Chapter 73: The Store Manager
Song Yuqing stepped forward, shielding Gaha behind her.
“No, you misunderstand. This is our friend.”
The red-haired woman curled her lips, mimicking her in a mocking, singsong voice, “This is our friend~” She scoffed, her tone turning sharp. “What do you mean, friend? That’s a zombie. Even if it’s an advanced variant, it’s still a monster that eats people!”
Song Yuqing frowned. “Aren’t you from Base Zero?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
Song Yuqing glanced back at Gaha, who was pouting, clearly offended by the woman’s words.
Logically speaking, if this red-haired woman was from Base Zero, it was impossible for her not to recognize Gaha. Before turning into a zombie, Gaha had been the top zombie hunter in Base Zero and, according to Nanjiao, was incredibly famous.
Without another word, the red-haired woman lunged forward. She shoved Song Yuqing and Little Meat Bun aside, reaching out to grab Gaha by the collar.
Gaha shoved her back, prompting the woman to immediately unleash a burst of fire in an attempt to incinerate her. The flames swirled dangerously close, nearly catching the ends of Gaha’s hair. At that critical millisecond, Little Meat Bun opened his mouth wide and swallowed the fire whole. Seizing the distraction, Song Yuqing grabbed Gaha and bolted.
“What?!” the red-haired woman barked, her eyes widening in disbelief.
With a wave of her hand, several psychics stepped out of the vehicles. Manifesting their respective abilities, they quickly formed a perimeter around Song Yuqing and Gaha. Little Meat Bun squeezed through the line, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his friends.
“Are you stupid? Why are you trying to save a zombie?” The red-haired woman marched toward Song Yuqing, fuming. “Don’t you know advanced zombies can disguise themselves?”
Song Yuqing let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose in silence.
Just then, the dark-skinned psychic traveling with the convoy called out, “If you’re headed to the God’s Supermarket, don’t bother fighting her. She’s a clerk there.”
The red-haired woman froze. She turned to stare at her companion. She had only recently arrived at Base Zero, and her knowledge of the God’s Supermarket was limited to what she had seen in the promotional videos. The psychic shrugged blankly; he didn’t know much more either.
Lin Han’s lips curled into a sly smirk. He saw a perfect opportunity to use a borrowed knife. It didn’t matter to him who won or lost—as long as Song Yuqing and Zhang Yimiao tore each other apart, he would come out on top.
“Don’t listen to her!” Lin Han shouted, trying to fan the flames. “I’ve met the staff at the God’s Supermarket. There aren’t any zombie clerks! Watch out for that woman. Anyone who associates with monsters can’t be a good person!”
“She might be an even more advanced zombie herself!” Wan Youzhi chimed in smoothly.
The two exchanged a smug glance, pleased with their seamless coordination.
Song Yuqing was completely speechless. Lin Han and Wan Youzhi were as grating as buzzing flies.
Zhang Yimiao glared at Song Yuqing, a small flame crackling in her palm, ready to strike at any moment.
In response, Song Yuqing pulled out her phone, opened her chat logs with Nanjiao, and held the screen right in front of Zhang Yimiao’s face.
The latest message from Nanjiao read: What a coincidence, you guys actually crossed paths?
Reading the text, Zhang Yimiao hesitated. She began to wonder if she really had targeted the wrong person, though she was still reluctant to let Gaha go so easily.
“What’s your name?”
“Song Yuqing. And yours?”
“Zhang Yimiao.” After confirming the message, the red-haired woman’s aggressive posture visibly softened.
“We actually know the manager of the God’s Supermarket! Don’t let her trick you!” Lin Han yelled, seeing her hesitate and aiming to drive the wedge deeper.
“Gaha!” Gaha bared her teeth at Lin Han, her blood boiling. The man was so shameless he didn’t even blink when he lied.
“Shut up! Did I give you permission to speak?” Zhang Yimiao snapped. She already possessed an explosive temper, and Lin Han’s constant interjections gave her the perfect outlet to vent her frustration.
Thoroughly intimidated by her outburst, Lin Han shrank his neck, lowering his head in sullen silence.
Wan Youzhi gritted his teeth, refusing to back down. “What if she just found that phone on the ground?”
“Exactly,” Lin Han chimed back in, closing his eyes as he shouted. “We’ve been traveling together and share a mutual bond. Are you really going to believe a complete stranger over us?”
“Well… how about I just take you to the supermarket and you can see for yourselves?” Song Yuqing rolled her eyes. Lin Han’s petty scheming was painfully transparent and incredibly boring. She had a hundred different ways to prove her identity, and she really didn’t want to waste another second arguing.
Zhang Yimiao nodded. “Fine. Lead the way.” With dozens of fighters from Base Zero backing her up, she was confident they could overpower a girl, a panda, and a zombie if things went sideways.
Zhang Yimiao and a few select psychics walked alongside Song Yuqing, Gaha, and Little Meat Bun, while the rest of the convoy followed at a slow crawl behind them.
Wan Youzhi shot a covert look at Lin Han, signaling him to check if his suppressed abilities had begun to return. Lin Han understood, quietly gathering his internal energy. They were agonizingly close to a breakthrough. As long as they kept a low profile and didn’t draw attention, they would find an opportunity to escape.
As they walked, Zhang Yimiao leaned over to touch the fabric of Song Yuqing’s sleeve, entirely unbothered by her earlier hostility.
“What kind of material is this?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself,” Song Yuqing replied evenly, keeping a firm grip on Gaha’s hand. “But since your group is among the first fifty walk-in customers to arrive after watching our promo, I’ll be gifting you a set of these clothes.”
Zhang Yimiao grinned. “Do they come in any other styles?”
“Nope.”
“Are you a clerk at the supermarket too?”
Song Yuqing simply smiled, leaving the question unanswered.
When they reached the mouth of the alley, the vehicles could no longer proceed. Staring down the dim, narrow path, Zhang Yimiao felt a flicker of doubt return.
“Park the cars out here, and we’ll all head in on foot,” Song Yuqing instructed, noticing her hesitation.
“Got it,” the dark-skinned psychic replied. He ordered the drivers to pull over and made sure a tight guard was kept on Lin Han and Wan Youzhi so they couldn’t slip away.
Lin Han and Wan Youzhi offered no resistance, passively letting themselves be led.
Little Meat Bun bared his teeth at the two captives, deliberately kicking loose pebbles at their feet as he walked. A sharp stone caught Lin Han right in the face. A flash of pure murderous intent crossed his eyes, but he quickly forced it down.
The moment the group stepped deep into the alley, the lingering darkness of the polar night suddenly dissolved. It was as if a massive black curtain had been violently torn open, allowing brilliant, warm sunlight to flood the earth.
The alley lit up instantly, making the sleek structure of the God’s Supermarket stand out in spectacular fashion. The exterior panels reflected the natural light, casting a vibrant, rainbow-like shimmer across the courtyard.
“Wow!” Zhang Yimiao and her companions gasped in awe.
Wan Youzhi stared at the building, his heart sinking into his stomach.
Song Yuqing, Gaha, and Little Meat Bun were initially thrilled by the sudden dawn, though they immediately felt a twinge of regret for missing the actual sunrise. Looking up at the magnificent facade of the supermarket, they proudly puffed out their chests.
That is our God’s Supermarket!
Liu Xiaona came bursting through the front doors, cheering and waving her arms. “It’s finally morning!”
Catching sight of Song Yuqing leading a crowd toward the storefront, Liu Xiaona sprinted forward, enthusiastically joining her, Gaha, and Little Meat Bun to celebrate the return of the sun.
Watching the four of them hold hands and spin around in a joyful circle, Zhang Yimiao couldn’t resist. She skipped forward, eager to join the huddle.
Gaha stopped spinning first, pouting as she threw a wary look at the red-haired woman.
“Do you believe us now?” Song Yuqing asked, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.
“I absolutely do!” Zhang Yimiao nodded excitedly. She spun around and aggressively grabbed Liu Xiaona’s hand to shake it. “Hello! You must be the famous manager of the God’s Supermarket, right? I’m Zhang Yimiao, from Base Zero!”
