Chapter 1780 - 966: Four Days of Torrential Rain (Part 2)

Feng Lihou and the others dare not stay too long; they fight while retreating.

Soon.

They all rush into the building in the middle; this building is the most sturdy one around.

Those prefab houses can’t resist the zombies’ collision; these zombies, in madness, smash their heads against the iron sheets of the prefab houses.

Bang!

Crash!

Feng Lihou retreats into this building, and the big cat next to him quickly locks the door and piles some heavy objects against it.

Only after sealing the entire door does the big cat sit on the ground, gasping for breath.

Thud, thud, thud!

The zombies clash against the surrounding windows, creating loud noises.

Many people lean against the sealed windows, resisting the zombies’ impact through wooden boards and iron sheets.

This house is crowded with people.

Those near the door block with their bodies, hardly able to turn around.

But they can finally catch their breath.

"Waa..." A man suddenly cries, his back trembling from the zombies’ collision outside.

Roars, collisions, and the pattering rain outside intertwine, creating endless despair.

"Where’s Old Dou? Big Mouth!" Feng Lihou vigorously pushes through the crowd, speaking toward Big Mouth not far away.

Big Mouth shouts back, "Didn’t see him."

Feng Lihou anxiously shouts for Old Dou around, but no one responds until someone from Old Dou’s group tearfully says, "He got bitten by a zombie during the retreat... he’s..."

Feng Lihou feels bitterly cold inside.

Dead, another one dead.

Soon, zombies pile up to the second floor.

The people on the second floor also buttress the windows with iron sheets, blocking the zombies’ impact with their backs.

"How’s the setup upstairs? If the rooftop isn’t sealed, zombies will come down from above." Feng Lihou finds Big Mouth to ask.

Big Mouth replies, "We’ve sealed the stairs on the fourth and fifth floors with stuff, and the door on the fifth floor is closed; we’ve done our best."

Feng Lihou, hearing this, says nothing more.

Yes, they have done their best.

Retreating to this building is their last resort, chosen only when there’s no other way.

After climbing off the wall, Big Mouth and the others urgently reinforced this building, using all the materials they could find.

But staying in this building, the space itself isn’t the main issue; the real trouble is, once a window is breached, in such a cramped space, they cannot avoid it, ultimately leading to annihilation.

Dig underground?

Of course, they want to, but from where to get materials; they lack cement, and digging a pit and shoring it up with wood simply wouldn’t hold.

In this chaotic environment, Feng Lihou suddenly finds inner peace.

Humans die with dignity.

He has prepared for death; possessing preparation, death seems less terrifying.

....

Oil City.

Lightning flashes and thunder roars.

Ju Tianrui stands by the diesel generator and asks Ma Sailong and Zuo Ruxue, "Given our current electricity consumption, supporting the mobile switch blade and base lighting, how long can our diesel last?"

Zuo Ruxue thinks and speaks: "Currently, daily electricity consumption is at 600 kilowatt-hours. One ton of diesel can generate 3600 kilowatt-hours, which means one ton of diesel can last about 6 days. With our current diesel reserves, we can sustain for at least a year. There’s no need to worry about this.

The main issue is the power consumption of the mobile switch blade; otherwise, we could last even longer."

Ju Tianrui breathes a sigh of relief; as long as the diesel is sufficient, it’s fine.

The presence of the mobile switch blade has immensely aided them; Ju Tianrui is incredibly grateful that Director Li initially sent He Bing and others to help with the installation.

Otherwise, while Oil City might not be breached by zombies, the casualties and bullet consumption would certainly be enormous, a loss they cannot afford.

The distribution room’s door suddenly blows open by a sinister wind.

Ju Tianrui feels a chill, his heart stirs, and he quickly asks:

"The weather has turned cold, and it might get colder later; how will electricity consumption be if we turn on the heating, has this been calculated?"

Ma Sailong thinks and replies, "I’ve calculated; it should double, at least 1200 kilowatt-hours per day. Although diesel isn’t abundant, we have several hundred tons of oil; if it’s not enough, we can refine it when necessary."

"Great." Ju Tianrui completely lets go of his concerns.

As long as there’s oil, even in times of danger, if they use fuel to burn zombies, they still have confidence.

This is the foundation of Oil City’s confidence; it’s the core reason they can withstand the zombie tide at minimal cost until the end.

With oil boosting Oil City, particularly with the mobile switch blade’s presence, it has instilled confidence in everyone at Oil City.

At the wall, seeing the zombies appearing, which now seem fiercer than before, doesn’t overly panic them.

Moreover, Ju Tianrui personally brought over five months’ worth of food, granting even more assurance.

With food at hand, there’s no fear in the heart.

After leaving the distribution room, Ju Tianrui returns to a space adjacent to the meeting room, where he sleeps.

He removes his wet clothes, quickly towel-drying his body, and changes into dry clothing.

Though the outside temperature remains around ten degrees, rain soaks the body, reducing the perceived temperature to a few degrees.

After donning dry clothes, he curls up in a blanket, watching the rain outside.

Then he takes out a small electric cooker, collects some rainwater, and throws in two bread crusts.

The bread crusts are boiled into porridge, but eating the warm porridge provides him with warmth and energy.

Whew—

Ju Tianrui rummages through his suitcase and finds two packs of cigarettes.

One is unopened, the other only has two left.

Ju Tianrui puts the unopened pack back and picks up the pack with two cigarettes left.

These cigarettes were distributed by Li Yu when they went on a mission to Southeast Asia.

After all, going on a mission together, facing risks, whenever they seize substantial rewards, Li Yu always distributes some to everyone.

Closing the suitcase.

Ju Tianrui returns to bed, snuggling into the warm blanket.

Outside, mist from the rain lingers; he fishes around in his clothes pocket and finds a diesel lighter.

He fiddles with the lighter, looking at its label.

Zippo.

Speaking of which, this lighter was given by a match from his hometown during a visit.

"That girl was quite nice." Ju Tianrui murmurs.

Sadly, the relationship didn’t develop before the zombie outbreak.

Snap—

Ju Tianrui lights a cigarette.

Sss.

Whoo—

He exhales heavily, then starts coughing harshly.

A week without smoking, and suddenly inhaling made him choke.

Within the smoke, Ju Tianrui feels a bit dizzy.

But the multitude of emotions and worries within him seem to dissipate.

After finishing one cigarette, he collapses onto the bed.

Fatigue overwhelms him, and he quickly falls asleep.

......

Big Camphor Tree Base.

Second Outer City.

Old Dong and others work in the rain, laying cables, then filling with earth.

For the past two days, they’ve been eating, drinking, sleeping, all in this building without leaving.

However, the repair speed for the Zombie Generator is encouraging; they now only need to finalize lightning protection to essentially resolve the issue.

"Alright, connect those few cables, and it’ll be done." Old Dong is excited, though he looks pale.

It’s autumn and raining.

A heavy rain brings chilling cold.

He has caught a cold.

Noticing Old Dong’s nasal tone, He Bing speaks: "Old Dong, let us handle the rest; you go take shelter from the rain."

Old Dong brushes his sparse hair back, smiles bitterly:

"You young folks have good health; indeed, I’m getting old."

He says and doesn’t refuse He Bing’s suggestion; these two days of close contact and fighting side by side have familiarized them greatly.

Though they often met before, being busy with different matters, they never became this familiar.

"Go on."

Old Dong nods and runs towards the building, taking off the insulation gloves from his hands.

Soon.

After a few hours, they finally repair and upgrade the Zombie Generator.

They adopt a parallel circuit method, ensuring that even if one Zombie Generator fails, it won’t affect the others.

.....

(Asking for a monthly ticket; somewhat stuck today, the next Chapter will be delayed, probably around one o’clock at night. Sorry~~)