Chapter 30: Clearing the Parking Lot

Chapter 30: Clearing the Parking Lot

Zhou Yun took the water pistol, which was almost unrecognizable, and examined it. The barrel had been replaced with a large stainless steel one.

Guan Yuanfeng gestured to him, “Just put the powder inside the paper roll here—it works kind of like a shotgun.”

He took a pre-cut rectangular piece of paper, deftly rolled it, scooped a spoonful of flour from a bowl to fill it, and handed it to Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun watched Guan Yuanfeng’s nimble fingers for a while, wondering how someone who usually held a gun could be so dexterous. He picked it up and, following Guan Yuanfeng’s method, placed the powder paper cartridge into the gun. Aiming at the sky outside the terrace, he pulled the trigger.

Puff! Crack!

The flour burst open, spraying in all directions.

Delighted, Zhou Yun said, “Not bad. Once I extract and dry the powder, we can give it a try.”

Guan Yuanfeng felt satisfied and accomplished, “Where do you plan to test it?”

Without hesitation, Zhou Yun replied, “The parking lot.”

Guan Yuanfeng understood, “You want to clear the parking lot?”

Zhou Yun nodded, “Yes, the underground parking lot has two levels, and it’s quite large. During the day, many zombies gather there, which is unsafe for the building.”

“We can go at night when there are fewer zombies and seal both the main entrances of the parking lot. This will make the building much safer.”

Guan Yuanfeng agreed, “Good plan. How do you intend to fight them?”

Zhou Yun took a piece of brown paper Guan Yuanfeng had been using to wrap bullets and drew for him, “Go down the emergency staircase. Here’s the elevator shaft, and these are the side emergency staircases. The elevator lobby faces the parking lot entrance.”

He marked the entrance on the drawing, “First, place zombie bait here. Once they’re within range, I’ll freeze them.”

“Since we’re both long-range, we’ll take them down with ice arrows, lightning, and Comet’s fire.”

Guan Yuanfeng smiled slightly, pleased that the plan included him, “Alright, the strategy is sound.”

Eagerly, Zhou Yun stood up, “I’ll prepare the powder. Let’s go clear it together then.”

Guan Yuanfeng sighed, “How about we eat first?”

Realizing it, Zhou Yun said, “Right, I forgot.”

Guan Yuanfeng smiled at him, “I’ve stuffed myself with mung bean soup, and now I just want meat.”

Blushing at Guan Yuanfeng’s smile, Zhou Yun hurried downstairs, “There’s still some stewed beef, right? I’ll also whip up some sour fish.”

Guan Yuanfeng slowly maneuvered his wheelchair behind him, “I accidentally finished the stewed beef… my appetite is indeed increasing… I’ve re-cooked some rice and steamed a few sausages.” Not only had he finished the stewed beef and mung bean soup, but he had also eaten all the snacks on the table.

It was hard to describe the hunger—his stomach felt like a black hole, making him lose control.

Surprised, Zhou Yun asked, “How many crystal cores did you consume today?”

Guan Yuanfeng replied, “Six, but I feel like I have more capacity.”

Zhou Yun thought for a moment, “You can bump it up to eight. No need to stress. Once I finish the powder, we’ll go harvest some crystal cores in the underground parking lot.”

Guan Yuanfeng felt a surge of pride at the idea of 'harvesting crystal cores.'

He watched Zhou Yun descend the stairs nimbly, his long legs taking three steps at a time, with some mud still on his pants—he must have been out gardening somewhere again. The Comet wagged its tail as it followed him, and it seemed even the dog was happier with such a master.

It was like nothing in this world could stop him.

For dinner, Zhou Yun made another sour fish dish, stir-fried mustard greens with sliced sausages, and sprinkled a bit of sugar and ginger strips on top.

Considering Guan Yuanfeng's heat-related issues, Zhou Yun also boiled an old duck soup.

Guan Yuanfeng watched him bring down a basket from the rooftop, which contained spiky, tender green cacti. He was a bit stunned: "How do you eat this? As a cold dish?"

Zhou Yun stuffed the basket into his hands: "Use it to cook duck soup. Peel off the soft spines and slice it." These were mutated cacti. Since the ginseng chicken soup was too rich, they decided to switch to a lighter cactus old duck soup.

He cut the defrosted duck into large pieces and tossed them into a hot wok with cold oil, releasing the aroma instantly.

Guan Yuanfeng took it from him, picked up a small knife to trim off the soft spines, and furrowed his brow: "Can this really be eaten in a soup?"

Zhou Yun said: "The taste of these thorny tendrils is slightly sour."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..." He had never been much of a duck eater because it always had a strong smell no matter how it was cooked. Now, adding cactus made it even stranger. But he diligently trimmed all the spines off the cactus.

Zhou Yun sliced the cactus, threw it into the wok, stir-fried it a bit, and then added water to stew it.

The taste was surprisingly good, and Guan Yuanfeng was genuinely impressed.

Guan Yuanfeng didn't expect that Zhou Yun, seemingly only using salt and soy sauce, could make the duck so flavorful. The duck soup did have a slight sour taste. After drinking the soup, his body felt warm. Even though he ate less than at lunch, he felt full sooner.

The two of them finished all the fish, the delicious duck, the sausages, and a whole pot of rice.

He had previously thought Zhou Yun was raising too many chickens and ducks by himself and even kept rabbits that reproduced at an alarming rate. Now, it seemed that with both of them and even their dog having psychic powers, their appetites were indeed going to eat them out of house and home.

Perhaps, as Zhou Yun said, they needed to keep more animals in separate cages. Otherwise, with winter coming and the unpredictable weather of the apocalypse, they would have to stockpile food for the winter like ancient people.

After dinner, Zhou Yun buried himself in his workshop to make medicine. Guan Yuanfeng knew that once he was focused, he wouldn't pay attention to anything else. So he returned to the temporary housing across the way and cleaned up the house, emptying even the attic. He used an electric saw and electric drill to dismantle the old bed and wardrobe into wooden planks.

He found that the physical strength of psychics had indeed greatly increased. Since his amputation, he had never felt so full of energy. Dismantling old furniture and moving things around actually helped release his energy.

So, this was what Zhou Yun meant by letting things happen naturally?

Without a way to release his energy, it wasn't healthy for his body.

He nailed those old planks back together to make animal enclosures and was quite satisfied with himself. The Comet, obviously sensing its master's change, energetically ran back and forth by his side.

The next day, after disinfecting the area, Guan Yuanfeng moved the rabbits, sheep, and pigs into the new enclosures.

He even found on the bookshelf Zhou Yun's purchased books: "Livestock Care Encyclopedia," "Postpartum Care for Mother Rabbits," "Prevention and Treatment of Epidemic Diseases in Domestic Animals," "Sheep Farming Manual," and "Nutrition for Poultry." He began reading them earnestly.

One is never too old to learn. With the pressure of needing meat, he suddenly found the motivation to study.

====

Three days later, Zhou Yun finally finished drying all the medicine. They spent some time rolling the powder into paper cartridges.

The operation to harvest crystal cores in the parking lot officially began.

Zhou Yun wore his motorcycle armor again, but this time he brought a Tang Dao blade. Guan Yuanfeng, seeing the beautifully inlaid golden phoenix handle, couldn't help but borrow it for a look: "Your hobbies always surprise me."

Zhou Yun took the Tang Dao back, held it in his hand, and gave him a smug smile.

Guan Yuanfeng felt his heart skip a beat at that slightly mysterious smile and couldn't help but think of the neatly organized attic warehouse.

The building's power distribution room was located in the basement. Cleaning out the underground parking lot would not only allow them to collect reserve gasoline but also harvest crystal cores—a double benefit.

They decided to move during the day. At night, zombies would go out to hunt for food, and since there were no living beings in the underground parking lot, they wouldn't stay there. The number of zombies would be much lower. During the day, zombies would seek shelter from the scorching sun in the basement, allowing the bait to work effectively.

Taking the elevator down to the B1 floor, they were greeted by several zombies as soon as the elevator doors opened.

Guan Yuanfeng reacted extremely quickly. As the elevator doors opened, a strong gust of wind carrying lightning blew out, forcing the zombies back. At the same time, Comet, who had lunged forward, engulfed the zombies in a wave of fiery flames, instantly reducing them to charred remains.

Zhou Yun, who had been holding an Ice Prison spell in his hand inside the elevator, stood there speechless.

He thought he was pretty sharp and experienced, but this guy and his dog were clearly top-tier fighters. Their alertness and rapid response to danger were tactical qualities that he, a somewhat fragile doctor, could never hope to match, not in this lifetime or the next.

"Safety first," Guan Yuanfeng reminded him seriously, allowing Comet to scout the staircase. He made sure there were no zombies hiding in the shadows, even though he was eager to fight.

A mutated eagle had already pushed Comet to the edge of death, and while he wasn't afraid of taking risks himself, he didn't want Zhou Yun or Comet to get hurt or worse.

After all, fighting zombies had a very low margin for error. Any tear or bite could potentially lead to infection by the zombie virus, turning one into a zombie.

Zhou Yun stood at the intersection leading to the parking lot, with four paths branching off to the elevator hall, the parking area, and two emergency stairwells.

He explained the strategy to Guan Yuanfeng, "I'll use Ice Prison to instantly freeze their feet, preventing them from getting close."

"Then we'll attack from a distance. I'll use ice arrows, and you can use a bow or lightning; Comet can breathe fire."

Having fought countless team battles in the post-apocalyptic world, Zhou Yun continued, "The stairwell is narrow. If we suddenly encounter a zombie horde we can't control, we'll first release a zombie repellent, which can temporarily disperse the zombies. Then we'll cast an ice wall to block the staircase entrance and retreat. The corridor is narrow enough for a timely withdrawal."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded and said seriously, "The plan is feasible, but let's not rush. We'll take our time."

Zhou Yun checked his equipment and armor again, then took an enormous, tightly wrapped lunchbox out of his backpack. He placed it on the ground outside the door leading to the parking lot and opened it. Inside was fresh chicken blood from the evening's slaughter, along with a large bag of fish guts. The bloody smell immediately permeated the air.

Then Zhou Yun sprinkled some zombie attractant around, and a foul stench began to spread even more.

Fortunately, both of them were wearing masks, though Comet, with his already keen sense of smell, was clearly uncomfortable and irritably snorted.

Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun stood on either side of the door, behind the walls. The first to emerge from the darkness were two large and one small zombie from the nearby area. The small one was still wearing a light blue princess dress. They moved quickly, evidently having consumed some good nourishment post-apocalypse, which allowed them to be so agile.

Zhou Yun swiftly froze them all, and Comet stepped forward to incinerate them with a breath of fire, all in one smooth motion.

Soon after, zombies began to trickle in slowly from all directions in the parking lot.

In the darkened parking lot, the zombies made eerie, chilling sounds but didn't breathe.

Zhou Yun waved his hand, freezing the large group of zombies, then cast an Ice Rain Arrow spell. The zombies staggered and wailed.

Guan Yuanfeng waved his hand and cast a chain lightning spell.

"Crackle!"

Suddenly, flashes of lightning lit up the dark underground parking lot. A batch of frozen zombies fell, and the zombies that were slowly approaching from afar turned back and left without hesitation.

Zhou Yun, who had been on high alert, breathed a sigh of relief and looked enviously at Guan Yuanfeng. No wonder lightning psychic abilities were so popular in the apocalypse.

How long had it been since Guan Yuanfeng awakened? He was only at the first level, yet he was already this formidable.

Zhou Yun's own water and wood psychic abilities could only barely damage zombies after reaching the third level, and even then, it required multiple attacks. If his psychic energy was low, the ice would melt before the zombies were finished off...

Guan Yuanfeng, noticing Zhou Yun's somewhat resentful gaze, was a bit surprised. "What's wrong?"

Zhou Yun said, "Nothing... You're just incredibly strong."

Comet, not wanting to be left out, rushed forward and blasted a burst of fire at the remaining zombies, who had been frozen in place by the lightning and were too slow to escape.

Good. All of them were burned to death.

Comet was really well-suited for clean-up work. Zhou Yun patted Comet's head. Mutated animals were definitely smarter, and dogs, being naturally intelligent, were even more so. He emphasized to Comet, "Pay attention to the direction of your flames. Don't just spray fire randomly, or the cars might explode."

Comet barked, seemingly indicating he understood, then quickly ran out as if he had discovered something. After a short while, Comet's barking could be heard, as if he was summoning them over.

Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng exchanged glances, and Guan Yuanfeng said, "Let’s check it out."

Thanks to Guan Yuanfeng's lightning strike, the entrance to the parking lot was instantly cleared.

Zhou Yun approached an SUV, where he found three zombies trapped inside, still strapped into their seat belts. They screeched upon seeing them, clearly a family of three who hadn't managed to escape before turning into zombies.

Zhou Yun signaled Guan Yuanfeng to break the window, and in the instant the window shattered, Zhou Yun cast an ice freeze, freezing the zombies in place before decapitating them.

Guan Yuanfeng slashed through the zombies' foreheads with his blade, following Zhou Yun's example, searching for crystal cores in their brains, and finally collected three small cores, each only the size of a fingernail.

Clearly, these three zombies had been trapped in the car since the apocalypse, weak and rotting, with no energy.

However, because they were still wearing pre-apocalypse clothes, Guan Yuanfeng, who was nearby, felt a little discomfort. He turned his head just in time to see Zhou Yun open the door and swiftly decapitate the child zombie.

How did Zhou Yun get so used to this? Maybe doctors see more death than most people.

Guan Yuanfeng couldn't help but feel a little pity for Zhou Yun, thinking it improper for a civilian non-combatant to be on the frontlines. He should take on more responsibility.

But Zhou Yun had already turned around and closed the bait lunchbox, wrapping it tightly to ensure no more smell leaked out. He said to Guan Yuanfeng, "Let's check the entrances and exits of the parking lot and seal off the entrance so zombies outside won't come in."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded. The lightning strike had caused the zombie horde to retreat like a receding tide, giving him great confidence. With Comet and Zhou Yun around, self-protection was no longer a problem.

The two humans and one dog continued forward, and along the way, they successively eliminated a few weak, wandering dead hiding in the dark corners of cars.

They had learned that slightly stronger zombies were fast and agile, while weaker, rotting zombies could only move slowly. They had no intelligence, acting purely on instinct, always hungry but unable to die, just trapped in one spot. Ordinary people could easily kill them.

Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng reached the entrance of the parking lot and saw a large group of zombies wandering at the exit from afar.

Zhou Yun took out the thin layer of ice bait and threw it towards the entrance.

The zombies smelled the blood and immediately crowded around.

Zhou Yun quickly cast an ice ring, encasing the entire group of zombies in solid ice.

Guan Yuanfeng immediately cast a lightning arrow from his wheelchair.

Crackle!

The same thing happened again—nearby zombies fled, while the frozen ones stayed put, with Comet finishing off the stragglers.

Zhou Yun finished off the remaining zombies with ice arrows.

This time, there were over twenty zombies, and some even gave off a barbecue-like smell after being roasted.

The leather bag holding the crystal cores grew heavier. It had been a productive night.

Zhou Yun went up and manually pulled down the iron gate. He took out a chain from his backpack, locking the rolling gate securely, then cast a water arrow to wash the entrance and placed an ice wall at the door.

Seeing Guan Yuanfeng looking at him, he explained, "After sealing it with ice, the smell won't spread, and soon the zombies will realize there's no food here and won't deliberately destroy this door."

Guan Yuanfeng wasn’t surprised that Zhou Yun had thought ahead and brought a lock. But he was curious about something else: "I’ve been watching you use your psychic powers all night. Aren’t you feeling tired?" He had been handling things with ease, but Guan Yuanfeng was already feeling drained after just two lightning spells.

Zhou Yun smiled and said, "Actually, we're already running on fumes, but since we're here, let's do our best to avoid any future problems. We should also secure the exit. What about you?"

Guan Yuanfeng nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty drained."

Zhou Yun sifted through the crystal cores and selected one, spraying it with water before handing it to Guan Yuanfeng. "Try absorbing this."

Guan Yuanfeng saw that it was a brown crystal core, quite large—almost half the size of an egg. Though not as high-quality as those from the mutated eagle or electric eel, it was the largest they had found recently.

Reluctantly, he said, "You should keep it. I can manage with the gray unattributed ones."

Zhou Yun replied, "This is an earth crystal core, I can't use it. You should give it a try."

Guan Yuanfeng felt a bit confused but decided to give it a try. To his surprise, the energy flowed into him effortlessly. He felt all the pores in his body open up, warmth spreading in his lower abdomen, as if he had received a significant replenishment.

Zhou Yun smiled. "It seems you can absorb crystal cores of different elements. I can't. Maybe you should try absorbing each attribute to see if you can. It would be very convenient."

Outside, the sun was shining brightly. Guan Yuanfeng looked at Zhou Yun, sensing that he had known this all along.

Guan Yuanfeng nodded, and they went back to the entrance of the parking lot, which was still locked.

Zhou Yun used another lock to secure it tightly and once again cast an ice wall to freeze the entrance before they returned to the elevator.

The underground parking lot had two levels, and the two of them, along with their dog, went down to the second level, clearing out a few more zombies before they finished the job.

Zhou Yun looked at the cars in the underground parking lot and said, "We can head back for tonight. Tomorrow night, we can bring some oil drums down to drain and store the gasoline from the vehicles."

Guan Yuanfeng frowned. "We can leave some in the power distribution room for backup, but it's forbidden to store oil drums in the generator room and distribution room. There should be a warehouse here."

Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng searched for a while and indeed found a warehouse in the central area of the parking lot opposite the power distribution room. They broke the lock and went inside, finding electrical tools, spare parts, electrical equipment, oil drums, and more. They left everything untouched, planning to transport it all to Yuexi Number 3 after the parking lot was completely cleared, for future use.

Over the next three days, they cleared both levels of the underground parking lot, collecting a large bag full of crystal cores.

After washing and disinfecting, Zhou Yun categorized and recorded them by quality. There were 220 gray unattributed crystal cores, 75 earth crystal cores, 40 fire crystal cores, and 82 wood crystal cores. The metal, wind, and water crystal cores were few, totaling only a handful.

Guan Yuanfeng frowned. "Why aren't there any lightning attribute crystal cores?"

Zhou Yun said, "It seems they are rare, just like these." He pointed to the small pile of wind and water attributes. He then picked out the wind attribute core for him. "When you can't absorb the gray unattributed crystal cores anymore, start on this wind attribute one."

Guan Yuanfeng didn't forget his earlier question. "Is it only electric eels, animals that generate electricity, that have lightning attribute crystal cores?"

Zhou Yun said, "Perhaps."

Guan Yuanfeng persisted. "How did you discover your electric eel was mutated?"

Zhou Yun replied, "It grew larger. I tried feeding it a crystal core, and it ate it. I wondered if, like the mutated eagle, it might have a crystal core inside. It was dangerous to keep it. Even before it mutated, it could deliver a lethal shock to a cow. Electric eels are nearly invincible in water, with no natural predators. I couldn't let it grow larger, so it was better to extract the crystal core early."

Guan Yuanfeng was silent for a moment. "You raised it for research?"

Zhou Yun answered without hesitation, "Yes."

"It has an electric organ in its tail, controlled by spinal nerves, capable of emitting high-frequency electric sparks for central nervous system self-navigation and communication. This has guiding significance for treating epilepsy and certain hereditary muscle diseases."

Zhou Yun's response was fluent and flawless, as if he had anticipated the question.

"I believe that lightning psychic powers should be able to promote your nerve regeneration and might even trigger some powerful skills. You should intensify your training and pay more attention to the flow of lightning psychic powers within your meridians."

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him holding the crystal core, a smile playing on his face as sunlight poured in through the window. His long lashes framed his clear, sharp eyes, which sparkled in the sunlight, reflecting the glow of the crystal core.