Chapter 29 Monthly Exam
After the publicity team of five members was officially formed, they did not rush to create Sun Wei's account.
Because they have more important things to do this week.
—The monthly exam is coming up.
Because there was a task to get at least 800 students to achieve a B rating within 30 days, Fuqing issued a notice to all students at the beginning of the third week, reminding everyone of the assessment that would take place at the end of the month.
This assessment still uses the "full simulation" props, but the back-to-school discount is gone, and the price in the store has increased, making Fu Qing very distressed about the purchase.
The full-length simulation (one hour) was previously discounted to 30 teaching points, and the original price was 50 teaching points.
The price of the full-fledged simulation props varies depending on the duration, with the longest duration being twelve hours. A twelve-hour version costs 200 teaching points. Fu Qing purchased the three-hour version, spending 100 teaching points, reducing his savings to 450 points.
If the students successfully complete the mission, the reward will be a shelter that can temporarily accommodate hundreds of people.
However, if the target is not met, these 100 points are essentially wasted.
Therefore, Fu Qing specially suspended all physical education classes on the day of the monthly exam, allowing the students to rest fully and recharge before asking them to assemble in the auditorium in the afternoon.
...
On the day of the monthly exam, at 4:50 PM.
Having learned a terrible lesson from cleaning the cafeteria last time, no one dared to be late this time. Everyone arrived ten minutes early and watched as Fu Qing walked onto the podium on time.
The principal glanced at the audience, seemingly quite satisfied with their obedience. He adjusted the microphone height and then said, "The exam will begin in ten minutes. I will briefly explain the rules."
He still maintains his usual style of getting straight to the point.
But this time, with the understanding they had built up over the past month, everyone was no longer confused. Instead, they quickly got into a listening state, afraid of missing any details.
On the youthful faces of those who have just come of age or are not yet adults, there is a seriousness and earnestness that does not belong to their age.
His eyebrows were lowered and his expression was focused, so much so that Fu Qing barely noticed him pausing for a moment.
A month later, the changes that have taken place in these two thousand people are hard for anyone to ignore.
Especially from her position.
The marks of sun exposure, the noticeably rougher skin compared to before, the gradually tightening lines of the waist, abdomen, hips and legs, and the long hair that many girls have cut off.
Shedding her youthful naiveté, she still retains a passionate and sincere expression.
Standing in the same spot, at the same angle, facing the same group of people, everything that changes and remains unchanged over time is extremely clear to Fu Qing.
Like tender shoots emerging from the sun, their impact on the earth is negligible, yet they represent a vibrant life force breaking through the soil.
It fills all who see it with anticipation for its future.
Fu Qing quickly came to her senses and gently smiled.
"The exam will begin at 5:00 PM and last for three hours, ending at 8:00 PM. It will cover the entire campus."
"During the exam, you will need to fight against 2,000 low-level zombies."
"Each zombie killed will earn you 1 point, with no upper limit. If you die or get infected by a zombie, your points will be reset to zero. If you survive for three hours, you will receive an additional 5 survival points."
"Climbing the exterior walls of school buildings is permitted during the exam, but a safety harness must be used. The harnesses are located throughout the campus and you can find them yourself during your escape. However, please note that the number of harnesses is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone who climbs in violation of the rules will have all points deducted and will be eliminated on the spot."
"In addition, supply packs that randomly spawn on campus contain different weapons—remember to consider your own strength before using them."
"Rankings will be announced after the exam, and a comprehensive evaluation will be conducted based on the results of the first two exams. The evaluation may affect future class placement results."
"The exam will begin in five minutes. Everyone present will be randomly teleported to different corners of the campus. Please be prepared."
"Well then, good luck to you."
After Fu Qing finished speaking, he stepped down from the stage, leaving the students in a brief silence before they began a frenzied discussion.
The principal's words sounded concise, but upon closer examination, they contained a great deal of information, and it's easy to miss the key points if you don't analyze them carefully.
Fu Qing hadn't revealed the exam format beforehand, so the students were completely clueless when they arrived at the assembly point. Therefore, they now only had five minutes to brainstorm.
Unlike last time, most students felt anticipation, not fear, at this moment.
This is one of the few ways they can earn points besides classes and morning exercises.
Moreover, there's no upper limit!
Some people diligently farmed for a month before starting to worry: "If I had known that points were so useful, and that the best way to earn points in school was to kill zombies during exams, I wouldn't have risked my life to get into the farming class. Now I'm really at a disadvantage."
Hearing this, the group of students who had endured a month of hardship in the practical training course suddenly felt a sense of triumph.
I've completely forgotten how desperately I wanted to choose the farming course in the first place.
However, some of the farmers were more rational and quickly began to analyze: "I heard that there were only 1,000 zombies last time. This time, with the map area remaining the same, the number has doubled to 2,000. The zombie density is much higher, and the assessment time has been extended from one hour to three hours. Just surviving is already very difficult."
"Don't forget, if you die halfway through, the points you've earned don't count. Those who actively kill zombies can easily mess things up," he said. "If we play it safe and survive, we can still emerge victorious."
"Didn't we learn from our very first farming class that there's more than one way to survive than fighting?" the boy said earnestly.
Everyone fell into deep thought. "That makes sense."
"Escaping is shameful, but it's useful."
"We may not be good at fighting, but we're good at running away! Physical education is a required course."
Not only were the students in the farming class encouraged, but those who were eager to try and show off their skills also calmed down after hearing this.
Yes, death points will be reset to zero.
After listening to the discussion for a while, Song Rushuang turned to her three roommates and said, "Both assessments emphasize that death will reset your points to zero. I suspect the principal did this on purpose."
In the real world, there are no second chances.
Once you die, it's all over.
Even during mock exams, she discourages students from acting rashly, fearing that it might become a bad habit.
Shen Qingqing said, "That's what I think too. Being cautious and valuing life are the keys to survival in the apocalypse."
She has always been a person who seeks stability, and she strongly agrees with this.
"We're running out of time. Can we talk about this later when we get back to the dorm?" Zhang Han said nervously. "Let's discuss some tactics, everyone. The principal just said that we'll be randomly teleported after the exam starts. What if I get teleported right in front of a zombie?"
She looked miserable: "I practiced for a month and I'm only good at digging. What am I going to do? Just turn around, dig a hole, and bury myself in it?"
Zhang Han has a clear self-positioning: she has always been a supportive, supportive role, afraid of being separated from the team.
The thought of being eaten by zombies was unbearable for her.
"No, the principal doesn't mince words. She specifically mentioned this to prepare us. I guess there's a way for us to teleport together, like holding hands?" Song Rushuang guessed based on her experience reading novels recently.
This was Sun Wei's first time participating, and she was injured. She was prepared to give up: "I'll just give up. Let me find a place to fend for myself. To be honest, I've never seen a zombie horde erupt before, and I'm a little scared."
Zhang Han patted her shoulder: "Then I'll go with you. I may not be good at much else, but I'm very strong. I can carry you up the tree without any problem. We can squat in the tree for the whole way—it's just that the weather in the mountains is too cold at the end of September, so it might be a bit chilly on our bottoms."
Without a second thought, Song Rushuang rejected her suggestion: "Many hands make light work, so let's not split up."
She could vaguely hear the discussions around her. After guessing that holding hands would prevent them from separating, her close classmates were basically forming their own teams.
Shen Qingqing shook her head: "Don't forget, Teacher Zhao said that low-level zombies have the characteristic of gathering in places with many people. If you have to choose between one person and three people, it will choose the latter one 100%. If there are two people and three people together, it also has about a 60% probability of choosing the side with three people."
"Therefore, the more people in a team, the more dangerous it is. According to Teacher Zhao, four people is already a number that is very likely to attract zombies."
Zhao Yunxiao had previously participated in zombie research within an official institution. Unlike Fu Qing, a wild survivor, his greater understanding of zombies stemmed from meticulous research rather than intuition or experience, and the figures he provided were more authoritative and accurate.
After a month of learning, the students have developed a basic awareness of considering tactics based on the characteristics of zombies.
After Shen Qingqing finished speaking, the four of them fell silent again.
what to do?
Just like last time, the bracelet on my wrist popped up a countdown page.
Only ten seconds left.
Without further conversation, Shen Qingqing had already made her choice—she grabbed Zhang Han's arm.
The latter was taken aback, then decisively grabbed Sun Wei's arm, while Sun Wei reached out to Song Rushuang.
Song Rushuang used her free hand to pick up the crutch that Sun Wei had forgotten.
Four pairs of hands linked the four girls together.
The countdown ended at that moment, the scenery before their eyes changed in a dazzling display, and the next second, they had disappeared from the auditorium.
*
Administration building.
Fu Qing came here directly after finishing his speech.
This is the floor where the teachers' offices are located. She opened one of the doors and saw a small conference room where the other four teachers had already gathered, leaving a middle seat for Fu Qing.
On the round table in the center of the room, there is a huge 3D projection of Fangzhou University displayed by the system. From the red and blue dots on it, you can see the students' encounters with zombies and the number of survivors.
This projector is also interactive, like a game live stream. The system will automatically capture the most intense parts of the battle, divide them into several small screens, and project them onto the screen.
If teachers are interested in any particular part, they can simply click on the corresponding area to bring up the relevant video, and can also rewind within a certain range to view what happened before.
Compared to the huge round table, these screens are inconspicuous, but they are clear enough for people to see clearly.
During the mock exams at the start of the school year, Fuqing used these features to identify and punish every student who violated the rules.
This was the first time the teachers had ever seen such high technology. Zhao Yunxiao and Bai Tang couldn't sit still and kept circling the table with great interest.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the blue dots teleported out of the auditorium and appeared in every corner of the campus.
Meanwhile, in the green areas of the campus, in various dark corners, clusters of red lights huddled together, so numerous they were almost indistinguishable from one another. They wriggled and slowly approached the students.
Bai Tang whistled: "It's starting!"
Zhao Yunxiao was deeply immersed in the role, and he was already muttering nervously to himself: "The final question, the final question, poke my eyes, poke my ears, the final question..."
Students, you need to do better!
Liu Yingchun was concerned about another issue: "Does that weapon pack contain hoes or sickles? My students are more comfortable using those; we can't discriminate based on their major..."
Hao Zhenye crossed his arms, glanced at the sky outside the window, and finally looked at Fu Qing's calm expression.
"It looks like it's going to be a tough battle..."
Zhao Yunxiao, who was next to him, didn't hear him clearly: "What did you say?"
"It's nothing," Hao Zhenye shook his head.
When the first blue dot of light met the red dot of light, he unconsciously stood up so that he could see it more clearly.
Fu Qing took in the reactions of everyone in the meeting room, chuckled softly, and opened his notebook.
*
The first thing Su Huaijin did after regaining his sight was to turn and look at Wen Yu beside him.
Su Huaijin breathed a sigh of relief when he found that she was still there.
Because they were worried that getting together would attract zombies, the girls in the dormitory decided from the beginning to split up into pairs. Fortunately, everyone's guess was right. As long as they held each other tightly before being randomly teleported, they were not separated.
Wen Yu saw her too, and her heart instantly relaxed: "Xiao Su, what do we do now?"
She could already vaguely hear the roars of zombies, and a chill ran down her spine.
Su Huaijin killed two zombies during the mock exam at the beginning of the semester by using his positioning skills, proving himself to be a true brainiac. Wen Yu had long ago decided to rely on her roommate as a powerful ally.
The two had divided the work before the exam: Su Huaijin was in charge of commanding from the rear, while Wen Yu was in charge of the front lines. The sisters worked together and the work was not tiring.
Su Huaijin was also listening intently to the sounds around him. He determined that there were no zombies nearby for the time being, and whispered, "Let's go find the weapons and toolkits provided by the principal. The principal said that the zombies that have spawned this time are all low-level zombies. Their joints are stiff and their movements are restricted, so they can't climb walls. If we can climb, it will be a big advantage."
Everyone found out during PE class that there were only one hundred safety harnesses in the entire school.
First come, first served. Whoever gets these 100 harnesses will basically have a guarantee of survival. Even if they can't defeat the zombies, they can just find a high place to hang from and survive until the end of the assessment, earning the 5 survival points.
"The school is so big, we can't just search aimlessly. Since the principal said so, I think there must be a clue hidden somewhere."
After Su Huaijin finished speaking, Wen Yu began to peek around curiously.
Sure enough, on the roof of the teaching building not far away, there was a blue marker floating in mid-air and flashing.
It's a small hammer icon.
Wen Yu quickly gestured for Su Huaijin to look in that direction: "That must mean weapons, right? Shall we go over there first?"
Don't let someone else take it from you!
"No rush," Su Huaijin shook his head. "Let's find the suspenders first."
The two kept quiet and, before any zombies could get close, they quickly searched. After a short while, they found a faint blue mountain pattern peeking out from behind a half-drawn curtain on the second floor of a building next door.
The mountain peak, corresponding to climbing, should mean the safety harness.
The curtains in that room were thick and blocked out the light; it was probably a home theater where you could watch holographic projections of zombies.
Su Huaijin's spirits lifted.
Wen Yu's mouth gaped open, and she exclaimed sincerely, "This is amazing... It feels like we're playing a large-scale holographic game."
"It should be a real-life battle royale, right?" Su Huaijin's smile flashed across his face, then suddenly froze.
She discovered that the earliest weapon icon had changed from blue to red at some point.
"Does this mean it was taken away?" Wen Yu guessed.
The next second, someone poked their head out from the rooftop, glanced down, and then hurriedly left, confirming the two men's suspicions.
Not daring to waste any more time, Su Huaijin pulled on the shoulder strap and said, "Come on, let's hurry up and get the straps."
*
"run!!!"
On the other side, the 1111 quartet realized something was seriously wrong almost as soon as they landed.
They unfortunately landed in an open area in front of the teaching building. At the same time, many other people were also spawning there, so when the zombies appeared, they were almost immediately attracted to the area.
When Sun Wei saw the horde of zombies for the first time, she didn't even have time to scream before she heard three experienced people shout in her ear at the same time, "Run!"
"No, how can I run away!"
A question mark appeared above her head. She swung her two crutches and hopped off at an unprecedented speed on one leg.
He swung his cane until it was practically smoking, but he still fell behind.
Sun Wei said weakly, "No, don't worry about me... I'm exhausted."
Seeing that Sun Wei was about to be caught by zombies, Song Ruyan, who had arrived earlier, felt that this was not good and pushed Zhang Han: "Help her inside."
He bent down, snatched Sun Wei's two crutches, and threw one to Shen Qingqing.
Sun Wei: "???"
Sun Wei: "I'm not dead yet, and they're already trying to steal my belongings right in front of me?"
The moment she uttered her complaint, she saw Song Rushuang grip her cane and, with all her might, strike at the zombie charging at the front.
The zombie was hit so hard that it staggered and fell to the ground. Shen Qingqing, who was behind it, suddenly realized what Song Rushuang meant. She stepped forward and stuck the end of her cane that was touching the ground into the eye socket of the fallen zombie, making a tacit finishing blow.
Her movements were precise and steady, killing with a single blow.
It's a pity that the bottom of the cane is blunt and not sharp enough, so there was some resistance when it was pushed in; otherwise, this kill would have been more efficient.
Song Rushuang examined her new weapon and was pleasantly surprised to find it sturdy and easy to use: "It's quite useful."
Sun Wei: "..."
Shen Qingqing forcefully pulled out the cane stuck in the zombie's head. The other end was covered in a mixture of red and white, which she disdainfully rubbed on the ground.
Sun Wei emitted a sharp, explosive sound.
*
Su Huaijin and Wen Yu tiptoed silently to the building where the safety harness was located, and were lucky enough not to encounter any zombies along the way.
Next, simply walk up the corner staircase to the second-floor media room to get the straps.
With victory in sight, the two quickened their pace. Just as they were about to reach the corner at the end of the corridor, a door near that corner suddenly opened.
A hand reached out from the crack in the door and tightly grabbed Su Huaijin's wrist, who was nearby!
Su Huaijin's hair stood on end. He tried to break free but failed. He turned around and delivered a knee strike, feeling the strength in his hand instantly loosen.
The other person nimbly jumped back a step, looking at Su Huaijin's knee that was almost touching him, his face full of horror: "You hit too hard!"
Su Huaijin looked closely and saw a tall boy with wheat-colored skin.
I don't know him.
She was on guard.
"Qin Yufei?" Wen Yu peeked out from behind Su Huaijin, recognized him as an acquaintance, and introduced him to her roommate, "I was assigned to the same practical class as him, we all know each other, don't be nervous, this is my roommate Xiao Su, Su Huaijin."
After we finished introducing ourselves, she asked again, "Why did you stop us?"
"Come in first." Qin Yufei beckoned them into the room, then closed the door before saying, "You want to go upstairs to get the baby carriers, right? There are a lot of zombies up there, I advise you not to go."
"You've already gone to see it?" Su Huaijin asked.
Qin Yufei scratched his head: "Yeah, I was going to get it too, but someone beat me to it. I had just gone up the stairs when he had already opened the door to the media room. I didn't expect..."
Unexpectedly, there were zombies hiding inside. They had been crouching by the door when they heard the boy making noise, and just in time to deliver a surprise attack to the unsuspecting boy.
A month of training might make him less afraid of zombies, but the fear of being killed in the face is an instinct ingrained in his bones; otherwise, this old-fashioned horror movie trope wouldn't be so enduring.
The boy screamed in terror, instantly activating all the zombies in the stairwell. Seeing the situation was bad, Qin Yufei quickly ran downstairs and hid.
As soon as I closed the door, I heard a boy running past in front of it, howling like a ghost, followed by a rumbling zombie train.
"Judging from the noise, I estimate he's attracted half the zombies in the building," Qin Yufei said.
Su Huaijin: "..."
Wen Yu: "..."
The two observed a moment of silence for the unfortunate man. Su Huaijin then asked, "But if he had already left the first floor with the zombies and died outside, wouldn't that give us a perfect opportunity to go upstairs and get the suspenders?"
Since Qin Yufei said he heard the boy pass by the door, doesn't that mean the second floor is already empty? Why did they still stop them?
Su Huaijin was a little confused.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yufei glanced at her strangely: "Who said he's dead? He's still alive."
Su Huaijin: "???"
Qin Yufei glanced at the time on his bracelet: "It's about time."
He made a shushing gesture, and the three of them held their breath, finally hearing a sound that grew louder as it approached: "Ahhhhhh—"
The scream passed by their doorway and gradually subsided, followed by a series of powerful footsteps.
Hearing this, he looked shocked: "Just how many zombies did he attract?"
Su Huaijin was equally shocked: "How could he still be alive after attracting so many zombies?"
Qin Yufei shrugged and answered both of their questions at the same time: "I don't know, maybe it's because he can run faster than a low-level zombie."
"I've been in this building for almost ten minutes, and he's passed by the door three times. I can't figure out a pattern in the timing; it seems to be randomly refreshed."
Su Huaijin and Wen Yu were both puzzled: This thing can refresh randomly?
After thinking about it for a moment, they understood.
After the boy yelled at the beginning, he attracted the zombies on that floor and had no choice but to run for his life. However, because there was already a string of "people" following behind, the noise was too loud, so in the process of running for his life, he attracted all the zombies on the way.
The low-speed zombies were not fast enough to catch him immediately, but not so slow that he could easily shake them off with a burst of speed. So the boy had no choice but to keep running until all the zombies in the building were attracted to him.
As for why he didn't open the door and find a room to hide in, he was probably terrified by the initial zombie attack and was afraid that another zombie would jump out of the room, attacking him from both sides and killing him instantly.
The same reason they didn't leave the building was that they had already run around it several times, which at least proved that it was safe. Going out rashly might attract new zombies.
"That's how it is," Qin Yufei said, shrugging.
During the explanation, the boy passed by again, and his wailing echoed throughout the entire building, lingering for three days.
"He didn't actually shout at first, but after seeing so many zombies, he realized that keeping quiet was useless and just let loose." Qin Yufei waited for him to pass before continuing, "With so many zombies, I didn't dare to save him, afraid that the zombies behind him wouldn't be able to stop and would just break down the door."
The three fell silent, realizing that some people, though seemingly alive, were actually already dead.
However, the fact that this boy could run up and down the stairs for so long shows that the grueling training in physical education class was effective.
"Then what do we do? We can't exactly ask him to lure the zombies away so we can get the harnesses, can we?" Wen Yu felt that was rather unethical.
If they go without discussing it first, what if the guy happens to be spawned right at the entrance? Wouldn't they be doomed too?
Su Huaijin said, "If we take the slings, we can find a way to rescue him, and he should agree."
The question is, how do we save them?
As the boy passed by the door again, Qin Yufei judged from his weak shouts, "He's about to die."
Wen Yu said, "...I don't know how to put it, but I think if he hadn't yelled those few times, he could have saved more energy."
Qin Yufei asked, "Should we save her or not?"
Su Huaijin finally made up his mind and looked up from his deep thought: "Save him."
Wen Yu and Qin Yufei turned to look at her together.
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