Chapter 43: Danger Lurks—Fame Breeds Trouble

Go down?

Bian Changxi was momentarily taken aback.

“Yes, yes!” Lin Rongrong said excitedly. “There’s food downstairs, and that’s way more important than all this other stuff. That’s exactly what I’m lacking. Now that it’s chaotic and dark down there, if we’re careful, we shouldn’t get caught. But I’ll need you to keep watch for me.”

Gu Xu had said there were quite a few dangerous people downstairs—Lin Rongrong didn’t have the guts to go alone.

If her spatial ability got exposed and she ended up being treated like a walking warehouse, just the thought of it sent chills down her spine. But the temptation of food was too great. She couldn’t rely on Bian Changxi forever, and the supplies Qiu Yun brought over would only last a few days. She still had plenty of empty space in her storage—if she missed this chance, who knew when another would come? If she let a whole supermarket slip through her fingers, she’d cry her eyes out.

Bian Changxi hesitated a little. The food she had in her jade bracelet, all told, could last her maybe fifteen or twenty days. She’d already gotten fruit seeds, and vegetable seeds had been bought before the apocalypse, so she wasn’t in urgent need.

With so many people around, it wasn’t wise to use her farm warehouse, but if she didn’t, what was the point of going downstairs—just for a stroll? Still, this was a rare opportunity. If she missed tonight, tomorrow everyone would definitely try to break out of the supermarket together. Could she really stay behind alone, or turn back halfway?

Those zombies downstairs weren’t exactly pushovers.

“All right, let’s do it!” she said. After all, it’s not like she’d lose anything by taking a quick look. She told Lin Rongrong to put on a black coat, and the two of them each grabbed a quilt to cover their heads and faces, blending in with a group heading downstairs. As soon as they reached the second floor, they ducked into a corner, and Lin Rongrong quickly stashed the quilts into her space.

Luckily, those with abilities had much sharper vision now—they could make out shapes even in near-total darkness. Plus, some light filtered down from the third floor, and there were scattered lamps on the second floor, so they could just about see what was going on.

People on the second floor had split into three main groups, each using toppled shelves as barriers to mark and defend their own territory—and the food in it. It was pretty noisy, with people talking, eating, and whatnot.

Neither Bian Changxi nor Lin Rongrong had been to this supermarket before, so they weren’t familiar with the layout. At a glance, most people were gathered around the rice, noodles, bread, milk, and snacks. The fresh produce and meat sections were almost deserted.

Which made sense—without electricity or fire, raw food was hard to cook or store. Just having a little to eat for now was enough.

The two of them crept over quietly. “Wait here, I’ll scout ahead,” Bian Changxi whispered.

Lin Rongrong nodded nervously.

Bian Changxi had Lin Rongrong keep watch while she crouched low and circled the vegetable section a few times to make sure no one was around. She grabbed a few veggies, then headed to the meat and poultry area. The freezers were open and had been ransacked, but thankfully the supermarket’s backup generator had kept them running for a while after the power went out, so they were still cool inside. She collected what was still edible.

Next was the fresh seafood section—it smelled too fishy for her liking, but she heard water splashing in a few big oval tubs. Peering closer, she found live fish and shrimp, so she took the tubs and all. Since they were living creatures, she couldn’t put them in her warehouse, so she transferred them directly to her farm space.

She grabbed a few things from the pickled vegetable section, then moved on to eggs and other poultry products—chicken eggs, duck eggs, preserved eggs, she took plenty. On the same aisle were pickled vegetables, cooking oil, and condiments, so she quietly took some of those too.

The next aisle had dried goods like mushrooms and black fungus—good stuff—but it was right next to the rice section, where a few people were chatting.

“Leopard, those guys upstairs are getting way too cocky. Did you see how that Qiu Yun was showing off just now?” one man said.

“They’re ex-military, with heavy weapons, and now three—no, four—people with abilities. Of course they’re cocky,” a sinister voice replied—probably this “Leopard.” Another young man laughed, “Let them take the lead tomorrow. The more capable they are, the easier it’ll be for us.”

“Yeah, there are hundreds of zombies downstairs. Let’s see how many of them die before we get out. Boss, did you find out who that woman is? Did she really cure someone who got bitten by a zombie?” a woman asked.

The young man answered, “She’s a college student, a wood-type ability user. I went up to check—looks like that person really is cured, sleeping like a normal person. It’s incredible.”

Leopard took a drag on his cigarette and made the call: “We need to get that woman on our side. Sound her out first—if she’ll join us, great. If not, keep an eye on her. We can’t let anyone else use her.”

They went on to discuss plans for breaking out of the supermarket tomorrow.

Bian Changxi slowly backed away, having gotten the lay of the land. She returned to Lin Rongrong, who asked nervously, “Is it okay?”

“Yeah, there’s no one in the dark areas, but be careful—there’s a lot of trash on the floor,” she said, pointing out the spots that were especially easy to trip over.

Lin Rongrong nodded gratefully. “I’m going, then.”

Bian Changxi kept watch, focusing on the light near Leopard’s group.

If she wasn’t mistaken, that woman was Yang Xiaowen. She hadn’t expected her to escape to the supermarket. The young man was with her, but as for “Leopard,” she had no idea who he was. She hadn’t expected them to already have their eyes on her.

Bian Changxi gave a cold, faint smile. In times like these, fame really does bring trouble. People’s minds get twisted by sudden disaster, and the darkness in their hearts comes out. Any excuse can set off their violence, and one careless move can make you an enemy and get you killed for no reason.

But did they really think a reborn person was that easy to bully?

Ten minutes later, Lin Rongrong came back, mission accomplished. Just as the people upstairs were finishing moving supplies, they slipped back up, heads down. But as soon as they reached the top, a dark figure appeared in front of them.

Bian Changxi gasped, “Gu Xu!” Then she adjusted her tone. “Captain Gu, you’re…”

“We’re missing an ingredient for the pork rib soup. I came down to get it,” Gu Xu said, glancing at the two of them. Lin Rongrong felt guilty, like she’d been caught red-handed, and turned her head away. His gaze landed on Bian Changxi. “How’s your injury?”

“Much better.”

“That’s good. You do look a lot more energetic. That broken thing…”

“Just a little trinket, nothing important. Probably couldn’t handle the energy.”

Gu Xu seemed to accept this explanation. “Go sit down, both of you. Dinner will be ready soon. I’ll be right back.”

Bian Changxi watched his back, blinking. Did he really need to come down himself just for a seasoning? She felt like his gaze was deep, as if he could see right through her thoughts and actions.

She thought to herself, This is what makes Gu Xu so unsettling—no one can keep secrets from him. His eyes are sharp as knives. Because of this, both in her previous life and now, she always felt uneasy around him.

Even if her spatial ability was exposed, she could just claim to be a dual-type user—space and wood—and no one would doubt her. She lived alone, so she didn’t need much to get by. It was a shame, but there was really no need to collect supplies all the time. She could hide her abilities from anyone.

But when it came to the farm, she couldn’t afford to be careless. She never wanted to repeat the tragedy of her past life. Secrets should be kept airtight, not even a hint let slip.

In this life, she and Gu Xu were just strangers, and she intended to keep it that way. Once they left the supermarket, they’d go their separate ways. She was grateful and a little guilty toward him, but that was all leftover emotion from her previous life. She’d help him when she could, but she wasn’t about to bare her soul."