The Whole Country Falls

She rushed to the balcony and looked down, only to see the zombie Song Ping being thrown from the 5th floor, falling straight to the ground with a sickening splat of blood.

Even so, the zombie Song Ping could still crawl back up. Jiang Chu guessed they hadn't hit a vital spot on Song Ping’s head. Before she could withdraw her gaze, she saw another person being thrown from that same dormitory balcony right after Song Ping.

She remembered this person was a member of Room 501. The girl had a zombie bite mark on her neck but hadn't mutated immediately. Dislocated bones and lingering consciousness caused her immense pain. She struggled feebly for a moment before trembling as she mutated, finally turning into a distorted, charcoal-gray zombie, wandering the campus in search of prey.

The actions of Room 501 terrified the other dormitories in the building; someone on a neighboring balcony even let out a cry of horror. Being bitten by a zombie meant mutation; doing this for survival wasn't exactly blameworthy. It was just that... it had been less than a few hours since the zombie virus broke out, and the girl hadn't even mutated when she was thrown. Their ability to adapt was too strong—or rather, too cruel.

Jiang Chu raised an eyebrow. Where there are people, there is conflict; it seemed she had to be more vigilant.

The campus was almost never quiet. The dormitory manager of this building first posted an announcement in the group chat.

{ Received notice from the school: students, please do not panic, deal with this calmly. You need to quarantine in your dorms, keep doors closed, and stay locked down for a short period. Cooperate with the country and the school, thank you. }

After posting the message, Manager Lin vanished without a trace. But everyone was currently on the brink of life and death, especially on the second floor.

Room 207 posted a photo. From the angle, it was clear the dormitory had opened a crack in the window to take a sneak peek. In the hallway, a female zombie was gnawing on a corpse. The zombie had fashionable curly hair, and though it had mutated into a non-human form, traces of makeup could still be seen on its face, with false eyelashes fallen around its nose. Who could have imagined that just a few hours ago, she was still a living person? Now, she was gnawing on her own kind.

"You tell me how to be calm? Is this thing human? When can this be resolved? I'm going crazy (sneer)."

At the same time, dozens of messages popped up simultaneously.

"Exactly, our dorm currently has a roommate who's infected and unconscious. Are you telling us to throw her out or let her harm us? Where are the prevention and solution measures? You're the dorm manager but you're not at school—where are you now? A short lockdown? May I ask how short 'short' is?"

"I have to go home!"

Below were similar responses.

Jiang Chu watched indifferently, taking a packaged Michelin-star steak from her space. She used a simple microwave to heat it up and sat before her laptop, looking at the current news. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. News on the internet was spreading uncontrollably, with all sorts of bloody videos flooding in. In just a few short hours, everything had reached an uncontrollable level.

"Emergency broadcast, emergency broadcast."

"A series of riots and injury events occurred tonight. Our station's reporter has personally gone to the scene to report for you."

Outside, in the live interview, a reporter followed a film crew into an area cordoned off by police. It was around a large shopping center. Police near the cordon were desperately using riot control weapons to disperse the rioting crowds and zombies. They even released smoke grenades, and panicked screams echoed endlessly. Cars were overturned, and several ambulances couldn't escape either; the medical staff on board vanished into the smoke. Clearly, after the outbreak, people had tried to escape but failed.

"Leave immediately, stay home with doors locked, or face the consequences!" a policeman near the cordon shouted, driving away the approaching people and the reporter.

The reporter vomited upon seeing the carnage, then tried to regain his composure. "The scene is bloody. Citizens, please follow the government's arrangements and stay indoors. Our station will continuously report for you..."

Before he could finish, a man rushed out of the smoke, running toward him.

"Ah—" The camera shook violently, and the reporter's heart-wrenching scream tore through the air. As the camera fell hard to the ground, those watching the news saw the reporter had fallen, blood spraying across the screen in a bright red smear.

In less than three seconds, the live news program was cut. It switched to a normal business news segment, where a female anchor in a neat business suit smiled while reporting business news. It broadcast for over ten minutes before returning to the topic of the flu.

"The flu is rampant. Everyone, please quarantine at home. Do not go out unless necessary to avoid infection, thank you."

At that moment, on the broadcasting stage, a blood-covered staff member rushed up. He pushed the anchor down onto the desk, then strangely fainted. A look of terror appeared on the anchor's dignified face. She turned and shouted, "Quick, come and carry him away."

When she looked toward the director's side off-stage, she could no longer remain calm, as if seeing an incredibly horrific image. Her eyes widened, showing a look of despair.

"Cut the news, now!"

Before she could finish her shout, the man who had collapsed on the desk before her opened his blood-red eyes and lunged.

As the screams rang out...

"Beep—"

The live news program was shut down. Jiang Chu watched with regret; over the next few days, major TV stations would lose their signals one by one—it was only a matter of time. Major institutions would fall one after another. And in this desperate environment, extremist people would often take even more extreme actions.

Cries in the dormitory came in wave after wave. In the air, a broadcast suddenly rang out.

"Emergency announcement."

"Infected and mutated patients have appeared worldwide. All citizens, do not go out! Do not go out! All major schools, please suspend classes immediately; businesses, cease operations. Citizens currently in hospitals, please leave immediately. If you cannot leave, please find a safe place and wait for rescue. Please wait for rescue!"

"Close windows tightly, lock doors, and wait for rescue!"

The National Television Station also cut all signals, switching to this announcement. The call to wait for rescue echoed continuously in the air.

This scene was all too familiar to Jiang Chu. In her previous life when the zombies broke out, this kind of announcement also appeared. People thought that by obediently waiting for rescue, they would actually be saved. Hiding at home was indeed a bit safer than being outside, but food would eventually run out, and the danger wasn't just one type of zombie.

This was an apocalypse without hope. It was a devastating blow to human civilization; the zombie virus was incurable. Unless the area was sealed off from the start and all infected people were killed, there might have been a sliver of hope to stop the outbreak. But how was that possible? The number of infected was countless.

In her previous life, by the time government agencies reacted, the zombie virus had already fully erupted. Rescue became incredibly difficult. Even with loyal and powerful armies, they were ultimately mortal flesh; dealing with immortal, tireless, and endless swarms of zombies was extremely difficult. Rescue was nearly impossible. Various places established their own safe zones, but... in the end, they could only save themselves.