Inside the supermarket, the lighting was dim. Only emergency lights and the daylight filtering through broken windows provided faint illumination.
Shelves had toppled over, goods were scattered everywhere, as if the place had gone through a disaster.
She didn’t dare pause for even a second. Following Lin Chen’s instructions, she lowered her head and sprinted toward the deeper part of the supermarket, away from the entrance.
Her feet stepped through sticky liquid (hopefully just spilled sauce), kicking aside rolling cans. All she could hear was her own heavy breathing and pounding heartbeat.
“Bang!”
A heavy impact sounded behind her, followed by a muffled grunt.
It was Lin Chen!
Su Qianqian’s heart sank. Her steps halted instinctively, and she turned back.
She saw that just as Lin Chen had rushed through the entrance, a zombie that had been curled up unnoticed in the shadows of the checkout counter suddenly lunged at him.
His reaction was fast—he avoided the vital points—but the zombie’s shriveled fingers still clawed fiercely at his already injured right arm.
Right at the same torn wound.
“Ugh!” Lin Chen let out a suppressed groan, his eyes instantly turning razor-sharp.
His left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the zombie’s greasy, sparse hair and slamming its head downward. At the same time, his right knee struck upward with explosive force, smashing precisely into the zombie’s face.
“Crack!”
A chilling sound of bone shattering.
The zombie’s head bent backward at a grotesque angle before collapsing limply to the ground.
But the wound on Lin Chen’s right arm—what had only been a “scratch”—was torn open again by the zombie’s nails.
Blood instantly spread across a larger patch of his dark gray hoodie.
Dark red droplets slid down along the tense lines of his forearm muscles, falling one by one onto the dusty, glass-littered floor.
Su Qianqian’s breathing stopped.
A massive wave of terror clamped around her throat like an icy hand.
Two injuries… in the same place… scratched twice… by the same kind of zombie?!
What terrible luck.
She almost screamed.
Lin Chen merely glanced down at his heavily bleeding arm. His brows tightened deeply, and for the first time, clear pain and grave seriousness appeared on his face.
He quickly tore off the hood of his hoodie, biting one end with his teeth while using his left hand. Though slightly clumsy, his movements were fast as he tightly wrapped it above the wound and tied a firm knot to compress and stop the bleeding.
Only after that did he raise his head, looking at Su Qianqian, who stood frozen.
The pain and gravity on his face were forcibly suppressed, replaced once again by that familiar cold, hardened mask—though his complexion had grown noticeably paler.
“What are you standing there for?”
His voice carried clear strain and suppressed pain, yet it remained forceful. “Find medicine! Now!”
Maybe… she should just run…
“Find medicine!” Lin Chen’s low roar, filled with restrained pain, snapped like a whip against her frozen nerves.
She jerked violently, snapping out of her panic.
“Pharmacy Section… Pharmacy Section!” Her voice came out hoarse, even to herself.
Forcing her gaze away from his bleeding arm, she clutched the backup phone tightly like a drowning person grabbing onto driftwood.
The city map on the screen still glowed coldly.
Her trembling fingers quickly swiped and zoomed.
The supermarket’s internal layout appeared with eerie precision—
Fresh Food Section, Daily Goods Section, Snack Section…
Found it!
Pharmacy Section!
In the far corner near the checkout counter!
“This way! Follow me!” Su Qianqian no longer hesitated and sprinted toward the direction indicated by the map.
She didn’t even look back to check if Lin Chen was following. An almost instinctive urgency drove her forward.
Her feet crushed snack bags, sticky syrup, rolling water bottles—each step echoing hollowly in the deathly silent yet danger-filled space.
Behind her came heavy yet still swift footsteps.
Lin Chen had followed—but she could clearly hear his suppressed breathing, laced with pain.
That sound pricked at her heart like needles.
“Damn it… these broken lights…” she muttered under her breath.
The deeper parts of the supermarket were even darker. The shadows cast by shelves loomed like lurking monsters.
She practically relied on the map and faint signage as she rushed forward.
Finally, after turning past a collapsed shelf of baby formula, a familiar green cross sign appeared ahead.
The Pharmacy Section was just as chaotic—medicine boxes scattered across the floor, shards of glass glinting faintly.
“Disinfectant… iodine! Alcohol! Bandages!”
Su Qianqian rushed to the counter, frantically rummaging through the scattered supplies.
Adrenaline surged through her veins, making her hands move so fast they almost lost coordination.
She grabbed a brown bottle labeled “iodine,” then fumbled out an unopened roll of medical bandage, her eyes scanning the mess anxiously.
“Where’s the gauze? Damn it, where’s the gauze?!”
“Stop looking! Use this first!” Lin Chen’s low voice came from behind her, heavy with suppressed breathing.
He had already reached the counter, his tall figure casting a long shadow.
With his uninjured left hand, he reached into a broken glass cabinet nearby and precisely pulled out a sealed pack of thick sterile gauze pads.
Su Qianqian grabbed it immediately. Without hesitation, she tore open the package with her teeth and pulled out a thick stack of gauze.
Turning around, her gaze fell on Lin Chen’s blood-soaked right arm, and her heart clenched as if gripped by something cold.
The sleeve of his hoodie had been tightly bound above the wound with the strip he had made from his hood.
Below it, the twice-torn wound gaped open grotesquely, flesh mangled, dark blood still seeping through the gaps and trailing down his arm before dripping onto the dusty floor.
“Bear with it.” Su Qianqian’s voice trembled slightly, but her eyes were resolute.
She twisted open the iodine bottle. The sharp scent of disinfectant immediately filled the air.
Lin Chen said nothing. He simply placed his injured arm steadily on the relatively clean counter, leaning forward slightly to make it easier for her.
His pale lips were tightly pressed together, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on his forehead—but his eyes remained fixed on the supermarket entrance, maintaining full alertness.
Su Qianqian took a deep breath, forcing herself to ignore the horrifying wound and the heavy smell of blood.
She picked up an unopened bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, and carefully rinsed away the blood and grime around the wound.
As the water flowed over the torn flesh, Lin Chen’s body tensed almost imperceptibly. His Adam’s apple bobbed as a deeply suppressed groan escaped him.
“Sorry!” Su Qianqian’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the bottle.
“…Continue.” Lin Chen’s voice came through clenched teeth, carrying unquestionable command.
Biting her lower lip, Su Qianqian forced herself to focus again.
After cleaning the wound, she picked up a gauze pad soaked in iodine. Looking at the dark brown liquid, then at the torn flesh, an overwhelming psychological pressure made her arm stiffen.
“Hurry!” Lin Chen snapped, a hint of urgency creeping into his tone.
From deeper within the supermarket came the dull sound of shelves being knocked over—and dragging footsteps.
Something was approaching.