Chapter 59: Zombie x Slap in the Face x Anatomy (3)

Chapter 59: Zombie x Slap in the Face x Anatomy (3)

He Shuangqiu often dreamed about the night of his graduation.

Jin Mingmao sat on the high railing of the rooftop, swinging his legs and humming a tune.

"Be careful, you might fall." He Shuangqiu was very worried. "Come down, it makes me nervous."

"The wind here is so nice," Jin Mingmao laughed carelessly. "Come up, come join me for some fresh air!"

"It's the eighth floor." He Shuangqiu sighed, holding an ice-cold beer, and hugged him from behind. "You enjoy the breeze, I'll hold you steady."

"If I fall, you'll be dragged down with me."

"Then we'll fall together." He Shuangqiu said without hesitation. "Wherever you go, I'll follow."

Later, at the moment he was torn apart by zombies, he looked up with lifeless eyes, only to realize that he was the only one falling.

Only himself.

Jin Mingmao stood on a high fortress with many others, smiled, turned around, and walked away, showing no pity or regret.

Five years of love from university to work, all for nothing.

Perhaps from the beginning, everything was just He Shuangqiu's one-sided infatuation.

Keding woke up after borrowing He Shuangqiu's body to sleep, detected by the system as having a nightmare, and was quickly awakened.

"Are you okay? What did you dream about?"

Keding rubbed his face. "I dreamed that love isn't a good thing."

"Everyone says that," the system said. "But it's like drawing cards; who doesn't hope to draw an SSR or SP one day instead of an N card?"

"After witnessing so many heart-wrenching romances," Keding said, "I will definitely close my heart to love and not draw any cards!"

System: "Tsk, everyone says that."

"…?"

He spent some time posting calls for contributions in various alumni groups and contacted an unmanned rental car company to reserve over ten trucks, paying a substantial deposit.

With the powerful computing power of the system, all selectable districts in City S were organized and categorized, printed into dozens of alternative plans.

"The top-ranked district is Qinganli," the system explained while Keding was flipping through the documents. "It has a comprehensive score of 788 points, combining a hospital, large supermarket, office building, and scenic pier. There's also a high school nearby with dormitories and two playgrounds, offering excellent land and water routes. In emergencies, you can escape within five minutes from the office building to the Yinzhou River by speedboat."

"The second place is Luojia Village, with a comprehensive score of 691 points, featuring a hospital, supermarket, university campus, and a slaughterhouse. It's a relatively suburban area, but the advantage is coordinating nearby agricultural resources and hiring farmers and butchers for ecological circulation."

"The third place is…"

Keding: "You're giving me a strange feeling, like I'm about to ascend the throne in fourteen days."

The system couldn't stop laughing. "Then I should hurry and put a note in a fish's belly, saying 'Zombies rise, Ding becomes king!'"

The file summarized twenty-three different locations, and Keding ultimately chose Luojia Village in the northern suburbs of the city.

He feared that the river would soon be filled with zombie carp and whitebait, making it difficult to find food and even flying to bite people.

It took four or five days to place all weapon and ammunition orders through the dark web, and the storage of fuel tanks was also well-organized.

He still couldn't let go of He's parents, so before the supplies arrived, he went back to the countryside to help the two elders redecorate their home and secure as many loans as possible.

Although He's mother supported her son's foresight, she was still frightened by the astronomical loan amount.

"This is several million… Your father and I can't pay it off with our pensions!"

"Don't worry. This disaster will last two to four years, and afterward, all cities will experience a brief economic collapse. These illegal high-interest loan companies will struggle to survive, and few of those responsible for debt collection will likely make it," He Shuangqiu said calmly. "Today is July 26th. Listen to me, by August 1st, convert all your remaining money, whether savings or borrowed, into gold. Paper currency may not retain its value."

He's father stubbed out his cigarette and nodded heavily.

"Since we've decided to do this, we'll see it through. Hesitation is just a waste of time."

The renovation noise inside and outside their house attracted many neighbors and relatives to come and watch.

"You're protecting against wolves, making the walls and doors look so scary!"

"The zombies are coming in a few weeks!" He's father hammered hard, while He Shuangqiu ran to find a power outlet for the welder. "Old Xu, Old Jiang! You should prepare too, stock up on as much grain, meat, milk, and other essentials as you can!"

"My cured fish and meat are enough to last until the New Year," the neighbor muttered. "I saw on the news that the virus is still abroad, recently in places like India and Myanmar…"

He's father was startled, almost smashing his thumb, and his face turned pale.

"It's already in Myanmar?!"

The neighbor was also shocked. "Myanmar is close to us?"

He's father didn't have time to talk to him and rushed to weld triple-layer protective iron spikes on the windows.

Yesterday, he was still worried if his son was being too anxious, but now, it had reached Myanmar!

Ten days, whether it's enough or not is a problem!

He Shuangqiu helped, seeing so many neighbors gathered, and handed them the flyers he had copied hundreds of times.

On the front was the official emergency disaster preparedness checklist, and on the back was a guide for civilian fortification.

How to reinforce the house, how to prepare ground and wall spikes, and how to reasonably purchase and store firecrackers and other civilian explosives, all clearly printed on A3 color sheets.

Some neighbors looked at it with folded arms, sneered, and walked away with a look of disbelief, muttering that his whole family must be crazy.

Many people took the guide as they spoke, planning to discuss with their families whether they should prepare something.

The young man stayed in the countryside for two days, doing everything he could to help and fill in the gaps, feeling particularly reluctant to leave.

"I'd rather stay in the countryside to accompany the two elders during the zombie outbreak."

"Unfortunately, this isn't just about you having an unbreakable entanglement with that scumbag," the system said. "Even though you've broken up, once the apocalypse mode starts, do you think he won't try to find out where you are and how you're doing?"

The young man was furious: "Can't he just go feed the tigers at the zoo! What does he want from me every day!"

In the office building, Jin Mingmao sneezed and rubbed his nose.

"Little Jin," Kong Fengjiang waved him over. "I'm asking you, did you complete this report alone? Why are there so many data discrepancies?"

Jin Mingmao immediately came to his senses, apologized with a smile, "Sorry, Brother Kong. This... This was unfinished by Xiao He before he resigned. I didn't check it properly before submitting it. I'll be more careful in the future."

Kong Fengjiang gestured for him to brew a cup of Tieguanyin tea, then continued to review other documents nonchalantly. When Jin Mingmao brought the thermos over, he relaxed his brows and said, "He's a restless type, won't last long in this industry."

"But Little Jin," Kong Fengjiang tapped him on the shoulder, speaking kindly like a mentor, "you are about to move up."

"At such a sensitive time, you must do your job well and show extra effort."

This was a clear indication of a promotion!

Jin Mingmao tried hard to control himself, managing not to show his elation, and respectfully said, "It's all thanks to your guidance."

Kong Fengjiang actually knew that He Shuangqiu had done several projects very well, and felt a bit jealous about his sudden resignation. He asked casually, "Where has this little He gone to work now, under the patronage of some benefactor?"

They were all in the fast-moving consumer goods business, yet he hadn't heard a single rumor.

"Not being poached," Jin Mingmao's tone was somewhat cold, even tinged with ridicule, "he's seen too much foreign news, afraid that the SASH virus will hit home, so he's emptied his savings to stockpile food and water, and wishes he could carry a gun around!"

Kong Fengjiang was taken aback, "So he's gone mad?"

"Mad," Jin Mingmao said firmly, "or maybe the pressure of the job was too much, leading to a mental breakdown and extreme behavior."

"He just doesn't think deeply enough," Kong Fengjiang shook his head. "If the virus really sweeps through the city, who can survive? We'll all live or die together!"

"Even if he hides at home, eating and drinking for years, with medical resources and power systems collapsing, how can he last?"

Jin Mingmao smiled in agreement, "Of course, I'll follow your leadership and not do anything unnecessary."

With a promotion opportunity right in front of him, he had no time to worry about SASH; working overtime until midnight tonight wouldn't bother him at all!

It was Keding's first time organizing a large-scale preparatory event, and he felt a bit overwhelmed.

He spent three days interviewing nearly a hundred college students, quickly set up an organizational structure, and entrusted them to help him complete this 'SASH Simulation Emergency Drill.'

Among these people, a small part was crystal clear, knowing that the apocalypse would come sooner or later, and had already prepared many things when the news first broke abroad, eager to get on board early.

The majority were in a state of confusion and hesitation, unsure how the situation would develop, but Mr. He paid daily wages, so even if it was just theoretical preparation, they could still earn money, why not?

Two senior graduate students served as deputies, significantly reducing the management burden.

One team was responsible for tracking logistics progress and arranging warehouse storage and scheduling.

Another team was dedicated to procurement, buying surveillance equipment, wireless communications, satellite phones, and other supplies through various channels.

A third team managed financial assessments, calculating maintenance costs for all stored materials and formulating relevant management plans.

Yet another team used maps, climate, and terrain data to simulate and calculate several critical points of a zombie crisis outbreak, as well as post-disaster usage plans for major transportation routes.

After setting up a team of twenty-five, Keding realized it was far from enough.

"Damn, I need to set up a security team," Keding felt a headache. "Should I go to a gym or martial arts school to find some people?"

"Hired soldiers are too expensive, I probably can't afford them."

The system calmly said, "Why not pull a rabbit out of a hat? We got our unmanned vehicles with deposits, we can use points to exchange for a few million more."

After much deliberation, Keding chose the largest security company in the country and placed an order with the head of the mercenaries.

At least fifty elite guards to defend the city, and fifteen mechanical engineers, preferably all S-class all-rounders.

He would inquire about the price first, and if necessary, use points to exchange.

Upon hearing such a large order, the customer service representative didn't dare to slack off and reported it level by level.

Lower-level supervisors didn't dare to haggle either, passing the order to the highest-level supervisor for his personal decision.

When the call connected, Keding was a bit nervous and swallowed.

"Hmm?" The unfamiliar voice on the phone carried a faint smile.

"It's been a while, Angel, what brings you here to do business with me."