area51novel Chapter 22 Planning Ahead
Chapter 22 Planning Ahead
It didn't end there.
Removing the "Armory Room" sign and replacing it with a "Warehouse" sign seemed to flip a switch in Xu Mo's thinking. Since the rules of the "door" allow for a certain degree of guidance through signage, why not take that guidance to the extreme? Why stick to the potentially ambiguous and relatively euphemistic term "Armory Room"?
A clear and bold idea took shape in Xu Mo's mind: If you're going to do it, do it more directly and more precisely!
With ample supplies and a relatively relaxed mindset, now is the perfect time to prepare for deeper and more targeted exploration in the future. Xu Mo is no longer satisfied with the broad concept of "warehouse" and has instead set his sights directly on hard currency that can instantly and significantly enhance his survivability and deterrent power.
Just do it.
Xu Mo once again rummaged through the various cardboard, paper, and even some brightly colored plastic boards he had collected before, and like a focused craftsman, began to carefully create a series of new signs.
This time, he abandoned all vague expressions, striving to ensure that every word precisely pointed to his desired goal:
Arms Room
ammunition depot
Armory
Equipment warehouse
Ordnance Shop
Using the thickest pen and the most striking font, he wrote these powerful words one by one on the cut-out board. Each stroke of the pen seemed to carry his desire and imagination for powerful firepower. He even carefully drew simple patterns in red on the edges of the "Armor Room" and "Ammunition Depot" signs, striving to make them look more "professional" and "realistic".
After doing all this, Xu Mo felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, as if he already held the keys to unlock treasure troves.
These signs are his "roadmap for future exploration".
Carefully gathering these brand-new signs together, Xu Mo's "signage library" has now taken shape, covering multiple areas such as food, medicine, material storage, and most importantly, weapons and military equipment.
He knew he wouldn't use all these brands immediately. Next time, he would still test the effectiveness of the "warehouse" first. But with these preparations in hand, he felt more at ease. Whatever was behind the "warehouse" door, he had already prepared a complete textual "key" for any specific searches that might be needed later.
This is like a general conducting a pre-battle drill, marking all possible attack routes and resource points in advance. What Xu Mo is doing now is using his limited understanding of the rules to conduct a solitary and meticulous strategic preparation for his survival and development in the apocalypse.
He looks forward to personally affixing these powerful words to different doors in the near future, to knock on doors leading to greater power.
After completing the series of signs pointing directly to weaponry, Xu Mo's brief sense of ease brought about by abundant supplies was gradually replaced by a deeper reflection. He carefully put away the signs representing firearms and turned his gaze back to the desolate town outside the window.
"It's just...too quiet, and too...safe," Xu Mo muttered to himself.
The zombies vanished without a trace. Although the town's resources had been plundered, he easily obtained a stable supply of food and medicine thanks to his ability with the "door." There was no fighting among other survivors, no attacks from mutated monsters, and apart from the injuries he sustained while practicing his skills, there were almost no real external threats.
It went so smoothly, it hardly seemed like a post-apocalyptic world fraught with danger.
A thought, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, suddenly illuminated his mind:
This place is practically a "starter village" prepared just for me!
This thought startled Xu Mo. He recalled his disheveled and weak state when he first transmigrated. It was in this small town that he found his initial shelter, obtained the most basic survival supplies, survived the most deadly disease, and even coincidentally began cultivating the "Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Training," gradually moving from the brink of death to recovery, and from weakness to strength.
Everything seemed to be arranged by some invisible rule, giving him a relatively buffer zone to adapt to this apocalypse and accumulate his initial strength.
"But what if... this is just the starting area?"
Xu Mo's heart pounded. If this was just a beginner's village, it meant that sooner or later he would have to leave, or some change would force this place to become unsafe. Then, he would face a truly cruel, dangerous, and unimaginable apocalyptic world! It might be organized hordes of zombies with all sorts of bizarre abilities; it might be other survivor factions ruthlessly fighting for resources; it might be even more terrifying and incomprehensible mutated creatures; or even a completely destroyed, radiation-ridden environment…
At that time, will his current reserves of supplies, this bone-chopping knife, and his rudimentary external martial arts skills, which he is so proud of and have not even reached the "cow-skin realm," still be enough?
The answer is obviously no.
A strong sense of crisis washed over Xu Mo like ice water, instantly dispelling all his complacency.
"Get stronger! We must get stronger faster and work harder!"
This is no longer just a goal, but an urgent matter of survival.
Xu Mo suddenly understood why he had sought out firearms even when his basic living supplies were plentiful. It was because deep down he harbored an unease, a fear of the apocalypse.
At night, Xu Mo fell into a deep sleep, exhausted. However, the physical rest did not bring peace to his mind. The thoughts of the "newbie village" from the daytime and the worries about the unknown dangers of the future took on a distorted form and invaded his dreams.
In the dream, time seemed to have passed relatively quickly. He was still in that familiar room, but the scene outside the window was no longer deathly silent; instead, it had transformed into a chilling, surging spectacle—countless zombies had completely surrounded the town!
In his dream, he gripped a black assault rifle, wildly firing out the window. Flames spitted, bullets rained down like a deluge, shredding hordes of zombies to pieces. But it was no use! There were simply too many zombies, an overwhelming, despairing number. They surged forward like an endless gray tide, stepping over the remains of their fallen comrades. His ammunition quickly dwindled, and he frantically tried to reload, only to find that his spare magazines were nearly empty as well.
"Bang!"
With a deafening crash, the door was flung open, and a grotesque face and a rotting arm reached in. Xu Mo drew his cleaver and slashed furiously, but more zombies surged in, enveloping him in a chilling stench. A hand of incredible strength grabbed his arm, and a foul-smelling mouth snapped down to bite into his neck—
"Ha!"
Xu Mo jerked up from the sofa, his heart pounding in his chest, cold sweat instantly soaking his thin clothes. He gasped for breath, his hand instinctively reaching for the cleaver beside him, the icy touch bringing him back to his senses.
Outside the window, the first light of dawn shone through, outlining the familiar silhouettes within the room. The streets remained empty and deathly silent, a stark contrast to the hellish scene in his dream.
Xu Mo raised his hand and rubbed his cheeks vigorously, letting out a long breath.
"It's a dream... just a dream..." he whispered to himself, but the suffocating feeling of being surrounded by an endless horde of corpses, and the despair of weapons appearing pale and powerless in the face of sheer numbers, lingered vividly in his mind.
Xu Mo knew this wasn't a premonition, but rather a manifestation of his daytime thoughts in his dreams. It was the deep-seated uncertainty about the future and anxiety about his own inadequacy manifesting in his sleep.
This dream, instead of frightening Xu Mo, was like a bucket of ice water, completely waking him up and strengthening his resolve.
Xu Mo stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the ruins that were gradually becoming clearer in the morning light.
"Firearms... might solve a temporary crisis, but they are by no means a last resort," Xu Mo muttered to himself. The scene of running out of ammunition and supplies in his dream was still vivid in his mind. True strength should come from within, like the "Thirteen Bodyguards' Horizontal Training," cultivating oneself into an existence that is fearless of weapons and possesses extraordinary strength.
It's almost bright.
A new day of training is about to begin. This time, Xu Mo's goal is clearer, and his belief is purer—to become the storm before it truly arrives.