Beijing was a very large city and the number of inhabitants amounted to approximately thirty million in total.
The city itself was composed of 16 major districts and 2 smaller counties while the population was evenly distributed in a large number of cities and even smaller towns or villages.
Beijing University was located in Yanqing District, which was composed of 3 large cities or sub-districts, 11 towns, and 4 villages or rural townships; just northwest of the capital of China. Accurately, the university was located in one of the three large subdistricts, Rulin Subdistrict.
"I will head south." Bai Zemin broke the silence and said with determination glittering in his eyes, "Specifically speaking, I am heading in the direction of Changping District."
Yanqing District bordered Huairou District to the north and Changping District to the south.
He continued, "My family is in Yangfang and I have to get there as soon as possible."
Another reason why Bai Zemin still harbored hope for his family was that Yangfang was a small town with just over fifty thousand inhabitants. This meant that even if many people mutated into zombies, it was still better than in densely populated places and the chances of survival would undoubtedly be much higher in such cases.
Chen He shook his head and looked at Shangguan Bing Xue and Wu Yijun before pointing at their targets, "Bing Xue, Yijun, and I are moving south as well but we are aiming for Haidian District. That's where our families are located."
Bai Zemin was by no means surprised because from the time he learned about Chen He's military background he had made his own guess regarding Shangguan Bing Xue and Wu Yijun.
Although he did not know exactly what their backgrounds were, just based on the fact that they were Chen He's childhood friends, he could easily assume that they belonged to the government or the military. In that case, it was natural for the three of them to head south since Yanqing District was a bordering district of Beijing and beyond that, one would leave the capital.
"I guess we'll be temporary traveling comrades then." Bai Zemin smiled slightly and looked at the three people without his expression revealing his inner thoughts.
"We'll be in your care until then!" Wu Yijun smiled brightly and two pretty little dimples formed on her cheeks as her eyes narrowed into a crescent shape.
Seeing her sweet expression in contrast to her seductive body, Bai Zemin couldn't help but look at Lilith out of the corner of his eye and secretly thought that both women were like little foxes.
As for Shangguan Bing Xue, she said nothing for several seconds until she finally sighed and slowly said, "I wonder if it will be that easy..."
"Uh?" Chen He looked at her puzzled and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"...It's nothing." She shook her head and did not continue the matter, but Bai Zemin knew that her thoughts were exactly the same as his.
In any case, everything would be proven when they found the first human campment. At that time it would come to light if China's army was able to put up a fight against the zombies, animals, and mutated plants, or if they were barely holding out with pitiful strength.
"I will split up and head north." A deep voice interjected.
"Oh?" Bai Zemin and the rest looked at Liang Peng, who had been silent until now, with a hint of surprise.
"Is there anything that will take you north? Family perhaps?" Chen He asked hesitantly.
"It's not that... My close family died in a car accident four years ago... As for the rest, I don't care if they're alive or not." Liang Peng sighed and shook his head before looking out the window and continuing, "Before the world changed I was just a soul in sorrow wandering around this world and without any special purpose. But, now that the world has changed, I would like to look for myself... Or at least a reason to exist other than just breathing."
After hearing his words, everyone remained silent for a long time before they nodded in understanding.
Although they knew that separations were highly probable to occur, after almost half a month of continuous living together, after countless battles against zombies or other evolved creatures in which they risked their lives shoulder to shoulder, it was inevitable to feel a slight tinge of reluctance to say goodbye.
Bai Zemin clapped his hands and said with a smile, "All right, everyone. Let's work hard to get out of here once and for all!"
With clear objectives, the group of five left the room and began to organize several survivors for tomorrow's work as well as patrolling the buildings around the library to avoid major problems.
* * *
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Today, after the arrival of the first ray of light from the sun, the 14th day since the arrival of the Soul Record officially opened.
Two weeks ago, the world as everyone knew it had completely changed to the point where it would be completely and utterly impossible to go back to the way it was in the past.
Two weeks ago and just based on the percentage of students, professors, and other university staff, approximately 70-80% of humanity had been turned into zombies just like the ones in horror movies; fictional movies that in the past were fun but now everyone had been forced to be characters in a movie in which everyone was a secondary character.
Fourteen days ago, going to bed and getting up the next day was normal; everyone considered these simple actions obvious and natural.
Two weeks ago, opening the refrigerator and eating or going to a restaurant to eat was the most natural thing in the world for everyone; dates, outings with friends, meetings, dinners...
However, for the past fourteen days, one could go to bed but would not necessarily wake up the next day.
For two weeks now, food had become scarce and was now an asset more valuable than gold itself for which countless starving people would be willing to kill for a small piece of dry bread.
In the once prestigious and lively Beijing University, zombies wandered and growled purposelessly while many survivors sobbed in some corner, fighting against fear and driven mad by the hunger that slowly ate away at their senses threatening to drive them insane.
A few kilometers from the southern exit, a large patch of what in the past seemed to be a forest crackled with small crimson flames that a few seconds later were completely extinguished, leaving only ashes that with the passing of time would be swept away by the wind and forgotten in the river of time.
...
Inside a room on the second floor of the library, lying on a mattress placed on the floor and casually covered with a pair of sheets, Bai Zemin slowly opened his eyes and yawned as he stood up.
"Good morning."
A soft, sweet voice sounded a few feet away, a voice he had grown accustomed to hearing over the past fourteen days.
Looking toward the source of the sound, he saw the most perfect being he had ever known in his entire life. Even though it had been two weeks since she had appeared in his life unannounced, even though he thought he had grown accustomed to her; every time he saw her when he woke up he could not help but be amazed.
Sitting by the window frame and holding a book with the cover of a big full moon in her hands, a beautiful woman was looking at him with her enchanting ruby eyes and a small smile.
Bathed in the rays of dawn, her body that was as elegant as the sculpture of a goddess, her skin as delicate and white as porcelain seemed to glow as if small diamonds were covering her completely... She seemed to have stepped out of a work of art as her beauty had broken all parameters.
"Good morning." Bai Zemin replied before straightening up completely and smiling back at her.
It had been fourteen days, two weeks, half a month since he and she had met. However, even though their strength was as great as the distance between heaven and hell, a Lower Existence and a Higher Existence were comfortable with each other as if they had known for several lifetimes ago.
**********End of Volume 1!**********