They stood in front of the large map at the entrance to Building Materials City, carefully recording the locations.
C City’s Building Materials City was divided into a trading area and a warehousing logistics area. It sold paints and coatings, ceramic fixtures, hardware tools, paneling, doors, and many other kinds of materials. The shops were countless.
Leather sofas, king-sized beds, and solid wood security doors that had once been expensive when renovating a house now looked like total garbage to them, but plenty of other valuable things remained.
The group drooled with envy, but with their group of 4.5 people (the two injured ones only counting as 1.5 together), and just one junky little car, hauling everything from Building Materials City back home was pure nonsense.
The old driver took the cigarette from his mouth and hooked it over his ear. “You guys clear out the zombies around first. Wait for me ten minutes—meet at the paint section entrance.”
With that, he dashed off like smoke.
The porter felt like he had lost face in the previous big battle. He slapped his chest with a big hand and boasted boldly, “Rest assured, just watch me!”
He swung his exaggerated meteor hammer again and, huffing and puffing, smashed the two security zombies loitering at the entrance in one go. He even smashed the security booth door, sending glass shards everywhere.
The huge commotion quickly drew zombie customers from farther away. They groaned “grrr grrr, ahhh ahhh” as they ran this way.
The porter wasn’t afraid at all. He let out a big roar and charged forward, hot blood rushing to his head.
From afar, Shu Yongzhi took a sip of water and leaned casually against the wall. “This big dummy really has some vigorous stamina.”
Mu Shan nodded wearily too. “Envy. He even says he’s tired.”
Cao Cheng directly sat down, stacking bricks.
Wang Wei put on a spectacular action movie fight scene all by himself, a straight-up 1v20.
The other three stood in a cold row as spectators, even chatting idly. They were just short of munching on melon seeds.
After about two minutes, all the zombies at the entrances lay smashed flat on the ground. Their corpses piled up haphazardly on either side of the main door, with some zombie fingers and eyeballs still twitching.
The porter wiped the sweat and blood from his face and turned back proudly. “How about that? I told you following bro was the right call! Bro can guarantee everyone’s safety…”
But behind him was nothing but empty space. The three had slipped away at some point and now clustered around a red big truck, completely ignoring him.
Wang Wei roared in grief and indignation, “Hey—!”
No one paid him any mind.
Old driver Feng Wei sat in the truck’s cab with his foot propped up, looking down from on high. “I circled the logistics area. This was the only empty truck—plenty of room for all five of our loads.”
At Mu Shan’s height, she had to jump up to peer into the truck bed.
Shu Yongzhi looked around it curiously a couple times. “How’d you snag this?”
【Player Feng Wei (Old Driver) used skill: Gold Driver’s License
(Passive) As an old driver, he was of course proficient in driving techniques.
The player himself could start any vehicle without a key.】
The three marveled exaggeratedly, “—What a convenient skill!”
The old driver had his cigarette in his mouth. He waved a hand and hopped down from the truck. “I told you, I’m 100% pure support. Call on me anytime you need.”
They boldly parked the truck right at the entrance, so they could load up supplies directly later.
Their first stop was the most important: waterproofing materials.
“With the rain coming nonstop, you can guess the weather ahead. I have a friend who’s a weather forecaster. She predicted heavy rain and flooding ahead for C City.”
Shu Yongzhi stroked his chin. “Rain’s manageable, but if floods submerge the city, where do we get a life raft?”
Mu Shan thought for a moment. “Maybe swing by the rescue brigade sometime…”
The group fell into a tacit silence.
“You all upgraded the exhaust systems, right?” The old driver found a shop and spotted barrels of waterproof paint stacked in the warehouse. Without a care for prices, he loaded them all onto a little pushcart.
“System-made stuff sometimes defies common sense, like with water and electricity.
“Normally, the safe house basement’s intake valve stays closed. The exhaust pipes fill with air, and air pressure keeps outside water from getting in.” He paused. “But we’re afraid of floods carrying sand and rocks to clog the pipes. Then we’d have just one outcome…”
Mu Shan finished, “Either drown in the safe house or suffocate in it.”
Shu Yongzhi said, “Bingo!”
None of them had an architecture background, so they couldn’t grasp the specifics of waterproof materials.
Instead, it was Cao Cheng who found a clerk’s notebook on the checkout counter.
It seemed to be from a newbie, with clumsy handwriting jotting down a few lines.
[Waterproof materials fall into two types: rigid waterproof materials (cement, sand/gravel) and flexible waterproof materials (asphalt, roofing felt).]
[Use waterproof anti-leakage concrete (rigid waterproof material) for structural sealing, then add waterproof coating.]
[Flexible waterproof materials can be used for wall and roof waterproofing.]
[Negative pressure waterproofing: When soil outside the wall fills with water, the inner wall bears water pressure from outside. Negative pressure waterproofing works in this case.]
[Waterproof membranes: PVC membranes, non-woven fabric membranes, etc., suitable for roof waterproofing.]
“Get it…?”
Heads clustered over the notebook as Feng Wei asked.
Everyone shook their heads in unison. “Nope.”
“Then why bother researching? Just haul it all away. Let the system one-click upgrade it later.”
And so they stopped studying. They hauled out five portions of each material and piled it all up in the lobby.
The porter slapped his forehead. “Now that’s my specialty!”
He took on all the heavy lifting for the waterproof building materials. The other four picked up the pace and hurried to other areas of Building Materials City to scavenge more supplies.
Besides waterproofing, house insulation and heat resistance were crucial.
Their basement was buried in soil, which had natural insulating and heat-blocking properties, of course… assuming the safe house stayed underground.
“Not necessarily underground.” Shu Yongzhi pursed his lips. “I heard from others that safe houses could be in water, in the sky, in deserts, or inside buildings. Anyway, players die in all sorts of weird ways.”
Fair enough.
They found a shop selling insulation layers and started piling up insulation boards like mad.
The old-style ones looked like sponge foam boards, blue and somewhat soft.
Mu Shan’s knowledge of such materials came from a handicraft guru’s DIY wild cat nest.
Some shops sold newer insulation boards, and the four didn’t let any pass—they grabbed them all in one go.
This way, they could do a waterproof layer first, then insulation on top. It would prevent the insulation from absorbing moisture and keep things running normally to the max.
If only they could just build a full steel outer wall around the safe house.
Too bad they had no money.
They also spotted some miscellaneous small items in the shops: caulk, waterproofing agents, glass sealants. Since they didn’t take up much space, they packed them all and piled them on the ground.
The four worked in pairs, relaying supplies. First they filled their virtual backpacks, then shouldered loads, hand-carried, pushed carts—whatever it took.
Mu Shan didn’t want to reveal her backpack’s special storage capacity. Even surrounded by battle-tested comrades, she stubbornly kept it secret.
As Mu Shan hauled stuff past one shop, she saw several pots of dead greenery out front. The red clay pots were just the right size, so she decisively took them—along with the watering can nearby and some everyday fertilizers, pesticides, not leaving a thing.
Besides waterproof and insulating materials, their second stop was ceramic fixtures.
“Pew pew.” Mu Shan used the peashooter to kill two lunging zombies, coldly kicked the corpses aside, then turned back to picking bathroom cabinets.
After facing endless zombie hordes for so long, even her perceptions had shifted. Two or three little zombies didn’t even register anymore.
Given how tiny the safe house bathroom was, she could only pick the smallest-sized cabinet.
A pure white solid wood cabinet body, with a mirror cabinet up top embedded with a square mirror face. The back could hold stuff too, though it was thin—enough for toothpaste and body wash side by side at most.
But Mu Shan was already thrilled.
She didn’t forget the shampoo set displayed on the bathroom cabinet either—she took it all!
She also grabbed a toilet and showerhead, but just one set each person. More would be useless.
Ceramic fixtures were right next to the tile area when heading out and left.
These were great— they could effectively boost the house’s comfort and cleanliness.
But the other guys clearly had no eye for aesthetics. They barely glanced and just grabbed some random floor tiles before legging it to haul.
Even self-proclaimed brick expert Cao Cheng couldn’t tell wall tiles from floor tiles…
Mu Shan picked two kinds of wall tiles: one beige with patterns for the safe house walls, and blue checkered ones prepped for the bathroom.
She chose two marble floor tiles too: small dark gray ones for the bathroom floor, large light gray ones for the safe house.
Of course, she took quantities exceeding the current safe house floor area, leaving room to expand the space.
The only mishap was underestimating the tiles’ weight.
The warehouse boxes were packed three tiles each. They looked thin but were incredibly heavy.
Mu Shan gritted her teeth, face flushing red from effort, and barely dragged the box a few steps. Her expression was more pained than when killing zombies earlier.
“Hahahaha!!!” A chorus of merciless laughter erupted behind her.
Mu Shan: …Way too much.
The porter walked over with a towel over his shoulder, looking down at her. His gaze finally carried the pride of victory. “I told you to add strength! Without strength, you can’t take a single step!”
“Leave it all to me!”
The porter scooped up a whole stack of tile boxes with one arm and carried them off effortlessly.
The other three clapped supportively behind him.
Mu Shan silently turned her head away. She didn’t even dare admit she’d already added 10 points of strength.
The team’s third stop was the hardware tools section. Hardware took up little space in renovations and didn’t stand out much, but it had broad uses that couldn’t be ignored: all sorts of metal studs (for ceiling suspension), stampings, angle brackets, screws, door handles, curtain rods…
They even saw smart door locks for sale. Locks were obsolete in the instance world now, replaced by the absolute security of system permissions.
Mu Shan picked out a satisfactory drain grate, backup faucet, bathroom towel rack, and wall corner shelf from one shop and packed them to take.
“This shop owner still had smokes?” On the way out, the old driver’s sharp eyes spotted a lighter on the counter. He quickly looted two packs of cigarettes from the owner and pocketed them contentedly.
The fourth stop was paneling: all sorts of solid wood panels for custom full-house wardrobes, shoe cabinets, etc. But with the basement space so limited now, there was nowhere to put big wardrobes.
The others uniformly ignored them and quickly moved on.
But just in case. Mu Shan saw their backs turned and quietly collected a stack of solid wood panels into her backpack.
Door shops sold ordinary entry doors and interior doors—nothing like the basement entrance door they needed.
Mu Shan casually picked a white glass door, planning to install it in the bathroom.
As she prepared to leave, thinking they might upgrade to a ground-level sunroom someday, she also selected the highest-security double entry door: a wooden door with an outer burglar-proof iron gate.
With that, they’d pretty much scavenged everything they needed.
They’d already fought all morning, then exhausted themselves hauling. Everyone was grimy and drenched in sweat, looking like they’d been dredged from mud.
The old driver panted heavily. “It’s still early. Anyone need extra stuff can go find it yourselves. Meet back at the truck in half an hour.”
“Good.”
Tired as they were, no one gave up scavenging supplies. After all, trips like this weren’t easy! Who knew when the next one would be!
Mu Shan ran all the way, trying to save as much time as possible. Along the way, she swiftly took down three stray zombies that poked their heads out with a series of “Pop pop pop” sounds.
She returned to the soft furnishings area.
The Old Driver and the others had selectively ignored the soft furnishings, thinking that double beds, sofas, and delicate little tea tables were completely useless.
But as Mu Shan looked at the dazzling array of goods, her happiness level shot straight up.
Beds were no longer needed, but mattresses and bedding were!
The princess bed in the display area was laid with beautiful sheets and quilts, far more comfortable than what she had scavenged from the express hotel. She could take them back, wash them clean, and use them right away.
Moreover, the more luxurious the renovation of a store, the more exquisite the soft furnishings inside.
She easily collected a teapot and matching teacups from the dining table, along with white porcelain bowls and plates, and silver cutlery.
From the vintage wardrobe, she scavenged a bunch of high-quality hangers, a stylish storage box from the TV cabinet, and a tissue box.
The fluffy rug laid beside the sofa! Two pairs of brand-new women’s cotton slippers in the shoe cabinet!
Mu Shan didn’t even spare the bedside lamp on the nightstand.
She looked around once, making sure nothing was left behind, when her sharp eyes suddenly spotted a vintage phonograph in the shop across!
This counted as a player too—it could be used to play the Rebirth Mantra!
She rushed over at top speed, only to receive bad news—the phonograph was fake, just a plastic mock-up made by the store.
Mu Shan: Tch.
Only a few minutes remained until the half-hour rendezvous time. She dashed toward the main entrance. Passing by some ground-floor shops on the way, she spotted a pile of flood-control sandbags stacked behind a fire door, and several bags of cement piled at the entrance of another shop. Mu Shan veered over and swept them all into her virtual backpack.
At this point, all her backpack slots were full. There was still a share of building materials belonging to her in the truck bed.
The big truck only had two seats. As the only woman, Mu Shan secured the passenger seat. The others carried large bags on their backs or shouldered burlap sacks, all sitting in the open truck bed.
From their expressions, though, they seemed satisfied with the day’s haul.
The Old Driver had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, unlit, but he began humming a tuneless little melody.
The truck rumbled to life unsteadily, accompanied by the roaring noise of the engine, and drove back onto the road.
Mu Shan rolled down the window halfway, letting the wind blow in as she stretched her body. Only then did she feel her stomach rumbling with hunger. She pulled out some water and snacks from her virtual backpack, eating a bit at random to fill the void in her stomach.
“Right, Brother Feng.” Mu Shan suddenly spoke up.
The Old Driver let out a light hum from his nose, signaling her to continue.
“Do you have time later to do the side quest with me?” Mu Shan had her reasons. She had already figured out Feng Wei’s profession pretty well, and the two of them had been through thick and thin twice now. He was more reliable than the somewhat undependable porter and that expert.
She was also keen on the fortune teller, but he had sustained serious injuries and might need time to recover, so he might not accept the invitation.
The Old Driver’s expression didn’t change. “Where’s your quest location?”
“C City Research Institute.”
“I see. We’re not in the same place then. My quest location is C City First People’s Hospital.”
Mu Shan was shocked. “So everyone’s side quests are different!”
“Apart from the main survival quest, all the quests that players are about to trigger are different. I heard from others before that it seems like the Main God System scans players’ personal qualities and tailors them individually…”
He continued, “No problem. If I have time then, I can go with you, but it’s best to find a few more people to form a team. After all, I’m pure support.”
Mu Shan gave him an OK sign. “Got it!”
It was almost three in the afternoon now. The closer they got to the city center, the more survivors and zombies they saw wandering the streets—it was quite lively.
But a massive red-headed truck like this roaring past naturally drew the full attention of both people and zombies.
Mu Shan had already rolled up the window. She also put on a mask and helmet.
The Old Driver parked the truck at the same spot where he had picked her up that morning, one intersection away from the park.
After Wang Wei and the others repeatedly asked if she really didn’t need help carrying things, they waved goodbye.
The park was still as quiet as it had been that morning. Mu Shan first dashed back to the safe house and dumped all the supplies from her virtual backpack in one go. Then she quickly ran back to the intersection and loaded all the building materials piled on the ground into her backpack.
After two round trips, she was panting heavily from exhaustion. Finally, she lay flat on a pile of miscellaneous tiles, feeling like she couldn’t even lift a finger.
【Cannon Fodder Player 537099 Mu Shan
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