CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288: LU TAO THE BRAGGART

"By the way, Lu Tao, is it possible to make more comms for the other members that will allow us to communicate with them without the availability of satellites or network?" Leng Pan remembered that they had to talk to the members of the Dominion squad whom they had recruited, but with the bad weather, they had to go look for them in person.

If there was a way to send messages, then it would be more convenient in the future.

"I have a few that I made recently. They are an upgrade of the last ones you guys used."

Lu Tao’s voice carried that proud little edge he always had when talking about his inventions.

"They can be connected to those watches I gave you and you can use the screen of the watch to type messages. Kind of like the apple watches, but apple watches are now useless." The boy didn’t forget to praise himself while giving an example of something that had been seen as top of the top.

Leng Pan raised her brow but didn’t comment on his bragging. Everyone already knew he was like this, and no one wanted to deflate his confidence.

"That’s good, give me some so that we can give them to Vortex and his friend and also Janna and the others should get one each." Leng Pan made her request without any scruples.

They were family anyway. There was nothing they couldn’t say.

Lu Tao grinned. "Already ahead of you, sister-in-law. I packed extras just in case. I even tested the signal yesterday, it should work even in snowstorms. Range is limited, but as long as you’re within fifty kilometers of each other, you can talk without interruptions. If I can get stronger components, I might even extend the range further." They had not expected the boy to be so meticulous. But it was a good thing that he was already prepared.

"You’re really proving yourself to be quite useful Little Tao." Li Yunjia chuckled warmly.

"Back then when the apocalypse had just started, you only played with wires and scraps, now you’re keeping us connected better than any company ever did."

Lu Tao puffed up with pride, but before he could launch into a speech about how brilliant he was, Lu Zhen interjected and he had to swallow back his words.

"I’ll go get them so that we can talk about training. The zombie we met yesterday was an indication of what is happening around the world and things are going to get more complicated." Lu Zhen said as he planned to go to look for Silk and Blaze after breakfast.

"That’s a good idea. Mom, Uncle, Auntie, and even Lu Tao, you guys should join the training too even if you don’t train intensely, try to get a little stronger." Leng Pan wasn’t trying to push them too hard but if things go the same way as their last life, then everyone would need to be able to fight.

Li Yunjia reached over and patted Leng Pan’s hand, her expression serious.

"We understand Sweetheart, with the things you showed us, we had actually talked about it already and decided to train as well.

You guys are going to be leading people to reclaim their home, if we become a burden and drag you down, then we would not be worthy of your efforts." She explained what they had talked about when the two had gone out to look for zombies to fight.

As she finished her statement, a heavy silence fell into the room. Even though they sometimes act like nothing was happening, everyone knew that the world had changed completely.

Uncle Li cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, if I’m going to swing a sword or shoot arrows, I’ll need to stretch first. Don’t want to break my back on the first day."

It was funny to hear Uncle Li say that especially with his body weight.

Auntie Li immediately smacked his arm. "Who said anything about swords and arrows? You’re going to start with push-ups. If Pan can kill zombies with her bare hands, then surely you can at least build some muscles."

The room burst into laughter. Even Leng Pan’s lips curved upward slightly. It looked like Auntie Li was taking advantage of the training to get her husband to build up his body to be more attractive.

"You guys laugh now, but let me remind you, your auntie used to be in the track team in school," Uncle Li muttered, rubbing his arm where he had been smacked. "She’ll probably beat us all in endurance training."

"Then I’ll run beside you and cheer you on." Auntie Li teased with a victorious smile.

Everyone looked at the two people whose age would add to a hundred years between then and their lips twitched.

Lu Tao couldn’t take their flirting anymore and mocked with a wrinkled his nose. "You two better not turn training into flirting. I don’t want to throw up in the snow."

"Look who’s talking." Uncle Li raised his brows. "The little boy who hides in his room tinkering with machines just so he can avoid doing push-ups." He wasn’t to be outdone just because the other party was the younger generation.

Who asked his little nephew to be so cheeky?

"I’m contributing to humanity’s survival!" Lu Tao defended himself dramatically. "Do you know how many times you’ll thank me when you can type on your watch instead of running through a blizzard to deliver a message? My genius is worth more than a few push-ups."

Leng Pan rolled her eyes when she heard her brother-in-law bragging again. If this guy could brag into fitness, it would be a good thing.

She tilted her head and looked at the bragging brat. "If you can build a comms device, then you can also build stamina. Both are useful. You’ll be training too."

The boy groaned loudly, collapsing onto the table as if the weight of the world had fallen on him. "Why is everyone suddenly bullying me?"

"Because you’re family." Lu Zhen said with a smirk, taking the small case Lu Tao had just handed him. "And family means no slacking. You have to set an example for the others. So, forget about going easy on yourself." It was rare to see Lu Zhen tease his younger brother.

Their relationship had improved a lot since the apocalypse started and they began living together.

He opened the case, revealing several sleek-looking watches with an upgraded design. The screen was slightly bigger, and the strap looked more durable. Everyone leaned closer to admire them.

"These are beautiful." Auntie Li admitted. "Much better than anything we had before."

And she was right. The watches were more pleasing to the eye than before and looked more sleek and sophisticated.

"Finally, someone appreciates my craftsmanship." Lu Tao perked up immediately.

Leng Pan distributed them carefully. "We’ll test them later. It would be better to have them during training."

Everyone nodded their heads. With these, things would become easier. However, they had to make sure they don’t fall into the enemy’s hands, otherwise all their intelligence might be leaked.

"Now, let’s talk about our training." Leng Pan said prompting everyone to stand up.

They all moved to the living room, which had been rearranged recently to serve as both dining and chatting space. The large table had been pushed to the side, leaving open floor space.

Lu Zhen sat in one of the single sofa, his tall figure naturally commanding attention. "We’ll divide training into two categories. The first is combat-oriented, things like basic weapon handling, stamina building, and awareness.

The second is survival-oriented, things like cooking under harsh conditions, first aid, and teamwork drills. Everyone will take part in both, though intensity will differ."

Li Yunjia nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Even if we can’t fight as well as you two, we can still help with survival skills."

"Exactly." Leng Pan agreed. "If you can handle first aid, for example, it frees us up to keep fighting. If you can cook and manage supplies, we’ll never have to worry about starving. Everyone contributes according to their strengths."

Uncle Li raised his hand as if he were in class. "What about teaching us how to kill zombies? You know, stabbing in the head and all that?"

Leng Pan gave him a flat look. "We’ll get to that after you can hold your breath while running for ten minutes without collapsing. Besides, don’t you already know how to do it?"

He immediately deflated. "Ten minutes?"

If they didn’t know that he had been in the military and help quite a high position, they would have thought he was serious.

But such an atmosphere wasn’t bad as the training wouldn’t become so serious that it would become like work.

"Five, then." She amended after seeing his face. "But don’t expect to fight without training your body first. Zombies won’t wait for you to catch your breath."