C8 Robbing the Supermarket

While they were talking, Yan Cheng and his group had already reopened the sealed door and swiftly made their way out, heading towards the school's supermarket.

"Boss, should we head out too? Our food supply is limited," a subordinate cautiously asked Zou Feiyun.

"Have you lost your mind? The outside is swarming with those flesh-eating monsters. Are you looking for death? The government will surely come to rescue us!" Zou Feiyun exclaimed.

The others fell silent upon hearing his words.

Yan Cheng and his companions quickly made their way to the school's supermarket, fortunate not to encounter any zombies along the way.

They soon reached the supermarket entrance, where they spotted a figure shuffling around inside.

"Alright, our first battle is about to start. Are you all ready?" Yan Cheng whispered to his companions.

The other two nodded in agreement.

"Good, once we charge in, Lang Zhe, you take the lead. Huang Qiu, you'll assist with crowd control and keep an eye on any other zombies in the vicinity," Yan Cheng commanded.

The trio charged into the supermarket. Upon entering, Yan Cheng immediately locked the door behind them to prevent the noise from attracting more zombies, which would leave them surrounded and vulnerable.

Lang Zhe noticed that the zombie was turned away from him and thought, "Perfect opportunity!" He charged at the creature. Given the zombie's lack of agility, it couldn't withstand the impact and was knocked to the ground. Lang Zhe pinned it down with his shield and called out, "Cheng, hurry!"

"Got it!" Yan Cheng rushed over, while also reminding Huang Qiu, "Keep an eye on our surroundings!"

Yan Cheng stomped on one of the zombie's hands and then decisively chopped at its head with a kitchen knife. The zombie convulsed briefly and then lay still.

Lang Zhe and Huang Qiu, witnessing the gruesome scene, vomited up everything they had eaten just like Yan Cheng had earlier.

"Let it out. You'll get used to it," Yan Cheng said as he began searching for the crystal core inside the zombie's head. Lang Zhe and Huang Qiu had nearly finished retching, but the sight of Yan Cheng's ghastly action made them vomit once more.

"I've got it!" Yan Cheng triumphantly extracted a soft, transparent, and pure crystal core from the zombie's head.

"What's this?" Lang Zhe inquired, fighting off discomfort.

"I'm not sure, but I've dubbed it a crystal core. That's what fans of web novels would probably call it!" Yan Cheng responded.

Huang Qiu approached and questioned, "What do you need it for?"

"It's a form of energy. It's useful to me," Yan Cheng offered a succinct explanation.

"Cheng, you're an Evolver, aren't you?" Lang Zhe exclaimed with excitement.

"You could say that," Yan Cheng affirmed.

"Cheng, you've got to help me!" Lang Zhe implored, latching on.

"I'm already on it! But you really need to step it up," Yan Cheng chided, stepping aside.

"Don't worry, we'll adapt!" Huang Qiu declared, recognizing her unique opportunity to keep pace with an Evolver.

"Boss, lighten up," Yan Cheng advised.

Suddenly, a cacophony of crashing shelves erupted from the second floor.

The noise instantly put the trio on high alert.

"There must be more zombies!" Yan Cheng deduced.

"What do we do now?" Lang Zhe asked.

"Zombies are slow movers! Let's watch and wait," Yan Cheng suggested, then cautiously made his way upstairs.

The trio ascended slowly. The second-floor shelves were in disarray, likely from zombies drawn by the scent of the living below, now frantically trying to descend. Each shelf, however, impeded their progress.

Upon reaching the top, Yan Cheng counted four zombies, presumably former supermarket staff.

"We've got a chance here! We can take them down one by one," Yan Cheng observed, noting the chaos. The zombies' lack of agility was their greatest flaw.

Yan Cheng charged at a zombie pinned under a shelf, pinned its hands, and dispatched it with a kitchen knife.

"Huang Qiu, handle the standing one! If you can knock it down, great, but at least keep it from advancing," Yan Cheng instructed, then turned to Lang Zhe, "Madman, help me with the other two!"

"Got it!" Lang Zhe charged, wielding his makeshift shield.

He slammed into a zombie, sending it stumbling backward before it collapsed. Without pausing, Lang Zhe barreled towards another.

With Lang Zhe's assistance, Yan Cheng still found dealing with zombies to be a hassle, but it was definitely less challenging than before.

Quickly, Yan Cheng and Lang Zhe dispatched the two zombies. They then rushed to support Huang Qiu, who was desperately holding her ground.

Five minutes later, the trio sat down, exhausted.

"We've finally finished. I'm beat!" exclaimed Lang Zhe.

"Hang in there a little longer; we need to do another sweep!" Yan Cheng insisted, rising to his feet to recheck the entire supermarket. Lang Zhe also stood and meticulously secured all the windows.

Once they had completed these tasks, they could at last take a well-deserved break.