That was the mutated creature that had escaped earlier.
Shao Ming was observing the situation downstairs when he suddenly heard the sound of a mutated creature rushing towards them.
Since he had already used the gun, and the mutated creatures downstairs were already awake, he wasn't afraid to use it again.
Shao Ming pulled the trigger, but to his surprise, the mutated creature swiftly dodged to the side.
If it had been any other gun, he might have missed.
Unfortunately, the gun in Shao Ming's hands was a shotgun.
Although the mutated creature quickly dodged, it was still hit in the leg.
The creature lost its balance and rolled twice on the ground before stopping.
Shao Ming didn't hesitate, quickly fired a second shot.
This time, there was no chance of missing.
The mutated creature's head exploded, and it collapsed, lifeless.
"Let's go." Shao Ming heard the growls of the mutated creatures, who were already very close to the building.
"How do we get out of here?" Lambert asked anxiously.
"Didn't you watch TV?" Shao Ming's adrenaline spiked once again as the crisis approached. He grabbed Gordon, who was spinning around nearby, with one hand. "Hold onto this metal rod and slide down!"
Shao Ming was the first to slide down into the garage. Though the garage door was wide open, there weren't too many mutated creatures inside—most had rushed towards the second floor where the gunfire had come from.
Shao Ming set Gordon down, grabbed his shotgun, and rushed to the door.
In the moonlight, he saw the pickup truck was still intact, parked right outside the door. Fortunately, there were only about a hundred mutated creatures gathered downstairs, and only a few with mobility issues had yet to enter the fire station.
Shao Ming fired at the two closest mutated creatures to the pickup truck, then tossed his backpack into the bed of the truck.
Feng Yusheng had already slid into the garage, and as Lambert grabbed the metal rod, the mutated creatures rushed into the room.
One mutated creature reached out from the slide and grabbed Lambert's backpack.
Lambert was now dangling in midair.
"Take off the backpack!" Feng Yusheng shouted at Lambert in a hurry.
"I won't give up my canned beef!" Lambert freed one hand, grabbed his rifle from behind, and felt around until he aimed it at the mutated creature's head.
He pulled the trigger with his thumb, and the bullet instantly pierced the creature's forehead.
Shao Ming shot another mutated creature and jumped into the pickup truck, starting the engine.
Fortunately, Lambert had the sense not to have removed the car keys the day before.
The other two quickly followed and climbed into the truck.
Shao Ming glanced at the rearview mirror—two people and a dog were all safely inside.
He pressed the accelerator, knocking down a mutated creature that had charged out from the fire station's entrance, and drove towards the outskirts of the city.
After driving for several blocks, the mutated creatures were finally shaken off and disappeared.
It was still deep night, and the headlights shone brightly in the darkness.
No one spoke during the journey, and the three of them returned to the workshop.
Shao Ming jumped out of the truck and took the cutting tool from his backpack.
Lambert yawned and said, "Let's sleep first, we'll take care of things tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Shao Ming was woken by the sound of metal being cut.
He groggily opened his eyes, as if last night's events had only been a dream.
Lambert, wearing sunglasses he must have found somewhere, was cutting a wall panel, while Feng Yusheng, not sure where he got it from, was placing cans on a few iron rods, heating them up over a fire.
As for Gordon, it was lying next to the door, looking blankly at them.
Shao Ming crawled out of his seat and walked towards Lambert.
Seeing that Shao Ming was awake, Gordon wagged its tail and came over for some petting.
"Good morning." Feng Yusheng stirred the can with a spoon. "We'll have hot food today."
"Good morning." Shao Ming scratched Gordon's head and greeted Feng Yusheng.
With a loud clank, a metal plate crashed down.
"There's a welding gun in the next workshop," Lambert said as Shao Ming approached. "This fire department's cutting machine is really powerful."
"Have you measured it?" Shao Ming asked.
"This is the first one," Lambert said. "It can be placed on the side of the train to protect the wheels."
"Great." Shao Ming nodded, squatting down to inspect the metal plate.
The plate was at least five centimeters thick—quite solid.
"Not bad." Shao Ming nodded again. "Do you need my help?"
"Not right now," Lambert said, moving the cutting machine across the wall. "Later, maybe."
Shao Ming slipped into the next workshop, which was empty, with no trains parked inside.
He walked to a basket with a pile of tools and brought back a welding gun.
After chatting briefly with Feng Yusheng, Lambert had finished cutting four metal plates and called Shao Ming over to take a look.
"These two," Lambert pointed to the longer plates, "will go at the front, and the other two at the back."
Shao Ming tried lifting one. Even the shorter ones weighed at least four or five hundred kilograms—completely beyond what the two of them could handle.
As someone who hadn't been working out, Shao Ming had no sense of the weight, but these plates were surprisingly heavy.
"How are we going to lift these heavy plates?" Shao Ming asked.
"There's a small crane in the next workshop. It shouldn't be a problem," Lambert said, leading Shao Ming to the adjacent workshop.
A device, about two men high, with hooks and a frame, was sitting beside the tracks. From the looks of it, this was the "small crane" Lambert had mentioned.
Shao Ming tried to drag it. Though it had small wheels underneath the frame, it was still quite tough to move.
But dragging this thing was still easier than moving half-ton metal plates.
And they still had the pickup truck.
After quite a struggle, the two of them finally managed to move the crane into a suitable position. This crane was meant for train maintenance and could be fully extended to sit atop the train for lifting.
However, there was no electricity, so they could only operate the crane manually using a lever.
"I say," Feng Yusheng, standing aside, asked, "why don't you guys eat something hot first before continuing?"
After eating, the two resumed the modification work.
Since the metal plates didn't have places where hooks could latch on, Lambert had to cut holes in them to allow the crane hooks to grab them.
Another problem arose—none of them could lift the plate, which was stuck firmly on the ground.
It was half a ton, and it wouldn't budge.
Shao Ming found a crowbar, and the three of them struggled with all their strength, managing to lift one corner of the plate slightly.
He wished he had worked out more with Li Long, but even if he did, it probably wouldn't have helped much right now.
Shao Ming shook his hands and said, "Check the truck, see if there's a jack."
Feng Yusheng, who was closest to the truck, immediately climbed into the bed of the pickup and found a jack in a box.
The three of them managed to wedge the jack under the plate, lifting it enough to hook it properly.
"Nice," Lambert clapped his hands. "Now we can weld it in place."