The Earth Element Superpower User had worked intermittently until he drained the last drop of his superpower, finally leveling the earthen wall with Lu Chen.
For the time being, the zombies couldn’t get over it.
"Tonight, I’ll arrange for a few students to guard here. You all get a good night’s sleep," He Fei said from behind them, his expression showing gratitude and guilt.
Following that, they heard him apologize, "Sorry for getting you involved in this zombie horde."
Lu Chen turned around, his tone indifferent, "No need."
Su Mo pointed toward an oil tank under a nearby factory tent, "Is there still oil in there?"
"Yes, but we’ve already used most of it. However, once the oil rack is started, it can transport new oil. We have an independent power and water storage system here, so don’t worry," He Fei explained in rapid succession.
Su Mo focused on a key point, "Water storage?"
Upon hearing her interest, He Fei pointed to the living quarters, "You haven’t seen the back yet; there’s a public bathhouse. The last time we were here, the water was still usable as it was pumped from underground and not contaminated. Since we use oil, we even managed to take a warm bath."
Su Mo’s eyes lit up considerably, "That sounds great. Let’s go take a bath."
God knows how long it had been since she had last bathed; she’d always just wiped herself down with water. The mere thought of bathing lifted her spirits immensely—describing her mood as blooming bliss wasn’t an exaggeration.
Seeing her happy, Lu Chen’s eyes softened as well, "Then let’s go check it out together."
He Fei agreed and before heading out, he instructed the guards to alert them to any disturbances, then led them towards the back of the living quarters.
Behind it was a single-story building, pitch dark inside. Since Ding Yan had restored the power system during the day, the warmth lamps could still be turned on.
There was no separation between men and women, nor any privacy barriers. On one side there was a restroom, and on the other, a communal bathhouse separated only by a sliding door.
Dozens of showerheads filled the bathhouse, separated only by a curtain.
The floor tiles were somewhat blackened. Su Mo walked in and found bathing products left by previous people, most still usable.
She stood next to a showerhead, pulled the handle, and turned it to the red side.
After a few seconds, clean water indeed began to spray out. Su Mo touched it with her fingertips and was ecstatic, "It’s hot water."
He Fei breathed a sigh of relief, "I don’t know when this water will run out. I’ll go call the girls to come take a bath too; most of them haven’t bathed in months."
He left, and Su Mo shook Lu Chen’s arm, her eyes curving into a smile yet she didn’t forget to mutter in disgust at herself, "I also think we’re starting to stink."
Seeing her smile, Lu Chen also curled his lips, his usually stern face now tender, "Then take a longer wash."
They chatted for a while, and soon, many people started coming in. Lu Chen let her go and tossed her some shampoo and soap, his expression returning to normal, his tone light, "I’ll wait for you outside."
"Okay," Su Mo said, giggling, as she went to secure a spot.
Zhao Changsheng and Jiang Yulian, who was holding a child, also arrived. Jiang Yulian was carrying a diaper, clearly planning to bathe the child as well.
Not only them, but many other girls arrived too.
Inside, Su Mo also saw He Rong, whose expression was distraught and anxious.
When called back to reality by Zhao Changsheng, Su Mo smiled, "I’ve saved spots for you all, come and wash."
Here, with the contact of warm water, there arose many sighs and screams from the girls. The deadly gloom of the day receded somewhat, and now all was joy.
They didn’t care if there were outsiders around, they just stripped off their clothes and started showering.
Su Mo also pulled the curtain closed and said to Jiang Yulian, who was right next to her, "Aunt Jiang, if baby needs help with the bath, just call me."
"Alright, you go ahead," Jiang Yulian said softly.
Su Mo turned her head and held back Zhao Changsheng’s hand, who was trying to open the curtain to join her naked in the shower, "If you don’t behave, I’ll have Li Qian make you dance again."
"What dance?" Zhao Changsheng missed the point but let go of the curtain anyway.
Su Mo had already turned on the shower and stopped talking to her. If she mentioned what happened the night they escaped from Yan City, Zhao Changsheng might chase Li Qian with a whip.
She pictured that scene in her mind and nearly laughed out loud.
Su Mo actually showered quite quickly, only about ten minutes. She had cleaned herself from head to toe and started changing into a tracksuit from the System Bag, chatting intermittently with the two beside her.
Underneath the seemingly lively bathhouse scene were zombies ceaselessly digging through with their sharp claws.
Li Qian, who had been lying on the dormitory bed keeping an eye on Guo Hua’s activity, sensed the trace of zombies through his spiritual power. Their target was the bathhouse.
His expression changed, and he immediately sat up from the bed and rushed out.
In the bathhouse, a girl walked into the bathroom, and just as she sat down on the toilet, the tiles in front of her began to bulge upwards, pushing out a mound of soil as a pitch-black claw reached out.
The piercing scream seemed not to catch the attention of those still showering, but Su Mo, who had just finished putting on her tracksuit, heard it amidst the rushing water and conversation.
"Are you done showering?" Su Mo, immediately alert, put on her fur coat, pulled back the curtain, and saw that Jiang Yulian had only just managed to rinse herself after taking care of the baby.
Without another word, Su Mo tossed her the brand-new tracksuit, "Aunt Jiang, dry off and change immediately, something has gotten in."
"What?" Zhao Changsheng pulled open the curtain, still covered in suds.
Su Mo hung the new tracksuit on a hook in front of her on the tiles, "Clean up quickly, protect Aunt Jiang, I’ll check over there."
After finishing her words, she headed toward the direction of the bathroom. The bathhouse was filled with steam, and the door to the bathroom was wide open, leading directly to the rest of the bathhouse.
As she approached the doorway, crimson blood flowed through the tile grooves and appeared before her.
"Dammit!" Su Mo immediately grabbed a Tang Blade and shouted behind her, "Run! Zombies have gotten in! Run!"
Her desperate yelling finally caught the attention of the girls still showering.
Everyone caught a glimpse of the incessant flow of blood on the tiles, and screams nearly pierced the entire roof.
At that moment, Li Qian also arrived at the bathhouse entrance, where Lu Chen was waiting outside. Seeing Li Qian hurrying, the man asked calmly, "Is there a situation outside?"
"No, not outside, it’s inside, there are zombies at the bottom of the bathhouse," Li Qian, hands on his knees and panting slightly, seemed to have run in haste.
Hearing the shouts from inside the bathhouse.
Lu Chen’s gaze sharpened, his somewhat lax physique immediately tensed, and he opened the bathhouse door. Several bare bodies, not even dressed, ran out.
The man, without a sideways glance, strode directly into the bathhouse.