C30 He Enjoyed the Delicious Food. He Went to the Warehouse to Look for Supplies.

Dinner was a lavish affair with five dishes and a soup, featuring a mix of meat, fish, and vegetables—a veritable feast.

Thankfully, the cafeteria's fridge was always running, keeping the ingredients fresh.

"How's my cooking?" Sun Meng finally let her tension ease as she dined, eyeing Tang Bing with a squint. "I made this fish, the braised pork, and the potatoes!"

"It's really tasty!" Tang Bing hadn't said a word, but Zhao Dagang, sitting next to him, was stuffing his face with food, looking utterly content.

Sun Meng didn't get the praise she sought from Tang Bing, but Zhao Dagang's compliments brought a delighted smile to her face.

"Not bad," Tang Bing mumbled, still chewing, as he glanced up at Sun Meng's expectant face and offered a nonchalant comment.

Sun Meng's spirits dipped slightly, not receiving the enthusiastic response she had hoped for.

Qin Mengli felt a sting of displeasure. She had prepared the egg soup and another vegetable dish, yet Tang Bing hadn't uttered a single word of praise. In the past, he would have been overjoyed, but now his attitude had shifted dramatically—it was nothing like before.

But then she pondered, why complain? Wasn't this the change she had always wished for?

The four sat in the cafeteria, curtains drawn to block any light from escaping outside. They weren't sure if zombies were drawn to light, but they preferred to err on the side of caution.

After some idle talk, Tang Bing pulled out his phone to browse the internet using his data plan. He scoured the forums for the latest updates and, as expected, found news of the A City military sanctuary being overrun by zombies, with thousands of survivors perishing. The military had withdrawn to B City to regroup with another stationed force.

This was grim news, but all four were already aware.

Yet another piece of bad news caught Tang Bing's eye, prompting a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong?" Sun Meng, noticing Tang Bing's sigh, asked with curiosity.

Zhao Dagang and Qin Mengli also turned their attention to him, all eyes fixed on Tang Bing.

"The fall of A City's military sanctuary means the soldiers guarding the power plant and signal tower have been ordered to pull back to B City," Tang Bing explained, laying his phone flat on the table. He advised any survivors still in A City to make their way to the B City military sanctuary if possible. A City would soon be without internet, electricity, and even water.

"Really?" Sun Meng grabbed the phone and glanced at it, her spirits sinking. "So, we're running out of time to use electricity? And our phones will soon lose internet access, cutting us off from the outside world?"

"We should have all gone to B City when we had the chance!" Qin Mengli's face dropped as she absorbed the grim news.

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Tang Bing, however, wasn't as downcast. With his mysterious system, he was confident that he'd eventually secure a power source. Worst case scenario, once he upgraded his equipment and skills, he could take out the zombies at the power plant and signal tower, get them up and running, and maintain them. Then they'd have both power and a line to the outside world.

Seeing the others disheartened, he reassured them, "These issues are manageable. The key is to keep surviving, and everything will fall into place! For now, we still have power and internet, so let's make the most of it! Before we're completely cut off, let's use our phones to gather information. Take notes with pen and paper—things like manufacturing processes, survivor distribution maps in various cities, and satellite maps. The last two can be easily captured with map apps. Snap photos and jot it down! Knowing the layout of the city's buildings will be crucial for scavenging supplies."

"I'm with you," Zhao Dagang said, nodding as he pulled out his knockoff phone.

"Right! Bing's got a point," Sun Meng agreed. "Besides, it doesn't matter if the tap water is running—we wouldn't dare drink it for fear of infection. Bathing is the real hassle."

"The rooftop reservoir's water was stored beforehand, and I've checked—it's clean," Tang Bing informed them. "If we use it sparingly, we should have enough for about a week's worth of baths."

"Really?" Sun Meng perked up. "That's awesome!"

"But how can you be sure the water's safe?" Qin Mengli asked, eyeing Tang Bing skeptically.

Tang Bing kept to himself the fact that he could simply fill an empty bottle and let the system inform him whether the water was safe or not.

For instance, if it's just ordinary tap water, the system labels it as chaotic water. Boiled water, on the other hand, is identified as clear water. And if the water has been tainted by zombies, it's tagged as poisoned water.

Whenever an empty bottle is filled with any type of water, its label changes accordingly. This way, you can easily tell if the water is safe.

Despite this, Tang Bing wouldn't disclose anything about the system, even to his closest allies. Instead, he nonchalantly assured Qin Mengli, "I've got my methods. Rest assured, the water's safe! I've tested it myself."

"Always so mysterious!" Qin Mengli couldn't help but notice how much Tang Bing had changed. He seemed like a completely different person now, particularly in how he treated her.

Knowing they had about a week's worth of bathing water left, both Sun Meng and Qin Mengli were in high spirits.

Dinner wrapped up around 6:30 PM, just as the evening darkness settled in.

"Only 6:30? Surely we're not about to bathe and hit the hay this early?" Sun Meng, not one for late nights, still found it too early to sleep.

Zhao Dagang and Qin Mengli shared her sentiment, but no one dared to switch on the cafeteria TV. With zombies lurking outside the walls, who knew if the noise might draw them in? They might not breach the sturdy walls immediately, but if they swarmed, no one would be venturing out the next day!

All eyes turned to Tang Bing, looking for some guidance.

Meeting their expectant stares, Tang Bing casually pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket and jangled them.

"Bing, what are those?" Sun Meng inquired, puzzled.

"Keys," Tang Bing responded, unfazed.

"I can see they're keys, I'm not blind! I'm asking what they're for!" Sun Meng retorted, frustrated.

"These are from the zombies we took down. They've got to be for every floor of this building," Tang Bing explained. "Worried about hitting the sack too early? Not an issue! Tonight, we'll scour each floor and hunt for anything useful."

"Awesome!" At that, Sun Meng and Qin Mengli exchanged excited glances, clasping hands and bouncing with anticipation.

This place was a garment factory, brimming with all sorts of stunning attire. For Sun Meng and Qin Mengli, nothing brought more happiness than scouring for gorgeous garments!

Led by Tang Bing, the well-fed quartet swiftly made their way to the second-floor warehouse. A jangle of keys later, they triumphantly found the right one for the warehouse!

With a satisfying "click," the lock disengaged, and they pushed the door open to reveal complete darkness, the windows shrouded by heavy curtains.

Tang Bing groped in the dark until he found the light switch, and soon the room was bathed in light.

"Wow!" Sun Meng exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of towering stacks of boxes and endless racks of beautiful clothing samples. She was ready to dive in, and Qin Mengli was just as keen to join her.

"Hold on!" Tang Bing warned, holding out an arm to stop them. "Dagang, you're with me. You two, follow behind and stay alert. We'll do a sweep to ensure there aren't any zombies lurking around."

"Oh!" They grumbled about the hassle, but they all agreed with Tang Bing's cautious approach. Sure, the warehouse was locked, but who could say for certain whether zombies hadn't found another way in? The chances were slim, but safety came first.

Their caution paid off; the warehouse was zombie-free. After a thorough inspection, they relaxed, confident that no undead threats were present.

Sun Meng and Qin Mengli wasted no time, eagerly rifling through the clothing samples hand in hand, their excitement akin to a shopping spree.

"Bing, what's our play?" Zhao Dagang asked, surveying the sea of women's fashion and scratching his head. "There's no men's wear here!"

"Check out the office and the tool room. Scour for any food, water, tools, or other useful supplies you can find," Tang Bing directed.

"You got it!" Zhao Dagang saluted with a nod and sprang into action, fire axe in hand, as he made a beeline for the warehouse office.

While the others busied themselves, Tang Bing discreetly approached the window, lifting the curtain just a sliver to peer outside.

The city lay shrouded in darkness, yet distant lights hinted at life beyond their sanctuary. It was a clear sign that they weren't the only survivors—others were out there, enduring the struggle to stay alive.

But Tang Bing had no plans to play the hero and rally them to his side.

If someone happened to pass by and the situation wasn't particularly dangerous, he might rescue them on humanitarian grounds. However, if there was any danger, he'd definitely turn a blind eye to avoid risking his own life in a futile rescue attempt.

Tang Bing swiftly moved away from the window to the nearest table, disregarding the samples of women's clothing strewn across it, and yanked open the drawer.

You've obtained a can of beer!

You've obtained chocolate beans!

You've obtained beef jerky!

You've obtained a pair of gloves (ordinary)!

You've obtained a blank diary!

You've obtained an empty bottle!

You've obtained a can of pears!

He rummaged through the drawer, scoring some snacks and sundries. The only piece of equipment was a pair of ordinary white gloves with a defense rating of one.

The warehouse housed dozens of similar desks, promising a substantial haul of supplies! Having finished with one, Tang Bing quickly proceeded to another, eager to make the most of his time.

"Bing!" While he was meticulously searching through a drawer, Zhao Dagang's voice, laced with excitement, echoed from behind, "I've struck gold!"

"Oh?" Tang Bing spun around, intrigued, "What kind of treasure?"

"A genuine eight-generation iPhone!" Zhao Dagang exclaimed with glee, "This baby's worth a fortune."

"…" Tang Bing paused, then strode over, snatched the phone, and smashed it to the ground.

"Ouch! My eight-gen iPhone!"

"Eight-gen nothing! I asked you to look for useful supplies, not this kind of stuff! It won't be long before we're out of power and internet, so what good is an expensive phone then?"

"But I still want it!" Zhao Dagang was stubborn, squatting down to pick up the iPhone, carefully inspecting it for any cracks.