C47 It Was Tasteless to Eat, but It Was Hot to Think about It. the Electricity Went out at Midnight.

"Why aren't you eating?" Tang Bing asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and turning to look at Sun Meng.

Zhao Dagang, Sun Meng, and Qin Mengli were gathered around a small round table in his room, each with a bottle of mineral water and an assortment of snacks spread out before them—potato chips, biscuits, and chocolates.

Sun Meng, who was usually a hearty eater, looked forlorn, absently holding a half-eaten piece of chocolate. At the sound of Tang Bing's voice, she licked the chocolate crumbs from her lips and sighed, "I'm craving a hot meal."

"Wasn't it you who wanted chocolate earlier?" Tang Bing asked her gently.

"But snacks just aren't the same as a meal!" Sun Meng protested, her lips pouting, "I want something hot and freshly cooked..."

"Don't we all?" Qin Mengli interjected sharply, sitting beside her. "But we can't cook right now!"

"Exactly!" Tang Bing agreed, "With hundreds of zombies swarming outside the factory, we can't risk making noise and drawing them in. Who knows if their howling will attract even more, or if they'll start climbing over the walls!"

"I get it," Sun Meng said, her gaze downcast, "but I still want that hot meal."

Seeing the mood dip, Tang Bing tried to lighten the spirits. "We're all young. Missing one hot meal isn't the end of the world..."

Qin Mengli looked surprised, not expecting such an inspirational comment from Tang Bing.

Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng turned to him, anticipating a morale-boosting follow-up.

But as the three of them waited with bated breath, Tang Bing chuckled, "Besides, there will be plenty more times when hot meals won't be an option!"

The hopeful vibe turned icy in an instant. Sun Meng and Qin Mengli couldn't help but grimace. They had expected a pep talk, not a splash of cold reality.

Zhao Dagang, however, burst into supportive laughter, clapping his hands. "That's the spirit! Well put, Bing!"

What's good about this situation? Qin Mengli and Sun Meng glared at Zhao Dagang with eyes that could kill, but he was too oblivious to notice.

When the two women showed no enthusiasm, only the clueless Zhao Dagang seemed to offer any support. Tang Bing shrugged: "Regardless, we'll have to get by with what we have today. And who knows, hot meals might become a rarity in the future. You'll need to adjust. I'd love a hot meal myself, but let's not be picky right now. Surviving is hard enough without sweating the small stuff, right?"

The trio exchanged glances and dejectedly hung their heads.

Noticing the dampened spirits, Tang Bing let out a sigh, "Look, bad luck doesn't stick around forever. We'll find a way to clear those zombies out of the factory. Plus, we've scored a decent stash of supplies. We could hole up here for over ten days if we had to! Focus on the positives: we've got food, drinks, and all the essentials. You ladies even have a variety of underwear to pick from – only the priciest ones, mind you! Once we're full, we'll take a nice, fragrant bath, slip into some fresh clothes, and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow might just bring some good news."

Zhao Dagang, head down, earnestly munched on his fries, nodding in agreement with every point Tang Bing made.

Qin Mengli and Sun Meng exchanged a look, each letting out a soft sigh before reaching for more snacks.

Dinner was somber, the relentless groans of zombies outside casting a pall over the mood.

Post-meal, the quartet played cards to pass the time, only dispersing when the evening grew dark, each retreating to their respective rooms.

Tang Bing was the last to hit the bathroom. After the others had their turn, he finally enjoyed a soothing hot shower. Freshly changed and standing before the mirror, he stared at his reflection, feeling a sense of disbelief.

The apocalypse, flesh-eating zombies, a cryptic game system, and the untethered wildness of human nature – it all seemed too surreal to be his new reality.

In his solitary moments, he'd often find himself quietly pondering, "Is this all just a dream? Am I, the real me, asleep somewhere, caught in this implausible fantasy?"

He desperately wished it were true—that everything with Qin Mengli was nothing more than a dream. How wonderful that would be.

Yet, reality delivered harsh blows to his face time and time again. Even if this were a dream, it was a relentless nightmare from which he couldn't awaken.

Tang Bing could sense Sun Meng, Qin Mengli, and Zhao Dagang's dependence on him. Empowered by the system, his decisive actions and willingness to confront the zombies had earned their trust; they felt secure in his company.

Secretly, Tang Bing longed for a formidable survivor to emerge—a superhuman figure who could be trusted to lead them to safety.

But that was merely wishful thinking.

Even if such a savior materialized, Tang Bing would struggle to place his trust in them. The betrayal he'd suffered at Yang Fei's hands in the hospital had left him wary of any survivor.

Weakness was a luxury he couldn't afford. He was acutely aware that his survival was crucial, not just for himself but for Qin Mengli, Sun Meng, and Zhao Dagang, who all depended on him. He had to remain strong.

Staring at his weary reflection, he slapped his face firmly, rallying himself with the words, "Stay strong. You're the best!" The affirmation didn't ease his mind or bolster his courage, but it offered a sliver of solace.

There was no time for self-pity or weakness. Outside, hundreds, maybe thousands of zombies roamed. Instead of wallowing, he was better off devising a plan to repel or eliminate them.

Such thoughts might have once been pure fantasy, but with the mysterious system now at his disposal, anything seemed possible.

He'd also learned the zombies' traits: heightened smell and hearing, but diminished sight. Leveraging their strengths and weaknesses, along with the system's aid, he might soon discover a solution.

For now, his immediate task was to return to his room and get some much-needed rest.

With a few deep breaths to steady his nerves, Tang Bing shut off the bathroom light and made his way down the corridor to his room.

Despite constantly reminding himself to stop overthinking and to get a good night's rest to recharge, Tang Bing found his mind anything but quiet.

"Snap!" As he approached the door, the corridor lights abruptly went out. Caught off guard, Tang Bing was momentarily at a loss.

"Who flipped the breaker?" Qin Mengli's voice floated from her room, tinged with panic, though she kept her volume low.

"What's going on?" Sun Meng called out.

"I didn't touch anything in my room!" Zhao Dagang quickly responded.

"Bing, was it you? Did you shut off the main switch?" Sun Meng inquired in a hushed tone.

"Tang Bing, what are you up to?" Qin Mengli knocked on the door, "Tang Bing, are you there?"

The reactions of the three people snapped Tang Bing out of his daze. Glancing out the window at the now pitch-black city, realization struck him. "There's been a power outage!"

"What?" Sun Meng's voice sounded as if she had opened her door, followed by a sudden yelp of pain, "Ouch!"

"Mengmeng, are you okay?" Qin Mengli's concerned voice emanated from her room. The blackout, coupled with Sun Meng's cry, left her feeling vulnerable.

"I'm okay!" Sun Meng assured from the darkness, "Just stubbed my toe on the table leg. Bing, why did the power go out?"

"Yeah! Bing, can you get the power back on?" Zhao Dagang's voice also emerged from his room.

Tang Bing retrieved a candle and lighter from his virtual backpack, struck a flame, and cast light ahead. He could now see Sun Meng, who had opened her door and was grimacing as she massaged her toes.

"A candle?" The sight of the flickering flame brought a semblance of comfort to Sun Meng's face.

"The outage isn't just in our building," Tang Bing informed them as he approached their doors, "It looks like the entire city is affected!"

"Why did the power go out?" Qin Mengli cautiously inquired, peeking out from her doorway.

Zhao Dagang's door opened too, but he remained silent, simply watching Tang Bing.

Tang Bing surveyed the trio before addressing Qin Mengli, "Clearly, the power station has been compromised. It's likely that the military forces there have been wiped out by zombies, or they've evacuated in advance. The power station might be unmanned, leading to a mechanical failure that cut the supply. Or perhaps the staff was attacked by zombies and inadvertently shut down the power. Regardless, it seems we'll have to manage without electricity for the foreseeable future."

"Out of power already?" Sun Meng crouched down, nursing her sore toes that she had accidentally kicked. "I knew this day would come, but isn't this too soon?"

"Trouble doesn't knock on the door before it enters," Tang Bing said coolly, pulling out his cell phone.

"What are you up to?" Qin Mengli inquired with a hint of curiosity.

"I'm checking for a signal!" Tang Bing unlocked his phone and scrutinized the icons.

"With the whole city's power out, where would your phone get a signal?" Qin Mengli asked, her brow furrowed.

Tang Bing lifted his hand, "The signal tower's circuit isn't connected to the city's power grid! Plus, it hasn't been compromised by zombies yet, so we still have a signal. Anyone you need to get in touch with? If so, make the call before our phone batteries die out. We can't charge them anymore, and once they're drained, they're useless. Also, we can't predict when the signal tower might lose power. So if there's someone you need to contact, now's the time to call or get online."

"I don't have anyone to contact," Qin Mengli said flatly, her gaze steady. "You know that."

"I do," acknowledged Tang Bing, who was well aware of the details of Qin Mengli's life.

"I can't reach my parents..." Sun Meng's eyes brimmed with sorrow. "We don't have a landline or cell phones at home. I don't even know if they're still alive."

"I've got no one to call back home either," Zhao Dagang admitted, though his eyes betrayed a touch of melancholy.

"What about you, Bing?" Sun Meng looked up at Tang Bing.

"There's no one left at my place," Tang Bing replied, turning his back to the group and retrieving several candles he had earlier taken from a supermarket from his virtual backpack. "We're out of electricity, so let's use these candles for light. But be careful not to start a fire; if we do, there's no escape for us."