As night fell, everyone inside the supermarket consciously avoided that room.
“Boss, you’d better not go in… what if…” Chen Teng said nervously. If even Zhang Qichuan turned into a zombie, they would all be doomed.
As for what happened to Yang Ling, Zhang Qichuan knew best. He reassured everyone, “It’s fine. If she mutates tonight, I’ll deal with it.”
Everyone had seen his ability—he could release corrosive liquid that burned through zombies’ bodies—so they didn’t say anything more.
Shi Ran’s group returned from their shift, and Xu Zimou told them what had happened.
Gu Ming looked at the room, his gaze cold and sharp behind his glasses, as if he could see through it completely. “There’s no living person inside. And no zombie either.”
Hearing this, the team couldn’t help but get goosebumps. That basically meant… there were only dead people inside, possibly already dissolved by corrosive liquid.
Everyone became even more alert. Only then did Ye Shuyao truly understand that sometimes, living humans were more terrifying than zombies.
That night, Shi Ran’s group was still on guard duty. They planned to wait until everyone fell asleep before going upstairs to retrieve the computer.
Zhou Nuocheng could provide light, Shi Ran had spatial ability, and together they were the team’s strongest fighters. Gu Ming could unlock doors using ice and sense zombie positions.
The situation upstairs was unclear, and the people downstairs had their own hidden thoughts. In a supermarket that wasn’t big or small, tension filled every corner. Only perfect teamwork could ensure success.
Shi Ran had no energy left to complain about this hell-level opening anymore. In fact, she even felt like the storm could come even more violently.
“When the time comes, just stand between us and use your abilities. Once we get into the room, we’ll protect you while you take the items. If anything goes wrong, leave immediately. I must ensure your safety.”
Zhou Nuocheng gestured as he spoke, his expression completely serious—none of his usual laziness remained. Only the calm authority and responsibility of a team leader.
Looking at him like this, Shi Ran unexpectedly felt a sense of security.
Not because of him as a person, but because of the reassurance of having such a leader.
Perhaps in this world, aside from Ye Shuyao, no one truly valued her life. But Zhou Nuocheng’s concern was real—even if it came from responsibility.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect myself,” Shi Ran replied seriously.
After reminding Ye Shuyao and the others, they went on night watch.
It wasn’t until midnight, when everyone inside was in deep sleep, that the three of them stood up and headed toward the supermarket interior.
But the moment they turned, they saw someone sneaking toward them.
Under the faint fluorescent light in the corridor, they immediately recognized the figure—it was Chen Teng.
He hadn’t expected them to still be awake. He had assumed they were sleeping at the entrance during their shift, far from the supermarket—perfect opportunity.
He originally didn’t want to act in front of Zhang Qichuan, but Shi Ran was too pure and sweet-looking, making it impossible for him to sleep. Thinking he had never had such a “clean” woman before, he threw all restraint away.
Besides, those two men didn’t seem strong. Living under someone else’s roof, they wouldn’t dare resist even if they were awake. With Zhang Qichuan backing him, what could they do?
But when he saw that the two men didn’t move at all—and only Shi Ran walked toward him—he froze.
Were they… waiting for him?
As expected, women were all contradictory.
Zhou Nuocheng and Gu Ming weren’t hesitating because they were afraid—they were simply considering whether it was appropriate to act in front of Shi Ran. Killing zombies was fine, but killing a person… would she find it too cruel?
Still, they had no time to hesitate. They followed Shi Ran, ready to act if Chen Teng made a move. Zhou Nuocheng had already decided—if anything happened, he would disable him immediately.
Chen Teng sped up, excitement rising as Shi Ran approached. “I—”
Before he could finish, Shi Ran instantly struck.
Lightning flashed.
She didn’t even make contact with him.
In less than five seconds, Chen Teng’s body twisted violently as electricity surged through him. His face contorted, his body convulsed, and he collapsed straight to the ground, still twitching.
Shi Ran continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.
When she turned back and saw the two slow-reacting men behind her, she blinked in confusion. “Aren’t we in a hurry? Let’s go.”
“He…” Zhou Nuocheng looked at the charred figure on the ground. “He didn’t even finish speaking… and you just knocked him out?”
That was way too efficient. He had thought they would wait for him to act first.
“Oh, he was too loud. I didn’t want to wake the others, so I stunned him first.”
Simple. Direct. Brutal.
Shi Ran wasn’t aloof—she just didn’t waste time talking when working.
The two of them thought silently:
Girl… whatever you do, you’re definitely going to succeed.
They stepped over Chen Teng and continued on.
Meanwhile, Ye Shuyao’s group was pretending to be asleep. None of them got up when they returned.
At the stairwell to the second floor, Gu Ming formed an ice key and unlocked the door in one smooth motion.
They moved upward carefully, closing the door behind them.
At the second-floor entrance, there was complete silence.
Normally, zombies were most active at night, so they became even more cautious. Zhou Nuocheng gathered fire in his hand, Shi Ran condensed a lightning sphere, and they waited for Gu Ming to open the door.
“Click.”
The door opened.
Inside was pitch black. Only Zhou Nuocheng’s firelight flickered, casting their shadows on the walls.
Because the space was too tight, Zhou Nuocheng couldn’t use his clone ability, and Shi Ran couldn’t risk large-scale lightning. They could only proceed step by step.
“Be careful. These ones are more sensitive than normal zombies and can hide themselves. I can’t pinpoint their location,” Gu Ming said, continuously scanning the room with his mental ability.
Suddenly—
In the reflection of the firelight, another shadow appeared.
Shi Ran froze and instinctively grabbed Zhou Nuocheng’s wrist.
Because that shadow… wasn’t human.
It wasn’t even a zombie.
It was crawling.
Its entire body lay flat on the ground, limbs twisted unnaturally as it crawled at extreme speed across the floor—then vanished from sight.
Only three shadows remained.
The eerie scene made Shi Ran’s hands tremble. She bit her lip hard just to stay calm.
She wasn’t exactly afraid of crawling creatures—but their unnatural, chaotic movements made her deeply uncomfortable.
Heaven… I was joking when I said let the storm come harder. Please don’t take it seriously.
Zhou Nuocheng felt her grip tightening painfully on his wrist, but he didn’t speak.
He turned slightly toward her.
Her hands were shaking. Tears were welling in her eyes, yet she still stared ahead without looking away for even a second—alert, even while terrified.
He quietly stepped closer to her, positioning himself protectively beside her.
Right in front of her.