Chapter 60 Hunting in the Forest
Upon hearing this, Fu Qing immediately checked the system panel.
Although she appeared relaxed, she had actually been keeping a close eye on the situation. Now, she confirmed once again that all two thousand students in the school were still obediently staying within the designated area for the exam.
No one sent a distress signal, and the bracelet did not issue an automatic alarm upon detecting any abnormalities in the owner's vital signs.
Judging from the data alone, everything is normal.
If there was anything unusual, it could only be that Lu Yan, who frequently went into the mountains, sensed it through his intuition.
As Fu Qing stared at the panel in the void, Lu Yan waited quietly, seemingly aware that she had some secret, but not caring or wanting to delve into it.
Only after her gaze returned to him did Lu Yan ask softly, "Didn't you notice anything wrong?"
Fu Qing shook her head, looking at him for an answer.
Lu Yan frowned: "Actually, I don't know what's going on. I just feel like I've overlooked something after all these trips."
There were five other students present. The ones who had been poisoned had taken medicine and rested for half a day, and were feeling better now. They figured they had already gotten a zero on the unified exam anyway, so after a while of feeling down, they recovered and, since they had nothing else to do, they all came to join in the fun with a good attitude.
Upon hearing Teacher Lu say, "I don't know what happened," they couldn't help but steal a glance at each other.
Intuition? Is that reliable?
If it's intuition, why didn't they feel something was wrong?
Fu Qing and Hao Zhenye didn't say anything. People who often walk on the edge of life and death tend to trust their intuition.
Because sometimes it's not some mysterious, unseen feeling, but rather the five senses that detect something is wrong before the mind begins to analyze it rationally.
As for why those students didn't find anything... they were simply too incompetent.
Seeing that Lu Yan was still pondering, Fu Qing stopped standing there waiting and followed the path he had taken back, going deeper into the mountains.
The snow on the ground was trampled down, leaving a trail of shallow footprints behind her.
It coincided with the footprints of the two people when they returned.
The campfire that Xu Mingyue left behind for cooking hot pot was still burning. Hao Zhenye would occasionally go into the forest to collect some branches, brush off the snow, and put them aside to dry. Once they were dry, he would add them to the fire. At this moment, the flickering firelight pierced through the treetops, and Fu Qing used this light to see the footprints under her feet.
One person's steps were roughly equal in length, with some of their footprints being trampled off by those who came later, clearly indicating that they were walking ahead with large strides. The other person's steps were unsteady, and they would sway to the side after taking two steps, only to be pulled back by some unknown force halfway through.
—The so-called unknown force is clearly Lu Yan's peculiar rope.
Fu Qing walked back. The forest was silent and boundless at night. The students had to walk together in groups of four, but the principal was obviously not afraid. He entered the woods alone, as calm as if he were strolling in his own backyard.
After walking nearly 500 meters, Fu Qing suddenly stopped.
The campfire's light had long since disappeared. She took out a spare teacher's bracelet from her system space, turned on the flashlight, and shone it in front of her. The beam of the flashlight pointed directly at a tree.
The tree was tall and straight, its branches and leaves reaching the sky and blocking out the sun. Its thick trunk was so thick that it would take one person to hug it. Fu Qing stared at the base of the tree, where a few inconspicuous snowflakes had accumulated into a small, loose snowdrift that was hard to notice.
An ordinary person passing by would never notice it.
Fu Qing looked up and saw that, sure enough, there were several places on the tree branches a few meters above the snowdrift where no snow had accumulated, leaving behind traces of people having trampled on them.
A bizarre and chilling guess emerged.
Just now, when Lu Yan and his students passed by, there was a person standing on a tall tree by the roadside.
The person hid among the lush branches, quietly watching the teacher and student walk by.
Whether it was the snow falling from the treetops with each breath, or the slight trembling of the leaves that triggered Lu Yan's intuition, the movement was so subtle that although he sensed something was wrong, he couldn't detect the other party's presence.
Fu Qing narrowed his eyes, gazing at the mountains lurking in the shadows ahead.
*
"You're saying there are other people living in this mountain?"
Lu Yan repeated Fu Qing's words, and the five students' eyes widened, shrinking together in fear.
Hiding in a tree branch several meters high—this doesn't seem like something a normal person would do. Could the other person be a madman who escaped from somewhere?
Hao Zhenye's expression also turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he made a guess: "Could it be a simulated zombie?"
The simulated zombie can climb trees and is programmed to only attack students, so it's entirely possible that it would quietly watch Lu Yan, a teacher, leave.
Fu Qing shook his head: "There are too many students, and their locations are constantly changing, so I can't remember them all. But there are only a few simulated zombies in total. I check the map from time to time, and I can confirm that no simulated zombies have passed through that place in an hour."
It's obviously not a student who would do something like this; it's too bizarre.
In winter, few hunters or villagers go up the mountain, and even if they did, who would be bored enough to squat in a tree?
It had been snowing on and off for the past two days. The fresh snow and the snowflakes blown down from the heights by the wind would quickly cover the marks on the branches, so Fu Qing was certain that the other person had just left.
Having ruled out other possibilities, Fu Qing almost immediately came to a conclusion.
—A devout believer.
They are the only ones who fit all these criteria: they are accustomed to hiding in the shadows, their movements are elusive and mysterious, and they harbor great malice towards her.
[Host, should we issue an announcement to cancel the assessment?]
The system, concerned that the students might meet with misfortune and lose power before the apocalypse, asked aloud.
Fu Qing was about to agree when his mind raced, and he mentally rejected the idea, saying, "No rush. They don't know they've been exposed. Sending the students back now would only alert them. Let me see what they're up to first."
Her advantage lies in the fact that she can quickly contact the more than two thousand students in the mountains through her bracelet, and can immediately change her plans if things go wrong.
Moreover, after more than two months without any news from the believers, and finally waiting for them to reveal themselves, it's a pity to let them escape like this.
Fu Qing made up his mind, explained his guess to the two teachers, and then edited a message and sent it out.
[Notice to all: Warning! Unidentified individuals have appeared in the forest. The danger and number of targets are currently unknown. Therefore, the assessment content has been temporarily changed. All students are requested to follow the instructions on their wristbands, forming small teams of four and large groups of five, and to remain in the designated area, maintaining constant contact with their group members and awaiting further instructions.]
Please note that your personal safety must be your top priority. Report any dangerous situations or encounters with suspicious individuals immediately, and only act upon receiving instructions. Never put yourself in danger.
The notification was sent to both students' and teachers' wristbands at the same time, and Lu Yan and Hao Zhenye understood Fu Qing's intention at a glance.
“The western mountains are very large, and we are currently in almost the center of the examination hall.” Lu Yan quickly pulled up a map.
When Fu Qing sent the notification, he also sent the team formation instructions to the individuals. Neighboring teams formed larger groups and operated in their original areas. To unsuspecting bystanders, it was impossible to tell that they had quietly formed an alliance.
Teams of four or twenty people, totaling more than two thousand, have wrapped the mountainous area in a tight, impenetrable net.
The announcement was made in less than five minutes, and such a meticulously crafted trap was quickly and discreetly created.
This is the advantage created by the communication network of the student wristband.
“If that person was nearby not long ago, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to escape the exam area in such a short time,” Lu Yan analyzed. “He would encounter students no matter which direction he went. If you simultaneously control the small teams on the periphery to gradually move closer to the center and tighten the encirclement, the probability of him being caught will be higher—do you want the students to try to capture him?”
With over two thousand people moving around in the forest at the same time, their whereabouts are already difficult to track. Moreover, the other party doesn't have the same God's-eye view as Fu Qing, and doesn't know the students' movements.
The other party will only realize something is wrong when they find themselves running into students more and more frequently.
By then, it will probably be too late.
Fu Qing: "No, we are unsure of the number and capabilities of the other side. The students can only try to restrain them. I don't want them to confront these people head-on so early."
Fu Qing had fought the skeleton before and knew how powerful it was. Not only did it possess intelligence that ordinary zombies lacked, but its strength, speed, and senses were also greatly enhanced.
Although the students' physical fitness and combat skills have improved this semester, the focus of their studies is still on "survival in the apocalypse" rather than "combat." As the principal, no one knows better than Fu Qing that most of the students in Fangzhou do not yet have the ability to confront zombie-like humans head-on.
It would be fine if they had made preparations in advance, but in unfamiliar mountainous areas, it was already a miracle that they were able to protect themselves.
Hao Zhenye interjected, "But what if the other side has too many people..."
“Then we’ll just have to be more diligent.” Fu Qing looked around and sighed sincerely, “Luckily, it wasn’t those two frail people, Bai Tang and Zhao Yunxiao, who came.”
As for Grandma Liu, she has already been automatically removed from the combat power list by Fu Qing.
Hao Zhenye: "..."
With students right there, is it really okay to let crickets roam in front of you like that?
He didn't say anything more, silently took out his military knife from his pocket, checked it, and then put it back on his waistband.
The purpose of the proctoring was to prevent accidents from happening on the mountain, so the group naturally brought weapons. However, they initially thought they would have to deal with wild boars or something, but they didn't expect that they would have to deal with the ghosts lurking in the forest.
Throughout the discussion, the five sick students who had been brought back listened attentively. Finally, they understood what had happened, and one of them seized the opportunity to whisper, "Principal, Teacher Lu, Teacher Hao, are you planning to arrest those people?"
"Are they the people the principal has been looking for who were carrying the early stages of the virus?"
"Then we..."
Fu Qing thought they were worried that he would be vulnerable to attack while he was alone in the camp after the principal and teachers left. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the girl continue worriedly, "...Is there anything we can do to help?"
Fu Qing paused for a moment.
The other person stretched their arms and said, "Yeah, I feel less uncomfortable in my stomach now, so I can definitely go help find someone."
"Me too."
Several people who were just clutching their stomachs and groaning suddenly stood up miraculously.
Fu Qing stared at their bloodless lips, finding it somewhat amusing. Before she could say anything, Lu Yan suddenly appeared from behind her like a male ghost, his expression sinister and his tone chilling: "Did I say you could get up?"
The four people: "..."
Another boy with a sprained ankle stood behind Lu Yan. He didn't see the school doctor's horrified expression. He hopped over and tried to suggest, "Principal, I can distract them. I'm injured, so I look easy to deal with. You guys can ambush me nearby... Oh my god!"
Before anyone else could see what was happening, the boy fell headfirst straight to the ground, only to be pulled up by Lu Yan halfway down.
Only Fu Qing could see clearly that someone had silently stretched out a black foot when the boy hopped over on one leg, which just happened to trip the unlucky guy who could only stand on one leg.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he withdrew his foot.
The duty of a medic is to never allow any wounded soldier who should be resting to go to the battlefield, as long as they are still able to move.
As for how to keep those wounded soldiers lying still... that's not something outsiders can say.
The consequences of not following medical advice are terrible. Four patients with food poisoning swallowed hard and finally understood this.
"That's about it," Fu Qing said suddenly, glancing at the time.
Just then, the surrounding woods rustled, and more than a dozen people emerged from them, startling the five students.
Upon closer inspection, they were all Fang Zhou's classmates.
“These are the fifteen people who will be with you. They will ensure your safety,” Fu Qing said.
After receiving a notice from the principal, the fifteen people deliberately smeared a lot of dust and fallen leaves on their bodies and faces, looking disheveled. Some were clutching their stomachs, while others were limping. They gathered from all directions.
"In this unified exam, a total of twenty-one people from Fangzhou were unable to continue the exam due to injuries. Except for one person who was rushed to the hospital due to food poisoning, the rest of them stayed where they were and waited for the exam to end before returning to school together. Do you understand?" Fu Qing's expression changed.
"Understood!" everyone answered reflexively, and when they came to their senses, they felt a warm current flowing through their hearts.
"The injured students should rest where they are. As for Teacher Lu and Teacher Hao," Fu Qing said matter-of-factly, giving instructions one by one. "Using the ground as the center, divide the examination room into three roughly fan-shaped areas. Each of us will be responsible for one area. I will keep you updated on the students' information."
"If you find any devout believers, capture them alive if possible. They will show no mercy to you, so be sure to be careful."
Fu Qing did not know whether a hired teacher who died from serious injury could be rehired or simply disappear from the world.
Although she and the teachers were essentially dead, Fu Qing didn't want to take any risks, and even less did she want to lose her companions again.
Lu Yan and Hao Zhenye had no objections and listened quietly, not missing the phrase "as much as possible" in Fu Qing's words.
Although the students had experienced various scenarios in the simulator, those were still fake. This was their first time facing a real enemy, so they were inevitably uneasy.
But seeing the principal and teachers calmly discussing the matter, my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
It seems that with them around, there's nothing to be afraid of.
"What you're about to do should be much simpler for you than teaching."
Fu Qing drew the dagger from his leg strap, twirled it, and when he looked up, the sharpness in his eyes was astonishing.
Let's go.
*
The dark clouds dispersed, revealing the bright moonlight.
Fu Qing bent down and walked through a grove of low bushes, his shadow almost blending into the trees.
Fearing exposure, she didn't turn on her flashlight. With the moonlight, visibility improved significantly, which was good for both her and the teachers. In the darkness, Fu Qing only dared to act in the dark because the system would occasionally remind her. Lu Yan and Hao Zhenye were probably still in the same spot, waiting for news from the students.
Although she seemed to have a very meticulous mind when assigning tasks, Fu Qing still couldn't figure out how the believer found her.
—How did they know that Fangzhou would be holding a school-wide unified exam in Xishan today?
Her first thought was that someone on campus had leaked the information.
However, the unified examination was only announced today, and some out-of-town staff, such as garbage collectors, were already on holiday because it was close to the Lunar New Year and had no time to learn about it.
She immediately ruled out the possibility that students or teachers might have leaked the information.
All students at Fangzhou underwent a systematic screening, followed by a second screening through the opening exam. The remaining students were guaranteed to be of good character and loyal. Moreover, the observations over the past six months were sufficient for Fuqing to trust them.
As for whether some of the believers had been keeping an eye on Fangzhou and that's why they immediately followed when they discovered the students' large-scale outing, Fu Qing thought about it and felt it was unlikely.
Every time she returned to school, she would repeatedly check to make sure no one was following her. As for why the body was discovered so quickly last time, Fu Qing suspected the secret lay with the skeleton.
The zombie king and the zombies it assimilates may have a connection that is unknown to others.
Fangzhou is different; it is always under the protection of the system, and in theory, it should not be so easy for people to find.
So, how exactly did the news get out?
There can't possibly be any coincidence here. The other person just happened to be active in Xishan, and Lu Yan just happened to bump into them?
Fu Qing avoided the dead branches on the ground, stepped onto the soft snow nearby, and moved quickly and silently, his mind still racing.
She couldn't understand it.
Having an information gap means that he might be at a disadvantage in the confrontation with the devout believers, which made Fu Qing feel vaguely irritable.
...
On the other side.
After receiving the notification, the four girls in dormitory 1111 followed the principal's instructions and pretended that the assessment was still in progress, acting as if everything was normal.
Before this, they had already set up camp and successfully caught two fish from the still-frozen stream to fill their stomachs. Shen Qingqing grew up in the countryside and was more skilled at handling raw fish and meat than the others. Compared to the other classmates, the four of them had a fairly good dinner.
If it weren't for this unexpected incident, they could have passed the assessment with high scores, so all four of them were burning with anger.
Zhang Han was especially angry. She had unfortunately failed her physical education exam this semester, and she was finally able to get a high score by relying on her roommate to balance her GPA. But her dream was shattered by that so-called devout believer who suddenly appeared.
She was squatting in a clump of grass, still fuming, when suddenly the waist-high bush in front of her trembled.
A hare? Or a pheasant?
It couldn't be a wild boar, could it...?
The image of the complete list of edible wild species in Xishan that Shen Qingqing had mentioned popped into Zhang Han's mind. He immediately fell silent on alert and pulled out a small hand axe from behind his back.
The principal said that the simple tool kits students are allowed to bring contain tools they are familiar with in their daily lives. For example, Song Rushuang likes to use a military knife, while Zhang Han is strong and her specialty is a hand axe, which can be used for chopping wood and even attacking people; it has many uses.
Zhang Han recalled the notification she had just received.
The principal said the assessment content was changed temporarily, but did not say it would not be changed back—maybe the previous grades will still be valid after the crisis is over?
Clutching at the last vestige of hope that she was a mediocre student, she planned to hunt more prey to prove her innocence. She deliberately moved quietly, holding her breath as she parted the bushes.
A flash of white light appeared before my eyes.
What appeared to be a furry wild animal behind the bushes was a sharp blade coming straight at you!
...
Lou Han had been watching the girl for a long time.
Unlike the other three in their group, she looked the most frail, and when they acted together, the other three always intentionally or unintentionally protected her in the middle.
The blonde girl was one thing, but the other two had an unusual aura about hunting. Although Lou Han didn't know why the two young female students looked like they were seasoned veterans, he trusted his intuition.
After careful consideration, he decided to target the girl with the big eyes as his first target.
Phoenix said their mission tonight was to kill as many students as possible, or at least severely injure them so they would be unable to function normally for at least six months.
Lou Han observed all night and concluded that these girls were obviously easier to approach than tall, grouped boys.
He deliberately made some noise, and the girl, as expected, fell for it, opening her innocent-looking round eyes and curiously and excitedly leaning closer...
Now!
Lou Han decisively drew his dagger, the sharp blade slicing through the cold air, and arrived in front of the girl in the blink of an eye.
But then her excitement suddenly turned into surprise, and then... anger?
Why wasn't she afraid?
Lou Han paused, his movements slowing by only half a beat, and the girl rolled away with astonishing speed and an unseemly posture.
Lou Han: "?!"
"I've trained for half a year, running away is no joke?! You even tried to assassinate me! Shameless! Pah!" The seemingly harmless Zhang Han cursed, then without hesitation turned and ran, gathering her strength in her dantian, shouting as she ran, "Qingqing Wushuang Weiwei, help me!!!"
The cries for help instantly echoed through the forest.
They were so skilled at it that it seemed like this scene had happened countless times before.
Lou Han: "...???"
His eyes went blank.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three girls carrying knives rushing towards me menacingly.
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