Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 8: Four Blockades

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Four Blockades

The Hardware and Building Materials Market.

This was Yu Dong’s last stop for his in-person shopping, the final piece of the puzzle for his shelter.

Security.

Yu Dong pulled out his small notebook, which detailed the problems he’d identified and the tasks he still needed to complete.

He reviewed his observations from coming and going through the Xiangti Bay Community over the past few days. The complex’s advantages were crystal clear.

A low number of residents, separate ground and underground levels for pedestrians and vehicles, a small but sturdy ground-level entrance, and a three-meter-high perimeter wall that fully enclosed the area.

These factors would make his surroundings relatively controllable when the zombie virus broke out.

Even if zombies appeared inside the complex, their numbers would be low, and most would be trapped inside their apartments or kept outside the complex’s walls.

However, there were still four major problems he needed to address.

1. The ground-level entrance to the Xiangti Bay Community was an electronically controlled gate. If he could lock it down before the apocalypse, the entire complex’s security would be massively improved, preventing wandering zombies from getting inside.

2. The community’s underground garage was like an undefended public space and extremely dangerous. He had to seal off the entrance leading from the garage to his building, Building 1.

3. The main entrance of Building 1 also needed to be barricaded to prevent any zombies outside from breaking in, which would make the interior of the building relatively safe.

4. The fire door on his floor, the fourth floor, was the final line of defense. Behind it was the stairwell. As long as he could hold the fire door, his entire floor would be secure.

Four defensive layers, from the perimeter inward, to optimize his living conditions for the next three years of survival.

The community’s main gate and the entrance from the garage to Building 1 needed to be sealed tight—so tight that they would be difficult to breach even with brute force.

The Building 1 ground-level entrance and his fourth-floor fire door would be "soft" barricades. They couldn’t be permanently sealed, as he would still need to be able to open them from the inside to get out.

With his objectives set, Yu Dong walked into a store in the hardware market and began his shopping.

"I need a high-strength steel plate cut to these dimensions."

Yu Dong showed the owner the measurements he had written down. The owner glanced at them and nodded, indicating it wouldn’t be a problem.

"How about a 12mm Q390NC steel plate? Will that work?"

"That’s fine."

The owner ran the numbers.

"Flat price, 1,290 yuan. I’ll throw in the cutting for free."

"Alright."

Yu Dong planned to use this single sheet of steel to block the double doors leading from the underground garage to Building 1, welding it shut permanently. A plate this thick couldn’t be shot through even with an AK-47. Yu Dong refused to believe a zombie could claw its way through.

"I also need two of your thickest iron chains with matching padlocks..."

"And your highest-strength screws, bolts, and expansion bolts."

"Two thick angle iron beams, cut to a length that’ll fit in an elevator..."

"Solid wood planks, a hammer, nails, a hacksaw, super glue..."

"And two crowbars, a universal tool kit, a high-powered cordless drill, an angle grinder—with a couple of extra batteries for each—and fifty meters of both hemp and nylon rope..."

"I want the best quality you have, and don’t try to rip me off on the price. Otherwise, I’ll just go to the next shop. There’s no shortage of people selling this stuff. If you’re not going to give me a fair deal, plenty of others will. Am I making myself clear, boss?"

As Yu Dong finished clearly stating his needs, the shop owner was left dumbfounded.

He’d initially thought the kid just wanted a steel plate and hadn’t even bothered to get out of his chair. But upon hearing the long list of items, he shot right up, grabbing a notepad to jot everything down.

And those last words made the owner think twice about treating this young man like a cash cow to be milked.

After a quick assessment, he decided to handle this order properly. After all, it was a huge list of items. He could still make a decent profit by doing business honestly. If he tried to overcharge and got called out, he’d end up with nothing for the day.

"Don’t you worry, my friend. I promise I’ll get you the best stuff at the fairest price."

Yu Dong nodded, giving him the go-ahead to gather the items.

As the owner went to the back warehouse to get the stock, Yu Dong breathed an inward sigh of relief.

In truth, Yu Dong didn’t know much about this stuff himself. But he figured, why reinvent the wheel when there are so many experts out there? He just had to copy their homework.

People might joke about the online Q&A platform Zhihu, but many of the answers on there were pure gold.

It was one of the few places where an ordinary person could see industry titans personally answering questions.

Yu Dong figured that just winging it would be far less effective than simply copying the work of the pros.

’Clear, meticulous logic, or fumbling around like a blind man trying to describe an elephant?’ Yu Dong knew which one would better help him survive.

The gear from the hardware market would give him the ability to modify and reinforce his shelter, making it more secure and allowing him to complete his four-layered defense plan.

After some back-and-forth, Yu Dong realized the total cost for the pile of goods was much higher than he’d expected.

A Delixi brushless lithium-ion angle grinder, complete with four batteries and a 60-piece assortment of cutting discs, grinding wheels, and flap wheels, came to 1,000 yuan alone.

A high-powered Bosch impact drill kit was 940 yuan, and a Stanley tool set was 1,230 yuan...

The other miscellaneous items also added up to a hefty sum. Yu Dong winced at the cost.

"The total comes to 9,035. I’ll round it down for you. Let’s just call it 9,000."

The owner tapped away at his calculator and gave Yu Dong the final price.

Seeing Yu Dong hesitate, the owner sighed.

"My friend, this is all top-shelf stuff. To be honest... I barely sell a few of these a year. Most people go for the cheap knockoffs. But with hardware, you get what you pay for. Give it two years, and you’ll know this money was well spent."

The owner’s words struck a chord with Yu Dong.

’Money isn’t the issue. Reliability is what matters most.’

He didn’t have any repair skills. If something broke, it was broken for good.

In the post-apocalyptic world, a durable set of tools would be more important than anything.

Yu Dong had also just done a quick search for the prices online. The owner hadn’t been ripping him off; some items were even cheaper than their online listings.

He ran his hand over the sturdy, reliable, boxy tools. Each one was a small piece of industrial art, and the air was filled with the reassuring scent of lubricating oil.

’This is the good stuff.’

DING!

Payment successful.

"Have everything delivered to Xiangti Bay."

"Heh heh heh, you got it. As soon as the plate is cut, I’ll have one of my guys send it over."

The owner was grinning from ear to ear. Any shopkeeper would be thrilled to have such a decisive customer.

After leaving the hardware store, Yu Dong walked around the market for a bit until he found another shop.

Tactical Frontier.

It was a military surplus store, the best arsenal Yu Dong could legally access.

With his shelter’s defenses planned, it was time to focus on his personal gear.

The owner was a heavyset, middle-aged man with a brutish face, the kind of tough guy you didn’t want to mess with.

He shot Yu Dong a look.

"What are you buying?"

"Individual combat gear."

"Heh. Sounds professional. ’Individual gear’ covers a lot of ground. What’s it for? Mountain climbing? Hiking? Catching deer?"

"Extreme survival and self-defense. Might end up in close quarters with... wild animals. I need to prevent bites and scratches."

Yu Dong never really understood why characters in zombie movies fought the undead wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts. ’Even ancient soldiers knew to wear a suit of armor.’

’With modern gear, shouldn’t it be easy to protect against simple attacks like bites and scratches?’