Tang Yun went up to the third floor but didn’t see anyone. The clothing section was in disarray, having been rummaged through. She grabbed a set of autumn sportswear and quickly changed out of her dress, then took a bag to pack some clothes into.
Lu Chuan picked up an aluminum alloy multi-functional folding telescopic trekking pole and a climbing hammer from an outdoor gear store, handing the trekking pole to Tang Yun. “This is much more convenient than a clothes hanger.”
“It really is,” Tang Yun replied, taking it and casually extending it a couple of times. She walked into the store to search for useful supplies while saying, “Dr. Lu, let’s check the mall’s warehouse. If we can’t find supplies here, the longer we delay, the harder it’ll be to find them elsewhere.”
Just then, she found a flashlight under a display cabinet. As soon as she picked it up, a strange red light emitted from its head.
She was certain she hadn’t pressed the switch!
[Congratulations, Player E01, for picking up the only ‘space artifact’ in this round of the survival game. The artifact is bound until the end of this round or the player’s death.]
[System 007: Don’t think you can conquer the world with this space—its volume is only one cubic meter.]
Tang Yun examined the flashlight for a moment, then glanced discreetly at Lu Chuan. He didn’t seem to have this so-called apocalypse system, as she was sure he hadn’t seen the strange red light from the flashlight.
Could it be that only I have the system?
Lu Chuan’s voice snapped Tang Yun out of her reverie.
“Alright, but we need to be cautious of the people entering the mall. Earlier, I saw a few people lurking behind the shelves, spying on us.”
Tang Yun had noticed them too—two men and a woman, armed with knives. It was unclear how many more were hiding in the shadows.
The mall’s warehouse was on the basement level. The elevator was no longer functional, so they had to take the stairs.
The flashlight illuminated the dim stairwell as the two cautiously descended to the basement.
On the second floor, in the supermarket section, two men and a woman emerged from between the shelves, pushing shopping carts.
“I saw those two heading to the basement. Should we follow?” the short-haired woman asked.
“We don’t know if there are zombies in the basement. Let’s hide in the shadows. If they make it out alive, we can just take their supplies then.”
“Right, no need to take such a big risk,” the scruffy, stubbled man agreed.
The short-haired woman muttered, “That doesn’t seem right…”
“We’re just taking their stuff, not their lives. Without water and food, how are we supposed to get to Safe Haven No. 3?” the man cut her off.
“Enough, no arguing now. Let’s go check the situation first.”
Besides these three, several other suspicious individuals were lurking in the mall, waiting for an opportunity.
Tang Yun and Lu Chuan made their way through the dim stairwell into the warehouse. The warehouse door had already been broken open, and a faint smell of blood wafted out.
Lu Chuan tugged at her sleeve. “Tang Yun, wait. There might be people inside.”
Most likely, they were customers or employees of the mall. When the disaster struck, they would have sought refuge in a place like the warehouse, which had ample supplies.
Tang Yun stopped at the entrance, not rushing in, but she couldn’t wait too long either. The longer they delayed, the more people would be lying in ambush outside.
She had the space artifact. If she slipped in quietly, grabbed the supplies, and got out, it wouldn’t take much time.
“Lu Chuan, your hand is injured. Stay outside and keep watch. I’ll go in. If anything seems off, call out to me.”
This opportunity to replenish supplies was extremely rare; she couldn’t afford to waste time, especially since she had no idea what the situation was like in G Town.
As long as she gathered enough supplies this time, she could set off immediately.
“Alright.”
Lu Chuan pursed his lips, expressionless, appearing somewhat cold and detached.
The warehouse was dim, but she didn’t turn on her flashlight. Instead, she used the few slivers of light filtering in to search for bottled water and easily storable food.
She found a batch of bottled water and canned instant noodles, storing some in her spatial inventory and placing the rest in the shopping cart.
Unexpectedly, she also came across a soup pot, blankets, and a tent, which she promptly stored in her spatial inventory. Just then, a foul stench assaulted her senses.
In a moment of urgency, Tang Yun switched on her flashlight, revealing two zombies with faces smeared in dark blood and corpse spots lunging toward her.
She reacted swiftly, spinning around and delivering a mid-air kick that sent one zombie tumbling, then used her homemade machete to shatter the other zombie’s skull.
After binding with the apocalypse system, she realized her strength had increased significantly compared to before.
The commotion was too loud, and more zombies in tattered clothes, covered in gore, began staggering and crowding toward her from deeper inside the warehouse.
Tang Yun pushed the shopping cart and dashed out of the warehouse. “Close the door!”
Lu Chuan didn’t know what had happened inside but immediately shut the warehouse door.
As soon as they emerged, people hidden in the shadows stepped out, blocking their path.
“You two made quite a haul—your shopping cart is packed full,” a burly man wearing a tank top in autumn, revealing tattooed arms, stepped forward wielding an axe.
Tang Yun positioned herself in front of Lu Chuan, observing the group outside. It was clear they weren’t allies, and there might still be others lurking in the shadows.
Her expression darkened as she asked, “What do you want?”
A man standing beside the tattooed brawny man chuckled, “Don’t be nervous. We just want to borrow some supplies from you—two crates of water and one crate of instant noodles will do.”
One crate of bottled water contained 24 bottles, and one crate of instant noodles held 24 packs. The shopping cart only had two crates of water and two crates of noodles.
Seeing their silence, one of the men opposite sneered, “Little girl, you’re even dragging along a cripple? It’s the apocalypse, and you’re still running around with a pretty boy. Admirable courage, really.”
“Be sensible, and we won’t make things difficult for you.”
Tang Yun pushed the shopping cart to the side, eyeing the five men preparing to rob them. They were divided into two groups, all fixated on the shopping cart.
“There’s plenty of water and instant noodles left in the warehouse. I only took one cartload. If you want some, why not go in and get it yourselves?”
Two crates of water and two crates of noodles wouldn’t be enough to split among them.
Clearly, the men opposite hesitated. One of them asked, “Are there still people inside the warehouse?”
Tang Yun replied expressionlessly, “Are you asking about the living or the living dead?”
Her uncooperative attitude angered the robbers, and they brandished large knives and hammers.
“Answer honestly, or you won’t leave this mall alive.”
Tang Yun smiled, “I went in and came out just fine, even brought back water and food. How could there still be people inside?”
“Of course, there couldn’t possibly be any zombies left either.”
“If you don’t believe me, go in and see for yourselves.”
The spot where they stood was only a short distance from the warehouse entrance. The warehouse door was closed, and no sounds could be heard from inside.
Lu Chuan glanced at Tang Yun out of the corner of his eye. When he closed the door, he had distinctly heard the roars of zombies from inside.
Clearly, the men opposite didn’t trust Tang Yun either.
“Leave the supplies and this pretty boy behind!”
“You lead the way up front. Once we get the supplies from the warehouse safely, we’ll let you two go.”
Tang Yun kept her expression neutral, but inwardly she was thinking: there were five people in front of them, and who knew how many more might be lurking in the shadows.
Neither she nor Lu Chuan, who had an injured arm, could take on so many.
But the warehouse was full of zombies—going in there would be suicide.
Even if they left the supplies behind, would this group really let them go?