Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

"And what would happen if the electricity did go out?" I asked, looking at Liu Hong Tao.

"Well, one of the greatest misunderstandings about electronic locks is that they would fail in a power outage. This is simply not true. Each lock would operate on a battery until such time that the power was restored."

I nodded my head at his answer. Ten points for professionalism, and another ten points for what I said going right over his head.

"And if there is a power surge that fried all of the electronic components?" I asked, a fake smile on my face.

"The chances of something like that happening are less that 0.05%," replied Liu Ming Jie, the look on his face suggesting that he was talking to a paranoid child.

The joke was on him; I was neither paranoid nor a child. But he would learn the hard way.

Apparently, we had given Liu Wei enough time to join the conversation because he looked at me strangely when I started to talk about a power surge. 𝙗𝙚𝙙𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝒎

"How about for right now, we install the power locks on all the gates and doors, and the research department at Phoenix can start developing a secure lock that would be able to withstand any power surge. Would that be acceptable to you, Miss. Li?"

I turned to look at the man, and for the first time since we met, he showed promise. "Of course, but when might you be able to come up with something like that?" I asked, my head tilted to the side.

"It is not like we would be trying to reinvent the wheel, so it should be within an acceptable amount of time. When were you thinking?"

"Within nine months," I said, quickly doing the math in my head. I have only been reborn for six days, even though it felt like longer, so I had about one year before the apocalypse should happen.

But if web novels had taught me anything, it was that every time someone was reborn then the timeline would be off. But, on the flip side, those novels also assured me that killing zombies would be a fun activity to go out and do with your friends.

Clearly, they couldn't be relied on. However, better to be safe than sorry.

"Within nine months?" Asked Liu Wei, making a note of it on his tablet. "Shouldn't be a problem. Can I get a phone number to be able to contact you if we have any questions?"

"Sure," I said. It sounded reasonable seeing as I was going to have a VERY particular specification for what I needed. "But, there are a few more things to cover."

"And what would those be?" Asked Liu Wei.

"About the gates themselves, I don't want bars, I want something sold that will swing open from the inside out," I said, as I tried to describe what was in my head. I wanted the gates to swing towards the outside world, so if you weren't expecting it, they would smack you. I also wanted it that way so that when I left my ranch, it would be quicker and easier to escape.

Don't get me wrong. I am planning on hunkering down here when the end of the world comes, but a smart rabbit had more than one hole. That was also the point for the other two main gates to the east and west. If I needed to take a vehicle out that way, then I wanted something quick and simple. The six smaller doors were to let me out on foot if I wasn't able to get to a car on time.

Plus, a small door would be a lot less noticeable opening than a large gate... wait a sec... I forgot one point.

"I don't suppose you have color-changing concrete, do you?" I asked, knowing it was probably impossible, but figured it never hurts to ask.

"No, can't say we have ever heard of it," replied Liu Ming Jie.

"Any chance of being able to create it?" I asked, turning my attention to Liu Wei.

"I am sure our tech department could think up something, but it would take at least a year or two and we wouldn't be able to start the fence before then."

I was shaking my head before he could even finish the sentence. If they did a grey or white color of concrete for the fence, then the contrast at night would be obvious and any zombies around the area would easily be able to see it. If they did it in a dark grey or black then it would be the same problem during the day.

Now, I think that I have made it perfectly clear that these zombies were not normal. Instead of being inactive during the day, they were still a danger to humans, maintaining their speed. In fact, they were able to hunt better during the day as it took humans a while to understand that bright colors and dark colors were very easily seen. Not to mention dark hair. Yeah, it sucked.

At night was almost worse... If that was possible. Since they were originally military trained, they tended to be a lot more... successful in their hunts at night. They could slip into any place where humans slept and carried them away. No one would even hear anything... they would just wake up to the bed beside them being empty.

Yeah, the stuff of nightmares...

I looked around the property, trying to think of a way around this latest hurdle.

"May I ask what you are thinking about?" Asked Liu Wei as he came up beside me. Since his presence was invisible and his steps quiet, it was not enough to snap me out of my thoughts and I automatically replied.

"Contrasting colors," I said, still staring out. "White or light grey would be too obvious in the dark and black or dark grey would be too obvious in the light. If I can't have the material change based on the time of day, I would need a color that can blend in with the scenery no matter the time."

He looked thoughtful and looked around. "Why not forest green?" He asked, looking at the thick woods in front of us.

"Yeah, I was thinking that, but when winter came and the majority of these trees lost their leaves, then the forest green would stand out too much against the snow."

"Which is why you wanted color-changing cement," he said, still thoughtful.

"Exactly," I said, racking my head trying to find a solution.

"Leave it with me," Liu Wei said as he looked down at me.

"As the assistant of a super important CEO, I think you have bigger things on your plate than trying to help me figure out the color of my fence."

He chuckled at my answer, a smile appearing on his face. It was a lot more real than the first one I saw him with. "Leave it with me, I will figure it out. After all, being the assistant of a super important CEO means that I am great at problem-solving."

I nodded my head, willing to delegate this matter to him. I had enough on my plate. "But the entire fence, locks, and backup locks have to be completed in nine months."

"Nine months," he said, looking at me seriously. "It will be done."

"Thanks," I said smiling. This time it was me that reached out my hand to shake his. He took my hand in his and pumped it one.

The deal was done and the Dragon Fencing employees took their specifications and dimensions and went back to their office, promising a quote within a few days.

Liu Wei went back with them, and I was left alone with Hades, desperately needing a cup of coffee.

I would really, REALLY, have to stock up on that particular luxury. Maybe add some cases of energy drinks as well. Carrying my new little bundle of joy, I went back to the dining room table and continued on my list of supplies.