City D – The Mall
The next morning, when the sun had barely risen above the ruined city skyline, Su Yan woke the children.
"Get up," she said calmly.
"It's time to move."
The children slowly sat up, still sleepy and confused.
Su Yan quickly heated instant noodles for breakfast. No one complained. After what they had experienced the previous day, even simple noodles felt like a luxury.
Once they finished eating, they left the apartment and got into the car.
As Su Yan started the engine, Su Jin looked at her curiously.
"Sister… where are we going?"
"Shopping," Su Yan replied.
The car went silent.
"What?" Su Jin blinked.
"Aren't we supposed to run away and hide?"
Su Yan glanced at him briefly.
"And what will you eat while hiding?"
"Umm…"
Su Jin couldn't answer.
Fu Leng suddenly spoke from the back seat.
"So… we're going to rob a mall or something?"
"Exactly," Su Yan said expressionlessly.
Huang Nian looked nervous.
"Won't there be too many zombies around?"
"Probably," Su Yan replied casually while driving.
"But who cares?"
"It's survival of the fittest now."
"If you don't kill, you'll wait to be killed."
The children shivered slightly.
Fu Leng asked another question.
"Aren't you scared of getting bitten?"
Su Yan smiled faintly.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"Those zombies can barely walk properly."
"Even a snail can outrun them."
After twenty minutes of driving through chaotic streets, Su Yan arrived at a nearby shopping mall.
The once-crowded parking lot was now eerily quiet.
Broken cars were scattered everywhere.
Blood stains covered parts of the ground.
Su Yan parked the car.
As soon as the engine stopped, three zombies nearby turned toward them.
They had been attracted by the sound.
"Stay in the car," Su Yan said calmly.
She grabbed her baseball bat and stepped outside.
The zombies staggered toward her.
Their mouths opened wide as they groaned hungrily.
"Grrr…."
Su Yan walked forward without hesitation.
The first zombie lunged.
CRACK!
Her bat smashed directly into its skull.
The zombie collapsed instantly.
The second one reached out with rotting fingers.
CRACK!
Another clean strike crushed its head.
The third zombie moved slower than the others.
Su Yan stepped forward and swung the bat again.
CRACK!
The zombie dropped to the ground.
She stood still for a moment, confirming they were completely dead.
Then she turned back toward the car.
Inside, the children were staring at her with wide eyes.
Admiration filled their faces.
"Let's go," Su Yan said.
"What are you waiting for?"
The children quickly got out of the car.
Su Yan opened her space and took out three extra baseball bats.
She handed one to each child.
"Use these to smash the zombies' heads."
She smiled slightly.
But that smile only made the children shiver.
Su Yan knew she couldn't protect them forever.
If they were treated like fragile eggs, they would die quickly in this new world.
They needed to learn how to fight.
Now.
They approached the mall entrance.
The glass doors were partially open.
However, five zombies were wandering near the entrance.
Two looked like security guards.
The others were shoppers.
"Watch carefully," Su Yan said quietly.
One of the zombies noticed them and rushed forward.
Su Yan stepped aside.
CRACK!
The bat destroyed its skull.
Another zombie lunged toward Fu Leng.
Fu Leng panicked but remembered Su Yan's words.
He gritted his teeth and swung the bat.
THUD!
The hit landed on the zombie's shoulder.
It wasn't enough.
The zombie grabbed him.
"Ah!"
Before it could bite him—
CRACK!
Su Yan's bat crushed its skull.
She looked at him coldly.
"Head."
"Always aim for the head."
Fu Leng swallowed nervously and nodded.
Meanwhile, Su Jin and Huang Nian worked together to push another zombie down.
Su Jin smashed the bat downward.
CRACK!
It took three hits before the zombie stopped moving.
The children were breathing heavily.
But their fear had slightly decreased.
"Good," Su Yan said.
"Let's go inside."
The supermarket area was quiet.
Too quiet.
Su Yan walked forward while the children followed closely behind her.
They first entered the clothing section.
Three zombies wearing staff uniforms wandered between the racks.
Su Yan moved quickly.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
All three zombies collapsed within seconds.
After clearing the area, she began collecting clothes.
Shirts.
Jackets.
Pants.
Underwear.
Winter coats.
She stored most of them inside her space.
However, she intentionally left some behind.
If other survivors arrived later, they would still need supplies.
After finishing the clothing section, Su Yan moved through other areas of the supermarket.
She collected:
Bedding
Sleeping bags
First aid kits
Medicine
Sports shoes
Finally, she reached the food section.
But the glass door was locked from the inside.
Su Yan looked through the glass.
She couldn't see anyone.
Without hesitation, she raised her bat.
CRASH!
The glass shattered instantly.
A man suddenly appeared on the other side.
"You!" he shouted angrily.
Su Yan didn't care.
She calmly walked inside.
To avoid exposing her space ability, she grabbed a trolley and started placing food inside it.
Canned goods.
Rice.
Instant noodles.
Bottled water.
Meanwhile, she secretly stored much more food inside her space.
The three children copied her actions and pushed their own trolleys.
The angry man stared at them before leaving.
A few minutes later, Su Yan heard hurried footsteps.
Nine men walked toward them.
Their expressions were furious.
Su Yan immediately moved the children behind her.
"You…" one of the men said angrily.
"Are you the one who broke the door?"
"Yeah," Su Yan replied casually.
"How dare you?!"
"Are you trying to attract zombies here and get us all killed?"
"Something like that," she answered calmly.
"You—!"
The man pointed at her in rage.
Su Yan smiled slightly.
"Getting angry isn't good for your health."
"Even if I didn't break the door, someone else eventually would."
"It's the end of the world now."
"People are searching for food everywhere."
The men glared at her.
Su Yan continued speaking casually.
"Honestly, the smartest choice is to leave the city while the zombies are still busy eating people."
"You can't stay here forever."
"One day, the food will run out."
"And when that happens…"
"The zombies will start hunting again."
"I don't think you'll outrun them."
"Are you trying to scare us?" one man sneered.
"The military will come and save us."
"They'll wipe out the zombies."
Su Yan laughed softly.
"Oh really?"
"Then keep waiting."
"I happen to know someone in the military."
"The truth is, the entire military force in this city already evacuated to City M."
"If you're waiting for rescue here…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"You'll just become zombie food."
The men's expressions changed.
"I don't care," the leader said angrily.
"You still have to pay for what you've done."
"Oh?"
Su Yan smiled slowly.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"You'll die for your sin," the man growled, raising his baseball bat.
At that exact moment—