“Chapter Seventeen”

"Chapter Seventeen"

"As they fell, cries that echoed throughout the neighborhood accompanied them."

"In that instant, a slender black shadow shot past them, accurately hooking onto the back collar of the person in mid-air, suspending them against the wall."

"Only then did Xu Fang realize the person was safe, letting out a sigh of relief. The shadow was a two-finger-thick iron rod, one end embedded in the wall, the other holding the man's back collar."

"The iron rod swayed continuously, and the hanging man, crying and flailing his limbs, tore his back collar with a rip."

"The man continued to fall."

"Xu Fang's heart, which had just settled, rose again. Even with the momentary buffer, the height was enough to cause broken limbs upon impact."

"The fall was too swift for anyone to react in time."

"The man plummeted to the ground, but the hard surface seemed to momentarily gain elasticity. He bounced a few times before coming to a stop, his wails robust, but devoid of any joy of a narrow escape."

"Despite the chill of February, the man who fell was dressed only in a white tank top and thin trousers. He appeared rather plump, sitting on the ground, his cries thunderous, tears and snot streaming."

"Eh? What's this?" Xu Fang looked at the ground in surprise, feeling a significant depletion in his ability reserves. Could the changes in the ground be his doing?

"Had he managed to activate his powers remotely?"

"Before he could test this further, the sobbing, disheveled man suddenly stood up and ran towards the entrance of the building he had fallen from."

"His departure was swift and determined, not even glancing their way."

Xu Fang was full of question marks. Even if he didn't want to thank them, did he have to run away that fast? What was he rushing off to?

"Boss?" Xu Fang looked towards Shen Xiuzhe.

The people in the window above were still looking down. Shen Xiuzhe just glanced casually and said, "Let's go. We've done our part by saving him."

It was unclear what relationship the man who fell had with the people above who wanted him dead. They had other matters to attend to and no time to interfere.

Xu Fang was curious, but since the boss had spoken, he only glanced upward a few times, leading the dog as he followed his boss.

Entering through the back door of the residential complex, there were many zombies in the supermarket on the basement level, but there were far fewer than on the streets outside.

Shen Xiuzhe didn't even use his powers, wielding a knife melted out of a door frame, with his other hand grabbing Lin An's wrist, taking down a zombie with each stroke.

Xu Fang did the same, leading Xiao Fu with one hand and holding a knife in the other.

Zombies were incredibly resilient, only dying completely when decapitated. Having killed too many, they could now sever a zombie's head without a change in expression.

The scene of the zombies being beheaded was bloody, with their foul-smelling black blood splattering everywhere. Lin An had nowhere to hide, watching in horror as the terrifying-looking, foul-smelling zombies had their heads chopped off by Shen Xiuzhe, their black-red blood rolling onto the ground.

The little zombie couldn't take it anymore. With no closet to hide in, he ended up hiding behind the person he feared the most.

Shen Xiuzhe paused in his zombie-slaying, turning to look at the little zombie behind him.

With zombies approaching from all sides, the panicked Lin An could only stick close to the only somewhat clean thing here—Shen Xiuzhe.

It was unclear if Lin An chose to hide behind him only after comparing him to the zombies, to avoid the foul blood splashing onto him.

Seeing the little zombie clutching the back of his clothes and following closely, Shen Xiuzhe curved his lips into a smile and let go of Lin An's wrist.

Indeed, because of the filth on the ground, Lin An could only shrink behind Shen Xiuzhe and wouldn't run around even if let go.

It was somewhat like chicks following a mother hen.

Half an hour later, the zombies in the supermarket were temporarily cleared out. Shen Xiuzhe and Xu Fang took two shopping carts and started loading them with needed supplies.

Xu Fang sighed while loading: "If only we had a space-manipulating ability, we could swoosh all the supermarket's goods into it, without having to push carts now."

Shen Xiuzhe didn't turn around. "Are you suggesting we take Jiang Laixu with us?"

Thinking of the only space-manipulating ability user in the base, Xu Fang immediately grimaced: "I'd rather push the cart."

Soon, the two carts were full. Their primary goal was to gather daily necessities, and this amount was far from sufficient; several more trips would be needed.

Shen Xiuzhe glanced back at Lin An and the dog Xu Fang was leading: "Let's get a few more carts."

"We can't take that much all at once."

"Who says we can't?"

After a while, Xiao Fu looked at the other end of the leash tied to a cart, gazing at Xu Fang with big eyes.

Xu Fang chuckled: "Xiao Fu, let's haul the supplies together. You pull one cart, I pull another."

They didn't spare even the zombies, not just the dog.

Lin An stood pushing a fully loaded cart, while Shen Xiuzhe went back to the supermarket entrance to grab some zombies lured in by the scent of humans. He tied the zombies together, attaching a series of carts behind them, and they quickly started loading goods.

Standing quietly, Lin An blinked slowly. Taking advantage of the two behind him still loading supplies, he gradually pushed the cart away.

Moving as if he was truly a customer browsing the supermarket, Lin An walked very slowly, avoiding the dirt on the floor as if guided to the shelves on the other side.

The shelves were stocked with bags of masks and gloves.

A pale hand slowly reached out to take a mask but retracted several times.

"Want this?" Shen Xiuzhe asked, noticing the small zombie pushing the cart forward, thinking he would go somewhere but ending up at the masks.

Hearing Shen Xiuzhe's voice, Lin An's shoulders contracted, and he lowered his head, pulling his hand back.

"We do need to take some," Shen Xiuzhe said, stepping forward. Among the gaps in the loaded cart, he stuffed in some masks and gloves.

He even opened a bag, putting on a mask and gloves for Lin An.

Lin An had been enduring for a long time. The supermarket was already dusty, and with bloodstains and dried black-brown marks everywhere, it was hellish for someone with a fear of contamination.

Now, with a mask and gloves on, Lin An finally relaxed a bit, then looked down at his feet.

He watched his feet for a long time, as if frozen, and Shen Xiuzhe went from confusion to realization and finally resignedly went to find shoe covers for the cleanliness-loving little zombie.

When Shen Xiuzhe appeared with the fully equipped little zombie, Xu Fang immediately exclaimed in surprise, "What's with this getup?"

"He's a stickler for cleanliness and insisted on these items. With Lin An dressed like this, it’s hard to tell he’s a zombie, which makes it easier for us to enter other cities."

Xu Fang couldn’t fathom why the silent little zombie insisted on having a mask and gloves, but that was beside the point—the boss’s word was law.

"Boss, the carts are full. I reckon that's all we can fit in there."

"That's enough for today, let's head out."

The two in front and Lin An each pushed a cart, with Xiao Fu at Lin An’s feet pulling another, followed by a circle of zombies tied together, who in turn were pulling many more carts.

These carts were all tied together, laden with goods and secured with ropes to prevent the contents from spilling during the journey, creating a jangling cacophony as they moved, a sight to behold.

The zombies, bound together, strained towards the two in front, and even those who wanted to break away from the group couldn’t, forced to move in the same direction.

Drawn by the scent of living flesh, the zombies opened their mouths, baring their fangs with ferocious and ghastly expressions, as they desperately pulled the carts in pursuit of food.

Xu Fang was beside himself with joy; it was his first time being chased by zombies in such high spirits, all thanks to the boss's ingenuity.

From the residential area to the underground supermarket, there were no stairs, perhaps for the convenience of the residents’ shopping, so there was a slope leading down. Now that they needed to exit, the downhill became an uphill challenge.

Xu Fang and Shen Xiuzhe pushed their full carts up the slope with ease, and Xiao Fu, pulling a cart, managed the ascent too, but after a few steps, it stopped and looked back.

Because Lin An couldn’t make it up.

It was clear he was trying to push his cart up the slope, but it might as well have been a thousand pounds, immobile on the spot.