C126 The Two Girls Were Frightened by the Two Corpses and the Training Was Effective(2)

"Ah?!" Lin Leyan and her daughter Liang Hui went white as sheets, staring at Tang Bing in disbelief.

"There's no way around it," Tang Bing sighed, "We simply don't have the luxury of a long adaptation period. We have to push through now, for the good of everyone. We're all on the same team, and we need to work together to make it in this world. It's filled with danger, and emergencies can arise at any moment. Imagine if I'm out scavenging for supplies and get trapped in the city, unable to return quickly. And what if zombies decide to attack our base at that moment? You can't just sit around and wait to be overrun, can you? Although, admittedly, that's not very likely."

"Auntie Lin, Huihui, Bing is doing this for the team," Zhao Dagang chimed in, "Don't hold it against him!"

Tang Bing glanced at Zhao Dagang before addressing Lin Leyan and Liang Hui again, "During our last supply run, Qin Mengli and Sun Meng each took down a few live zombies. They might not have done it on their own, but they faced the challenge and moved beyond just adapting. Tomorrow, it's Liang Hui's turn to go out, and I'm hoping her mental fortitude will surpass what we saw from Qin Mengli and Sun Meng today. And Teacher Lin, you should step it up too! I'm not asking for much—just that you get used to dealing with zombies. We can't afford to have you freeze up or, worse, cause chaos in the heat of the moment."

"Then... then Tang, are you suggesting we get up close with these zombie corpses to build our courage?" Teacher Lin asked, her concern evident.

"No!" Tang Bing corrected her with a gentle shake of his index finger, "I want you to practice attacking zombies!"

"Ah?!" The mother and daughter clung to each other, terrified. "This... This..."

"Didn't we all agree on this earlier?" Tang Bing pressed them, "You're not thinking of backing out now, are you?"

"We won't back out! We won't!" Before the pair could respond, Zhao Dagang hastily interjected, "Bing, there's no issue! Here's what we'll do: you go get some rest, and I'll stay here to supervise Auntie Lin and Huihui. I'll make sure they follow through!"

"You don't need to supervise here!" Tang Bing shot him a look. "Teacher Lin and Liang Hui know what they're doing. As for the furniture and cement on the truck, I need you to help me move it, and fast!"

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang cast a worried glance at Teacher Lin and Liang Hui before hurriedly agreeing.

Tang Bing pulled two iron swords and a pair of maces from his virtual backpack, tossing them on the ground. "Here are your weapons. Get a feel for them. Just a heads-up, aim for the zombies' heads when you strike. Avoid hitting any other part! I'll check back once I'm done here. Don't disappoint me!"

"Go for it!" Zhao Dagang offered his encouragement, having nothing else to add.

"Dagang, start by moving the cement into the hall!" Tang Bing directed him towards the truck.

"You got it!"

The two men wasted no time, hefting bags of cement from the truck and stacking them neatly in the hall's corner.

Once they finished with the cement, they began unloading the fertilizer, setting it aside on an open patch of ground near the farm instead of bringing it indoors.

The last to be moved was the furniture. Tang Bing climbed to the second floor, made his way through the hatch to the truck's roof, and carefully lowered the pieces down. Together, they maneuvered the furniture into the hall and arranged it properly.

By the time they had finished unloading the haul from their scavenging trip, the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a gloomy twilight over the scene.

Despite their fears, Lin Leyan and Liang Hui bravely faced the zombies, wielding their spiked clubs and iron swords to strike at their heads.

Lin Leyan kept her eyes wide open, gritting her teeth against the horror, while Liang Hui swung blindly, her eyes shut tight.

They had both taken a brave step forward, and Tang Bing couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that while the zombie's head in front of Teacher Lin Leyan was battered beyond recognition, the one in front of Liang Hui looked almost unchanged.

A significant problem became apparent: among the four female survivors, Teacher Lin Leyan had the most strength. With some courage, she showed a hint of combat ability. The other three, however, were much weaker. Even with their iron swords, they could barely make a dent in the zombies' skulls, let alone kill one after a prolonged struggle.

Even with ample courage, it's futile if you can't kill a zombie with a single blow—you won't be of any help!

Realizing this, he knew what had to be done next: "Teacher Lin, Liang Hui, you've got this!"

Lin Leyan and Liang Hui, who were suppressing their nausea and fear, sighed in relief upon hearing those words. They hastily dropped their weapons, averted their gaze from the zombies, and went straight to Tang Bing.

Compared to Qin Mengli and Sun Meng, this mother-daughter duo was faring much better. They managed to keep their composure without succumbing to the urge to vomit, showing a significantly stronger mental resilience.

"Teacher Lin, you and your daughter have performed admirably!" Tang Bing generously commended. "However, there's a significant issue. Since all of you are women, there's a considerable gap in physical strength. Teacher Lin, you're somewhat better off, but Liang Hui, Qin Mengli, and Sun Meng are essentially not up to par. You can barely wield weapons, but lack the strength to effectively kill zombies! Therefore, we'll focus on this and have you undergo daily strength training. I'll devise a basic training regimen and hope you'll all commit to it!"

"No problem, Tang!" Lin Leyan had noticed the same during her daughter's attempt. "We'll do our utmost to follow your instructions!"

"Thank you!" Tang Bing nodded. "With that, today's adaptation training is deemed successful. Honestly, you and your daughter outshone the other two ladies. It's getting dark, Teacher Lin, could you please ask Sun Meng to start preparing dinner for everyone? We've got a dining table and chairs in the hall now, so we can all enjoy a comfortable meal together!"

"Auntie Lin, the tables and chairs we've brought back are top-of-the-line!" Zhao Dagang chimed in cheerfully, "That table alone is worth over a hundred thousand! We're living like the wealthy now!"

Teacher Lin gave a small nod, showing little reaction. The encounter with the zombie corpse had taken its toll on her.

Liang Hui was even less impressed, giving Zhao Dagang an exasperated eye roll before heading straight into the house. After enduring such stress from the zombie encounter, her mood was sour. Zhao Dagang's lack of empathy, coupled with his trivial chatter, was the last thing she needed—no wonder she was upset.

After Lin Leyan and her daughter entered the house, Zhao Dagang noticed Liang Hui's demeanor toward him had turned chilly once more. He was left feeling somewhat baffled and bewildered. Quickly excusing himself to Tang Bing, he hastened to catch up with Liang Hui.

He hadn't managed to find a store that sold solar water heaters today, and with the evening setting in, the bathroom and washroom projects would have to wait.

But he had unlocked the blueprint for a generator during the day, and with nightfall not yet upon them, it was time to get to work on assembling it.

He already had the small engine and gasoline required for the generator. As for electrical wires and light bulbs, he had picked up plenty from the hardware store earlier. Tonight, he planned to get the power back on—at the very least, they needed working lights!