C56 Sun Meng Went Online to Check the Information, and Qin Mengli Scolded Tang Bing Angrily.

He had all the materials, and the furnace was ready to go. But Tang Bing hadn't taken it out from his virtual backpack yet.

With Zhao Dagang and the others right there, there wasn't an opportunity.

It looked like he'd have to wait until they were all asleep tonight. The worst he'd face would be questions about his nocturnal activities, but he could easily come up with some excuse. Then he could quickly smelt the iron bars, construct the tool table, and start crafting more survival gear.

"Bing, are you even listening?" Zhao Dagang broke into Tang Bing's reverie.

Tang Bing snapped out of it and glanced at Zhao Dagang. Sun Meng and Qin Mengli were also approaching.

"Bing?" Zhao Dagang waved his hand in front of his face.

"Back off!" Tang Bing swatted his hand away, "What's up?"

"I've been talking to you this whole time, did you catch any of it?" Zhao Dagang looked visibly frustrated.

"I got it..." Tang Bing sighed, "You've been repeating yourself so much, my ears are practically calloused!"

"What was he saying?" Sun Meng had come up beside Tang Bing and quickly chimed in.

"Ms. Meng," Zhao Dagang blurted out, "After I finished up earlier, I was on my phone online and saw a distress signal in the forum. Someone's in the plaza building just three kilometers from here."

"You're using your phone when it's almost dead? Once it's gone, that's it!" Sun Meng exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"That's not the point!" Zhao Dagang protested, "I'm saying there are survivors!"

"Are they male or female? Alone or in a group?" Qin Mengli inquired, her brow furrowed.

"I don't know, but we could find out if we use the phone to ask!" Zhao Dagang suggested.

"Well, ask already!" Sun Meng urged, "What are you waiting for?"

As both women turned their expectant gazes on him, Zhao Dagang scratched his head in dismay, "I want to! But my phone's dead. I was just trying to convince Bing to use his new phone to check it out, but he's not keen on the idea."

"Here, use my phone!" Sun Meng quickly pulled out her mobile from her pocket and deftly unlocked the screen.

Qin Mengli's hand, which had been rummaging in her pocket, hesitated before withdrawing.

These guys are really eager to help! Tang Bing thought to himself with a hint of sarcasm as he walked over to the window and peered through the curtains at the street teeming with people behind the factory, like a fair in full swing. Anyone with claustrophobia would find the sight overwhelmingly distressing.

As Sun Meng and Zhao Dagang were busy scouring their phones for information, Qin Mengli's gaze landed on Tang Bing, who stood silently by the bed. She felt a momentary uncertainty, realizing she was growing increasingly unfamiliar with the man she had known for four years. He had become the most familiar stranger to her.

She thought she knew everything about Tang Bing, but his resolute action in killing Zhang Tao had shattered her previous perceptions.

What was going through his mind? Did he harbor resentment towards her for rejecting him? Could he, without a second thought, deal with her as he had with Zhang Tao?

Such thoughts had never crossed Qin Mengli's mind before, but now, doubt gnawed at her. She even questioned her decision to follow Tang Bing instead of her colleagues from the company. Although Tang Bing seemed more dependable than those who were paralyzed with fear, particularly in his decisive and fierce handling of zombies, he also left her with a troubling uncertainty.

Tang Bing, watching the zombies outside, was acutely aware of Qin Mengli's gaze upon him. The sensory attribute of the Ocean Heart made him keenly attuned to any movement nearby. He turned to meet her eyes squarely.

Why was she looking at him that way? Did she have something to say?

The sudden eye contact startled Qin Mengli, causing her to quickly avert her gaze and turn away.

Maybe I'm overthinking it, Tang Bing mused with a self-deprecating chuckle, noting Qin Mengli's reluctance to meet his eyes.

"I've got it!" Sun Meng's exclamation drew both Qin Mengli and Tang Bing's attention.

"Do you have information on the survivors?" Qin Mengli asked, feigning composure.

"Yes!" Sun Meng nodded vigorously. "I just went through the forum in detail. The survivor Zhao Dagang mentioned is still sending out distress signals. I've located the post! I'll get in touch with them right away to find out more about their situation."

What's the point of inquiring about the situation? It's a three-kilometer trek, and driving would surely get us swarmed by thousands of zombies unless we go on foot! Tang Bing mused, considering the many uncertainties of the journey. Even if he could safely reach the right spot and find the survivors, how sure could he be of bringing them back? And if he ended up rescuing someone with ill intentions, he'd have to constantly watch his back. In this perilous world, looking out for oneself is the best strategy.

Zhao Dagang, Sun Meng, and Qin Mengli clearly didn't share his reservations. They were glued to their phone screens, anxiety written all over their faces.

Sun Meng's fingers flew across the keyboard as she responded to the distress post, "We're in a clothing factory about three kilometers from you. It's relatively safe here! How many are with you?"

"They replied! They replied!" Zhao Dagang burst out with excitement as the forum's notification chimed in after a tense few minutes.

"I'm on it!" Sun Meng said, focused, as she refreshed the thread without looking up.

"Speed it up, your phone's about to die!" Zhao Dagang urged, on edge.

"Zhao, could you please keep it down?" Sun Meng shot him an irritated look.

Taking the hint, Zhao Dagang zipped his lips and stood quietly to the side.

"This is pointless," Tang Bing muttered, shaking his head before turning back to the window to survey the street below.

Even with the right intel, there was no way the trio could navigate the perilous streets to reach the plaza building three kilometers away. And that's without considering the challenge of locating the exact spot among countless buildings to extricate survivors from a sea of zombies. Ultimately, they'd likely need his help.

Tang Bing had managed to save Sun Meng, Zhao Dagang, and Qin Mengli before, but each rescue was fraught with danger, a gamble with their lives. His survival thus far had been as much about luck as it was the aid of the system.

Now, even with his heightened agility, the idea of shepherding one or more survivors through nearly 400,000 zombies in the urban area was ludicrous!

Of course, these 400,000 zombies were scattered throughout the city, not all concentrated in the plaza. And the number was an estimate based on the population of A City before the apocalypse struck.

The small urban area alone housed 400,000 people, a tenth of A City's entire population. The concentration of zombies was evident, far surpassing the sparse populations of the suburbs and countryside. The thousands of zombies clustering outside the window were merely a fraction of the total.

Venturing out daily to gather supplies was fraught with danger, a task Tang Bing found too taxing and thankless to undertake willingly.

"Mother and daughter!" Sun Meng eventually spoke up, "The survivors are a mother and daughter. The daughter is the one sending out distress signals from her phone."

"We have a duty to rescue the vulnerable," Qin Mengli declared earnestly.

"Are you volunteering?" Tang Bing interjected with a hint of irritation.

Qin Mengli glanced back at him, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Come on, Bing, don't be like that," Sun Meng implored, "Mengli is making a good point."

"So, you're going to rescue them?" Tang Bing retorted icily.

"Ah! I can barely protect myself, let alone rescue someone else," Sun Meng lamented, "Bing, please, no jokes."

"Sure, you're not the ones taking life-threatening risks," Tang Bing huffed, "Just because we've lured the zombies away from the gate and its sides doesn't mean they aren't swarming the nearby streets! Stepping out of this factory is a gamble with death, and that's before even considering a trek to a location three kilometers away! If we bump into another mutant zombie, saving others will be the least of our worries—I might not even make it out alive!"

"It's not as bad as all that," Sun Meng quickly countered, "Bing, mutant zombies can't be that common. That zombie dog was just bad luck last time!"

Tang Bing snorted, silently recalling his near-death encounter with a second mutant zombie that day, though he kept it to himself.

"Ask them if they can drive here," Qin Mengli softly suggested to Sun Meng.

Sun Meng nodded and hastily posted the question on the forum.

"They can't drive," came the swift reply.

"That complicates things," Qin Mengli mused, "Can they leave the building and try to evade the zombies to get here?"

"I seriously doubt it," Zhao Dagang dismissed with a shake of his head, "I mean, I can't even make a three-kilometer run from here without getting snagged by zombies. Otherwise, I wouldn't be holed up in the construction site's office building."

Indeed, the possibility of a response was nonexistent. The building they were holed up in was swarming with zombies. The mother and daughter had barricaded themselves in a second-floor office, using furniture to block the doors and windows, while zombies roamed outside. Their food supply was nearly depleted. Without leaving soon, they would starve to death within days.

"What do we do?" Sun Meng looked up at Tang Bing, her eyes seeking guidance.

"Bing, any ideas?" Zhao Dagang also turned, his gaze echoing the question.

Qin Mengli remained silent, but her eyes were fixed on Tang Bing, waiting for his response.

Confronted by their stares, Tang Bing, despite feeling sympathy for the mother and daughter, hardened his heart and said, "Rescue is out of the question! The distance is too great, and the roads are overrun with zombies. Let's drop the subject. They need to figure out their own way to survive. We have limited strength and can't offer assistance."

"But those are human lives!" Qin Mengli exclaimed, her anger rising as she looked at his impassive face. She stepped forward, locking eyes with Tang Bing, "If there's a chance to save them, why should we abandon it?"

"Because there is no chance," Tang Bing replied icily, "In this world, survival depends on oneself, not on others."

"You're heartless!" Qin Mengli was taken aback by his harsh words.

Tang Bing gave her a look and then chose to remain silent.

"Bing, please, let's find a way to help them," Sun Meng pleaded, her eyes sorrowful as she gazed at her phone. "Huihui's mom is such a kind soul, donating over half her salary to those in need! And she's a university professor who's spent years educating others. Can you really stand by and watch someone who's given so much to society die because no one will rescue her? I've checked online; everything this girl has said is true. She's not lying!"

Tang Bing stayed quiet, but Qin Mengli suddenly turned to Sun Meng, "A university professor? From which university?"