​​Chapter 02

Two days later, the big water drums were running dry.

Chairwoman Li addressed us: "We can't sit here waiting to die! I propose the men go out and bring back some food and water."

"Oh, Chairwoman Li, facing doom like this, do you think you can still order us around?"

"I'll pay a thousand yuan! Someone go get me a box of instant noodles!"

"I'll pay ten thousand! Just bring me anything to eat!"

"Zezegogo, I'm so hungry..." Ruan Tingting whined again.

There were three reasons why I had chosen to hide in the General Management Office:

First, it had strong security measures.

Second, General Manager Xing had a satellite phone.

Third, it housed the only independent restroom.

But beyond that, more importantly, there was someone inside that I had to protect.

The current situation was critical; we couldn’t risk opening the door carelessly. Luckily, I knew the supermarket layout intimately. We could access the sales area via the ventilation ducts.

Me: "Chairwoman Li, I'll go check outside."

"Yeah! Dai Mei used to serve in the special forces! She’s tough!" Zhao Kai, the security manager, spoke up. He was the burliest of all the men present.

Me: "One person isn’t enough. Qiu Ze, Zhao Kai, you two are coming too."

Zhao Kai: "Me? I’m not capable!"

Qiu Ze: "Dai Mei, I... I shouldn’t go. Tingting needs someone to look after her."

stared at Qiu Ze, incredulous as he offered an awkward smile.

Without the rose-tinted glasses of love, his face now repelled me—a slimy pig offal wearing gold glasses.

"Sister, I’ll go with you." The bespectacled man, Xiao Chu, stepped to my side.

This puppy dog was tall, maybe 6’1", fair-skinned and sharp-featured, resembling the basketball star Yang Ming.

"Good. Take off your shoes and socks."

climbed onto the filing cabinets and unscrewed the ventilation cover in the ceiling.

"You up for this?" I asked Xiao Chu over my shoulder.

"X City Sports Institute, played basketball." He pushed up his glasses with a grin.

He could still smile at a time like this? How easygoing.

crawled into the duct. Xiao Chu followed close behind.

At a bend in the passage, he whispered:

"Sister, I’ll protect you."

His lips were a tempting berry-pink.

snapped my eyes forward and kept crawling.

It was 11:30 a.m. The sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, yet the space beneath was deathly silent.

After cutting through the protective grating, I dropped a metal clamp from my pack.

No sound echoed. All clear.

dropped onto the top shelf. Xiao Chu landed nimbly beside me.

Not bad.

shot him a thumbs-up.

We wolfed down bread and drained two bottles of water, then lugged instant noodles, bottled water, ham, and other supplies back through the ventilation ducts without a hitch.

Inside the office, everyone was mad with hunger. Before Xiao Chu had even descended from the ceiling, they rushed the food like rabid animals. I swung my riot baton, cracking each of them sharply on the shoulder.

"Oww! Why hit us?!" Zhao Kai roared through gritted teeth.

Qiu Ze silently cradled the bruise on his shoulder—until Ruan Tingting burst into tears:

"Zezegogo~ are you okay? How dare she hit you~"

"Shut up!"

Once Xiao Chu landed safely, I stabbed a finger at the ungrateful:

"This food? We got it. Who eats? Those who obey. Who starves? Who gets kicked out? You."

Dead silence fell.

ordered Xiao Chu to distribute supplies by age. Auntie Zhou, the cleaner, shrank back when handed food first, stammering she couldn’t possibly.

"Auntie Zhou," I said, "we’re beyond rank here. Only elders and youngers."

He gave the next serving to Chairwoman Li, the last to Ruan Tingting.

"Why not give me the cup noodles? How am I supposed to eat these?" Ruan Tingting muttered.

Xiao Chu bristled and snatched the packet back.

"If you don’t want it, even better! Too blind to see Sister Dai soaked in sweat? Got the balls to get your own? Oh yeah, plenty of steaks and king crab out there! Go feast, you stupid bitch!"

"He cursed me~ Zezegogo! This asshole dared insult me! Do you know who my father is?!"

"Who? My grandson!"

"You—!"

Ruan Tingting trembled with tears streaming down her face, but Qiu Ze only cringed and kept his head down over his ham.

As cathartic as Xiao Chu’s profanity sounded, this was no time to quarrel. I pulled him back:

"Save your breath, Xiao Chu. Eat now."

After everyone was fed, I suggested we split into teams—save Auntie Zhou and Chairwoman Li—and gather more supplies before dark.

Ruan Tingting began whimpering again: Her legs were weak, she said. She couldn't stand.

Just as Xiao Chu started to seethe, Qiu Ze hurriedly pledged to take extra trips.

The plump and lean suppliers protested their stiff middle-aged limbs and refused to budge.

barked in icy tone:

"Collect your own rations, then. Don’t go? Then don’t eat."