Chapter 129

Chapter 129

"It was left by that superpowered individual who cleared out the supermarket. Good guy."

Lu Ningzhou gave a thumbs up.

Liao Yu cut in:

"Hey, we're good too. When we left Qingyun City, didn't we also leave plenty of stuff in our safe houses for whoever might move in later?"

Lots of folks did the same when they had the means.

"This date, March 25, 2037..."

Jian Cheng pointed at the time, puzzled:

"So he came here after The Freeze?"

Zhou Rongbin looked around and shook his head:

"Everything’s been looted so thoroughly without any signs of chaos. Doesn’t look like he came after The Freeze... Could it be a prank?"

"Whether it’s a prank or not, we’ll find out by checking. Let’s go, lucky finders."

After saying that, Zhao Lei followed the signs toward the store’s bathroom.

Walking along, Cheng Jing remarked:

"If it’s not a prank, he probably cleaned the place out in advance but returned after The Freeze before leaving Xihe City to leave some supplies for any survivors who might come here."

Jiang Nian nodded beside him:

"Yeah, that tracks."

"..."

The janitor’s closet was where cleaning supplies were stored, located next to the supermarket restroom, separated from the supermarket by a corridor. It was at the end of the hallway.

While there were no zombies in the supermarket, the corridor was crawling with them.

The walls on both sides were sturdy enough. Cheng Jing let loose with Thunder Fire, torching the zombies that lunged at them. They were all ordinary zombies, and with Jiang Nian’s Purify enhancing the effect, the task was made quick work of.

The cleaning room was now reinforced with layer after layer of wooden planks and steel plates, with various cleaning tools piled up as makeshift barriers.

Though many of the barriers had been damaged, with claw marks from zombies everywhere, the door itself remained intact.

After dealing with the zombies in the restroom, the group backed up, and Zhao Lei kicked the door clean off its hinges—ripping it off its frame entirely.

Despite the bright sunlight outside, this corner was dimly lit. Jiang Nian pulled out a high-powered flashlight and shone it inside the doorway.

As the dust from the broken door settled, stacks of instant noodle boxes, piled as high as the doorframe, came into view. On top was an A4 sheet with a quickly scrawled message in marker.

The note basically said what Cheng Jing had guessed: A man who had awakened his Superpower right before everything went to hell had been a security guard at this supermarket.

After his Superpower awakened, he stripped the place bare.

After The Freeze let up, he left Xihe City for a base. Before departing, he and his companions returned to leave behind supplies for other survivors.

Additionally, the note writer reminded them not to bother going upstairs, as he had already scavenged the entire building again while leaving these supplies behind.

The note still wasn't signed, nor did it mention which specific base they had gone to.

"Alright, grab this stuff and we're done."

Cheng Jing said as he tore off the note. Anyway, if they didn’t take it, the lucky finders would just be the official scavengers.

Having witnessed the supermarket’s "stripped-clean state," they had full confidence in the guy's thorough looting—there was no point wasting more time.

Zhao Lei and the others stepped forward to move aside the large boxes blocking the door, revealing the rest of the supplies behind them.

The 20-square-meter cleaning room was packed to the brim.

Aside from two bags of flour and two bags of rice as staple foods, most of it consisted of long-lasting or vacuum-sealed convenience foods perfect for hunkering down, along with a small amount of medicine, salt, and sugar.

Everything was neatly stacked layer by layer—not only was the quantity impressive, but everything was also clean as a whistle.

"Wow..."

"Nice haul..."

"A thoughtful prepper."

"If we haven't gotten lucky yet, then the right time hasn’t arrived. See? After scouring through dumpsters, what’s ours is still ours..."

"With wealth, one aids the world; in poverty, one focuses on yourself. This guy’s got the same spirit as my adoptive father."

Jiang Nian: "..."

During group discussions, there were always a few particularly standout loudmouths.

Of course, jokes aside, Cheng Jing turned to his own eager little hoarder:

"Nian Nian, your turn."

"Got it!"

Jiang Nian didn’t hold back—he lived for this stuff!

He placed his hand on the supplies and began collecting them layer by layer, both satisfying and letting everyone see exactly what they’d gained.

These stay-at-home essentials would keep him cheerful for a long time.

Tang Yi said, not hiding his jealousy:

"To leave behind so much generously... I can’t even imagine how happy he must be now, having hoarded an entire supermarket!"

"I think it’s about the same as my happiness, hahaha," Jiang Nian chuckled. No matter what, he believed their team was the best.

After taking everything in the cleaning room, the group got out fast.

A handful of zombies popped up downstairs.

They hadn’t encountered any Superpower Zombies today, and Cheng Jing guessed it was probably related to the Superpowered team that had left the supplies behind.

The other team must've been tough, tight-knit, and solid—just like theirs.

It was past noon, and the air was scorching hot. The sunlight roasted the entire commercial district, making the stench burn their eyes and leaving people struggling to breathe.

No one had any appetite, relying solely on energy supplements to maintain fullness and stamina. The mint candies were already finished, so Jiang Nian switched to other flavors for everyone.

Zhou Rongbin chose the most pungent durian option, leaving his teammates speechless as they silently distanced themselves from him.

It wasn’t until they left the commercial district and returned to the roadside parking spot that everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.

They set up an A-frame tent on the spot for a temporary rest, gathering around a folding long table to drink cold beverages and snack.

"Gotta say, Young Master Liao, your ice superpower is a total godsend in this summer heat," Huang Qian praised without restraint, still queasy from vomiting. The others wholeheartedly agreed.

Young Master Liao was practically preening with pride:

"See? Someone like me would absolutely be main character material in novels. Water-based superpowers are always top-tier, let alone an ice mutation like mine."

"Haha, that’s true."

"Yeah, yeah, Young Master is amazing."

"The novels I’ve read do say that..."

Teammates piled on the compliments.

Jiang Nian chuckled, but he suddenly thought of Jiang Wenwen—a water-based Superpowered. Where was she now?

Had she returned to the S Base as the young mistress, or was she being held somewhere by Xia Weiwei?

Or... was she even still alive?

"..."

After joking around for a while, Zhao Lei asked:

"We've got time, Cheng. Are we heading straight to the logistics park later?"

Cheng Jing nodded:

"Yes. If possible, we’ll return the morning after tomorrow. Reporting our findings to the base sooner can help cut down on heat-related losses."

The Medium Crystal Core was a big deal. As part of the base’s rescue team, they couldn’t just think about themselves—otherwise, they could’ve stayed out longer.

"Speaking of which, headquarters also sent a message telling me to prepare. After this return, my duties and schedule will be temporarily adjusted. I’ll be working with other water-based Superpowereds in the base’s resource department to keep the water tanks filled," Liao Yu said, pulling up the text message on his phone to show everyone.