Wei Ye, hiding inside, panicked.
The loud banging on the shutter nearly scared him out of his wits.
He had climbed snow-capped mountains, trekked through rainforests, and taken on countless life-threatening challenges.
Yet he’d never been as terrified as he was now.
Zombies were simply too horrifying.
Even a light scratch, or accidentally ingesting even the tiniest trace of zombie flesh or blood, could mean infection.
With his physique, dealing with two or three zombies wasn’t a problem.
Even so, he didn’t dare approach them carelessly.
And the outbreak was likely widespread.
Even if he escaped, where could he go?
Was there anywhere truly safe?
Just as fear and uncertainty gripped him, the woman outside claimed she could tell him how to survive.
To Wei Ye, who had no idea how to handle the situation, that was extremely important.
He didn’t open the door immediately. Speaking through the shutter, he asked, “What advice?”
Meng Shiwan had no patience.
“Open the door.”
Wei Ye thought it over for a moment, then finally decided to.
Since the woman could stand outside the store talking, it meant the area was safe, for the moment.
He pulled up the rolling shutter.
Before him stood a young woman in athletic wear. She was very beautiful, but the coldness in her eyes and expression made it clear that strangers should keep their distance.
Behind her stood a large pink RV, which happened to block the entrance, sealing off the zombies outside and forming an enclosed safe zone.
Wei Ye quietly let out a breath of relief. No zombies, he was safe for now.
Meng Shiwan strode in and began picking out what she needed.
“First piece of advice: don’t open the door for people carelessly. Anyone you let in could turn out to be the reason for your death.”
Wei Ye: “……”
She was the one who’d told him to open the door.
And she was also the one telling him not to let people in so easily.
He stood at the entrance in a daze, his expression complicated and confused.
Meng Shiwan glanced at him. He was a very energetic man, tall, strong, probably around thirty.
His body showed clear signs of training, he likely worked out regularly.
She grew subtly wary and asked, “Do you have cold-weather gear?”
Wei Ye walked deeper into the store, pulled a thick set of thermal clothing from the shelves, and handed it to her.
Meng Shiwan said coldly, “Put it on the ground. Step back.”
She needed to keep an absolutely safe distance from this man in case he had ill intentions, so she’d have room to react.
Wei Ye looked completely puzzled.
Was she really that scary?
Why did this girl look at him like he was some kind of criminal?
He set the thermal suit on the ground while retreating and muttered, “This stuff is expensive.”
Meng Shiwan picked it up and examined it. She knew the brand and model, high-end gear fit even for Everest, able to withstand extreme cold.
“Get another set. I’ll transfer you the money later.”
She sighed inwardly.
A large portion of humanity still didn’t grasp how serious the situation really was.
He believed that soon someone would come clear the zombies and restore order, and he still held hope for the future.
At least humanity hadn’t yet been driven completely mad by the disaster, their innate kindness was still intact.
Otherwise, the first thing this man would have thought of was how to seize her RV.
Not how much a set of thermal clothing was worth.
Wei Ye pulled out another set and placed it on the ground. Under her vigilant gaze, he stepped aside and sat in a chair, quietly watching her work.
“And the second piece of advice?”
Meng Shiwan put the two sets of thermal clothing in the space in front of the passenger seat, closed the door, and came back to keep gathering supplies.
“Second: find a place with plenty of food and stay there. Wait for rescue.”
Wei Ye frowned.
“This disaster is going to last a long time, isn’t it?”
He’d seen some news online, zombies had broken out across multiple regions.
Going by the usual logic of apocalypse novels, combined with reality, this disaster might never truly end.
Meng Shiwan didn’t answer.
She picked up more than ten full-body hiking ponchos and stored them in the small compartment near the chassis.
Then she took more than ten pairs of comfortable hiking shoes and stuffed them into the shoe cabinet.
She also packed windbreakers, sports bras, backpacks, windproof pants, gloves, socks, hats, scarves, and other everyday outdoor essentials into the storage under the U-shaped sofa.
She only stopped once the space beneath the sofa was completely full.
Getting off the RV, she saw the man still sitting obediently in the chair, deep in thought, watching her work.
She found it somewhat amusing, and actually laughed out loud.
It had been a long time since she’d seen someone so naive. There was no scheming or malice in his eyes, only confusion and unease.
Meng Shiwan took out her phone and transferred him 100,000 yuan.
“Third: don’t trust anyone. Don’t show kindness to anyone. When necessary, abandoning your morals is the best way to survive.”
Wei Ye fell into thought, his gaze landing on the RV parked at the entrance.
Meng Shiwan stepped onto the RV, closed the door, and drove away without hesitation.
As the sky grew darker, she still needed to stock up at the supermarket. Many foods wouldn’t be fresh if left until tomorrow.
She parked the RV at the mouth of the supermarket’s loading passage.
Back inside, she picked up the multifunctional trowel and pushed open the side door.
Taxue raised its tail and followed close behind as it jumped down from the RV.
Meng Shiwan picked the cat up, set it back inside, and stroked its fluffy head a couple of times.
“It’s dangerous outside. Stay here and wait for me like a good cat.”
Taxue blinked its big eyes, sitting on the floor and tilting its small head as it watched her close the door.
The loading passage was open, and beside it stood a truck delivering instant noodles and snacks.
On both sides of the passage were stacks of boxed fruit not yet moved to the warehouse.
Gripping the trowel tightly, Meng Shiwan walked inward, staying alert for any zombies that might suddenly rush out from the corners.
Her target this time was clear: meat, staple foods, seasonings, and purified water.
With limited storage, she needed to prioritize calorie-dense, filling foods.
She wanted snacks and fruit too, but they were far less important than meat and staples.
“Roar!”
Just as she was about to enter the supermarket, a roar came from the corner ahead.
A male zombie in a supermarket uniform, a chunk of flesh missing from his neck, lunged at her.
Meng Shiwan reacted fast, sidestepping the attack. At the same time she swung the trowel hard, the sharp edge smashing a deep crater into the zombie’s skull.
The zombie crashed heavily to the ground and stopped moving.
She glanced at it, no crystal core.
The noise drew the attention of other zombies inside the supermarket.
Dozens began moving this way.
Meng Shiwan gripped her trowel tightly, eyes bright and shining. There was no fear of zombies in her gaze, only a strong craving for crystal cores.
If she was lucky, a couple more cores would be even better.
She looked around, then walked to a shelf and started pulling it toward the mouth of the aisle.
She pushed shelves to block both sides of the passage, leaving only a narrow gap for one person. Any zombie that squeezed out would be killed on the spot.
This was far easier and safer than facing dozens of zombies head-on.
Meng Shiwan pulled, but the shelf didn’t budge.
It was loaded with liquor and drinks, making it extremely heavy.
“Sis, I’ll help you.”
A girl appeared from somewhere nearby and came over to help Meng Shiwan pull the shelf.