"Wuwuwu, why is my life so miserable!"
At the heartbreakingly sad part, Ding Yuqin covered her face and wept profusely. Then through the gaps in her fingers, she stealthily glanced at Wang Tao, hoping to gain his sympathy.
Wang Tao did feel sympathy. He could tell she wasn't lying just by looking at Yu Qin's HP bar; he guessed that if she went another day without food, she really would die.
But sympathy couldn't be traded for food.
So, Wang Tao showed no reaction and simply buried his head in his meal.
Ding Yuqin, shrewd as she was, saw that Wang Tao remained unmoved and felt a bit down. She wiped her tears and stopped crying. After all, crying would also consume physical strength, and right now, every bit of strength was precious.
After the meal, Ding Yuqin took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Wang Tao didn't stop her. He looked at Ding Yuqin's graceful figure from behind, lost in thought for a moment.
"40/100 now... When she heard about my offer to eat with her, her spirit improved, gaining 10 HP. After having a meal, she gained 20 HP. However, her body is still in a state of weakness, and even if she keeps eating, it probably won't increase as much as it did today..."
After quickly washing the dishes, Ding Yuqin dried her hands and then said to Wang Tao:
"Wang Tao, do you have any laundry that needs washing? I don't have much to do at home, so I can help you wash them..."
Wang Tao shook his head.
"No need for that; I have a washing machine."
"Uh..." Ding Yuqin felt a bit awkward, but soon thought of another excuse, "Then, can I give you a massage? I'm pretty good with my hands..."
Massage?
Wang Tao was somewhat tempted, especially since the one offering was a great beauty.
However, he had to train in the afternoon. He was always very disciplined, not to mention that now, in the post-apocalyptic world, his body was his greatest asset.
"I appreciate your kindness, sis, but there's no need. I have to start my training in a bit."
"...Okay then, I'll be heading back. If you need anything, Wang Tao, just call me."
Ding Yuqin left with some reluctance. Both Wang Tao's muscular body and the well-organized food gave her a sense of security.
But she could find no reason to stay any longer.
"Alright, no problem."
Seeing that Wang Tao didn't offer to have her stay for dinner or anything of the sort, Ding Yuqin let out a sigh.
She had actually come over this time hoping to borrow some food, even a pack of bread would have been fine.
Having had the chance to enjoy a big meal was an unexpected delight; she didn't dare ask for anything more, for fear of upsetting Wang Tao, which would sever her last hope of survival...
After making sure Ding Yuqin got home safely, Wang Tao closed the door and began his training.
Today's task was practicing with the punching bag.
After two encounters with zombies, he realized that his combat skills were lacking.
Zombies were not like humans; though their movements might be stiff, it didn't mean they were slow—it just meant they lacked agility.
Besides, zombies were incredibly strong!
Fighting zombies was a whole different ballgame compared to fighting humans.
Against human attacks, one could dodge, resist, or even resort to an all-out battle to the death.
But none of that worked on zombies. The best option for now was just to dodge.
Even with Wang Tao's physical fitness, he was left bruised by just one slap from a zombie. The one in the hallway had directly forced Wang Tao back several steps with its blow.
Resisting wasn't an option, at least not continuously.
And the thought of fighting zombies to the point of mutual destruction was even more out of the question. Zombies could afford countless mistakes, but he couldn't afford a single one. If he were bitten or scratched by a zombie... then he could only wait for death.
Wang Tao had never fought zombies before, so he was very unused to this style of fighting. If he could optimize his technique to counter zombie traits, he wouldn't necessarily be able to kill instantly, but at least he wouldn't have to take the hit he did today.
During his contemplation, Wang Tao began to ruthlessly pummel the sandbag, pretending it was a zombie.
While exercising, Wang Tao suddenly had an epiphany; he felt that if he didn't use weapons and just used his fists, his agility would be much higher. Perhaps in certain specific situations, fists might be more appropriate!
"I'll look for some special gloves or brass knuckles later..."
Zombies don't feel pain, so if he were to punch a zombie in the head and the zombie was fine but he ended up with a broken finger, that would be embarrassing.
A few hours later, a sweaty Wang Tao stopped his exercise.
However, he didn't rest, feeling he still had plenty of physical strength left to sharpen a steel pipe.
He found three steel pipes in Room 301, two half a meter long, and one a meter long.
The one-meter pipe was suitable for use in open spaces, while the half-meter ones were better for corridors and indoor environments.
The steel pipes were much better than the homemade short spears he had before.
Wang Tao decided to sharpen one of the half-meter pipes first, after all, they were difficult to sharpen. But he didn't need to make it extremely sharp, just a bit pointed would do. After all, with one Jump Slash, zombies couldn't block his head-exploding attack.
He heated up the leftover rice from lunch briefly and quickly finished it. Then Wang Tao began the sharpening.
Scrape~ Scrape~
He kept at it until eleven at night.
If it weren't for being on the fifth floor, Wang Tao worried that the noise from sharpening the steel pipe could attract zombies.
But fortunately, it was just about usable.
After a quick shower and routinely turning on the radio, it crackled for a while. After not hearing any useful information, Wang Tao turned off the light and got ready for bed.
Suddenly.
Bang!
A loud noise came from outside, startling Wang Tao who had just lain down, causing him to spring up in alarm.
"Damn it! Could it be the Government's artillery or missile?"
He hurried to the north-facing window, only to see a flash of fire in the distance on another street lighting up the night and illuminating countless zombies.
Roar~
In an instant, countless roaring sounds erupted from all directions, causing one's scalp to tingle.
"Ah— Help—"
At the same time, a few screams from survivors arose from outside, but they quickly disappeared.
At that moment, there was nothing Wang Tao could do but to hide in the corner and silently wait.
After about an hour, there was no second explosion.
Wang Tao finally sighed in relief.
It probably wasn't artillery or missiles, as the Government would have attacked more than once if they had the capability.
Looking at the street outside still ablaze, Wang Tao suspected it might have been a gas explosion in a shop.
Fortunately, they were in an old neighborhood that used gas cylinders, so there was no need to worry about a gas leak. Even if a gas cylinder were to explode, it would be contained within a room, not reaching him.
But that wasn't the point; the main concern was that Wang Tao could distinctly feel the zombies outside becoming more frenzied, with constant howling sounds.
No, it wasn't just the zombies outside!
Wang Tao quickly ran to the south-facing window, and in the dim starlight, he saw zombies in the residential area howling and running, sending chills down his spine.
What happened to the slow, stiff movements and low agility they were supposed to have? He had fought with zombies and seen them in a frenzy before, but not like this!