Chapter 9, Percentages and Hot Baths

Ye Zhiqiu curled her lips, thinking that this statement was equivalent to saying nothing. After all, Nicole was a doctor and shouldn't resort to such a low-quality answer

After walking around the house, aside from marveling at how large American homes are, Ye Zhiqiu did not find anything of value. However, he did manage to take a pair of binoculars from the owner's study. Additionally, he discovered a large-caliber double-barreled shotgun on the wall next to the fireplace in the living room. Ye Zhiqiu did not believe that the power of this gun could compare to that of a Remington, and naturally, he would not add another entry to his record for taking something without permission.

I don't know. This time it was Gil who answered: "We have been away from the crowd for too long, but we have seen this person."

Jill and Nicole exchanged a glance, and Jill helplessly asked her, "Don't you know that in Alaska, most people use gas for boiling water and heating?"

Ye Zhiqiu absolutely agrees with this statement: anything that is abundant loses its value. It is often said that the Terracotta Army of the Qin Dynasty is valuable, but if it were to be sold openly, it would likely be worth less than iron ore. Of course, there are also intricacies of marketing involved in this.

Ye Zhiqiu did not believe that they would be in any danger; those who could stealthily abduct his companions while being so close to him did not belong to this planet. However, this did not prevent him from worrying about them. Thus, he turned back to hetushucom.com to search for them and discovered two women standing in the bathroom, whispering about something.

After confirming that there was no danger in this house, he prepared to search the next building. However, upon turning around, he found that both of his companions had disappeared

Ye Zhiqiu was taken aback and immediately recalled that he had once noticed a water tower in the town. However, at that time, he thought the tower looked like it had been built for at least a hundred years, so he never considered that it was still in use. Now that he thought about it, this town is far from the city and likely has an independent water supply system. Compared to the water supply facilities in the city, a water tower that utilizes pressure differentials is evidently more economical. Of course, this is also thanks to the fact that the town's water pipes have not been damaged over such a long period; otherwise, even the largest water tower would have long since run dry. Similarly, the gas pipelines in the town should also be independent, and the degree of preservation of this small town is astonishing.

Ye Zhiqiu understood Jill's meaning, but noticed her choice of words and asked, "Who are they?"

"That is a greedy and wicked person," Jill stated.

Nicole immediately called out to him: "Ye, we have found that the water supply system and gas pipelines here are still functional"

"Anyone." Jill frowned. "You should know how great this temptation is."

The town can have its own water supply and gas, but there is certainly no electricity, and of course, one cannot watch television. Ye Zhiqiu sat on the sofa, feeling a bit drowsy as he basked in the sunlight streaming onto him. He casually reached for a book from the side of the sofa and discovered it was "A Brief History of Time" by Hawking, so he sat on the sofa and began to flip through it.

Nicole was taken aback for a moment, then thought for a while and said, "It won't be too much, but it should be quite a bit."

Ye Zhiqiu glanced at the silent Nicole and nodded, saying: "It seems the impression is not very good"

Ye Zhiqiu was at a loss with her and had no choice but to ignore her. This time, the handgun was sufficient; Jill carried the Remington on her back, while both she and Nicole each took an M1911. However, neither of these guns had tactical rails, (in fact, no one added such things to handguns, as tactical flashlights were almost as heavy as the handguns themselves.) Therefore, Ye Zhiqiu specifically instructed Nicole on the posture for coordinating the flashlight and the gun. Then, they selected a two-story house and entered.

Ye Zhiqiu knocked on the open door, and Nicole turned back to give him an apologetic glance, while Jill reprimanded him without hesitation: "Do not interrupt ladies when they are speaking"

"Oh my God," Jill exclaimed loudly, "You finally understand. I don't want to wait another moment... Are you not planning to avoid this?"

Jill shot him a glance: "You better dismiss that thought. A town of this scale wouldn't have a motor vehicle department, let alone a social security office. This should just be a residential gathering point. You still need to go to Anchorage for that information... or perhaps Fort Richardson"

Nicole also knew that her answer was not much better than nonsense, and apologetically said: "This requires the assistance of statistics; we do not have sufficient data to support it"

Jill shook her head: "If there is a sheriff in the area, he is likely working from home."

Jilgu let out a laugh, and upon seeing Ye Zhiqiu glare at him, he managed to suppress his smile. He recalled the flustered appearance of Ye Zhiqiu trying to dodge her gun in the convenience store corridor, and he couldn't help but laugh again

Ye Zhiqiu shook her head: "I thought you were implying something."

Ye Zhiqiu did not doubt Gil's words. In such circumstances, the likelihood of someone with dark attributes being able to rally a force is certainly greater than that of someone with light attributes. This is an inevitable conclusion drawn from a human perspective. However, he still held a reserved attitude towards Gil's statements. This successful individual may be evil, but they are undoubtedly as clever as a *map* book. For a clever person, there are always enough ways to achieve balance

Nicole immediately perked up. While she was mentally estimating the size of the town, Jill had already spoken: "There are about twenty independent houses in the town. The average family size in the United States is over two, so even if we estimate it at three, the permanent population here would not exceed one hundred people"

The three individuals hastily finished their meal and began preparing for the planned burglary. Given that the owners of these houses were no longer present, or rather, it should be referred to as breaking and entering. During the preparations, Ye Zhiqiu suddenly asked Nicole, "What do you think is the likelihood of humans turning into zombies after being infected?"

This would leave Jill in silence. After a while, Nicole finally spoke: "The order in Anchorage has collapsed. As far as I know, it is now ruled by a man named Ashford."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded and then pointed around: "Now we have a very good data environment. There are at least six zombies in this town, and we have killed at least that many. How many people do you think there could be in this town?"

Ye Zhiqiu was taken aback for a moment and asked, "Who is that person?"

Ye and Qiu turned their heads dismissively: "Alright, you all continue. I am going to the next house."

What can Ye Zhiqiu say? Do they have guns? Thus, he turned around and returned to the living room, casually closing the bathroom door for them.

"That's great," Ye Zhiqiu said, spreading her hands. "We can use the kitchen here, but what are you doing in the bathroom?"

Ye Zhiqiu wore an expression of indifference; he did not intend to stay here for long. However, upon seeing the expressions of his two companions, he suddenly understood Gil's meaning: "Boil water? You don't mean to take a bath, do you?"

After a moment of silence, Nicole broke the quiet: "I don't believe Ashford's subordinates have the medical conditions for this. Purifying the serum requires a centrifuge and sufficient clinical samples. Furthermore..." She glanced at Ye Zhiqiu: "Your value actually depends on the number of people who produce this antibody. If every survivor can produce this antibody, then you have no value."

Very well. Ye Zhiqiu became spirited: "Where in the town would there be records of population registration?"

Alright. Ye Zhiqiu replaced the cloth on the handle of the saber, then looked at the two companions: "Let us set our expectations to the lowest standard, you follow behind me... Remember, do not shoot in my direction"

"Does this mean there will be no police station?" Ye Zhiqiu was very disappointed. Although he did not like guns, it did not mean he did not want to possess such a long-range weapon