Chapter 8

Driving the modified pickup truck on the street, Chen Fei became the focus of everyone without a doubt. Modified cars could occasionally be seen on the streets, but a car modified to such an exaggerated and ugly extent, Chen Fei's pickup truck was definitely the first.

What Chen Fei was most worried about was encountering a traffic police officer. If such an exaggerated modification were to be seen by a traffic police officer, the consequences would be unimaginable. This was also one of the reasons why Chen Fei did not leave in advance.

When he successfully drove the pickup truck back to his underground garage, Chen Fei found his palms drenched in nervous sweat. Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, and he imagined the traffic police officers had joined the city lockdown and order maintenance teams.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Chen Fei looked at his phone hesitantly. After a struggle in his heart, he dialed Mu Meiqing's number. After dialing three times, Mu Meiqing's cold voice finally came through the phone.

"What's up, Chen Fei? Don't you know I'm at work? The hospital is very busy right now! If there's nothing important, I'm hanging up. I have to work overtime tonight!"

Chen Fei could hear the noise from the hospital and imagine the situation there.

Just as Mu Meiqing was about to hang up, Chen Fei said with a serious tone,

"Sister Qing, I'll only take five minutes of your time. I have something important to tell you! Don't ask me why, just trust me. I won't harm you!"

This was the first time Chen Fei spoke to Mu Meiqing with such a serious tone. Hearing this, Mu Meiqing did not hang up in a hurry. She sensed the worry in Chen Fei's voice and softened her tone a bit.

"Go ahead, I'll give you five minutes!"

Relieved by this response, Chen Fei then earnestly and carefully instructed,

"Sister Qing, something crazy will happen at your hospital tomorrow, like people biting each other. This situation will spread in an instant. When you encounter this, don't panic, and don't think about leaving the hospital immediately. Find a safe room nearby and lock yourself in. Remember, don't go out casually. Also, it's best to prepare some food and water in advance. I can't explain many things, but if you trust me, do as I say!"

After giving these instructions, Chen Fei was anxious. After all, if someone else had said such things to him under normal circumstances, he would have cursed them. So, he couldn't expect many people to believe him.

"Alright, I'll remember what you said!"

Mu Meiqing responded with a tone Chen Fei did not expect, which was a sign of trust in him.

After getting out of the car, Chen Fei began his work as a mover. He moved some supplies from his room into the back of the pickup truck. This was something Chen Fei had to think about; otherwise, if he waited until he left to move them, he would face a very dangerous situation. He couldn't expect the zombies to be considerate enough not to attack him while he was moving supplies, so it was better to be prepared.

With Chen Fei's physical condition, the moving work left him exhausted. This made him realize the new crisis: his physical condition indeed needed to be strengthened. Otherwise, if he were to run from zombies, he would probably be tackled down before he even ran 100 meters.

While looking for the key to open the door at his house, Chen Fei's gaze fell on a small card stuck in the door crack. Of course, this small card was not from a college part-time job flyer. It read, "Strong Brother Locksmith! Official designated locksmith partner."

Chen Fei usually paid no attention to such small cards and was even too lazy to remove them from the door crack. However, seeing this card now made him think of something important.

In the post-apocalyptic world, gathering supplies was always dangerous and relied heavily on luck. When searching for supplies, the most common encounters, besides zombies, were various locks! These locks increased the difficulty and danger of the search.

Of course, in TV shows and movies, the protagonist usually just bangs the lock with a few shots to break it open. However, in reality, not only was it unlikely to get a gun, but using bullets to open locks seemed ridiculous. So, why not learn a lock-picking skill?

With this thought, Chen Fei dialed the number on the card. Actually, Chen Fei was not a decisive person; laziness and indifference were more fitting for him. However, things were different now because the time he had left to prepare was limited. He had to act on any idea he had. In the post-apocalyptic world, if he didn't change from a dreamer or theorist to an action-taker, he would end up joining the zombie ranks. So, there was no room for hesitation.

The call was quickly answered, and a somewhat lazy male voice came through the phone.

"Hello, Clown Locksmith. Do you need a lock opening service, or lock repair and replacement?"

Faced with this question, Chen Fei gave a straightforward answer that almost made the person on the other end choke on their saliva.

"I want to learn lock-picking. How much will it cost? Name your price!"

"Ah? ... Hehehe, Captain Zhang! Are you being naughty again? Didn't I say I've retired? I'm doing legal business now, with all the necessary permits. You can check if you don't believe me. Just tell me what you need, don't joke like this!"

Chen Fei was speechless. It turned out this guy was a former locksmith. However, this suited Chen Fei's needs because it proved the guy had real skills.

"I'm not Captain Zhang. I just want to learn lock-picking techniques. I need a crash course that can be completed in three to four hours. I'll pay 8,000 yuan. Will you teach me or not?"

"Um... At least 12,000 yuan. Teaching you involves risks."

Chen Fei thought the other party might be a bit hesitant, but the guy agreed without any hesitation, which made Chen Fei inwardly despise him.

The Clown Locksmith's shop was in a tiny storefront near the south gate of the neighborhood. Chen Fei found it according to the directions. After a heated negotiation, Chen Fei and the shifty-eyed Brother Hao finally reached an agreement. Chen Fei would pay 11,000 yuan, and Brother Hao would teach him how to pick locks with paper clips and wire. If he learned quickly, it would take one to two hours; if he was slower, it would take three to four hours to grasp the basics. This method could open most locks, except for the more complex ones.

However, Chen Fei's actions proved that he was not well-suited to join this profession. It took him five hours to barely master the lock-picking techniques, leaving Brother Hao hoarse from explaining.

Chen Fei never thought that the first skill he would learn would be lock-picking! If his deceased father knew, he would probably come back to beat him up in a dream.

By the time Chen Fei returned home, it was already past 10 PM. Nangong Jin, wearing a light purple lace nightgown, stood by the sofa, leaning against a stack of mineral water bottles, frowning at the TV.

The TV was broadcasting international news, mainly about the current pandemic situation in the United States. The official stance was that it was a new type of influenza virus with high contagiousness. As of 8 PM, the number of suspected cases in the U.S. had exceeded 200,000, with over 110,000 confirmed cases. The World Health Organization had classified this virus as a major public health issue, urging countries to take it seriously and prepare for the virus's spread.

Nangong Jin had already looked at Chen Fei when he opened the door. Her brows were furrowed, and she looked worried.

"Chen Fei, the entire national transportation system has been shut down, and international flights have been canceled. This virus doesn't seem as simple as it appears. Could it be that the zombie virus you mentioned is real? I've already reminded my parents to stock up on food, but I don't know if they listened. I really want to go back and be with them."

Seeing Nangong Jin's worried expression, Chen Fei sighed and reminded her helplessly,

"Sister Jin, I think you should call your parents while the communication system is still working. Tell them to prepare as much food and water as possible, even if it means spending a lot of money. Then, instruct them not to leave the house no matter how chaotic things get tomorrow, and not to trust anyone. Just stay at home and wait for rescue."

When Chen Fei first said these things, Nangong Jin had some doubts. However, after a day of watching news and information, her intuition told her that things were not as simple as they seemed.

Faced with Chen Fei's reminder, Nangong Jin was very decisive. She immediately picked up her phone and called her parents, willing to face their scolding if necessary, but determined to make her own judgment.

Nangong Jin's trust made Chen Fei feel a bit relieved. He then thought of Mu Meiqing, who was working overtime at the hospital. Feeling uneasy, Chen Fei called her again, but it took seven attempts before he finally received a text message from her.

"Too busy, can't talk. I remember what you said."

Mu Meiqing's concise message made Chen Fei sigh in relief. From now on, the outbreak of the zombie virus was entering its final countdown...