Chapter Three: Murder

Lin Dong dismissed all his employees and took down every sign bearing the supermarket’s name.

His task for the next few days was simple: receive deliveries.

He contacted every major supplier, slaughterhouse, and the owners of other farms. Delivery trucks came one after another.

Most of the goods were fresh meat, though there were also some basic daily necessities and cleaning supplies.

In some respects, these things were more crucial to Lin Dong than food itself.

“Mr. Lin, your express delivery has arrived.”

Several young men in the distinctive “Everywhere Express” uniforms began carrying box after box into the supermarket.

Soon, cardboard boxes were piled up like a small mountain—solid, weighty.

These were the “weapons” Lin Dong had purchased online!

Among them were a hundred compound bows, a hundred crossbows, and hundreds of assorted daggers and machetes.

In the early days of the apocalypse, these weapons would still prove devastating.

Although Lin Dong would become a zombie, as a zombie with a lychee in his possession, wasn’t it only natural to use some weaponry?

……

Time flew by, and soon, the eve of the apocalypse arrived.

Lin Dong’s money was almost gone. Though he’d started with two hundred million, by paying only deposits, his purchasing power far exceeded that sum.

He had nearly monopolized the market, leaving the major suppliers out of stock.

It was already evening. The sinking sun poured its last golden rays into the now-empty supermarket.

Every shelf was bare, all the goods tucked away inside Lin Dong’s storage space.

Tomorrow morning.

The end would begin.

Lin Dong was ready to stop being human.

Nevertheless, he still picked up the mop and scrubbed the supermarket until it was spotless; cleanliness was simply his habit.

He gazed out the window: the street was still bustling, cars streaming by, office workers hurrying home, elementary students marching in neat lines across the crosswalk.

Parents picking up their children wore smiles on their faces.

It seemed like any other ordinary evening.

But Lin Dong knew that by tomorrow, all of this would vanish.

He felt calm.

He savored these final moments of peace.

Suddenly—

The metal shutter, which had been pulled down, was violently yanked up with a screech.

Bathed in the dying light of the sun, three figures appeared.

“Boss Lin, I’m hungry—give us something to eat, will you?”

The lead youth’s hair was dyed yellow, his demeanor insolent; he was a petty thug from this street, a local hood, always looking for a free meal or drink.

Business owners most dreaded types like him.

He would come to make trouble every few days, hurting business, so most people endured him, giving something just to send him away.

Without looking up, Lin Dong replied, “The supermarket’s closed, there’s nothing left.”

“What the hell?”

The thugs stared at the empty shelves, stunned. The business had been doing well—why close now?

Just days ago, he’d been frantically stocking up.

“The supermarket’s really closed! So… we can’t even flirt with that pretty warehouse girl anymore?” one of the lackeys groaned, scratching his head in dismay.

“Brother Yellow, what do we do now?” another asked.

The leader’s gaze lingered on Lin Dong as he considered.

“Boss Lin, even if the store’s closed, you can’t let your brothers go hungry, right? Lend us some money so we can get a meal.”

Lin Dong, savoring his last peace, had no wish to let these scoundrels spoil his mood. He couldn’t be bothered to argue, so he casually tossed out a wad of hundred-yuan bills—well over a thousand.

And for someone about to become a zombie, money was no different from wastepaper.

“Damn!”

Yellow-Haired’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected such generosity from Lin Dong.

He figured Lin Dong was simply scared.

“That’s more like it—you know how to show respect.”

The two lackeys, thrilled, felt proud to be with Yellow-Haired. On this street, any shop they entered, the boss would pay up.

This was what being a thug was all about.

“Brother Yellow is the real deal—so much respect.”

“Yeah, follow the boss and you eat nine times in three days!”

“……”

“Let’s go, brothers.”

Yellow-Haired waved, swaggering. Perhaps he’d smoked too much; his throat felt scratchy.

He spat a gob of phlegm onto the floor, right where Lin Dong had just finished cleaning.

“Wait.”

Suddenly, Lin Dong raised his head and called after them, his gaze fixed on Yellow-Haired. He hated filth.

“Huh?”

The three thugs turned, puzzled.

“What’s up? Something wrong?”

“The floor’s dirty.”

Lin Dong took a step toward him.

“Pfft!”

Yellow-Haired couldn’t help but laugh.

“So I spat—what’s the big deal?”

The two lackeys crossed their arms, regarding Lin Dong with casual indifference. They’d just asked him for money and he’d given it; now, after a little spit, what could he do?

But then—

With a flick of Lin Dong’s wrist, a cold glint flashed—a razor-sharp dagger slicing through the air.

It struck, burying itself deep in Yellow-Haired’s throat—a clean kill.

Yellow-Haired’s eyes bulged in terror, incredulous.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but only blood poured out.

With a heavy thud, his body crashed to the floor. Even in death, he could not fathom why Lin Dong had so suddenly killed him.

The two lackeys stood petrified by the sudden violence.

“What…”

“What just happened?”

Their ever-proud Brother Yellow had been murdered before their eyes!

They were small-time thugs; never had they seen such a scene. Their lips trembled, eyes wide with terror. They looked at Lin Dong, who gazed back with utter indifference.

Was he some kind of madman?

For Lin Dong—who had lived through the apocalypse—this was child’s play, barely worth mentioning.

The two lackeys clung to the shelves, their legs weak.

“P-please, don’t kill me! I know I was wrong!”

“Yeah, please, I swear I won’t say a word!”

Lin Dong’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“Go. I won’t kill you.”

“Thank you—thank you!”

Relieved, the two turned and bolted for the door.

But behind them, Lin Dong calmly raised a crossbow, aimed, and squeezed the trigger.

Thwack!

A sharp bolt pierced one lackey’s skull, sending him sprawling forward.

“What…?”

The last thug stared in horror at his fallen companion, an arrow jutting from his skull. He whipped around.

Lin Dong had nocked another bolt, the string drawn taut, aimed at him.

Terror consumed him.

Wasn’t he just told he’d be spared?

This guy had no honor!

“P-please…”

But before he could finish, a bolt buried itself in his forehead. He fell silent, collapsing to the ground.

Once again, the empty supermarket returned to silence.

“The crossbow’s power is impressive,” Lin Dong observed, glancing at the corpses.

With a casual wave, he swept all three bodies into his storage space.

To him, these were just supplies.

He would store not only the living, but the dead as well.