C103 The Crowd Shouted in Unison to Relieve the Pressure on Tang Bing(1)

"Knock! Knock! Knock!" After seeing Liang Hui off downstairs, Qin Mengli mulled over her words. Hesitant at first, she eventually made her way to Tang Bing's room and rapped on the door.

But Tang Bing showed no sign of acknowledging her, despite her persistent knocking.

In the past, Tang Bing would have eagerly answered if Qin Mengli came calling. The stark difference now left her feeling bewildered and a touch uneasy.

"Tang Bing, I know you're in there!" she called out, knocking again. "Please open up, I need to talk to you!"

Seconds ticked by with no reply.

"Tang Bing, come on out! I understand you're upset about today's events," Qin Mengli persisted, knocking still. "Just open the door and let me in. We need to talk this out, face to face!"

Silence followed.

"Would you just open the door, Tang Bing!" She continued her knocking campaign a while longer, but finally, with a sigh of resignation, she conceded, "Fine! Rest up then. We'll talk over dinner, okay? I concede it was my fault this time, leading everyone into danger. I own that! But I couldn't just stand by and not help, could I? What if they were innocent, in need of assistance? I'll come find you at dinner!"

The day's ordeal had left every member of the team utterly drained. After a brush with death, who could act as if nothing had happened?

So they each retreated to their rooms to rest, not emerging until around 5 PM, when hunger pangs signaled the approach of dinner time.

Thanks to Tang Bing's medical kit, Teacher Lin Leyan and Zhao Dagang were miraculously up and about as if nothing had happened. Sun Meng, after a restful afternoon, looked and felt much improved. Both Qin Mengli and Liang Hui had managed to rest and regain some composure, pushing their earlier fears to the back of their minds.

"Tang Bing!" Fresh from her nap, Qin Mengli made a beeline for Tang Bing's door and knocked. But when she inadvertently pushed it open, she found the room empty, not a soul in sight.

Where did he go? Qin Mengli puzzledly sought out Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng, but neither of them had any idea.

Lin Leyan and Liang Hui, along with her daughter, quickly joined the search. The five of them scoured the place from top to bottom until they finally spotted Tang Bing outside the factory gate, silently disposing of zombie corpses.

It turned out he had risen earlier than anyone else. After handling the remains of the eight survivors, he had cleared the zombies at the entrance, bringing tranquility back to the factory's surroundings.

"Bing!" Upon seeing him, everyone was filled with an unspoken sense of relief. Zhao Dagang, now recovered, approached him. Still, the aftereffects of the anesthesia left him somewhat groggy.

Tang Bing gave him a glance but remained silent. After finishing off the last of the zombies, he washed his hands with a bottle of mineral water and then headed back to lock the factory door.

"Bing, thank you!" Zhao Dagang called out as he caught up, "If it weren't for you, I might be dead by now!"

Tang Bing gave him a sidelong look and continued walking towards the building without a word.

"Bing!" Zhao Dagang, still woozy, reached out and grabbed his arm. "What's wrong? Are you mad at us? We realize our mistake. We'll never carelessly let anyone in again! This experience has taught us all a lesson. Who would dare to take such a risk now?"

"Exactly, Bing!" Liang Hui chimed in, despite feeling hurt that Tang Bing had been willing to abandon her and her mother. "Please, let bygones be bygones. From now on, we'll follow your lead without question and won't dare to flout your rules again! My mom and I, we don't hold a grudge for you giving up on us. Please, don't be angry."

"Tang," Lin Leyan interjected, "Huihui doesn't always say the right thing, don't take it to heart. You made the right call under those circumstances. The fault is mine! I'm the eldest here, yet I failed to stop them in time..."

"It's my fault!" Zhao Dagang quickly stepped forward, "I failed to protect everyone. Bing, don't hold it against them!"

"How is it your fault?" Sun Meng hurried over, "If there's blame to be laid, it's on me. I should have been the one to stop everyone then."

"It's my fault!" Qin Mengli, seeing everyone eagerly owning up to their mistakes, felt a wave of embarrassment but stepped forward nonetheless. "It was my call that led Teacher Lin and Liang Hui to open the door. If there's blame to be laid, let it be on me!"

"How could I blame you? It's obviously my fault..." Lin Leyan interjected anxiously.

Tang Bing watched the five individuals before him passing the buck, his expression icy. He let out a dismissive snort and said, "Enough! Is there some honor in this rush to confess?"

His remark silenced everyone.

Tang Bing surveyed them with a steely gaze and, after a tense few minutes, directed, "Teacher Lin, Sun Meng, you two get started on dinner. I'll have a word with you both during the meal."

"Oh!" Lin Leyan and Sun Meng exchanged a quick glance before heading off to the canteen.

"His expression doesn't look good," Lin Leyan remarked with concern as they walked.

"You're right," Sun Meng whispered back. "Bing calling me by my full name? He must be really upset."

"Let's just focus on dinner and try not to upset him further," Lin Leyan urged, quickening their pace.

Once they were gone, Tang Bing turned to Zhao Dagang, Qin Mengli, and Liang Hui, not bothering to conceal his intentions any longer. He pulled a pistol from his virtual backpack and handed it to Zhao Dagang.

"This is my gun!" Zhao Dagang's face lit up with delight. "Thanks, Brother Bing! I knew you were the most generous!"

Tang Bing gave him a look but said nothing, instead pulling out another pistol from his backpack. He hesitated, then extended it toward Qin Mengli.

"Ah? I, I really don't need it!" Qin Mengli recoiled in shock, shaking her head and stepping back.

"Take it," Tang Bing said flatly, pressing the pistol into her hand. "There aren't many bullets. You and Zhao Dagang each have six rounds."

"No! Even if you give me a gun, I can't use it!" Qin Mengli protested, trying to hand the pistol back to Tang Bing. "Okay, if you insist on us having guns, at least show us how to use them first. We can't just use them without training!"

"Alright, take the gun already!" Tang Bing gave her a cold glance. "Make sure it's secure."

Qin Mengli was hesitant, but his earnest demeanor left her with no choice but to begrudgingly stow the pistol. Yet, a sense of unease gnawed at her; Tang Bing's behavior was unsettlingly out of character.

Once Qin Mengli had secured the pistol, Tang Bing led the trio to the bus. "You've finished tallying the supplies here, right?"

"Yes!" Qin Mengli responded quickly. "Thanks to everyone's help, we've accounted for everything. Do you need to check the ledger?"

"No need," Tang Bing dismissed, "As long as you're clear on what's in it, that's fine."

Without another word, he pulled several barrels of gasoline from his virtual backpack and loaded them into the vehicle, right before their eyes.

Witnessing Tang Bing's unabashed display of his extraordinary ability, Zhao Dagang couldn't help but flatter, "Bing, I've always known you were strong, but you're even more incredible than I imagined! How did you get these superpowers? Are you the only one in the world with them, or are there others like you? You've got to be the most powerful, right?"

Tang Bing shot him a look and replied coolly, "Cut the chatter! Now, pay attention!"

With his stern look, Zhao Dagang, Qin Mengli, and Liang Hui straightened up, attentive like students bracing for a teacher's scolding.

"Dagang!" Tang Bing addressed Zhao Dagang first.

"Here!" Zhao Dagang responded promptly.

"This place is really dangerous; we can't linger too long," Tang Bing instructed. "Once the storm clears, lead everyone out of here to a more secluded spot to settle down."

"Oh!" Zhao Dagang agreed without hesitation, his mind slow to catch up.

Then it hit him. "Wait, what? I'm leading them away? And where will you be, Bing?"

Tang Bing didn't bother with a response and turned to Qin Mengli, "Qin Mengli!"