Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 25

Ye Zhou considers that Wu Yan and the others might bring back something—or someone—after their trip. After all, before they set out, he told them that if they came across any good people along the way, it would still be worth saving them.

But he never expects that they will bring back neither supplies nor “good people.”

What they bring instead is a “local specialty” of this era—bandits.

The bandit’s name is Sun Hao. He has a thief-like face but is tall. Compared to Ye Zhou and Zou Ming, he is shorter, but compared to Wu Yan and the others, he is quite tall. Ye Zhou estimates he is about 1.74 meters tall.

For Wu Yan and his group, with an average height of under 1.7 meters, Sun Hao is indeed a “strong man.”

Despite the famine, Sun Hao isn’t emaciated. His exposed arms show tight muscles, likely from years of intense physical training. No matter how healthy a farmer is, muscle definition will never be as visible. Farmers mostly rely on grains to fill their stomachs, rarely eating meat.

On the way here, Sun Hao has already been scared out of his wits. Before Ye Zhou even has a chance to “show his divine might,” Sun Hao has already prostrated himself in reverence, all because of a flashlight.

As soon as Sun Hao sees Ye Zhou, he kneels with a “thump” and begins kowtowing, even with his hands bound.

Ye Zhou gestures to Cao’er, and when she sees the bandit’s forehead is bleeding, she shouts, “That’s enough!”

When it comes to relaying messages, Ye Zhou still prefers Cao’er’s mother. She seems to have a knack for reading people’s faces.

Though they aren’t exactly close, and Ye Zhou rarely speaks to her, she always manages to accurately guess what he is thinking.

Ye Zhou sometimes wonders if she is his real cheat ability. Otherwise, what kind of dignified “immortal” has to explain everything himself, breaking it down and spelling it out for everyone? At that rate, before he even recruits a bodyguard, he’d already have been seen through.

Though Ye Zhou thinks Wu Yan isn’t a bad person after spending time with him, good and evil aren’t always clear-cut. Good people don’t always do good things. People have weaknesses and desires that can’t always be easily tested.

Wu Yan helps Sun Hao up, bowing his head and saying, “Lord Immortal, he used to be a soldier!”

Even though The Lord Immortal knows everything, Wu Yan still wants to show off his own intelligence.

“Take Sarah and Cao’er inside,” Ye Zhou says to Zou Ming. “Let her take a bath and clean up. Wu Yan and the others can take care of the rest.”

Zou Ming suddenly says, “He’s an archer. There are thick calluses on the tip of his thumb.”

Ye Zhou is surprised. “He doesn’t look like one.”

In Ye Zhou’s mind, archers in TV shows and movies are usually slender. Sun Hao isn’t, although he isn’t as strong as Zou Ming, he definitely has a more muscular build than most.

Zou Ming explains, “In this era, bows and arrows require a lot of strength to draw. If you don’t have enough strength, even if you shoot, it won’t do much damage. That’s why most archers are strongmen—stronger than regular soldiers.”

Ye Zhou whispers, “Thank you, I’ve learned something.”

He has read The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin and has a special fondness for the former, reading it countless times, but he still hasn’t learned as much as Zou Ming, someone from this wasteland era. He feels a bit embarrassed.

Zou Ming asks, “Do you want me to question him?”

Ye Zhou thinks it would be a good idea to let Zou Ming handle it, so he can integrate into the group better. Maybe Zou Ming will get along with Wu Yan that way.

“Okay, go ahead,” Ye Zhou says, nodding at Zou Ming.

Zou Ming, who stands nearly 1.9 meters tall, exudes an imposing presence even without speaking. Just his presence can be intimidating.

Standing over Sun Hao, he looks down at him and says, “You’re an archer. Without a military camp, you’re useless. It takes several years to train an archer.” Zou Ming continues, “And your camp is still out there.”

Sun Hao is confused and quickly replies, “No, no, no! I’m no longer a soldier! When the famine first started, our captain said he’d take us to the pass, but he died of illness. Some of us wanted to go, others didn’t, so we scattered…”

Zou Ming remains calm. “Are you sure you want to keep lying?”

Sun Hao grits his teeth, looking up and meeting Zou Ming’s gaze. “I’m not lying!”

Ye Zhou thinks Zou Ming will keep questioning him, but instead, Zou Ming suddenly raises his leg and kicks Sun Hao away.

Ye Zhou: “…”

Did he just see that right?

That big guy just went flying?

Wasn’t that ridiculous?

Sun Hao lands not far away, falling to his knees, bound hands bracing against the dirt. He coughs up a mouthful of blood.

A shadow falls over Sun Hao’s head.

His soul nearly leaves his body.

He is terrified. On the road, he feared Sarah, thinking her a female demon. But now, he feels the man in front of him is far more terrifying.

The female monster might kill him, but she wouldn’t torture him.

But this man… he would definitely torture him.

Zou Ming frowns slightly. “I don’t have time to play charades or listen to your lies. Here’s your chance. Tell me everything you know, or else… I think you don’t want to find out what else will happen.”

At the base, Zou Ming has asked questions like this before. To survive and control his fate, he has to be stronger and crueler than everyone else.

He doesn’t think there is anything wrong with what he does, and he feels no pity just because the other person is now a prisoner.

Sun Hao coughs violently on the ground, then suddenly looks toward Sarah in the distance.

Cao’er’s mother quickly steps forward to play the “good cop”: “As long as you tell the truth, we’ll spare your life. The immortal is merciful, willing even to take in demons—do you really think he’d refuse to accept you? Would you rather stay a bandit, struggling in the dirt with your brothers, or step into The Lord Immortal gates, and begin practicing, hoping to become immortal?”

Zou Ming’s face is numb.

Cao’er’s ability to lie with a straight face is growing stronger.

Sun Hao seems swayed by her words. He fears Zou Ming, but Cao’er’s “promise” gives him hope. Finally, he speaks up.

“We… we said there were a thousand of us, but after hundreds died in the bandit suppression, less than 400 are left.”

“The captain wanted to lead us to the pass, but there was already a plague there. Going would’ve been suicide. Then, someone killed the captain and led us to become bandits.” Sun Hao coughs up more blood.

Just as Cao’er’s mother is about to speak, Zou Ming suddenly asks, “What did you eat?”

Sun Hao answers cautiously, “Whatever we could find… we even slaughtered the horses in the camp.”

Wu Yan, hearing this from the side, sighs. “No one had it easy…”

But Zou Ming says coldly, “You ate people.”

Even Ye Zhou can’t help but tremble. Fortunately, no one notices his reaction.

Zou Ming continues, “Your physique isn’t the result of eating vegetarian food. How many horses can there be in a military camp? How many people can they feed? How many meals can they provide?” Zou Ming raises an eyebrow. “There’s nothing left for you to eat except the meat of refugees.”

He glances at Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou immediately understands the silent message in his eyes.

This man can’t be kept.

Kicking him out would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains, and keeping him in the supermarket would be like a ticking time bomb.

Can someone who has eaten humans still be considered human?

Sun Hao knows he can no longer hide the truth, so he cries out toward Ye Zhou, “Immortal! Immortal! I had no choice! I had to do it to survive! I want to live, Immortal! If I don’t eat, I’ll starve to death!”

“Bullshit!” A male employee, whose child had almost been eaten, suddenly rushes at Sun Hao. He punches and kicks him while shouting at the top of his lungs, “You cannibals! Why can’t you survive?! There are so many of you, and if you were willing to escort the people south, would you starve to death?! Would you?!”

Wu Yan and the others quickly move to hold the employee back.

Sun Hao, battered and bruised, still looks at Ye Zhou with hope. “Immortal! Immortal! I know I was wrong! I was wrong!” Blood drips from the corner of his mouth. “Please forgive me, spare me! I will be good from now on, I swear, I’ll be a good person! Isn’t there that saying? ‘Lay down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha’? I’ll lay it down—I will!” Sun Hao forces a pathetic smile. “Immortal, I’ll lead you to the bandits’ camp! I’ll tell them to put down their butcher knives too. In that way, I’ll atone for my sins, right?”

He looks at Ye Zhou with pleading eyes, but Ye Zhou doesn’t return his gaze.

“Lock him in the utility room,” Ye Zhou orders, turning to Wu Yan.

Wu Yan clenches his fists and responds, “Yes.”

Without sparing another glance at the scene, Ye Zhou says to Zou Ming, “Zou Ming, come with me.”

Zou Ming follows him.

Once they are back in the break room, Ye Zhou speaks, “I know this man can’t be let go, but I can’t kill him in front of Wu Yan and the others. To be honest, I’ve never killed anyone, let alone let others kill. I’m afraid I can’t make that decision.” Ye Zhou smiles bitterly. “I imagined this situation before, and I thought I could easily give the order to kill.” He pauses, then adds, “I even imagined myself as a martial arts master, killing one person every ten steps, leaving no trace a thousand miles away.”

“It’s normal, just keep meeting these situations,” Zou Ming replies, not mocking Ye Zhou. “I didn’t dare to kill the first time either. I just got used to it.”

Ye Zhou sighs. “How can I get used to something like this?” He leans back on the sofa, covering his eyes with one hand. “The military camp he mentioned… I need to think this through.”

How to get the most use out of Sun Hao.

Even if he is to be killed, Ye Zhou can’t give that order.

Having an immortal kill someone isn’t good for the stability of the supermarket.

It would be best if the employees come to believe that Sun Hao simply receives his due retribution.

Ideally, the villains should be “enlightened” by The Lord Immortal, which fits people’s inherent expectations of immortals.

But Ye Zhou really can’t bring himself to “enlighten” a cannibal.

He can understand refugees digging up corpses to eat—emotionally repulsive, but logically justifiable.

But killing people for meat?

That, Ye Zhou can never accept.