บท 14: Chapter 14 Learning Lockpicking Skills_1
Seeing Wang Tao shake his head, the bald uncle's face suddenly became urgent.
"Brother, I know fighting zombies means risking your life, but we're not zombies—we need to eat! We have no choice but to take risks… How about this, I only want a quarter, and the rest is all yours, brother!"
The bald uncle clenched his teeth and lowered his demands further.
12.5 pounds from 50 pounds of rice—one quarter—would be enough for him to eat sparingly for half a month, or even a whole month. And surely there must be other food inside unit 201; rounding up, he thought, at least two months' worth of food!
If he still hadn't received any help after two months, he figured he might go mad… But concerns for the future could wait; the immediate priority was to secure food for the short term.
Watching Wang Tao remain silent, the bald uncle grew more and more anxious. If he had the ability to kill zombies, he would have gone alone long ago…
Just when he thought Wang Tao really didn't want to take the risk, Wang Tao suddenly spoke.
"A quarter, fine. But I have one condition."
"Brother, just say it! I promise I'll agree!"
The bald uncle immediately became excited and hastily made his promise. Whether or not he could do it, it was best to agree first.
Wang Tao looked at him earnestly and said:
"Teach me how to pick locks."
"Ah?" The bald uncle was stunned for a moment, then his face showed some difficulty. "Lock picking isn't something that can be taught casually; we're registered for that. If—"
"There are no ifs. Just say whether you'll teach or not. A quarter of the food in room 201 is enough to keep you alive for a long time." He hadn't finished speaking when Wang Tao interrupted, "Think it over carefully. I'm in room 501; find me there once you've decided."
As soon as Wang Tao finished talking, he walked away, as if without a single regret.
But he had barely taken two steps when the bald uncle hastily called out from behind.
"Brother, don't go! I'll teach! I'll teach!"
The bald uncle still harbored hope that society could return to normal, and he didn't want to do something that would ruin his future prospects. But hope was hope, reality was reality… He had no other choice.
"Good, then open the door, I'm going in."
Wang Tao turned around, a faint smile on his face.
"Please come in!"
The bald uncle quickly opened the door.
His home had the same three-room layout as Ding Yuqin's and was much bigger than Wang Tao's.
However, it seemed he had disassembled the furniture at home; the place was messy, with tools, boards, and whatnot everywhere.
"I was sealing up the windows with stuff I found, so it's a bit messy at home—don't mind, brother, please take a seat!"
Wang Tao didn't mind and casually sat down. He then stuck the steel pipe into the sheath on his back and took off his gloves, face scarf, and glasses, revealing a young face.
"..."
Seeing how young Wang Tao was, the bald uncle suddenly felt a bit embarrassed; after all this time, he had been calling a youngster "brother."
"Big… Younger brother, wait a moment; I'll go get the tools!"
Wang Tao didn't care about these minor details in the naming. It wasn't long before the bald uncle came back with a bag containing various tools like torque wrenches and lock picks.
"Younger brother, shall we start with the simplest?"
"Sure."
There are many types of locks, and the simple ones are actually quite easy to crack. It's just that ordinary people don't come across such things, so they seem very impressive.
The bald uncle started by explaining the basic principles to Wang Tao, then he demonstrated how to pick a lock, and finally let Wang Tao try it himself.
It didn't take long before they heard a "click," and Wang Tao successfully picked a lock with the tools.
"Younger brother, you're awesome!"
After praising Wang Tao a couple of times, the bald uncle went on to teach him other methods of lock picking.
When Wang Tao saw the bald uncle open a lock with just a piece of wire, he immediately declared, "Coach, I want to learn this one!"
Wang Tao had headed out in the morning and kept learning until noon.
He felt that if he had had this level of dedication at school, he wouldn't have ended up in this sorry state.
Gurgle~
The bald uncle, somewhat embarrassed, covered his belly; he hadn't eaten for a day.
Wang Tao, seeing the situation, directly took out several squashed pieces of bread from his pocket and handed them over to him.
"Thank you! Thank you! I really can't thank you enough!"
The bald uncle was immediately very excited as he took the bread; he actually didn't like eating bread, preferring steamed buns instead. But he felt that the bread at this moment tasted better than any steamed bun he had ever eaten.
[+10]
[35/100]
The bald uncle's HP bar also recovered a small portion.
Wang Tao also ate two slices of bread to fill his stomach. He had eaten breakfast that morning and, without any strenuous exercise, his appetite was about the same as a normal person's, so he wasn't hungry now.
After a simple meal, Wang Tao followed the bald uncle and learned for a while, then stood up and said:
"Let's stop here for today. I'm going to take care of the trouble in room 201."
"Ah? Alright, alright! Brother, go for it, and make sure to be safe!"
Hearing that Wang Tao was finally going to take action, the bald uncle quickly stood up in excitement.
"Are you sure there's only one person inside 201?"
Wang Tao asked while putting on his gloves.
"Sure! He lives alone in there; I haven't seen many people go to his place..."
Wang Tao paused in his movements.
"Haven't seen many, so that means you have seen some?"
"I have seen him bring young women home a few times before."
The bald uncle scratched his head.
"Women? His girlfriend or wife?"
"Cough, he brings different women each time."
"I see. So, you're not one hundred percent certain that there's only one person inside?"
"...Yes. But most likely it's just him, because he doesn't bring women home very often, maybe once a month..."
Wang Tao said no more.
Assuming there were two zombies inside, that still wouldn't be unmanageable. After all, he had changed his weapons. If it really came down to it, he could just run.
He believed that zombies definitely couldn't climb stairs faster than he could.
After rearming himself completely, Wang Tao and the bald uncle arrived in front of room 201 together.
"You pick the lock, then go back home and wait."
Wang Tao didn't let him get involved in dealing with the zombies.
Given the bald uncle's short and thin stature, he probably couldn't withstand a zombie's attack. Letting him in would definitely slow things down; Wang Tao would be better off on his own.
Wang Tao didn't want him to die—after all, he hadn't fully mastered the lock-picking technique yet.
"Alright!"
The bald uncle fiddled gently with the exterior of the lock, then there was a click, and the door opened.
Without a word, he turned and ran back home, closing his door behind him.
Wang Tao gripped the steel pipe tightly, gently pushed the door open, and quickly scanned the area.
There was no one in the living room, but there were many dark bloodstains.
"There's more than one person in this place!"
Wang Tao instantly felt nervous, yet somewhat excited.
A single person turning into a zombie wouldn't leave so many bloodstains! Clearly, someone had been attacked by a zombie!
All the doors inside the house were open, and after Wang Tao took two steps, he caught sight of a long-haired woman, kneeling on the floor of the master bedroom with her back to Wang Tao.
The woman was slightly bowing her head, as if she was eating something.
Seemingly hearing a noise, the woman slowly turned her head, revealing a pale face with white, bloodshot eyes, dark veins all over, and in her hands… half of a human head!
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