Chapter Seven: With Weapons?

Inside the supermarket, three men, their bodies smeared with blood, leaned against the rolling door, breathing heavily.

Outside, the guttural howls of zombies persisted, accompanied by the sickening sound of nails scraping against the iron gate. Yet, despite the terror, the men's spirits were high. At last... they had made it into the supermarket. The prospect of acquiring a bounty of supplies filled their minds.

"Wait a minute..." The leader, Wang Cong, suddenly narrowed his eyes, sensing something amiss. The shelves before them were utterly barren. There was nothing—absolutely nothing!

"Where’s all the stuff?" The other two were equally bewildered.

"Could someone have gotten here before us?"

"Impossible. Even if someone did, they couldn’t have cleared it out so thoroughly."

Wang Cong gripped his fire axe and rushed deeper inside, checking each section. With every search, their earlier excitement plummeted. The storeroom was empty—there wasn’t even a single hair left behind.

"Damn it!" One of the men, enraged, swung his crowbar wildly, venting his frustration. They’d fought their way here, losing two teammates, only to find nothing. Utter defeat, their morale shattered.

"Dongzi, calm down!" Wang Cong quickly intervened. The noise would only draw more zombies, serving no purpose.

Dongzi, breathing like a furious bull, glared. "Wang, we’re out of options!"

"Not necessarily," Wang Cong frowned, deep in thought. "The supermarket’s been stripped so clean—this isn’t the work of ordinary survivors. The owner must have planned ahead."

"You mean..." The other two seemed to grasp his implication.

Wang Cong nodded. "Right. I’ve shopped here before—the owner lives upstairs in the building just ahead!"

"Let’s go find him!" Dongzi’s eyes gleamed, hope reignited. They’d fought their way here; they refused to leave empty-handed. The building was just across the street—it wouldn’t be hard to reach.

The young man with the frying pan worried aloud, "But... why would he give us his supplies?"

"He doesn’t get to decide," Dongzi replied, gripping his crowbar with a murderous look. Cornered, he was capable of anything.

Wang Cong agreed wholeheartedly. "If he’s hoarding food, we’ll take it!"

"All right!"

---

The frying pan-wielding youth steeled himself. Having witnessed Wang Cong and Dongzi’s ferocity, he was confident they could take down a supermarket owner without issue.

Or perhaps... things might turn out for the better. Maybe the owner had already turned into a zombie—if so, they’d dispose of him easily and claim the supplies.

---

After about ten minutes, the zombies crowding the supermarket entrance had dispersed, wandering off. The rolling door was carefully lifted just enough to allow a gap. Silent and cautious, the trio slipped through, making not a sound.

Dust-covered and wary, they quickly identified their direction and made for the building.

"As expected..." Lin Dong muttered by the window, having witnessed everything. He’d anticipated this outcome. In a way, it was perfect. His delivery had arrived... and this was a good chance to test his three underlings’ combat abilities.

With the power out, the elevator was unusable. The three men had no choice but to climb the stairs—twenty floors. Along the way, stray zombies lingered in the halls. Fiercely capable, they smashed the zombies, but the exertion took its toll. By the time they reached the top, sweat poured from their bodies.

"Phew—this must be it. Dongzi, knock," Wang Cong ordered.

Dongzi, impatient, strode forward and hammered his fist on the door.

Thud, thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud!

"Open up! Open the door!" His shouts echoed in the corridor.

Inside, Lin Dong was in no hurry. He was washing his hands. After drying them with a towel, he took up a pristine white scarf, tying it around his neck. It was time to eat...

"I know you’re in there. If you don’t open up, we’ll break the door down!" Wang Cong raised his fire axe, eyes glinting with menace. "Old Zishu Mountain, 3... 2... 1!"

The bloodstained axe was about to fall when, suddenly, there was a sharp click. The door opened.

Bright light spilled from within, casting the tall silhouette of a young man. His skin was pale, features pronounced and strikingly handsome. He wore a spotless white shirt, and the scarf around his neck gave him an air of impeccable cleanliness.

Wang Cong and his companions stared, dumbfounded. Since the world had ended, they hadn’t seen anyone so immaculate. Yet, the man’s eyes were cold, devoid of emotion—devoid, perhaps, even of humanity.

"You’re the supermarket owner, aren’t you?" Wang Cong demanded.

---

Wang Cong challenged him, but Lin Dong remained silent, offering no response.

The other two grew anxious. "Don’t play dumb! We know you’ve got supplies—hand them over and we’ll let you go!"

"Yeah! That scarf—you’re about to eat, aren’t you?"

"Say something, damn it!"

"......."

At last, Lin Dong slowly opened his mouth.

A guttural rasp, like bubbles popping, emerged from his throat.

The three men froze, stunned.

"What the hell! A zombie?!"

In their minds, zombies were always grotesque, terrifying, filthy. But this immaculate man—he was a zombie? Unbelievable.

"If he’s a zombie, all the better. We’ll just take him out," Wang Cong gripped his fire axe. In his experience, killing a zombie was easier than killing a man.

The other two nodded, preparing to act.

But footsteps echoed in the corridor—the sound Lin Dong had just made was a summons for his three underlings.

"Wait—more zombies?" Wang Cong tensed, but wasn’t overly concerned. They’d fought their way here; they knew what to expect. Judging by the footsteps, there weren’t many.

The men wore newspaper wrappings and duct tape—ordinary zombies couldn’t breach their defenses; they could handle a few easily.

Sure enough, three zombies appeared in the hallway.

But unexpectedly, each zombie carried something in their hands.

"What the..." Wang Cong and his companions frowned, sensing something off. A closer look left them utterly shocked.

"Crossbows?"

Click.

The three zombies simultaneously raised their crossbows, aiming at Wang Cong and his team.

"What the hell?!"

Wang Cong cried out in disbelief.

He never could have imagined—zombies wielding weapons!

They realized instantly: these zombies were different. They didn’t lunge and bite like mindless monsters, but moved with discipline and skill.

"Damn it, zombies with crossbows aiming at us—what kind of world is this?!"

...