C32 The Sound of an Explosion Rang out in the Early Morning, and the Resources Were Cleared Out.

Before the break of dawn, Tang Bing was roused by a distant, muffled explosion. The sound, though far off, was unmistakably clear to his ears. He shrugged off his blanket and approached the window, cautiously drawing back the curtains for a quick glance. The city, shrouded in darkness, was punctuated by sporadic lights.

Unable to see the actual explosion in the pitch-black night, Tang Bing surmised it must have been a car—there was no other explanation. A gas station blast would have caused a far greater uproar. Perhaps a parked car had been the source, or maybe a survivor had attempted a desperate escape, only to have an accident rupture the fuel tank. The gasoline would have spilled, and the encroaching zombies likely snapped a wire, the resulting sparks igniting the explosion.

But this was of no concern to Tang Bing; the factory where he was holed up remained a safe haven.

After a restful night's sleep, he woke feeling refreshed and alert. He checked his phone—it was only 4 a.m. With no desire to go back to sleep, Tang Bing sat on his bed, restless. Opting against idleness, he stepped out of his room to occupy himself.

The others were still sound asleep, undisturbed by the blast. Zhao Dagang, Sun Meng, and Qin Mengli were all securely in their rooms, soft snores barely audible beyond their locked doors.

Exhaustion had claimed them all, and Tang Bing had no wish to disrupt their peaceful slumber. He gently closed his door, tiptoeing down the hallway to the far end of the dormitory floor. Choosing a door at random on the left, he entered.

The entire floor was designated for female staff—indeed, the company seemed to employ only women. On the dressing table sat a photo frame featuring a short-haired girl with a sweet smile. Tang Bing recognized her; he had mercifully ended her suffering with his fire axe. In life, she had been a horrific, flesh-eating creature, a stark contrast to the beauty captured in the photograph.

Tang Bing picked up the frame and, with a silent press on a virtual button, disassembled it. The frame vanished in a blink, leaving behind a sheet of paper and a shard of glass in his backpack.

Everything Tang Bing had scavenged could be broken down into essential raw materials needed to craft various items.

With Mengli having departed from this world of suffering, there was no point in holding onto such trivial possessions.

Tang Bing gathered everything in the dormitory that could be dismantled and converted it all into raw materials, storing them in his virtual backpack. Blankets, sheets, clothing, and towels were reduced to scraps of fabric. Surprisingly, he also extracted over a hundred feathers from the blankets—ideal for making arrow shafts. Tang Bing was puzzled; weren't down and feathers different? Why did they separate into feathers? But he shrugged off the confusion. Feathers were a boon for him, enabling the creation of arrows. With a homemade wooden bow, he could take down zombies from a distance, a far safer approach than engaging in close-quarters combat with his fire axe. And perhaps, he could even exploit the terrain to eliminate tougher zombies, like the swift zombie dog that couldn't scale walls. Armed with his bow and arrows, he could effortlessly pick off the creature from atop a wall—a tactic that would greatly aid his search at the police station.

Beyond the fabric, leather items like clothes, shoes, belts, and handbags were also broken down into leather, another critical material for crafting gear.

Tang Bing spared no sentiment as he rummaged through the room, collecting and disassembling every piece of clothing and footwear he found. This included some more intimate garments, but he remained unfazed. Having witnessed the former owners transformed into horrifying zombies, he harbored no odd thoughts.

His thorough search left the room stripped of all fabric and leather goods, transforming the once cozy girls' dormitory into a bare space with only sparse furniture remaining.

Digging through desk drawers, nightstands, and wardrobes, Tang Bing unearthed a few painkillers, cold medications, and assorted items, not to mention several packs of raisins, sunflower seeds, and potato chips.

After stashing the scavenged medications and snacks into his virtual backpack, he pulled out a wrench.

His plan was to strip the room of all its furniture and appliances, transforming it into a blank space—a workshop in the making. He envisioned a tool bench set up in the space, where he would craft all the essential tools and equipment needed for survival.

The wrench proved to be the perfect tool for dismantling everything in sight, and as Tang Bing worked, he collected a variety of raw materials.

For instance, as he took apart the Simmons bed, it yielded iron pipes, springs, mechanical parts, shredded fabric, cotton, and more.

Office desks, chairs, bedside tables, and computer desks broke down into wood, iron ingots, scrap metal, and the like.

Electronics such as computers and electric fans provided mechanical parts, plastic, springs, scrap metal, electronic devices, and components.

All the materials were potentially useful; nothing was considered waste. However, with Tang Bing's limited manufacturing skills, most of the materials were not immediately needed.

Despite the seemingly simple task of breaking things down, it took Tang Bing over two hours to complete the job.

As the first light of dawn peeked through the window, he drew back the curtains to find the night's darkness giving way to the morning.

The sun had not yet crested the horizon, but its golden glow was already spreading across the sky.

Qin Mengli had enjoyed a deep sleep the night before—a stark contrast to her restless nights at the Bluestar Branch, where anxiety kept her wide awake.

Early in the morning, she faintly heard a series of clanging sounds. Soft as they were, they reached her ears unmistakably.

She got dressed and stepped out into the hallway, confirming that the noises were coming from the opposite end of the floor.

Reluctant to investigate alone, she decided to check on Tang Bing first, as she was most familiar with him. Although she seemed to get along with Sun Meng, there was still an underlying wariness between them. They were all new acquaintances, after all, and in a perilous post-apocalyptic world, it was natural to maintain some caution.

Finding Tang Bing's door unlocked, Qin Mengli pushed it open with ease, only to discover the room was empty.

Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng's room was securely locked, and from within, the sound of snoring could be heard.

Qin Mengli quickly realized that the noises coming from the adjacent room were likely Tang Bing's doing!

But why would he slip out of his room so early and sneak into a female employee's dorm?

After all, she and Sun Meng had only given the room a cursory clean, without touching any of the personal items inside.

And what was that clattering noise? Could it possibly be...

A peculiar expression crossed Qin Mengli's face. Was Tang Bing actually doing the indecent things he had alluded to in the female employee's dormitory?

Yet, she could somewhat understand; a man his age might indeed harbor certain fantasies and impulses.

He had spoken so nobly before, but was he now secretly misbehaving? A smug satisfaction crept into Qin Mengli's heart. She recalled Tang Bing's demeanor towards her the day before—uncharacteristically stern and aloof—which had left her feeling quite uneasy.

Today presented the perfect opportunity to catch him in the act and see the look on his face! Qin Mengli indulged in the thought of Tang Bing's embarrassment upon being caught, and the desperate pleas for her to keep his indiscretion under wraps. A slight smile played at the corners of her mouth.

She was eager to see Tang Bing capitulate and follow her lead. So, she tiptoed to the opposite end of the hallway and approached the room in question.

Just then, the noise inside abruptly ceased.

Had he heard her approach? Regardless, he was like a fish in a barrel with no escape! Qin Mengli was curious to see the expression Tang Bing would wear once caught red-handed.

Unable to wait any longer, she pushed the door open and burst in, declaring triumphantly, "Got you, Tang Bing! What are you up to?!"

But the next moment, she froze.

The scene before her was nothing like she had anticipated. Tang Bing wasn't sprawled on the female employee's bed, nor was he meddling with women's intimate apparel. Instead, he stood neatly dressed by the window, his back to the door, fingers delicately parting the curtains to peer outside.

Oddly enough, the room that was previously a female employee's dormitory was now completely empty!

Tang Bing turned around, his left hand still parting the curtains, and gave Qin Mengli a look of confusion.

Qin Mengli was utterly flustered, her eyes darting over the vacant room in disbelief. Her thoughts were in disarray. She distinctly remembered that just last night, this room was filled with women's items! Confronted with Tang Bing's impassive stare, she froze, speechless.

After a prolonged silence, Tang Bing finally spoke up, "Why the early morning drama?"

"You're the one acting crazy!" Qin Mengli retorted, feeling irritated by Tang Bing's insinuation, "What are you up to?"

"Can't you tell?" Tang Bing responded coolly, "I'm keeping an eye on the situation outside."

"What were you doing earlier with all that racket?" Qin Mengli persisted, puzzled. Where had all the furniture, electronics, and women's products disappeared to? And what exactly was Tang Bing doing to cause such a commotion?

"Why are you so concerned about me?" Tang Bing, aware that there was no future for him and Qin Mengli, didn't want to revolve his life around her as he had before. His tone was deliberately distant.

"You..." Qin Mengli's anger flared, but meeting Tang Bing's gaze—seeing the hurt and detachment there—she suddenly found herself at a loss for words. She could somewhat grasp why Tang Bing was acting this way; after all, she had unequivocally rejected him. But not liking someone was not liking someone. Love couldn't be coerced, could it?

Once again, they lapsed into silence. It took a while before Qin Mengli let out a sigh, "I'm sure this room wasn't empty last night!"

"It's gone," Tang Bing stated flatly.

"Gone where?" Qin Mengli pressed.

"Why do you care so much?" Tang Bing shot back, his tone icy, halting the conversation once more.

With a huff of frustration, Qin Mengli spun on her heel, "Who cares about you anyway?" She stormed back to her own room.