Chapter 128

Chapter 128

"..."

A classic case of 'group attack with critical hits'—the moment those words were spoken, both those in relationships and the singles fell silent. Mainly because what Cheng said was both factual and reasonable.

Knowing each other inside out, the burn was brutal.

"Fine, you win."

Huang Qian conceded, nibbling on her candy as she resumed the exploration. The others, unable to counter, fell into a short silence.

After walking a short distance, Huang Qian suddenly turned to Cheng Jing, her tone earnest:

"Bro, teach a class. I’m in."

Can’t win? Then join in. No shame in wanting to level up.

"We’ll sign up too."

The others, catching on fast, jumped in together.

The Cheng they used to know wasn’t like this. Ever since getting back together with Jiang Nian, his sharp tongue had gotten way worse—hard to tell if it was a secret skill or a side effect of being lovesick.

Jiang Nian couldn’t help but laugh:

"Seriously, you guys are too much..."

Yet, one dared to propose, and the other dared to agree.

Cheng Jing grinned and extended his hand:

"Alright, 5,000 points each. Send it my way."

"Cough..."

Jiang Nian almost spit out his mint—bro really went for the jugular with that price.

"Bro, that’s highway robbery!"

"Hook us up with a friends-and-family deal, bro..."

"Does 5K come with a plus-one?"

"..."

What started as an absurd joke took an even more absurd turn when Jian Cheng responded with total sincerity:

"You got it, Cheng. I’ll transfer the points once I get paid this month."

"..."

The team’s grins stiffened.

Cheng Jing shot him a baffled look:

"Man, Cheng, I didn’t know you were this easy to scam."

This guy... Cheng almost felt bad fleecing him.

Zhao Lei also asked suspiciously:

"Dude, are you sure this isn't a side effect of your Superpower awakening? Why do I feel like you're getting more and more off your rocker?"

"..."

"Snort, Brother Zhao hit the nail on the head..."

"Hahaha..."

The atmosphere remained lively, though the tone had taken a slightly strange turn.

"What side effect? Can't I just be touch-starved?"

Jian Cheng laughed along before turning to Jiang Nian:

"Brother Nian, you taking students?"

These people didn’t understand—Brother Nian was the real authority in this field.

Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow:

"No, but I’ll give you a free lesson: If you like someone, be bold. If there’s a chance, go all out. Giving yourself an opportunity is also giving the other person one. Word of advice—though you might want to ease up a little with girls."

As he spoke, he subtly glanced at his boyfriend.

"Oh..."

Jian Cheng nodded thoughtfully, while the others found it quite reasonable.

Only Cheng Jing muttered inwardly, *'You little shit!'*

Seems like back then, when someone pretended to be well-behaved and he played hard to get, they both knew exactly what was going on—a romantic version of *Jiang Taigong fishing*.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Jiang Nian’s face went serious. Hefting the steel pipe, he swiftly moved past his teammates, closing the distance by several meters.

Just as everyone turned to look, a deafening *'BANG!'* echoed.

A zombie that had just emerged from a pile of debris ahead had its entire head smashed clean off by the steel pipe infused with Purification Superpower, sending it flying over ten meters away.

The chaotic commercial district made it hard to see, but wandering zombies were plentiful. Thankfully, Jiang Nian’s Superpower radar prevented any surprise zombie greetings.

With a *'Fwoosh!'*, Cheng Jing flicked his fingers, and everyone watched as the flying zombie head ignited with Thunder Fire, soon burning down to a crystal core.

Once it was done, Jiang Nian turned to Huang Qian with a grin:

"Sister Qian, do the honors?"

Huang Qian flung a vine, shaking her head helplessly:

"Seems like it’s not just us—even zombies have become part of your flirting routine."

Zombie: "..." (silent zombie protest)

The teammates cracked up. Jiang Nian didn’t mind, treating it as a chance to toughen up.

As a transmigrator, when you think about it, the whole world was just a stage for his antics anyway—talk about main character energy!

...

The dried goods section was just as trashed and stank to high heaven. The ground was strewn with tainted dried goods and cured meats.

Mixed in were some shriveled, blackened zombie parts and other body tissues.

Jiang Nian activated his superpower to stay alert to the surroundings, while black smoke curled up from the zombie remains on the ground.

The rundown area was even darker than usual, and everyone dropped their earlier joking around to focus on the search, broken by the occasional retching sound.

However, this time, they managed to find two boxes of dried squid pinned under a toppled storage unit.

They also discovered a box of mixed seasonal vegetable seeds in a seed shop.

Along with fewer than a hundred zombie cores, these were today’s pathetic haul so far—laughable compared to their normal take.

Past 10:30, the heat and stench combined with the poor results was grating on Cheng Jing's nerves. Watching Jiang Nian retch while smashing zombie heads away, he flapped his hand impatiently:

"Let’s head to the multi-purpose building."

Then he reminded his boyfriend:

"Nian Nian, use a gun for the zombies."

Though both methods involved killing zombies, Jiang Nian’s approach seemed particularly brutal.

Jiang Nian glanced at the "Evil-Purging Staff" in his hand and refused without hesitation:

"This method works better for stress relief. I’ll be careful, Brother Jing—don’t worry. I’ll use the gun when necessary."

Cheng Jing: "..."

Another snarl ripped from behind a pillar ahead, and Jiang Nian went charging in again.

He had already realized the benefits of his Purification Superpower:

Purify could slow zombies’ movements while accelerating the decay of their flesh. This also made them instinctively avoid him as the "Source of Purification."

In other words, unless he deliberately shoved himself into a zombie’s mouth, they wouldn’t casually bite him.

This outing's findings had some sweet perks.

Once they'd secured the perimeter, the group finally entered the multi-purpose building.

Floors 1 to 3 of the complex were a shopping center:

The first floor was all brand-name appliances and home furnishings, the second was a supermarket for food and daily necessities, and the third had clothing, knitwear, and accessories.

After enduring floods, fires, and chaos, the branded items on the first floor had become nasty, busted junk.

Caked-on mud stains, bloodstains, and signs of intense battles were everywhere.

Soaked electronics were mostly useless, and large furniture and other items weren’t necessities.

So, after taking out about a dozen zombies, they headed straight to the second floor.

The second floor was the supermarket—their best chance of finding supplies.

But upon arriving, they realized it was nothing like they'd pictured:

Scanning the area, there were no zombies, only mottled walls and rows of toppled shelves. The shelves were clean, and not a single fallen item could be seen on the ground.

The open storage room by the entrance was also empty, as if everything had been systematically cleared out.

"..."

Something was clearly off. The teammates exchanged glances.

After carefully using his superpower to investigate, Jiang Nian told everyone:

"There's a faint energy signature here, similar to the energy waves from mine and Brother Jing's spatial rings. It must have been a space-wielder who cleared this place out first."

"Shit!"

Zhou Rongbin immediately slapped his thigh in frustration.

Liao Yu stared at the empty shelves and sighed:

"Holy shit! Clearing out the whole supermarket—they could just ride it out till the apocalypse ends without a worry."

And to leave it this clean, it was likely a Superpowered who awakened early during the initial chaos.

"True."

Jiang Nian also sighed lightly. It wasn’t false to say he wasn’t envious—his inner hoarder was screaming.

Of course, disappointment and envy were useless. They could only head up to see if there was anything else left to scavenge.

Spatial storage had limits, especially in the early stages before advancement. So, they could only gamble that the other person’s space was already full after looting the supermarket.

Just as they were about to turn and head upstairs, Cheng Jing, who had walked over to a checkout counter against the wall, suddenly waved them over:

"Come take a look. There’s writing here."

Curious, the group walked over and found a line of words scrawled in green paint on the wall next to the counter:

*‘Items are left in the cleaning room next to the supermarket restroom. Take them if you’re meant to. May more survive—a kind stranger, March 25, 2037.’*

"..."