The moment Dan was out of sight of the reception desk, his expression became more focused.
He had work to do.
The supermarket was enormous. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched deep into the building, packed with almost everything a person could possibly need. Food, bottled water, canned goods, rice, flour, cooking oil, medicine, toiletries, batteries, cleaning supplies, clothing, tools, camping equipment, and even small household appliances filled the aisles.
It was practically a treasure trove of survival supplies.
He pushed his cart casually through the aisles. To anyone watching, he looked like an ordinary customer doing his grocery shopping.
That was exactly how he wanted it.
He picked up a few items and placed them into his cart. Those were the things he genuinely intended to purchase.
The rest, however, would be handled differently.
Dan’s eyes moved upward. ’Security cameras.’
There were far more of them than he had initially noticed. Cameras covered the entrances, major intersections, checkout areas, and most of the aisles. They weren’t positioned perfectly, but there was enough coverage that carelessness could easily become a problem.
Dan’s expression remained calm because he had already considered this possibility.
Yet the fact that he knew the apocalypse was coming didn’t mean he could afford to be careless. If anything, it made him even more cautious. One mistake now could create problems that might follow him long after the world fell apart.
If he simply walked up to a shelf, touched a dozen items, and made them disappear, the cameras would record everything. Even if nobody noticed immediately, the footage would remain. Once the supermarket realized that hundreds of products had mysteriously vanished, someone would inevitably review the recordings.
That was when the problem would begin.
Dan needed to make sure there was no obvious connection between him and the missing goods.
He wasn’t going to take anything directly. He was going to make it look as though the supplies had simply disappeared on their own.
His eyes narrowed slightly. ’I’ll have to do this differently.’
Dan slowed down as he approached the first section.
’Canned food.’
He stopped briefly in front of a large display of canned tuna. Instead of touching anything, he simply glanced over the shelves, taking note of what was there and where it was located.
It was all just a casual glance as he pushed his cart along the shelves.
He didn’t activate the Inventory. Not yet. That was the important part. Doing so now would risk linking the disappearance to him, despite the other shoppers around.
So Dan continued walking. A few seconds later, he reached the next aisle and glanced back. The canned tuna was now far enough away that even if someone happened to notice something unusual, there would be no obvious connection between the missing products and him.
Dan mentally focused on the tuna he had just seen.
’Collect.’
A faint ripple passed through the air behind him.
Far away, on the previous aisle, the cans vanished.
<Ding!>
[Received Tuna Can ×24.]
Dan’s expression didn’t change. He continued pushing his cart without even touching a single can.
If someone reviewed the CCTV footage later, they would simply see him briefly glancing at the tuna display as he walked past the shelf. Other shoppers would also be moving through the aisle, some doing the same thing and others going even further by picking up cans, examining them, and putting them back. Nothing about Dan’s behavior would make him stand out.
By the time anyone noticed the cans were missing, Dan would already be somewhere else.
There would be no suspicious movement, no strange gesture, and no moment when Dan’s hands came into contact with the missing products.
’Perfect. This is much safer.’
He continued through the supermarket.
At the luncheon meat section, Dan repeated the same process. He gave the products a quick glance without touching them, noting their location as he continued toward another aisle without stopping.
Once he was sufficiently far away, he activated the Inventory.
<Ding!>
[Received Luncheon Meat Can ×24.]
Next came sardines.
Dan gave the shelf a brief glance as he passed, then moved on. Once he had created enough distance, he silently activated the Inventory again.
’Collect.’
<Ding!>
[Received Sardine Can ×24.]
Canned beans followed the same pattern. Dan didn’t touch them. He merely glanced over the shelf before continuing onward. Once he was out of sight, the products disappeared.
<Ding!>
[Received Canned Beans ×24.]
Dan continued at a steady pace. He never rushed.
That was the most important part. Anyone could become suspicious if he suddenly started moving frantically around the supermarket. Instead, Dan maintained the appearance of an ordinary customer.
Sometimes he genuinely bought something and placed it into his cart. Sometimes he picked up a product, examined the label, and put it back. Other times, he compared two brands before choosing one.
And sometimes he simply glanced at something and moved on.
Only after creating enough distance would he silently activate the Inventory.
The method was almost absurdly simple, but that was precisely what made it effective.
Dan was also careful not to empty an entire shelf immediately after passing it. He varied the timing deliberately. Sometimes he waited thirty seconds. Sometimes a minute. On other occasions, he moved two or three aisles away before storing the items.
He even returned to certain sections later, pretending to browse.
The more natural his behavior looked, the harder it would be to establish a connection between him and the missing products.
’If this place has competent security, they’ll eventually review the footage.’ Dan’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’So I need to make sure there’s nothing worth reviewing.