Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 9: What’s More Terrifying Than a Fitness Zombie Is...

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: What’s More Terrifying Than a Fitness Zombie Is...

"Heh... Didn’t see that coming. You’ve got some guts, brother. Going this big?"

The owner of the tactical gear store perked up the moment he heard Yu Dong was going to fight beasts.

Yu Dong just smiled without saying anything. He glanced at the gear hanging around the shop; the selection was comprehensive, and everything looked brand new.

"What do you have already? Tell me what you’re missing, and I’ll get you set up."

"Let’s just start from scratch. As long as it meets my needs, I’m good."

"What’s the budget?"

"Go with the best stuff, the kind that will keep me alive. The budget is flexible."

"Interesting. You’re a very interesting guy, brother. Alright, I’ll recommend a standard loadout for you."

"A tactical vest, pads, and combat boots are essential. They’ll carry your gear and protect your vulnerable joints and ankles."

"To protect against scratches and bites... a stab-resistant vest and level-five stab-resistant gloves. With these two, you could practically catch a blade with your bare hands."

"Pair that with a tactical helmet with night vision to protect your head and neck. Once you’re wearing all this, a beast will have a hard time doing any real damage to you, aside from the force of a direct impact."

"Frankly, when dealing with beasts, intimidation is your best tool. This flare gun, for instance. It can fire extra-loud blanks, as well as signal flares and incendiary rounds. You can use the noise and flames to scare them off."

"As for weapons... you’ll have to put in some elbow grease yourself. Everything I’ve got is legal: extendable batons, long-handled axes, Mountain-Cutting Sabers, tactical fixed-blade knives, entrenching tools, slingshots. You can use them, but for a real life-or-death fight, they’re not quite up to snuff."

"Finally, a set of standard outdoor survival gear: a tactical backpack, tactical flashlight, binoculars, multi-tool, zip ties, radio, satellite phone, tent, sleeping bag... that’s pretty much all of it."

Hearing all this, Yu Dong knew he’d come to the right place.

The owner was a true professional.

The fully-armored combination of the stab-resistant vest, stab-resistant gloves, pads, tactical helmet, and combat boots was incredibly tempting.

From what he’d seen, zombies attacked by tearing, biting, and scratching. If his gear could withstand that, he wouldn’t get infected. That would give him a fighting chance.

"How much for that set of protective gear you just mentioned?"

"Depends on the quality you’re looking for. Different brands have different prices."

"I want the best."

"The best? Did you see the name of my shop? I’ve got top-of-the-line international gear here. A single set costs over 20,000. Are you sure?"

Yu Dong: "..."

He only had 28,461 yuan left.

"It doesn’t have to be *that* good... Something a little less premium, as long as it gets the job done, is fine."

"You don’t seem like a hardcore military enthusiast... I’ll set you up with a top-tier domestic brand. As long as you’re not trying to compete with the pros on the international servers, it’ll be more than enough. I can do it for 10,000."

The burly owner retrieved a set of gear for Yu Dong from the back storeroom. It was all black and looked incredibly intimidating.

After putting it on, Yu Dong felt the added weight, but the gear fit snugly and didn’t impact his flexibility too much. Plus, the protection was top-notch!

The owner took his own knife and gave Yu Dong a few hard strikes. Yu Dong could feel the considerable force behind the blows, but the blade couldn’t pierce his gear at all.

’If the 10,000-yuan set is this tough, I can only imagine how durable the 20,000-plus one must be...’

"That kind is specialized gear for actual gunfights. You won’t need it unless you’re going abroad."

"Alright, I’ll take this set."

It was expensive, but it was worth it!

He also bought the other pieces of individual equipment the owner recommended, with the exception of the major outdoor survival items like the satellite phone, tent, and sleeping bag. He chose the highest quality for everything he did buy and also grabbed a large quantity of spare batteries.

That cost him another 9,300 yuan.

He was about to leave, but suddenly turned his head to look at the owner—who, despite his intimidating appearance, was actually very professional—and asked:

"Boss, do you have any crossbows?"

"Brother, don’t joke around with me. That stuff is illegal contraband. This is a legitimate military fan shop. If you want a compound bow, on the other hand, I do have a couple of those."

"Never mind then."

Yu Dong didn’t know how to use a bow. He knew that to shoot one accurately, you needed a ton of practice, and he didn’t have a place to do that. It would be more trouble than it was worth.

Crossbows are regulated weapons for the simple reason that they’re easy to master. An average person can learn to aim and start shooting with just a little practice.

Yu Dong had just been testing the waters. Seeing how nervous the owner got, he didn’t press the issue. He loaded his things onto the delivery truck from the hardware store and left the market.

With that, his shopping plan was basically complete.

He now only had 9,015 yuan left in total.

Next up was filling in the gaps in his supplies and starting the modifications on his shelter.

He checked the time. It was already 6 PM.

’Xufeng should be here soon...’

After this shipment of goods was delivered, there was still a lot of work to do. Tonight was going to be another busy one.

But with Xufeng and Ding Ming helping him today, the work would go much faster.

Yu Dong called Xufeng.

"Where are you, Xufeng?"

"Dongzi, I’m already at Xiangti Bay. The guard at the gate heard I was looking for you and led me straight to Building One. I’m waiting for the elevator now, I’ll be up at your place in a second."

"Get rid of him."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Don’t let him come up. I’ve got secret stuff up there. If property management sees it, they’ll give me a world of trouble."

"Got it. I’ll wait for you on the ground floor."

Xufeng, who had been waiting for the elevator, turned to the tall, enthusiastic guy beside him, Liangzi.

"Sir, turns out Yu Dong isn’t home, and I don’t have a key, so I won’t go up. I’ll just wait for him down here. Thanks for your help."

"Oh, alright then. You can just wait here. Let me know if you need anything."

Liang Mian didn’t think much of it and left to go back on duty at the gate.

It was just a bit of a shame... ’The resident on the fourth floor seems like a really good guy,’ he thought. ’He’s nice to talk to and doesn’t look down on me for not going to college. I was even thinking of helping him out in my free time.’

"Okay."

After the security guard left, Xufeng sent Yu Dong a message on WeChat:

"Done."

"I’ll be right there. Take the elevator down to the first basement level and wait for me. I need your help moving some stuff."

Yu Dong had been on edge for a moment there.

Ding Ming was up on the fourth floor clearing things out, and a lot of furniture had already been thrown out. If Liang Mian had gone up, he would have discovered they were gutting the apartment. In a complex where most units were rentals, that would absolutely cause a dispute and create huge problems for his plans over the next few days.

That property manager, Sister Zhang, was not someone to be trifled with.

Thankfully, Xufeng had handled the situation well.

’That was a close call. If I’d called a minute later, there would’ve been trouble... This security guard, Liang Mian, is a little too enthusiastic.’

Even though it could have messed up his plans, Yu Dong’s opinion of Liang Mian actually improved.

If he needed to team up after the apocalypse, a helpful partner was far better than an ungrateful backstabber.

’I wonder if Liang Mian will turn into a zombie...’

What’s more terrifying than a gym-rat zombie?

A six-foot-tall P.E. student zombie.

Although Yu Dong was strong, he didn’t think his overall physical condition could compare to Liang Mian’s.

’Huh? There’s another detail...’

Speaking of strength, Yu Dong recalled his past life. After Xufeng had tackled him, the two of them had a brief wrestling match.

In the end, the arm and wrist strength he’d always been proud of couldn’t match Xufeng’s, and he was bitten to death.

From years of working part-time as a package sorter, Yu Dong’s arm and wrist strength were significantly greater than Xufeng’s. In his previous life, he hadn’t been exhausted when Xufeng tackled him. Fueled by an adrenaline rush, he had used all his might to wrestle with the zombified Xufeng, but he still lost.

’In other words, after Xufeng turned into a zombie, he got stronger, and faster than usual...’

’That is not good news.’

This also meant that if Liangzi, the P.E. student who was a clear step above Xufeng in strength, became a zombie, he would be even more powerful—a problem that Yu Dong would find very difficult to handle.

’When the apocalypse breaks out, I need to keep a close eye on Liang Mian’s status...’

Yu Dong would have to be wary of him.

He had already suffered a loss to a gym-rat zombie in his past life; he wasn’t about to lose to a P.E. student zombie this time around.

Yu Dong arrived back at the complex in the delivery truck. Liang Mian was busy; he opened the gate for him and then left, allowing Yu Dong to once again get his supplies into the underground garage without attracting any attention.

Xufeng and Ding Ming were already in the basement waiting for him.

This time, two employees from the hardware store were there to help. Unloading the rest of the items went quickly. Finally, the five of them worked together to unload the large steel plate, propping it up next to the double doors that led from the underground garage into Building One.

He couldn’t seal the entrance just yet, of course. If he did, the building’s other residents wouldn’t be able to get through and would certainly complain to property management, which would just be another headache.

Yu Dong had found a welder at the hardware market and made an appointment for this coming Sunday morning.

He had saved most of his final lockdown procedures to be completed all at once on that day.

As Xufeng helped carry down all the tools and the personal tactical suit, he realized Yu Dong wasn’t kidding around. He was really planning something big.

And that made Xufeng a little worried.

"Dongzi, isn’t this new ’hobby’ of yours a bit extreme?"