Chapter 8 Student Forum

After saying that, Fu Qing slipped away without a trace.

It's really hard to order takeout at Fangzhou University. She searched through all the takeout apps before finding a fried noodle shop. They don't accept reservations, and delivery starts at 5 pm. If she ordered now, it wouldn't arrive until around 6 pm, which is lunchtime.

Judging from the pictures on the food delivery app, the store wasn't very clean, but people who survived the apocalypse could eat food that had been crawled on by rats without batting an eye, so that little bit of uncleanliness was nothing to them.

The students probably never imagined that the person on stage would end the performance so hastily for such a reason. It took them a while to process what was happening before they got up in a daze and walked out of the auditorium one by one.

"Do you think what she said is true?" Zhang Han asked in a low voice.

Or rather, are you willing to believe that it's true?

This question was too difficult to answer, so Song Rushuang said in a low voice, "Half and half."

Her mind was in turmoil. If it had been an hour or so ago, Song Rushuang would have suspected without hesitation that the so-called principal was just a rich madman who had read too many apocalyptic novels and therefore lost his mind.

Having gone through this simulation exercise, she had no choice but to believe that what Fu Qing said was very likely true.

Thinking of the apocalyptic scene described by the principal, Song Rushuang couldn't help but shudder.

For the past eighteen years, her biggest worries have been that her final exam rankings have dropped again, the college entrance exam might clash with the monthly holiday, and she would have to have dinner with her uncle's family during the Spring Festival... The peaceful and tranquil life had become a kind of inertia for too long, and she simply could not imagine that such a life would come to an end.

“I want to believe it’s true,” Shen Qingqing suddenly said.

Facing their gazes, she composed herself and said, "If that's true, it means we're at least lucky enough to have the opportunity to prepare in advance so that we and our loved ones can live a little longer."

“Many people are not even chosen, and they will face the end of the world without even knowing it. I would rather spend a year in fear than die without knowing why.” Shen Qingqing paused, then said, “Moreover… I hope I am the one who is chosen.”

Her voice trembled slightly at the end, clearly an attempt to appear calm.

Song Rushuang didn't say anything more, but when she passed Shi Guangyao, she gave him a special look.

Like the other 20 people, Shi Guangyao remained standing there with his head down. While the others could rest and think about their future back in their dormitories, all they had to do was pack their bags.

Fu Qing gave others the opportunity to choose, but not them.

"thump"

Among the 21 people, a boy named Zhao Xinyu suddenly slumped into his seat, as if only just realizing what had happened, and cried out loudly, "I was wrong, I really didn't mean to..."

"I repeated a year to get into this school! Please give me another chance, don't expel me!"

"That woman didn't die! Those people killed several people, but I only touched her, it's not like I lost a piece of my flesh..."

Seeing this, the others walked around in disgust.

Playing the victim and the "crying child gets candy" tactic might work elsewhere, but on a university campus, it will only get you filmed from every angle, uploaded to group chats, and then talked about and complained about for a whole week.

Although no one was in the mood for taking pictures, they still didn't let him off the hook.

"Serves you right."

"Pah, why didn't you do this earlier..."

"Oh, it wasn't intentional. So that hand was 'accidentally' on someone."

"Hilarious, couldn't they have come up with a better excuse?"

The students didn't muffle their voices, and their complaints reached Shi Guangyao's ears like a stinging slap.

For the first time, he felt remorse.

This regret is not out of guilt, but out of resentment.

He was unwilling to ruin his studies for the sake of three girls.

I'm not resigned to not being more discreet, so that I might not have been discovered.

Even more unbearable is the thought that if what the "principal" said is true, a zombie crisis will really break out in the future...

Shi Guangyao suddenly shuddered and didn't want to think about it any further.

Staying here would only lead to continued scrutiny and contempt, so he found an exit and hurriedly left, his head bowed low as he went, no longer displaying the unreasonable arrogance he had on his way to the auditorium.

“He’s not reflecting on his actions at all,” Song Rushuang said with disgust.

"Expecting someone like that to realize he's wrong is like expecting pigs to fly," Shen Qingqing said casually, gently brushing her long hair behind her ear. Her comment was sharp, "As long as he gets the punishment he deserves, that's fine."

“Exactly, at least he won’t be our classmate anymore.” Zhang Han temporarily forgot the heaviness of the moment and said gloatingly, “What if, I mean what if, the principal is telling the truth, and we still have to fight side by side when the zombies come? If we let someone like that stay in the revolutionary ranks, then he can just wait to be betrayed.”

She spoke so carelessly, but Song Rushuang was taken aback.

Is this the real purpose of this simulation exercise?

The shadow cast by the zombie horde still lingers in my heart, but a new emotion is quietly emerging.

She shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

*

Having just met, they went through life and death together, and the trio's relationship progressed rapidly. As soon as they returned, they collapsed onto their respective beds, treating the dormitory as half their home.

The first thing Zhang Han did after returning to her dormitory was to take off her precious digital watch and replace it with the tactical watch issued by the school.

Almost at the same moment she put it on, all of their watches vibrated simultaneously.

Song Rushuang struggled to sit up and lowered her head.

[Settlement in progress...]

[Student Information]

Name: Song Rushuang

...

Current points: 6

Current ranking across the entire school: 98/2479

Song Rushuang was genuinely surprised that she had made it into the top 100.

On second thought, it seems reasonable.

Each of the more than 1,000 survivors had 5 points, meaning they should be tied for 1,347th place. Her 98th place ranking should also be a tie. In other words, in that hour and a half, fewer than 100 people successfully killed one or more zombies.

It's true that very few people have the courage to fight on their first encounter with zombies. If she hadn't been forced into it, Song Rushuang wouldn't have had that guts.

I just don't know what the purpose of these points is.

The fourth roommate in the dorm hadn't returned yet, and Zhang Han in the next bed was shouting, "3D projection, one-way shielding, this is too advanced..."

Compared to that, her digital watch was practically rendered worthless in an instant, leaving Zhang Han feeling extremely disheartened.

Song Rushuang ignored the noise she was making and continued fiddling with the screen. She didn't know where she pressed, but a pop-up window appeared.

The first mock assessment has successfully concluded, and the functional areas are now open.

Functional partitions?

Song Rushuang clicked on it without hesitation.

In addition to the main student information page, three new sections were indeed opened: Courses, Campus Life, and Forum.

Clicking on the "Courses" section will take you to the weekly course schedule. In addition, you can also view course details, instructors, course selection, attendance rates, and more.

However, the course list is currently empty, showing that the students are waiting to be assigned to classes.

The "Campus Life" section features a school map and guide information on various infrastructure facilities. Users can even view the current usage, visitor flow, and reservation information for the gymnasium, bathrooms, and cafeteria.

In addition, there is a running check-in function that terrifies students.

The daily goal is even an insane five kilometers, seven days a week, rain or shine.

Is this even a runner can complete?

Song Rushuang's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. She turned it off once and then on again, but the numbers on it remained unchanged.

Her vision went black, and in a daze, she clicked on the last option, "Forum".

Perhaps to help them relax their eyes after seeing the gory scenes, the forum's color scheme was a rather refreshing light green, and several new posts had already appeared on the homepage.

What's going on with this school?

[I glanced at it, and the forum allows anonymity. Let's all calm down and discuss this. Is anyone thinking of dropping out?]

Do you think the doomsday prophecies are real or fake?

[Am I the only one who noticed the principal's sarcastic remark during his speech? What do you mean by bad luck? I just had bad luck; I turned a corner and bumped into a zombie, and it bit me! So what!]

[You guys are having such a lively chat, but I got infected without even seeing a zombie... I thought I'd been bitten by a dog. How come I woke up to find humanity on the verge of extinction? I'm totally confused.]

[I woke up while I was hugging and kissing my roommate, and now we can't face each other, help!]

...

The most eye-catching post was undoubtedly the last one. Song Rushuang had to suppress her primal urge to gossip before clicking on the post for rational discussion.

The most urgent task is to gather everyone's opinions and conduct a comprehensive analysis, since the deadline for withdrawal applications is only 9 p.m.

This is a major event concerning the future.

Main post: [After returning to my dorm, I've been pondering how to use my watch. I stumbled upon this forum, so I thought I'd start a thread. Everyone, please share your thoughts; my mind is a complete mess.]

1L: [Squatting.]

2L: [Speaking only for myself, I'm not backing down. Senior year of high school was just too damn torturous. Going back to repeat it would be better to fight zombies; at least then I could die a quick death.]

4L: [I won't quit either. In my parents' eyes, not going to school is a capital offense. It doesn't matter what major you study, as long as you can go to school, that's fine. So I guess fighting zombies and studying medicine are no different in their eyes (tired smile.jpg). If the apocalypse doesn't come, then it's like practicing how to fight against medical monsters in advance—but if I dare to drop out? I'll just be waiting to die when I go back.]

5L: [Besides, who would believe this reason for dropping out? It just adds another reason for me to get beaten up...]

6L replied to 2L: [You must have never been bitten by a zombie, or you mutated right after being bitten. The feeling of being surrounded by a horde of zombies is terrifying. I still haven't recovered, and I never want to experience that feeling again in my life.]

7L replied to 6L: [Sigh, if you put it that way, I'm lucky I died early, I didn't feel anything, but my roommate seems to be traumatized, she's been crying ever since we came back from the auditorium.]

9L: [I've already packed my things and am getting ready to go home]

...

13L: [Can we please stop trivializing matters of life and death? Are the people in the front row being too relaxed? You think that staying in school means you don't have to face the pressure from your family, but have you thought about what you will have to go through in the future?]

Your parents at least love you, but the school, without hesitation, dragged us into this so-called drill. What happened today is utterly inhumane!

14L: [+1]

15L (Original Poster): [Just a reminder, the watches were issued by the school, and the principal can definitely see the IP address of the person who posted this on the backend. Even if we're discussing anonymously, we need to be careful with our words. I'm a little scared QAQ]

...

13L's words were intense, clearly indicating that he had not yet recovered from the fear of being attacked by zombies, and his remarks garnered considerable approval.

But then, opponents jumped out.

...

18L replied to 13L: [That's ridiculous. Do you think zombies talk to you about humanity? If the apocalypse is real, what happens to you today could happen to your "loving parents" next year. Running away won't solve anything.]

20L: [Isn't the key issue whether the apocalypse is real or not? Why do you all believe whatever she says?]

21L: [Agreed, this is all absurd, I'm dumbfounded. How can your discussion be based on the premise of "accepting the end of the world"? Doesn't anyone think there's a problem?]

Putting aside the question of how someone who looks about our age could become a principal, let's also ask why no one questions how she knew about the zombie virus! Since it happened in the future, how could she accurately predict it, and even describe the details clearly and completely, as if she had experienced it herself?

Furthermore, this entire exercise, including this tactical watch, involves high-tech equipment we've never encountered before—even now, when I'm typing and browsing forums using the holographic projection, it feels unreal. Has the world secretly evolved? How come I didn't receive any notification?!

23L: [This is terrifying to think about. I don't even remember how I applied to this school. My dream has always been C University.]

26L: [Doesn't this just prove that the principal's words are credible... (lights a cigarette.jpg)]

28L: [Yeah, what's the point of using such groundbreaking technology to fool a bunch of college students? There are so many developed companies in the High-tech Zone, wouldn't it be better to swindle and cheat there? Precisely because all of this is so bizarre and can't be explained by common sense, I'm more inclined to believe it's true.]

32L: [Even if I didn't believe it at first, after experiencing it firsthand, I had no choice but to believe it.]

34L: [Case solved! I was the chosen one all along!]

38L: [To be honest, I've had this feeling since I was three years old.]

...

When Song Rushuang saw this, the corner of her mouth twitched.

She couldn't help but think that if the forum participants were from a different group, such as square-dancing aunties or mahjong parlor elders, who knows how much more chaotic it would get, and maybe a few would even faint from fright.

But if we replace it with a group of college students who are immersed in online novels, anime, and games every day and whose adolescent delusions haven't been cured, it would seem perfectly reasonable for them to quickly accept all of this and become lively and energetic again.

The person on the 34th floor is right, they are the chosen ones!