C111 In the Wilderness He Built a New Home and He Was Worried about the Team(1)

Tang Bing did a quick inventory of his virtual backpack, pulling out an array of bulky tools and weapons that couldn't be stacked—sickles, pickaxes, sprayers, daggers, fire axes, iron swords—and arranged them neatly in the makeshift cave. He then reorganized the backpack to maximize available space.

After changing out of his damp clothes, he hung them by the fire to dry. With the warmth of the flames at his back, Tang Bing crafted a new workbench from the materials on hand and positioned it in a corner of the cave. On this workbench, he assembled a simple bed and placed it a short distance from the fire.

The bonfire's glow enveloped the cave in a cozy warmth. Exhausted from the day's labor, Tang Bing lay down on the bed, pulled the covers over himself, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

He awoke later, unsure how much time had passed, feeling refreshed from the restful slumber. Outside, the rain persisted, the fire had died down, and darkness filled the space. Unable to fall back asleep, Tang Bing lay in quiet anticipation of dawn.

In the stillness, thoughts of Zhao Dagang, Qin Mengli, Sun Meng, Lin Leyan, and Liang Hui crept into his mind. A day had passed since he left them; he hoped they were faring well.

Based on his time with them, Tang Bing suspected that without his leadership, they'd likely stay put in the factory, too scared to venture out. Zhao Dagang, despite having joined him on several supply runs, probably lacked the courage to go alone. And the women? It went without saying.

Moreover, with the relentless rain, they had likely spent the day sitting silently indoors. But with the stockpile of supplies they had, they could hold out for quite some time without worry. For the moment, there was no need for concern.

As long as they avoided foolish risks, like engaging zombies in combat or carelessly opening doors to other survivor groups, they should be safe. That is, unless their luck ran out and a mutant zombie happened to be lurking nearby.

What did it have to do with him, anyway?

Lost in thought, Tang Bing let out a heavy sigh.

He had made up his mind to leave the team, so why couldn't he stop thinking about them? Couldn't he just live on his own from now on? What good were those burdens if he kept them around?

Stop thinking about it! Stop worrying about them!

The wilderness around him was a dense forest, teeming with large trees and bamboo—a veritable treasure trove of materials.

And with the city far behind, the likelihood of encountering zombies was slim, making it an ideal spot for survival. Starting tomorrow, he would build his own homestead right here!

But upon closer consideration, without the system, felling trees and constructing a log cabin on his own would be no easy task. Besides, a wooden house wouldn't be very sturdy; it might not offer more protection than his current small cave.

As for the system, he had already acquired blueprints for cement bricks and columns. With enough cement, he could erect a solid cement structure. And if he added a surrounding cement wall, the safety would be unparalleled!

The hitch, though, was the need for a cement mixer, which he hadn't unlocked yet.

That's right! He remembered that the furnace could smelt ordinary bricks from clay. Until he got his hands on cement, he could make do with a brick house and wall, couldn't he? At the very least, he could construct a dwelling to live in peace, rather than continuing his existence as a cave-dwelling hermit.

Unable to sleep and fearful that pausing to reflect would bring thoughts of the team flooding back, Tang Bing rose from his bed. He lit a candle, placed it to one side, and, with pen and paper in hand, began sketching out his future home by the flickering light.

He worked through the night, revising his designs over and over until, as dawn broke, he finally settled on a house plan that filled him with satisfaction.

Setting up a furnace next to his workbench, he grabbed his shovel and stepped outside.

The rain was light today, so he resolved to work through it.

Clay was hard to come by, but he had a general idea of where to look. Without any paths to follow deeper into the woods, vehicles were useless. Tang Bing set out on foot, and after more than an hour's trek, he stumbled upon a river.

For safety's sake, he first filled an empty bottle with river water to test it. To his dismay, the water was contaminated, prompting him to quickly steer clear of it.

He searched in various directions, only to find that several streams and rivers were also polluted. Just as Tang Bing was on the verge of giving up, he stumbled upon an underground water source. The stream formed by this source was pristine, which thrilled Tang Bing.

It was crucial to safeguard the clean water source to prevent any wandering zombies from contaminating it with their toxic presence, which would render it as useless as the other rivers.

Tang Bing constructed a dense barbed fence around the underground water source, effectively sealing off all access points except for a simple wooden gate for entry and exit. He then built a rudimentary roof overhead to keep out birds and zombie animals.

Though it was far from foolproof, it was a significant deterrent, and certainly better than leaving the source exposed.

Having discovered the uncontaminated water, Tang Bing was certain that clay would be found nearby.

He set to work with a shovel, and after checking several spots, he hit pay dirt with the clay. He excavated it eagerly, each shovel yielding 30 to 40 pieces, a much quicker process than digging through regular soil.

He kept at it until mid-afternoon, amassing a total of 23,236 pieces of clay!

With over 20,000 pieces of clay, he could build more than just a house—he could construct an entire villa!

But first things first, he decided to erect a brick wall to enclose the underground water source. He planned to build a small structure to keep out animals and zombies. The contamination of the water flowing out wasn't a concern, as it was running water that would carry any impurities away.

With a plan in mind, Tang Bing immediately returned to the small hill to start firing bricks in the kiln.

He aimed to finish building a protective brick structure around the water source before darkness fell.

The following day, he continued to take refuge in the cave, warming himself by the fire and sleeping.

For the next three days, his routine was monotonous yet necessary: firing bricks and constructing the building.

By the afternoon of the third day, leveraging the unique qualities of the system bricks, he managed to erect a three-story brick edifice on the expansive wilderness plain. He also constructed an imposing perimeter wall, rivaling the size of the one at the factory.

The system bricks Tang Bing had crafted seamlessly merged with the ground upon placement, their durability nothing short of impressive. What's more, they required no foundation, adding to their convenience.

However, the house lacked doors, windows, furniture, and any electrical appliances, rendering it incomplete. The surrounding wall was also missing a gate, compromising security. Sealing it off wasn't an option either, as it would hinder access.

This left Tang Bing feeling frustrated. Without the blueprints to create doors, windows, or furniture, the house felt unfinished. How could one possibly live in a place without these essentials?

After some thought, the only solution seemed to be to drive back to the city and salvage what was needed.

But as evening approached, with darkness only a couple of hours away, it was too late to make it to the city's outskirts in time.

With the daylight dwindling, Tang Bing decided to make the most of his time. He grabbed a hoe and began digging around the brick walls, transforming the vacant land on both sides and behind the house into farmland.

On his fifth day in the wilderness, Tang Bing resolved to return to the city for the brick house's doors and windows.

Navigating his way into the city took most of the day, dodging hordes of zombies and steering clear of the village plagued by zombie dogs.

He located a small town with a scattered zombie population and scoured for doors and windows to dismantle. Whenever he found a suitable one, he'd eliminate the nearby zombies, swiftly remove the doors and windows, and load them onto his vehicle.

As he eyed the grand entrance of a roadside mansion, preparing for another dismantling, a sudden screech of brakes pierced the air.

The noise wasn't far, originating from a few hundred meters ahead, at a right turn in the road.

A bus, eerily familiar, was besieged by a swarm of zombies, cries for help echoing from within.

Through the chaos, Tang Bing caught a glimpse of a figure resembling Qin Mengli, clad in her signature red attire.

His heart skipped a beat. Could it be Qin Mengli and her group? The bus bore a striking resemblance, and so did the figure to Mengli. Had they decided to leave the factory after five days?

It looks like they're encircled by zombies, and things appear grim!

If it's really them, why aren't they firing? I left them with two guns, didn't I?