's like a large-scale rabies outbreak, isn't it?"

In the village, rabies was basically equivalent to madness, and Grandma Shen thought that was about right.

Grandpa Shen was somewhat dismissive: "I've seen people get sick from being bitten by rabid dogs. It's not that scary. They can't be exposed to light or water, and they die within a few days."

"That's good, that's good." Zang Lijun breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned, "But I just heard them say that there are restrictions on movement. Does that mean we can't take planes or high-speed trains anymore? What will Qingqing do about going to school?"

Shen Mingjiang leaned back in his chair and paused for a moment: If it weren't for driving him to the hospital, Shen Qingqing wouldn't have stayed. Now that this has been delayed, who knows when they'll be able to go back to school.

“I’m much better now and don’t need anyone to watch over me. How about I ask your Uncle Zhao for a favor and drive you to the city? Let’s see if the buses are still running. If they are, let’s get going before things get too chaotic,” Shen Mingjiang said.

Although Shen Qingqing can drive, she has a lot of luggage with her, and someone will have to drive the car back when it arrives, so she still needs someone to take her.

Shen Mingjiang advised, "The buses might still be running now. In any case, it's always good to go and check the situation."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingqing couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Just watching the live stream without actually seeing what zombies are doing when they attack people makes it impossible to imagine the real situation outside.

In their minds, even if things get chaotic, it's something that happens in big cities and won't affect them.

The country has to deal with the sudden emergence of the virus, that's the country's business. The children in the family still have to go to school!

Missing class is unacceptable.

This is the true thought of many people, including the Shen family.

Even those who work are worried about losing their jobs if they can't go out. They don't even consider that if they go out, they might lose not only their jobs but also their lives.

However, on the other hand, if it were Shen Qingqing herself, without prior warning, she probably would have found it hard to imagine that the situation would be so serious that there was almost no place in the entire country that was absolutely safe.

Shen Qingqing wasn't incapable of understanding; she felt helpless inside, but outwardly she put on a stern face, adopting a serious, even slightly angry expression: "Didn't you see what the official spokesperson said? There are many infected people on the streets right now, and if they go berserk, they can bite people to death!"

"Is going to school more important or is life more important?"

Shen Mingjiang was taken aback; he hadn't expected the situation to be so serious.

Zang Lijun is a timid and cautious person. Just seeing the government hold a press conference specifically to talk about the virus already made her nervous. Upon hearing this, she quickly said, "Qingqing is right. You should contact the school and see how to handle it. In this situation, you probably don't need to go back to school, right?"

Shen Qingqing's bracelet was actually always lit up. Song Rushuang and Zhang Han knew that her home was in a remote location and that she might not get the latest information in a timely manner, so they would keep her updated on the latest news from time to time since the outbreak of the virus.

Shen Qingqing was the only one in dormitory 1111 who had not yet returned to school. The three of them knew that they were all worried about each other, so sending messages was also a way of letting each other know that they were safe.

In addition, there are forums, and there are also information sharing threads run by students. Since the outbreak of the virus, people have been constantly gathering information in them, and the threads have already reached thousands of levels.

So, while Shen Qingqing may appear to be simply sitting with her family watching TV, she is actually fully aware of everything that is happening in the outside world.

After being scolded by Shen Qingqing, Shen Mingjiang stopped trying to persuade her and said somewhat awkwardly, "Then let it go. Anyway, your Uncle Zhao will be back soon, and he might know the situation in the city. You can ask him then."

Shen Qingqing's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she suddenly remembered the men in the village who often went to the county town to do odd jobs.

Uncle Zhao and his son Zhao Hailin were among them. Shen Mingjiang had also gone with them before he fell ill.

Sometimes the group would stay in the city, and sometimes they would drive back the same day. It wasn't always the same, but Shen Mingjiang should know the pattern.

He said they would be back today, and judging from the sky, it was about time.

Shen Qingqing got up and walked out. As she passed the door, she picked up a wood-chopping knife that she had sharpened and put it on her waistband.

"Qingqing, where are you going?" Zang Lijun called out in confusion.

Before Shen Qingqing could answer, a person rushed in from the courtyard gate, panting heavily. Upon seeing her, he hurriedly asked, "Shen family, are all your family members here? Did you see the news broadcast just now?"

"The village chief notified everyone to attend a meeting. Things are chaotic outside now, and the government has issued policies. We need to discuss what to do next."

Zang Lijun also came out and, upon hearing this, quickly agreed. She went back and, together with Grandma Shen, helped Shen Mingjiang up.

Shen Mingjiang waved his hand, telling them to leave, and then stood up, supporting himself on the table: "We've rested for so many days, we're fine now, don't make a fuss, go on."

The family of five hurried to the center of the village, where there was a paved square. The children usually played here, and villagers sometimes dried their things here. If anything important happened, everyone would be called here for a meeting.

There were already quite a few people standing there. Some were a little nervous, but most, like Shen Mingjiang, didn't seem to care.

There's no way around it; their village is simply too small for development to take place here, but any viruses circulating outside also have a hard time spreading here. Even if policies are introduced from above, they are rarely effectively implemented here.

This time was no different; they didn't think their village would be affected, and their attitude towards the rapidly spreading virus was more of a spectator's fascination.

Someone shared a short video they had seen a few hours earlier, mentioning a scene where someone was attacked. The listener clicked their tongue and shrank back, but the overall atmosphere was not tense.

The village chief stood at the front and counted the number of people: "Has Zhao Yongxiang and the others not returned yet?"

People below chimed in, saying, "They should be on their way back."

"Hmm, it's about time. They always come back around this time."

Some people also noticed that Zhao Hailin was standing in the crowd, not going to work with his father.

The women exchanged glances, winked, and then revealed mocking expressions.

When summer arrived, Zhao Hailin would use various excuses, such as feeling unwell, to avoid working. He was only doing odd jobs, and he had to rush to the front of the road early to grab any work. However, he couldn't get up every day, and by the time it was his turn, the easier or higher-paying jobs had already been taken. This gave him even more reason to pretend to be sick and say he was too tired to go. So, he would work for a few days each time and then go home to rest for a while.

Fortunately, Uncle Zhao and his wife felt sorry for their son and actually let him stay at home while they went out to work from dawn till dusk.

After getting married this year, Zhao Hailin not only failed to become more ambitious for his new family, but instead became even lazier. Not long ago, under Shen Qingqing's influence, everyone started tending to the vegetable garden again, and when his wife heard about it, she wanted to join in, only to be yelled at by Zhao Hailin.

When this story spread, many people found it despicable.

Since the wild boar incident at the beginning of the year, Aunt Li and the others have become increasingly able to see Zhao Hailin's true colors.

Looking back, they even wondered if they had been blinded by greed—otherwise, how could they have thought that Zhao Hailin, such a lazy, incompetent, and glib man, was reliable?

Village chief: "Then we won't wait for them. The families will pass on the message themselves..."

Before the words were even finished, someone noticed a van approaching from the road not far away: "Is that them?"

"Hey, everyone's here when I say so, what a coincidence!"

This square connects to the village's "main road," which is also the only road that is paved. The van drove all the way here.

Everyone waited expectantly, but something felt increasingly off.

"How do you drive this car?"

"Why aren't you stopping yet...?"

"Hey! If you don't stop, you'll crash!"

The van wobbled as it approached, nearly plunging into the ditch several times. When it finally got close to the square, instead of slowing down, it seemed as if someone had slammed on the accelerator, and it suddenly sped off for a distance.

The crowd scattered in panic, clearing a space as the van crashed out of control into the earthen wall at the edge of the square. Dust billowed down, obscuring the view inside the van.

The villagers had never seen anything like it before and stood there stunned. It was Aunt Zhao who reacted first, realizing her husband was in the car. She yelled "Old Zhao!" and rushed over first.

But someone was faster than her. Shen Qingqing approached the driver's seat, glanced inside, frowned, and turned to Aunt Zhao, shouting, "Don't come any closer!"

Aunt Zhao was startled and stopped in her tracks. She saw Shen Qingqing clench her fist and suddenly smash the driver's side window with her elbow!

The onlookers were completely taken aback by her decisiveness. Some covered their mouths, while others checked Shen Qingqing's arm for scratches and were surprised to find that she was wearing a jacket despite the heat.

The car door was locked from the inside and couldn't be opened from the outside. Shen Qingqing avoided the broken glass, reached inside, opened the car door, and unbuckled her seatbelt.

Then, in full view of everyone, they dragged a middle-aged man covered in blood and unconscious from the driver's seat.

A commotion arose, and those nearby exclaimed in surprise. Before Aunt Zhao could even see the man's face clearly, her legs gave way and she collapsed, only to be quickly supported by her daughter-in-law.

The young woman glanced at him and realized that the unconscious man was indeed Zhao Yongxiang. She panicked and didn't know what to do.

"It's probably because you crashed your car into the wall. Call an ambulance right away."

"The ambulance is too slow. With so much blood, he'll die if we delay any longer. Where's Hailin? Tell him to drive his dad to the hospital!"

Zhao Hailin, who was also panicking while standing to the side, was urged by someone and then came to his senses. He hurriedly stepped forward, but was stopped by a look from Shen Qingqing.

That look sent a chill down his spine, as if he were back on a winter night catching wild boars.

For a moment, he also felt the same aura from Shen Qingqing, but he thought it was an illusion at the time.

Shen Qingqing felt Uncle Zhao's pulse, shook her head, and whispered, "He's already gone."

An uproar ensued.

Zhao Yongxiang and his group had driven this road back and forth hundreds of times. Who would have thought that they would lose control of their vehicle and crash into an earthen wall in the village, killing them instantly!

What kind of death is that?!

Aunt Zhao fainted, her vision went black, the young wife's eyes reddened, and Zhao Hailin was stunned, as if he had been struck on the head. It was only after several elders from the village gathered people that they moved Zhao Yongxiang's body to an open space a little further away from the car.

Shen Qingqing let them move the things, then glanced at Zhao Yongxiang again. She had just checked and confirmed that Zhao Yongxiang was dead. It was impossible for him to fake his death, enter a dormant period, and then turn into a zombie.

Having witnessed so much death in the past year, she didn't pay much attention to Uncle Zhao's body, but instead quickly focused her attention on the seemingly quiet van in front of her.

But to onlookers, she inevitably seemed cold-hearted, and their expressions toward Shen Qingqing seemed a bit off.

Their previous impression of Shen Qingqing was that she was a loner and rarely interacted with the villagers. Many people thought that she was just shy and reserved, and they also thought it was normal for girls to be introverted.

Some people could see the arrogance hidden beneath Shen Qingqing's quiet demeanor, but even they felt that Shen Qingqing was being a bit too cold.

That was, after all, a human life.

Shen Qingqing was completely unaware of what others were thinking, and didn't care at all.

She focused intently on the van, subtly assuming a fighting stance.

The car windows were covered with privacy film, but she could still make out several shadows inside.

The van accelerated out of control just now, probably because Uncle Zhao's body ran over it before he stepped on the gas pedal—he was already dead before that.

Although he was hit and new wounds appeared, with blood covering the original wounds, Shen Qingqing could still tell at a glance that there was a laceration on his neck, which was probably the fatal wound.

Uncle Zhao and his group always went to work in groups of several, and there were at least three or four people on the bus at this moment.

Not only Shen Qingqing, but others also thought of this, especially those whose families were going to work with her. Out of concern, she immediately went to open the car door, but before her hand even touched the handle, the car suddenly shook and a roar like that of a large beast came from inside.

The aunt stopped in her tracks, looking somewhat uneasy.

Shen Qingqing glanced at her and said, "I'll drive."

Preventing them from opening the car doors is useless; they need to see the zombies with their own eyes to understand how terrifying they are.

She had just glanced at it briefly; the zombie in the back seat was still moving, meaning it was alive, but it hadn't made any major moves, most likely because it was restrained by the seatbelt. Opening the car door wouldn't pose much of a danger.

Driving in the mountains, even the drivers sometimes don't wear seat belts, but everyone in their group wore them. Shen Qingqing strongly suspected that they had encountered zombies in the county town, and that someone in the car might have been injured. In order to escape and to get home quickly to treat the injured, they were driving too fast and only wore seat belts as a precaution.

Unfortunately, the injured person most likely mutated on the way and attacked the remaining people in the car, causing Uncle Zhao, who was driving, to have his throat slashed by a zombie's fingernails.

In just two seconds, Shen Qingqing roughly reconstructed what had happened. Without pausing, she opened the car door.

The scene that appeared before them made everyone gasp.

Four men with bluish-black faces were neatly tied up in the back of the car.

Sensing the presence of numerous living people around the car, they could no longer suppress their bloodlust and struggled incessantly, only to be firmly held in place by the seatbelts. Amidst the kicking and punching, some people lost control of their strength and crashed into the car window, fracturing their arms and legs; others' fingernails scratched the skin of those around them, their nails peeling off, revealing large pieces of fresh, torn flesh waving in the air.

The car windows, seats, interior walls, and even the floor and ceiling were covered in blood. As soon as the door opened, a strong smell of blood hit you.

No one knows how they got here, or what they went through before they died.

Such a crazy and terrifying scene made everyone's scalp tingle.

From the disfigured features, some people recognized their family members and immediately let out a horrifying scream.

Even the village chief turned pale. He stood on a platform about half a person's height that the villagers had built themselves in front of the square, looking down at everything. But looking at the chaotic scene of the villagers in front of him, and then at the truckload of zombies and Zhao Yongxiang's corpse lying on the ground, he was at a loss.

As sunset approached, the sunlight was no longer so dazzling, but he felt a sudden dizziness.

What should we do next?

What should we do about the infected person in this car?

Compared to the villagers' previous nonchalant attitude, the village chief actually took the instructions from above seriously. He had called everyone over to remind them of the severity of the virus, urging them to be careful and avoid traveling to the county town during this period.

That's why, recalling the high aggression of infected individuals, the high transmissibility of the virus, and many other things mentioned above, he was even more at a loss.

Call for help to deal with the zombies? But these zombies are at least tied up. What if someone gets bitten while dealing with them, which would actually increase the number of infected people who can move around freely?

If we don't do anything about it, are we just going to leave it like this?

Besides, if you really want to find someone to kill zombies, you have to be able to find someone. Everyone in the village knows each other, and now you're asking someone to kill a familiar elder or peer? Who could bring themselves to do that?

If they really take action, will they still be able to stay in the village?

The village chief's mind was in complete turmoil, and when he spoke again, his mouth was dry: "Everyone, don't panic, calm down, calm down..."

Nobody listens to him.

The village chief's breathing grew heavier.

He was getting old, and suddenly pounded his chest, wanting to shout again.

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone walk up to the podium, support themselves with one hand on the surface, and nimbly leap onto it.

She dusted off her hands, took two steps forward, and stood beside him.

"Grandpa Village Chief, do you need any help? I'm not afraid of zombies, and I don't care about being hated by their families. I can take responsibility for killing all the infected."

Shen Qingqing said easily, "Just agree to one condition, and I can take action right now."