Chapter 84: Cinema
“What’s that on your face?” Zhang Yimiao asked, her tone suddenly serious.
Confused, Song Yuqing reached up to touch her cheek, wincing as a sharp sting flared along her jawline.
“Were you scratched by a zombie?”
As soon as the words left Zhang Yimiao’s mouth, the surrounding espers immediately fell silent. They stared at Song Yuqing, quietly shuffling backward to put more distance between themselves and her.
Song Yuqing’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t even noticed the injury during the chaos of the fight. Was she going to mutate into another creature like Gaha?
Actually, becoming immune to all poisons and elements like Gaha wouldn’t be so bad. What she truly feared was becoming the next Chen Ke…
She didn’t dare let her thoughts spiral any further. The most urgent thing right now was to get back to the store and consult Master Fu!
“Let’s head back to God’s Supermarket first,” she announced, stepping forward.
The espers who had been resting on the ground hastily scrambled to their feet, parting like the Red Sea to let her through.
“Zhang Yimiao, we should head back to the base today,” someone whispered from the crowd.
Song Yuqing paused mid-step. “Bring the dead zombies with you,” she called out, not bothering to look back. “You can still exchange them for raffle tickets before you leave.”
She continued her march toward the alley where the supermarket sat. About ten meters behind her, Zhang Yimiao and the rest of the squad followed slowly, dragging the mutant corpses through the snow.
Bringing up the rear was Huo Bin. Inside the building, he had remained entirely silent, just a walking pile of bones. Without flesh or facial features, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. During the heat of the battle, no one had cared that he was a living skeleton. But now, in the quiet aftermath, everyone was actively avoiding him.
Huo Bin smiled bitterly—or at least, he felt like he did. He knew he was just some grotesque, unknown anomaly, and his appearance naturally repulsed people.
Meanwhile, Song Yuqing’s mind was surprisingly clear. It felt almost surreal, as if someone else had been scratched, not her. After all, she was the one Master Fu had chosen to sign that binding contract. Whether she had been a willing participant at first or not, she had poured her heart and soul into running the store over the past few months. Master Fu wouldn’t just abandon her to rot.
“Song Yuqing, wait a minute!” Huo Bin suddenly shouted. He broke into a jog, running up from the back of the group. His bare bones clattered together with every step, creating a rather terrifying, hollow sound.
“Hmm?” Song Yuqing stopped and glanced at him, letting out a soft, internal sigh. Ironically, this skeleton was the only one not treating her like a walking plague.
“Don’t worry, you’re not going to die,” Huo Bin reassured her, fully expecting to see a look of profound relief and gratitude wash over her face.
“I know,” she replied flatly.
Huo Bin froze. That’s it? She’s that calm?
“Master Fu will heal that little wound for you,” he pressed on, trying to be supportive. “You won’t turn into a mutant. Or at the very least, you won’t become a mindless one.”
He meant it sincerely. As a former inhabitant of God’s Supermarket, he knew that if he hadn’t truly died during the initial zombie siege, then there was no way the system would let its precious store manager die so easily.
“I know,” Song Yuqing repeated, her expression remaining perfectly stoic.
“Oh.”
Dejected, Huo Bin lowered his skull and fell into step beside her, the two of them walking in silence.
Song Yuqing shot him a sideways glance. The white skull kept bobbing up and down, making him look incredibly anxious. “Is there something else you want to tell me?”
Huo Bin was stunned for a second. In his heart, he was screaming: Yes! Please beg Master Fu to let me stay at the supermarket! He knew he had foolishly thrown away his one chance to change his destiny when he left, and he desperately wanted it back.
But out loud, he just shook his head. “No.”
Song Yuqing didn’t push the issue and simply quickened her pace.
When they reached the mouth of the alley leading to the supermarket, Huo Bin slowed to a halt. He stood there, hesitating, unwilling to take another step forward.
Song Yuqing turned back to look at him, her eyes silently asking what was wrong. Under her inquiring gaze, Huo Bin slowly backed away.
He was too ashamed. Being this close to his former home only amplified his nerves and deep regret.
Before she could say another word, Huo Bin turned and bolted in the opposite direction.
“Hey!” Song Yuqing called out. She shook her head helplessly, completely unable to fathom what was going on inside that empty skull of his.
“What’s wrong with the bone guy? Didn’t he say he was coming to the supermarket with us?” Zhang Yimiao asked, walking up to stand exactly one meter away from Song Yuqing, her expression tense.
“He doesn’t dare go home,” Song Yuqing replied simply.
Zhang Yimiao scratched her head, thoroughly confused by the cryptic answer.
Liu Xiaona was waiting by the front doors of the supermarket. Spotting Song Yuqing from afar, she hurried forward to greet her.
“Manager! You won’t believe it, but a bunch of people just came back carrying those pink-core zombies! I had them draw from the raffle box, and someone actually won the second prize!”
Liu Xiaona was bubbling with excitement, but as she noticed the heavy, somber atmosphere surrounding the returning group, her voice trailed off. “What’s wrong? What happened?” She looked past her manager at Zhang Yimiao and the exhausted espers. “And where’s Little Meat Bun?”
“Little Meat Bun is still out collecting meteorite debris. He’ll be back soon,” Song Yuqing answered, continuing toward the entrance. “I’m going to head to my room for a bit. Please help them process the zombie corpses and manage the raffle.”
Something is definitely wrong.
Liu Xiaona frowned, studying her boss. Song Yuqing was usually composed, but today, there was a heavy trace of despondency beneath that calm exterior. “Why are you acting so distant?”
Song Yuqing widened her eyes, forcing a relaxed, casual smile. “I got scratched by a mutant. I might be turning into a zombie.”
“Ah?” Liu Xiaona stood frozen, completely at a loss for words.
“It’s fine. Master Fu will help me,” Song Yuqing added quickly. Leaving a dumbfounded Liu Xiaona standing on the porch, she trotted inside the store.
Gaha was currently organizing the shelves. When he saw Song Yuqing return, he happily waddled over to greet her.
“Gahaha!” Look at all my hard work!
“Gaha, go help Xiaona at the front for a bit, alright? I need to rest,” Song Yuqing said, forcing another smile. She reached out to affectionately ruffle his scaly head, then walked into her bedroom and firmly shut the door behind her.
“Gaha…” Gaha pouted, twisting his clawed fingers together nervously. What’s going on with her?
Safe inside her room, Song Yuqing leaned her back against the heavy door and took a long, shuddering breath. In front of Huo Bin and Zhang Yimiao, she had maintained a perfect facade of calm, making it look as though she had completely accepted her potential fate as a zombie.
But in front of Liu Xiaona and Gaha… she didn’t know why, but she simply couldn’t bear to see the worry in their eyes.
“Master Fu, are you there?” she called out to the system.
“I am here,” the voice replied.
“I was scratched by a zombie.”
“And?”
Song Yuqing’s expression darkened at his flippant tone. “Will I turn into a zombie? And if so, what kind?”
“Relax, you’re not going to mutate.”
A massive wave of relief washed over Song Yuqing, and a genuine smile finally broke through.
Then, Master Fu began to chuckle.
Song Yuqing frowned. The laughter didn’t sound like he was relieved for her safety; it sounded distinctively mocking. He was gloating.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
“I’m laughing at you. Look at how panicked you are! You don’t look like a composed store manager at all right now.”
Song Yuqing was speechless.
“Did you already forget about the supplies you just purchased from the parallel world? In that batch, there was a yellow energy drink specifically formulated to completely immunize the body against the zombie virus!”
“Why didn’t you mention that earlier?!” Song Yuqing grumbled. She quickly accessed her inventory, pulled out the yellow bottle Master Fu had described, twisted off the cap, and downed the contents in one go.
However, the stinging scratch on her cheek remained, and she didn’t feel any immediate, magical reaction in her body. Suspicion crept in. Was Master Fu tricking her?
“Hmph. Believe it or not, it’s up to you,” the system scoffed, sensing her doubt.
“You swear I’m going to be okay?”
“Believe it or not.”
“If I turn into a mindless zombie, the very first thing I’m going to do is tear this supermarket apart,” she threatened lightly.
“Believe it or not.”
Knowing his stubbornness, Song Yuqing finally let go of her remaining fears. She rubbed her nose and let out a genuine, breathless laugh.
“Manager…”
Outside the door, Liu Xiaona’s voice drifted through, thick with sadness. She and Gaha were standing right outside the bedroom. “We heard what Zhang Yimiao said. But whether you turn into a zombie or not, you’re still our boss.”
“Gaha, gaha!” If you turn into a zombie, I’ll protect you!
Rumble…
Deeply touched, Song Yuqing reached out, wanting to open the door and give her employees a massive hug. But the exact second her fingers brushed the door handle, a violent vibration tore through the floorboards beneath her feet.
