They waited for a long time, and only after confirming that the head would no longer move did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
A moment later, they remembered the zombies at the door and hurriedly checked on them. At this point, only one person was leaning against the door, but strangely, the zombies outside were no longer ramming it. They could only hear the growls from outside, confirming that the monsters were still there.
They were so terrified they didn’t dare breathe loudly. They had no idea why the zombies weren’t coming in, but for now, they seemed to be safe.
Lin Yuzhi’s heart was still racing so fast it felt like it would leap out of his chest. He was completely bewildered by the situation.
“Is it over?” one of them whispered.
The survivors looked at each other, then at the door, and finally at Lin Yuzhi. Noticing their stares, Lin Yuzhi really wanted to say that he didn’t know either. But perhaps because the scene had been so shocking, he couldn’t find his voice for a long time. Finally, he managed: “I don’t know. They haven’t come in, so maybe.”
Just as he finished speaking, a sudden thud hit the door. The group scrambled back, their faces turning white.
But then, it went quiet again, with only the zombies’ growls echoing. Lin Yuzhi noticed something: these things seemed to react to sound.
“Don’t speak. They seem to be able to hear us,” he whispered, keeping his voice incredibly low.
The others nodded immediately. One girl, clearly traumatized, began to cry, but she covered her mouth tightly so as not to let a sound escape. The other two were in no better state, suddenly facing such a nightmare with a pack of zombies just outside. Fortunately, they were safe for the moment.
The young man standing next to Lin Yuzhi gave him a thumbs-up and whispered very softly, “Dude, you’re a total badass. If not for you, we’d all be dead.”
The person on the other side also gave a thumbs-up and thanked him repeatedly, using mouth movements since they couldn’t speak aloud.
Lin Yuzhi forced a smile. He didn’t know where that sudden adrenaline rush had come from; he just knew he couldn’t die. If he died, he’d be failing his mom. It must be Mom protecting me, he thought.
Instinctively, he touched the small jade pendant hanging around his neck. It had one character carved on it: Yu (予). Holding it in his palm allowed his racing heart to settle slightly.
However, he didn’t dare look at the head he had hacked off. The hand holding the jade pendant was shaking; after all, that had been a person, not a chicken.
The outside grew quiet, though the faint sounds of zombies remained. Not daring to make any large movements, they sat in the restroom and tried calling the police. But after calling for a long time, there was only a busy signal. Surely the police station hadn’t fallen too?
They shook their heads at each other, indicating no one could get through. Their expressions soured instantly.
Sitting in the corner, Lin Yuzhi finally began to recover. He tried calling 110 like the others, but with no luck. He prepared to put his phone away to save battery—it would be bad if he finally got through only for the phone to die. He also muted all sounds to prevent any incoming calls or texts from alerting the monsters.
At the very least, he had gathered some information: these things could hear and see, and being bitten to death resulted in infection. He didn’t know if a simple bite would do it, and he didn’t want to test it. If a bite was enough to turn someone, he was doomed.
Shaking his head, he muted his phone. But just then, a notification popped up at the top of the screen.
[The Scholar Leaderboard has been successfully installed. Please perform face recognition. The recognition window is ten minutes. If recognition fails, you may try again. If you miss the recognition window, you can apply for a late registration in the app. Please complete recognition as soon as possible; a Student Starter Pack will be issued to students who authenticate within ten minutes.]
Lin Yuzhi stared at the prompt in a daze. What the hell is this? Scholar Leaderboard? Student?
He had been out of school for years. Why was this app appearing? Had his phone automatically downloaded some bloatware along with this “Scholar Leaderboard”? He flipped through his phone and quickly found the app at the very end of the last page.
The icon was a simple square featuring a graduation cap. Upon opening it, a splash screen appeared with the same cap and a line of text:
[Books are an ocean of knowledge. We believe every student possesses extraordinary abilities and that through hard work, every student can achieve their desired results.]
The image vanished, replaced by a face recognition screen. Lin Yuzhi’s face appeared in the frame. A moment later, it displayed a failure message, followed by a new pop-up:
[Fault detected in recognition. Repairing recognition now, please wait patiently.]
After a short while, a transparent light board appeared over the app interface:
[Repair complete. Scholar Leaderboard is officially activated. Beginning identification of local student.]
[Identification successful. Personal Information Sheet has been generated.]
The screen jumped to his profile:
[Name: Lin Yuzhi]
[Age: 25]
[Gender: Male]
[Stream: Science]
[School: Lin’an City No. 5 High School]
[Class: Grade 11, Class 12]
[Lowest Total Score: Unknown. Scores will be entered after the first exam. They will fluctuate based on performance. Please take exams seriously.]
[Highest Total Score: Unknown. Scores will be entered after the first exam. They will fluctuate based on performance. Please take exams seriously.]
[Academic Rank: Unknown. Ranking will be determined during the placement test. Note: Every time your rank rises by ten places, you unlock a Growth Gift Pack. Please do your best.]
[Interests/Hobbies: Unknown. You may choose to fill this out or not. Completing over 90% of your profile earns a Growth Gift Pack.]
Note: To ensure students focus on their studies, this app follows a one-person, one-device policy. Please keep your phone safe. We provide a vast array of prizes, which can be earned through achievements or exchanged for points in the Mall.
Points are awarded based on the number of exams taken—10 points per exam. Refreshing your previous high score yields a large amount of points (the larger the gap, the more points earned). Points are also awarded based on academic rank—the higher the rank, the more points earned—among other locked features.
The Scholar Leaderboard is dedicated to creating the perfect study environment for every student. We hope you study hard. Do not cheat during exams; cheating results in disqualification and the forfeiture of all points.
The information sheet vanished, and the main interface showed a square gift box with exaggerated patterns, looking like a surprise pack from a mobile game. Still dazed by the profile, Lin Yuzhi reflexively tapped the box.
The gift box opened, displaying a pack of Bear Cookies with the text: [Bear Cookies *1].
Below it was a line of text:
[Since the student authenticated within ten minutes, the Starter Pack is now issued. Congratulations on receiving one pack of Bear Cookies. Items have been delivered; please check your inventory.]
As soon as he finished reading, a pack of cookies—exactly like the ones in the app, with a little bear on the wrapper—suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Holy shit!” he blurted out. Remembering the zombies, he quickly stifled his voice.
The others nearby heard him and looked over, asking what was wrong. Lin Yuzhi quickly hid the cookies and shook his head. “Nothing, just wondering when we can get out of here.”
The others sighed. There were only four of them left. Seeing that nothing was wrong, they looked away. One person clutched their stomach. “I’m so hungry.”
As soon as he said it, the others felt the hunger too. In their panicked escape, they had nothing in their pockets but their phones. Lin Yuzhi was also starving; it was nearly 5:00 PM, well past his usual dinner time. He usually ate while working his stall, but the apocalypse had hit just as he set up. He couldn’t stand being hungry—missing even one meal was torture.
But he had nothing either, except for that one pack of Bear Cookies. He looked at the group and finally handed them over. “Only got this.”
They were overjoyed to see the cookies. Though it was just a small pack, it was food. They shared the cookies among themselves. While it wasn’t enough to fill them up, it was better than nothing.
Those who had thanked him earlier did so again. “You’re too kind. Thank you. You’ve saved our lives twice now. You’re amazing. If we get out, I’m definitely buying you a drink.”
Lin Yuzhi looked at the door. “Let’s get out first.” He wasn’t trying to be a buzzkill; it was just the harsh reality. The group fell silent again.
Lin Yuzhi checked his phone. The Starter Pack screen was gone. He had thought it was some trash software, but it turned out to be the real deal—a system. He thought of the novels he used to read; this was his “Golden Finger.”
Wait… but why a Scholar System? And he had to take exams? Was the system crazy? In an apocalypse, shouldn’t he be bound to an Armory System or a Superpower System? Why a Scholar System?
Maybe the shop had weapons? It should at least adapt to the current situation, right? He opened the Mall. He didn’t see any weapons, but he saw a massive amount of food—from single candies to vegetables and rice.
Holy crap! This is a grain depot! And there was no limit on exchanges, provided he had points. The better the food, the higher the points required.
He was set. Lady Luck was finally on his side. Lin Yuzhi was thrilled. With so much food, even if the world collapsed, he would be fine. There was even hot pot—complete sets like the ones in restaurants. The more he looked, the more excited he got. This wasn’t just survival; it was a luxury.
This wasn’t a Scholar System; it was an Apocalypse Survival System.
Brother System, you are my one and only brother.
Lin Yuzhi felt so powerful he thought he could go out and kill two zombies. (Just kidding.) He happily browsed the shop. Points? He could just save up.
Just as he thought he was going to thrive in the apocalypse, a new prompt appeared:
[The first placement test will begin in ten minutes. This test is unrelated to any school exams and is purely for student evaluation. No need to go to a designated location; please prepare, as the exam is about to begin.]
[To ensure fairness, please do not cheat. Answer actively. If you encounter a problem you cannot solve, move to the next one to manage your time.]
Lin Yuzhi froze. In the next moment, a test paper appeared in his hand—specifically, a Chinese Language exam—along with a pen. He glanced up at the others; seeing they hadn’t noticed, he quickly turned around to face the wall and looked at the paper.
It was for real!
How many years had it been since he’d looked at a book? Actually, he hadn’t really looked at books when he was in school. After staring at the paper for a moment, he felt dizzy. He was “text-blind”—the dense characters made his head hurt.
Then, a countdown timer appeared on his phone. The exam had started. Lin Yuzhi had no idea where to begin and considered just giving up. There were zombies everywhere outside, and here he was taking an exam. People would think he was insane.
But those points could be used for caviar, and he had never tasted that before. Whatever, I’ll take it. It’s not like I can go anywhere anyway.
Wait, had it mentioned “designated locations” earlier? Did that mean he didn’t need one this time, but he would in the future? He tried to go back to check the notification, but the screen had changed to a timer. He couldn’t close it, and the seconds were ticking away as if he were in a real exam hall. He started to panic.
Abandoning his thoughts, he picked up the pen and started the test. After finishing the first paper, a second appeared: Mathematics.
He at least recognized some words in Chinese. Math, however, was written in an alien language. He clutched his pink hair. Who invented this? How do you solve this? What even is this? Why couldn’t they ask “1+1=2”?
He couldn’t do it. He skipped through the paper. He could only manage the multiple-choice questions: “Three longs and one short, pick the shortest. If they’re all the same, pick C.” If that failed, he used the “eeny-meeny-miny-moe” method. He simply couldn’t understand it.
He was sweating profusely from the stress. Writing against the wall was tiring, so he eventually resorted to using the toilet lid as a desk.
The others noticed his movements and thought something was wrong, only to see him answering a test paper. The one closest to him whispered, “So you’re a student? So hardworking… even in this situation, you haven’t forgotten your studies.” He couldn’t help but marvel. But then he wondered: “Where did you get a test paper in a restroom?”
How was Lin Yuzhi supposed to answer? The system gave it to me?
In the end, he made up an excuse. “Found it in the corner. Some student must have dropped it.” He scratched his pink hair, a few strands falling out. His brain felt like it was going to explode. These questions weren’t meant for humans—he didn’t understand a single one.
The group nodded, figuring it made sense since they were in a stationery shop.
After Math, there were several more subjects. English was even worse than Math—it was a book of gibberish. Why does a Chinese person have to learn English? I should just blow them up! Fortunately, the “bird language” test was mostly multiple-choice. He guessed randomly. As for the listening section, it actually played audio, but luckily he had muted it beforehand. He didn’t understand it anyway, so he just picked at random.
By the time he finished everything, Lin Yuzhi was exhausted and drenched in sweat. He didn’t dare wash up; the sound of the tap might alert the zombies outside.
His phone screen lit up. The scores were out. Lin Yuzhi grabbed it—that was fast. He had spent so long taking the test, yet the results took two minutes.
[Student: Lin Yuzhi]
[Mathematics: 0]
[Chinese: 10]
[English: 3]
[Physics: 6]
[Biology: 1]
[Chemistry: 0]
Simple numbers, but a critical hit to Lin Yuzhi. Two “duck eggs” (zeros).
Actually, it made sense. He had been a slacker in high school and dropped out before finishing. After so many years, getting even these few points was arguably an achievement. But if this continued, what about the items in the shop? Was his excitement for nothing?
The next moment, his profile updated. His highest and lowest scores were refreshed: a glaring 20 points total. He couldn’t help but laugh; it seemed okay. His rank wasn’t last; it was second to last. Who was the last person? How could they possibly do worse than him?
Right—who else was taking this exam? He didn’t know who else was bound to the system, but at least he wasn’t the very bottom.
However, his joy was short-lived as he realized he couldn’t afford anything in the shop. He opened the Mall and saw a number in the top-right corner where points were displayed: 10. It seemed that was the reward for participating. But a bottle of water cost 20 points; 10 was useless.
Just as he thought that, the points changed. Twenty more were added, bringing the total to 30. So the exam score counted too. The higher the score, the more points he’d get after each exam. If he scored 700, he’d get 700 points every time!
He grinned, but the grin quickly faded. 700 points? He wouldn’t reach that in his next life.
Maybe… find a tutor?
But who could possibly fix his grades? He didn’t even know who was good at studying. Should he run into the school and grab a random person to ask if they were smart? Leaving aside the fact that they’d think he was crazy, just getting into the school would be a problem.
His grin disappeared completely.
But then, he brightened up again. He actually did remember someone—the “Study God” from Class One next door, Xu An!