Over the past two days, there has been an immeasurable increase in criminal activity, with many people taking shelter in their homes while some more paranoid individuals have resorted to looting nearby factories for essential goods like food, beverages, clothes, and weapons.
Those looking for a safe place would think that islands and ships would be the best choices, not thinking it through, those islands were going to be one of the most dangerous as everyone would try to fight over them. Islands rich in resources were housed by the military, which in the future, would shot down whoever who would try to get near the island.
Luckily, there were still people with responsibilities, the army and the healthcare continued to function as before.
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Two hours later, a fleet of armored personnel carriers and logistics military trucks unexpectedly arrived at a precast concrete factory, which was connected to the main road by a small side road, and supplied nearby cities with its precast materials.
(Precast concrete = a concrete product that is designed and prepared offsite. The construction product would then arrive on site, ready for fast installation.)
Four trucks, including three SWAT vehicles, drove towards the parking lot, and as the most despised person in the world emerged from her old vehicle with a snake slithering around her, onlookers struggled to restrain themselves from attacking her outright.
They feared her immense power and potential to unleash destruction, whether through nuclear weapons or by inciting a global war between nations, despite the security measures in place to prevent such catastrophic events.
Walking closely beside her was a team of twelve SWAT members, who had foregone their helmets, and one among them was unmistakably the individual who had previously caught Bing Shi's attention.
Upon noticing the intense stares of the soldiers, Ziek couldn't help but smile. Paying no attention to Kuro, he turned to the person beside him and exclaimed, "I can't wait to see their expressions tomorrow."
The girl concealed beneath her gas mask smiled and replied, "Me too. How come you accepted the apocalypse so fast?"
Ziek relished the animosity in their stares and responded, "Because that's what I would do as well."
Bing Shi raised her hand and waved to the handsome Yi Zen in front of her, then wasted no time in ushering everyone into a massive, corrugated metal warehouse.
After illuminating the area, Bing Shi linked her tablet to a projector and commenced explaining her proposal, "We will construct something in a day, and to better illustrate my vision, I've created a basic model."
Displayed on the screen was a circular concrete construction, with a precast foundation measuring 120 meters in diameter and 10 meters in height. The towering walls were tall and sturdy, with no openings for windows or doors. Bing Shi took inspiration from water tanks, designed to store vast amounts of water.
Bing Shi went on to explain, "In addition to the precast concrete walls being thick and tall with no windows or doors, the circular shape of the structure offers greater durability compared to traditional walls. The circular design will distribute pressure evenly, making it more resistant to external forces, which will make it challenging for the zombies to push or topple the structure."
"...In just one day?!" everyone exclaimed in disbelief as they looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Yes." Bing Shi took a stack of papers from her backpack and gave them to five random people to handle them to others, "Remember, this is not just a project. This is our survival. We have limited time and resources, so every second counts."
"No worries," she said, "Each wall and component were precast in this factory." She gestured to the screen where the circular structure was displayed. "Your job will be to place them up on the foundation and connect them with bolts."
She paused, scanning the room to make sure everyone was following. "I'll teach how to use a crane to Ren Han and Yi Zen and five excavate machines to whoever wants to take the post. Ten will help to coordinate the cranes."
"Twenty of you need to learn how to build scaffoldings and fences. Twenty of you'll take a job in logistics. Twenty of you will build up tents inside the walls." She counted on her fingers as she listed the tasks.
"Five'll take posts as my assistants." Bing Shi smiled at a few familiar faces in the crowd. "As for the rest...you are going to have the most favorite job in construction sides... digging. No skills and brain needed, haha!"
"Any questions?" She laughed and looked around at the group, "If not, let's get to work!"
"How do we get inside the walls?" One of the soldiers finally asked.
Bing Shi sent him a thumbs-up, "Good question," she said as she showed him the blueprints she made. "The entrance is going to be under the ground level. We are going to use precast pipes. They're 2.4 meters in diameter, which is big enough for you to easily evacuate. At the end of the entrance, there will be a concrete lid with a manhole."
Bing Shi's claim to Yi Zen that her daily earnings were insignificant was indeed true. She didn't have money to buy a single one of these structures.
When she came with the plan two weeks after her arrival, she had 'no money' and had to resolve it by stealing money from the public enemy number two, Ma Jie.
Renting land with a suitable topography was not an easy task. Thus, Bing Shi opted to rent instead of buying. The land was officially designated for storage of rented machines and materials, with the facade of building a water storage.
As there were many such lands stocked around the country, Bing Shi was afraid of the authorities and therefore had to wait until the last day to start building the walls.
She used this opportunity to teach all the soldiers so that in the event of an apocalypse, a team of people could quickly build an offensive base. With perfect coordination, the offensive construction could be completed in just one day, or at most two.
Yes, offensive.
Its primary purpose was to lure in zombies from nearby cities. Having 360° view around the base and using the advantage of height, it would be easier for soldiers to headshot zombies, saving them lots of energy, time, and ammunition.
Bing Shi briefly introduced the plan before jumping onto her truck and leading the team toward the rented land.
The location was conveniently situated just a football field's distance away from the factory. Upon arrival, they saw the heavy machinery and a few ship containers.
Bing Shi opened the backdoor of her truck and asked for assistance from her new team. Together, they unloaded six portable solar lights, two solar power generators, her tent, a bike, and a desk with a whiteboard. Some of the stocks were left behind.
"This was the first time in my life where I burned through money faster than I could earn it," she complained to Yi Zen, "I swear, it felt like all my bank accounts were on fire."
"..." Yi Zen thought about how many of these had to be scattered all around the world, "Is this what you meant by your shopping spree?"
Bing Shi nodded in exasperation, "I wish I had access to a spatial dimension. Imagine the way, we could have easily dismantled and reconstructed this base in a different location if necessary."