C109 In the Rainstorm the Store Temporarily Retreated and the Dogs Ran away with All Their Might(1)
The heavens were not on his side!
When he first stepped out of the factory, it was nothing more than a light drizzle, but after Tang Bing had resolutely walked towards the city outskirts for half an hour, the skies suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour!
With no other choice, Tang Bing gripped his mace tightly, fighting off zombies as he made his way to a roadside shop for shelter. He managed to pull down the shutter door and lock it before any other zombies caught wind of him.
The shop was cramped. Besides the counter by the door, there were four aisles of shelved goods. Boxes of beer bottles cluttered the floor, leaving just enough space for one or two people to squeeze through.
The shelves were half-empty, likely picked over by previous visitors. Only a few packs of cigarettes remained at the counter, and the furniture was haphazardly strewn about.
After a thorough inspection, Tang Bing collected two unclaimed boxes of salt, a box of beer, and a handful of snack packs from the shelves.
He didn't smoke, so he ignored the cigarettes.
The shop's back door opened into a weathered courtyard with a stone staircase leading to a cramped living space above the shop.
Ascending the stairs, Tang Bing found the door ajar.
He cautiously pushed it open and saw an old lady squatting on the floor, her back to him, munching on something.
Gripping his mace, he tapped lightly on the doorframe.
At the sound, the old lady whirled around, revealing a bloodied zombie face that instantly confronted him.
The sight of Tang Bing sent the zombie into a frenzy, and she lunged at him with a piercing shriek!
She seemed oblivious to the shutter door's noise—perhaps her hearing had deteriorated with age, a trait that carried over even in her zombified state.
With a pang of regret, Tang Bing eyed the grotesque corpse on the floor and delivered a crushing blow to the zombie's head. "I'm sorry! I was taught to respect my elders, but I refuse to be your next meal!"
On the floor lay a body, mangled beyond recognition, but still discernibly an old man.
It appeared to be an elderly couple who had run the shop. The old man might have escaped infection, only to be devoured by his wife, now turned zombie.
The sight of the corpse was revolting, and the room's only furnishings were the old man's outdated possessions. Tang Bing barely managed a cursory glance before abandoning the search. He shut the door behind him and returned downstairs.
Outside, the relentless storm showed no signs of abating. Venturing out was ill-advised at this juncture; it was best to wait for the downpour to lessen.
Tang Bing paced his cluttered shop before finally settling on a chair by the window. He lifted the curtain slightly, stealing glimpses of the street scene below.
The zombies, disoriented by the deluge, seemed to lose all sense of direction. Drowned out by the rain's roar, they staggered about like headless flies, a frenzied mob in pursuit of the storm.
Boredom set in quickly. Tang Bing let the curtain fall and leaned against the wall, eyes closed, the faces of his teammates involuntarily surfacing in his mind.
The loneliness hit him hard, fresh from leaving the group. An overwhelming emptiness engulfed him, as if his heart had been hollowed out, leaving him dazed.
He shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the thoughts, but it was barely effective.
Habit was a fearsome beast, luring him into pangs of nostalgia.
They were nothing but a burden, a useless lot that only held him back! They contributed nothing but wasted resources and repeatedly dragged him into life-or-death crises! Staying with them was pointless, only increasing his odds of meeting a grim fate!
Tang Bing slapped his head, willing the thoughts away.
Yet, in the quiet moments, worry crept in. He wondered about their safety. Could Zhao Dagang keep everyone protected? Might they run into a mutant zombie, or cross paths with another dangerous group of survivors? Was the factory truly a safe haven?
People can be masochistic at times.
Tang Bing had contemplated returning to the factory to check on them more than once. But each time the idea surfaced, he'd snap himself back to reality.
The downpour persisted for over an hour before gradually easing up. It continued to fall, but it was a marked improvement from before.
Not keen on spending the entire day cooped up in the shop, Tang Bing resolved to brave the rain and set out.
Alone, Tang Bing's mind would wander, repeatedly fixating on his former teammates. He knew he couldn't go on like this.
Deciding to leave the team was the right move. Only by putting himself first could he truly survive in this harsh world.
Why should he repeatedly risk his life for others? Why let them hold him back, time and again, into perilous situations?
Snap out of it! Qin Mengli had even attempted to secretly take his life...
Tang Bing had to remind himself of the hard truths, to avoid making foolish mistakes.
Determined to live without regrets, he burst out of the small shop and into the rain, searching for a usable vehicle.
His goal was to leave the city center before dusk, heading straight for the most secluded and least populated rural outskirts.
Once he was far from the city center, the temptation to look back would fade.
With his mysterious system, he planned to build his own sanctuary in the wilderness.
Relying on his heightened senses, he steered clear of large groups of zombies, opting for safer routes.
Cars were abandoned all over the streets, but finding one with the door ajar, keys in the ignition, and still operational was a challenge. However, these vehicles could be stripped down with a wrench, yielding scrap metal, leather, gasoline, mechanical parts, pipes, electronic devices, and more. Occasionally, he could salvage headlights, car batteries, or engines.
Whether it was bad luck or something else, a drivable car eluded him for a long time.
Was this a sign to return? The thought barely crossed Tang Bing's mind before he dismissed it.
He pressed on cautiously and at last stumbled upon an electric scooter with the key still in it.
It wasn't a car, but it was something—a definite improvement over walking.
Eager to put more distance between himself and the city center, to eliminate any chance of regret, Tang Bing hopped on the scooter and sped off down the highway, pushing it to its top speed. Though it was just over 50 mph, it was more than enough to leave the zombies in the dust.
A person could easily navigate through hordes of zombies using their keen perception, finding the path clear as they went.
After a frantic drive for over an hour, the city center was far behind. However, the car's battery was running low and was about to give out.
Tang Bing continued along the highway until he finally stopped near a village.
The village was eerily quiet, and he hadn't encountered any zombies along the way, suggesting they had likely roamed elsewhere.
But Tang Bing remained on high alert. He left the electric car at the roadside and entered the village with his mace, looking for a replacement vehicle.
Just a few steps from the village entrance, he spotted a hardware store.
The hardware store's door stood wide open, with a stall set up front. Many metal items and tools were rusting from the rain. The ground was in disarray, scattered with dried bloodstains, evidence of a past zombie attack.
The goods at the stall were soaked, but inside, the store was surprisingly orderly.
Tang Bing decisively stepped inside and began examining the shelves.
[You have obtained a standard light bulb!]
[You have obtained an incandescent light bulb!]
[You have obtained a fluorescent light bulb!]
[You have obtained electrical wire!]
[You have obtained glue!]
[You have obtained adhesive tape!]
[You have obtained electrician's pliers!]
[You have obtained a piece…]
The hardware store was stocked with an abundance of items. Tang Bing took anything he thought might be useful, stowing it in his bag.
Items like light bulbs, electrical wires, and electrician's tape might seem pointless since the city's power plant had fallen to the zombies, but he could repurpose car batteries. These batteries could power the lights for a considerable time.
In essence, he grabbed anything he laid eyes on.
[You have obtained a sickle!]
[You have obtained an iron shovel!]
[You have obtained an iron hoe!]
[You have obtained an iron pickaxe!]
[You have obtained scissors!]
[You have obtained a watering can!]
…
The sickle could be used for weeding or gathering seeds from herbaceous plants.
The iron hoe is used to break ground on the farm.
