Clanging and banging sounds echoed as various miscellaneous items filled the underground parking lot, now devoid of any natural light.
The space was cleared of cars and scattered bricks, making way for stacks of steel pipes, bars, piles of boards, bricks, and other materials piled up in the corners.
Currently, Wei Xuan was leading a group of zombie minions, slowly walking down the slope with a load of tiles and sacks.
“With these, we should have enough.” Wei Xuan wiped off some sweat, relieved that he had collected sufficient materials. He watched as the zombie minions obediently unloaded their burdens and heard them send messages like “hungry, hungry, hungry” while stuffing snowflakes into their mouths from the pouches around their necks.
“Go ahead and eat. Most of the snowflakes we found last time have been dried. I’ll check them later, and if they’re all good, I’ll store them for you as reserve food.” Wei Xuan smiled warmly at his growing group of zombie minions. He patted the nearest one’s head, and suddenly, the group burst into a mix of emotions, like a small animal encountering its mother, a caterpillar finding fresh leaves, and a puppy spotting a bone.
Wei Xuan couldn’t help but shudder and take a step back. Lately, his zombie minions had been displaying some peculiar emotions from time to time. It wasn’t the simple thoughts they usually “muttered,” but deeper emotions that couldn’t be expressed in words. Each time it happened, Wei Xuan felt like he was being enveloped by something eerie.
Unexpectedly, Du Hang, who was obediently following behind and helping with the unloading, suddenly stepped forward and scooped Wei Xuan up in his arms.
“??? What’s wrong?” Wei Xuan was perplexed by the sudden embrace. He wondered if some mutated creature was attacking them. However, being underground, he couldn’t see what was happening outside.
Du Hang didn’t convey any thoughts to him, but he stared straight into Wei Xuan’s eyes, emitting waves of resentment and grievance.
Wei Xuan shuddered again and instinctively reached out to touch Du Hang’s face. “Ahem, I won’t abandon you. Don’t worry, you’re my most cherished one…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Although Wei Xuan didn’t need to personally oversee the unloading and arranging of items, he and Du Hang would be required to get hands-on when it came to building things.
The zombie minions might be able to learn the skills of construction, and even Du Hang would require Wei Xuan’s guidance before mastering the techniques quickly.
Wei Xuan decided to build only one icehouse for now, and it didn’t need to be too large in size. However, it had to be sturdy enough, so he had no problem enlisting the help of the zombie minions. Nevertheless, he knew that he would need to get hands-on when it came to the actual construction.
The design had already been drawn up, and Wei Xuan didn’t have high demands for the first icehouse he would build. It just needed to be about two meters high and have an area of around forty to fifty square meters. This size was much larger than the underground basement in his residential complex and was not too ambitious. Of course, the success of the icehouse depended on how much foam the polyurethane spray could produce and its insulation effect.
If the icehouse’s results turned out to be unsatisfactory and the foam spray proved to be too fragile, building such a large icehouse would be questionable.
However, if the icehouse worked well, they could always build a larger one next to it.
So Wei Xuan decided to start with a relatively secluded area and use it for experimentation. Once he picked a suitable spot and marked it on the ground, the first task was to build the framework using the steel pipes.
Having a violent zombie husband at home was truly something to brag about, but unfortunately, there was no one or no place for Wei Xuan to show off. Still, he couldn’t help but marvel as he watched Du Hang confidently drive a steel pipe into the ground at the designated spot with a forceful jab! The once indestructible cement floor was effortlessly punctured, leaving Wei Xuan at a loss for words.
Shaking his head in sighs, Wei Xuan approached and carefully examined the depth to which the steel pipe had penetrated the ground. He confirmed that it met his requirements and that there was no significant damage to the floor. Satisfied, he patted Du Hang’s shoulder with a smile, “Well done!”
Du Hang still had his hand on the steel pipe and, seeing Wei Xuan’s expression, immediately sent a message in his mind, “Kiss, please.” Although Wei Xuan found it somewhat amusing that Du Hang expected a reward for completing such a small task, he was good-natured enough to lean in and give him a kiss.
Du Hang inserted one steel pipe after another into the designated spots, and the other zombie minions gathered around, watching the scene. Although they couldn’t handle the technical aspects of the project, they were helpful in fetching spare steel pipes, and efficiently coordinating with each other.
Once the basic supporting framework around the perimeter was set up, Wei Xuan instructed the zombie minions to hold the steel bars horizontally between the vertical ones while he began welding.
This part required some technical skills that the zombie minions couldn’t manage. Even if they could, Wei Xuan wanted to avoid the risk of overexerting himself and losing his intelligence. So, he decided to tackle this challenging task himself.
Fortunately, he had gained some experience in welding and honed his skills during his previous studies in architecture. Now, with protective goggles and a welding suit, he looked quite professional as he worked on the welding.
Some parts of the construction progressed quickly, while others took more time. Wei Xuan was determined to complete the project as perfectly as possible, so he carefully studied and considered each step before proceeding. Naturally, the pace wasn’t as fast as when they were moving materials at the beginning.
Setting up the framework took Wei Xuan a whole week to finish. Not because he lacked skills or efficiency, but rather because they were running short on electricity.
Working in an underground garage required various lighting devices, and even though Wei Xuan could obtain a large number of solar-powered flashlights, he still needed electricity for welding. Compared to the power consumed by the lighting, welding required much more electricity.
Although he had an energy converter now, with so many zombies at home and the massive consumption of snowflakes, the energy from the converter could only serve as a backup power source. The primary source of power had to come from the electricity collected by solar panels.
As a result, there was a certain limitation on the amount of electricity consumed each day due to the construction work, and Wei Xuan had to reserve some battery power for essential devices at home, such as the refrigerator and freezer, which couldn’t stop working.
Luckily, these days were filled with bright sunshine, allowing them to replenish and collect a large amount of electricity every day. However, this naturally extended the work cycle.
The good news was that the tasks requiring substantial electricity consumption were limited, and they wouldn’t need the welding gun for now. Wei Xuan only had to charge the replaced solar flashlights daily and use them in rotation as lighting devices in the underground parking lot.
With the framework in place, Wei Xuan was now ready to start building the foundation of the bottom floor. To prevent rainwater from flooding the icehouse and causing significant damage, he brought a considerable amount of building materials, such as cement and bricks, from a nearby construction supplies store.
He planned to raise the ground level a bit to avoid water infiltration. Though he wasn’t entirely sure if using cement for the icehouse floor was the most suitable choice, it was the best option he could think of for now.
First, he constructed a low wall around the house, about half a meter high, using bricks as the core material. This task required relatively strong hands-on ability, and for safety reasons, Wei Xuan decided not to involve the zombie minions. He and Du Hang worked together to build the wall. Once the enclosure was completed, it was time to work on the interior and exterior ground.
The task of laying the cement floor was also something Du Hang could help with. Since last year, Wei Xuan had specially trained Du Hang, who now demonstrated excellent hands-on skills. Spreading sticky clay on the ground and smoothing it out had become a piece of cake for him. Wei Xuan only needed to give him a demonstration at the beginning, and then he could comfortably sit back as a supervisor, occasionally checking the evenness of the ground.
Outside the room, Wei Xuan also needed to create a sloping cement floor. The highest point of this surface was close to one side of the room, at the same level as the interior cement floor, while the outermost edge had to be parallel to the garage floor. The slope had an angle of about thirty degrees, and its main purpose was to prevent water from entering the lower floor and seeping into the icehouse.
Of course, if the ice stored inside were to accidentally melt, this sloping wall would also allow the water to flow out promptly.
Petting the wrong zombie can cause jealous reactions…lmao! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🤣
He acts as if DH didn’t have a similar reaction when he tried to touch zombie couple’s gong. Only difference is now he can be sure of the intent behind the actions
Always busy
Thank you for the chapters!
Thanks for the chapter! Our cute zombie is getting more & more visibly sentient, it’s great!
Wei Xuan I thought you were feeding Du Hang deer antler congee not vinegar 😂