"My grandson, your grandpa wants you up!"
"My grandson, your grandpa wants you..."
Fumbling for his phone, Lin Yuan switched off the alarm, intending to go back to sleep. But then, it hit him.
Right, training today!
He gently moved the arm wrapped around his neck.
As he tried to get up quietly, someone grabbed him from behind.
Feeling the warm touch, Lin Yuan's mind began to wander.
But he resigned himself to saying, "Mengyue, time to train!"
Wu Mengyue was Wu Tian's childhood nickname. It was her real name originally, but her grandmother insisted that she had it divined, and the name Mengyue didn't suit her fate. Only someone who could be heaven-defying and talented would.
Unable to defy the elder, the family had no choice but to rename Wu Mengyue to Wu Tian.
As it happened, her grandfather, bored one day, flipped through the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and came across the ancient water deity, a being with a human face and a tiger's body, named Tian Wu.
The old man felt the name was too grand, so he reverted Wu Mengyue back to her childhood nickname, finally content.
Lin Yuan recalled Wu Tian's helpless expression last night, like a child unable to hold their head up in front of their parents.
Lin Yuan didn't think much of it. This wasn't a spiritual revival; names just needed to be fitting. As long as it wasn't too strange and didn't cause the child to be ridiculed at school, it was fine.
His thoughts snapped back to the present. Wu Tian was already getting dressed, her dazzlingly long legs resting on Lin Yuan's shoulders.
"Let me rest for a bit. I need to put on my pants; I'm afraid I'll lose my balance."
Lin Yuan sighed, forcing himself not to look at the alluring scenery.
He simply asked, "Are you okay? It was your first time yesterday."
It was strange, really. Wu Tian was twenty-six, yet she'd never had a boyfriend. It was peculiar, but Lin Yuan didn't dare ask, fearing the answer might be:
"They couldn't beat my mother, so they never dated me."
It would be unfair if the target of their frustration shifted to him.
"I'm fine. My recovery isn't as monstrous as yours, but the minor injuries from last night are mostly healed."
After getting dressed, Wu Tian's face flushed as she remembered her bashful appearance the night before, a touch of girlish shyness tempering her usual assertiveness.
Lin Yuan, of course, enjoyed the view thoroughly, but he didn't let his primal instincts take over for another round.
Restraint was the primary condition for self-discipline, and a necessary quality for becoming an excellent person.
After they both washed up and left, it was only 6:10 AM. The others were likely still asleep; after all, they had spent yesterday frantically escaping, clearing zombies in the afternoon, moving bodies, and cleaning the stairwells – all strenuous tasks.
Stepping out onto the rooftop, they found it as expected, deserted.
They proceeded to the rooftop of building two and opened the weapons crate, which contained wooden spears tipped with sheet metal, along with some arrows.
The bow and axe were kept at home; one always needed a weapon within reach.
"While we still have time, let's check the stairwells of both buildings to ensure no zombies have made their way up."
Their attire was combat uniforms, so they each took a wooden spear and slung it over their backs. Lin Yuan, carrying a shield and axe, and Wu Tian, with her bow and arrows, checked the two stairwells and corridors of each building, one after the other.
After their sweep, the air still carried a faint scent of laundry detergent, just like yesterday. Nothing else was amiss.
Glancing at his watch, Lin Yuan saw it was already 6:26 AM. They quickly returned to the rooftop, finding everyone already present, including Wu Mengyao. They all appeared energetic, showing no signs of being unrested.
Neither Lin Yuan nor Wu Tian had known when the others slept last night; they could only judge their restfulness by their expressions. Now, it seemed they were doing well.
Seeing Lin Yuan and the others equipped with helmets and weapons, surprise flickered in their eyes. Wang Zhihai quickly asked, "Captain, when did you wake up? And why are you all geared up?"
Lin Yuan removed his helmet. "We woke up at six and came out with our gear to check the stairwells and corridors, just in case any zombies climbed up."
"Also, I have something to discuss with you all regarding sentry duty."
Lin Yuan beckoned Zhao Mengnan and the others, who were stretching and preparing for training, to come closer.
He produced an A4 sheet with notes on sentry duty. "Everyone, take a look at the schedule I made. It outlines the sentry responsibilities. With more people now, our target is larger, and our activities will create more noise. Therefore, we need someone on watch to detect and notify us of emergencies. From after breakfast until midnight, we'll consider it daylight watch. We won't have night watch due to insufficient personnel. This means after midnight, we must act quietly and keep the curtains drawn, ensuring we don't make too much noise. Does everyone understand this arrangement? Feel free to voice any concerns."
"Captain, I have a question. How's the soundproofing in these apartments?" Lin Qingyan, uncharacteristically, raised her hand, a hint of slyness in her eyes.
Lin Yuan understood the meaning of the aloof nurse who had previously offered suggestions to Wu Tian. He replied with a hint of resignation, "Normal conversations won't carry. And if the doors and windows are closed, even slightly louder sounds definitely won't get out."
He specifically glanced at Wu Mengyao and Zhao Anjing. Those two girls had stayed next door last night. If any strange noises had carried, Zhao Anjing might not have noticed, but Wu Mengyao would definitely have asked:
"Brother Lin Yuan, what were you and sis doing yesterday? That noise was so strange?"
Just thinking about that scenario made Lin Yuan feel mortally embarrassed. However, he had lived in this complex for a long time, so he was confident about the soundproofing.
"Then it's fine. As long as we don't start playing rock music or anything, it should be relatively safe," said Wang Zhihai.
"That's right. If we add night watch, everyone's concentration will be severely affected. So, that's the plan. Now, every unit has security bars. If a night fiend tries to climb up, there will be noise. Just try not to sleep too deeply. We'll communicate any issues at night via walkie-talkie."
Wang Zhihai and his group also used walkie-talkies; they hadn't brought portable earpieces.
They had been charging Lin Yuan's solar power bank all night. It had consumed four bars of power to fully charge two units. The remaining one could only be charged after the power bank was replenished today.
"Understood, Captain."
"The specific schedule is from 7 AM to midnight, a total of seventeen hours. Each person will be on sentry duty for 1.7 hours, which is one hour and forty-two minutes. The order will rotate daily. Does everyone understand?"
"Understood!" the crowd replied in unison.
"Alright, I'll post this schedule in the sentry post cabin. I've already written down who is responsible for which time slots. Let's hurry up and begin today's training."
The first training session was before breakfast, so no sentry duty was required. Everyone had to participate.
"Come, do as I do. First move..."
Half an hour later, the first half of the *Vajra Longevity Technique* was completed. The second half, which involved meditation, would be practiced at night.
Ten minutes later, Lin Yuan stood by the stove, calling out, "Mealtime, mealtime!"
A group of people immediately surged forward, lining up. They first went to Wu Tian for seasonings, received a duck neck snack, and then got their noodles.
More noodles were being cooked; one pot wouldn't be enough. Lin Yuan was already considering building another stove.
Even though they were ordinary noodles, Wang Zhihai and the others ate with great relish.
"Wuwuwu, brother, the duck neck I got is so small! I want to trade with you!"
Watching his sister, with lightning speed, snatch a larger piece of duck neck from his bowl, he smiled helplessly.
He then picked out a smaller piece of duck neck from his own bowl and happily gnawed on it.
You wouldn't guess it, but I got two in my pack, hahahaha.
This wasn't Wu Tian playing favorites. She still had to add firewood. She took out a packet from her pocket and handed it over before grabbing the next packet, barely having time to look.
However, just as they were preparing to eat the second pot, Wu Mengyao and Zhao Anjing suddenly ran out of the sentry post cabin. They dashed through the path between the vegetable patches and spoke to Lin Yuan, who was eating noodles.
"Captain, we've found survivors! Someone raised a white flag. It's on the building diagonally opposite us! We saw it through the binoculars. It says SOS, and 'no water'!"