"Thud, thud, thud—"
The next morning, while Wang Tao was still sleeping, gentle knocking sounds came from outside.
He woke up instantly, quickly grabbed a steel pipe, and went to the door to peep through the peephole, only to find Ding Yuqin there.
Ding Yuqin's face looked somewhat panicked, but she didn't seem to be injured.
Wang Tao opened the door.
"What's wrong, sister-in-law?"
"Wang Tao, the power's gone out! It just went out!"
Ding Yuqin's voice carried a hint of sobbing.
"The power's out? Don't panic, come in and we'll talk."
After letting her in, Wang Tao casually pressed the living room light switch by the door, but there was no reaction. He went outside to check the electricity meter, which hadn't tripped.
As expected, what was bound to come had come!
When Wang Tao had found that all network signals had disappeared, he had already anticipated the blackout. However, when the day actually arrived, he still felt somewhat saddened.
He wasn't saddened by the blackout itself but by what it signified behind the scenes—the Government had probably lost complete control, and rescue might never come!
Truthfully, even though Wang Tao felt he had the ability to survive the apocalypse, he definitely still hoped to be rescued.
After all, humans are sociable animals. Occasional solitude might be a form of enjoyment, but a lifetime of it would probably drive one mad sooner or later.
Moreover, an orderly society is certainly better than a chaotic one. Aside from a few individuals, most people prefer to live in a peaceful society.
Ding Yuqin obviously understood these things, which was why she was so frantic.
But talking about this now was of no use. Making the most of the present was what mattered most.
Wang Tao comforted Ding Yuqin by saying:
"We're actually in a relatively good situation here. When the virus first broke out, many places lost power immediately. Perhaps it's because our area uses hydroelectric power that we were able to last seven days. We've actually made a profit!"
This consolation seemed to be of little use to Ding Yuqin.
For her, waiting for Government rescue was the belief that kept her going. Without it, how could a frail woman like her continue to survive in the apocalypse...
Ding Yuqin's expression was one of fear and confusion.
Suddenly, Wang Tao said:
"Sister-in-law, go to my room and check if my power banks have any charge."
He had previously scoured other apartments, and the power banks he found had already been fully charged. Asking Ding Yuqin to check them was a way to divert her attention.
"Ah? Alright, sure!"
Ding Yuqin subconsciously agreed. However, as she entered the room, she suddenly turned to look at Wang Tao, with a glimmer of hope reappearing in her eyes.
She wasn't alone now, and there was a chance she could survive—if Wang Tao was willing to help her...
Wang Tao went to the corner of the living room, where the outdoor power supply he had scavenged before was charging.
He checked and saw that it was fully charged.
Those small power banks were not very useful to Wang Tao for the time being. But this "big power bank" was quite useful—it could power the fridge and ensure the food inside wouldn't spoil.
His small fridge didn't consume much power, maybe about half a kilowatt-hour a day. The outdoor power supply had five kilowatt-hours, which should last about a week and temporarily serve as an emergency solution.
But what to do afterwards... Although he had a diesel generator downstairs, he had no diesel fuel.
"I'll have to go out and look for supplies!"
Wang Tao frowned.
The nearest gas station seemed to be two or three kilometers away.
If he drove, he could probably get there in a few minutes. But a car made noise and would definitely attract zombies.
And whether the roads were passable was another issue. He didn't know about other places, but just the streets outside were cluttered with stationary cars, zombies, and even collapsed buildings. It was impossible to drive a car in such conditions.
If he walked, it would be quite far. With so many zombies along the way, it would be easy to go and never return...
As for electric motorcycles or bicycles, they might be an option. They were relatively quiet, demanded less of the road surface than cars, and still offered a decent speed.
But this was akin to using flesh to shield against iron; if they were ever surrounded by zombies, death was the only outcome.
Moreover, he didn't have an electric bicycle. When the apocalypse erupted on a workday, all the working people were commuting on their electric bicycles, and it was uncertain if there were any left downstairs...
Wait a minute!
Wang Tao suddenly remembered, before the end of the world, he saw Boss Li from the small restaurant downstairs filling up his vehicle with diesel, and his vehicle was a diesel pickup truck!
"Maybe, I don't have to run that far!"
Wang Tao felt somewhat exhilarated.
He decided that after clearing out all the zombies in this building, he would check out the small restaurant.
If there was diesel, that would be best. If not, he could still stock up on supplies, so the trip wouldn't be wasted...
"Wang Tao, all the power banks are fully charged!"
Ding Yuqin came out holding a pile of power banks.
"Mhm." Wang Tao nodded, then suddenly as if he thought of something, he quickly went to the bathroom and turned on the tap.
Whoosh—the water was still running, but who knew when it would stop.
"I estimate the water will stop soon. Come with me to fill up containers with water from the other rooms!"
He had already started storing water in his own home, but the other few rooms he had scavenged didn't have any.
Water is the source of life, and while they could get by without electricity, without water, they wouldn't survive.
"Ah? Okay!"
Ding Yuqin nodded nervously.
Since the apocalypse, the furthest she had walked was to Wang Tao's room.
Although the zombies in the corridor had been dealt with by Wang Tao, she was still somewhat scared.
Wang Tao took out several packets of instant noodles and tossed one to Ding Yuqin.
"There's no time for breakfast, just make do with this. It doesn't count as your pay for today."
He needed to get his sister-in-law to work later, so it was best to replenish her energy first.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Ding Yuqin hurriedly expressed her gratitude.
After hastily eating a few bites with the boiled water, Wang Tao started to put on his gear.
Although the building was temporarily safe, there were still a few rooms with zombies not yet cleared out, so he couldn't be careless.
Since the books on his body, arms, and calves all needed to be strapped on with tape, the process was slow. Seeing this, Ding Yuqin quickly came over to help.
During the process, Ding Yuqin unavoidably touched Wang Tao's muscles, causing her to gasp in surprise.
So big, so hard...
Could such muscles really be developed by a human?
Ding Yuqin had not liked muscular men before, especially since Wang Tao had a terrifying scar on his face, making him look like a villain from the TV shows, which was frightening.
But now, seeing Wang Tao's tall and imposing figure standing beside her, feeling the slight warmth emanating from his body, she suddenly had an indescribable sense of security!
This sense of security, she had never felt it from any other man, including her husband...
"What's wrong?"
Wang Tao, noticing Ding Yuqin staring at him, asked curiously.
"Ah, it's nothing!"
Ding Yuqin's face warmed up, and she quickly looked away.
"Then let's go to room 602 upstairs first. Then to 301 and 201..."
"Okay!"