C117 They Built a Cement Mixer and the Searching Team Expanded(1)

Each room was outfitted with a basic bed crafted by Tang Bing. Simple as they were, the addition of a blanket and quilt made for a very comfortable night's sleep.

Lin Leyan and Sun Meng joined forces to whip up a lavish dinner. Once they finished their meal, everyone retired to their rooms to rest up, ready to face the second day at the new base with renewed energy.

Tang Bing was the last to fall asleep. The whirlwind of events over the past few days left him feeling out of sorts.

He had previously seen the team as a hindrance, which had prompted his departure to avoid further entanglement.

Yet, after five days of solitude, he had a moment of clarity. In the face of an apocalypse, who could instantly transform into an exceptional survival expert? Such individuals were exceedingly rare. He acknowledged that his own abilities stemmed from the mysterious system. Without it, he might have succumbed to the zombie virus back at the hospital, becoming a mindless, shambling corpse.

With this realization, he questioned why he held the team to such high standards. They were just ordinary people, vulnerable women at that.

His role wasn't to resent their fragility but to train them into capable members who could support him. No one is born a warrior, but with dedication, anyone can become a formidable soldier.

Armed with the mysterious gaming system, he had access to a cure for the zombie virus, potent and fast-acting medicines, the ability to craft impressively defensive gear, and a variety of weapons and firearms. With such advantageous starting conditions, why couldn't he forge a powerful team to thrive in this apocalyptic world?

Having come to terms with his thoughts, Tang Bing let go of his resentment towards the team members who had been holding him back. The only exception was Qin Mengli, whose initial motives for joining were suspect, and he remained cautious around her.

Despite Qin Mengli's candid explanation of her actions, the unease Tang Bing felt was not easily dispelled.

That day, in the act of rescuing his teammates, he had slain numerous zombies near the bus, propelling him to level 14. He allocated the five newly acquired skill points to the cement mixer with careful consideration.

The brick buildings and perimeter walls were already robust, but reinforcing them with cement brought an extra layer of security and peace of mind.

Armed with a goat-horn hammer, a wrench, or other maintenance tools, he could directly upgrade bricks into more durable cement blocks. Naturally, each upgrade required a certain amount of cement, which meant he needed to construct a cement mixer first.

Once he had the cement mixer, producing cement was straightforward. The mixer needed cast iron, springs, mechanical parts, and a small engine—essentially a car engine. He had all these components in sufficient quantities.

After acquiring the necessary skill, he wasted no time in assembling a cement mixer in his workshop.

He soon realized that the end product was concrete, essential for crafting cement materials and vital for upgrades. The skill allowed him to smelt cement in the furnace, but it wasn't ready for immediate use. It had to be combined with pebbles and sand in the cement mixer to transform into concrete.

Creating cement required clay and cobblestones, which had to be extensively smelted in the furnace. Cobblestones themselves were a fusion of small stones and clay. The process was dizzyingly complex, making it clear that cement and concrete weren't simple to produce. Strengthening the outer walls into a cement facade required a daunting amount of materials. While clay was plentiful and easy to mine, small stones were another story—how long would he have to dig with an iron pickaxe?

Sigh! Was there a faster way to acquire more stones?

Wait a minute! An idea suddenly struck Tang Bing.

Of course! This wasn't a game; why was he fixated on crafting everything himself?

If cement production was material-intensive, why not head straight to the cement factory? There, cement was bagged and ready—hauling a truckload should suffice. And for small stones and sand, construction sites were bound to have an abundance. Why go through the hassle of mining them?

With this realization, Tang Bing gave a satisfied clap of his hands.

He planned to shop for furniture to spruce up his house tomorrow, and now he could also scout the industrial zone for a cement factory and construction sites.

With ample cement, he could upgrade the walls and house, significantly boosting their safety. In the sparsely zombie-populated wilderness, this would effectively barricade against dangerous creatures.

Since every team member was aware that they were far from ordinary, there was no need for secrecy among them, except when it came to matters of the system.

His earlier scavenging had yielded more supplies than his virtual backpack could handle.

Under the cover of night, he sorted the surplus food, water, materials, and equipment he wouldn't immediately need, placing them in the vacant rooms on the third floor.

Surveying the cluttered rooms, brimming with goods, he realized this was no solution. With limited storage options, he needed to find an alternative.

After scouring his skill bar, he quickly came across the option to unlock a wooden chest. This chest offered 100 storage slots, just like Tang Bing's virtual backpack, and allowed for stacking.

To unlock it, his character needed to be at least level 10 and have two skill points.

His level was already 14, well beyond the requirement, but having just unlocked an essential cement mixer, his skill points were depleted. To craft the wooden chest, he'd need to reach level 15 to earn more points, or find an item that would grant them.

Fortunately, leveling up wasn't too daunting. Advancing from level 14 to 15 required only 750 experience points – equivalent to eliminating 75 ordinary zombies. For Tang Bing at this stage, it was a minor challenge that would demand some effort and time.

For the time being, he decided to stockpile the supplies in the warehouse until he could craft the wooden chest.

Before turning in for the night, Tang Bing secured all the warehouses with locks.

Despite the downpour, he slept deeply.

Come morning, a tantalizing aroma of cooking rice roused a groggy Tang Bing from his slumber.

Descending the stairs, he found Lin Leyan and Sun Meng bustling about the kitchen.

"Good morning, Bing!" Sun Meng called out, spotting him as she washed vegetables.

"Morning!" he replied. The rest of the house was still asleep, yet here they were, already at work.

Outside, the rain had ceased, leaving the ground damp and muddy.

The air was crisp and the tranquil surroundings were a stark contrast to the bustling city center.

With the dark clouds dispersed, it promised to be a beautiful sunny day.

Standing at the doorway, he breathed in the fresh air and stretched his limbs with a few simple calisthenics. His gaze was suddenly drawn to the damp farmland flanking the fence.

He remembered he had some coffee seeds lying around. With time to spare, he figured why not give planting a shot in the farmland? The system-reclaimed land had to be different from your run-of-the-mill fields.

He dashed upstairs to retrieve the coffee seeds, then headed to the farmland to scatter them.

Each coffee seed required its own hole, spaced out from the next.

After sowing, he inspected the pits and saw that a tiny green sprout had instantly appeared in each one.

The coffee seedlings were well-watered, with 0% fertilizer, and would mature in 48 hours!

Only two days to maturity? That seemed incredibly fast.

Tang Bing was somewhat astonished as he read the details on the virtual interface.

0% fertilizer, so adding some would speed up growth?

Regarding waste... Tang Bing glanced at the septic tank, noting the scant amount inside. Considering everyone had just moved in yesterday, even if each person used the bathroom that evening, it wouldn't amount to much.

Despite his revulsion, he was determined to experiment and scooped up the meager fertilizer to water the plants.

Ultimately, only the first coffee seedling's fertilizer level reached 100%—there was no more left!

He examined the fertilized seedling's attributes.

The coffee seedling was at 100% water content, 100% fertilizer, and would now mature in 24 hours, with the harvest quantity increased by one.

Indeed, the fertilized seedling was vastly different from its unfertilized counterpart! What would have taken 48 hours, or two days, to mature, was now ready in just one day! Plus, the yield was even greater.