Chapter 89 Campus Closure

The viewers in the live stream were full of question marks.

[Are you alright? I think I just heard a really loud noise.]

[Did YuYu get into a car accident?]

[Host, please let me know you're safe! That was terrifying!]

Soon, a slender hand reached in front of the camera, picked up the phone that had fallen to the ground, adjusted it a couple of times, and then Sun Wei's face, wearing a mask, appeared on the screen.

She quickly said, "I'm fine, everyone don't worry, I'll go check on the situation," and after reassuring everyone, she turned off the microphone. However, in her haste, she forgot to turn off the camera, and after a series of shakes and bumps, the phone seemed to have been put into her pocket.

Knowing that Sun Wei was not injured, Su Huaijin and the other viewers who were following her breathed a sigh of relief, and the topic in the live broadcast room had already gone too far astray.

Most viewers focused on the live stream didn't notice the news and were unaware of the dramatic changes happening outside. However, almost everyone was discussing it, and soon, comments in the live stream brought the news into the chat, saying that things were in complete chaos outside.

Someone joked: "[It feels like the end of the world has really come; even zombies are out.]"

[Wow, TaoTao has become a prophet this time. Doesn't this deserve a trending topic?]

[Let's not joke around anymore, the situation outside is really serious. You can check it out on Weibo.]

I'm feeling a little uneasy...

...

After Sun Wei muted her microphone, Song Rushuang immediately put down her phone and used her student wristband to make a call to her.

Sun Wei responded quickly, explaining the situation in just a few words.

She had just exited the highway and was speeding towards the school when, while waiting at a traffic light on a main road, a multi-vehicle collision occurred, completely blocking her truck in the middle of traffic.

This time it wasn't that she was unlucky enough to be involved in a car accident. It was already past 2:30, so the rear-end collision was most likely caused by someone mutating and losing consciousness, or by a passenger attacking the driver, causing the vehicle to go out of control.

"Just three kilometers away..." Sun Wei watched helplessly as the nearby roads on the navigation system changed from clear green to a deep red after the update.

And the red color continues to spread, radiating outwards. Countless people will be trapped and die in the traffic, like prey caught in this scarlet spiderweb, attacked before they even have a chance to abandon their vehicles and escape.

Thinking of this, Sun Wei cursed under her breath.

She had set off as early as possible, and despite all her calculations, she hadn't anticipated such a serious accident that would keep her stuck in traffic for almost four hours.

The journey, which originally took more than three hours, was doubled, so much so that I hadn't arrived at school by 2:30 pm.

Song Rushuang knew that she was carrying a truckload of goods and that her parents were also in the truck, so she couldn't just abandon the truck and leave. So she immediately said, "Let's share the location, I'll come pick you up."

Sun Wei responded, hung up the call, and enabled file sharing.

The location sharing of the wristband is more accurate than that of the mobile phone, with an error limited to within one meter, so that there will be no situation where two people have their location services turned on and are wandering around a street corner but still can't find each other.

Song Rushou's wristwatches projected a map of the area around the school, with Sun Wei's location indicated by a dot with her small portrait on it.

Song Rushuang suddenly stood up.

Xu Mingyu and the others were still nervously scrolling through their phones, and the constant stream of new messages sent chills down their spines.

If you look closely, you'll see that each post describes an event that occurred in a different location and has a different number of injuries and deaths. Unlike those heinous incidents where dozens of posts across the country discuss the same event, this time, countless shocking cases are happening simultaneously across the country and even around the world.

It makes you feel that the event is not happening in some distant, unknown place, but is actually happening right next to you, and that you and those around you could be caught up in the crisis at any time.

It's a completely different feeling from watching the excitement from across the internet.

...What on earth is going on?

Under extreme tension and anxiety, Xu Mingyu's nerves became extremely sensitive. As soon as Song Rushuang stood up, she looked up abruptly like a frightened bird and grabbed her daughter's wrist: "Where are you going?"

Song Rushuang paused for a moment, then waved her phone: "My classmate is also returning to school today. She encountered a multi-vehicle collision on the way. It's not far from here. I'll go see if anyone needs help."

"There's a whole family in their car, I hope nothing bad happens."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingyu hesitated and loosened her grip, but still said, "What can a child like you do to help? If it really doesn't work, we can go and take a look together."

“Yeah, I’ll go too,” Zhang Feng chimed in. “With a few more adults going, they can lend a hand. If we need to go to the hospital, your kids won’t know how to handle it.”

Song Jianguo and Liu Zhen nodded in agreement.

Song Rushuang and Zhang Han were quite exasperated by the constant use of the term "child."

But it's also clear that the parents were frightened by the news and didn't dare let the two out of their sight.

While hesitating, Fu Qing's voice suddenly came over the cafeteria's loudspeaker.

"Hello everyone, I am Fu Qing, the president of Fangzhou University. I am now broadcasting an emergency notice. We have received instructions from higher authorities that unexplained attacks have suddenly occurred in multiple locations across China, resulting in numerous casualties. As a special location, the university will temporarily suspend the entry and exit of visitors other than returning students and their accompanying persons to ensure the safety of students."

"Those who have already entered the school and need to leave the school must submit an application to the school and obtain approval before they can enter or leave."

"There are vacant dormitories on campus for visitors to rest temporarily. The canteen is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The situation outside is still unclear, so please be patient and stay on campus while we wait."

"Further policy changes will continue to be announced via broadcast. Thank you for your cooperation."

Perhaps because there are many parents at the school now, Fu Qing rarely speaks in an official tone, and even added a "thank you for your cooperation" at the end.

Normally, the only job I get is cleaning the cafeteria if I dare not cooperate.

The students found it very strange, but dared not show anything unusual in front of their parents, for fear of being asked how unreliable their principal usually was.

The principal didn't mention the "virus" in her statement, presumably because everyone has a mobile phone, and checking for viruses would be easy. In contrast, she delivered the lie about "orders from superiors," a lie with a higher threshold for verification, much more smoothly.

The fact that it was broadcast by the principal himself instantly convinced most of the parents.

Many people thought they were just dropping off their children when they left home today, but they didn't expect to get stuck like this. Judging from what Fu Qing said, it seems that it is uncertain how long they will have to stay on campus, which has made many people a little panicked.

"I have to go to work on Monday, and they haven't said how long I can stay here. What if I miss work?"

"I bought a plane ticket to leave tonight, but I'm suddenly stuck here. Will the school and the government reimburse me for the ticket refund?"

"I didn't bring any change of clothes, toothbrush, or toothpaste..."

"That's right, how can we not change clothes in the summer? How long are we going to stay here? Can you give us a definite answer?"

Seeing the parents getting anxious and frustrated, and some even encouraging everyone to go and ask the school leaders for clarification, the students who were prepared stepped forward one after another.

“At a time like this, we definitely can’t take airplanes or high-speed trains! Didn’t you see that video of people fighting in the subway? In such a confined space, if something happens, there’s no way to escape.”

"Is life more important or money? What if I lose my life for work!"

"That's right, Mom. Think about it, maybe the news just means things are really chaotic outside, and even the government can't figure out the situation. People in our classmates' group are saying they've encountered group fights on the street while shopping. We're at school, and we know everyone around us. At least we can be sure of our safety. So let's not be dissatisfied."

"We've stocked up on a lot of toiletries in our dorm bathroom. Come back with me in a bit, and I'll get them for you."

"And underwear, I have some disposable ones for travel, you can wear mine for pajamas too. I've also prepared some for men."

"..." After the last girl finished speaking bluntly, she suddenly realized something was wrong, and a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead.

It's too late to back down.

Her father immediately raised his voice: "You've prepared something for the men too??"

"Hao Ling, tell me the truth, why are you keeping men's underwear in the dorm?!"

Her mother suddenly stood up and began to spin around in her habitual motions—looking for a handy weapon to beat the child.

Hao Ling: "..."

Oh my god!

She moved among the tables and chairs in the cafeteria, her weak and feeble attempts to explain herself: "Mom, would you believe me if I said I prepared this for Dad?"

"I really prepared this for my dad!!"

The students watching: "..."

It's clearly the truth, but it sounds suspicious no matter how you look at it.

This farce allowed Hao Ling's parents to temporarily forget their predicament of being trapped at school and the chaotic situation outside, and they focused on beating their child—but for some reason, the child was slippery today and not easy to beat.

The crowd concluded from observing that the doomsday scenario should not be told to their parents yet.

Otherwise, parents might just think they've gone crazy from reading novels, which not only fails to persuade parents to cooperate but could also have the opposite effect.

We can only get them to accept it gradually.

Ideally, parents should be made aware of the severity of the situation themselves.

The students couldn't help but recall the timeline given by the principal. There should still be a few days before the official confirmation of the existence of the unknown virus. Before that, they might have to put on a show.

However, Song Rushuang couldn't wait any longer.

As soon as Fu Qing finished his broadcast, Xu Mingyu and the others turned pale. Liu Zhen asked uncertainly, "Could the car accident your roommate was in also be related to the chaos outside?"

"Who knows? We still don't know the cause of the chaos." Zhang Feng didn't dare to think about it too much. "Multiple places breaking out at the same time, could it be some kind of terrorist attack..."

He glanced at Zhang Han, his mind focused on ensuring his daughter's safety first: "How about this, your Uncle Song and I will drive out for a bit, you and Mom will wait at school, we'll definitely bring your classmate back safely."

Song Jianguo nodded repeatedly: "Yes, that's how we'll do it."

Zhang Han puffed out her cheeks, about to object, when Song Rushuang pulled her aside and turned to say, "Uncle, the school is keeping a close watch on things now. If our classmates need to go to the hospital later, they might not be able to get in if they go out alone without a student from our school accompanying them. Let us go with you."

Zhang Feng frowned upon hearing this.

Song Jianguo glanced at his daughter's expression and found that she seemed completely unfazed by the news and the school's announcement. Her calm demeanor made him feel that she was still hiding something.

Song Jianguo had been feeling for a long time that his daughter was hiding something from him.

I spoke with Xu Mingyu privately, and she shared the same feelings.

Especially recently, Song Rushuang has been staring blankly at the news more often. Even when she is with her parents, she is still as lively and cheerful as ever, but they can still occasionally read an expression of anxiety on her face.

It's both worrying and heartbreaking to watch.

Song Jianguo wanted to know what his daughter's secret was.

She also wanted to know if her parents could help her share some of the burden.

Song Rufang's words made sense, and Zhang Feng couldn't refute them, so he finally compromised: "Then let's all four of us go together."

He thought to himself that with him and Song Jianguo around, nothing should go wrong.

Liu Zhen was still worried: "Why don't I go too?"

"Don't send too many people. If something really happens, too many people will just be a burden." Zhang Feng shook his head, half-jokingly trying to ease his wife's tension. "Besides, we're not going to fight."

Hearing this, Xu Mingyu didn't dare to speak again, and her hand holding Song Rushuang trembled slightly.

Seeing her mother like this, Song Rushuang couldn't bear it and wanted to say a few more words of comfort, but Xu Mingyu suddenly let go.

"Go ahead."

She patted Song Rushuang on the shoulder and noticed that her daughter had grown taller than she remembered, and a mix of emotions welled up inside her.

"Remember to come back soon."

*

The four decided to drive the car Zhang Han rented.

To accommodate their luggage, she rented a seven-seater SUV. Considering the number of people, she figured that if Sun Wei's car broke down in an accident, she could pick up the three of them.

Of course, this calculation was made because Zhang Feng and Song Jianguo did not know that Sun Wei had actually brought a truckload of goods from afar.

Song Rushuang and Zhang Han had long ago made up their minds that even if it was just for that truckload of frozen meat, they would carry Sun Wei's truck back to school.

Before getting on the bus, Song Rushuang went to her own bus and took out an inconspicuous backpack.

Seeing this, Song Jianguo wanted to ask more, but Zhang Han cleverly changed the subject: "I know the roads near the school well, I'll drive."

After saying that, without waiting for the two fathers to react, he plopped down in the driver's seat first.

Song Rushuang followed closely behind and sat in the passenger seat next to her sister.

Both of them had their seatbelts fastened, but Zhang Feng and Song Jianguo were still confused—they clearly considered themselves the main force in helping, but how did things turn out that they seemed to have become mere accessories to their daughters?

Urged by driver Zhang Han, the two got into the car, but before they even left the garage, they encountered an unexpected person.

Fu Qing.

She was dressed all in black, with tactical gloves on her hands, and the contents of her shoulder bag were unclear.

Zhang Han screeched to a halt, then poked his head out of the driver's seat: "Principal?"

Fu Qing looked up and quickly guessed their purpose for going out: "Are you going to find Sun Wei?"

"How did you know?" Zhang Han was startled.

Song Rushuang realized that the publicity team was personally led by the principal, and this live broadcast must have been authorized by the principal as well, so she was probably keeping an eye on it.

They probably knew that Sun Wei had been in a car accident near the school.

Seeing that the principal was heading towards his car, an idea popped into her head, and she boldly asked, "Principal, are you going out? If it's on your way, would you like us to give you a ride?"

"It's on my way." Fu Qing didn't stand on ceremony with the two of them, opened the car door and jumped in, nodding to the two parents in the car in greeting.

Song Jianguo and Zhang Feng never expected to run into the principal on the way, and awkwardly greeted him.

With Fu Qing by their side, they didn't need to apply to the school leaders to leave campus, saving them a lot of time.

On the bus, Song Jianguo, relying on his previous encounter with Fu Qing, boldly asked about the situation: "Why were you suddenly left at school all of a sudden? What's going on outside?"

Zhang Han had already driven the car to the school gate. As the gate slowly opened, the street scene came into view.

Fu Qing, who was sitting by the window, glanced outside and then casually stepped aside, indicating that he could take a look himself.

Song Jianguo and Zhang Feng looked curiously out the window behind her.

After squinting for a while, I finally noticed an unidentified object curled up on the ground in the middle of the road, its shoulders twitching. Sensing the approaching vehicle, the thing suddenly raised its head alertly.

It turned out to be a person.

Judging from his appearance, he was probably a villager or a migrant worker from the neighborhood. His bare upper body was tanned dark, and his pants were tattered from being rubbed against the ground. Beneath him was a bloody, mangled mess, covered in so many wounds that it was impossible to identify its original form. The two could only guess from the remaining hair and broken claws that it was probably some kind of wild animal.

Mutants do not attack animals unless provoked, but their high level of aggression will be unleashed if attacked by an animal.

Because Fangzhou is located near mountains, animals often appear on the roads, so Fu Qing can understand what's going on at a glance.

But her expression was so calm that Song Jianguo and Zhang Feng were completely unprepared to witness this scene.

Looking a few more times in disbelief, I realized that the person was actually gnawing on the animal alive. The ground was covered in blood, bits of flesh, and severed limbs, all torn off by this person with their teeth.

They gasped in shock.

"That's how it is," Fu Qing said.