73: Armored vehicle, an awesome New Year's gift!

Song Yuan, who had fought his way back, unloaded his spoils for his wife to see. "Xue'er, look, firewood. Even if the electricity and natural gas are cut off, we'll still have something to cook with."

"But this is far from enough. I need to get more back before others realize what's happening."

"But it's too dangerous. I'm scared to death every time you go out." Mei Xue knew the reality, but she couldn't bear it; he wouldn't be this lucky every time.

Song Yuan comforted his wife, "It's fine. My combat skills have finally come in handy. Lock the door and go rest for a bit; I'm going to get some more."

Without waiting for Mei Xue to say anything, he ran out of the courtyard gate again. He went back to the same house, but this time, he was there to dismantle their furniture.

"Hahaha, this guy is really squeezing that one house dry." Si Nan was amused by Song Yuan.

Thinking of this, she went to check on Bai Zichuan. There were too many surveillance cameras; she had only found the one near Bai Zichuan last night when she had some free time, and she was quite satisfied with what she saw.

Bai Zichuan, who had sealed himself in, had already upgraded his defenses. He turned the stainless steel rack blocking zombies outside his door into a functional gate, installed outside the security door.

Since last night, he saw six zombies lurking outside. Three had entered a light sleep while the other three were wandering aimlessly; he took them all out by surprise.

Afterward, he cleared the corpses out of the hallway and locked the security door.

Then he began raiding his neighbors on both sides. Having received guidance from Si Nan in advance, he was even shrewder than Song Yuan. He didn't just break down and neatly stack the discarded delivery boxes to use as firewood.

This guy also took the neighbors' doors, furniture, beds, tables, books—anything made of wood that could be burned. He dismantled everything and dragged it back to his home, using the Child's room entirely for storage.

When he had nothing to do at night, he shared his experiences of clearing hallways and dismantling items in the group chat, which opened the eyes of Ma Bufan and Guan Xiaoning.

"Whoa, Brother Bai is smart! It's our turn to perform now. Xiao Ning, quickly check if our neighbors on both sides are all dead."

Guan Xiaoning: "..."

Thus, over the next few days, Si Nan sat back and watched her followers practice on zombies while scavenging for supplies. More and more zombies lay dead on the ground.

Ma Bufan and Guan Xiaoning also gained more experience in hunting zombies. Being young, they were particularly brave and quick learners.

Si Nan praised them, "Yes, keep doing that. Use the zombies for practice; whatever supplies you find are yours. But there's one rule you must follow: do not push yourselves when you're exhausted."

"Once you've practiced for a while longer, I'll start assigning tasks."

"Yes!" they replied one after another.

Si Nan also added Song Yuan to the group and told him that Guan Xiaoning's sister, Xiao Wen, had medical knowledge. She advised him to search for as many medical supplies as possible for when his wife gave birth.

Song Yuan was overjoyed. As the due date approached, the couple grew more fearful. Going to a hospital was impossible, so they would have to deliver the baby at home.

But neither of them knew how. What were they to do?

Now, things were better. At least there was someone with medical knowledge, and a woman at that; there couldn't be better news. The couple was incredibly grateful to Si Nan, swearing to work hard and remain loyal.

Soon, it was Chinese New Year. However, aside from Si Nan, no one felt happy. They had nothing; just being alive was lucky enough. Why celebrate? Why ask for more? *Sob sob*... Meanwhile, Si Nan looked up at her bare balcony and suddenly thought of something, "Oh right, there are many red lanterns in my space. Let's hang a few up for a festive feel."

She began decorating. After all, Century Department Store had everything. The virus had broken out just before the New Year, so the warehouse was stocked with plenty of New Year goods, including decorations.

She didn't keep the joy to herself. Using a Mini-drone, she sent festive Electronic red lanterns to each household, along with candies, peanuts, and melon seeds.

It was as if she, the boss, was giving out New Year benefits to her followers in the three households.

The three families were incredibly grateful. Even at a time like this, the boss still had such good things; snacks were food too.

Ma Bufan was the first: "Thank you, Sister Nan."

Then Guan Xiaoning, Guan Xiaowen, Bai Zichuan, and Song Yuan all hurriedly and excitedly expressed their gratitude.

Si Nan replied, "Let's spend a special Zombie New Year together. But don't get happy too soon; training cannot be skipped for even a single day."

"Understood," they replied.

The three households also brought out a bit more food to celebrate a symbolic Spring Festival. There were no firecrackers, no relatives, and certainly no large table of fine wine and food, but it left a deep impression on everyone.

With the festive Electronic red lanterns hung, bright red candles lit, and candies and seeds laid out, the New Year began.

They treated the roars of the zombies outside as New Year firecrackers and the newly falling white snow from the sky as a blessing—a prayer that they would still be alive by next year's Spring Festival, free from hunger, illness, and disaster... Si Nan was different. Although there was no electricity, she had natural gas. She cooked herself three dishes and a soup, opened a bottle of '82 vintage wine, and enjoyed the delicious New Year's Eve dinner alone. It was truly "refreshing!"

The television was broadcasting the current situation in several Safety Zone. Food and water supplies were failing. The day before, the elderly and children could still receive two meals a day, but today, only one remained.

Young men and women had to provide valuable labor to get food; getting a free meal was impossible. Now that the whole world had fallen, supplies existed, but there were too many zombies. Without tools like helicopters, searching for supplies on foot was too difficult.

Even if supplies were found, they couldn't all be brought back, and with so many people, it was impossible to sustain them. To keep warm, many huddled together; there were no private rooms for them, so adults and children alike sat on the cold floor.

Such conditions were worse than staying in one's own home. At least at home, there was a bed to sleep on. As long as one was ruthless and clever enough, food could still be obtained.

Near any inhabited place, there were dense clusters of supermarkets and convenience stores. Filling a backpack was enough to last ten days to half a month.

Of course, having an infinite space like Si Nan's was impossible.

So, looking at the people in the news, Si Nan could only shake her head and continue eating her meal.

While she was eating with gusto, the old man Zhuo Guangshun messaged her, "Ahem, prepare triple the supplies. The 'trump card' Armored Vehicle you ordered will arrive in half an hour."

"Eh? Are you serious?" Si Nan was pleasantly surprised. This old man really had some skills; the Armored Vehicle she wanted had actually been built successfully and would be in front of her soon.

Zhuo Guangshun replied, "Who has time to joke with you during the New Year? Hurry up and get the supplies ready. Now that such a great New Year's gift is arriving, remember to throw in two cartons of good cigarettes."