C52 They Left Their Home Separately and Passed by the Street.

After securing the barbed fences, he swiftly made his way back inside the factory.

Glancing at his phone, he noted the time: just 1:15 PM.

That meant Tang Bing had spent just over an hour clearing zombies near the main gate, luring them away with the alarm, and meticulously installing over a hundred barbed fences.

From an upstairs window, he surveyed the scene: the vicinity of the apartment building was utterly swamped with zombies. The roof had been compromised, and now countless zombies roamed aimlessly atop it. Some had even breached the perimeter fence, plunging into the air—inevitably becoming splatters of gore upon impact.

Each floor of the building offered a view of zombies jostling and bursting through windows in droves.

Despite the building being packed to the gills with thousands of zombies, fresh hordes continued to force their way in at the entrance.

The streets were teeming like a holiday crowd, though not a single soul was alive among them.

The alarm had long since ceased, yet it had done its job, drawing all the zombies to the apartment complex and leaving the surrounding streets relatively clear. Without deliberately drawing attention, there was no fear of a zombie horde pursuit.

With plenty of daylight left, Sun Meng and Qin Mengli were scavenging for supplies inside the factory, while Zhao Dagang hunted for wooden furniture. Tang Bing saw no need to join them.

Resting now would be a waste of precious time. After some deliberation, he resolved to venture out.

His goal was to construct a furnace and a tool bench by day's end.

These were critical for crafting numerous items, including automatic rifles, shotguns, and even ammunition. With these two pieces of equipment and the right resources, he could churn out firearms and bullets endlessly, making the fight against the undead that much easier.

The workshop had been cleared for this very reason—it couldn't go to waste.

To build the furnace, he needed clay. The only place Tang Bing could think of to find it was a toy store three blocks away.

Before, the zombie blockade made it impossible, but now that they were concentrated around the apartment complex, he could hit the streets with caution.

Zombies move a tad slower than the average person, but with Tang Bing's enhanced agility, he could easily outpace them. The key was to avoid getting disoriented and trapped within their ranks.

With a bit of speed, he could skirt around the zombies in under an hour and make it to the toy store. Clearing out any undead occupants might take another hour, but that would still leave him plenty of time to find the clay he needed and get back before nightfall.

Venturing out was inherently risky, especially in a world overrun by zombies. You never knew what the next moment might hold. Take that mutant zombie dog, for example; if Tang Bing hadn't been quick on his feet, he'd be dog food by now.

Survival is tough for those who shy away from risk. Only the brave and fearless can make it in this apocalyptic landscape.

Tang Bing set out with today's mission clear in his mind: find enough clay to build a furnace. Then, using the scrap metal he'd previously collected, he'd smelt iron bars and gather other materials like a goat horn hammer to construct a workbench.

A furnace and workbench would unlock more resources for survival in this zombie-infested world.

"Bing, where are you headed?" Sun Meng asked, emerging from the office floor with a bag of food.

Tang Bing glanced at her haul, then at Qin Mengli, who was approaching with her own sizable stash. "Looks like you've both hit the jackpot," he commented with a smile.

"Yeah! The employees here stashed snacks in every drawer," Sun Meng chuckled, her eyes twinkling. "Spicy strips, cookies, egg cakes, mooncakes, gummy candies—you name it!"

"That's great. We'll feast tonight!" Tang Bing replied, nodding in approval. "Keep up the good work."

"Bing, where are you off to?" Sun Meng inquired once more.

Facing the curious Sun Meng and Qin Mengli, Tang Bing explained, "I'm heading out to gather some essential supplies. I'll be back before it gets dark. If I'm not, don't worry. Stay put and wait for me—don't leave the factory, got it? Even if I'm cornered, I'll find a way to break free from the zombies and return as soon as I can!"

"What if you run into danger?" Sun Meng asked with concern, then quickly spat on the ground in a gesture of warding off bad luck, "May the bad omens fail and the good ones prevail. Bing, you'll definitely be safe!"

"I'll take that as a good omen," Tang Bing replied with a slight smile. "It's actually a very simple task; I shouldn't encounter any trouble. I promise I'll be back before it gets dark. Don't worry about me!"

"But you have to be careful!" Sun Meng insisted, her eyes filled with worry. "And take Zhao Dagang with you. It's safer if you two watch each other's backs."

"I've decided to go solo this time," Tang Bing said, shaking his head with a smile. "As I've mentioned, it's a simple matter. There's no need for concern."

"Can you promise you'll come back safely? Bing, we're all counting on you. Please, make sure you return unharmed!" Sun Meng implored, looking up at him earnestly.

"Relax, I've told you," Tang Bing reassured her with a smile. "I'll take good care of myself. Just wait for me to come home."

"Okay," Sun Meng finally eased up a bit, comforted by Tang Bing's repeated assurances.

Qin Mengli, upon learning that Tang Bing was setting out alone to gather supplies, felt a twinge of worry herself. She wanted to urge him to be cautious, but when their eyes met, the words just wouldn't come. She silently picked up the food and headed upstairs without a word.

"Mengli, wait for me!" Sun Meng called out, quickly catching up to Qin Mengli. The two girls soon vanished from Tang Bing's view.

She really doesn't care about me at all! Sun Meng, a girl he'd only just met, was so concerned for him, yet Mengli continued to act as if he didn't exist...

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Tang Bing turned and sprinted out of the building.

"Bing!" he unexpectedly ran into Zhao Dagang on the second floor. Noticing Tang Bing's haste, Zhao Dagang inquired curiously, "What's the rush?"

"Did you finish taking inventory of the furniture?" Tang Bing asked him.

Zhao Dagang shook his head, "I've only covered half the floor. I was just about to check the other side."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Tang Bing nudged him aside, saying, "Excuse me!"

"Oh!" Zhao Dagang stepped aside, letting Tang Bing pass, but his curiosity remained. "Bing, what are you off to do?"

"Head out and scavenge for supplies!" Tang Bing dashed down the stairs.

"Take me with you!" pleaded Zhao Dagang, his voice tinged with urgency. "It's too risky to go it alone!"

"You?" Tang Bing paused, glancing back at him. "I need you here to mark the location of all the wooden furniture—that's your job. The supply run is a bit of a trek this time. I'm better off solo; having you along would just complicate things. While I'm gone, your duty is to safeguard Sun Meng and Qin Mengli. Don't let them sense any danger, got it?"

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Zhao Dagang really wanted to accompany Tang Bing. With his newfound scrap iron armor and pistol, his confidence was through the roof.

"Focus on the tasks I've assigned you and keep those girls safe," Tang Bing instructed firmly. "I'll return by nightfall. If you haven't finished your tasks or fail to protect the vulnerable, you'll go without food tomorrow as punishment!"

"Ah!!" Zhao Dagang's face fell at the thought. "Brother Bing, I swear I'll get it done! I won't let anything happen to Ms. Meng or Miss Qin. You can't let me go hungry!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Get back to work!" Tang Bing chided with a chuckle.

"Right away!" Fearing the prospect of an empty stomach, Zhao Dagang spun around and scampered off.

Tang Bing couldn't help but find the simple-minded fellow before him endearing. His thoughts were straightforward, without the burden of complexity. Yet, he wasn't foolish and often had useful suggestions. Still, there was no need to bring him along for the clay search—two would only hinder each other and waste precious time.

If not for the hordes of zombies outside, a three-street drive would be a matter of minutes. Tang Bing had no intention of undoing his hard work by drawing the attention of the thousand zombies they had managed to lead away with the noise of a car engine.

Thus, on foot and with stealth was the wiser choice. Locking the door behind him with care, Tang Bing pulled out his fire axe and hunched down, sticking close to the walls as he moved, his steps feather-light to avoid alerting the nearby undead.

Naturally, dodging every single zombie was out of the question. Even with the Heart of the Sea's ability to sense zombies within a certain range, Tang Bing still had to navigate through the zombie-infested streets to get to the toy store.

So, Tang Bing had to choose the path with the fewest roaming zombies, moving stealthily to avoid drawing the attention of a horde.

"Ah..." A zombie meandered aimlessly around the corner of the crossroad, emitting a meaningless moan.

As it emerged, Tang Bing, who had been lying in wait, sprang into action and struck its head with his fire axe with deadly precision.

You have killed a zombie and earned 10 experience points!

Such was the might of the Heart of the Sea!

Tang Bing didn't need to confront the zombies directly. As long as they were within a certain distance, he could "see" their exact location, even through a wall.

He could prepare in advance and dispatch a zombie before it even knew he was there, swiftly eliminating it without giving it a chance to call for reinforcements.

After taking down the zombie, he quickly crouched down to search the body.

You found nothing!

That was rather embarrassing – the zombie had absolutely nothing on it, the epitome of destitution!

Tang Bing stood up, gripping his fire axe, and used the Heart of the Sea's sensory ability to carefully scan the area, particularly behind the walls to the left of the crossroad.

He could "see" two more zombies, one after the other, shuffling in his direction.

Using the fire axe, it would be tough to eliminate both zombies quickly. Taking out one would surely prompt the other to cry out, attracting a swarm of zombies.

After a moment's thought, Tang Bing stowed his fire axe and switched to a silenced pistol. With speed on his side, he could take them both out before they had a chance to react!