C51 They Were Busy with Their Own Tasks, Cleaning the Zombies and Wood Spikes.

"Bing, what's our next move?" Zhao Dagang immediately approached Tang Bing as he entered the building.

Sun Meng and Qin Mengli, trailing behind, watched him in silence, anticipating his instructions.

Over the past few days, everyone had grown accustomed to Tang Bing's leadership and trusted in his ability to keep them alive.

Of course, there was another perspective — they lacked their own initiative.

Tang Bing glanced at the trio beside him, pulled out his phone, and checked the time. "We've got just over half an hour before the alarm goes off. Feel free to do as you please, just keep the noise down so we don't stir up the zombies outside."

"What's there to do in this factory, though?" Sun Meng lamented. "Without power, we can't even go online to see if there are other survivors nearby."

Tang Bing gave her a look and said with a hint of exasperation, "Who says there's nothing to do? Have you thoroughly searched every floor of this building? There might be supplies that could help us make it through. Why not use this time to look carefully and gather what you can?"

"You're right!" Sun Meng's eyes sparkled. "It totally slipped my mind!"

"Alright then, Sun Meng and Qin Mengli, you two will comb through each floor of the building. Don't overlook anything that could be of use. Food, water, clothing, weapons, any tools you find—collect them all," Tang Bing instructed firmly. "Here are the keys. As for which key fits which lock, you'll have to figure that out. Take your time, be thorough, and keep the noise to a minimum."

"Got it!" Sun Meng eagerly grabbed the hefty bunch of keys from Tang Bing, beaming.

Qin Mengli looked at Tang Bing with a hint of unease. He had always called her Mengli. Even though it used to irritate her, his sudden change in address now felt unnatural.

It's true what they say—habits can be a scary thing!

"Bing, what about me?" Zhao Dagang inquired, "Should I join Ms. Meng and the rest in the search for supplies?"

Tang Bing gave him a sidelong glance, pondered for a moment, and replied, "No, you've got a different task."

"Just say the word!" Zhao Dagang stood ready for his command, "I'm up for anything you need!"

"Listen up," Tang Bing beckoned Zhao Dagang to step closer. "Starting now, your job is to scour each floor for wooden furniture. I need you to pinpoint and mark the location of every piece for me!"

"But Bing, I can't draw to save my life!" Zhao Dagang admitted, scratching his head in dismay.

"No drawing necessary!" Tang Bing dismissed with a wave of his hand. "You can write, can't you?"

"Sure can!" Zhao Dagang nodded vigorously.

"Just jot down the floor, room number, and the type of wooden furniture you find—whatever you see, write it down!" Tang Bing instructed.

"What about other stuff?" Zhao Dagang inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Just focus on tallying the wooden furniture in each room on every floor," Tang Bing replied. He then reached behind him, feigning a pocket search, and swiftly pulled a pen and blank notebook from his virtual backpack without Zhao Dagang noticing. "Here, take these! And if you come across any weapons like a fire axe or a crowbar, pick them up too."

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang glanced curiously at Tang Bing's back, wondering if Bing really had a notebook in his pocket earlier. But he quickly redirected his attention, flipping through the notebook briefly. "Bing, what do you need all this wooden furniture for?"

"Don't sweat the details," Tang Bing brushed off the question. "It'll all come in handy when the time is right."

"Okay!" Zhao Dagang nodded, accepting Tang Bing's response. "And what will you be doing, Bing?"

"Me?" Tang Bing peered out the window at the apartment building behind them. "Once the alarm clock lures the zombies over, I'll be near the main entrance setting up some defenses."

"I want to help!" Zhao Dagang said eagerly, his eyes lighting up at the prospect.

"I can handle it on my own," Tang Bing insisted, knowing he couldn't have Zhao Dagang with him. He planned to retrieve the barbed fence he'd crafted the night before from his virtual backpack and install it outside the door to fend off the zombies.

Having someone witness him conjuring up such a sizable barbed fence from nowhere, and repeatedly at that, would be too difficult to explain! It was best for everyone to stick to their assigned tasks. If he took a bit longer setting up the fence, the others would simply be amazed at his ability to create such a barricade, nothing more.

"Oh!" Zhao Dagang didn't take the rejection to heart. "Just be careful out there, Bing!"

"I will."

As Sun Meng, Qin Mengli, and Zhao Dagang busied themselves, Tang Bing retreated to the top-floor workspace, peering through his monocular to scrutinize the vicinity of the apartment building. He meticulously searched for any sign of survivors, unwilling to let a lapse in attention cost innocent lives, despite the slim chances of finding anyone.

After several thorough scans, the only movement came from the aimless zombies—no hint of human presence.

This gave Tang Bing a measure of relief. Death was commonplace in the apocalypse, and he had taken lives with his own hands. Yet, such acts were not to be taken lightly; he would avoid harming fellow survivors unless left with no other choice.

With no survivors detected, Tang Bing continued his vigil, scanning the neighboring buildings for any sign of life. But all he found, time and again, were the undead.

The appointed time arrived, and the alarm clock atop the apartment building, along with a cell phone, pierced the silence. Even from a hundred meters away, Tang Bing heard it crystal clear.

He zeroed in with his monocular. As expected, the shrill alarm stirred the zombies inside and around the building into a frenzy. Even the street zombies were drawn to the noise, converging on the structure in droves.

"Perfect!" Tang Bing's heart raced with the success of his plan.

He dashed from the workspace to the stairwell, peering through the window toward the factory entrance.

The alarm's echo reached every zombie in the vicinity, redirecting their shambling march towards its source—including the hundreds that had lingered by the gate overnight.

In the chaos, zombies trampled over each other without a second thought. The less fortunate were crushed underfoot, their viral nerve centers destroyed, leaving them as mere corpses. The luckier ones, despite mangled limbs or torsos, dragged themselves determinedly towards the sound. They truly embodied the relentless spirit of the apocalypse.

Tang Bing wasn't in any rush to descend. Instead, he stood by the window, silently observing the scene below.

He waited until the throng of zombies that had swarmed the factory gate had mostly dispersed, leaving only a handful of stragglers hindered by cars, walls, and barbed fences, unable to figure out a detour and thus unable to leave. Only then did he make his way downstairs and sprint towards the factory entrance.

A couple of zombies lingered outside the gate, likely stuck there from the previous night's crush and their failed attempts to breach the factory. Their arms were wedged in the iron gate's crevices. Spotting Tang Bing, they became animated, rattling the gate violently and pressing their grotesque, decaying faces against the cold metal, mouths snapping open and shut, emitting guttural roars as if biting at the air.

With the alarm clock's distraction in effect, the other zombies were oblivious to the noise here.

Eager to eliminate the nuisance swiftly, Tang Bing retrieved a silenced pistol from his virtual backpack. The fire axe was useless against the zombies outside; opening the gate would only free their trapped limbs.

Safety first: he'd dispatch them before opening the gate.

The immobilized zombies required no precise aim. Tang Bing simply pressed the gun barrel to their mouths and pulled the trigger.

Blood mist burst forth, and when Tang Bing withdrew his pistol, the three zombies at the door had silently collapsed, motionless.

Glancing back at the office building, he knew Sun Meng and the others were likely scavenging for supplies and hadn't noticed his actions. Plus, the alarm clock's sound might have drawn their attention elsewhere.

Seizing the moment, Tang Bing was determined to quickly set up the defenses.

He unlocked and opened the iron gate, stepped out, and promptly closed it behind him, pistol at the ready for any surprise attacks.

"Roar!" Naturally, a few zombies nearby, hindered in their movements, had not managed to leave. Sensing the disturbance, they spun around and charged him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Tang Bing fired, taking down the three fastest zombies. He swiftly reloaded and continued firing, blasting through the skulls of the remaining zombies as they lunged towards him.

Shooting at close range wasn't particularly challenging, and it gave Tang Bing the exhilarating sensation of being a sharpshooter. He was aware, however, that this was just a delusion; at a greater distance, his aim would likely falter.

After dispatching the zombies that lunged at him, Tang Bing switched to his fire axe to deal with those trapped by the roadblocks, unable to escape. Soon, the area around the factory entrance was clear of creatures.

Tang Bing cautiously made his way to the walls on either side, scrutinizing the location of the remaining zombies. Realizing they had been lured away by the sound of an alarm clock, congregating near the apartment building, a wave of relief washed over him.

Still, he knew zombies could be drawn by the alarm to other intersections. Seizing the moment of calm, he hurried to install the barbed fences outside the walls.

It was clear that the space in front of the iron gate had to remain unobstructed for vehicles and people to pass through. A barbed fence there would make transporting supplies exceedingly difficult later on.

So, the fences were positioned snugly against the walls on either side of the gate. These barriers would not only impede the zombies' climb but also sever their limbs with the sharp barbs, effectively halting their advance. With some luck, the spikes might even penetrate their skulls for a swift kill.

Regrettably, the supply of wood was woefully inadequate. The hundred or so barbed fences crafted were insufficient to cover the entire row of walls at the gate, let alone the entire perimeter of the factory in all four directions. For a more robust defense, layering multiple fences would be ideal, but that would require an even greater quantity of wood.

Perhaps stripping the factory of all its wooden furniture wouldn't even suffice. How perfect it would be to have a forest nearby; Tang Bing could then harvest timber to create more fences. Bit by bit, day by day, he could transform the factory's surroundings into a formidable barbed bastion.