Chapter 3 The Exercise Begins
Song Rushuang blinked twice and squeezed out a heartfelt "Wow!"
Such high-end technology, and it's just been put so cleverly into a student watch?
She was being disrespectful; their school is the best!
It was worth it for her twelve years of hard work and struggle to get into this place—
Song Rushuang pressed the side button on her watch again, and the screen snapped back to normal.
She took a deep breath, as if she could smell the scent of freedom that every teacher from elementary, middle, and high school had described.
"Once you get to college, you can do whatever you want."
"Playing games, dating, reading novels, and watching TV series—nobody cares about you."
After enduring humiliation and hardship for twelve years, now is the time to turn those lies into reality.
Song Rushuang rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining, and dragged her heavy suitcase straight to dormitory building number one.
*
Fangzhou University has three dormitory buildings, numbered 1, 2, and 3, which are for female students, male students, and faculty. The bathrooms are located on the east side of dormitory building 1.
The school isn't big, and facilities like the courier point, restaurants, and shops are all in the same area; you can walk around it in ten minutes, which is quite convenient.
Song Rushuang quickly found her dormitory, where two of her roommates were already there in a four-person room. The girls greeted each other and quickly became close. After putting away their luggage, they agreed to go downstairs together to buy daily necessities such as water bottles, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.
On the way, the three, who were not yet familiar with each other, naturally steered the conversation to the school.
One minute I'm complaining that I'm living on the 11th floor of a 12-story dorm, and that it will be really inconvenient during peak hours when I need to use the elevator at 8 am. But the dorm number 1111 is pretty cool. The next minute I'm praying that the school cafeteria food will be better, otherwise I'll have to rely on online snacks to solve my meal problem...
Finally, the conversation turned to this special watch.
"You've already put it on? I haven't put it on yet."
The dormitory room had bunk beds with desks underneath. The girl in the bed next to Song Rushuang's was named Zhang Han. She had a pair of big, dark eyes that blinked brightly, as lively as a deer's. She tugged at Song Rushuang's wrist, examining the watch, and then showed off a brand-new digital watch on her own wrist.
"Look, this is a reward my parents gave me after the college entrance exam. I've only worn it for two months, and I can't bear to change it."
“But the school requires us to wear our watches on campus,” another girl whispered.
She slept on the bed diagonally opposite Song Rushuang. Her name was Shen Qingqing. She was gentle and delicate, with a very refined temperament.
"Maybe it'll be some new technology, like not needing a card to eat, get water, or shower in the cafeteria, just swiping your watch. Or maybe you'll be able to sign in for class with your watch, blah blah blah." Song Rushuang had watched a bunch of short videos before coming here and already had a preconceived notion of university life. Now, she let her imagination run wild, "It's better than downloading a bunch of random apps on my phone."
Zhang Han said nonchalantly, "It's okay, we'll talk about it when the time comes."
The three of them weren't familiar with each other yet, so Song Rushuang didn't want to persuade them any further.
To be honest, she actually thought the school's watch was much cooler than Zhang Han's latest model of a fruit-brand digital watch.
—3D projection and biometric detection—can most watches on the market do that? Song Rushuang changed the subject: "But did you guys see that after the watch is turned on, there's a page that shows points and the school's ranking?"
Shen Qingqing nodded immediately: "I saw it."
Then he frowned, "But why is it a ranking of the whole school? Shouldn't it be ranked by major?"
Song Rushuang was taken aback; she had overlooked this issue.
"And they didn't say what the points are for or how to get them." Shen Qingqing spoke softly, but her thoughts were clear. "They only said that the rankings would be refreshed after the first assessment, but they didn't say when the assessment would be or what it would be about. We can't have exams right at the start of the semester, it's not high school..."
A string of questions were asked, but none of them were answered.
Listening to the occasional chatter among passing classmates, it seemed they shared the same confusion.
After receiving the watch, Zhang Han only took a picture and posted it on her WeChat Moments, and then never touched it again. Now, completely confused, she asked, "What are you talking about? What assessment points and rankings..."
She hadn't shaken off the habits from high school, and she would get nervous at the mere mention of exams.
Before the words were finished, a "buzz" was heard above their heads.
The sudden, harsh buzzing sound silenced the noisy road for a moment as everyone looked up.
Several loudspeakers used for campus broadcasting were hanging on both sides of the road, hidden among the lush treetops. Two "bang" sounds came from them, as if someone had tapped the microphone and was about to speak.
Song Rushuang unconsciously held her breath.
Having finally tuned the speakers, the person on the radio made a breathy sound, like "eh," before speaking, appearing extremely relaxed, before proceeding slowly and deliberately.
[Hello everyone, this is the first campus broadcast. Welcome to Fangzhou University, and we wish you a happy start to the semester.]
After saying that sentence somewhat perfunctorily, she continued:
[As of 3:07 PM on August 25, 9999, all 2400 freshmen of Fangzhou University's Class of '9999 have completed registration, except for three students who requested leave early for various reasons and were unable to arrive on time.]
I'm so glad everyone followed the instructions in the notice and arrived at school on time, which made the arrangements for the upcoming activities much easier—trust me, soon you'll all be glad you weren't late today.
After all, the situation will be completely different after dark.
The freshmen failed to grasp the implied meaning in each other's words, and instead exchanged a subtle glance.
—Is he chatting with them?
—The new school's radio station has a rather unique style.
After the person on the radio finished speaking, there was a brief pause.
Song Rushuang's gaze was fixed on the leaves that trembled slightly under the breeze.
The sun hung high overhead, and a few white clouds floated low in the azure sky, with mountain peaks shrouded in thin mist faintly visible.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely in this seemingly meaningful pause.
But it only lasted for a short two seconds.
When he spoke again, the person still used that casual, unofficial tone.
[Therefore, I am pleased to announce that the first zombie horde simulation exercise is about to begin.]
The assessment will last for 1 hour.
[This assessment will affect class assignments. Death will result in zero points. All new students are advised to prepare themselves and strive to survive.]
[One-minute countdown begins now.]
The last word fell, giving them no time to process it, and then the loudspeaker went silent with a snap.
After a moment, an electronic voice announced: [55, 54, ...]
The freshmen gradually came back to their senses amidst the mechanical countdown.
Then, a heated discussion suddenly broke out.
"Who's speaking? Their voice is quite pleasant. Are they a senior student majoring in broadcasting?"
"What assessment? What affects the class placement results? Tell me this isn't real..."
"Oh no, an exam right away! Don't mess with me! You said no one would care if I skipped classes in college!"
"No way, how are we supposed to take the exam? Where's the exam room? Where's the exam number? They didn't give us any of that before saying the exam would start in a minute. Is this a prank?"
Seeing that everyone around them looked confused, and driven by herd mentality, they didn't panic much, but instead became curious.
Some people, always eager for excitement, find even the slightest change in their otherwise mundane lives thrilling. They stand in the queue, eyes gleaming, peeking out, hoping something big will happen once the countdown ends.
Zhang Han grabbed her roommate's arm: "Hey, what was that guy talking about, some kind of simulation exercise? I didn't understand... practical training?"
Shen Qingqing's lips moved slightly: "No, what I heard sounded like... a horde of zombies..."
"Huh?!" Zhang Han was startled.
Song Rushuang pursed her lips and remained silent, because she and Shen Qingqing had heard the same thing.
Just then, a faint tremor suddenly came from their wrists, close to their skin, barely noticeable to others, but it made Song Rushuang and Shen Qingqing, who were wearing watches, raise their hands almost as if they had been electrocuted.
The previously quiet, pure black watch now automatically turned on its projector, displaying a huge number.
30, 29, 28, 27...
The countdown timer is now integrated with the watch!
The expressions on their faces suddenly became somewhat strange.
Zhang Han was even more confused: "What's wrong with this watch?"
With the privacy screen activated, she couldn't see anything and was frantic with worry.
Because of the watch's reminder, about half of the students around fell silent, probably realizing that this was not a prank, and a sense of impending storm filled the air.
Even those who didn't take the so-called assessment seriously couldn't help but hold their breath, wanting to see what would happen when the countdown ended.
The electronic voice from the loudspeaker remained emotionless, dutifully counting down.
[3, 2, 1...]
[The assessment begins!]
A gust of wind blew by, and the leaves rustled and shook.
However, nothing happened.
A few seconds later, the first person to lose control suddenly relaxed his shoulders and burst into laughter, breaking the tense silence: "What the hell? There's nothing there at all!"
"Ugh, I was actually a little nervous."
"Which senior student is so bold as to pull this kind of prank on registration day? She's a role model for us all! I'm praying she doesn't get caught by the school..."
The atmosphere gradually relaxed, and as if to cover up the panic of the moment just now, everyone started joking with each other.
Song Rushuang, however, felt that something was amiss.
As far as the eye could see, the leaves on the highest branches were still swaying, startling a flock of birds into flight. They flapped their wings and cried out as they soared into the blue sky. Further up, the white clouds moved slowly forward, unhurriedly, carried by the stagnant air of late summer.
Is the wind... really that strong?
The shaking showed no signs of stopping; on the contrary, it became more intense until the crowd realized something was wrong and fell silent one by one.
They heard the sounds of clothes rubbing together and dead branches being broken underfoot.
Not a sound.
Instead, it was a series of sounds, one after another, rising and falling.
The girl standing by the roadside took a step back uneasily, and suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.
She thought it was her roommate putting her arm around her shoulder, and instinctively turned her head, only to be met with a bloodied and mangled face.
Half of it was rotten; the lower half of its face, gnawed away, was incomplete, and without the skin covering it, the muscles and meridians were clearly visible as it moved.
The girl could even see, through the dark red holes in her cheeks, the sharp teeth slowly opening towards her—
Her body stiffened, and she instinctively took a half step back, but accidentally stepped on a piece of rotten flesh.
With a sound like slow-motion splattering, it was instantly crushed into a bloody pulp.
"..."
The sticky, bursting sensation completely distorted her expression, instantly plunging her from a nightmare into a crueler reality.
"Aaaaaaahh ...
The screams that erupted from the crowd made Song Rushuang shrink her shoulders, and Zhang Han almost jumped up: "What's going on?!"
Her voice was hoarse, as if someone was choking her, and her already large eyes widened even more, almost terrifyingly.
Song Rushuang's heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head following Zhang Han's gaze—
Suddenly, a dense horde of zombies appeared out of nowhere. Their bluish-purple faces were covered in rotting flesh, and they stretched out their withered, sharp claws, howling as they staggered toward them.
The air was thick with a nauseating stench of decay, and more zombies continued to pour out from the woods, around the corner of the school building, and behind the bicycle shed, as dense as a tide, seemingly surrounding the students.
The students standing on the edge were caught off guard and were pounced on by one of the zombies, immediately surrounded and torn apart by countless zombies.
Blood splattered on his roommate, who froze for two seconds before letting out a scream that seemed to come from deep within his chest.
"What are you standing there for? Run!!" someone shouted.
Everyone snapped out of their daze, dropped what they were holding, and ran frantically in all directions.
The entire campus instantly transformed into a chaotic sea.
Some people arched their backs as they ran, gagging uncontrollably.
Song Rushuang's mind went blank. She shoved Zhang Han, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and together with Shen Qingqing, the three of them ran off along a wide road.
The scene was chaotic; there was no time to distinguish where zombies were or not. With so many people fleeing for their lives, many were still dragging suitcases and looking for dormitories before the announcement. But once the zombie horde appeared, those suitcases were carelessly thrown aside, eventually becoming scattered obstacles. Once the side paths were blocked, it was a dead end, so it was better to follow the main road with the crowd and perhaps break through to safety.
Song Rushuang had never run so fast in her life. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and she didn't care about the metallic taste in her throat.
You absolutely cannot be pushed down, you cannot be tripped up... you cannot stop.
As if she could already smell the stench of the zombies' breath, Song Rushuang mustered her strength and sped up again, gritting her teeth as she looked back.
Blood was everywhere, and students were constantly being tackled to the ground, their groans growing weaker and weaker. The cries and pleas for help from the crowd mingled with the roars of the zombies, creating a horrific scene resembling a living hell.
"Watch out!" Shen Qingqing suddenly shouted from beside her.
Song Rushuang's heart tightened, and she instinctively twisted her body, barely avoiding a zombie that suddenly appeared from the side.
It had already opened its blood-red maw, waiting for food to be delivered, but when it missed, it rubbed its molars in dissatisfaction.
As the Grim Reaper's scythe grazed the hem of her clothes, Song Rushuang snapped back to reality, drenched in cold sweat.
In the blink of an eye, one's senses become acute. Amid the chaos, Song Rushuang suddenly caught a glimpse of a slender and upright figure from the shadowy figures of corpses in the distance.
The horde of zombies deliberately avoided her, rushing towards the surrounding students. Amidst the bloody scene, only she remained calm and composed, untouched by any blood. She clutched something in one hand, and her profile revealed her remarkably youthful appearance, like a college student who had spontaneously decided to take a walk.
Song Rushuang looked at her in disbelief, almost wondering if she was hallucinating from shock.
"Are you stupid? Run!" Zhang Han saw Song Rushuang slow down and hurriedly reached out to grab her.
"They're here." Song Rushuang swallowed the fear in her heart.
As I moved my legs, I couldn't resist turning my head to take another look.
The other person stopped at the edge of the horde of corpses, looking at the chaotic scene before them without even raising an eyebrow. The last thing Song Rushuang saw was her picking up what she was holding and slightly tightening her grip—
"Pfft"
She opened a can of Coke.
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