Chapter 88: The Giant Panda’s Intimate Service
Before Song Yuqing could slip away into her pocket dimension, Zhang Yimiao and her crew marched back into the store.
The squad leader brought with her a piece of bombshell news that forced Song Yuqing to abandon her plans to enter the spatial inventory altogether.
“There really isn’t a single zombie left anywhere in Chen Town!”
Upon hearing this, a few people in the room immediately perked up. Does this mean Chen Town is now the safest place in the region?
Among those harboring this thought were Zhang Hua and the water-type espers who had fled Base 27. They began openly discussing the idea of permanently settling down right here to become neighbors with Song Yuqing.
However, the news had the exact opposite effect on others, sending a wave of nervous anxiety through the crowd.
Where on earth did all the zombies go?
That was the single question burning in Song Yuqing’s mind. The harrowing sequence she had witnessed in the Future Cognition theater flashed before her eyes again, and she could almost swear the metallic scent of blood was lingering in her nostrils once more.
“How about this—I’ll head out to Base Zero with you tomorrow,” she announced.
The second the words left her mouth, a collective shock rippled through the room. The supermarket staff froze, and Zhang Yimiao’s entire squad stared at her in disbelief.
“No way! Manager, you can’t be serious! You’re abandoning God’s Supermarket—and us?!”
Liu Xiaona, who had just stepped out of the kitchen carrying a massive, steaming pot of beef soup, jolted so hard she nearly dropped the entire meal onto the floorboards.
Song Yuqing shook her head quickly. “I meant I’m just going for a visit.”
Whew!
Liu Xiaona and Gaha exhaled in unison, a massive weight lifting off their shoulders.
“But a round trip like that will take over a month!” Liu Xiaona muttered, sliding into a seat next to Gaha as the two of them flanked their manager in a somber, silent protest.
Song Yuqing idly rubbed her nose. She knew the journey was long, but she felt an absolute pull to visit Base Zero. Otherwise, why would the future-predicting theater have shown her that specific sequence? There had to be a crucial reason behind it.
“Alright, let’s just eat first!” Song Yuqing urged, forcing a bright, casual smile as she gestured for everyone to pick up their chopsticks. “We can finalize tomorrow’s plans after we’re full. Dig in!”
By now, the winter sky had turned pitch-black. Out in the open plaza just beyond the mouth of the alley, Little Meat Bun was busy fulfilling his duties, playing with the third-place raffle winners.
What exactly were they playing? An upgraded, high-stakes version of dodgeball.
The espers had divided themselves into two teams, lining up on opposite ends of the clearing to take turns acting as pitchers, hurling their active elemental abilities across the field. Little Meat Bun’s role was to stand dead center, acting as the ultimate catcher by absorbing the incoming attacks.
Once his body processed the energy, the powers would be converted into physical crystal cores, which he would then return to the participants. However, the espers had no idea the little panda possessed such a unique refinement ability; they simply assumed the giant beast enjoyed devouring elemental strikes.
Just to see the chubby panda crack a smile, the fighters were more than willing to expend their precious energy reserves.
“Is it just me, or is this panda not playing with us? We’re the ones playing with him!” one of them panted.
Complaints aside, it was an absolute blast watching the massive creature roll, tumble, and leap across the snowy plaza. Every time Little Meat Bun successfully swallowed an incoming ability, the caster would cheer and applaud. Before the apocalypse, nobody could have dreamed of interacting with a giant panda this closely!
I am so incredibly bloated…
Little Meat Bun patted his distended, furry stomach and let out a massive burp. He desperately needed a timeout to use the restroom, but the crowd was having too much fun to notice his discomfort. Seeing that no one was picking up on his cues, the panda furrowed his brow and let out a sharp growl.
The esper who had been gearing up to launch another ability froze, slowly lowering his hand.
Little Meat Bun huffed again, clutching his stomach as he waddled off to hide inside a dense cluster of dead trees nearby—a patch of woods that had served as a landscaped green belt before the world went to hell.
“Nice going! You made the panda mad!” the crowd immediately began bickering, shifting the blame onto one another.
Before the end of days, many of them had been regular tourists who visited zoos on holidays, taking photos and shouting excitedly at the enclosures. They had envisioned their raffle prize to be a day of gentle petting, hugging, and letting the panda walk peacefully beside them. They never expected that to avoid their physical touch, the panda would actively weaponize their own games against them!
The bear had turned cunning.
Was he trying to whip them into shape? Like how the Condor trained the hero in the old martial arts stories?
In a frantic effort to defend themselves earlier, several people had instinctively fired off their raw abilities. But in the next split second, the panda had simply unhinged his jaw, swallowed the energy whole, and thrown them a smug, triumphant look. Only then did they realize the creature was just showing off.
Line up and hit me! Come on! The panda had aggressively beaten his chest, looking entirely proud and adorable. Who could possibly find the heart to actually harm a chubby panda?
But the bear had forced their hand, devouring their elemental blasts one by one until he was literally hiccuping from the sheer intake. It was an astonishing display. The game had seemed incredibly basic at first, but the longer they played, the more competitive and thrilled the humans became.
Seeing that Little Meat Bun had been inside the dead thicket for an unusually long time, a few of the espers grew anxious.
“Is he okay?” One brave soul poked his head into the brush, startling Little Meat Bun so badly the panda instantly scrambled behind a withered trunk.
Get out! Go away!
Good grief, humans truly had no boundaries! Who spies on a panda using the latrine?!
Fuming, Little Meat Bun scooped up a handful of pebbles from the frozen dirt and began hurling them at the onlookers until they backed off.
About a minute later, the panda finally emerged from the woods, casually holding a fistful of glittering crystal cores.
“Whoa! Where did those come from?” The group instantly crowded around.
Here, take them. Divide them up among yourselves.
Little Meat Bun extended his paw, allowing everyone to help themselves to the stones. The espers carefully distributed the cores evenly, keeping a close eye on the panda’s expression the entire time.
The bear cracked a subtle grin, thinking to himself: Humans are entirely too easy to bribe.
He absolutely detested having his head constantly rubbed by strangers, so he had devised this brilliant loophole. It allowed him to maintain physical distance from the crowd while technically fulfilling Song Yuqing’s promotional instructions.
Still, it was an bizarre sight. One of the scouts who had peeked into the woods earlier remembered seeing the little creature squatting on the ground, using his bare claws to extract the crystal cores. From a hygiene standpoint, it felt a little questionable.
Then again, receiving high-grade crystal cores completely free of charge was an absolute windfall! In an instant, the third-place winners no longer felt envious of the second-place group who were currently enjoying their ability-boosting feast inside.
“Are you happy now?”
Little Meat Bun cupped his cheeks with both paws and blinked up at them innocently. If you’re satisfied, can this panda service officially end for the night?
He turned on his heel to head back toward the supermarket, but the enthusiastic espers weren’t ready to let him go. “Wait, panda! Where are you going?” Several people grabbed him by the arms, and one man literally scooped the bear into a massive bear-hug.
The panda pouted, his face darkening with rage.
“Oh my gosh, he’s so precious!” A dozen hands immediately reached out to squish and knead his chubby cheeks.
Defeated, Little Meat Bun clapped his paws together, sighing internally. Fine. How about we just go back to the dodgeball game from earlier?
If it meant earning more crystal cores for his personal hoard, he might as well endure it.
The poor panda was thoroughly handled and fussed over by the squad until the dead of night, finally stumbling back into God’s Supermarket completely exhausted.
Song Yuqing, Gaha, and Liu Xiaona were still sitting by the main entrance, keeping a light on for him. After finishing their massive dinner, the customers had all retreated to the adjacent high-rises to sleep. Zhang Yimiao and her primary scouts had gone to bed early, utterly spent from their travels and desperate for a solid night’s rest before the journey back.
The moment Little Meat Bun spotted Song Yuqing, his lower lip trembled, and giant, dramatic tears began welling in his eyes.
“Hey, Little Meat Bun! Did you have fun out there today?” Liu Xiaona asked, offering a thoroughly heartless chuckle.
The panda’s expression flattened instantly. He was bone-tired, and he officially loathed the human race.
Belatedly realizing the little guy was genuinely miserable, Liu Xiaona let out a guilty squeak and quickly scurried back into the kitchen.
Seeing that the bear had genuinely suffered for the store’s marketing campaign, Song Yuqing quickly knelt down and scooped his large head into her arms. “Thank you for your hard work, buddy. You did amazing.”
Little Meat Bun grunted, wriggling out of her embrace to look her dead in the eye. Are you going to auction me off like a toy ever again?
An immense wave of guilt washed over Song Yuqing. She reached out, gently smoothing the fur on his head. “I’m sorry.” She had to admit, she had grown a bit too accustomed to teasing the little guy.
Liu Xiaona returned from the kitchen carrying a massive tray piled high with gourmet dishes, setting it down directly in front of the panda before awkwardly scratching her head. Gaha silently handed him a pair of chopsticks; out of everyone, she understood his plight the most. Little Meat Bun was far more than an ordinary zoo animal.
The panda imperiously swatted the utensils away, choosing instead to use his bare paws to lazily scoop up the food.
“Hey!” Liu Xiaona started to reprimand him, but catching Song Yuqing’s warning head-shake, she quickly changed her tune. “Uh… just be careful, it’s hot. Watch your mouth.”
Song Yuqing rested her chin in her hands, quietly watching the little bear devour his late-night meal. It reminded her of the old adage: the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Once Little Meat Bun finished cleaning his plate, it would be time to announce her major decision to the staff.
