Downstairs, the zombies caught the scent of living humans and staggered toward them again.
Shen Hegui used his Metal Element Ability to throw flying knives.
Yu Ke handed his shopping cart to Jiang Yufeng and went to help.
As they approached the building entrance, they saw a group of people guarding their vehicles. Some were sitting on the ground resting, mostly young, with only two older individuals.
When those people saw Shen Hegui pushing out so many supplies, their eyes went wide.
After Shen Hegui and his group exited, they closed the building door, temporarily locking the zombies inside.
The others eyed their stockpile, looking eager to make a move.
Shen Hegui pulled out a gun and said coldly, "If it's not yours, you'd better not get any ideas."
As soon as he spoke, Jiang Yuntan felt the heat of their gazes instantly cool.
Shen Hegui ordered them to open the trunk so they could load the supplies.
Just then, the leader of the group approached.
"Hello, I'm Ren Ze, a PE teacher at Hai City University. We came looking for supplies. Seeing you come out with goods, you must be capable. Are you planning to go back in? If so, we could cooperate," Ren Ze said.
"Let's discuss it," Shen Hegui replied without outright refusal. After all, he still had the 'little ancestor' who wanted to get clothes upstairs. The more people who entered the building, the more zombies they could distract.
"Alright." Ren Ze nodded, a smile on his rugged face.
Seeing them calm down, Shen Hegui turned to help with the loading.
"Teacher Ren, when we were being chased by zombies earlier and begged them for help, they didn't lift a finger. Now you want to cooperate with them..." a male college student began, "And he just pointed a gun at us—doesn't seem like a good guy..."
Ren Ze cut him off. "Luo Yu, don't talk nonsense." He warned, "Would you save someone you don't know?"
Luo Yu fell silent. In peacetime, he would have. But in the apocalypse, he could barely save himself.
On the other side, Shen Hegui told Yu Ke about Jiang Yuntan's desire to go upstairs for clothes.
Yu Ke thought for two seconds. "Then let's go. Our little sister wants to go, so she should. It's not like you can't protect her. It's still early in the apocalypse, and the zombies haven't ruined everything. I'll grab some clothes too."
"Alright, get ready." With confirmation, Shen Hegui went to inform Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan frowned. "We'll skip the clothes, but we want to get food."
Shen Hegui glanced at Ren Ze's group. "They're planning to get food too. You might consider joining them. We're heading upstairs regardless."
"Mm." Lin Xuan's response was subdued.
Lin Tingxue overheard and clenched her fists. She guessed it was Jiang Yuntan who wanted clothes, otherwise Shen Hegui wouldn't bother. Let Jiang Yuntan be difficult—her temper wouldn't last all the way back to Jing City.
Xia Chujing was unhappy about splitting up, but Lin Tingxue shot her a glare.
Lin Tingxue warned her former dormmate, "Don't say anything stupid. If our groups can't travel together because of you, you're on your own."
Xia Chujing, intimidated by Lin Tingxue's changed demeanor, shut her mouth.
Jiang Yuntan was focused on her conversation with Jinbao, oblivious to the drama.
Jinbao finally returned, its mechanical voice tinged with helplessness. [The main system reluctantly approved your suggestion.]
It sounded resentful. [The universal mall system used to be fair and transparent. Now customers won't even know what they're buying.]
Jiang Yuntan ignored the sarcasm. "Maybe some people like that kind of thrill."
She opened the showcase and saw the description had changed to: "Dear, this is a blind box. You could get anything. Want excitement and surprise? Buy one!"
Somehow, the system priced each blind box at 50 universal coins.
Jinbao said gloomily, [Are you sure anyone will buy this? People only buy what they can see—no deception. 50 coins can get a lot. Who would waste it on a mystery box? And the main system actually thinks this is fun.]
[I want to see how many boxes you sell.]
Jiang Yuntan thought to herself: It's fine if none sell—she never intended to sell them. Even if they did, she'd earn points. She'd been browsing the system's showcases last night and saw people selling food. She could buy whatever she wanted there.
Seeing her silent, Jinbao's voice softened. [Don't lose confidence! The main system said you have ideas. Cheer up—maybe they'll sell!]
Jiang Yuntan sighed. "I'm broke, so I have to list as many items as possible. Only with blind boxes can I list more and earn more points and coins."
Hearing this, Jinbao couldn't help but blame itself. It really deserved to die—criticizing its boss for collecting junk. She only wanted to upgrade and make money. What was wrong with that?
Seeing Shen Hegui approach, Jiang Yuntan said, "Gotta go. I need to collect supplies."
Shen Hegui spoke gently, "Get ready. We'll hit the fifth and sixth floors, grab stuff, and come down fast."
"Okay," Jiang Yuntan nodded. "Don't worry, I won't dawdle or try things on."
Shen Hegui gave her a strange look, feeling like she could read his mind.
Qi Ruoshui and Jiang Yufeng stayed to guard the cars, while Shen Hegui, Jiang Yuntan, and the others went to the fourth floor for clothes.
Soon, they ascended the stairs. The corridors between floors two and three had only eight zombies total, and up to the fifth floor, they encountered just three more.
Yu Ke couldn't help but remark, "Good thing the apocalypse hit at night. If it had been daytime, we'd never have made it up."