"But this is convenient for us," Shawn said with a smile, crumpling the hard cardboard into a ball.
He threw it towards the living area on the first floor, successfully landing it in the trash can on the shelf.
"Find some metal locks and lock all the entrances and exits of the other parts of the supermarket, leaving only the main entrance."
"Merle, you guard the main entrance."
Shawn made a simple arrangement, and everyone began to act.
As for himself, he strolled between each shelf, first putting a portion of the supplies into his system backpack.
Living area: toilet paper, bedding, portable tents, lighters, kitchen knives, toiletries, and shower supplies…
Food area: snacks, drinks, milk, honey…
Weapon area: various types of bullet casings, bagged gunpowder, cotton…
Alcohol area: high-proof spirits, imported liquor, Water of Life…
After Shawn came
While the others weren't paying attention to the supplies on the shelves, Shawn first collected everything that might be useful.
However, the 'seafood section' and 'fruit and vegetable section' on the second floor had already rotted, and the smell, sealed inside the supermarket's second floor, was even worse than a Walker that had been dead for a week; the pungent odor was unbearable.
Shawn picked up some electronics and a Switch game console, and also put the piles of discounted clothes into his backpack before hurrying down to the second floor.
"The sales area is pretty much all there is; I just don't know if this trial-run supermarket's warehouse will have any goods in reserve."
Shawn came down from the second floor, didn't go to the main entrance to gather, but instead turned around and walked towards the back warehouse through the employee passage.
The employee passage was clear; perhaps because the power was out, the supermarket's back door was slightly misaligned with the lock cylinder.
Shawn gently pulled the door open.
Inside the warehouse, a few points of moonlight shone through the dense ventilation holes high up on the huge gate.
In the dim light, Shawn silently chanted 'Activate' in his mind.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and the 'Helmet Light Module' instantly turned on.
At the same time, the 'Blood Bar MOD' also opened.
Only after confirming that there were no Walkers or other survivors in the warehouse did Shawn confidently walk in.
Looking around the entire warehouse, most of the shelves were empty.
The few shelves that were filled, two or three of them, were basically still those electronics that customers needed to return or exchange.
In the 'Weapon Area' on the signboard, Shawn found some more bullet casings on the shelf.
Perhaps because the supermarket manager was worried about fire hazards, Shawn didn't find any gunpowder or cotton-like bullet materials.
However, compared to before, Shawn's backpack was now full; at a glance, the practical supplies alone were already much more than before.
After inspecting a circle and confirming that no supplies had been overlooked, Shawn walked out of the warehouse.
But before Shawn could leave the employee passage, he stopped again.
He gently pushed open the silver metal door of the kitchen with the long knife in his hand, walked in, and scanned the area.
The kitchen wasn't large; it might have only been for internal employee meals or for processing 'taste test' food.
There were quite a few pots, bowls, and ladles, and Shawn took them all.
In the kitchen's refrigerator, Shawn also found some frozen cheese and frozen meat.
However, as the power was cut, the cheese and meat gradually thawed, and Shawn could see the black decay inside through the plastic packaging.
"What a pity," Shawn lamented.
However, just as he was about to leave, he hesitated for a moment, then turned around and took several refrigerators and freezers with him, saying he might need them someday.
After doing all this, Shawn moved through the shelves and reached the supermarket's main entrance.
When Shawn arrived, Daryl and the others had already been waiting there for a while.
Seeing Shawn appear, they gestured to him with their chins.
"Two of the three main doors at the ends are sealed, and all three side doors are locked."
"If nothing unexpected happens, outsiders can only enter through the main entrance. If other doors are damaged, we will also hear the movement."
"Very good. There's still some time until dawn. You can rest here for a while; I'll keep watch," Shawn said without hesitation after listening.
Shawn didn't have a strong need for sleep; ensuring basic rest each day was enough to restore his energy.
But Daryl and the others were different. Unless it was an extremely unusual situation, Shawn hoped to ensure they got enough sleep.
After all, this would directly affect their physical and psychological condition.
Six hours passed quietly.
When Columbus first opened his eyes, the sky was already bright, and Shawn, who had been on watch, had just walked out from behind a shelf.
"I thought you would stay at the door the whole time."
"I was a bit bored, so I counted the supplies."
Shawn indeed hadn't left; he had just put some more supplies from nearby shelves into his system backpack.
Columbus walked over to a shelf, extended a finger, and pointed at different types of goods, finally settling on a cup of purple and white breakfast vegetarian cereal.
Tearing open the foil packaging, the industrial scent from the 'recyclable paper cup' fascinated him.
"I never thought I'd miss these foods someday," Columbus said with a sigh as he put the cereal into his mouth.
"It's not too late to eat them now."
Shawn knew that Columbus had been a super homebody before, and perhaps he had already grown tired of these instant foods.
So, being able to eat them again in this environment made Columbus feel a bit nostalgic.
People always want to make waves in a peaceful life, but when everything truly arrives, they realize how precious a calm life is.
If given a chance, perhaps Columbus would still choose to be a 'homebody' quietly.
"Actually, these things are already making my stomach a bit uncomfortable."
"The most familiar things are not necessarily the most suitable for me."
Columbus seemed to be hinting at something; he threw the half-eaten cereal in his hand onto the ground.
This small remaining portion of food was enough to save a dying person, yet Columbus casually threw it on the ground.
It was only at this moment that Shawn realized that discarding also seemed to be a form of salvation.
He looked into Columbus's eyes; Columbus's expression was uncharacteristically serious.
In that instant, Shawn wondered if Columbus was discarding not just that small portion of cereal, but also his past that he unconsciously looked back on.
Just as Shawn was about to say something more, the voices of Daryl and the others came from nearby; they had woken up.
Shawn and Columbus exchanged a glance, and they tacitly agreed not to continue the topic.
Turning around, they arrived at the main entrance, and from a distance, they saw Merle, a bottle of alcohol in his left hand and a can of luncheon meat in his right, loudly calling out to Shawn from afar.
"Shawn, I love it here!"
Having slept until now, Merle finally had time to check the supermarket's supplies.
Looking across the entire supermarket, Merle felt as if he was in heaven.
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