C42 He Came Back Safely. He Told Each Other about His Worries.

"Where are you headed?" Tang Bing asked, hoisting a hefty carp over a meter long in his left hand and clutching the skull of a mutant zombie dog in his right. He stood outside the iron gate, eyeing Zhao Dagang and Qin Mengli in the car with a puzzled look.

He hadn't lugged the fish and the skull all the way back—imagine the exhaustion! It was only when he neared the factory and was sure he'd shaken off all the zombies that he pulled them from his virtual backpack.

The fish was destined to be a special addition to today's meal. He was looking forward to a feast. The rest of the catch would be saved for later; revealing it all at once would surely raise eyebrows.

The mutant zombie dog's skull was another matter. Revealing it from the backpack later on would also breed suspicion. They hadn't witnessed Tang Bing dispatching the creature since it was too far away; they only saw him make his escape. If he didn't bring anything back now, then suddenly produced such a large object later, questions would be asked about where he'd been hiding it.

Sun Meng swiftly opened the door to let Tang Bing into the factory, then promptly secured it behind him.

Zhao Dagang and Qin Mengli disembarked from the vehicle.

"Bing, you had me worried sick!" Zhao Dagang exclaimed, rushing over with arms wide open to envelop him in a bear hug. "I was just about to drive out and search for you!"

"Let go! Let go!" Tang Bing protested. "You're not a beauty—don't get fresh with me!"

Zhao Dagang released him with a chuckle, scratching his head sheepishly.

"So, you were both coming to find me?" Tang Bing inquired, turning his curiosity to Qin Mengli. "Dagang could have come alone. Why tag along?"

With a huff, Qin Mengli shot him a glare and spun on her heel, heading for the office building. "I'm exhausted. I need to rest."

"What's gotten into her?" Tang Bing muttered, baffled as he watched Qin Mengli vanish from sight. He looked to Sun Meng for answers. "She seems off."

"Mengli's just worried about you," Sun Meng said with a smile. "She insisted on joining the search, scared something might've happened to you."

"Yeah, right," Tang Bing scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "As if I mean that much to her. Did you see how she acted just now? I'm not buying it."

"But..."

"No 'buts'! Next time, just remember that I know what I'm doing. All you need to do is trust me unconditionally and wait for my return, that's it!" Tang Bing glanced at Sun Meng, then turned to Zhao Dagang, "Rushing out recklessly won't help me; it'll only cause more trouble!"

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang nodded, his grin wide.

"Wow!" Sun Meng chimed in, "Bing, that fish is huge!"

"Yep! Let's get it to the kitchen and prepare it, we'll all have an extra treat tonight!" Tang Bing said with a smile.

"Really? That's awesome!" Sun Meng's face lit up with excitement, but then a look of concern crossed her features, "But what if it's infected? Look at the size of its head; do normal fish get that big?"

Tang Bing understood Sun Meng's concerns. With the system at his disposal, he could easily tell whether the food was infected. "Relax! Fish like this were common even before the apocalypse. It's perfectly normal. I caught it in the restaurant's pond over there!"

"Speaking of the restaurant, there was a huge explosion in that direction earlier!" Sun Meng quickly clutched Tang Bing's hand, "Bing, what's going on? You ran off that way, didn't you?"

"Yeah! I'd like to know too," Zhao Dagang added, leaning in eagerly.

Tang Bing gave them both a look, then raised his eyes to the office building. He caught sight of Qin Mengli peering down from a second-floor window. Their gazes met, and she quickly turned away, pretending to look off into the distance.

Truth be told, Tang Bing had never been able to figure out Qin Mengli's thoughts. She remained a complete mystery to him!

He had thought he understood Qin Mengli many times, only to be proven wrong again and again.

So, without a clear idea of what she was thinking, Tang Bing preferred not to dwell on it.

After all, Qin Mengli had laid her cards on the table. She didn't like him one bit, and she was even annoyed by his advances.

Given the circumstances, it was best not to embarrass himself further by persisting in the face of her clear disdain. If she was willing to stick with him, it was probably due to familiarity; they trusted each other more than they did other colleagues at the company.

With a silent sigh, he shook his head to dispel the tangled emotions and mustered a smile. "That explosion earlier? That was my doing! With a horde of zombies on my tail, running alone wouldn't guarantee a safe escape. So, I hatched a plan to draw them into the nearby restaurant and then I set off all the gas tanks! Took out every last zombie that was after me, and on my way back, I snagged a fish too."

Tang Bing's tone was light, but for Sun Meng, Zhao Dagang, and Qin Mengli, the situation was anything but trivial.

They all understood the immense challenge of diverting zombies and trapping them in a restaurant. One misstep and you could end up cornered, or worse, on their menu. And the idea of igniting all the gas tanks in the midst of chaos? Everyone was dying to know how Tang Bing managed to pull it off and survive the blast.

"Bing, with such a massive explosion, how did you come out unscathed? What if you had blown yourself up?" Sun Meng couldn't hide her concern.

"Absolutely!" Zhao Dagang agreed, nodding eagerly, his eyes fixed on Tang Bing.

"Take a look at me, will you?" Tang Bing said, his clothes still dripping, a wry smile on his face. "I had to dive into a pond – the same one this big fish called home. That's how I narrowly dodged death. I wasn't completely unharmed though; got hit by a few stones. But no serious injuries."

Sun Meng quickly tugged at Tang Bing's sleeve and spotted several bruises. Her face fell with worry. "Bing, you're downplaying it! It must have been incredibly dangerous. You did it to protect us, to prevent the zombies from swarming us, didn't you?"

"You always overthink things!" Tang Bing chuckled, withdrawing his hand.

"But it's true!" Sun Meng insisted, meeting his gaze. "We're not fools. Isn't it obvious?"

"Exactly! Bing, I reckon you drew the zombies away to keep us safe!" Zhao Dagang chimed in, nodding emphatically. "Next time there's danger, let me handle it. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, so it wouldn't be a huge loss if I bit the dust. But you, Bing, you're the one who can keep everyone alive and kicking! You're more important than I am!"

"Nonsense," Tang Bing muttered, a hint of emotion stirring within him. They had only known each other for a couple of days, yet the bond they shared was undeniably genuine.

"Bing, you have to promise me!" Sun Meng pleaded, clutching at his sleeve. "Please, no more risks next time, okay? If something were to happen to you, we'd be lost in this nightmare of a world. Your sacrifice wouldn't change that; without you, we're as good as gone. We need you to survive. So for our sake, don't put yourself in danger again."

"Bing, let me take your place next time! I'll face the danger. You're the heart of our team," Zhao Dagang chimed in, his voice booming with conviction.

"Enough already!" Tang Bing couldn't help but feel a warm glow from their concern, though he tried to hide it. "Flattery will get you nowhere. Get back to work! We're not done for the day yet, no time for breaks! Sun Meng!"

"Yes?" Sun Meng responded promptly to the sound of his name.

"Take this fish to the kitchen and prep it," Tang Bing said, a smile playing on his lips. "You know how to handle fish, right?"

"Sure do!" Sun Meng nodded, then glanced at the large fish in Tang Bing's hands with a hint of concern. "But I don't have your strength, Bing. Could you help me carry it to the kitchen?"

"Of course, no problem!" Tang Bing replied, already having intended to do so. "I wasn't going to make you carry it."

Sun Meng let out a sheepish chuckle in response.

"Dagang!" Tang Bing called out, turning his attention.

"What's up?" Zhao Dagang responded eagerly.

"You've got the car out, perfect timing. Clear out all the space you can," Tang Bing instructed. "We're heading to the supermarket in a bit."

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang accepted the task with enthusiasm.

"I'll take the fish to the kitchen," Tang Bing said, looking back at Sun Meng. "If you need help, ask Qin Mengli."

"Understood!" Sun Meng nodded, the picture of diligence.

Looking for Qin Mengli, Tang Bing realized she had already slipped away. He chuckled at himself and shot Sun Meng a knowing glance. "Let's get moving!"

"Right behind you!" Sun Meng led the way, pausing to glance back at Tang Bing, who was holding a mutated zombie dog's skull. "Bing, where'd you get this bone?"

"You're talking about this?" Tang Bing lifted the mutated skull in his hand.

"Yep!" Sun Meng confirmed with a nod.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Tang Bing said, "This is the skull of that giant mutant zombie dog that was after me earlier. I managed to extract it!"

"That's incredible?" Sun Meng exclaimed, her surprise evident. "Now that you mention it, it does resemble a dog's skull. But Bing, why on earth would you dig it out and bring it home? What if the bone is contaminated?"

"I wouldn't have taken it if I wasn't certain it was safe," Tang Bing chuckled. "The skull isn't infected. Plus, I've got antibiotics on hand, so even if it were, I wouldn't be worried."

"Okay! But why bring it back here? It's quite eerie to look at," Sun Meng admitted candidly.

"It may not be much to look at, but this skull is incredibly tough!" Tang Bing donned it like a helmet, his head completely encased, with only his eyes peering through the eye sockets. "What do you think? A natural helmet with astonishingly strong defense! I fired a dozen shots at it, and all it got were a few scratches. That mutant zombie dog only died because I severed the nerves controlled by the brain virus. With this, my head is practically impervious to weapons!"

"It's hideous!" Sun Meng vigorously shook her head. "And it's downright revolting!"

"Come on! As a nurse, I'd expect you to have a stronger stomach for this sort of thing," Tang Bing teased, removing the skull helmet and giving her a resigned look.

"What does my job have to do with my taste in aesthetics?" Sun Meng retorted playfully, sticking out her tongue. "It's just plain ugly!"

"Say what you will, it doesn't bother me one bit!" Tang Bing said with a laugh.