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Chapter 58: Establishing a Safe Zone

After Lin Che's tear experiment ended, the four of them regrouped in the central area of ​​the coffee shop.

The zombies had been dealt with by Xiao Ran, and the bodies were dragged to the corner.

"We need to think about what to do next," Lu Zhao said, tapping his fingers on the tabletop as he sat at a round table. "This shopping mall is relatively closed and has a relatively stable structure. It can serve as a temporary safe zone."

Su Wanqing looked around: "This place is indeed better than any place we've stayed before."

Lu Zhao pushed his glasses. "I think we can use this coffee shop as the core and gradually expand outward to occupy the second floor of the entire shopping center. The second floor is high up, with a good view, and it's easy to defend but difficult to attack."

Xiao Ran stood by the window, looking outside: "There may still be some remaining zombies on the second floor. We need to clean them up first."

"Xiao Ran and I can take care of this part of the work," Lin Che said. "Now we know my tears are useful, and we can use them as a backup in an emergency."

Su Wanqing touched the jade bracelet on her wrist: "I just checked the system, and the rebate rate has been increased tenfold. We can buy some necessary materials to reinforce this place."

"Wooden boards, barbed wire, tools," Lu Zhao listed, "These are all necessities. We need to seal off the stairwell and reinforce the rolling shutter door."

Su Wanqing nodded and began to operate the jade bracelet system: "Let's see what we can buy."

She slid her finger across the virtual interface, browsing the list of items available for purchase.

"Here are bundles of planks. Each bundle is 100 yuan, and the rebate is 1,000 planks. We also have barbed wire, nails, and hammers."

"A thousand planks?" Lin Che asked in surprise, "How are we going to store so many things?"

Su Wanqing smiled: "My space is big enough." She quickly placed an order and bought wooden boards, barbed wire, ropes, tool boxes and some other building materials.

“The order has been confirmed,” she said. “The item will be delivered directly to my space.”

Lu Zhao stood up. "Then let's get started. Xiao Ran and Lin Che will be responsible for clearing the zombies on the second floor, while Su Wanqing and I will begin the reinforcement work."

Xiao Ran checked his weapons - a military dagger and a metal stick.

Lin Che also took a knife from Su Wanqing: "Where do we start?"

"Start with the nearest shops," Xiao Ran said, "clear them one by one and make sure every area is safe."

The two left the coffee shop and cautiously entered a clothing store next door.

Su Wanqing took out the wooden planks and tools from the space and handed them to Lu Zhao: "Let's reinforce the windows of the coffee shop first to prevent the zombies outside from seeing what's going on inside."

Lu Zhao took the tools and began to measure the size of the window: "We need to leave some observation holes so that we can monitor the situation outside."

The two men set to work, nailing boards across the windows, leaving only a few small holes for observation.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ran and Lin Che advanced cautiously on the second floor. To their surprise, the number of zombies on the second floor was far less than expected.

"Strange," Xiao Ran whispered, "The shopping mall should be packed with people."

Lin Che checked several empty shops. "Perhaps most of the customers evacuated during the early stages of the outbreak, or left after becoming zombies."

They continued forward, dealing with several wandering zombies. Xiao Ran's movements were clean and sharp, each one a fatal blow.

Lin Che also became more and more proficient under Xiao Ran's guidance.

"You're a quick learner," Xiao Ran commented. "Have you ever had combat training before?"

Lin Che shook her head: "No, I've been weak and sickly since I was a child, and I've hardly participated in any sports activities."

Xiao Ran nodded without saying anything more, and the two continued on their way.

At the end of the second floor, they found a supermarket. The door was locked, but through the glass door they could see that it was filled with goods.

"This is a good discovery," Lin Che said, "The food and daily necessities inside can sustain us for a long time."

Xiao Ran tried to unlock the door but failed: "We need to find the key or find a way to unlock it."

The two continued to check other shops to make sure every corner was safe.

They stopped in front of a drugstore.

"The door is open," Xiao Ran said, "Be careful."

The two entered the pharmacy and found that the counters and shelves were in a mess.

There were bloody gauze and cotton balls on the ground, and the medicines also showed obvious signs of having been touched.

"Someone has been here," Lin Che said, squatting down to examine the gauze. "And it happened recently. The bloodstains are still fresh." Xiao Ran looked around. "It looks like there are other survivors nearby. We need to be vigilant."

They finished cleaning the second floor and returned to the coffee shop to report to Su Wanqing and Lu Zhao.

"The second floor is basically safe, with only a few zombies, which have been dealt with," Xiao Ran said. "We found a supermarket with plenty of supplies, but the door was locked. There were also signs of someone recently visiting a pharmacy."

Lu Zhao thought for a moment: "The supermarket problem is easy to solve. I can try to open the lock. As for the other survivors, we need to be cautious. We don't know if they are friends or foes."

"What did we find?" Lin Che walked to the window and looked out through an observation hole.

Suddenly, he pointed into the distance: "Look at that apartment building, the windows on the third floor."

The others looked over and saw a faint light flickering regularly in a window of a distant apartment building.

"It looks like someone is using a mirror to reflect sunlight and send signals," Lu Zhao said. "Maybe they're trying to contact the outside world."

"Should I respond?" Su Wanqing asked.

"Not yet," Xiao Ran said, "We don't know the enemy's situation yet. Let's reinforce this place and establish our safe zone first."

Everyone agreed to the suggestion and continued with their previous work.

Su Wanqing took out more wooden boards and barbed wire: "I think we should block the stairs and elevator first to make sure no zombies can come up from the first floor."

"The elevator has been out of service for a long time, but the stairs do need to be dealt with," Lu Zhao said. "We can set up barriers at the entrance of the stairs, leaving only a passage that can be quickly closed so that we can evacuate when necessary."

The four men reached the nearest staircase and began to build a barrier with wooden planks and barbed wire.

Su Wanqing continuously took out materials from the space, Lu Zhao was responsible for designing the structure, and Xiao Ran and Lin Che were responsible for assembly and fixation.

"Design it like this," Lu Zhao pointed to the sketch he had drawn, "We can install a simple gate here, which is usually closed and opened only when needed."

A few hours later, they successfully blocked the three staircases on the second floor, leaving only the one near the coffee shop as an emergency exit.

"Next is the supermarket," Su Wanqing said, "We need to ensure the safety of the supplies there."

The four of them headed to the supermarket. Lu Zhao borrowed some wire from Su Wanqing and quickly unlocked the door.

"It really lived up to my expectations," Su Wanqing said as she entered the supermarket and looked at the shelves full of goods. "The things here are enough for us to use for several weeks."

Lin Che checked several shelves. "Canned goods, biscuits, bottled water, and even some fresh food, though it might not be edible anymore."

Xiao Ran checked at the back door of the supermarket: "There is an employee passage here that leads to the warehouse. We need to make sure it is safe there as well."

Lu Zhao nodded. "Let's check this supermarket thoroughly and then move some necessities back to the coffee shop."

They split up and made sure every corner of the supermarket was safe.

More supplies were found in the warehouse, including large quantities of drinking water and dry food.

"This discovery has greatly increased our chances of survival," Lu Zhao said. "With these supplies as a backup, we won't have to worry about supplies in the short term."

Su Wanqing looked at these supplies, and a long-lost relaxed expression appeared on her face: "After returning to the coffee shop, we need to discuss how to make better use of this shopping mall."

The four of them carried some of the most needed supplies back to the coffee shop, sat down to rest and discuss their next plans.

"I think we can transform the coffee shop into a command center," Su Wanqing said. "The supermarket can serve as a storage area for supplies, and other shops can be converted into residential areas, medical areas, etc. as needed."

Lu Zhao nodded in agreement: "Reasonable space planning will greatly improve our survival efficiency."

"We also need a long-term defense plan," Xiao Ran said. "Simply blocking the stairwell isn't enough."

Lin Che looked out the window. The signal was still flashing in the apartment building's windows. "We still need to decide how to deal with those possible survivors."

"We'll take it one step at a time," Su Wanqing said. "First, ensure our own safety and establish a solid base, and then consider contact with the outside world."

Everyone nodded in agreement and continued to discuss specific defense measures and space planning in preparation for the coming days.

Lu Zhao took out a pen and paper and began to draw a floor plan of the shopping center. "We need a systematic plan. Let's start with the most basic needs: safety, food, water, and rest areas. Then we can consider other functional areas."

Su Wanqing looked at his drawing and offered her own suggestion: "We can take advantage of the characteristics of each store. For example, a clothing store could provide a change of clothes, and a bookstore could be used as an information collection and research area."

Xiao Ran stood up and walked to the window to check the situation outside. "In any case, we need 24-hour vigilance. I can arrange a shift system."

Lin Che nodded. "I can also participate in the vigilance work. Also, I think we should conduct further research on the results of those tear experiments."