Cut down trees.
Go to the crashed bus site to collect metal.
Clean inside and outside the cabin.
The weather was nice, the forest bright, and Qian Zhenzhen could freely select suitable trees. By ten in the morning, after intense labor, she had gathered all the remaining wood needed and dragged it near the cabin. Her work gloves had proven invaluable—without their protection during yesterday's and this morning's work, her hands would be covered in blisters.
[You have collected quest items: Wood (10/10)] [You have returned to the inn's area, would you like to submit the quest item "Wood"?]
Qian Zhenzhen clicked no and dragged a small tree to block the wooden door as a temporary barrier. What if something happened while she was away? There were still things inside. Unsure if the inn had self-protection capabilities, she hoped the system would at least alert her if someone broke in, giving her time to return while they cleared the barrier. Around noon, she lit a campfire to cook porridge, emptied her backpack, and braided some vine rope. After lunch, she set out with her backpack and tools.
At the bus crash site, nearly forty zombies had gathered, crawling from the buses' broken windows, wandering aimlessly while spewing red and green pus and making gurgling noises. These transport buses had weak defenses compared to the armored jeeps used for clearing paths—they only had metal plating on the front, rear, and tires. The cliff fall and rollover had damaged all four buses differently—some missing tires, others with doors torn off, windows shattered, undercarriage compartments smashed open, supplies scattered everywhere.
The plastic water containers had split apart, leaving only dirty puddles. Scattered grains and cereals among the grass attracted feeding birds. The zombies tried to catch them, lying flat, but their stiff movements couldn't match the birds' swift escapes. Luggage lay in messy piles, much of it gnawed by wild animals and now unusable.
Qian Zhenzhen avoided the contaminated supplies, walking between the four buses and calling for survivors. No one responded. She found three tires in different spots—one tire equaled the right amount of metal, and with some extra scraps, she could complete the task. Of the four buses, three had their undercarriage compartments burst open, their luggage and supplies scattered and damaged from the impact.
She climbed onto the bus with the intact luggage compartment, crouched down to grab the handle, and pulled hard—Bang! The compartment opened, releasing a strange smell. Inside, besides residents' luggage, she found canned foods, rice, flour, bottled water, and seasonings. Though sealed, the compartment's contents had been jumbled by the crash, with rice and flour mixing with oil, salt, and sauces, creating a moldy, spoiled odor.
Qian Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves and jumped down to sort through the usable supplies: 5 bottles of pure water, 6 cans of food, 2 bags of rice, 1 bag of flour, 3 packs of salt, 2 bottles of cooking oil, and 2 packs of sugar. The suitcases and duffel bags also contained clothes, shoes, canned food, books, diaries, simple communication devices—and most excitingly, two handguns with five small boxes of bullets.
In Y City, she had worked in logistics—night patrol, caring for the wounded, and transporting supplies. Though she regularly practiced at the training ground, guns were precious and dangerous, with ordinary residents barred from long-term possession. Since the earlier survivors had taken the jeep's weapons pack, these two guns were now her greatest defense.
She closed the compartment door with grateful palms pressed together. The light items went into her backpack, and she used three empty suitcases for the heavier ones. After five round trips, she had transported all supplies and task materials near the cabin. Passing the stream, she filled an empty container with water.
By the time she finished, it was almost four in the afternoon. Exhausted, Qian Zhenzhen collapsed onto her sleeping bag. But thinking of the task ahead, she roused herself and opened the wooden door.
The fifty-square-meter cabin faced south, with front and back doors aligned centrally. Left of the front door stood an L-shaped counter and dining room, with a small kitchen behind. To the right were a bathroom and room separated by wooden walls—bathroom near the front door, room near the back, with a passage between them containing a rotted vertical ladder leading to the pointed attic.
Though orderly in layout with little furniture, the cabin had fallen into disrepair. Outside vines had crept in, yellowing and rotting without sunlight into ashen piles. Holes pocked the walls, covered in fungi and cobwebs, and the floorboards creaked ominously with each step, threatening to collapse.
She opened every door and window—front door, back door, living room windows, room windows.
While the cabin ventilated, she added disinfectant powder to the stream water, then fashioned a simple "duster" from small branches and vines. For a "broom," she'd use larger branches! At quarter past four, she tied on her work apron, wrapped her head with a scavenged towel, and entered the cabin with her homemade cleaning tools.
Time to begin! The room cleaning progressed: 5%, 19%, 36%...100%! Using the stacked toolbox and suitcase as a footstool, she climbed to the attic. Cleaning there went: 20%, 40%, 60%...100%!
By the time the interior was clean, darkness had fallen. Qian Zhenzhen lit eight campfires around the cabin for light. Then, using the toolbox and suitcase as a footstool again, she climbed onto the roof with the remaining vines. While the roof's vines and leaves came away easily, the real challenge was the bird droppings that had seeped through and hardened on the broken tiles—she had to scrape them off piece by piece with her military knife by her watch's small light.
The roof cleaning advanced: 10%, 30%, 60%...100%! When she climbed down, her stomach felt hollow with hunger, but she pressed on, swinging her sickle swoosh swoosh swoosh to finish cleaning the outer walls from yesterday. 68%, 78%, 88%...100%!
[Business Preparation (1): Repair the Inn You have gathered the following items: Wood (10/10) Stone (10/10) Metal (5/5) ... Would you like to submit the quest?]