“Hey!” Yang Ling was angry but didn’t dare to curse out loud. She looked at He Liukai, who had injured his leg while moving things yesterday, sitting there as if nothing had happened, and felt even more frustrated and resentful.
He Liukai didn’t dare offend them for now. However, he felt that Zhang Qichuan already valued him more than the others and assigned him quite a few tasks.
Even though he was injured, being able to follow an ability user meant he might live well in the future—food, drink, and even dominance in the apocalypse.
As for Yang Ling, she could only be wronged for now. His own future mattered more.
“What happened?”
A gentle male voice came from a small room on the right side of the supermarket.
That room had likely been used by employees to rest at noon. When the apocalypse broke out, the staff turned into zombies, and Zhang Qichuan used his ability to save everyone, so the room was now reserved for him.
The man looked about thirty years old, not tall, with balanced features and fair skin. He gave off a polite and refined aura.
Zhang Qichuan looked at the new arrivals and swept his gaze over them briefly without lingering.
“Boss, these are the people who came to seek refuge today. The supermarket is too big—we still haven’t sorted out the food and supplies properly. They can help out,” Chen Da said ingratiatingly.
Zhang Qichuan said gently to Shi Ran and the others, “Since you’re here, we should support each other and get through this together. Even though there aren’t many of us, for everyone’s safety, we need to take turns guarding the door. Is that okay with you?”
Before Zhou Nuocheng could respond, He Liukai, sitting nearby, immediately chimed in, “Don’t worry, boss. I’ll keep an eye on them. When you’re in our territory, you follow our rules. Our boss is an ability user.”
Seeing her boyfriend act so obsequiously while still sitting there helplessly, Yang Ling felt humiliated and realized she had misjudged him.
“Yesterday the TV here still worked. We learned about ability users from it. I do have special abilities, and I can protect everyone when needed,” Zhang Qichuan explained.
“That’s great. We’re university classmates who drove here from another city. It’s terrifying outside—we’re really grateful you’re willing to take us in.”
Ye Shuyao looked harmless and smiled sincerely.
Behind her, the “classmates” all looked equally innocent, their expressions pure and slightly foolish.
Everyone in the supermarket relaxed after seeing this. Clearly, they looked like easy-to-order helpers.
“Are you the owner of this supermarket?” Zhou Nuocheng asked smoothly.
“No. The owner probably lived upstairs, but when we arrived yesterday we heard strange noises upstairs. The second-floor door was locked, so we also locked the stairwell door. You’d better not go up there,” Zhang Qichuan explained.
It seemed Wang Zhiguo had already turned into a zombie and was still upstairs. They would need to find a chance to go up and check—hopefully the computer was still in his room.
Zhang Qichuan led them around the supermarket. When they reached Yang Ling, he noticed she looked like she had been crying, glanced at He Liukai, and handed her a tissue.
“You know, this guy isn’t bad. Much better than those abusive types,” Xu Zimò whispered to Tang Yao.
A faint chuckle came from behind the shelves.
Xu Zimò turned around and saw a boy stepping out from behind the rack, holding a bag of chips.
He was about 180 cm tall—quite tall for a 17-year-old. He walked over casually and began eating chips.
“This is Chen Yi, still a high school senior,” Zhang Qichuan introduced.
A high schooler?
Shi Ran looked at him—handsome features, clean face, still with a hint of youthfulness—but something about him felt off, though she couldn’t quite place it.
“I’m not a kid,” Chen Yi said lightly, eyes unreadable.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing. Yesterday you just barged in without hesitation and opened the door—weren’t you afraid of letting monsters in? With that speed, you could even eat sh*t while it’s hot,” Chen Da mocked.
Everyone was speechless.
Chen Yi ignored him. As he walked past Xu Zimò, he leaned slightly and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:
“Brother, your judgment is really terrible.”
Then he left without looking back.
Xu Zimò froze. “Hah? That kid’s so rude.”
Zhang Qichuan continued, “It’s getting late. The supermarket has basic supplies, but the bathroom is in my room—use it in turns.”
Water supply hadn’t been cut yet, so things were still manageable.
“Remember to use mosquito repellent. I got bitten badly last night,” He Liukai said lazily, even throwing flirtatious glances at Shi Ran and Ye Shuyao.
Zhao Yuhui silently helped him apply medicine, despite being the pregnant one herself.
Night duty was assigned to Chen Da and Chen Er—though it was more like sleeping near the glass door with the shutter half-closed, ready to react if anything happened.
In peaceful times, ordinary people’s sense of security couldn’t be changed overnight.
After hours of driving, the Yunxing team was also tired. By 8 p.m., after tidying up and arranging sleeping mats, they finally rested.
Shi Ran felt a little drained. Looking at Ye Shuyao, who looked equally exhausted, she silently decided they would eat properly once they left this place.
The Yunxing team gathered in a corner of the supermarket to rest and discuss plans.
“Let’s observe tonight. Tomorrow we try to take night watch and act after everyone falls asleep,” Zhou Nuocheng said lazily, leaning against the wall.
“We can sense something upstairs—more than one. Be careful tomorrow. We’ll take turns guarding tonight, even if they’re human, we still need caution,” Gu Ming added seriously.
“We agree. Rest well. We’ve got this,” Tang Yao said.
Xu Zimò nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry. If anyone acts up, I’ll feed them to zombies.”
“Thanks~” the two girls replied.
They didn’t refuse the protection. In an apocalypse, teamwork and complementing each other’s strengths was the smartest way to survive.