This outdoor power supply probably weighs about thirty kilograms and is about the size of a small computer case, with a label indicating it can store 5-degree electricity.
Despite the evident signs of wear on the power source, Wang Tao didn't mind, as long as it worked.
He fumbled for a moment before flipping the power switch on, and the small screen displayed that it was more than half-charged.
"Not bad, not bad! I'll go back and charge it to full!"
Aside from the power supply, the most conspicuous item was the diesel generator. This thing was much larger and heavier than the outdoor power source. Wang Tao gave it a try and estimated it weighed seventy to eighty kilograms.
"This is also a good item, but not very convenient to use..."
The diesel generator had a label stating it could hold 15L of diesel. Could 1L of diesel produce about 3 or 4-degree electricity? Wang Tao wasn't very knowledgeable in this area, but he had used generators while working with a film crew, so he knew how to operate one.
But first, the diesel engine was very smelly when working; if placed indoors, the fumes would probably kill him.
Second, it made a lot of noise when generating electricity!
Wang Tao wasn't sure if starting it in the house would attract the zombies.
Although in theory, the noise made upstairs should be much less than downstairs, and zombies wouldn't climb walls. It should be safe. But he feared "trying it out could be the end of him." In a post-apocalyptic world, who knew what could happen...
Last, and most importantly—it needed diesel to operate, and there was no diesel in the room!
"It's good stuff, but there's no opportunity to use it for now..."
After setting aside the outdoor power supply and the generator, Wang Tao continued his search.
"Horned hammer, wrench, small handsaw, and a map..."
Seeing these items, Wang Tao suddenly had an idea—would stuffing the horned hammer into a steel pipe increase its power?
He could try it later; he had three steel pipes, after all.
After tidying these things up a bit, Wang Tao took some miscellaneous items and the outdoor power supply, leaving the generator there. He couldn't use it at the moment, and it was too heavy and cumbersome to move around.
After bringing the items from apartment 402 back to his place, Wang Tao went to 302. After some tinkering, he managed to unlock the door.
Just as Wang Tao had anticipated, there was no one and no zombies inside 302.
The interior of the apartment was decorated very simply, with not much stuff around—it looked like a rental.
After searching for a while, Wang Tao found about ten-plus pounds of food. Very good indeed!
However, there weren't any other useful items; it was evident that the tenant lived a frugal life.
After moving all the items to his place, Wang Tao drank a big gulp of water and rested for a moment.
"Now only apartments 601, 101, and 102 are left unscavenged. If I can clear out the zombies in these three apartments, then this building will be basically safe!"
Wang Tao was a bit excited.
"I'll stop here for today, and I'll clean out the remaining apartments tomorrow!"
The sky outside was already darkening, and even inside the building, Wang Tao wasn't keen on moving about at night.
He had just returned to his apartment and hadn't started to take off his gear when a light knocking sound came from the door.
Looking through the peephole, Wang Tao saw Ding Yuqin.
He opened a crack in the door, his voice slightly muffled beneath his mask.
"Sister-in-law, is there something you need?"
"Well, Wang Tao, sister-in-law needs to borrow a bit more food..."
Ding Yuqin's face was lightly made up, but it couldn't hide her haggard appearance, especially the large dark circles under her eyes. She probably hadn't slept well the previous night.
Wang Tao found it strange as he looked at her HP bar above her head.
Didn't she have a full meal yesterday? If he remembered correctly, her HP increased to 40 yesterday, so why did it look like only 20 HP remained today? It shouldn't be from hunger; one couldn't lose that much HP from half a day's starvation...
"Sister-in-law, come in and we can talk."
Wang Tao opened the door and let Ding Yuqin in.
Looking at the suddenly accumulating pile of items in the room, especially the abundance of food, Ding Yuqin subconsciously licked her lips.
"Take a seat first, sister-in-law. I'm going to change my clothes."
"Okay."
Ding Yuqin responded and began to actively organize the supplies on the floor.
Wang Tao quickly took a shower and changed into his casual clothes before coming out. He looked at Ding Yuqin squatting on the floor and suddenly asked:
"Sister-in-law, you seem to be in bad shape. What happened?"
Hearing Wang Tao's words, Ding Yuqin almost cried.
"The explosion last night was so terrifying. I, I didn't get any sleep at all. During the day, I was so tired that I finally took a nap, but I ended up sleeping until evening..."
"..."
That explained why Ding Yuqin looked so out of sorts—it was the gas explosion from last night that had frightened her.
Wang Tao himself had been startled and hadn't slept well, but at least he hadn't lost any HP.
Ding Yuqin's psychological resilience was much weaker, which he could understand.
"Sister-in-law knows that getting food is not easy for you; it's a matter of life and death. But I have no choice... How about this, if there is any work you need sister-in-law to do, just think of it as me working for you, okay?"
Ding Yuqin's face showed an awkward yet pleasing smile.
It had been seven days since the apocalypse, and she no longer talked about having her husband repay Wang Tao. Although she didn't want to believe it, she knew there was a good chance her husband was gone, and with the government's rescue nowhere in sight, she had to fend for herself.
Of course, she wasn't capable of going out to search for food on her own. Her only hope was to rely on Wang Tao.
After all, her husband and Wang Tao were folks from the same hometown. They were also neighbors, which made him much better than a stranger.
After having a full meal at Wang Tao's place, she never wanted to experience that hunger again.
Seeing that Wang Tao didn't respond, Ding Yuqin hurriedly added:
"I can clean, wash clothes, cook... I do these chores at home, and I'm quite skilled at them. I won't cause you any trouble."
To be honest, Wang Tao was somewhat tempted.
Not for any other reason but because the sister-in-law was attractive.
Having such a good-looking woman, both in figure and facial features, working as a maid in his house would probably make his meals much more enjoyable.
So, after thinking it over, Wang Tao said:
"Alright, then it's settled. As long as you work in my home, I'll make sure you have at least one meal a day. Don't think it's too little, sister-in-law. You know how much I eat, and I still need to go out and kill zombies. I barely have enough food for myself..."
If someone helped him with laundry and cooking, it would indeed save him a lot of time. Just washing his jacket and cooking took one to two hours every day.
"Thank you, thank you so much, Wang Tao!"
Seeing Wang Tao agree, Ding Yuqin immediately burst into tears of joy.
She would agree even if it were one meal every two days, let alone one meal a day.
"Then go ahead and start cooking, sister-in-law. Use the perishables first, and make a larger portion."
"Okay!"
Watching Ding Yuqin head to the kitchen, Wang Tao went to the second bedroom, which was his workspace.
He planned to combine the horned hammer and steel pipe he had obtained that day and then try them out on a zombie at Unit 601 tomorrow!