Chapter 22: Replenishing Supplies

Ji Yuanyuan stepped forward to chime in, "A grown man hiding behind a woman when danger strikes, and instead of reflecting on himself, he points fingers at others when things go wrong? How can a loser like you even manage to get a girlfriend?"

Zhao Xiaoting was equally indignant. "Of course he has to find a scapegoat, otherwise it would prove he’s incompetent, wouldn’t it? Oh, well, that’s just how those 'macho men' are!"

The young man turned beet red under their relentless barrage of insults.

The girl, whose name was Xiaohan, remained deaf to it all, trapped in a state of hopeless, numb weeping. The zombie from earlier had been charging straight at Liao Haofeng, her boyfriend; at the critical moment, he had actually shoved her right into its path! They had been dating for three years—a relationship he had pursued himself—and yet, in the face of life and death, this was how he treated her? Xiaohan dug her nails into her palms, her eyes filled with a bottomless darkness.

Chi Xing watched coldly from the sidelines for a moment before stepping forward. He glanced at Duan Yiren, uncharacteristically refraining from making any snide remarks. "A friendly reminder: once bitten, zombification usually occurs within six to eight hours. You’d better prepare yourselves accordingly."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes settling on Xiaohan. At the moment, she looked no different from a normal person; to take action against her now would be no different from murder. No one dared to do it. Yet, it was impossible to harbor no misgivings. No one knew when she might turn, and even less did anyone want to gamble with their own lives.

A circle of empty space quietly formed around Xiaohan as everyone instinctively kept their distance. She seemed not to notice, looking up at Liao Haofeng with a heartbroken expression. "Haofeng, I’m so scared. You’ll stay with me, won't you?"

Under the gaze of everyone, Liao Haofeng was in a bind. If he abandoned his girlfriend now, he would undoubtedly earn a reputation for being cold-blooded and ruthless, leading to him being ostracized by the group. Moreover, knowing the truth of what happened, he felt guilty and feared his girlfriend might reveal it, drawing everyone's ire. So, he bit the bullet, took a deep breath, and promised with feigned affection, "Of course, Xiaohan. I won't abandon you."

Xiaohan felt a sense of relief and nodded, choking back a sob. "That's good."

Jiang Yao frowned slightly. Beside her, a few people muttered, "How hypocritical. Where was that devotion earlier?"

Chi Xing said nothing more and signaled for the others to continue moving. After a moment of hesitation, Duan Yiren approached Jiang Yao and her friends. Her tone carried a hint of gratitude: "Thank you for speaking up for me earlier."

Jiang Yao curled her lips. "Classmate, when Chi Xing was using us to threaten you this morning, you didn't seem so compassionate. Why the sudden change of heart for this group?"

Duan Yiren’s expression turned awkward, clearly recalling her own words. She stammered, "Back then, we were strangers, but they... they are my companions."

Ji Yuanyuan shrugged. "I couldn't tell; you certainly have your principles."

Xiang Yu sighed. "You treat them as companions, but they treat you like a sucker. Is it worth it?"

The description was painfully accurate. Duan Yiren stiffened, the light in her eyes dimming. "Do you think I don't know that?"

She thought to herself that there were good people among them, and she couldn't paint everyone with the same brush. If she didn't look out for them, their situation would be even more dire.

"Regardless, thank you all."

Seeing she had her own reasons, Jiang Yao didn't push it further, merely offering a warning: "You’d better keep an eye on that girl named Xiaohan and her boyfriend."

Duan Yiren straightened up. "I know. Thank you." She paused, her eyes curving slightly as she added, "By the way, I’m Duan Yiren from the 2019 Chinese Language and Literature department. What are your names?"

Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow. So, she was a Chinese Literature major? She had noticed earlier that as soon as Duan Yiren spoke, the zombies would collapse in various ways. She surmised that her ability was likely something akin to "verbal incantation." That explained everything; the words she used must have been idioms.

After exchanging names and majors, Duan Yiren returned to her own group.

Ji Yuanyuan shook her head, sighing, "It’s best not to be so kind-hearted in the apocalypse!"

Zhao Xiaoting, who was quite experienced, agreed. "Isn't that the truth? They say in chaotic times, you kill the 'saintly' types first. Still, I don't think she’s a saint; she’s just highly empathetic and values relationships."

Unexpectedly, the usually cold Jiang Yao remarked, "The apocalypse needs true saints."

The others looked at her, confused. Jiang Yao’s lips curved into a slight smile. "It is precisely because such people exist that those struggling at the bottom have any hope of survival." If everyone were cold-blooded and only cared for their own interests, that would be the true end of the world. "Saint" was never meant to be a derogatory term.

Xiang Yu nodded thoughtfully. As a law student, she often wandered between sentiment and rationality. She knew well that the law allowed for no mercy, but when reading certain special cases, she occasionally hoped that the enforcement of justice could be tempered with compassion.

—

After a grueling journey, they finally arrived at the supermarket. The glass of the main entrance had been smashed, clearly having already been looted once. A group of zombies was wandering near the entrance, and it was unknown if there were more inside. Charging in blindly could easily lead to being caught in a pincer attack.

Chi Xing ordered the fifteen men to go out and lure the zombies away from the entrance.

A few of the guys rode bicycles they had found on the side of the road, shouting at the zombies like rowdy teenagers. "Hey, look over here, my dear sons! Daddy’s right here!"

Others whistled provocatively to draw the zombies' attention. Hearing the commotion, the zombies let out guttural groans and began to pursue the group. The men on bikes weren't afraid of being caught, but they couldn't ride too fast, lest they lose the zombies. They maintained a slow, leisurely pace, weaving around. "Run faster, come on!"

"Oh, seriously? Are you guys even capable of anything?"

The zombies trudged along, putting in their best effort to chase, their swaying limbs and the way they seemed ready to fall apart with every step creating a bizarre, pitiable scene that felt like watching elderly people being bullied.

"...Fortunately, zombies have no human rights, so no one was going to speak up for them."

With the supermarket entrance cleared, Chi Xing led the remaining people inside. As expected, there were still zombies within, and a few jumped out from behind the shelves. Chi Xing dispatched them easily with his baseball bat.

Jiang Yao took it all in, making a mental assessment: he had significant strength and speed, but most importantly, explosive power.

She turned her focus to scavenging supplies from the shelves. By the time they left, everyone was carrying at least two backpacks, which could hold quite a bit. Not to mention, Jiang Yao had a 10-cubic-meter spatial storage. Secretly filling her own stash while she was at it—wasn't that just a matter of convenience? Otherwise, why would she have gone to all the trouble of tagging along?

When Zhao Xiaoting caught a glimpse of Jiang Yao stuffing over a dozen packs of sanitary napkins into her backpack—which somehow remained flat—her eyes widened like copper bells!

"..."