C43 Zhao Dagang Suddenly Had an Idea. the Ms Meng Refused to Call Him by Her Name.

"Bing, won't driving attract zombies?" Sun Meng asked with concern as they were about to leave. "You mentioned zombies have keen hearing. Could the engine noise draw them to us?"

"That's a real possibility," Tang Bing admitted, sharing her concern. "But just Dagang and I, how much can we carry by hand? Plus, it's riskier if we run into zombies while loaded down with supplies."

"Isn't there another way?" Sun Meng pondered. "Wait! Supermarkets have shopping carts. Why not use those? If zombies show up, we can ditch the carts and run, or deal with the zombies first!"

"The carts can't hold much, though," Tang Bing pointed out with a frown.

For him, the situation wasn't as dire. He couldn't exactly clear out the whole supermarket—his virtual backpack could stack identical items, but the variety of goods would quickly fill it up. Still, for essential survival supplies, he could certainly take everything they needed!

But he couldn't disclose this secret just yet. While he trusted Zhao Dagang, Sun Meng, and Qin Mengyao to an extent, it was best to keep this ace up his sleeve. Trust between people is fragile; allies one moment could turn into foes the next.

The odds were slim, but Tang Bing couldn't afford to let his guard down.

To conceal his ability, he had to smartly use the system to gather supplies without raising his companions' suspicions. So, he had to maintain certain appearances.

"Why not build a wooden cart?" Zhao Dagang proposed. "One of those big country carts can haul a lot without making much noise."

"Do you have the materials for that?" Tang Bing asked, somewhat exasperated.

"We can take apart some wooden planks for that, and find tires at a bike repair shop..." Zhao Dagang suggested.

"Or, why not just grab a pedal tricycle?" Tang Bing countered, growing impatient. "No need to build anything. Just load it and go!"

"That's a great idea!" Zhao Dagang exclaimed, his enthusiasm reignited.

"Nice try!" Tang Bing couldn't help but admire Zhao Dagang's thought process. "Just how long would it take to gather materials for a wooden cart? And do you have any idea how far the nearest bike repair shop is? You think the zombies are just going to ignore you? Even if we manage to find all the materials, how many days would it take to build the cart? And after all that effort, we'd only be able to use it near the factory. We can't take it far. What's the use in that?"

"Hehe!" Zhao Dagang, a bit sheepish, scratched his head and grinned. "So, what do we do?"

Sun Meng, who had been watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle behind her hand. Zhao Dagang's goofy demeanor was contagious. But she stepped forward with a suggestion, "Bing, I think a shopping cart will do just fine. We're so close to the supermarket, there's no need to haul everything back in one go, right? We can just grab what we need when we need it and keep a little stock at home. No need to overcomplicate things!"

"Every trip outside is a risk," Tang Bing sighed. "The more we can bring back, the longer we can hold out. The less we venture out, the safer we'll be."

"You've got a point!" Sun Meng agreed, nodding. "But we've got to work within our limits! Honestly, driving out there is a bigger risk. Remember how we had a horde of zombies on our tail when we drove here? I'd rather take fewer resources each time and prioritize our safety."

"I'm with you!" Zhao Dagang chimed in eagerly. "Sun Meng's got it right. Bing, why don't we go with the shopping cart? I can push two if I have to!"

"Push two carts?" Tang Bing laughed, looking at him. "How's that going to work? One in each hand?"

"Uh..." Zhao Dagang paused, thinking for a moment, "I can't do that. You need both hands to push one cart..."

"So that settles it," Tang Bing said, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his voice.

"But I can pull it!" Zhao Dagang's eyes lit up as he clapped his hands together with a triumphant smile.

"And how do you plan to pull them?" Tang Bing asked, resigned. "You can't push two carts at once, but you think you can pull them?"

"I've got an idea!" Zhao Dagang exclaimed with excitement. "We can tie the two carts together with ropes or wire! And then, it won't just be two carts—we could haul twenty! We'll be like a train heading home!"

"What in the world... Hold on!" Tang Bing was about to tease him, but then he paused, struck by the thought.

Indeed! Linking the shopping carts could create a makeshift human-powered train. Zhao Dagang was clearly exaggerating—twenty loaded carts would be too much for two people to pull—but the concept was sound.

They could connect as many carts as they could handle, securing them to create an effective transport. This way, they could load up with supplies and bring everything back home in one trip.

You had to hand it to Zhao Dagang; although his thought process didn't always align with the average person, he did come up with the occasional stroke of genius!

"Bing, this is a solid plan!" Sun Meng chimed in, pleasantly surprised. "You should definitely try it out!"

"Yep!" Tang Bing nodded in agreement, impressed. "You're onto something great, Dagang!"

"Hey!" Zhao Dagang responded promptly when he heard his name.

"Your idea is excellent," Tang Bing said, offering rare praise. "Let's go with that."

Zhao Dagang's face lit up with a grin that was both proud and joyful.

Once they wrapped up their strategy session, Tang Bing reversed the luxury car back into the garage before coming out to Zhao Dagang. "Ready to roll out?"

"You bet!" Zhao Dagang grabbed his fire axe and patted the pistol at his waist. "All set here!"

"Good." Tang Bing swapped out his magazine and secured his silenced pistol at his side. Clutching the fire axe, he took a deep breath.

"Bing, Zhao, please be careful," Sun Meng urged, her hands pressed together in concern. "If it gets dangerous, come back right away. Forget the supplies; your safety is all that matters."

"Got it! Thanks, Ms. Meng!" Zhao Dagang answered with his usual cheerful grin.

At the sound of her name, Sun Meng gave him an eye roll, but Zhao Dagang just kept on smiling, unfazed.

"Bing, stay safe," Sun Meng reiterated. "And Zhao, make sure you look out for Bing, got it?"

"Understood!" Zhao Dagang gave a firm nod.

Tang Bing glanced back at the building, his eyes searching for Qin Mengli, but she was nowhere to be seen. He knew it was silly to look, that it was futile. He was well aware she didn't share his feelings, yet he found it incredibly difficult to let go and move on.

Stop thinking about it! Stop thinking about it! Right now, the most crucial thing is figuring out how to survive in this post-apocalyptic world!

Tang Bing constantly reminded himself not to let emotions get the better of him.

Sun Meng had been observing Tang Bing closely, capturing every one of his movements. Noticing a fleeting look of desolation on his face, she quickly spoke up, "Bing, could you pick up some chocolate for me when you're at the supermarket? I just love chocolate!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Tang Bing glanced at Sun Meng and chuckled at her eager expression. "Sure! I'll do my best to bring some back for you!"

He actually had some chocolate stashed away in his virtual backpack. If the supermarket was out, he could easily substitute it with what he had.

"Thanks, Bing! I'll be waiting for your chocolate then!" Sun Meng's face lit up with a joyful smile, her dimples deeply etched on her cheeks.

"Alright, Ms. Meng!" Tang Bing couldn't resist echoing Zhao Dagang's playful tone.

"Oh no! Zhao Dagang starts these things, and now you're picking them up too, Bing!" Sun Meng protested with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. "You can't call me that!"

"Why not?" Zhao Dagang was genuinely confused.

"Exactly! Your name is Sun Meng, and you're a girl. What's so wrong with calling you Ms. Meng?" Tang Bing realized that Sun Meng's moods often rubbed off on him, making him feel more upbeat.

"No way! You're just not allowed to call me that!" Sun Meng fumed, "You can call me Mengmeng, or just 'girl,' but not both together!"

"Why not? It's not a derogatory term!" Zhao Dagang was even more baffled.

"Just because," Tang Bing said with a laugh, "Ms. Meng is a nice nickname!"

"I just don't like it, that's all!" Sun Meng stubbornly shook her head, "I'm not Ms. Meng, I'm a tough girl!"

Tough girl... Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang exchanged glances, barely containing their laughter. They had never seen such a delicate 'tough girl' before.

Truth be told, Sun Meng was hardly the tough girl type. No matter how you looked at her, she seemed like the epitome of a soft and adorable girl, especially with her nursing background, which only accentuated that impression.

Moreover, the nickname "Ms. Meng" was quite endearing. Why she was so opposed to it was quite the mystery.

Alright! In this makeshift team, each of the four members had their own quirks.

Take Tang Bing, for instance; his secretive behavior regarding the system made him seem odd to the others. Zhao Dagang's unconventional thinking set him apart as peculiar. Qin Mengli's decision to stick with Tang Bing, a suitor she had recently rejected, rather than heading to the military district, was baffling. And then there was Sun Meng, who, despite her soft and cute demeanor, insisted on calling herself a tomboy.

Naturally, everyone has their own way of thinking. It's perfectly normal for such a mix of personalities to emerge! As long as they can unite in the face of a perilous post-apocalyptic world and strive for survival, these idiosyncrasies are all part of the package.

"Alright, Dagang, time to move out!" Tang Bing gestured to Sun Meng to unlock the door and donned his mutated skull helmet.

Zhao Dagang eyed Tang Bing's mutated skull with a hint of jealousy, then strapped on his makeshift metal helmet and followed closely behind.

"Bing, Zhao, please, please, please be careful!" Sun Meng earnestly repeated her caution three times.

Tang Bing turned back with a smile and flashed a reassuring thumbs-up.

Zhao Dagang, following suit, grinned and gave his own thumbs-up.

"Shut the door!" At Tang Bing's command, Sun Meng quickly swung the door shut and secured the lock.