The icy chill licked at her skin, and every breath carried the scraping pain of ice crystals.
Leaning on the heavy spiked club, Su Qianqian rested against a metal shelf covered in thick frost.
She watched as Chen Mo directed the still-dazed chef—now known to be Wang Fu—using a fire axe and a pried-off metal rod from a shelf to carefully widen the hole in the cold storage door.
“Creak… clang…”
Broken ice and warped metal fragments were continuously cleared away. The opening gradually widened into a gap just large enough for a person to squeeze through while bent over.
The murky air outside the cold storage, tinged faintly with the smell of blood, began to flow in.
Chen Mo worked diligently. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, only to freeze into tiny ice crystals in the low temperature.
From time to time, he sneaked glances at Su Qianqian inside, his eyes filled with awe and lingering fear, asking cautiously as if seeking approval, “Boss, is this okay? Is it big enough?”
Su Qianqian’s voice was low but firm, carrying unquestionable authority. “Bigger. Make it cleaner.”
Most of her attention remained fixed on the ice-sealed crystal deep within the cold storage.
Her mental power, like a faint probe, carefully swept across the interior of the crystal.
Lin Chen’s condition was still dire. The ice-blue storm and the black threads continued their silent battle on the frozen battlefield, locked in stalemate.
But she keenly caught a subtle change—
The small area she had previously “purified” with her mental light now showed black threads that were extremely faint and dim, like ashes after being burned.
Purification… really worked!
Though the range was tiny and the consumption immense, it was the only glimmer of light in the darkness.
This discovery injected a trace of warmth and hope into her exhausted, frozen heart.
The opening was finally large enough for one person to pass through.
Chen Mo and Wang Fu stepped back, panting, looking at Su Qianqian with reverence.
“Boss, it’s open,” Chen Mo said respectfully.
Su Qianqian took a deep breath of icy air, suppressing her weakness and headache. Leaning on the spiked club, she bent down and stepped out of that frozen hell.
The air in the warehouse, though murky, was much warmer than inside the cold storage. Her stiff body slowly began to thaw.
Brother Qiang still lay curled a few meters away, clutching his mangled arm. His groans had weakened, his eyes unfocused. From blood loss and mental trauma, he was close to death.
Wang Fu stood nearby, shrinking back, avoiding Su Qianqian’s gaze.
Her eyes swept over Brother Qiang. There was no pity—only a cold confirmation: the threat was eliminated.
She turned to Chen Mo. “Take whatever is useful—food, water, medicine. Especially antibiotics and painkillers. The more, the better. You have five minutes.”
“Yes, Boss!” Chen Mo responded as if pardoned from death, immediately dragging the still-stunned Wang Fu toward the pharmacy and food sections.
He was clearly familiar with the supermarket layout.
Su Qianqian walked to a corner of the warehouse, where abandoned backpacks and bags were piled.
She picked the sturdiest hiking backpack and began stuffing it: several bottles of water, compressed biscuits, chocolate bars, and the remaining supplies from the first aid kit—gauze, iodine, antibiotics, painkillers, and that precious adrenaline shot.
Finally, she stuffed in the metal thermos, still stained with brain matter and filth, yet now carrying special significance.
After finishing, she sat down against a shelf and took out her notebook and pen.
Her fingers were still stiff from the cold, but she insisted on writing:
[Status Update]
Lin Chen: Deep freeze (energy instability + infection stalemate).
Good news: Mental purification effective on infection threads!
Bad news: Small range, high consumption, requires repeated attempts.
Priority: Extremely high! Must find a safe place to stabilize healer ASAP.
Me: Mental attack power increased (precise single-target?), but extremely draining (headache, nosebleeds).
**Purification ability (tentatively named: “Glimmer”) confirmed effective, but even more costly. Use cautiously.
Status: Weak, exhausted, back wound needs attention.
New recruits: Chen Mo (Glasses Guy, map expert, intelligence source), Wang Fu (chef, timid, labor?).
Loyalty: Chen Mo has strong survival instinct—usable for now; Wang Fu under observation.
Objective: Northern outskirts of Jiang City – Rock Fortress (shelter).
Route: High risk! Requires planning.
After writing, she tucked the notebook close to her body and looked toward Chen Mo, who was busy in the pharmacy section.
He worked efficiently. Soon, he and Wang Fu returned, dragging a large, overstuffed supermarket bag.
Inside were canned goods, vacuum-packed food, bottled water, and several boxes of antibiotics and painkillers.
“Boss, everything’s ready! As instructed—high-calorie, long-lasting, and medicine prioritized!” Chen Mo reported eagerly.
Su Qianqian nodded and glanced at Wang Fu. “Carry it.”
Wang Fu didn’t dare refuse. Struggling, he hoisted the heavy bag onto his shoulder.
“Let’s go.” Su Qianqian spoke simply, pushing herself up with the spiked club and signaling Chen Mo to lead the way out of the warehouse.
She cast one last look at the cold storage door sealed by ice—and at the iceberg inside that radiated despairing cold. Her gaze was resolute.
Top jungler… wait for me.
…
Chen Mo, familiar with the layout, led them around the areas where zombies had gathered earlier. Through another staff passage exit, they quietly returned to the supermarket floor.
The store was in ruins. Shelves had toppled, goods scattered everywhere, and dried dark-red bloodstains were visible throughout.
From afar came occasional zombie roars and sporadic gunshots—whether from survivors or other factions, it was unclear. The atmosphere was tense and dangerous.
They moved quickly along the walls, using the shadows of fallen shelves as cover.
Su Qianqian’s mental power spread like an invisible radar, sending out faint ripples to sense danger.
Most signals were chaotic, hungry zombie thoughts—like background noise. Occasionally, she detected faint traces of survivors, filled with fear or vigilance.
Just as they were about to pass through the fresh food section and approach the side exit—
“ROAR—!”
A particularly violent howl erupted from the seafood section ahead, accompanied by the crash of something heavy slamming into a freezer.
Su Qianqian immediately raised her hand to signal a halt. The three of them crouched at once, hiding behind a toppled freezer.
Peering through the gaps in the shelves, they saw—
A massive zombie, unusually large and wearing a bloodstained white lab coat, was violently slamming its body against a large upright glass aquarium used for holding live fish.
The glass was already covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Murky water and several dead fish floated on the floor.
The zombie’s strength was terrifying. Each impact made the heavy tank shake violently.
This was no ordinary zombie.