In the Biohazard Zone, evaluations aren't announced by voice. Your performance shows as a colored glow when you exit: from worst to best gray, yellow, green, purple, red.
Green is a mid-tier grade. No wonder Ms. Hayes burst into laughter when he saw it.
"Teacher!" one student ran forward, eyes shining. He'd just survived a month of horrors fending off mutated creatures and scrounging for food and water in this post-apocalyptic nightmare.
"Good job," Ms. Hayes said, putting him at ease. "I know you've got a lot to say. Don't get too excited once everyone's out, we'll head back and talk."
But as soon as the student heard "everyone," tears welled up in his eyes. "Teacher our group ran into a flock of infected crows. So many of us died…"
Ms. Hayes's smile froze. She knew all too well the terror of mutated crow swarms. Her face went pale, but she forced herself to stay composed. "Go rest behind me. We'll wait for the others."
Nearby instructors watched her with sympathetic glances.
The next student emerged: a girl, filthy and shaken. A gray glow surrounded her as she stepped through the portal. One of the teachers recognized her uniform and winced. Gray meant disaster a failure with no reward. He simply said, "Come over here. We'll talk when the rest are out."
She bowed her head. Nobody blamed her: she'd spent nearly the entire month cowering in a basement after one zombie attack, terrified to venture out. Her grade couldn't be anything but dismal.
One by one, students trickled out some radiant with purple or red, others dull with yellow or gray. The Zone acted like a revealing mirror: classroom conduct meant nothing here. In this life-or-death crucible, only the bravest thrived.
Moments later, a beautiful girl appeared in the portal's glow and the light was bright red.
"A red rating? Outstanding!" whispered the instructors.
"Whose student?" another asked.
"By the uniform… Autumn Su from War Saint Academy," someone recognized, nodding toward Tactical Instructor Terry Yan.
Yan's jaw dropped. A red glow inside the Biohazard Zone was almost unheard of War Saint Academy counted its red-rated alumni on one hand. Now Autumn Su joined their ranks. This would thrill their headmaster back home.
"Mr. Yan, go welcome your student!" one teacher urged. Terry Yan hurried over, beaming. Meanwhile, across the way, War God Academy's instructor Charles Joe watched with a dark expression.
As Yan congratulated Autumn Su calling her the pride of War Saint Academy she remained outwardly calm, her gaze sweeping the crowd until it found no friendly face.
Finally she asked softly, "Teacher, has Vincent Fox returned yet?"