On my first night at the research institute, I slept soundly without any nightmares or waking up in the middle of the night, and slept until the early morning.
This was the most restful sleep I've had in a long time. When I woke up, nothing had changed. Everyone was still around, and the research institute was still the same as before.
It's seven in the morning. Jingjie and Zhang Xue are preparing breakfast. Wen Guochao is standing in front of the research institute's gate, not daring to go in.
I asked, "Is the disinfection inside almost finished?"
Wen Guochao laughed and said, "It's been a whole night, it should be better by now, you can go in now."
I said, "Let's not rush, let's have breakfast first."
One night of disinfection at the research institute should be enough. We were all fine when we went in before, so there shouldn't be any problems after the disinfection.
This research institute is very large. Yesterday, we only cleaned up the visible corpses throughout the entire institute. As for whether there are any other rooms that haven't been cleaned, we'll have to deal with that today.
Since this place has the conditions for living, and we have all decided to live here permanently, we need to understand the situation inside. If we don't understand it, what if something unexpected happens after we move in?
Therefore, we still need to conduct the necessary checks, and we can only move into the research institute to live once we are certain that there is absolutely no danger.
Breakfast was ready around 7:30.
I washed my face and brushed my teeth, then sat down on the floor with everyone.
There are seven of us in total: six adults and one girl.
No one spoke during the meal. I glanced at them, thought of something, and said, "Since we plan to live here long-term, I think there are some things we still need to do."
Everyone looked at me curiously, and Wen Yue, that girl, also stared at me with wide, curious eyes.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yun asked.
I said, "It's a matter of safety. We just arrived here yesterday and don't know anything about the surrounding area. So after breakfast, around 8:30, we'll split up."
I looked at Sister Jing and Fei Lichao sitting together and said, "Sister Jing, you and Lao Fei drive around and check the situation. Try to see everything in the distance and surrounding area, and it would be best to check the edge of Mingzhu City as well. If you encounter any survivors, ignore them. If you encounter a team, don't make any contact with them either. Leave as soon as possible before they notice you. Understand?"
Sister Jing nodded and said, "Xiaonan, you can trust us. We know all about these things, so you don't need to worry."
I nodded. There was indeed nothing to worry about. Having spent so much time with Fei Lichao and Sister Jing, we knew each other's ways of doing things inside and out. Coupled with our experiences in Jiajiang, we had developed an instinctive wariness and resistance towards strangers.
Therefore, it is most appropriate to entrust the task of patrolling the surrounding area to the two of them.
Upon hearing this, Fei Lichao couldn't hide his excitement.
Jingjie then asked, "After we went out, what was the situation in the research lab? Xiaonan, are you going back in?"
I said, "Yes, Lu Yun and I will continue to investigate the situation inside the research institute. The institute is so big, and there are still many places we haven't been to. We need to figure out all the rooms and their conditions before we can feel at ease staying there. Don't you agree?"
Everyone agreed with me.
Immediately, Zhang Xue asked, "What about us?"
I looked at Zhang Xue and Wen Guochao and said, "You two stay here. Wen Guochao, I need you to help me control the circuits in the power distribution room on the third floor. Didn't you say yesterday that you could control all the doors in the research institute from there?"
Wen Guochao nodded and said, "Yes, it can be done."
I said, "Then you can help me on the third floor. I'll notify you via walkie-talkie when I go to check other places."
“No problem,” Wen Guochao said.
Zhang Xue looked at me with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if she also wanted to do something.
Seeing her expression, I naturally couldn't let her sit idle, so I said, "As for Zhang Xue, go straight to the roof and keep an eye on the area around the research lab. If any living people appear near the lab, you'll need to notify us. We'll all be inside the research institute, and it won't do if no one is watching outside."
Zhang Xue smiled and nodded. She was quite satisfied with the task; at least today wouldn't be too boring.
That's all I can do now. How to continue living here is something we need to figure out gradually, and it will require everyone's joint efforts.
After leaving Jiajiang, I felt like I had almost given up hope, but after coming here, I feel like we still have a future!
I believe that we will be able to live in this research institute for a long time to come, and more and more people will join us in the future.
Time will eventually heal past wounds; all that's missing is a chance to start over.
...
Around 8:30, Sister Jing and Fei Lichao set off by car, carrying weapons for self-defense.
This is the outskirts of Mingzhu City. Everything is very open. There is a river in the distance to the east. After crossing the river, you will be in the area of Mingzhu City.
Pearl City was once an international metropolis with a large population. Although the zombie outbreak caused a large number of people to die and turn into zombies, there must have been many survivors.
To survive here, the primary goal is to understand the surrounding situation.
Ignoring them, Lu Yun, Wen Guochao, his family of three, and I entered the research institute after we were ready.
After a night of disinfection and cleaning, the air inside the research institute was noticeably better than yesterday. The strong stench of corpses was gone, but there was still a lingering smell of disinfectant, which was a bit pungent but not a big problem.
The first place we checked was the top floor, which is the fourth floor, the rooftop where the solar panels are located.
The top floor was quite safe; there were no zombies. Standing on the observation deck, one could clearly see everything around them.
I said, "Zhang Xue, you and your daughter stay here and keep watch. If anything happens, contact us via walkie-talkie."
"I understand," Zhang Xue said.
Wen Guochao smiled and said, "Then we'll go down first."
"Goodbye, Dad." Wen Yue waved.
We left the top floor and went back to the third floor.
The first place we'll definitely check is the third floor. When we checked the third floor yesterday, we found that the residential area was only half of the third floor. We still don't know what the other half is, so the first thing we need to check now is the other half of the third floor.
We need to determine exactly what the other half of the area is.
(End of this chapter)
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