The night before the CET-4 exam, the dormitory's internet suddenly went down. Song Fei was engrossed in watching some hilarious videos on a certain website. To avoid disturbing his classmates Wang and Ren who were studying diligently, he even wore headphones and didn't notice anything amiss at first. It wasn't until one video finished playing and he tried to click on a new one, but it wouldn't buffer, that he realized something was wrong. Looking at the bottom right corner of his computer, he saw an exclamation mark next to the network connection status.
The instability of the campus network is like roll call from an elective course instructor; you know it exists, but you don't know when it will happen. However, the former occurs frequently, and its impact varies from person to person, while the latter's frequency is uncertain, but its impact is absolutely indiscriminate and fatal.
Song Fei was numb. Helplessly, he took off his headset. Sure enough, there was a chorus of curses coming from the hallway outside the door.
"The internet's down again?" Xiangyang, who had just finished a date four stops away, pushed open the door and came in.
Song Fei shrugged: "Absolutely, without access to the campus network, it's not a campus network."
"Be content," Xiangyang said as he walked under the bed and took off his coat. "We'll only be off for an hour or two at most. My wife said they've been off for two days and still haven't reconnected."
Song Fei was speechless, but felt immense sympathy for the girls from the outer courtyard: "Fine, I feel better now."
Without internet, Song Fei could only use his phone in bed to scroll through data. But perhaps the god of learning couldn't bear to see him so carefree, because by 9 PM, his phone had no signal. Forget about 234GB of data; even making phone calls was a complete failure.
"Hey, do you guys have cell phone signal?" Song Fei really didn't want to break the peaceful and quiet study atmosphere in the dormitory, but the god of study was just too much!
Xiangyang, who had just pulled out the practice exam and was clearly not yet in the zone, was the first to put down his pen, grab his phone, and quickly gave feedback: "No."
Wang Qingyuan also took a quick look: "No."
Ren Zhe smugly said, "At times like this, you need dual SIM cards; you can't put all your eggs in one basket..."
The sound stopped abruptly.
Song Fei understood immediately: "Both eggs are broken?"
Ren didn't want to answer this tedious question.
Song Fei wasn't in the mood for gloating. Neither China Unicom nor China Mobile had any signal; this was practically driving people to their deaths. He stared speechlessly at the ceiling, feeling as if the world had lost its color.
The phone still hadn't been able to connect by the time the lights went out. Song Fei was adamant that this was definitely a school conspiracy, to prevent us from cheating on the CET-4 and CET-6 exams! Ren Zhe said it couldn't be, how much money would they have to go to block the signal the night before, and across the entire school? But when they woke up the next morning, the phone signal bars were still completely dead, so they had no choice but to believe it.
"This is abuse of the flowers of our motherland!" Song Fei said, still indignant after finishing dressing and tidying herself up.
"The flowers of our motherland need sunshine and rain, not barrage comments and memes." Wang Qingyuan, who was packing his schoolbag, complained mercilessly, and added at the end, "Don't forget your ID card and admission ticket."
"Okay." Although the chances of passing are slim, there are so many multiple-choice questions, maybe he'll even guess them correctly if he's possessed by a spirit. With that glimmer of hope, he won't give up before even entering the exam hall.
He, Song Fei, was such an optimistic revolutionary fighter!
Xiangyang and Renzhe, seeing the sudden, dazzling gleam of "victory is within reach" on their roommate's face, knew he was starting to hypnotize himself again. This roommate wasn't good at studying, wasn't good at sports, wasn't good at flirting, but he had great mental fortitude—super confident, absolutely top-notch.
The four of them went out together.
Song Fei went to the examination hall, while the three people who were taking the exam in the afternoon went straight to the library to cram for the last time.
Soon the group parted ways; there were still twenty-five minutes until the exam started. Most of the students taking the exam had already entered the exam hall by this time. In addition, since the entire school was closed for the CET-4 and CET-6 exams, there weren't many students on the way. Occasionally, a few who got up late rushed to the exam hall, which was in stark contrast to Song Fei's nonchalant attitude.
Song Fei's exam room was in Zhiyuan Building, which was actually the teaching building where classes were usually held. However, in the old campus, these buildings were simply named as Building 1, Building 2, Building 3, etc. But when the new campus was built, the new school leaders had a sudden inspiration and thought, "No, it needs to have a nicer name!" So, buildings like Zhiyuan Building, Gewu Building, and Wenhua Building were born in no time.
A tree-lined avenue leads to the teaching building area. By mid-December, most of the leaves had fallen, leaving only thick trunks and bare branches. A cold wind blew by, and Song Fei hunched his neck, pulling his zipper up even further. Today he was wearing a fleece-lined blue and white baseball jacket, black sweatpants, and sneakers; at first glance, he really did look like a sunny and healthy young man.
But he knew he wasn't.
"That's the one over there..." Song Fei looked towards the sports field in the distance. Although he couldn't see it clearly, he could already hear the thud of basketballs hitting the ground and the cheers of his fellow alumni in the wind.
Song Fei was so engrossed in admiring the athletes that she didn't notice someone walking towards her and bumped right into them. Startled, Song Fei staggered back a few steps before regaining her balance, only to fall flat on her face after colliding with the person.
"Are you alright?" Song Fei quickly stepped forward to help. The safest place to help someone up is on a university campus, filled with the vibrant future of our nation. No one will lie on the ground groaning and trying to extort you; many are so physically fit they can easily flip over without needing help.
The student who was hit was wearing a regular hoodie and jeans, but he was filthy all over, as if he had just rolled around in the dirt. Song Fei helped him up and then realized it was a familiar face: "Xu Qiulei?"
Xu Qiulei was a classmate of theirs in the History Department. Because their dorm rooms were opposite each other, they were very familiar with each other.
"Aren't you going to take the exam?" Seeing the other person staring blankly at him without speaking for a long time, Song Fei asked again. If he remembered correctly, this kid hadn't passed the CET-4 either. A while ago, he was still bragging that he had already checked with the senior students and that the rumor that failing the CET-4 would result in not getting a degree was a ruthless deception and intimidation by the school.
Xu Qiulei remained silent, only tilting his head as if he didn't recognize him, looking him up and down.
Song Fei felt a chill run down his spine under Xu Qiulei's gaze. Not only was Xu Qiulei's gaze strange, but his pupils were also terrifyingly dark, like black holes; staring at him for a few more seconds felt like being sucked in. His face was also bluish, and the faint bulges of capillaries under his skin were even visible on his cheeks, like the varicose veins many people suffer from. But Song Fei had only ever seen varicose veins on the lower legs; this was the first time he'd seen them on the face.
An awkward and eerie silence spread between the two. Song Fei subconsciously took a step back and tried to joke, "Wearing black contact lenses, that's pretty trendy."
Xu Qiulei still had that same expression—no, it should be said that he had no expression at all; there was no sign of life on his face, only blankness and stiffness.
Song Fei suddenly felt scared. He wanted to find an excuse to end this one-sided conversation, such as "I have an exam, so let's stop talking for now." However, before he could even open his mouth, the other person suddenly walked straight towards him.
Song Fei shuddered, took a few steps back, and then suddenly dodged to the side. Xu Qiulei continued walking forward without hesitation, as if Song Fei didn't exist. But Song Fei was certain that if he didn't move aside, he would be bumped into again.
Xu Qiulei doesn't care about himself.
For some reason, Song Fei was so certain, even though the conclusion seemed absurd.
With this delay, there were only twenty minutes left before the exam started. Song Fei no longer had time to study Xu's stiff back and quickened her pace toward Zhiyuan Building.
Qi Yan stood under the big tree outside Zhiyuan Building for forty minutes, enjoying the breeze, until he saw that blue and white figure. He had almost greeted all the examinees in the building with a smile.
Song Fei is 1.76 meters tall, which isn't short, but he always likes to look around when he walks. Even when he's focused on walking, he always has his hands in his pockets and never stands up straight or holds his head high. Therefore, he's nowhere near as tall and imposing. Every time Qi Yan sees him walk, she wishes she could tie a plank to his back.
Song Fei headed straight for the teaching building entrance without glancing to either side, but after taking a couple of steps, she realized something was off. Turning around, she saw a familiar face standing under the tree, silently watching her with an eerie air no better than Xu Qiulei's. Being startled twice that morning wouldn't put anyone in a good mood: "What are you doing here?"
This guy's score on the CET-4 last semester was the best in the entire School of Life Sciences. Surely he's not going to sign up again to try and get a perfect score, is he?
Qi Yan glanced at the little time left and said helplessly, "Hurry up and go in. Good luck on the exam."
Song Fei was a little confused, unsure whether this person had waited for her specifically or had just dropped off his new lover and had simply bumped into her by chance: "That's it?"
Qi Yan paused for a moment before adding, "I'll treat you to dinner after the exam."
Song Fei glanced at him sideways: "Celebrating that I failed again?"
Qi Yan held back for a while, deciding that with the big exam looming, even though this guy didn't look like he could pass, she shouldn't dampen his already meager enthusiasm for the exam. So she swallowed her harsh words and continued to smile: "I have something I want to talk to you about."
Song Fei raised his eyebrows suspiciously, unable to figure out what good thing this person could share with him.
Full of suspicion, Song reluctantly entered the building. Qi Yan watched until Song's figure completely disappeared. Finally, Qi Yan stopped being tense, his eyes softened, and the corners of his mouth turned up. His heart felt like a strong wind had finally come through after days of smog, clearing away the clouds and revealing the sun.
He took out his phone, but there was still no signal. The lack of signal caused many inconveniences, but for Qi Yan, it was a perfect excuse to come and wait. Why bother coming all this way when he could just call to arrange a meal? Because there was no signal. Qi Yan had mentally rehearsed this conversation countless times while waiting, but Song Fei didn't even ask. He didn't think Song Fei could make such a deduction on his own, not because the deduction was difficult, but because Song Fei was never one to think things through; he was too lazy to think about things if he could just ask directly.
So what exactly made him not even ask such a straightforward question?
Qi Yan, who was planning to kill time at the library, kept thinking about it the whole way. It wasn't just that this was unusual; Song Fei's expression was also strange when he approached. She was in a rush at the time and didn't have time to ask, but she was determined to ask him during lunch. Qi Yan swiped her card to enter the library, still thinking this.
When Song Fei entered the examination room, all his classmates were already seated, including the invigilator. A tense, almost palpable, silence filled the room. Song Fei smiled at the invigilator, who returned the smile.
"Please take a seat!"
Song Fei shrank back and sheepishly ran to the only empty seat.
I had barely sat down when the teacher started handing out test papers and answer sheets. Soon, the only sound in the classroom was the rustling of pencils scratching against paper.
The entire paper was filled with letters, all of which Song Fei recognized. But when spelled into words, only "is," "are," "yes," "no," and "abcd" seemed familiar. After frantically working through the essay and enduring the agonizing listening comprehension section, Song Fei finally unleashed his burst of energy, completing the other questions in just two minutes. Then, he didn't know what to do next, so he could only pretend to be engrossed in the paper, a strange sense of loneliness washing over him, a feeling of being an unrivaled master at the top.
The most inhumane thing about the CET-4 and CET-6 exams is that they don't allow early submission, which makes speedsters like Song Fei feel hopeless. During the long wait, he can only prop his head up with his arm, look at the blackboard, the ceiling, and out the window...
Huh?
Song Fei blinked hard, wondering if he was seeing things. He actually saw a classmate walk past the window. Normally, non-examinees weren't allowed into the building, but examinees weren't allowed to hand in their papers early and leave…
Lost in thought, Song Fei noticed the classmate who had just passed by the window had arrived at the classroom door. Sitting in the second row diagonally opposite the door, he could see clearly outside with a single glance. This time, he was certain he wasn't seeing things; there really was a classmate, and one covered in glaring blood!
The proctor initially thought someone had broken into the exam room and caused trouble, but when he saw who it was, he exclaimed in surprise and rushed over to ask with concern, "Student, what's wrong?!"
The newcomer's face was a bloody mess, his lips seemed to move slightly but no sound came out, and suddenly he fell to the ground with a thud.
The proctor was terrified, and the entire classroom of test-takers was dumbfounded.
Suddenly, a jumble of footsteps, interspersed with screams, came from outside the classroom, growing louder as they approached.
In the blink of an eye, the frantic students rushed past their classroom door like a startled pack of beasts!
Before Song Fei and the others could react, the "classmates" chasing after the group of students—if that was still a valid term—finally revealed their true identities. They were blank-minded, their faces ashen, and several had blood smeared on their faces, whether their own or someone else's! Most of them were chasing after the fleeing "classmates," but a few stopped abruptly as they passed the classroom door, glancing in their direction.
Song Fei's breath hitched as she watched helplessly as the three "classmates" changed their route and walked in!
The proctor was squatting right next to the injured student who had fallen to the ground at the door, the closest person to him, and in the blink of an eye, he was tackled by three "students"!
No, it wasn't a pounce, it was an attack... plus biting?!
Scenes I'd only ever seen in horror movies were now unfolding before my eyes; the impact of the real-life events was far more terrifying than anything on screen!
Song Fei couldn't remember how she ran out of the classroom; she only knew that everyone was running. Zhiyuan Building was one of the few teaching buildings in the school without an elevator. It had a U-shaped structure, long, winding corridors, and six floors; stairs were used to go up and down. Song Fei's exam room was on the third floor. When they all ran out of the classroom, perhaps driven by instinct, they didn't choose the direction their classmates had been chased in, but instead ran towards the opposite direction of the stairs!school supplies
The descent was relatively smooth, as the staircase was in a rather secluded spot, and there was no one else around. Even so, Song Fei nearly got knocked over several times, and by the time she reached the first floor, she was at the very end of the line.
Fortunately, I ended up at the back of the line.
The corridor was filled with menacing "classmates." There were only about twenty of them in the classroom, and the first seven or eight who rushed down were already targets. Other students tried to rush down, but they all ended up walking right into the trap. Everywhere you looked, there were terrified faces of the attacked students; the scene felt like the end of the world.
Song Fei stood at the top of the stairs, feeling somewhat dazed, unable to distinguish whether it was a dream or reality.
"Aaaaaahh ...
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream rang in his ears, right next to him! Song Fei trembled with fright and turned his head, only to see less than two meters away, a "classmate" was straddling another classmate, biting off a piece of flesh from his face!
From the initial chaos until now, this was the first time Song Fei had truly seen what had happened. He felt acid reflux, which he forced down, but his eyes were fixed there as if possessed, unable to look away.
The student whose face had been bitten was now motionless. The "student" riding on him seemed to have lost interest in the motionless "thing," so he raised his bluish-gray, blood-stained face, looked around, and soon spotted Song Fei.
Their eyes met.
Song Fei couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited. He hadn't eaten breakfast, so all he could vomit was some bile.
Perhaps it was the sound of vomiting that piqued the other person's interest. The "classmate" stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards Song Fei.
As Song Fei watched the other person approach, his legs felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't move. Instinct told him he should run, but reason told him this must be a dream, and he would be fine when he woke up.
Suddenly, Song Fei's eyes widened in horror.
Behind the "classmate" walking towards him, the one who had just been bitten also stood up unsteadily!
That person—if he could still be called human—had a face that was a bloody mess, with the flesh on his right cheek hanging there, barely hanging off. Only his eyes were intact, but there was nothing in those empty eyes; there was no joy, anger, sorrow, or pain.
No, this is not human.
Perhaps, this isn't a dream after all?
Song Fei was completely disoriented. All he knew was that a demonic classmate was closing in on him, and he had to escape, even if it was just in his dreams!
The "classmate" had already arrived, and Song Fei had no time to think. Almost reflexively, he ran back and upstairs! He didn't know what was ahead, but behind him, on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, there must be many normal teachers and students taking exams. The place he had wanted to escape from not long ago had now become the safest area!
Running all the way to the sixth floor, Song Fei didn't know how far he had left his "classmate" behind, but at least for now, he couldn't see him anymore. Just as he expected, the sixth floor was quiet, and the world seemed to have returned to normal.
But Song Fei knew that this was only temporary; a faint smell of blood had begun to permeate the cold air!
He rushed to the classroom closest to the stairwell, breathless, yet his words flowed smoothly, his tone increasingly fervent with terror: "Something's happened downstairs! They've all gone mad!!!"
The proctor was startled and quickly sternly shooed Song Fei out: "It's an exam! It's an exam! Which college are you from! Get out!"
"Something really happened! I didn't mess with you!!!" Song Fei shouted excitedly, looking like he was about to take action.
The students taking the exam were already angry because they had been disturbed, and seeing the perpetrator so arrogant, they exploded. Seven or eight of them stood up amidst the clatter of chairs.
"Hold!"
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Wow!"
Song Fei was now just waiting to be ganged up on, and he strode into the classroom.
They were all like the sun at nine or ten in the morning, and it was true that they had a sense of justice, but none of them were skilled fighters. Seeing that the "one who had angered the masses" had rushed in and asked to be beaten, the seven or eight young men who had stood up were a little overwhelmed by his enthusiasm.
The little girl sitting in the first row suddenly screamed!
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the female teacher who had just been sternly criticizing Song Fei had been tackled to the ground. There were two people on top of her, and if they weren't mistaken, the two men were fighting over an arm and biting it. The female teacher, who was being straddled, was convulsing, and blood was gushing out from the severed shoulder and arm.
No one knows why the female teacher didn't scream.
Just like nobody knows what kind of monster is gnawing at her arm.
"Aaaaaaaahh ...
One of the boys suddenly screamed, and the classroom was instantly filled with a sea of terror.
The students rushed out, and Song Fei was almost pushed over. She staggered several steps before barely managing to keep up.
The corridor on the sixth floor was also in turmoil, with everyone rushing towards the stairwell. This time, Song Fei did not go against the flow, but squeezed into the huge crowd!
As the saying goes, many hands make light work. The force of a hundred or so fleeing people was far greater than that of twenty or so people. They broke through the obstacles in one go and ran out of Zhiyuan Tower!
Song Fei was being pushed along, and had no time to see how many of her classmates ahead of her had become the monster's meal. When she saw the light of day again, it was as if she had been reborn from the ashes!
However, outside the teaching building, the wailing was deafening, and the tree-lined avenue was filled with the dead, the insane, and the half-dead!
Besides Song Fei and the large group from Zhiyuan Building, other students ran out from other teaching buildings. In an instant, students fleeing from all directions formed a raging sea, and they all tacitly headed towards the dormitory area. It's unclear who started it, but when Song Fei ran out, the group was heading towards the dormitory area, and the students who joined later, even those who originally wanted to run in other directions, instinctively followed the mainstream.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Who knows!!!
"Zombies!!! Absolutely!!!"
"Fuck you!!! Is this the time for jokes?!"
Am I dreaming?!
"You can let them bite you and see if it hurts!!!"
"..."
Blue sky, white clouds, and a throng of students rushing about, while a relentless army of zombies pursues them, creating a vibrant and lively scene.
As Song Fei ran, he kept looking back. He had fallen behind the group and had never regretted being a shut-in as much as he did now. If he had just trained with Qi Yan one more time, things wouldn't be like this!
"Classmate" was not as fast as the main group and had fallen behind, but there was only one of them, whose running speed was comparable to that of the main group. Now he was getting closer and closer to Song Fei, five meters, three meters, two meters!
Song Fei ran with all her might, but she just couldn't widen the distance between herself and the other person! As she watched the other person extend their arm, their hand almost touching her back, Song Fei's heart leaped into her throat!
Suddenly, a kick came flying from the side, knocking the "classmate" to the ground. Not stopping there, the person continued kicking the "classmate" over a dozen more times, yelling, "Die! Die! Die! Die!!!"
When people are terrified to the extreme, they become angry.
Song Fei was almost scared to death. The "classmate" who gnawed on people was terrifying, but the classmate who didn't gnaw on people wasn't much better!
Seeing that the "classmate" on the ground was about to get up and the "classmates" behind were about to catch up, Song Fei quickly grabbed the real classmate: "Don't fucking waste time!"
The man glanced at him, clearly still resentful, but his "classmates" were already surging towards him like a tide. He gritted his teeth and ran!
Song Fei accelerated again!
After running only a couple of steps, the resentful and violent student couldn't hold back any longer and roared to the sky: "Fuck your mother! I've been studying day and night for three months! Can't you just let me finish my exam?!!!!!"
Well, sometimes when people get extremely angry, they forget about fear.