Chapter 4

However, after watering, Li Chunyuan still shook his head in dissatisfaction: No matter how you put it, placing water on this land always feels wrong. Not to mention the rapid evaporation, how much water can the soil absorb? It won't be long before it is likely all absorbed.

Carrying this precious Ice Spear, Li Chunyuan felt increasingly calm and composed as he strolled through the grain processing factory in search of clues. The warehouse door was closed, and there was no need to check it. The processing workshop was relatively spacious. Although Li Chunyuan sensed that the ones who could move had definitely been lured outside the factory by his diversion last night, he still decided to take a cautious look around.

The first floor, with two rows of ten rooms, did not prompt Li Chunyuan to rush in and fight the zombies. Instead, he walked around the entire building. It was only early winter, and the factory was made of transparent glass. After circling the building, Li Chunyuan noted which rooms contained zombies.

What consequences would this ability bring? Li Chun was unaware, but when he woke up today, the soreness throughout his body and the slight pain in his head were telling him that this expenditure was not merely physical; perhaps it also involved mental effort, or, in a more mystical sense, it could be referred to as spiritual energy

Li Chun's eyes were sharp, and her hands were steady. The cold ice spear was propped against the aluminum alloy security window. With a sudden force, it struck like a venomous snake, and with a "puchi" sound, it pierced through the skull of a zombie. Then, she turned the spearhead and similarly dealt with the remaining two zombies, finally bringing them to rest.

There is now an even more pressing matter that takes precedence, which is water. It has been more than twelve hours since the zombie chaos last night. According to Xu Ning's estimation, it will not exceed twenty-four hours before both water and electricity are cut off. After that, humans, who are accustomed to running water and electrical appliances, will face a much more difficult life, of course, if they have not turned into zombies by then.

With his right hand grasping the long spear, a slight exertion of force sent a cool sensation coursing along his intentions to the icy long spear. Then, Li Chunzhen truly felt the spear, not through his arm, but through that cool sensation. To the naked eye, the spear emitted a faint azure light, extremely sharp, as if it were a piece of jade formed by nature itself

After collecting and tidying up the items in the library, which were of little use, Li Chunyuan tiptoed towards the small cafeteria nearby. After just a few steps, he spotted a faucet outside the cafeteria. With a sense of certainty, he thought that this would make things much easier. He tucked the short knife into his clothing, turned on the faucet, and the sound of rushing water echoed out, instantly causing a commotion throughout the entire grain processing factory

The sink under the faucet is still connected to the drainage, so it cannot hold water. Li Chunyuan furrowed his brows and placed his right hand in the continuously flowing water; the cold sensation spread out. In his mind, Li Chunyuan envisioned the place and shape he wanted to freeze, and before long, he completely sealed off that passage with a block of ice.

It is currently only early winter, and the weather is not cold enough to freeze water. This makes it impossible for Li Chun to use ice blocks to preserve water, as he still needs to sleep. Although the season is cold, during the daytime, the ice blocks will still melt into water.

This is the northern region of the Huaxia nation, in winter. Finding a waterway will entail a journey of more than 20 li, and it will only be more, not less. Moreover, the water is of a polluted variety, colorful and completely undrinkable

This is probably what is referred to as "mutation." This zombie stands over 2 meters tall, with a waist circumference exceeding 1 meter, and arms as thick as an adult man's thigh, appearing to fill the entire corridor. A normal person could never possess such a physique

The processing workshop is quite spacious, housing several large grain processing machines, with unprocessed grain still on them. It is unclear which dedicated individual had the presence of mind to turn off the running machines during such a life-threatening situation last night; their dedication is truly remarkable. Scattered across the floor are some disordered remnants of flesh, and occasionally there are severed limbs, creating a scene that is exceedingly horrifying

The intestines were in a disheveled state, and beneath him lay a messy pool of blood, evoking feelings of disgust and horror. Li Chun remained unfazed, stepping forward as the icy spear in his hand glimmered with a bluish light, turning the corpse over.

This grain processing factory is not particularly large, featuring some spacious processing and storage facilities, a warehouse, a small canteen, a two-story office building, and several utility rooms, all of which reflect the owner's awkward position. It is more than sufficient to operate as a small enterprise in a town, but there is no chance of becoming a larger, formal factory. Consequently, the local tyrant in the suburban area between the city and countryside, Huang Laosan, who is also the culprit behind Li Chunyuan's family tragedy, is extremely meticulous about saving even a small amount of money, to the extent of resorting to violence and murder to cut costs.

Li Chunyuan transferred the long spear to his left hand, and immediately a chill coursed through him, causing pain in his left hand, prompting him to switch it back to his right hand. It seemed that this precious long spear could only be wielded with the right hand. Gripping the spear tightly, he thrust it forcefully towards the ice blocking the drainage outlet of the pool, piercing through the two to three centimeters thick layer of ice completely, while Li Chunyuan felt an additional force still lingering in his right hand.

Li Chunyuan walked slowly, holding a long spear, his steps steady and unhurried. He did not linger out of pity, nor did he quicken his pace out of fear; he merely surveyed his surroundings cautiously, on guard for anything amiss. After circling around, Li Chunyuan was about to exit the production workshop through another door, but at the entrance lay a severed corpse, with only the upper half remaining, while the lower half was nowhere to be found

The rest of the area was quite stable, but surprisingly, there were five or six sounds of impact coming from the office building, which were clearly the noises made by zombies trapped inside the rooms. Li Chunyuan listened carefully but could not discern which specific rooms were producing the sounds.

After careful consideration of several methods, Li Chunyuan felt that he did not have a strong grasp of the situation. Unable to think of a solution for the time being, Li Chunyuan also did not plan to take over the second floor of the office building just yet, as even if there were many zombies above, they did not pose an immediate threat to him.

Li Chunyuan turned his gaze to the second floor of the office building. He did not find the key on the first floor, so it must be on the second floor. It is imperative to clear the second floor quickly! The water supply could be cut off at any moment, and if he does not urgently find a solution, where will he look for precious water resources?

It is imperative to start storing water immediately, Li Chunyuan understood: compared to the zombies on the second floor that posed no threat to him, the more important factor was the prospect of survival in the long term. Realizing this, Li Chunyuan immediately began to take action. In less than half an hour, the large water buckets, water tanks, and pots and pans in the small cafeteria were all filled with water. However, this was certainly far from enough; what Li Chunyuan needed was a more robust water supply reservoir

It is unlikely that anyone is in the storage room, but just in case, starting from the easier tasks to the more difficult ones, Li Chunyuan, holding a short knife, first went to the storage room. When the zombies appeared yesterday, it was at night, and only one of the storage rooms had its door open, with the lights inside, of course, left on, still shining brightly. Li Chunyuan quickly scanned the room and found that there was nothing he wanted, but there were electrical switches, a small generator, and similar items in this storage room.

In addition, Li Chunyuan had a certain illusion, as if applying the cool sensation in his hand to the long spear would make it extraordinarily sharp and also grant his right hand immense strength. This was a vague intuition, akin to the understanding that legs are meant for walking and fish fins are meant for swimming

Li Chun originally approached the window of the room where the three zombies were located. With a clang, the ice spear pierced through the aluminum alloy security window, shattering the glass of that room into pieces. Instantly, the entire office building began to clatter again, and those three foolish yet endearing zombies sluggishly extended their arms, emitting a nauseating stench as they moved towards the source of the sound

In a state of utter helplessness, Xu Ning could not think of any good solutions and could only use water to create a shovel made of ice. After spending an exhausting hour, his left hand was blistered from the effort, and he managed to dig a sizable open pit, then desperately began to fill it with water

The first floor has four rooms with zombies: two rooms have one zombie each, one room has two zombies, and one room has three zombies. I don't know how these guys ended up like this; in such a large office building, a small food processing factory, so many people are staying behind during the night shift to slack off.

This is not feasible. Li Chunyuan looked around the entire factory. There were still three locked storage rooms, and the only other locked area was the warehouse. Is there any good way to store water in here? That depends on what we find. The storage room door is made of wood, so there are some options. However, the warehouse door is a large iron door, which would be very difficult to break through; we can only proceed if we find the key.

The zombie continued to move slowly, neither hurried nor delayed, each step causing a slight tremor throughout the second floor. Its strength and weight were undoubtedly formidable, making it impossible for Li Chun to confront it head-on. Tattered and torn, with a few strands of clothing hanging from its body, it exuded the characteristic stench of a zombie, appearing both repulsive and terrifying

Li Chunyuan coldly shook the gun barrel, and the spear made of this cold ice seemed to have gained some elasticity, shaking off the black blood onto the ground, leaving not a single drop on the tip of the spear. Most of the factory had been dealt with, and next was the most crucial task, the two-story office building. Relatively speaking, the danger there was much greater. However, this was certainly not without solutions, as they were like fish in a barrel, and Li Chunyuan could slowly think of ways to deal with them

Next, it would merely be a matter of following the example to deal with the remaining three zombies, thus the first floor of this office building could be considered somewhat cleared. Li Chun cautiously stepped into this rather unsafe office building, holding a long gun with care.

Although the ten rooms on the first floor appeared to be free of other zombies, Li Chunyuan still carefully and calmly searched the area. After confirming that there was no danger here, he finally found a chair to sit down and rest.

Peering into the corridor, Li Chunyuan's eyes involuntarily narrowed: This is troublesome!

Wuwu—, just as it was turned over, the corpse transformed into a hideous and terrifying face, wailing and reaching for the ice spear, ready to bite. Although Li Chunyuan's strength was insufficient and could not compare to that of the zombie, the ice spear in his right hand was something the zombie could not shake off at all. With a single flick of his right hand, he sliced open the zombie's arm, and the spear tip, like a venomous snake, pierced into the head of this zombie that had only half a body.

Li Chunyuan could no longer concern himself with much. He raised the exceptionally sharp ice spear and walked straight towards the office building. Those who travel a hundred miles should consider ninety as halfway; he had not really worried about the last few zombies, feeling that storing water was the priority. However, after a flurry of activity, he realized that he must also clear out the zombies on the second floor.

However, Li Chunyuan currently has no room for choice; he must survive, and this unique ability is what he needs. With familiarity, Li Chunyuan once again condensed a long ice spear from the water. This time, he distinctly felt a sense of greater proficiency and ease, and the ice spear in his hand also felt a sense of compatibility and comfort, as if it were connected by blood, an extension of his arm, even more effortless than last night.

After moving his body a bit, Li Chun originally planned to completely eradicate the zombies here today and take over this grain processing factory. The ice spear from last night had melted into a puddle of water after a night, so he had no choice but to take out his not-so-effective short knife from his clothes again to clear a path

What should we do now? With so many zombies, not to mention whether they possess any special abilities, just looking at their bodies makes it clear that their strength should not be underestimated. If Li Chunyuan foolishly approaches and tries to confront them head-on, it would undoubtedly be a display of sheer foolishness.

Where in the land of Shenzhou is there a pure source of water? The saying that humanity is born with original sin indeed holds some truth

Where could the keys be

Next, there are certainly zombies on the second floor, but it is unknown how many there are or in which specific rooms they are located. This entirely depends on one's own abilities. Li Chun originally detested the feeling of fighting for his life; he also did not like to gamble with his life against a bunch of moving corpses. When he sought revenge, it was out of necessity, but now there is no need to risk his life against these zombies, which is simply not worth it

What a sharp spear! Moreover, the enhancement it provides to his right hand is truly remarkable. It is not an illusion; with this spear in hand, Li Chunyuan's right hand strength has indeed increased significantly compared to before, certainly no less than that of a strong young man

In the corridor, there was a towering and massive zombie moving slowly. Li Chun took just one glance and could say with absolute certainty that this was definitely not a normal zombie! It could not possibly be the result of a typical transformation from human to zombie!

Although he did not believe there would be any danger, he remained extremely cautious. Li Chunyan, holding a long spear, stealthily ascended the stairs, pausing with each step. After a moment, Li Chunyan reached the top step of the staircase.