Chapter 125 Virtual and Real
With about five hours left until 2:30 pm, time was running out, and everyone was busy making preparations.
In the conference room.
Bai Xianglei printed out an enlarged map of the entire city and marked all the meeting points with special emphasis.
Before Zhou Lingxi could even look down at the map on the tablet, Song Rushuang, a local resident, had already stepped forward and marked the main population areas, densely populated residential areas, main roads with high pedestrian traffic, and intersections near the meeting point with different colored pens.
“The main force that is withdrawing should have mainly emerged from and passed through these places, and the core guards are also stationed in these areas, right?” Song Rushuang knew that Zhou Lingxi was going to introduce the location of the sentry posts.
But she was from the capital and unfamiliar with the terrain of S City; following the markings would be too slow.
Zhou Lingxi compared the map in her hand with the map in surprise: "...Wow, that's amazing, it matches almost everything."
Song Rushuang modestly replied, "No, no, I'm just more familiar with S City."
"but……"
Zhou Lingxi reached out to take back the marker, but the marker in Song Ru's hands suddenly switched hands.
Fu Qing, who was leaning against the conference table with his arms crossed, observing the map, stepped forward and quickly circled the shopping malls and supermarkets near the main roads.
I also marked a few office buildings in the CBD.
“These places, although not residential areas, still have a large population. Shopping malls and supermarkets, in particular, have a large area, lack hiding places, and have a large flow of people on weekends, making them easy to overrun. However, the exits are small and the internal terrain is complex, making it easy for zombies to get trapped.”
She added that she hadn't forgotten the scene where, during the apocalypse, she ran into a secluded supermarket and was suddenly met with a horde of zombies hiding inside, all turning their heads to look at her.
One meeting is enough to be remembered for a lifetime.
"If they sense a large crowd passing by outside, these zombies are likely to spontaneously gather and be attracted to the exit."
As for those office buildings, most of them are regional headquarters of large companies in S City. Fu Qing didn't even need to explain; everyone already understood.
Needless to say, this is a place notorious for overtime work.
The virus outbreak occurred over the weekend, around August 20th, a time when most primary and secondary schools had not yet reopened, and a small number of high schools that had already reopened were also included in the priority list. The first batch of teachers and students trapped inside were rescued.
Universities typically start their semester later; for example, not many universities, like Song Xiang's cousin's, start their semester so early.
Therefore, after rescuing these unfortunate children of the motherland, the rescue efforts were transferred to other places.
Those overtime workers who are scattered across various units due to insufficient concentration are not ignored, but their priority is reduced to the lowest level.
But in reality, these landmark office buildings are often built to tower into the clouds, with super high-rises of forty or fifty stories, huge populations, and complex personnel mobility. Including cleaning staff, visitors, and property management, it is unknown how many zombies they may house.
"..." They silently mourned for two seconds in their hearts for those corporate slaves who sweated and bled.
Even Zhou Lingxi, Bai Xianglei, and the others fell silent for a moment.
Zhou Lingxi said dryly, "That's right. Including these locations, these are basically the key locations for setting up sentry posts. There's nothing missing."
Clearing out the zombies inside the office building is also a big problem. The only solution is to place guards outside to prevent the zombie horde from surging out and crashing into people passing by.
If any trapped individuals escape, they can receive timely assistance.
Those trapped outside, lacking supplies and water, or migrant workers without fixed residences, were the first group of people the shelters were to accept.
For many residents who have stored up food at home, having electricity and water at home, even if not enough, is still better than sleeping in a dormitory in a shelter and squeezing into a toilet with everyone else.
These people, upon learning that the shelters were open, would only feel that they had another way out, but would not set off immediately.
Going out means taking risks, and even if those risks have been minimized, few people will take the risk unless they have no other choice.
Moreover, subsequent broadcasts clearly stated that the primary purpose of the first batch of emergency shelters was to provide a safe place to live and basic food and survival guarantees for displaced people. They were basically converted from large public buildings, so it's easy to imagine that the living conditions inside were not very good.
I'm afraid all I can guarantee is food and a place to sleep.
More shelters are still under construction. These shelters are of completely different levels. Referring to the Fangzhou model, they will be more like a self-sufficient "mini city" that integrates living, production and defense—possessing a higher level of defense, independent power plants, water recycling systems and waste disposal systems, etc.
Their construction will take longer, but once completed, they will be far safer and more comfortable than emergency shelters.
After weighing the options, many residents will likely choose to continue waiting.
The discussion continued, time was of the essence, and there were too many factors to consider. Several people in the meeting room took turns stepping forward to express their opinions.
At 11:00 a.m., the meeting ended, and Bai Xianglei and his entourage left in a hurry. Fu Qing then sent a notice to the students on campus who were already prepared to go to the cafeteria for lunch.
After lunch and a short rest, at noon, the bus sent by Tian Xuejun will escort them to the stadium where Xue Ran and his team are training, where they will meet with their respective teammates.
After a brief period of adjustment and tactical discussion within their respective teams, they must set off again without any delays.
As everyone left the room and dispersed, Fu Qing was on her way to the cafeteria when she bumped into an unexpected guest.
Liu Yingchun, Grandma Liu.
She seemed to have been waiting in the corridor for a while, responding to the greetings of the passing students with a kind and gentle smile, and then she saw Fu Qing and quickly went to greet her.
"After you finish eating, are you going to leave...?"
Along the way from the dormitory to the administration building, the students passing by were all in a hurry, and everyone was in a state of combat readiness.
"Yes." Fu Qing stopped in her tracks. "What's wrong?"
She noticed that Grandma Liu seemed hesitant, as if she was thinking about something.
Grandma Liu hesitated as expected: "Could you spare me ten minutes before we leave?"
Fu Qing was a little surprised; this seemed to be the first time Grandma Liu had made a request to her outside of the curriculum.
She patiently asked, "Yes, but what are you planning to do?"
"It's what you said before..."
*
After lunch, with about half an hour left before departure, some students went back to their dormitories to pack, while others simply strolled around the playground in twos and threes to digest their food.
They were used to fighting, but this was the first time they had faced devout believers since the apocalypse, and amidst their excitement, they were inevitably nervous.
The atmosphere on the playground was much more serious than usual.
The parents also sensed the unusual atmosphere, and upon learning that their children were going out, some became even more anxious than the parents, with some even getting teary-eyed: "They can't not go!"
"Will there be any danger?"
“What will your father and I do if anything happens to you?” A mother held her daughter’s hand tightly, refusing to let go. “Actually, staying in this shelter is quite nice. Why do you have to go out…”
The girl knew that her mother had never gone out since the apocalypse and was unaware of the situation outside. She suddenly reflected on whether she had protected her parents too well.
She patiently explained, "The safety of this shelter is also thanks to the people who patrol outside and clear out the zombies every day."
Her mother fell silent, but she still held onto her hand tightly, using even more force.
It was as if she was afraid that if she let go of her hand, her daughter would disappear.
The girl felt a pang of sadness, but she grasped her mother's hand and said in a normal tone, "There's still time, let me accompany you for one more walk."
On the playground, there were countless other families in the same situation, all with parents worried and students trying their best to comfort them.
As noon approached and the sun shone brightly, they strolled along, feeling the intense sunlight overhead. After a moment of disorientation, the scene before them suddenly changed.
They stepped into a bustling crowd.
This is a park located in the bustling city center, with lush green trees. From the park fence not far away, you can see the city's traffic.
Cars honked their horns, vendors hawked their wares along the street, construction crews hummed as they chiseled away at the road, and the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly as the subway passed by. The city noises that used to seem so irritating now sounded strangely comforting.
Fangzhou is great in every way, except that it's too quiet by the mountains.
Inside the park, couples pushing strollers strolled along, elderly people in exercise clothes slowly practiced Tai Chi, couples sat hand in hand on a bench with sweet and shy expressions, and two or three children ran past, making a series of laughs.
A cotton candy vendor stood beside a bush, the colorful cotton candies emitting a sweet aroma. A string of balloons was tied to the handlebars of his bicycle, swaying closely together in the wind, their bright and vivid colors catching the eye.
Light and shadow, sound, color, smell, touch.
Their senses were activated, and at that moment, they felt as if they were truly in a familiar park.
Everyone walking on the playground stared wide-eyed at everything around them.
People in the teaching building and dormitories ran out at the sound, staring incredulously at the scene before them.
The parents thought they were dreaming.
The students, however, reacted first: "This is... a holographic simulation of the principal?"
There was no prior notice, and it didn't seem to be an exam question. The scene before me was unlike anything I had ever seen in a full-fledged simulation before.
There is no danger here, no zombies that attack people, and passersby will give them friendly smiles when they see them standing there blankly.
Sunlight filters through the treetops, a gentle breeze carries the fragrance of trees, everything feels so real.
It realistically recreates a corner of the city before the apocalypse.
People went from shock to nostalgia, and then to sadness.
They slowed their pace, even their breathing became soft, as if everything were a soap bubble that would burst at the slightest touch. They only dared to sketch it inch by inch with their eyes, firmly remembering everything before them in their hearts.
When the simulation ends, all of this will vanish.
People have never been so clearly aware that these ordinary daily routines, which they once took for granted because they were part of them, are now so far removed from them.
So far away, the first thing that rises in my heart when I find myself in that place again is nostalgia.
Only things that are gone are truly missed.
The family strolled silently from the edge of the park to the center. The fountain in the square rose, casting a rainbow in the sunlight, which excited the children watching. They clapped their hands and jumped around, making the onlookers laugh.
The girl's mother remained silent for a moment before releasing her daughter's hand.
"Mom?" The girl turned around in surprise.
Her mother's voice was hoarse, but she tried her best to speak in a normal tone: "It's almost time, you can go now."
The girl snapped out of her daze, hugged her tightly, and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
The full-scale simulation lasted only a short time; in no time, the scene before my eyes gradually blurred, and the noise in my ears slowly faded away.
However, the people in the scene are oblivious, and it seems that only they, the audience, have been detached from reality.
Some people instinctively reached out their hands, wanting to stop them, but the next second, they were already standing on the playground again.
People felt a great sense of loss amidst their confusion.
"It's such a pity, I wish I could have seen more," the girl's mother said dejectedly.
The girl suddenly spoke up: "It's okay, Mom, these are all fake."
“But…” The mother opened her mouth, meeting her daughter’s bright eyes.
“What’s the point of a fake one? I’ll get you the real one.” She said with a grin, “Then we’ll go to the park every day until you start complaining about the old folks dancing and doing tai chi, about the cotton candy vendors selling being dusty and unhygienic, and about the kids getting your skirt dirty while playing in the water—okay?”
The mother stared at her daughter in surprise. After a long while, she lowered her eyes to hide the complex emotions in them, and then burst out laughing.
"Okay, of course that's great."
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