Chapter 42 — The Last Meal of Pork Belly
In front of the black wall, one man quickly held the elevator door open while the others pressed, knocked, and hit the strange surface.
Push—no movement.
Pat—no response.
Knock—ouch, that hurt!
“Hey?! This feels like metal!”
“It’s thick—no echo at all!”
“Sealed tight—like it’s fused into the wall itself…”
To prevent spies or forced entry, Yan Fei had deliberately made the steel wall extra thick—twenty centimeters at least. That was also why his mental energy had been completely drained after finishing the work.
After several minutes of futile effort, the elevator alarm began to sound because it hadn’t moved for too long. When the alarm kept blaring for five minutes straight, they finally gave up.
If the elevator was blocked, what about the stairs?
Two of them left to report back to their teams, but the rest decided to try from the 15th floor, taking the stairs up.
The moment they looked up the stairwell, they froze.
“Holy crap—what the hell is that?”
“That door’s blocked too!”
“It’s metal again!”
“That must be that ability user from yesterday—the one with the floating steel needles!”
They didn’t fully understand Yan Fei’s power, but their imagination filled in the gaps. Maybe he really had sent those steel panels flying up here to block the entrances. As for how he got them there—well, he was an ability user; anything was possible. Logic was optional.
Unable to get up or in—and suspecting the top-floor residents were still home—they lost their nerve and left.
By the time Luo Xun and Yan Fei remembered those extra steel plates outside and went to retrieve them, those would-be scouts were long gone.
Yan Fei first removed the slanted metal barricades on the stairs, then peeled off a layer from several steel plates to use. After all, with the door blocked, the stair metal wasn’t much use. And if the base someday came knocking for inspections, they’d at least need a place for people to post notices, right?
Thinning the steel doors slightly meant that any loud banging from outside could still be faintly heard inside. Luo Xun and Yan Fei weren’t trying to cut themselves off completely—just to keep thieves from sneaking in.
While Yan Fei was working, the five students, having finished with the pipes, came over to watch Luo Xun demonstrate wall-plastering.
It turned out to be a real skill test—patience and precision required. The students practiced for a bit, then hurried back to their own room with another batch of plaster to experiment.
As noon approached, Luo Xun set down his tools and said to Yan Fei, “I’ll go heat up lunch. We’ll continue this afternoon.”
“Okay. You go ahead, I’ll finish this bit.” Yan Fei nodded. He, too, was covered in dust and plaster, just like Luo Xun—good thing they’d worn old work clothes; otherwise, they’d have ruined their entire wardrobe like the others.
Meanwhile, in 1601, the five students—now practically plaster statues themselves—suddenly caught a whiff of something heavenly.
Sniff sniff. He Qiankun’s mouth instantly flooded with drool, and he gulped loudly.
“Smells like braised pork… I dreamed about it last night, and now I’m smelling it again. Wait—it wasn’t a dream?!”
“Someone’s actually cooking meat in times like this? What a lucky life…” Han Li murmured, eyes hazy, feeling an almost uncontrollable urge to crawl out the window and float toward the delicious smell.
“Must be some meat they froze before the apocalypse,” Li Tie guessed, pressing his face closer to the window, trying to catch more of the scent.
“Ah… if only we’d saved some meat back then too…” Wang Duo sighed regretfully.
“But we didn’t even have a fridge! Even if we had one, the moment the city lost power, it would’ve spoiled anyway!”
They were still chattering when they finally decided to make instant noodles and enjoy them with the smell of stew drifting through the air—when Yan Fei suddenly appeared, calling them over for lunch.
“Lunch?” Li Tie and the others froze for a moment. They knew Luo Xun’s household probably had some extra food stored, but they’d never thought of freeloading a meal off him.
“Xiao Xun said everyone’s been doing heavy labor these past few days, and you guys probably don’t have much food left. Might as well all eat a good meal—then you’ll have more energy to keep working.”
An invitation like that was impossible to refuse. Even knowing how hard things were now, none of them could resist—especially after smelling that rich stew all morning. Eating their own bland noodles after that would’ve been pure torture.
The moment they stepped into room 1603, He Qiankun sniffed the air first and said in surprise, “Huh? The meat smell is even stronger here!”
When they reached the living room, they saw a simple, unfinished space—except for a table forged entirely from metal, surrounded by seven roughly shaped steel stools. And at the center of the table sat a massive steel bowl filled with—meat stew and vegetables!
“MEAT!”
“So it was you guys cooking meat!”
“I knew I didn’t imagine that smell last night!”
Their eyes practically glowed green. Luo Xun placed a pot of steaming rice on the table and said, “There was still a piece of pork belly in the freezer. If we waited any longer, it’d go bad. Might as well eat it now—after this, there’s no more left.”
“YES! Thank you, Brother Luo! Thank you, Brother Yan!”
“Meat—real meat!!”
Each person got a huge bowl of rice and a big ladle of stew.
The combination of tender pork and rice was so fragrant it felt like the taste went straight to their bones. After scarfing down their bowls clean, they realized—there were other dishes too.
Celery stir-fried with eggs, chives with shredded smoked pork, and a bowl of egg soup sprinkled with fresh cilantro.
“Brother Luo, you still have eggs?” Li Tie mumbled around a bite of braised egg.
“Just a few. They were getting old, so I used them all today,” Luo Xun said. He’d found one spoiled egg last night and decided to use up the rest before they went bad—so he made dishes and soup with them, and now his friends could help him “dispose” of them.
He still had quail, after all. Once he rebuilt their cage, they’d start laying again—soon he’d have a steady supply of quail eggs and meat.
Everyone nodded enthusiastically and went for seconds.
“Brother Luo, don’t worry! We’ve got the hang of applying putty now—two of us will come help you with the walls later!” They didn’t have much to repay the favor, but they could at least contribute labor.
Luo Xun smiled and simply told them to eat more.
After everyone ate their fill, they went back to work. Even though the meal had been large, there were still leftovers—so Luo Xun packed some for them to take back for dinner. As for him and Yan Fei? Their pantry was far from empty.
In room 1604, the little black dog was sunbathing beside the quail’s big glass cage. It was resting its chin on one slipper (Yan Fei’s), belly over another (Luo Xun’s), and next to its head sat an empty food bowl—which, not long ago, had held several chunks of braised meat.
Hearing faint noises from next door, its ears twitched—but it didn’t bother opening its eyes.
Since Luo Xun and Yan Fei had returned, they’d opened gaps in the heavy steel wall—now the dog could freely sprawl on the balcony, soaking in the sun, or trot over to nibble the “green stuff” nearby.
Of course, the first time it tasted that green stuff, it nearly spat it out. Bitter, strange, offensive. But once it ran out of food and had no choice but to chew those leaves through tears—it got used to them.
At first, it hated it. The second time, it felt queasy. By the third, it swore it’d never eat that again in this lifetime.
But then its owners returned, fed it a bellyful of kibble until it was stuffed—and later, somehow, it started missing that bitter, crunchy taste.
After today’s feast of meat stew, the pup couldn’t resist anymore. It sneaked to the white rack, tore off a green leaf, and crunched it down. Huh. Not bad. Kind of… nice, actually?
For the first time, the dog understood why its humans always ate this stuff—it wasn’t as good as meat, but when mixed together, it was pretty tasty.
Being a high-class German Shepherd with refined taste, it decided that from now on, it’d sample the greens daily. There were so many kinds anyway—it might as well find out which ones suited its palate best!
——
Meanwhile, several vehicles were driving toward the Southwest Base. Workers building the outer walls pointed and gossiped as the convoy passed.
“How many groups is that now?”
“Dunno, but looks like a horde of zombies is following them again.”
The base’s new outer wall surrounded the old one, and because of the distance, construction had to proceed section by section, with soldiers stationed nearby for protection. The workers had already seen plenty of convoys coming and going these days—some scavenging teams, some refugees, some survivors finally fleeing the city.
Today’s convoy, though, was particularly large.
“Ah! They’re catching up—look!”
“Someone just got thrown out again… tsk, ruthless.”
“That’s nothing. We saw people slicing one guy up and tossing him out tied hand and foot. The zombies tore him apart before he even turned.”
The onlookers spoke with mock pity, but their expressions were gleeful—watching death had become a form of entertainment while they worked.
As they chatted, another column of vehicles rolled up in the distance.
“Hey, that’s a tank!”
“Must be the rescue team—they probably brought back some high-ranking officials!”
“Typical. So many civilians trapped in buildings, and they only save the government types.”
“Who else would they save? They are the officials.”
They weren’t entirely wrong—some rescued leaders were in that convoy—but most were civilians, including scientists and technicians.
When they reached the base, they ran straight into a pack of zombies feeding on the last convoy’s abandoned victims. After a quick firefight, the zombies were cleared, and the team rolled on through the gates.
The Southwest Base had become lively lately. From Luo Xun’s window, they could see endless traffic, crowds, and new arrivals even in their own residential area. But they had no time to gossip—they were too busy fixing up their home.
It took the seven clumsy men three full days to finish applying the first layer of wall putty. Not bad, all things considered—but knowing they still had two more rounds, plus painting and flooring, nearly broke their spirits.
“Let’s rest tomorrow,” Luo Xun said. “The day after, we’ll tile the bathrooms and kitchen. Once the walls are dry, we’ll start the second coat.”
They knew the deal—if they finished the place properly and kept up their work schedule, the base would let them keep the apartment permanently.
“Got it!” Li Tie grinned proudly. “Oh, and guess what—our mung beans sprouted today!”
It was still winter, freezing cold, with no power or gas. If they hadn’t scavenged a space heater earlier, their beans and soybeans would’ve never sprouted.
“That’s great!” Luo Xun congratulated him sincerely. “In a couple of days, you’ll have bean sprouts to eat—or to plant.”
“No way we’re eating them! We’ll let them grow, maybe get new seeds for next year!”
After a bit more chatting about mutations, Luo Xun learned that some of their plants had mutated, but not too badly—maybe 30%. His own rate had been lower, though no one knew why. Even before, some people’s crops mutated more easily than others’.
When the day’s work ended, Luo Xun and Yan Fei returned to room 1604—not through the public hallway, but through the new metal door connecting the two units.
The moment they stepped inside, warmth enveloped them. Luo Xun’s filtration system constantly heated water, keeping the air toasty, like a greenhouse.
He tossed his dirty jacket into a plastic bin by the door and turned to Yan Fei. “Since the other unit’s floor can’t be installed until we finish painting… what do you think about building a heated floor system?”
On the first floor, the filtration setup already provided heat. But for the second floor, they’d need an electric heater on the terrace to stay warm.
“With the solar system powering everything,” Luo Xun said, eyes gleaming, “if we link the solar water heater to underfloor pipes, wouldn’t that be even better? And if not, we could build our own electric water system instead—it’d totally work!”
He’d seen something like this in his past life at the base, so he roughly knew how it worked—but when it came to actually building it, he’d need Yan Fei’s metal ability to make it happen.
“Using metal pipes for underfloor heating?” Yan Fei raised an eyebrow, thinking it over. “It’s doable, but most of the metal I’m using now is mixed. If you want to make a water-heated system, we’ll need to find some stainless steel or similar material.”
His ability could control and fuse metal, but it couldn’t purify or separate alloys. To build something like this, they’d have to gather materials of the same type.
Luo Xun’s eyes gleamed as an idea struck him. “Didn’t Li Tie and the others complain earlier today that their food’s almost gone? They’re heading out tomorrow morning to scavenge more. Why don’t we go with them?”
After days of working nonstop on the house, his arms were so sore each night that he could barely lift them. Even though Luo Xun was a homebody who could probably hole up for months living off his supplies, he still wanted to stretch his legs and look around.
A lot more people had arrived at the base lately. From their building, he could see newly erected tents in the nearby kindergarten. It’d be good to go out, take a look around, and maybe find something useful to trade.
“Sure,” Yan Fei agreed easily. “Let’s go out tomorrow and bring back whatever we can find.” He’d been getting restless too. While he enjoyed teasing the little guy and feeding the quails, and especially teasing Luo Xun at night, staying indoors all the time just wasn’t his style.
Luo Xun was a homebody. Yan Fei was not.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
