C125 The Two Girls Were Frightened by the Corpses and the Training Was Effective(1)

Being at home without electricity was dreadfully dull.

Thankfully, Tang Bing had amassed quite a collection of books, stacking them in the study as a means of diversion.

Lin Leyan, a teacher by profession, treasured them immensely. She even had her daughter, Liang Hui, start on a book, insisting she write a reflection after reading a portion.

With nothing else to occupy her, Liang Hui willingly joined her mother in passing the time.

The team had been gone for the better part of the day, and as evening approached, the mother-daughter duo, anxious after a day of labor and reading, were relieved to hear the distant sound of a vehicle returning.

The bus horn tooted as it reached the gate.

Lin Leyan dashed out to unlock the gate, allowing the bus to pull into the enclosed space.

The vehicle came to a halt in the clearing in front of the house, and Tang Bing, Zhao Dagang, Qin Mengli, and Sun Meng alighted one by one.

"Did you manage to bring back a lot?" Liang Hui asked, her curiosity piqued by the electric tricycle hitched to the bus.

The tricycle was bulging, secured with a massive black tarp, its contents a mystery.

"Everything go smoothly, Tang?" Lin Leyan inquired gently, glancing at Qin Mengli and Sun Meng with concern. "You both look quite pale."

"We're okay!" Qin Mengli mustered a smile. "Just a bit worn out."

"A full day's work has taken its toll," added Sun Meng, her voice light.

Liang Hui's interest wasn't in their conversation; she was fixated on the electric tricycle. Reaching out to untie the rope, she remarked, "What's that odd smell? What's inside?"

The sight triggered Qin Mengli and Sun Meng's memories of a revolting incident, and they felt the urge to retch.

"Teacher, I'm really tired!" Qin Mengli spun around, hurrying inside. "I'm going to take a nap, wake me up later!"

"I need to lie down," Sun Meng declared, departing swiftly without delay.

Lin Leyan and Liang Hui weren't surprised by their reactions; they knew that if they had been the ones facing zombies all day, they'd likely feel the same.

Liang Hui remained fascinated with the items loaded on the electric tricycle, continuing to loosen the ropes. "Mom! Come help, let's see what treasures we've got!"

At her daughter's summons, Lin Leyan promptly joined her, and together they worked on the knots.

"You sure have an eye for quality!" Tang Bing observed Liang Hui's eagerness, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Zhao Dagang, concerned, hurried over to Liang Hui. "Huihui, let me handle this, okay? You stand back a bit!"

"Get lost!" Liang Hui snapped, shooing him away as she and her mother kept at the ropes.

Zhao Dagang felt a mix of frustration and concern; he was worried Liang Hui would get a fright, but she wasn't having any of it. He glanced over at Tang Bing, who just shrugged with a mischievous grin.

With the ropes finally off, Liang Hui eagerly flung back the heavy black cloth. "Let's see what's so special about this..."

But as the cloth fell away, she found herself face-to-face with a zombie corpse. Its ghastly visage sent her reeling, almost toppling to the ground. Regaining her footing, she let out a piercing scream and bolted back to her room.

Lin Leyan, too, was startled, her face a portrait of dismay. Unlike her daughter, she didn't flee but turned to Tang Bing, her expression awash with questions.

"Now that it's open, help me get it out," Tang Bing instructed her. "Teacher Lin, please bring Liang Hui back out here."

"Ah? Tang, what... what are we doing with this zombie corpse...?" Lin Leyan stammered, her hand instinctively covering her mouth. Realizing she had touched the cloth that enshrouded the body, she quickly shook it off and frantically wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

Even if the cloth was clean on the outside, it did little to quell her revulsion.

"Call Liang Hui first," Tang Bing teased, holding back information. "I've got an announcement to make!"

Lin Leyan had a sinking feeling it wasn't anything positive, but she knew they were all in this together. To survive, they needed to depend on Tang Bing.

As Lin Leyan went to coax Liang Hui out, Tang Bing retrieved some long wooden planks from his virtual backpack, lashing them together into a cross with rope, and then planted it firmly in the ground.

After constructing six crosses, with Zhao Dagang's assistance, we moved the zombie corpses from the car and secured them with ropes.

"Six Jesuses!" Zhao Dagang quipped upon seeing the finished work. "Bing, should we make a wish to these Jesuses?"

"Cut it out!" Tang Bing chided, then noticed Lin Leyan and Liang Hui watching from a distance by the house's entrance, hesitant to approach. He gestured for them to come over quickly.

Neither mother nor daughter looked pleased, each nudging the other, yet neither willing to budge.

"Don't be scared, Huihui!" Zhao Dagang hurriedly reassured. "These are zombies we've taken down. They're harmless!"

Liang Hui shot him a look, her thoughts clear: Are you out of your mind? It's obvious these are just bodies; what's there to fear? Why bring such vile things home? Dinner's soon, and you're intent on making us lose our appetites?

When the pair didn't move, Tang Bing's frown deepened, and he beckoned again: "Teacher Lin, Liang Hui, come here!"

Tang Bing's second call carried a hint of impatience.

Reluctantly, the mother and daughter exchanged glances and then slowly started walking.

Once they reached the clearing and saw the six zombies bound to the crosses like Jesus, they quickly averted their gazes.

"Tang, what's all this for?" Lin Leyan asked apprehensively.

Liang Hui, still behind her mother, also looked at Tang Bing with concern.

Tang Bing wasn't surprised by their reactions. "Teacher Lin, Liang Hui, as you've seen, I brought these zombies back with me. They've been dead for a while, so they pose no threat! I brought them here because today's outing made me realize that you, the female survivors, might not be fully accustomed to zombies yet! So, after giving it some thought, I decided to bring them back as practice targets, despite it being somewhat disrespectful to the deceased."