C7 They Kept Their Guard up and Secretly Stored the Resources. They Left Sun Meng to Search Again.

Accompanied by Sun Meng, Tang Bing grew increasingly vigilant.

Alone, he had narrowly escaped death at the hands of zombies not once, but twice. Without the system, he would have been a goner long ago!

Now, tasked with safeguarding a delicate girl, his vigilance had to be dialed up even further.

He had considered arming her with a fire axe. But even with someone who seemed as harmless as a frail girl, in this zombie apocalypse, trust was a luxury he couldn't afford.

What if she turned on him with the axe while his back was turned? That could be a death sentence.

And her motive? It could be for food, water, or perhaps no reason at all.

The old adage rang true: never harbor ill intentions, but always stay on guard.

Until he was sure she posed no threat, Tang Bing resolved to remain on high alert.

He wouldn't even entrust her with a fire axe, let alone reveal the existence of the system.

Ideally, Tang Bing would keep the system a secret, never letting a second soul in on it.

Leading the way with axe in hand, Tang Bing deliberately slowed his pace as they ascended the stairs.

Sun Meng tiptoed behind him, anxiety written all over her face.

They climbed, passing the fifth floor where Tang Bing had awakened, and approached the sixth floor cafeteria. As they neared the top, a zombie burst from around the corner, screeching as it lunged for Tang Bing.

Reacting instinctively, Tang Bing sidestepped, causing the zombie to miss and tumble down the stairs.

"Ahh!" Sun Meng shrieked as the zombie landed near her.

"Shut up!" Tang Bing barked, leaping down and bringing his axe down on the zombie's head without a moment's hesitation. He then shot Sun Meng a stern look. "Do you want to bring more of them down on us?"

"Sorry..." Sun Meng stammered, still shaken. "But you said the zombies were all trapped on the first floor, didn't you?"

"You mentioned survivors infected by drinking water," Tang Bing retorted, his brow furrowed. "They've turned as well. Zombies have keen hearing; they'll follow sounds to hunt the living."

Sun Meng clamped her mouth shut, too scared to utter another sound.

With her silence, Tang Bing crouched to rummage through the zombie's pockets.

"What are you doing?" Sun Meng asked, repulsed by the sight and barely able to look at the zombie.

"Checking for anything useful," Tang Bing replied.

"Oh," Sun Meng nodded, quickly looking away. "Well, be quick about it."

System, you have discovered beef canned food!

System, you have discovered orange canned food!

System, you have discovered pineapple canned food!

Unexpectedly, the zombie had three cans of food on it.

Beef canned food: +30 satiety, +15 HP.

Orange canned food: +7 satiety, +5 HP.

Pineapple canned food: +10 satiety, +5 HP.

All were decent finds, essential for survival.

"There's nothing here!" Tang Bing stood up, keeping the truth from Sun Meng. "Stick close. We're heading to the cafeteria."

"Okay!" Sun Meng carefully stepped around the zombie's body and hurried after Tang Bing. They ascended the stairs together.

"This way!" Sun Meng, more familiar with the layout, guided Tang Bing. They moved through the corridor and soon reached the hospital cafeteria at the end.

The cafeteria was vast, a testament to the hospital's significant investment.

"The kitchen's this way!" Sun Meng exclaimed, darting toward it with glee.

"Stop!" Tang Bing caught her hand. "Do you have a death wish? We need to check for zombies first. Once it's safe, then we can look for food."

"Oh, right!" Sun Meng realized, nodding apprehensively. "We don't know where the zombies might be. We have to be cautious, or it's all over."

"Glad you understand," Tang Bing muttered, relieved she wasn't completely clueless.

Together, they discreetly surveyed every nook of the cafeteria. Sure enough, they found a female zombie lying dormant under a dining table.

She was motionless until Tang Bing and Sun Meng's footsteps roused her. She slowly rose, but before she could attack, Tang Bing's axe met her head.

Sun Meng looked on in awe. "Bing, did you train in martial arts? You're amazing! You handle zombies with such ease!"

Tang Bing thought to himself, if only she knew the desperation behind those moves. Survival demanded decisiveness. He assured her, "All clear! We've checked the entire cafeteria, and she was the only one. Go see what food the kitchen has. I'll keep looking around here."

"Sure!" Sun Meng nodded and sprinted to the kitchen.

With her out of sight, Tang Bing quickly searched the zombie's pockets.

System, you have obtained the blueprint for an iron dagger!

System notification: Green scarf acquired!

System notification: Red short-sleeved shirt acquired!

Iron Dagger Blueprint: Requires a tool bench or blacksmith shop to forge. Materials needed: 1 iron ingot, 1 piece of wood.

The green scarf adds +1 to defense and is a favorite accessory among girls.

The red short-sleeved shirt also provides a +1 defense boost.

Aside from the useful blueprint, the other items were women's clothing. Tang Bing decisively dropped the female gear on the ground and mastered the Iron Dagger Blueprint.

After a thorough check of his surroundings to ensure safety, he hurried to the kitchen to rendezvous with Sun Meng.

"These have all gone bad!" Sun Meng complained, wrinkling her nose as she inspected the soup pot and rice cooker on the cooking station.

"With this heat, it's no surprise they've spoiled after two days," Tang Bing remarked, shaking his head. "Let's see what's in the fridge. I'll go check the back storage."

"Okay!" Sun Meng promptly turned and headed to the refrigerator, opening the door to survey its contents.

Armed with a fire axe, Tang Bing entered the food storage through the back door, only to discover a warehouse brimming with supplies.

He quickly shut the door behind him and took a closer look.

Inside were over a dozen bags of rice, along with sacks of potatoes, chili peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, winter melons, tomatoes, cabbages, and soybeans. Hams and cured meats were even hanging on the walls.

With this much food, Tang Bing could eat for well over half a year on his own.

He attempted to transfer the bags of ingredients into his virtual backpack—and it worked!

Within minutes, he had stashed all the rice, vegetables, fruits, and meats into his virtual storage.

Feeling it might look suspicious to leave with nothing, he thoughtfully retrieved a half-empty bag of rice, a string of ham, and a large cabbage from his virtual pack.

Stepping out with these ingredients, he found Sun Meng in the kitchen, biting into a tomato with one hand while pulling out more food from the fridge with the other. "We've got fish, meat, veggies, fruit, even milk and juice! We're in luck; we can whip up a lavish lunch!"

Tang Bing set the small bag of rice on the dining table and placed the ham and cabbage beside it. "This is all that was left in the storage."

"Seriously? That's all our hospital had in stock?" Sun Meng was incredulous, leaving the fridge open as she dashed to check the back door. Finding it indeed empty, she mused, "I get it now! Other survivors must have taken everything already. That's just great!"

"Yep," Tang Bing agreed, feeling a bit guilty. "Do you know how to cook?"

"Sure do!" Sun Meng replied confidently. "This is plenty for several meals. It's important to be grateful for what we have! You help me with the prep, and I'll start on the cooking—my stomach's already complaining!"

"Hey!" Tang Bing interjected, pointing to the water cooler. "Use the purified water, not tap water. We can't risk tap water contamination with whatever's turned the zombies."

"Got it!" Sun Meng nodded. "Could you bring the water jug over?"

"Sure thing!" Tang Bing went straight to the water cooler, removed the half-full jug of purified water, and carried it over to Sun Meng.

"Let's clean the dishes first, then the vegetables," Sun Meng instructed, dumping the spoiled rice and soup into the trash before placing them in the sink. "Help me with the water, will you?"

"Of course!" Tang Bing carefully poured the purified water as directed.

With his assistance, Sun Meng scrubbed the utensils and cookware clean with detergent. She then prepared some rice in the rice cooker, rinsed it, and started it cooking. Next, they cleaned the vegetables and meat for frying. "All set! Just leave the purified water here, and I'll take it from here!"

"Got it!" Tang Bing nodded. "You get started on the cooking. I'll scout the area for any useful tools or medicine. I'll lock the kitchen door from the outside to keep out any zombies."

"Alright, but hurry back and be careful! Don't get caught by the zombies, or I'll be trapped in here!" Sun Meng said with a smile.

"Understood!" Tang Bing nodded, picked up his fire axe, and left the kitchen. He locked the door from the outside and stashed the key in his virtual backpack.

This way, Sun Meng would be safe in the kitchen, even if zombies wandered by. The kitchen walls were sturdy, and the iron door was impenetrable to zombie scratches.

Leaving Sun Meng to her cooking, Tang Bing quickly made his way back to the fourth floor to search for any usable supplies. He didn't want to waste a moment—if he could clear out the hospital building quickly, he could make his escape that much sooner.