Hu Lanfang nodded in agreement, "That's right, this disaster was created by him, so he must clean it up. If we kill him now, wouldn't that be letting him off easy?"
Mi Guo listened vaguely, though he didn't understand, he still tried his best to listen, wanting to learn from them. The disasters he'd encountered made him very grateful to be with the Gu family. Otherwise, as an orphan, he wouldn't have survived two minutes in this chaotic world.
"Qingcheng, we need to prepare a batch of defensive supplies now, something that can prevent our bodies from being scratched by zombies," Gu Zhaobei said. "Go check the Mountain Cat Supermarket, see if there are any suitable substitutes."
Gu Qingcheng agreed and entered the Mountain Cat Supermarket. Gu Qingcheng's first instinct was to rummage through the sports equipment. As soon as she entered the store, she noticed life jackets seemed useful. However, the foam inside the life jackets was too fragile and might not withstand sharp claws, only blocking one blow at best. When she moved to the boxing section and saw the punching bags, a spark of inspiration struck her. She could take out the foam from the life jackets and fill them with iron sand from the punching bags, thus increasing the defensive capability of the armor. Boxing gloves could protect her hands but were inconvenient for movement. She finally settled on protective gloves used in motorcycle racing. These gloves were very tough, and even a small knife wouldn't easily pierce them, effectively protecting her palms from zombie scratches. With this, a complete set of anti-zombie gear was assembled.
Gu Qingcheng showed these items to everyone. They all felt that although they looked simple, they were quite practical. Then, Hu Lanfang got to work, removing the foam from the front and back of the life jackets, filling them with iron sand, and sewing them up, creating ready-made iron armor. After putting on the iron armor and wearing the motorcycle gloves, everyone felt a great increase in their sense of security.
As night fell, Gu Zhaobei suggested they go back to the village tomorrow to see if they could find any more clues. Hu Lanfang initially disagreed but then thought that if these zombies spread nationwide, their current choice to evade would ultimately not keep them safe. It was better to think of ways to counter them now. Moreover, the current zombies were not unbeatable for them. Who knew if they would mutate further in the future, so they should be dealt with when they were at their weakest. Hu Lanfang finally agreed, but this time she firmly insisted on accompanying them to the village. Gu Zhaobei initially didn't want to agree, but Hu Lanfang said, "If you two are always overprotective of us, we'll never be able to cope with zombies." Gu Zhaobei found this reasonable. Besides, his wife and son had also taken the Strength Pills, and their bodies had been modified, making their strength comparable to his. He just felt psychologically that his wife was still delicate and needed him. Seeing her determination, he no longer insisted and said, "Alright, you two can go tomorrow, but you must stay behind us and don't stray too far. " "Okay," Hu Lanfang said happily, rubbing her hands together upon hearing her husband agree. Despite his young age, Mi Guo had developed a resilient character in this chaotic world. Coupled with the life-or-death experiences he'd shared with Gu Qingcheng, his psychological fortitude was far superior to that of children his age.
Dinner was not prepared separately. Gu Qingcheng brought out the Southern delicacies she had bought in Zhanchun Town earlier. Hu Lanfang hadn't eaten authentic Southern food in a long time and couldn't stop eating. Gu Qingcheng and Gu Zhaobei had consumed a lot that day and were very hungry, so they finished everything. After dinner, the sky had darkened. As soon as dawn broke, the atmosphere around them became abnormal. Mi Guo stood on the deck and pointed into the distance, saying, "Look, someone is coming this way." Gu Qingcheng and the others picked up their infrared binoculars and saw them – swaying figures that could only be zombies. The zombies in the wasteland were scattered sparsely, their gait shambling and their movements twisted. Although they looked somewhat silly at this moment, their movements were as fast as a startled rabbit once they were attracted by a living creature. Gu Qingcheng saw a zombie pounce on a wild rabbit darting through the fields. Through the infrared binoculars, she could vaguely see the zombie eating with great relish, skin and fur included, without any regard for manners. It was ferocious and terrifying.
Seeing so many strangely moving zombies, Hu Lanfang, despite preparing herself mentally, couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine. "Good girl, if you're scared, we won't go tomorrow," Gu Zhaobei said, patting his wife's head and seizing the opportunity to show affection. Gu Qingcheng felt a shiver of goosebumps from his doting, overbearing tone. She felt it was no wonder she used to be so tall; she had eaten too much "dog food." Hu Lanfang, however, was stubborn. "How can I not go? If I don't go, I'll only hold you back even more in the future." Seeing these bizarre, non-human creatures, Hu Lanfang suddenly realized this matter was not simple. Once a person became a zombie, ordinary citizens would find it almost impossible to resist their onslaught. They were all unarmed, law-abiding citizens. What could they do against such zombies? The thought that most ordinary people would become like them if they didn't find a cure sent a shiver down Hu Lanfang's spine. "Alright, stop looking. Let's go back. If you want to see, we'll have plenty to see in Jiren Village tomorrow," Gu Zhaobei said, his expression also grim. Who would enjoy staying in such a strange environment? Fortunately, they had their powerful yacht; otherwise, they wouldn't dare to stay here for even a moment.
The four of them boarded the ship, their hearts heavy, with no mood for conversation. They each found something to do to pass the time. Hu Lanfang picked a Qing Dynasty zombie drama and watched it with exclamations, while Gu Qingcheng contemplated what kind of weapon would be best for beheading zombies. She finally concluded that a Tang dao would be necessary. Specifically, a Mo dao among Tang daos, or an elongated version of a Heng dao, with a longer hilt for a secure grip and a longer blade to minimize close contact with zombies, thus reducing the chance of infection. She also decided to have a short knife ready in case a zombie was too fast and aggressive in close combat. With her decision made, Gu Qingcheng prepared both the long and short dao and brought them out for her family to practice with that night. After trying them, everyone agreed with her idea, feeling that the combination of long and short swords offered the best offense and defense. They all took their respective long and short swords and practiced for over an hour until they were somewhat proficient. Then, they washed up and went to bed.
The next morning, Gu Qingcheng woke up to find her father cooking. Likely to provide energy for dealing with zombies, Gu Zhaobei fried bacon, toasted bread, and boiled eggs for everyone, along with a cup of milk each, ensuring everyone was full of protein and carbohydrates to last them through most of the day.