Chapter 4. The blue light pulsated, struggling to break free of its restraints...
Thanks to the ice-cold cola, Fu Qing was in a good mood as she strolled through the horde of corpses, a stark contrast to the students in the distance who were being chased away like chicks.
Taking a leisurely sip of iced cola, savoring the familiar sensation of carbon dioxide coursing through her body, Fu Qing strolled past another dormitory building and casually opened the system page.
The original basic menu has been replaced by a "Event in Progress" page. When some large games hold limited-time events, they also modify the system UI. At this time, the edges of the management system homepage are decorated with a few green chibi zombie heads, giving it a Halloween feel at first glance.
No one knew that this was a real, bloody massacre.
The gray spiderwebs, the blood-dripping title, the page looks sinister and eerie at first glance.
[Event Details: Zombie Invasion!]
[Zombie Type: 1000 Basic Zombies]
[Spotting Area: Randomly refreshes across the entire school (click to edit)]
[Special item duration: 55 minutes and 37 seconds]
The "More Functions" section below is further divided into "Leaderboard", "Number of Survivors", "Number of Remaining Zombies", "Distribution Map", and so on.
Fu Qing opened the map, and a floor plan of Fangzhou University's campus immediately appeared before him. When enlarged, every path, every wall, and every turn was meticulously marked.
Experienced people can spot the best escape route at a glance, and thus determine who faces a chance of survival and who faces a dead end.
In addition to these, there are three other colored dots on the map.
The brightest golden dot marked Fu Qing's location, and a dazzling golden light seemed to engulf the surrounding area.
The most numerous of them were the blue circular points of light that were scattering and fleeing in all directions.
The gentle, harmless blue light symbolizes the innocent, pitiful, and weak Fangzhou University, which has a total of 2,397 students.
The last type of red light spot is covered with sharp, sea urchin-like spines, baring its fangs and claws. It ranks second in number, less than half the number of blue light spots, but it chases the blue light spots fiercely, making them howl.
Countless thrilling chases are unfolding across the entire map.
Fu Qing glanced around and locked onto the teaching area in the lower right corner. Several blue dots rushed into a dead end in a panic, and as expected, they were covered and swallowed up by the red dots behind them. They flickered weakly for a few moments, then went out and turned gray, becoming motionless.
A pop-up window appears in the upper right corner: [Number of survivors -3].
Just like playing a game, using a simulation management system, Fuqing can have a comprehensive overview without leaving home.
The so-called "zombie horde simulation exercise" is actually a special item that Fu Qing redeemed from the system store by spending teaching points. It can pull all teachers and students into a simulated scene and fully restore all senses, including pain.
It can even be customized according to "customer needs," changing the number, types, and abilities of zombies to provide a truly hardcore post-apocalyptic survival experience.
If Fu Qing is willing, it's not limited to zombie attacks; if he wants to simulate an alien invasion, a collision between Mars and Earth, or Jurassic Park, he can create a holographic movie with realistic special effects.
[Full-scale simulation (1 hour)]
Special back-to-school offer: priced at 30 per teaching point.
After buying the props, Fu Qing's pockets were cleaner than his face.
Fortunately, the special tactical watches distributed to all students were a system gift, serving as proof of their identity and not requiring points to redeem. Otherwise, the most stingy principal in history probably wouldn't even have been able to give out any back-to-school gifts.
However, the full-scale simulation was equally impressive, perfectly achieving Fu Qing's earlier goal of "directly throwing them into the environment." The zombie outbreak scene, rendered through Fu Qing's memories, was indistinguishable from the actual events that had occurred at their school.
The only difference is that the classmates who died back then were truly dead.
Fu Qing navigated to the real-time survival count page, which displayed 2082. Before he could even speak, the number jumped to 2080.
System: [Only five minutes in, and over two hundred students have already died. Isn't that a bit too many?]
That's close to one-tenth of the school's total population. If we calculate it this way, wouldn't the entire army be wiped out after the one-hour exercise?
It felt a chill run down its spine, worrying about both the students' quality and the host's overly radical teaching methods.
Will instilling a psychological fear of zombies in students right from the start affect their future training?
While the first part of the statement, "Just throw them into the environment... and they will learn to adapt on their own," has been proven true, the conclusion of the second part remains to be seen.
Based on current observations, the students show no signs of adapting at all. After being "thrown in," they almost landed face-first, getting bruised and battered and crying out in pain.
The ruthless principal continued, "Not many."
"At first, the zombies appeared all at once, and the students were caught off guard. Since most of them were gathered in the residential area, the deaths were definitely the most. Once they scattered and found places to hide, the situation will improve. It shouldn't be difficult to survive for an hour."
The system quietly pricked up its ears, listened to the last sentence, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fu Qing had just finished the last sip of his cola when he casually tossed the aluminum can into the trash can. The can flew through the air in an arc before landing precisely in the bin.
The clanging noises caused the surrounding zombies to turn their faces like sunflowers, their empty white eyes locking onto her. After staring for two seconds, they quickly lost interest for some reason and continued to drag their stiff steps to find their target.
This kind of "ignoring" can occasionally cause some minor accidents.
"but."
Fu Qing changed the subject.
"The school is still too small. This small place is accommodating more than three thousand people, including zombies. The population density is too high, there's nowhere to hide until we find a safe zone..."
Halfway through her sentence, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, she twisted her body and moved nimbly to dodge the attack of a blood-covered zombie. The rampaging little zombie then followed closely behind and crashed into its kind.
The two zombies sat on the ground looking bewildered, and it took them a while to stagger to their feet.
"...A conflict will break out sooner or later," Fu Qing said slowly.
[...] The system went black.
Fu Qing looked down at the map.
Her purpose for the first simulation exercise was simple: to use the system's unscientific capabilities to give the students a "baptism of fire"—since a "super-realistic holographic simulation covering the entire school" could be achieved, then a virus outbreak and the global zombie apocalypse seemed less unbelievable.
This saves the effort of persuading them.
Furthermore, as she mentioned on the radio, it was to prepare for the class division.
With only one year to prepare, tailoring instruction to individual needs is the most efficient approach.
In life-or-death situations, people often reveal their true nature. When the students first arrived at the school, they were unaware of the truth, and their reactions at this moment were the most authentic. Subsequent similar drills would likely be far less effective.
...If any of these 2,400 people are not suitable to stay, now is the best time to observe them.
On the map, a dense cluster of blue dots surged into a building.
Their sheer number made them the largest group on the entire map.
Among them, a few blue specks of light throbbed, struggling to break free of their restraints and slowly growing sharp spikes.
*
The three-person team from room 1111 of the girls' dormitory, surrounded by fleeing crowds, ran into a building.
Zhang Han collapsed to the ground with a thud, and Shen Qingqing was in no better shape, her face pale from running, her hands supporting her knees as she gasped for breath.
Song Rushuang stood beside them, completely dazed, her mind filled with the scene she had just witnessed.
After thinking for a long time, she tremblingly poked Shen Qingqing: "Did you guys just see someone in the zombie horde?"
Both roommates shook their heads in unison: "No."
Zhang Han then asked, "There are so many people running around, which one are you referring to?"
Song Rushuang was so overwhelmed by the questions that she began to question the meaning of life.
She recalled: "Well... her features were regular, her appearance was very striking, you could spot her at a glance..."
Zhang Han almost vomited blood: "With so many zombies chasing you, you still have the leisure to scout which one looks the best?"
Song Rushuang: "No! And she didn't chase us. If I'm not mistaken, she seemed to be drinking cola..."
He was drinking and strolling around, so unconventional, he didn't look like a zombie at all.
But if she wasn't a zombie, why didn't the zombies bite her?
Zhang Han: "..."
Shen Qingqing: "..."
Shen Qingqing leaned closer with concern and touched Song Rushuang's arm. Her warm palm felt comforting. "Rushuang, were you bitten? Is anything bothering you?"
After hearing what the two said, Song Rushuang began to wonder if she was hallucinating from fright.
"Never mind, maybe I misread it."
The day had already been surreal enough. Not forgetting her current situation, she shook her overloaded head and forced herself to concentrate.
Suddenly, a loud "bang" was heard behind me.
Zhang Han jumped up in fright: "What happened?!"
The three of them turned around in a flustered manner. Song Rushuang glanced at the decorations in the room and realized that she had actually followed the crowd all the way to the cafeteria.
The hall was packed with people. A dozen or so people had worked together to move tables and chairs, blocking the glass door haphazardly. The loud noise earlier was the sound of the leading zombie slamming its head against the glass door.
The walls of the cafeteria hall are curved and almost entirely made of high-ceilinged glass, providing excellent lighting and a very open visual effect.
Meanwhile, the glass surface was covered in blood. The zombies outside, oblivious to the pain, continued to relentlessly pound on the transparent glass, seemingly unable to understand why they couldn't touch or eat their prey, which was right in front of them.
Through the glass, the crashing of the zombie horde was clearly visible to Song Rushuang in slow motion—
limp limbs, splattered blood, facial features twisted and deformed from excessive force, and liquid and viscous residue left by the crushing of rotting flesh...
Her stomach clenched violently, and she couldn't help but bend over and dry heave.
The instincts suppressed by the fear of death gradually awaken within the body at this moment.
As we all know, vomiting is contagious, just like yawning. When someone starts vomiting, the smell spreads and immediately a chorus of yawns can be heard.
The scene was simply beyond description.
Even worse, to prevent zombies from sneaking in, the students who came in at the beginning even closed all the visible windows, in addition to the main door.
The once peaceful cafeteria was suddenly filled with an indescribable odor.
So much so that even students who didn't initially feel nauseous couldn't help but feel nauseous from the stench.
Their faces flushed and paled in turns, and finally they all cast condemning glances at the perpetrator.
Song Rushuang, who felt much better after vomiting, was speechless.
Why do I suddenly feel a little guilty?
She reluctantly accepted the floral-scented tissue Shen Qingqing offered, wiped her mouth clean, and drew even more resentful glances from those around her.
Fortunately, the glass wall of the cafeteria was very sturdy, and the zombies outside were extremely angry, but they couldn't break it open no matter what they did. After observing for a while, everyone was relieved to see that there was no immediate risk of the zombie horde breaking in.
Although the smell here is unpleasant, it's still better than outside.
The atmosphere was slightly more relaxed.
Having barely escaped death, the students stood frozen on the patchwork of mosaic tiles, seemingly needing a moment to process their current predicament.
Zhang Han pulled her two roommates to the edge and whispered, "Come over here, there are fewer people and the air is better."
Song Rushuang looked up and saw a row of food service windows behind her.
Not long ago, the three of them were imagining what the cafeteria would look like, but they never expected that their first visit would be in this kind of setting.
“That’s a bit strange.” Shen Qingqing suddenly frowned.
Steam rose from the window in front of me, carrying the aroma of food, but there was no one behind it.
Shen Qingqing looked around and asked, "Where are the cafeteria staff?"
Despite the major incident outside, not a single staff member came out to check the situation. Moreover, the people fleeing in the lobby all looked incredibly young and inexperienced—they were all students who had come to register.
"Where have all the school staff gone? Where are the teachers?" Shen Qingqing sensed something was wrong.
Song Rushuang: "It is indeed a bit strange..."
The two were deep in thought when someone suddenly spoke up in a low voice: "By the way, have you guys seen Spirited Away? There's one of those food stalls run by spirits and used for offerings to the gods... Could the food here be for the dead too? If we eat it, we'll turn into pigs, no, I mean, zombies..."
Shen Qingqing: "..."
She said softly, "Hanhan, even the old ladies at the entrance of our village aren't this superstitious anymore."
Zhang Han: "Otherwise, there's no way to explain where this huge group of zombies came from! It's not like we're in Resident Evil."
Shen Qingqing and Song Rushuang both fell silent when asked the question.
That's really strange. If it's like in the movies, where a zombie virus appears and spreads from the first infected people to others, one person infects ten, ten infect a hundred, and then the virus finally breaks out, then there must be some signs, right?
There were no screams, no fighting sounds, and such a huge horde of zombies suddenly appeared; it just didn't seem right.
Shen Qingqing said quietly, "There's another problem: who exactly is the person on the radio? The horde of zombies appeared as soon as the countdown ended; this can't be a coincidence."
The two: "..."
Zhang Han nervously huddled closer to her two roommates, when suddenly she felt a chill run down her spine.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Over there, the zombies were still relentlessly smashing against the glass.
Startled awake by the noise, Song Rushuang hurriedly rummaged through her pockets: "By the way, did anyone call the police?"
Before she could find her phone, someone said in a deep voice, "I've already tried calling, but I can't get through. I don't know if the signal is bad near the mountains."
"The message can't be sent out either."
"We can only pray that the school will call the police soon, or that outsiders will notice something is wrong and send rescuers..."
"Do you think it won't be like in the novels, where a zombie apocalypse breaks out all over the world, rescue forces are severely insufficient, and we'll have to rely on ourselves in the end?"
"Pah, pah, pah! Don't jinx it!"
The boy next to him suddenly broke down: "What the hell is this zombie horde! It would have been better if it had happened during our senior year of high school, or even when we were looking for jobs in college. Why did it have to happen now of all times!"
He cried with genuine emotion: "Our university life has only just begun!"
“That makes sense. When I was in my senior year of high school, doing so many practice problems that I was dizzy, I really wanted to punch the world to pieces… Give me a knife back then, and I could have killed my way through a horde of zombies seven times over.” The person next to him, who seemed to be his roommate, chimed in.
"As a freshman in college, I was timid and hesitant; as a senior in high school, I was a force to be reckoned with."
"Try to think positively. Wouldn't it be even more despairing if it happened the night before the college entrance exam?"
The prospective college students were terrified by this assumption: "Are you the devil?!"
A few people started talking, but the person who had been sitting silently was getting annoyed and angrily said, "Don't you guys have any conscience? Why are you chatting? Can't you see what's going on outside?"
Passing through the lifeless student crowd, one can immediately see the bloody and mangled scene outside the window.
The conversation abruptly stopped, seemingly in an awkward silence. In the ensuing quiet, the first person to speak patted their still-crying roommate on the shoulder and whispered, "Sorry, we just witnessed another roommate being dragged into a horde of zombies, and we're a little overwhelmed."
Just moments ago, they were introducing themselves and saying they wanted to get along well for the next four years, and now they're dead right in front of me. The so-called "future" they mentioned hadn't even been properly envisioned before it all vanished in a mere hour...
His university life has only just begun.
The boy who was questioning him was stunned. He turned his head away, his Adam's apple bobbing, and his eyes also reddened.
The few people who had been trying to keep the atmosphere quiet fell silent, and a sense of oppression slowly spread.
"Yu Cheng! Wang Huai just asked you for help, why didn't you help him?!"
A sudden, loud shout from the corner drew everyone's attention.
"You stood by and watched your classmate die, are you even human?!" A tall boy was being held tightly by two or three classmates, his expression agitated. Opposite him stood a much thinner boy named Yu Cheng, with freckles on his face, who was rather unremarkable.
But at this moment, he became the focus of everyone's attention.
Yu Cheng's face was pale, and she denied it evasively: "No, I didn't..."
"Bullshit! I saw it clearly. You were right next to him when he fell, glanced at him, and then turned and ran away! You still dare to say it wasn't you!"
The boy grew increasingly angry and tried to throw a punch, but was quickly stopped by those around him.
Yu Cheng's lips trembled, her shoulders hunched, and she tried her best to make herself less noticeable, but to no avail. She could only stand there awkwardly, her head bowed deeply.
Song Rushuang overheard the whispers in the crowd: "They seem to be from the same dorm. That tall guy is called Qin Yufei. He's quite loyal. After realizing Yu Cheng hadn't helped, he immediately went back to try and pull Wang Huai out, but he was too late and couldn't save him. That's why he's so angry. Look at him, his clothes still have Wang Huai's blood on them..."
"This is outrageous! A human life was lost right before our eyes. How will Yu Cheng ever be able to sleep at night again?"
"Stop talking. We don't even know if there will be a future. If we survive now, we might die an even more horrible death later..."
Song Rushuang forced herself not to listen to those pessimistic words, and upon closer inspection, she found that Qin Yufei's body was indeed covered in blood.
It's no wonder he was so agitated after witnessing his classmate's gruesome death right before his eyes.
At this moment, Qin Yufei's neck veins bulged, his eyes protruded slightly, and the blood vessels in his eyes were clearly visible. Even his lips were slightly turned up, revealing his gums from the edge. Perhaps due to anger, his appearance was somewhat ferocious and terrifying.
As Song Rushuang watched, a chill gradually crept into her heart.
He looks almost inhuman.
Qin Yufei was panting heavily, each breath longer and deeper than the last, his voice becoming hoarse and indistinct: "Yu Cheng..."
When he looked up, the light in his eyes, ignited by anger, gradually dimmed.
Song Rushuang stood close to Yu Cheng, which was opposite Qin Yufei. From her angle, she could clearly see Qin Yufei's eyeballs moving, twitching upwards, revealing his bloodshot, bulging whites.
The head also rotated mechanically, causing the neck muscles to snap with a loud crack.
The classmate who had grabbed Qin Yufei also noticed something was wrong and looked down worriedly: "Hey, what's wrong with you...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly let out a shrill scream, covered his face with his hands, staggered backward, and lay on the ground writhing in agony.
The crowd erupted in uproar!
Song Rushuang gasped – the boy's lower eyelid had been ripped open, and sharp nails had left deep, bone-revealing grooves in his skin.
Fresh blood gushed out, adding another layer to the mottled bloodstains on Qin Yufei's body.
A large, empty circle instantly opened up beside Qin Yufei.
He lost his footing and, amidst the fearful gazes of the crowd, swayed and stood still.
The next second, that dull and empty gaze locked onto the skinny boy in front of her.
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