C71 The Weapons Were Ready, and the Corpses Were Being Killed in the Morning.

Tang Bing methodically combed through each office, leaving no potential hiding spot unchecked. He also wielded a wrench to strip every piece of wooden furniture bare, amassing an impressive haul of lumber. Throughout his search, he gathered a variety of materials, snacks, drinks, and other supplies.

In the midst of his scavenging, he fortuitously stumbled upon blueprints for scrap iron armor and an iron sword. The scrap iron armor blueprints detailed how to craft sturdy protection that could enhance safety, requiring 80 pieces of scrap iron, 20 pieces of leather, and 5 strips of tape. The iron sword blueprints promised the creation of a sharp blade, calling for 10 iron bars and 2 pieces of wood.

Given the factory's vast size, Tang Bing spent over two hours meticulously searching the office floor. Exhausted from their activities, the four women retired to their rooms for rest. As Lin Leyan and Liang Hui descended the stairs by candlelight, Tang Bing wrapped up his night's exploration.

With everyone else asleep, Tang Bing slipped away to the workshop. Armed with a substantial stockpile of materials and a modest collection of clay, he was determined to craft the necessary equipment for survival. He began by melting the scrap iron in the furnace, blending it with the clay.

He then proceeded to the workbench to construct a piece of scrap iron armor. The rudimentary armor boasted a defense rating of 12 points. At his current crafting level, only basic gear was within his capability, yet it was sufficient to shield him from the majority of zombie assaults. Crafting more equipment meant accruing more skill experience points. If not for the other applications of scrap iron, Tang Bing would have devoted it all to enhancing his armor-crafting skills and improving the quality of his defense.

Once the scrap iron was refined, Tang Bing forged both a mace and an iron sword. The crude mace packed an attack power of 17, with a 10% chance of inflicting a bleeding status on enemies. In comparison to the fire axe, the mace's offensive capability was fearsome—more than doubling in strength and qualifying as a brutally effective weapon. The additional chance of causing bleeding was a formidable bonus, even if its effectiveness against zombies remained uncertain.

The inferior iron sword boasts an attack power of 12, with a 10% chance of decapitating the enemy upon striking. This attack power even surpasses that of the fire axe. Though it falls 5 points short of the mace's might, the 10% decapitation chance is a standout feature! To eliminate zombies, one must target their heads. A decapitation essentially means an instant zombie kill! Should Tang Bing face a mutant zombie and activate this feature in combat, he could effortlessly dispatch even the most formidable foes!

Both the mace and the iron sword are excellent choices for close-quarters combat. Despite being of lower quality, their attack power significantly exceeds that of the fire axe. These are merely the most basic weapons available. Imagine the lethality of top-tier crafted iron swords or maces—each strike potentially a zombie's demise.

After stowing the two new weapons in his backpack, Tang Bing proceeded to inspect the crafting options in the smelting furnace. His current repertoire of crafting skills being limited, the furnace offered only the most rudimentary smelting recipes: scrap iron, scrap copper, scrap lead, clay, iron bars, iron ingots, iron nails, iron pipes, springs, stone brick blocks, stone brick steps, stone brick angles, stone brick pillars, stone slabs, glass, and empty bottles.

The options to smelt scrap iron, copper, lead, and clay essentially serve as a means to repurpose materials. If abandoning the base were ever necessary, the furnace would remain behind. In such an event, he could smelt and carry away the materials.

Iron bars, ingots, nails, pipes, and springs are fundamental crafting materials with widespread applications. Various stone brick forms require substantial amounts of clay for production. While Tang Bing is curious about the differences between the furnace-produced bricks and their real-world counterparts, his current clay supply is limited, and he has no intention of squandering it.

Glass and empty bottles, on the other hand, can be smelted from sand—a resource that is plentiful and easily located, particularly around construction sites and factory grounds. Yet, Tang Bing has already amassed a vast collection of empty bottles through scavenging, and for the time being, they serve no other purpose.

The tool table offers a limited selection of craftable items. Unlocking additional options would require skill points or acquiring blueprints through exploration or defeating zombies.

Beyond the blueprints he had already mastered, Tang Bing's inventory consisted of only the essentials: small stone axes, shovels, ropes, torches, campfires, sleeping bags, scraps of cloth, and leather.

Having thoroughly assessed the situation, Tang Bing set about mass-producing wooden barbed fences. Thanks to the automated tool bench, he awoke the next morning to a backpack brimming with hundreds of these defensive barriers.

Taking advantage of the early hours while others slept, he descended from the factory and began installing the barbed fences along its perimeter. Despite the appearance of significant progress, he had only managed to fortify the area in front of the gate and a bit beyond. Encircling the entire factory was an immense undertaking, demanding a daunting amount of lumber. How convenient it would be if the forest were close by, negating any concern for wood supply.

Thankfully, the factory's front gate was now flanked by two dense layers of barbed fences, forming a formidable defense capable of impaling any small group of zombies that dared approach.

Tang Bing knew that in time, the factory would be as secure as a fortress, so there was no rush. During his work, it was inevitable to draw some zombie attention, but their numbers had dwindled.

Most had been diverted by Tang Bing's vehicular distractions, leaving only stragglers or the occasional cluster of a dozen zombies.

Clad in his makeshift scrap iron armor, Tang Bing felt no pressure facing a handful of zombies. Wielding the newly crafted mace, he could take down each zombie with a single, well-placed blow—ordinary zombies posed little challenge.

Armed with his new gear, he fought with confidence. Tang Bing discreetly patrolled the factory's surroundings, enticing isolated zombies or small groups, methodically eliminating them. This not only provided him with valuable experience but also yielded basic materials and supplies from their remains.

However, upon encountering larger hordes, Tang Bing wisely chose to avoid confrontation. He was not invincible and could not afford to recklessly enter a zombie horde.

Besides, he had no intention of drawing a swarm of zombies to clog the paths he had worked so hard to clear.

With utmost caution, he lured the creatures and slaughtered sixty to seventy zombies. Exhausted to his limit, Tang Bing retreated back to the factory.

His zombie hunting exploits had earned him a level up to 12, and true to form, he allocated all five skill points to Dexterity.

In the world of martial arts, speed is unrivaled! With his swift pace, Tang Bing could weave through hordes of zombies with ease. Against mutant zombies, his speed was a significant boon to his survival.

Back at the building, Qin Mengli was the first to stir.

The painkillers from the night before had done their work, her health sufficiently restored. Her abdominal wound had nearly vanished, and her complexion had improved markedly. Fresh from washing up, she encountered Tang Bing and, after a moment of surprise, nodded and greeted him softly, "Good morning!"

Tang Bing was taken aback. This wasn't the Qin Mengli he remembered!

But then it dawned on him; this change was likely due to the impression he'd made yesterday. Though Qin Mengli was unaccustomed to such dynamics, she was clearly making an effort to adapt.

So, with a casual nod, Tang Bing responded, "Good morning!" and headed for his room.

"Wait!" she called out after him, unexpectedly.

"What is it?" Tang Bing turned, facing her squarely.

After a brief pause, Qin Mengli spoke up, "Thank you! For helping Teacher Lin and for the painkillers yesterday."

"There's no need for thanks," Tang Bing replied with a nod, "But remember, this won't happen again."

"I understand," Qin Mengli affirmed, her gaze steady. "I'll keep the matter of the pills to myself. You can tell the others when you're ready."

"Alright," Tang Bing acknowledged, not quite accustomed to this new, egalitarian side of Qin Mengli. She had always seemed distant, barely acknowledging him, but now she was engaging him as an equal. It was indeed a surprise.

As he turned to leave, a thought struck him. He pivoted back and instructed, "Stay here for a moment."

"Why?" Qin Mengli asked, puzzled by his sudden request.

"Just wait here," Tang Bing stated decisively, then returned to his room to retrieve the scrap iron armor he had crafted the night before from his virtual backpack.

In the evening, he seized a quiet moment to craft equipment for all six of them. Now, he was eager to distribute it to the group.

Emerging with the scrap iron armor, he discovered Sun Meng and Zhao Dagang were also up. Zhao Dagang had hastily washed his face and was now standing in the hallway, fully dressed. Sun Meng had just finished washing her hair and was vigorously drying it with a towel.

Seeing Qin Mengli standing there early in the morning, the pair joined her for a chat.

"Here, take this!" Tang Bing offered the scrap iron armor to Qin Mengli. "It's a lot better than the cotton armor."

"Thanks!" Qin Mengli nodded, curiously refraining from asking how he had acquired it.

Both Sun Meng and Zhao Dagang shared her curiosity about the armor Tang Bing had produced, wondering about the extent of his craftsmanship.

Sun Meng and Zhao Dagang might have been in the dark, but Qin Mengli was well-acquainted with Tang Bing. His sewing skills were hardly impressive, so how had he managed to create such high-quality gear?

They were all sharp enough to realize Tang Bing was harboring a secret, yet no one chose to expose it. As long as they understood that his secret could significantly aid their survival, that was all that mattered.

"Perfect timing," Tang Bing said, noticing Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng were present. "Saves me the trouble of calling you two. I made armor for everyone last night. Come to my room and pick up a set for yourselves."

"Great!" Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng exchanged a glance, nodding in unison as they followed Tang Bing.

Once in the room, Tang Bing invited them to select from the equipment he had laid out on the bed beforehand. In reality, all the pieces were identical, with no variation in size. Regardless of the piece or the wearer's build, the system would automatically adjust the armor to the perfect fit.

Understanding this, Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng made quick work of choosing their respective armors.

"Oh, and take these two sets to Teacher Lin and Liang Hui," Tang Bing said, indicating the last two sets of scrap armor. "Dagang, can you handle that?"

"Sure! Leave it to me," Zhao Dagang responded with a nod.