Chapter 55: Claiming the 15th Floor  

Huang Ming had to admit, he simply couldn't stay angry at Liu Shuang'er anymore. Perhaps he'd developed real feelings for her—he just wanted to spoil her rotten these days. 

Anyone else daring to glare at him like that would've found themselves on an intimate date with the undead. 

He poured each of them a glass of that "vintage 1982 Sprite," the carbonation fizzing nostalgically. 

"This morning's haul was incredible. Senior Anqing, with these assault rifles and sniper, you should be able to make armor-piercing rounds for me now." 

As Huang Ming spread the twenty-plus firearms across the table, Gu Anqing carefully set down her chopsticks and began examining each weapon with practiced hands. 

"These pistols are no upgrade from your current sidearm. Only these seven assault rifles and two sniper rifles are worth modifying for AP rounds." She tapped the barrel of a rifle thoughtfully. "I'll select one of each, suppress them, then start mass-producing magazines and ammunition." 

"You're absolutely amazing! But that sounds like an enormous workload—" 

Gu Anqing shrugged, picking up her chopsticks again. "If you really want to help, find me some reliable assistants. Magazines and bullets can be assembly-lined with proper supervision." 

Not to be outdone, Lu Yusi spoke up: "Huang Ming, could you arrange a proper biology lab for me? I'll need both living and dead specimens, full hazmat equipment, chemical reagents—the complete setup." 

Liu Shuang'er quickly added her own demand: "I require a medical laboratory as well. Remember those military-grade stimulants I developed? Version 2.0 is in progress, along with other medical advancements." 

Huang Ming rubbed his temples. Three brilliant minds, zero proper workspaces. After a moment's consideration, he snapped his fingers. 

"Room 1503 has two bedrooms. We'll clear out the furniture—living room becomes Anqing's engineering workshop, main bedroom for Yusi's bio-lab, and the smaller bedroom for Shuang'er's medical research. Acceptable?" 

Three heads nodded in perfect synchronization. 

It would have to do for now. They could expand their facilities later. 

Liu Shuang'er frowned slightly. "But we're not living there. What if others come snooping around the 15th floor?" 

"Simple solution," Huang Ming said, making a welding motion with his hands. "We're taking over the entire floor. Steel security gates at both stairwells. No uninvited guests." 

Gu Anqing's eyes lit up with approval. "Excellent plan. After lunch, we'll get Wu Dashan and Li Chang'an to help. With my designs, we can have those gates installed within hours." 

"I'm planning to move Li Chang'an into 1507—right next to Wu Dashan. Any objections?" 

Lu Yusi nodded agreement. "Keep all our trusted people on the same floor." 

"We should leave 1502 vacant," Gu Anqing suggested. "For future recruits. We could always knock down a wall to connect it to 1501 later." 

Liu Shuang'er nearly choked on her rice. More women? "Anqing! He already has three of us. Are you trying to set up his imperial harem next?" 

The other two women exchanged amused glances. In this new apocalyptic world, such arrangements were practically survival strategy—though Shuang'er's jealousy burned particularly bright. 

An awkward silence fell over the table. Huang Ming wisely kept his mouth full of food. 

Liu Shuang'er huffed at his pretended innocence, stabbing her rice with unnecessary force. 

Gu Anqing and Lu Yusi hid knowing smiles behind their hands. They had their own plans regarding sharing Huang Ming—just not yet. 

The tension was broken by Huang Ming's phone notification. A message from Zhou Ting: 

[Mission accomplished. Wang Xue, Xu Shanshan, and Cai Lili are fully tamed. As long as they're fed, they'll remain obedient.] 

Huang Ming consulted the trio: "Zhou Ting reports she's successfully 'domesticated' those three girls. Should we move them into 1504?" 

There were no objections—except for Gu Anqing's enthusiastic nodding. Assembly line production would require extra hands. 

His reply to Zhou Ting was brief: 

[Good work. Keep them compliant. Stand by for further instructions.] 

Her response came instantly: [Understood.] 

With lunch finished, Huang Ming clapped his hands together. "Alright, Anqing, let's get started on those security gates." 

"Call your team," she replied. 

As Huang Ming sent texts to summon Wu Dashan and Li Chang'an, he and Gu Anqing moved to the east stairwell to survey the location. 

Liu Shuang'er and Lu Yusi remained behind—one cleaning up from lunch while the other monitored their surroundings via drone surveillance. 

Within minutes, Li Chang'an and Wu Dashan arrived. Huang Ming made the introductions: 

"Fatso, this is Lao Wu. Like me, he's awakened. You should learn from him." 

Li Chang'an's jaw dropped. "No way! Brother Wu, I'm Li Chang'an. Consider me your disciple from today forward!" 

Wu Dashan laughed heartily. "Just got lucky with some extra strength. Neighbors should help neighbors!" 

After exchanging backgrounds—Wu's enhanced physical abilities versus Li's automotive expertise—the two men quickly bonded over their shared loyalty to Huang Ming. 

When the introductions were complete, Huang Ming presented Gu Anqing, who was currently clinging to his arm in Liu Shuang'er's absence. 

"This is Senior Gu Anqing—mechanical engineering prodigy. Our mission today? Follow her blueprints to fortify both stairwell entrances." 

Li Chang'an recognized her—she was the girl they'd rescued that first night—but the title of "genius engineer" still impressed him. 

Wu Dashan smiled wistfully as he looked at Gu Anqing. She reminded him of his own daughter, who had been about the same age when she left for university. 

Probably lost to the outbreak by now.