C122 The Seeds and Fertilizers Were All Moved away and the Cement Factory Was in a Great Harvest!(2)

"What do we do?" Qin Mengli was in a panic, her gaze unfocused.

"Why the fear? Let's head down and take them out!" Zhao Dagang declared, rising to his feet with his Wolf Fanged Mace in hand. He gave his scrap iron armor a confident pat, "We've got this armor—let them try to bite! And if they do, Bing's medicine will keep us alive!"

Both Qin Mengli and Sun Meng thought Zhao Dagang's bravado was a bit much. But when they turned to Tang Bing, his expression was unfazed, which only heightened the women's anxiety. Surely they weren't all going to face that horde of zombies together?

Thankfully, Tang Bing acknowledged their limited fighting abilities and decided to head down with Zhao Dagang first. "You two stay in the car; Dagang and I will handle the zombies."

Relieved, Qin Mengli and Sun Meng exchanged worried glances as they watched Tang Bing.

"And you too, Zhao—stay safe!" she added.

"Tang Bing, watch yourself!" Qin Mengli chimed in, echoing Sun Meng's sentiment.

"Understood!" Tang Bing replied, quickly exiting the car with Zhao Dagang to confront the distant swarm of zombies.

Tang Bing took the initiative, pulling out a silenced pistol to pick off the zombies from a distance. Three or four fell with headshots before they could even get close. As the rest advanced, he and Zhao Dagang switched to their maces, covering each other and delivering crushing blows to the zombies' skulls.

The battle was tough, given the sheer number of zombies.

Initially, the duo managed to work together, knocking down the zombies before they could swarm them. But as the undead pressed in, they found themselves surrounded, struggling to wield their weapons effectively.

"Bing (Tang Bing)!" The two women in the car watched, fraught with worry. If anything happened to Tang Bing, their own chances of survival would be slim.

Luckily, Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang were protected by their scrap iron gear, which shielded their vital areas from most of the zombies' clawing and biting.

Still, the unprotected areas on their legs did not escape unscathed, sustaining bites from the relentless zombies. Fighting back with sheer determination, they bore the onslaught and swung their maces wildly, knocking down zombie after zombie.

After a grueling battle, Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang were drenched in blood, their thighs particularly lacerated and trembling with pain. Despite the bloody toll, they managed to eliminate every last one of the thirty-odd zombies!

Their scrap iron armor, however, was chewed up and hanging by a thread – its durability nearly depleted.

"Take these," Tang Bing handed Zhao Dagang an antibiotic and a painkiller, then took the same for himself. After a swig of water, he scanned the area to ensure no other zombies lurked nearby. Satisfied, he stripped off his battered armor and selected the repair option in his virtual backpack.

Ten iron bars, previously smelted and stored, vanished from his inventory as his armor was restored to pristine condition.

Zhao Dagang watched with stars in his eyes as Tang Bing redonned his refurbished gear.

The two women from the car descended, cautiously avoiding the zombie corpses, and watched in fascination as Tang Bing performed what seemed like maintenance magic.

"Dagang, strip down your gear too!" Tang Bing instructed after fixing his own.

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang complied, handing over his tattered armor.

Post-repair, the armor looked as good as new, though its maximum durability had taken a hit. The team, Zhao Dagang included, stared in awe at the transformation, their confidence in Tang Bing's abilities bolstered. His myriad of secrets and skills meant a brighter hope for their survival in this desolate world.

Among the zombie remains, Tang Bing scavenged a variety of tools, some of poor and some of ordinary quality, as well as iron bars and ingots. But the most unexpected find was a blueprint on one of the worker zombies.

[You have obtained the Miner's Lamp Blueprint!]

[The Miner's Lamp Blueprint allows for hands-free illumination. Wear it on your head to light the way. Required materials: safety helmet, flashlight, 2 electronic parts, and 5 electronic components. Prerequisite: Workbench!]

He had previously found a few safety helmets among the zombie loot. Though only of ordinary quality, they were sufficient for lighting purposes. He had all the other necessary materials in his backpack, but they needed to be assembled at a workbench – a task for when they returned home.

The vehicle pulled up near the workshop entrance, stirring up clouds of thick dust that had never ceased its dance, even amidst the ongoing battle with the zombies.

To avoid breathing in the pervasive cement dust, Tang Bing hurried into the workshop and rummaged through a desk, pulling out a large pack of masks to distribute among the group. Once all four of them donned the masks, they could finally breathe a little easier.

"There are still over ten zombies inside the workshop!" Tang Bing alerted his teammates with his sensory abilities. "And there's likely a good number in the other buildings too. Let's clean out this workshop first and keep the noise down to avoid drawing a zombie horde!"

With nods of understanding, the team members tensely followed his lead. Zhao Dagang managed well enough, but Qin Mengli and Sun Meng had little to no combat ability. They stuck close to Tang Bing, not wanting to fall behind or become a burden.

The fight resumed, spearheaded by Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang. They worked swiftly to dispatch the zombies before they could converge, taking them down one by one.

Unexpectedly, during the fray, Qin Mengli found an unexpected bravery when a zombie ambushed Tang Bing. She charged forward, swinging her iron sword with eyes shut in a frenzied slash. Her blow landed on the zombie's head, but lacking the strength to finish it, it was Tang Bing who ultimately crushed the creature with a decisive blow.

Truth be told, Tang Bing could have handled the situation on his own, sensing the attack. Mengli's intervention, albeit well-intentioned, only complicated matters.

Yet, Tang Bing couldn't help but feel a shift in his perception of Mengli, who had once harbored thoughts of killing him. Now, she had bravely stepped in to protect him, bridging the gap between them, if only slightly.

In that moment, it was clear she wanted him to survive, even if her motives were partly selfish, knowing that his survival meant better protection for her. Regardless, Tang Bing appreciated her act of courage.

With the workshop cleared of zombies, Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang set to work transporting the bags of finished cement. The two men hefted the heavy loads onto their shoulders and made a quick dash out of the workshop, stowing the bags in the bus's luggage compartment below.

Qin Mengli and Sun Meng, instructed not to assist, watched anxiously as the others departed. Mengli was still reeling from the recent skirmish, while Sun Meng surveyed the area and darted off to the side.

Upon returning to the workshop, only Mengli stood at a distance, prompting Tang Bing to panic, fearing for Sun Meng's safety. "Where's Sun Meng? Where did she go?"

Mengli hadn't noticed her absence; their recent cold war and reluctance to communicate, coupled with the lingering shock from the fight, had left her oblivious to Sun Meng's disappearance.

The trio set off in search, and eventually, Sun Meng emerged, wheeling out a handcrafted transport cart from inside the workshop. "Bing! I found a cart. It's quicker to haul stuff with this!"

Relieved that Sun Meng was unharmed, Tang Bing's tension eased. Impressed by her initiative, he complimented her, "Smart thinking! Well done!"

Sun Meng beamed at the praise, her inability to assist during the zombie encounter now offset by her useful discovery.

"Dagang, let's go!" With the cart ready, Tang Bing directed Zhao Dagang to load the cement bags. Once stacked, Dagang pulled from the front while Bing steadied from behind, both pushing the cart out of the workshop.

Mengli and Sun Meng, though not the strongest, lent their support to keep the cement balanced on the cart. The cart significantly sped up their work, a welcome change from the arduous task of carrying bags by hand.

As they worked, zombies trickled in from other workshops, swiftly dealt with by the combined efforts of Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang.

After much exertion, they filled the luggage compartment under the bus to capacity, unable to fit any more. Tang Bing signaled it was time to board.

They had managed to secure just over thirty bags—merely a fraction of the factory's cement stock. It was clear that for future runs, a larger truck would be necessary; the bus simply couldn't accommodate their needs.