Everyone geared up

The next day, the cold wind rose again.

They got up early and ate breakfast.

With professionals joining them, there was no question that their research into the infectious material would improve.

That morning, Su Jin collected ice, distributed different amounts into identical containers, then heated it until it melted into water.

Each container held a different concentration of the gray substance, and he numbered them all.

For this step, he relied entirely on his vision.

Based on his naked-eye observations of the gray mist's concentration, he shaded a sheet of white paper with a pencil, creating a grayscale chart for the two experts to reference.

Then, under Sun Ya and Wei De's guidance, he made some simple adjustments to account for errors and address shortcomings.

With the experts' guidance, they had already begun quantifiable experiments on the supernatural, unobservable gray mist in a remarkably short time.

By the time he finished his part in the experiments, it was noon.

The two elderly men were still busy conducting observations in the makeshift laboratory in the spare bedroom.

Su Jin left the spare bedroom, feeling considerably more at ease.

The entire Fu Family was sitting in the living room, unsure what to do.

After sitting idle for several hours, Fu Hu and his wife were visibly anxious.

Su Jin took one look and immediately understood.

Out of consideration for the family, he had refrained from assigning them any work.

Now he had to give them something to do.

Whether it distracted them or let them contribute to the team, anything was better than letting them keep resting until their mental health deteriorated further.

Perhaps keeping busy would be a better form of rest.

Before Su Jin could speak, Fu Hu stood up and asked hesitantly, "Director... what can I do?"

"Wait here." With that, Su Jin ran up to the fourth floor.

After several trips back and forth, quite a few new items had appeared in the living room.

Stones of various sizes, clothes, rolls of aluminum... and a sack of pig feed.

After catching his breath, Su Jin put his hands on his hips. "Old Fu, the stones and the stuff in that sack are for you and your daughter."

"For now, you don't need to do anything else. Just train indoors and improve your stamina and strength! Focus on your arms, legs, and lung capacity."

"And archery, too. We'll open the doors of our two apartments across the hall and dismantle the entryways... use quilts as targets and practice hard. It'll come in handy later."

As he spoke, Su Jin pointed at the sack of pig feed on the floor. "Take a spoonful of that before training and another afterward. It'll help you build muscle quickly and relieve fatigue."

Fu Hu scratched his head. "Director, isn't that pig feed?"

"What pig feed? That's a specially formulated training drink I prepared for you in advance. There's just so much of it that a pig-feed sack was convenient for storing it," Su Jin said without blushing or missing a beat. "If you don't know how to train, I'll teach you..."

It might have been pig feed, but the stuff inside was genuinely good.

Pure whey protein!

The fitness market in this world had yet to develop at all, and there was very little understanding or appreciation of whey protein's value.

The protein powder those muscular gym guys ate had once been slop for pigs in rural pens!

When he first discovered whey protein at the slaughterhouse, he had been ecstatic!

A perfect protein... and it might even contain valuable veterinary drugs for fighting disease!

Besides that, finding it at the slaughterhouse had reminded him of something.

The potent drugs he wanted to buy at pharmacies were controlled, but veterinary drugs had far fewer restrictions.

Afterward, he had easily gotten his hands on antibiotics.

Their standards and specifications certainly weren't suitable for human use, but with the world in its current state, a few impurities hardly mattered.

It was just a shame he hadn't managed to get any testosterone.

If he had testosterone, a couple of injections would have Fu Qingdai packing on muscle like crazy!

There was no need to worry about side effects, either. If real danger came along, the zombies would send her on her way long before the hormones could launch Fu Qingdai onto Planet Steroid.

After listening to Su Jin's explanation, Fu Hu looked utterly bewildered. He said hesitantly, "Director, I don't have a problem with training. But my daughter... how much can a girl get out of it? If something happens and her arms and legs have no strength..."

"They'll have no strength if she doesn't train!" Su Jin said firmly. "Old Fu, at a time like this, I'm not going to mince words. You're uneducated, and your thinking is outdated!"

"We're safe for the time being. Qing Dai may build muscle slowly because she's a girl, but she can still improve her muscle recruitment quickly. Those things I just explained to you..."

After hearing him out, Fu Hu was still completely lost, though his expression had turned serious.

"Director, I didn't understand much of that, but I understand what to do."

"Excellent. That's settled." Su Jin turned to the somewhat ill-at-ease Zhang Wan and softened his voice. "Ma'am."

"I know you're afraid, but as long as I'm here, as a government official, I have a responsibility to protect you, even leaving aside Qing Dai's special circumstances. I'll protect all of you to the very end. You can rest easy."

Tears welled in Zhang Wan's eyes, and she nodded repeatedly.

"Get yourself into a better frame of mind. I have a task for you, too." Su Jin looked at the supplies on the floor. "You know how to sew. I need you to redesign these clothes and fabrics, sew pockets onto them, then cut the aluminum rolls into sheets and insert them into the pockets."

"They need to allow freedom of movement while also providing full coverage without leaving any gaps. With your professional skills, I'm sure that won't be a problem."

After inspecting the clothes on the floor, Zhang Wan nodded. "That's not difficult. I should be able to manage with a little trial and error."

"Good! Ma'am, this is a crucial part of keeping us safe." Su Jin looked intently at Zhang Wan. "Our lives are in your hands."

"Yes, don't worry... I promise I won't make any mistakes."

By afternoon, they had finished lunch.

After gearing up again and making sure he was thoroughly protected, Su Jin hurried downstairs with a thin sheet of iron.

He wasn't planning to search the building for new recruits today.

The two experts were studying the infectious material, and later, before dark, they would need to dissect zombies.

His strength and energy were limited. He had to be in peak condition when recruiting new people to guard against the unexpected.

Besides, putting it off a little longer was a good thing. The longer people held out, the stronger their minds would become.

Rather than hastily forming a team, he would be better off without anyone weak-minded.

Despite that plan, when Su Jin reached the first floor, he still knocked on the doors of both apartments.

Hearing faint footsteps and sounds of bodies hitting the doors, he sighed and walked outside.

Both first-floor households had been wiped out.

Although the rainwater hadn't reached them, he had seen zombies run over and knock on their windows on the morning of the second day... both households had opened their windows. It seemed they were completely done for.

As soon as Su Jin appeared outside, people in the building behind him and the one opposite immediately began shouting for help.

Su Jin ignored them, quickly drew his gun, and tested his shooting range by killing the only two remaining zombies.

Then he found a nearby zombie corpse, covered it with the sheet of iron, and dragged it back.

He had no idea whether the thing might come back to life. With something covering it, he would have time to react if it suddenly sprang up.

Fortunately, the horrific incident he had imagined never happened. He dragged back two corpses and left them both in Wang Song's apartment.