The mini-mart had plenty of supplies: instant noodles and drinks on the shelves, with rice, flour and cooking oil on the bottom tiers.
These staples were among the things survivors needed most.
There were cigarettes and liquor in the glass counters too. Chen Ye immediately packed some cigarettes into his bag, though there were fewer than at Apricot Blossom Town. After taking several cartons, he moved on to other supplies.
Rice came first, then flour. Things like potato chips took up too much room for what they offered. Brooms, washbasins, towels and other household items were available too, but no one took them.
He had brought two backpacks, planning to wear the larger one on his back and the smaller one on his chest so it would not hamper his hands. The larger pack would weigh tens of catties when full.
The village store had little in the way of fancy goods, but plenty of local produce, including cured meat and fish. Chen Ye reached to pack some of both.
An elderly hand grabbed the same meat and fish, only a moment after his.
Looking up, he saw the old woman glaring at him. She was the grandmother he had taught a lesson to earlier.
Chen Ye’s gaze turned cold. Without a thought, he drew the Heavy Machete from his waist and swung it down.
Every second mattered here. He had no intention of arguing with her.
The old woman quickly pulled her hand back.
She had meant to kick up a fuss and fight over the food, but lost her nerve on recognizing Chen Ye. When he drew his machete to strike, she shuddered with fright. She gave him a venomous look, then turned toward another part of the store.
Nana saw the whole exchange and gave Chen Ye an approving look before getting back to work. Several others saw it too and became more wary of him.
Nana was busy too. The pack on her back was taller than she was, and already almost half full. It did not seem to trouble her. Her carrying capacity alone far exceeded Chen Ye’s, as one might expect of a Sequence 2 Sword Immortal.
As for Iron Lion, he was practically a mobile supply depot. Chen Ye had not seen how he gathered supplies in Apricot Blossom Town. Now he could, and it astonished him. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
The big man held an enormous bag, large enough to fit three Chen Yes with room to spare. It was clearly made for occasions like this.
Iron Lion took whatever he saw. Chicken feet, spicy strips, Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, instant noodles, sausages—he swept them into the bag with one arm. A twenty-catty sack of rice was like a bag of chips in his hands.
The survivors were in a frenzy. Some had filled their bags to bursting but were still shoving food into their pockets, down their shirts, anywhere it would fit.
Chen Ye sighed inwardly at their greed. This place was not safe. If danger came, they might be too laden to escape.
The old woman was an example. She had two packs, apparently copying his plan of wearing one in front and one behind. Both were mostly full, but she was now sitting on the floor, unable to get up.
Zhou Lan had set aside her celebrity glamour to focus on scavenging. Her backpack was full, but the bag in her hand was less than half full. Zhou Xiaoxiao had gathered less than half a load too.
Although the store was larger than most village shops, there were too many people scavenging it. Soon the shelves were bare, without even a bottle of seasoning left. The place looked as if someone had deliberately cleared it out. Everyone had found at least something.
“That… that’s it?” a survivor complained, looking at his partially filled bag.
“It’s only a little store. We’re lucky there was this much.”
“See if it has a storeroom. There might be more in there.”
“Hmph, this is a village shop, not some huge city warehouse!”
Even Iron Lion’s enormous pack was only half full, well short of what he had hoped for.
Nana’s pack was only seventy percent full, and she had not even taken out her other one. “What do we do? This is nowhere near enough!” she said, tapping the pack behind her. She was clearly dissatisfied with the haul.
Chen Ye hesitated too. They could not count on finding a suitable resupply point whenever they needed one. It would be hard to accept going back with only this much. Get faster updates on novelping(.)com.
Iron Lion scratched his head. “I can carry more, but there’s nothing left here. Should we go to the village chief’s house? This isn’t enough.”
“We’ve come all this way. Why not take a look at the village chief’s house?”
“The radio said there were plenty of supplies there. It should be right.”
After a brief discussion, the three decided to go. They had seen an imposing villa nearby, which they assumed was the village chief’s house. Some survivors who already had enough supplies were unhappy at the decision.
“Don’t go. There’s something wrong with this village. We should leave early!”
“Exactly. We’ve got enough supplies. It’s too dangerous!”
“You guys have enough, but we don’t!” another survivor argued. “If you want to leave, leave! We’re following them!”
Zhou Lan and Zhou Xiaoxiao were definitely going to continue with Chen Ye and the others. Taking bold risks again and again was how the sisters had managed to live reasonably well in the convoy. Another argument was about to begin.
Nana stepped forward and snapped, “Still arguing? Have you forgotten what’s outside?”
Everyone’s expression changed. Hundreds of corpses hung from the willow outside.
The argument died instantly.
“If you want to go back, go,” Nana said coldly. “You should remember the way. Anyone who wants to continue can come with us to gather more supplies. But remember: if you follow us, you must listen. Otherwise, we can’t guarantee what will happen.”
With that, she strode toward the door on her long legs.
Outside, the hundreds of corpses hanging by the entrance seemed to watch the intruders in silence, like an audience at a show.