C143 The Plan Went Smoothly and He Saw the Survivors Again!(1)

Once Tang Bing made a decision, it was not easily swayed.

Before departing, he took the precaution of leaving Zhao Dagang with an extra twelve bullets for his handgun and repeatedly instructed him to drive away without hesitation at the sight of a large horde of zombies. If Tang Bing returned and the car was gone, he'd find his own way back to base. In the case of a smaller zombie encounter, he trusted Zhao Dagang to wield his pistol and spiked club to defend the two women.

For added safety, he left behind three antibiotics, six painkillers, and a supply of hemostatic bandages.

With preparations complete, Tang Bing set out on foot, blazing a trail through the wilderness, hacking away obstructive vines and branches with his iron sword, and making swift progress toward the town's outskirts, far from any roads.

His heightened senses allowed him to detect and eliminate a few zombified creatures along the way, each time without incident.

The most perilous moment came when he faced a zombie dog that had inexplicably found its way to the mountain. Despite sustaining a bite to his thigh, he managed to dispatch the creature after a struggle.

His makeshift knee guards only covered his knees and shins, leaving his thighs vulnerable—a significant weakness. It was clear that his gear was incomplete without protective pants to shield every part of him.

As he traversed the rugged terrain, he continuously scanned the area with his binoculars.

Sure enough, at this distance, he was undetectable to the zombies, just as the mutant zombie was beyond his own sensory range.

The success of this mission was crucial; failure meant he might have to abandon the town and hunker down at the base. Yet, even there, he couldn't be certain the mutant zombie wouldn't lead its horde their way. Should that day arrive, it could spell doom for everyone.

If the base were besieged, he doubted their defenses would hold.

That's when it struck him—he could potentially dig an escape tunnel with a shovel, leading from the base to a more distant location. In the event of an overwhelming attack, they could retreat underground, eluding the zombies.

But for now, the immediate priority was to handle the mutant zombie threat.

Tang Bing ran until he reached a sheer cliff edge.

Unbeknownst to him upon arrival, a deep chasm stretched before him, four to five meters across and over ten meters deep. Circumventing it would be a significant hassle, costing precious time.

Every second counted!

Tang Bing paused to think, then retrieved a grappling hook from his virtual backpack. He had crafted it earlier but never had the occasion to use it. Now, faced with this predicament, it seemed like the only option.

As soon as he gripped the hook, a crosshair with a scope materialized before his eyes, reminiscent of aiming in a video game. Tang Bing inhaled deeply, took aim at a large tree across from him, and hurled the hook with all his might.

"Shua!" The hook soared through the air, its sharp claws embedding firmly into the tree's trunk. He tugged on it several times to find it secure, not budging in the slightest.

Regulating his breath, Tang Bing grasped the rope tightly and, mustering his courage, sprinted forward before leaping off the cliff's edge. Suspended in mid-air, he was overwhelmed by a rush of fear and adrenaline. But in the blink of an eye, the rope traced a graceful arc, landing him flawlessly atop the opposite cliff.

"Shua!" A flick of his wrist and the hook retracted, its convenience undeniable. Glancing back at the dizzying height, Tang Bing couldn't help but commend the hook's practicality.

But this was no time for admiration. He stowed the hook and swiftly pressed on. After a strenuous half-hour trek over rugged terrain, his exceptional agility brought him to the town's far side.

Descending the mountain, he burst into the town only to be met by a horde of zombies. Tang Bing had no intention of engaging them; he dodged past with agile ease and dashed down the road toward the town center.

His escape was short-lived, however, as another group of zombies blocked his path. Clearly, the mutant zombie hadn't lured all the town's zombies away.

With zombies ahead and behind, and no clear escape route, Tang Bing glanced at the nearby buildings. Without hesitation, he pulled out the grappling hook and launched it skyward.

It latched onto the top of a utility pole, and he quickly scaled the pole, using the rope for leverage. Once high enough, he wrapped his legs around the pole, retracted the hook, and cast it toward a nearby building's rooftop.

Securing the hook to the roof, he peered down at the swarm of zombies below, then, with a firm grip on the rope, swung himself onto the building's balcony with a daring leap.

Without a moment's hesitation, Tang Bing scanned his surroundings and dashed to the opposite end of the balcony. With a forceful throw, he launched the grappling hook toward a high-rise across the way. Climbing over the balcony railing, he leaped off and swung across to the other side, using the rope like a child on a swing set.

The convenience of the game system's tools was undeniable. Tang Bing felt like he was channeling Tarzan or perhaps Spider-Man, swinging from building to building with ease. The grappling hook allowed him to swing over the heads of the pursuing zombies, leaving them far behind, unable to keep pace.

After exerting considerable effort, Tang Bing landed in an area nearly devoid of zombies and swiftly set to work dismantling several cars. Fortune smiled on him as he soon secured a green, superior-quality car battery.

With the battery in hand, he made a beeline for the Town Hall. Encountering a few zombies, he dispatched them with his mace; facing a horde, he swung past them with his hook.

Upon reaching the Town Hall, he expended great effort to eliminate the zombies inside, then secured the doors and windows before quickly making his way to the broadcasting room. There, he meticulously studied the setup, cross-referencing with the virtual map, and swiftly determined which switch controlled each loudspeaker.

He planned to use the southern town's loudspeaker to draw all the zombies there. If he could concentrate them in the south, he could confidently lead his team to investigate the construction site in the northwest.

However, directly activating the southern loudspeaker posed a significant risk. The sound would draw the zombies straight through town, and while ordinary zombies crossing over was one thing, a direct path for the mutant zombie meant it would surely pass near the Town Hall. If that happened, he'd be detected, with no chance of escape.

To circumvent this predicament, he needed to divert them. He devised an alternate route, starting with several loudspeakers in the north, moving eastward, then south, guiding the zombies in a wide arc around the town's edge to avoid direct confrontation.

It was a cumbersome plan, but it was the only way to ensure his safety.

Tang Bing quickly connected the broadcast system's power cable to his car battery, and to his relief, the equipment hummed to life. After making some minor adjustments and marking all the useful switches, he left them set up for the time being.

Tang Bing emerged from the town government building, skillfully dodging the hordes of zombies as he made his way south, guided by his map. Along the route, he paused at the entrance of a small shop that caught his eye.

It was a wholesale fireworks store, and the sight sparked excitement within him. "Gunpowder!" Tang Bing burst through the door, his eyes alight with anticipation. "This is all gunpowder!"

The boxes were too bulky to fit into his virtual backpack, but he could dismantle them and stack the contents. Fireworks, large and small firecrackers, and an assortment of other types—all of it was swiftly claimed by Tang Bing, who cleared out the shop's entire inventory.

Armed with gunpowder and the astonishing number of gas tanks already in his backpack, Tang Bing knew that if he set up his arsenal near the southern horn, he could inflict massive damage on the zombies once they were lured in.

While he might not be able to wipe out the zombies entirely, significantly reducing their numbers would make scavenging much safer in the future. And with a bit of luck, if he managed to incinerate or blow up the mutant zombie, the threat level would plummet.

Considering the town's population was only around 30,000 to 40,000, and the gas station explosion had already taken out a significant number, luring and decimating the zombies at the town's entrance could lead to a steep decline in their numbers. Perhaps, eventually, he could eradicate them completely.

Should he succeed in clearing the town of zombies, Tang Bing planned to erect barricades along the main thoroughfares, claiming the town as his own stronghold, keeping out the undead while freely accessing supplies. He could even consider expanding his territory, systematically eliminating zombies from neighboring villages and towns.

However, all this hinged on gathering enough gasoline and gunpowder.

But there was no time for daydreams. The immediate priority was to confront the mutant zombie at the town's entrance, along with the tens of thousands of regular zombies under its command.

Shaking off the clutter of thoughts, Tang Bing raced to the southern horn's location. Zombies lunged at him from all sides, but he was ready, swinging his mace with precision and laying them flat.

Once the immediate threat was neutralized, he quickly surveyed the area around the horn. Besides a few residential buildings, the closest structure was a flour mill.

His eyes sparkled with sudden realization. Gasoline, gunpowder, and now flour...