She is a senior high school student and lives in S City. She attends a boarding school and today is Friday, close to the end of classes. However, as a senior, there are no weekends; instead of going home every week, students return home every two weeks. The entire class is in the classroom quietly doing exercises and will only leave for dinner later.
The character’s father is employed, and her mother is unemployed, running a small grocery store rented in their neighborhood’s garage for the past two years. Though the income is meager, her parents dote on their only daughter, scrimping and saving to send her to this boarding school known for its top-notch foreign language education in S City.
Unfortunately, she isn’t happy here. Surrounded by privileged students, she isn’t exactly bullied but is often excluded and isolated. She rarely interacts with others, whether during breaks or in the dormitory, and as a result, she has become silent and introverted.
Yu Xi opened her pencil case and took out a small mirror. It was still her face, but more youthful and pure compared to her twenty-six-year-old self. This was her eighteen-year-old appearance. The girl in the mirror had long, straight black hair, delicate and fair skin, and naturally rosy lips. Yu Xi found it hard to understand how someone who looked like this could be so silent and self-conscious.
“System, can the character setting be a bit more believable next time?” she complained to the Star House System in her mind. “It’s always so melodramatic.”
【Please focus on the current task.】
Yu Xi: …
The system seems particularly cold and distant in the post-apocalyptic world. This world’s development level is similar to her original world, with mobile payments completely replacing bank cards and cash. As a result, Yu Xi quickly figured out her financial situation. With all the money in Alipay and WeChat combined, she had less than 2,000 yuan, which was just transferred by her parents for school meals a day ago.
Yu Xi sighed silently and began analyzing the current apocalypse situation. Task one requires her to escape the school and safely reach her home. Since she is already at school, she could simply feign illness and leave, but that would make the first task too easy. Therefore, there is only one possibility: the apocalyptic disaster has already occurred or is about to occur, and the timeline should be much shorter than the five-hour window from the previous world.
Sure enough, before she could even finish her thought, a boy in the classroom suddenly shouted: “Oh my god! What’s going on?” He held his phone, looking shocked. “Everyone, check the senior year group chat. Someone from Class 5 started fighting in the lab. Someone filmed it and posted it. There’s blood…”
“Let me see!”
“Oh my god, what are they doing? Is he kissing him??”
“The video is so blurry and shaky, looks like it was shot through a window. Wait…is he—”
“No! He’s biting him!”
“Damn! Is this for real?”
“Look at his hand! That’s terrifying! Is he sick?”
…
Most of the students didn’t have their phones in the classroom because phones were usually kept in the dorms, and using them during class or when teachers were present was not allowed. It was only during self-study sessions that some students would sneak their phones in on silent mode.
Thus, the students without phones crowded around the boy, jostling each other to get a better look at the screen. Yu Xi opened the senior year group chat and watched the uploaded videos. From her experience of watching zombie movies and TV shows all day, she observed that the person in the video, who was pinning down another student, wildly flailing and biting, was likely an 80% transformed zombie.
Yu Xi began recalling the campus layout and quickly sketched a rough floor plan on her assignment paper. The laboratory was in another comprehensive practice building, not connected to the senior year teaching building, but only about 40-50 meters to the south. If the disaster spread from there, the first places to be affected would be the central garden square to the northwest, the senior year building directly north, and the basketball court and gymnasium to the northeast.
So currently, these areas were high-risk, and she needed to leave quickly. The school had two gates: the main gate to the north, and from the southern senior year building, she would pass through the central garden square, the sophomore building, the freshman building, and then the green landscaping area. Alternatively, she could bypass the green area, passing by the library and several exhibition buildings. The other gate was in the southwest corner, which meant crossing nearly the entire campus from east to west. The route would take her through the central garden square, past the dining area, and finally to the dormitory area.
The first route’s advantage is that it heads north, away from the problematic practice building to the south. The downside is that the path includes areas densely populated with students, making it risky if the infection is not confined to the lab.
The second route has the advantage of fewer buildings and people along the way, especially in the dining hall and dormitory areas, which are almost empty at this time. The downside is that the first half of the route goes west, which doesn’t keep a safe distance from the practice building.
But soon, another piece of news made the decision for her.
“Check the campus forum, someone posted that the same thing happened in Class 3 of the freshman year! Several girls have already been bitten!”
“Let me see!”
“Damn! This is crazy! What on earth is going on?”
“Is there a video? Show me!”
…
Not many students in the classroom had their phones with them. A few girls, unable to squeeze in to see, noticed Yu Xi by the window looking at her phone. Seeing the empty space around her, they moved closer to watch together. One of them, sharp-eyed, saw the map on her notebook and curiously asked, “What’s this?”
“A map of routes to leave the school,” Yu Xi answered truthfully. After confirming the same situation had occurred in the freshman year area, she quickly put away her phone, took out her shoulder bag from under the desk, and started emptying its contents.
She poured out various stationery items, books, a meal card, hand cream, snacks, water, keys, and other small items. Then she placed her phone, a bunch of keys, the notebook with the map, a pen, a bottle of unopened water, and a pack of soda crackers into the bag. Finally, she pretended to reach deep inside her desk and pulled out a short metal rod (a retractable baton), just to play it safe.
“What’s that?” someone beside her asked curiously.
“A self-defense tool for girls,” she explained briefly, packed everything, zipped up the bag, and slung it over her shoulder, ready to leave.
“Where are you going?” the girl asked, then hesitated. “Do you know something?”
“I don’t know, but my mom just messaged me that my dad fell down the stairs, and I need to go home to take care of him.”
As Yu Xi spoke, a few students from other classes ran to the doorway. Seeing everyone still diligently studying, one of them said, “Why are you all still studying? We’re heading to the practice building. Are you coming?”
The boy speaking had an excited flush on his face, looking thrilled as if this sudden change was a delightful break from the monotonous grind of studying, giving him a chance to skip classes and enjoy some excitement.
“All of you are going? Aren’t you afraid Mr. Chen will find out…”
“What’s there to fear! We just passed by the office, and there wasn’t a single person inside! Mr. Chen and the others have gone themselves! And here you are still naively studying. Come on, join us! I heard that a few students have gone crazy with rabies or something, biting people, and now the whole school is in chaos!”
“Ah, wait for us, we’ll go too!” A group of boys was clearly swayed.
“What do you think, should we go and check it out?” The girl next to Yu Xi asked her friends, then turned to Yu Xi, “Yu Xi, what do you think?”
Yu Xi looked at her. The girl who had asked a few questions was Leng Mian, a pretty and smart girl who was popular in class and had many friends. Although they weren’t in the same dormitory and weren’t particularly close, Leng Mian had always been polite when they met.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Xi decided to speak up. “I wouldn’t suggest going without knowing what’s happening. Besides, I watched a zombie movie last night, and seeing the video gave me the creeps.”
The word “zombie” successfully came out. It seemed the disaster in this world had begun, so the keyword was no longer filtered.
“Wow, you even have time to watch movies at night!” Another girl missed the main point entirely.
Leng Mian’s eyes widened immediately. “What do you mean? Are you saying those in the video are…”
“I’m just speculating, but I definitely won’t go. My parents are waiting for me at home, so I’m leaving. If you don’t want to stay here, you might want to head back to the dorms and observe the situation from there.”
The dormitory area was close to the southwest gate, making it easier to leave in case of an emergency. Although she wasn’t sure if the same chaos had spread outside the school, that location offered more options and was safer than staying in the classroom.
Leng Mian watched Yu Xi leave the classroom, feeling an inexplicable chill. “No way, it can’t be. Those are just movies, right? How could it really happen…”
But what if? What if it’s real? Although it seemed unrealistic, she had a bad feeling.
“Mian Mian, should we go?”
“Yeah, Mian Mian, look, the other boys went, and so did Yi Yi and her group.” Several girls noticed that almost half the class had left and felt tempted.
“Forget it, I don’t want to join the crowd. I want to go back to the dorm to get my phone and check the situation online,” Leng Mian said, quickly gathering her test papers and notebooks to return to the dorm.
The girls who usually followed her did the same, packing their things and leaving together.
Yu Xi stepped out of the senior year building and glanced to her left. The entrance faced west, and fifty meters away was the practice building where the incident occurred. There were quite a few students standing around, watching the commotion.
With her enhanced hearing, she could faintly make out screams and fearful shouts mixed with some beast-like growls from somewhere on the fourth floor.
She took out her phone, noticing no new videos had been uploaded to the group chat, probably because everyone was busy running for their lives. Students who weren’t on the scene kept asking for updates.
She walked a few steps north, dialing her parents while preparing to cross the garden square.
The garden square had trees and greenery, offering more safety than walking along the outer path. If the situation from the practice building and the freshman building spread, the greenery could provide some cover.
Her father picked up quickly. He had come home early from work and was likely preparing dinner.
“Dad, is Mom at the convenience store across the street?”
“She’s at home. What’s wrong, Xiao Xi? Aren’t you at school?”
Knowing both were at home, she felt slightly relieved. “Dad, I have an important math competition certificate at home that I need urgently. I’m already on my way back to get it. Can you and Mom find it for me? It’s really urgent.”
She didn’t mention zombies, as it would be unbelievable and a waste of time. She needed them to stay home and not go out until she returned. Using schoolwork as an excuse was the best way.
Before hanging up, she made sure to tell them not to leave the house to look for her, even if she didn’t arrive or they couldn’t reach her by phone. “Also, Dad, if I don’t get home and you can’t reach me, don’t come out looking for me. I have friends and a teacher driving me. I’ll be home safely. Remember to wait at home; I didn’t bring my key. See you soon!”
As Yu Xi ended the call, she heard strange noises ahead. Quickly, she put away her phone and took out the retractable baton. About ten steps away, under a tree, stood two boys and a girl.
One boy leaned against the tree, clutching himself and trembling, making rasping noises. The girl in the white dress beside him looked worried, holding his arm and repeatedly asking if he felt unwell.
The other boy, with a buzz cut, kept suggesting taking him to the infirmary. But because the unwell boy didn’t respond, the girl insisted on finding out what was wrong and getting his consent before deciding.
The buzz-cut boy, clearly jealous, had just confessed to the girl, and her concern for the other boy (a handsome one) made him envious. The girl’s gentle scolding only fueled his jealousy.
“Why shouldn’t I care? I already said to take him to the infirmary!” He felt misunderstood and impatient, grabbing the other boy and pulling him down heavily.
“Zhao Zheng, what are you doing?” The girl in the white dress pulled him away, shielding the other boy. “He’s already feeling awful, why would you do that…”
“Why are you so good to him? You’re my girlfriend!”
“If I’d known you were like this, I wouldn’t have agreed to be with you…”
Despite her anger, the girl’s voice was sweet and soft. Behind her, dark blue veins appeared on the other boy’s neck, spreading along his veins.
Immersed in their “you care about him, not me” argument, the two didn’t notice the boy’s transformation.
With her enhanced hearing and vision, Yu Xi understood their relationship and saw the boy’s changes from a distance.
When the dark veins reached his cheek, the unconscious boy suddenly opened his eyes—dull gray eyes, no longer human.
Smelling the tempting scent of human flesh, he reached out to the girl.
“Watch out behind her!” Yu Xi shouted.
Zhao Zheng, standing side-on, saw the gray hand reaching for his girlfriend. “What the hell!” he instinctively pulled her away, retreating quickly.
The girl, angry, struggled to free herself. Turning around, she saw the horrific face and went weak in the knees. “Wh-what…”
Zhao Zheng hugged her again and kicked the zombie. It hit the tree but quickly lunged back with a growl.
“Shit! This thing looks familiar!” Zhao Zheng retreated in fear. At the same time, someone dashed past him, hitting the zombie’s hand with a baton and then kicking it hard.
Unlike Zhao Zheng’s kick, which only knocked the zombie against the tree, Yu Xi’s kick sent it flying.
The zombie’s leg hit the tree with a clear cracking sound.
Zhao Zheng: …
xxx
Thingyan
: Bad ratings made me not motivated to translate 😫. So if you enjoy this novel so far, please give it a rating on NU 🙏 🙏 🙏
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