Chapter 9: A Supermarket

Soon, Chen Xiao and the other two cut through the narrow path.
Amid Wang Qi’s relentless, grating crowing, they slipped into a residential complex.
Once inside, Chen Xiao set Wang Qi down. With only three hours until dawn,
finding a room to hide in would mean absolute safety.
He decided it was time to let tonight’s “MVP” rest—permanently.
Ignoring Wang Qi’s desperate pleas,
Chen Xiao twisted his head clean off.
He tossed the body into a trash can and walked away without looking back.
Zhang Ming and Tang Shiyang said nothing the whole time, as if blind to what happened.
…
Jiangbei City, Shengshi Huating Complex, Building 23, a small supermarket.
This place was about 40 square meters.
“Long-ge, I’ve been on watch all damn night.”
A stocky, fleshy man licked his lips.
In front of him stood a burly man named Long and the supermarket owner’s wife.
Long slapped the fat man across the face.
The fat man jumped, waving his hands: “I didn’t mean anything by it!”
Long laughed: “Relax, fatty. The apocalypse means we’re no longer just fugitives—we can finally cut loose!”
The fat man grinned obsequiously: “Right, Long-ge! Soon, what kind of woman can’t we get? I’m in no rush.”
In a corner sat a middle-aged man.
He wore tattered black shorts and a shirt, with messy curls and a cracked lens. He looked utterly bedraggled.
His name was Liu Mingqing, a high school biology teacher. He’d awakened a C-rank talent, [Brief Flight], after inhaling a pigeon’s feather by accident.
If not for the talent’s novelty intriguing Long, he’d be dead by now.
Originally, ten people had holed up here.
Long and the fat man had eventually killed everyone else, leaving only him and the attractive owner’s wife.
But Liu Mingqing wasn’t sure—would Long, so unpredictable, kill him next?
“Long-ge! Long-ge! Someone’s coming!”
“Hmph. Another batch of fools. Think they can share this jackpot?”
Long snorted, grabbing a long fruit knife and creeping to the door.
He and the fat man hid on either side, ready to strike.
Any intruder would meet steel the moment they entered.
But—
The unexpected happened!
BOOM—
The wall behind the fat man exploded, collapsing in a cloud of dust!
The supermarket shuddered like it was hit by an earthquake!
The fat man was buried alive under the rubble, his fate unknown.
Long’s mind blanked.
Was someone outside driving a tractor?
How else could they smash through a solid wall?
Chen Xiao landed slowly. He hated ambushes.
Two idiots had been hiding behind the wall!
If not for his [Dragon Breath] talent, he’d have fallen for their trap.
Zhang Ming and Tang Shiyang exchanged a look—shock written all over their faces.
They knew Chen Xiao was strong… but this strong?
A solid wall, kicked to pieces?
Zhang Ming awkwardly pointed at the glass door: “Xiao-ge… there’s a door…”
Chen Xiao ignored him, stepping inside to survey the place.
The shelves’ food and water were well-preserved, but the checkout counter was a mess.
This confirmed his thought: the looters were short-sighted fools.
In the apocalypse, what good was money?
Two people in the back room had barely detectable auras, as if on the verge of extinction.
Compared to them, the two at the door were practically elites.
“Who are you?”
Long hadn’t expected a kid—probably a student—to walk in.
Relief washed over him. Kids were timid, easy to bully.
Maybe he could use that freakish strength.
Chen Xiao stared at Long coldly: “This supermarket has a new owner. Scram.”
Long’s plan to buddy up died. He hesitated, unsure if he should fight.
Then, the man from the back room stumbled out.
“Chen Xiao! It’s you, Chen Xiao!”
Chen Xiao turned, surprised someone recognized him.
“Old Liu?”
“Yes yes yes! I’m Old Liu! Never thought we’d meet again like this!”
Liu Mingqing nearly cried—he’d seen Chen Xiao demolish a wall!
This was his chance to escape Long.
Chen Xiao studied him, confirming it was the same man—once prim in a suit, now a disheveled wreck.
Back in high school, Old Liu had always encouraged him to study hard, saying a top university was within reach.
Too bad Chen Xiao hadn’t been cut out for it, letting him down.
A faint smile crossed his face:
“Long time no see, Old Liu. What are you doing here?”
Liu Mingqing glanced at Long, who was signaling him, then began to speak.
His tone was calm but vivid,
detailing Long’s cruelty and the fat man’s evil deeds.
Zhang Ming and Tang Shiyang, who’d just entered, were filled with anger and sorrow.
Long saw things going south. While everyone’s attention was elsewhere,
he sprinted to the back room, pressing the fruit knife to the owner’s wife’s throat.
The owner’s wife was too weak to resist, tears streaming, eyes a well of hopelessness.
Chen Xiao had been watching Long—he’d just underestimated his speed.
This Long must have a speed-based talent!
“Stop right there! Let me go, and I’ll spare her!”
Long roared, gesturing at Chen Xiao.
Zhang Ming stomped his foot: “Despicable! Using a woman as leverage—what kind of man are you?”
Tang Shiyang spoke calmly: “Let her go, and you might still have a chance. With my relationship with Xiao-ge, I can plead for you.”
Long smirked: “Pretty lady, how about a trade? You come into my arms, and I’ll let her go. Deal?”
Tang Shiyang saw Long wouldn’t back down and looked to Chen Xiao.
“She’s pitiable too…”
Chen Xiao shook his head at Liu Mingqing’s words.
They’d all missed the fire in the owner’s wife’s eyes—
a mix of hatred, agony, and resolve.
The next second, she twisted her neck against the blade.
She chose suicide.