Chapter 33: Scavenging the Supermarket

"The Black Tiger Base is about 20 kilometers away from here. It’s not exactly close; it took us three days to walk this far. I’m a freshman student at the police academy, and my brother was a retired special forces soldier. We were originally survivors within the Black Tiger Base, but because of me, we had no choice but to leave..." Zhang Jingyu said to Liu Yang.

"A police academy student? Such a beautiful student—you would have surely become the pride of the force after graduation, wouldn't you?" Liu Yang said, his interest piqued and a smile spreading across his face. Although he already had several beauties by his side, he had never encountered a stunning police academy student before.

"N-no, not really..." Zhang Jingyu blushed instantly at his compliment.

"Why on earth did you leave the base? If you had stayed, you wouldn't have been in such danger, would you?" Liu Yang continued.

"It’s all... all my fault. Black Tiger, the leader of the base, took a liking to me and wanted me to submit to him. But he’s old, ugly, and dark-skinned, and he already has thirteen wives. I couldn't possibly agree. My brother was even angrier than I was; he had a falling out with them on the spot and took me away from the base. If it weren't for me, my brother... he wouldn't have... *sob*. If I had known, I should have just given in to Black Tiger! *Sob*!" As she brought up the past, Zhang Jingyu began to cry again.

"Who is stronger, you brother or the leader of the Black Tiger Base?" Liu Yang asked, cutting to the core of the matter.

"The leader is likely stronger. His ranking on the Yellow List is higher than my brother’s. But if it came to a fight to the death, even if my brother were killed, the leader wouldn't get away unscathed—he’d at least be severely wounded. Once he was heavily injured, others would surely try to usurp his position, which would be a greater loss for him. That’s why he didn't dare to stop us too forcefully when we left." Zhang Jingyu explained truthfully.

"The Yellow List? What’s that?" Liu Yang asked, puzzled.

"It’s a ranking of ability users. It’s said that only those who pass the test at the stone monument can be listed. I’m not an ability user, so I don't know much about it. I only know that every time they pass a test, they receive a reward from the monument. This sword was the reward my brother obtained after passing the test," Zhang Jingyu replied.

Hearing this, Liu Yang felt a jolt of shock. He had never heard of such things before. Could it be that only a few days after the zombie outbreak, an ability user ranking system had already emerged? And that passing a test at a monument granted rewards? No wonder he felt this blade wasn't man-made; it was a product of that so-called monument!

"Where are these monuments located?" Liu Yang continued. If every test yielded a reward, he wanted to try it himself.

"It’s said that monuments have appeared all over the world. The Black Tiger Base was built around one, so there’s one right in its center. But I wouldn't suggest you go there. The people in the Black Tiger Base are wicked and powerful. You’d be better off finding a new monument and building your own base!" Zhang Jingyu advised.

Liu Yang nodded. "I see. Never mind, let’s leave that for now. Let’s go collect some supplies."

As they talked, they reached the entrance of a supermarket. Before heading in, Liu Yang warned her, "When the disaster broke out, there must have been plenty of people shopping here, so there might be a lot of zombies inside. Don't be nervous, and don't scream, understand?"

"Mm, no problem. My brother and I have encountered many zombies these past few days; I’m not that afraid anymore," Zhang Jingyu nodded quickly.

"Good." With that, Liu Yang gripped his blade and walked through the supermarket entrance.

Indeed, many zombies were wandering inside. But Liu Yang was a different man now; his strength and speed were several times that of an ordinary person. With the addition of this peerless blade, he charged into the horde like an invincible god of war.

*Swish!* He swung the pitch-black katana, and the zombies before him were cleaved in two instantly. What a blade—it sliced through iron as if it were mud! Liu Yang grew more excited with every strike, taking down dozens of zombies in just a few minutes. Originally, his stats were already a dozen times higher than a normal person's; this weapon was simply the perfect finishing touch. He felt as if he couldn't put it down—this sword was meant for him!

"So amazing, so strong! Even stronger than my brother!" Zhang Jingyu watched in wide-eyed astonishment. Her brother was a former special forces soldier and an awakened ability user, yet compared to Liu Yang, he fell short. She could clearly see who was faster and stronger, and Liu Yang completely eclipsed her brother.

After fifteen minutes, Liu Yang had cleared out over 300 zombies, virtually emptying the supermarket. He still felt unsatisfied; the blade made killing zombies feel as effortless as cutting fruit—like playing a game of Fruit Ninja.

"These zombies aren't enough to satisfy me, but now that they're gone, it's time to scavenge." With a thought, Liu Yang swept his hand, and the food on the shelves disappeared into his dark space.

"So much chocolate, candy, cookies! So much food! Take it all!"

"Milk, drinks, cigarettes, fine wine? Take them!"

"Bulk rice, mung beans, soybeans, black beans, potatoes? Take them!"

"Packaged food, bread, vacuum-sealed goods? Take them!"

"Fresh meat, vegetables, fruit? Take them!"

"Dried goods, cured meat, dried fish? Take them!"

...

Soon, Liu Yang had cleared out almost everything in the supermarket. Zhang Jingyu stared in disbelief. "How... how are you doing this?"

Every item disappeared the moment he waved his hand, as if by magic. Where was he putting it all?

"That’s my secret," Liu Yang said with a smile.

Though she didn't know how he did it, Zhang Jingyu was now even more certain that Liu Yang was a powerful ability user, far stronger than her brother. Soon, the shelves were bare—he even took the toilet paper, clothes, towels, cutlery, and daily necessities.

His dark space was a massive 27,000 cubic meters. If filled with water or rice, it could hold 27,000 tons. Even if he saved a thousand survivor girls, they could eat for a hundred years. He didn't even need to organize the items; he could just dump them in and retrieve whatever he wanted with a mere thought.

With the shelves cleared, Liu Yang set his sights on the warehouse. It held even more than the floor. "Let's go, let's find the warehouse."

"Okay!" Zhang Jingyu nodded obediently and followed closely behind him. After witnessing his power, she was determined to stick with him to survive. She became completely compliant, doing whatever he asked.