Chapter 25 Rebirth*N
Lin Xi opened her eyes again.
The room in front of me was dim and clean, with the curtains drawn, no projector on the wall, and no snacks stocked up.
Unlike her safe house, which she had stocked up on supplies in preparation for the apocalypse.
And so she knew that she had been reborn.
The first thing I did after being reborn was to turn on my phone and check the time: May 20, 2024.
The year before the zombie outbreak.
Each rebirth occurs a little earlier than the zombie outbreak, but this time the rebirth happened a year earlier.
Lin Xi twisted his neck, rubbed his hands together, and prepared to devise another plan to survive.
Because they didn't have enough food, they were attacked by zombies when they went out to collect supplies.
They had stockpiled enough supplies, but due to water and power outages, they had no clean drinking water and eventually died of thirst.
Having prepared a water filter and solar charging panels, which solved the survival problem, I never expected my home to be robbed and to attract zombies. My survival time was even shorter than in my second life.
This time, Lin Xi plans to improve upon the previous renovations of her home.
Learning from her past life, her tragic end stemmed from the fact that her house wasn't sturdy enough, allowing intruders to break in. If the house were sturdy enough, people wouldn't be able to get in or break down, and zombies wouldn't be able to get in either.
Therefore, the most important task in this life is to build a fortified wall.
In addition to the security door, all the glass was replaced with bulletproof glass, making it impenetrable to anyone.
Furthermore, the walls in their old neighborhood are fragile and not soundproof, so in addition to applying soundproofing stickers, the outer layer of the walls also needs to be covered with steel plates.
Ideally, the entire house should be fitted with burglar bars. Even if outsiders risk attracting zombies to smash her house, they won't be able to break through with double protection.
The problem is that these materials are not cheap, and the renovation costs are not low.
Lin Xi logged into her mobile banking account and saw that her balance was only around 120,000 yuan. Because her rebirth time was a year earlier, she had lost a year's worth of savings.
If she starts saving money and reducing entertainment from today, her income, after deducting living costs, will still amount to 60,000 to 70,000 by this time next year, which is about the same as her survival funds in her previous life.
Just as Lin Xi was planning how to renovate, she received a phone call.
It's team leader Zhou Ling.
Upon seeing the name, Lin Xi raised an eyebrow, already imagining that cold voice mechanically repeating: "Lin Xi, you were two hours late without leave, which can be treated as half a day of absenteeism. Absenteeism will result in a deduction of wages and attendance bonus."
Sure enough, when I answered the phone, I heard exactly what was said.
No matter when, Zhou Ling's attitude towards her remained consistently fair, warning her that if she didn't come to work again, her salary would be deducted.
But Lin Xi had no intention of resigning immediately. She apologized honestly over the phone, then grabbed her bag and headed to the company.
She still needs that pittance to build herself a safe house!
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During a break from work, Lin Xi found several renovation companies that could install bulletproof glass and added their contact information through their official WeChat accounts.
Lin Xi originally thought that requesting bulletproof glass, a sturdy interlayer in the walls, and a complete anti-theft system would look very good.
However, the customer service representative at the studio told her in a very gentle tone: "Ms. Lin, you don't need to worry. Our studio mainly serves women living alone. The original intention of establishing the studio was to protect the life and property safety of women living alone."
Then, the customer service representative, speaking from the perspective of a woman living alone, raised many safety concerns and explained the general plan.
Lin Xi was intrigued, but she hadn't asked the most important question yet: "Stop, don't say so much yet. Just tell me roughly how much it will cost."
The customer service representative didn't provide a specific solution; instead, they scheduled an on-site visit and design session before providing a quote.
After work, Lin Xi met the designer at the subway station. When she led the designer into the dilapidated old apartment in the urban village, the designer's face showed a hint of surprise.
Lin Xi asked directly, "Have you never renovated a house like this before? Do your usual residents live in upscale neighborhoods?"
After all, this kind of renovation is quite expensive, and ordinary wage earners cannot afford it, which is Lin Xi's biggest difficulty.
The designer hadn't expected her to ask so directly, but quickly recovered: "Of course not. We provide this service to many female homeowners; we've handled all kinds of houses."
Lin Xi asked curiously, "Are they all female homeowners?"
"Mostly, I guess. I also recently served a male client." Seeing Lin Xi's curious gaze, the designer gave a professional smile: "Specific details are a matter of client privacy and cannot be disclosed."
The two walked into Lin Xi's house while talking.
Lin Xi's house is on the third floor, which also includes the attic on the fourth floor. The interior decoration is in the style of fifteen years ago and looks quite old.
Only some new small appliances and the bed in her room were new additions after she started working.
The designer had anticipated her home's condition as soon as they entered the building. Instead of showing any disgust, he tapped on the wall and used professional instruments to test its thickness and materials.
After a quick look, Lin Xi handed the designer a glass of water. "How does it look? Can you meet the requirements I mentioned on WeChat?"
As the designer packed his equipment into his bag, he said, "The requests you made on WeChat were the most basic. Replacing the windows with bulletproof glass, increasing the wall's hardness, and installing burglar bars throughout the house, right?"
"Um."
"For bulletproof glass, the price ranges from 6,500 to 10,000 yuan per square meter, including labor, depending on the material. The specific material depends on your needs. I took a look at your house, and all the window glass combined is about 16 square meters, not including the upstairs sunroom."
The designer took a sip of water, paused, and jotted down data on a piece of paper. "If the sunroom is to be entirely constructed of bulletproof glass, it's estimated that it will require an additional 5*2.8 + 5*3 meters, totaling approximately 30 square meters. Are you sure you want to renovate the sunroom with bulletproof glass?"
Just hearing the price of the front window made Lin Xi distressed that her money would only be enough to upgrade to bulletproof glass. When she heard about the price of the sunroom in the back, she felt even more heartbroken.
The designer's confirmation was like a blunt question: "Do you really have that much money?"
Seeing that Lin Xi did not give a definite answer, the designer asked again, "Actually, the sunroom is not the main activity area, and there are no important valuables stored inside. If you are worried about security, you can just install window glass."
The sunroom looks empty now, but in the future, we'll need to put a water filter and solar panels there!
The sunroom must be secure.
Ignoring the designer's tone, which seemed to be subtly probing her financial situation, Lin Xi truthfully stated her needs: "I want to install a water filter and solar charging in the sunroom. I need to ensure the safety of the sunroom. Are there any other solutions?"
"What is your reason for installing that water filter and solar charging panel? As far as I know, those things are expensive to manufacture, but the conversion rate is not high, and it may take a long time to recoup the cost, so it is not cost-effective. If you have a limited budget, I personally do not recommend that you install them."
Sensing the other person's implication that she shouldn't put on a brave face, Lin Xi couldn't help but think to herself: If it weren't for survival, who would willingly pretend to be something they're not?!
She sneered, "They'll come in handy when the end of the world comes."
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