Chapter Forty-One: The Homemade Electric Grid

The green-skinned zombie was certainly not so easily killed. Moreover, the reload speed of the thunder tube was absurdly slow.

After knocking the zombie down, Qin Fei fled straight from the corridor on the second floor, returning to the rooftop. The green-skinned zombie pursued him relentlessly. The wound on its face, blasted open by the thunder tube, had already healed completely in the blink of an eye, leaving not a trace behind.

Such strength was far beyond what Qin Fei could handle now; his only option was to escape for the time being.

Humans could outrun zombies by a small margin. Qin Fei dashed along the iron scaffolding, quickly reaching the water tower. He didn’t continue his flight but instead stood guard before the structure, brandishing his metal bat and waiting for the green-skinned zombie to approach.

Though powerful, this zombie, like all the others, was devoid of intelligence. Seeing Qin Fei retreat to the water tower, it charged after him along the narrow iron scaffolding—barely wide enough for a single person. A misstep could send anyone plunging to the ground.

As the green-skinned zombie rushed forward, Qin Fei swung his bat with precision, striking it squarely on the head. Standing atop the precarious scaffolding, the zombie was knocked off by the force of the blow.

In the world of Seven Days to Die, zombies were highly adaptable—they could dive underwater, dig tunnels, and even survive falls from great heights. The green-skinned zombie, after tumbling down, quickly climbed back up the water tower’s ladder.

Qin Fei knew he couldn’t afford to be entangled with this foe. He glanced downward. The water tower stood right next to the perimeter wall of the water treatment plant. He wondered if jumping from here could take him directly outside.

With the zombie closing in, there was no time for hesitation. Qin Fei leaped off the tower.

He landed beyond the plant’s wall. As he jumped down, the green-skinned zombie followed suit but failed to clear the wall. Except for the spider zombies, most others lacked the human ability to jump.

The area surrounding the plant was grassy. Qin Fei’s fall from the second-floor height didn’t cripple him, but he twisted his ankle badly.

He wasn’t sure whether the zombie could still pursue him, so he endured the pain and limped back to his shelter.

His ankle was now swollen and bruised. If he didn’t rest for a few days, there was little hope of recovery.

Because of the injury, Qin Fei spent the next several days inside the shelter. He had acquired almost all the parts needed to build his electric defenses.

To make any electrically powered device, the first requirement was to craft a generator. Lacking gasoline, Qin Fei had to build a generator that could run on wood fuel.

To meet this condition, the generator assembly he produced was massive—roughly the size of a refrigerator.

Once assembled, it needed an engine installed to provide power. In the apocalypse, gasoline was scarce and most vehicles were abandoned roadside; not everyone could make a generator, and without gasoline, these machines were useless.

Thus, most engines inside cars remained intact. Cars were everywhere; Qin Fei didn’t have to walk far before dismantling two vehicles and securing two engines.

Alternating current could be generated from rotational energy. Conversely, combustion-generated rotation could produce AC power.

After modifying the generator for reverse operation and installing an engine, the complete thermal generator was finished.

[Generator Assembly; Max Output: 100W. Current Fuel: 0]

With the generator ready, Qin Fei first installed an electric bulb at the center of his shelter. In the Navi-Gan region, most bulbs were around 5W.

Bulbs were easy to obtain—he simply salvaged them from abandoned street lamps.

With lighting secured, Qin Fei began setting up basic defenses.

Defending against zombie hordes with an electrified fence was a simple and effective method. Using electronic components, Qin Fei crafted four fence posts, burying them at the four corners of his shelter.

By linking these posts with stripped wires, he could encircle the shelter completely.

Normally, the generator couldn’t be left running constantly. Its heat signature would attract swarms of zombies to Qin Fei’s location.

Therefore, the generator was only to be used during the blood moon.

The electrified fence wasn’t especially lethal—the current generated by the homemade generator wasn’t strong enough to kill zombies outright, merely cause minor injuries. Its primary advantage was paralysis, slowing the zombies down.

To ensure sufficient power during a horde attack, Qin Fei stockpiled large amounts of firewood in the shelter.

Additionally, after acquiring the nail gun from the water plant, Qin Fei could install steel plates onto concrete pillars.

Previously, this would have been impossible. Steel plates were too tough; hammering nails into them would only result in broken nails.

But with the nail gun, things changed. It could drive threaded screws into steel plates, its high-speed rotation drilling effortless holes.

Qin Fei spent two days scavenging steel plates from the town.

The thicker, larger plates he affixed to the shelter walls using the nail gun. The thinner ones he kept aside.

After grinding, these thin plates could be fashioned into blades. With rotational energy from AC power, steel blades could be turned into blade traps.

However, processing these plates was difficult—making blades was not a task for a day or two.

Qin Fei’s supplies were running low. After so many days of use, his food was nearly gone.

Most houses nearby had been thoroughly scavenged by other survivors; it was hard to find anything edible.

To get more supplies, Qin Fei had to venture to the neighboring town.

His shelter had no door, making it easy for others to enter. All precious items, except for heavy, worthless materials like wood and scrap metal, were stowed in his backpack. Anything too heavy, he buried in pits.

Traveling on foot alone was far too slow.

Qin Fei needed a means of transportation.

Vehicles were plentiful in town, even some brand new, but gasoline was nowhere to be found, rendering them useless.

Bicycles were highly sought after in the apocalypse; finding a usable one was nearly impossible.

Qin Fei did manage to find a pair of roller skates in the town.

He tried them on—they fit perfectly. Though only suitable for paved roads, their lightweight made them easy to carry.

He decided to use them for travel.

They couldn’t match a bicycle or a car, but at least they were faster than walking.

With his supplies prepared, Qin Fei left the shelter.