"Mom, Song Kexin is still waiting for us outside. We need to hurry," Xie Ning whispered to Song You'ai.
"You brought Kexin?" Song You'ai lowered her voice, a pleasant surprise on her face. "Is she okay?"
"We're fine, Mom. We're all okay."
"Then why is your hand so hot?" Song You'ai squeezed her palm anxiously, feeling that her daughter's body temperature was a bit abnormal.
Xie Ning paused for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. "It's much better now, Mom. I've been awakening my superpower all day. Usually, after a Superpower User develops a high fever, it only takes about two hours to awaken."
'But something about my case is strange.'
'Based on the timeline from my past life, I've had a fever for over four hours now.'
"A superpower?" Song You'ai's face was full of surprise. "Xiao Ning, did you develop a superpower?"
"You're so smart, Mom." Xie Ning nodded and whispered close to her ear, "I just discovered I have a small Space. I can store things inside it."
The fire she had started on Ma Yu earlier had been from a lighter taken from her Space.
At that moment, she hadn't had time to think. The item she needed had appeared with just a thought.
The large axe was also from the Space. Now that she had calmed down and thought about it, it felt extremely strange.
'Logically, since I've been reborn, the Space should have just been created and should be empty.'
'But that large axe was a supply I collected in my past life. I used it all the time, so I recognized it instantly.'
"Mom, about the small Space… we can't tell anyone about it right now, you understand? Don't tell Kexin for now, either. This is just between us."
Song You'ai nodded, her eyes flashing with delight, but she couldn't help but tease her daughter. "Of course, I know. Mom's not stupid. How could I go around telling everyone such a confidential matter? That Kexin is too young. She might even leak the secret in her sleep."
Xie Ning couldn't help but laugh.
'How could I not know what my dear mom's personality is like?'
'She's a very warm-hearted person, just a little bit of a show-off. That's why I had to give her a heads-up, so she doesn't get too excited and let it slip.'
The two had just reached the ground floor when they heard "BANG! BANG!" from inside the supermarket.
A few survivors ran out from a corner of the supermarket. They shot the mother and daughter a panicked glance before hastily running off.
At the same time, two rotting corpses lurched out from around the corner, frightening Song You'ai so much her face turned pale.
"Don't be afraid, Mom. Watch me." Xie Ning gripped the long knife in her hand and, with swift, textbook-perfect movements, dispatched the two zombies as a demonstration.
"Mom, a strike to the back of the head is the fastest, most ruthless, and most accurate way. It also saves your energy."
"Let's go. We'll see if there are any knives left on the shelves. You need to get a kitchen knife, Mom. You can practice with it in a bit."
Song You'ai fought the urge to vomit, nodding repeatedly as she learned the basic moves from her daughter.
'So did my daughter just grow up in an instant?'
Seeing her daughter point to the bloody back of the zombie's head to demonstrate, her face calm and her heart steady, Song You'ai felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of sadness.
'My daughter used to be such a fussy neat freak, wasn't she?'
'Back then, a layer of dust on the floor would have had my little artsy girl complaining for half the day. Now, she doesn't care about such things at all.'
Her heart ached. Looking at her little girl who had grown up in an instant, Song You'ai felt a profound sense of distress for her.
"Let's go, Mom." Xie Ning grabbed a few bags in the food section and started stuffing them with whatever she could find.
The food section had long since been picked clean by waves of people. Only a few odds and ends remained—better than nothing.