Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 38

It is still dark, and the coolness of the morning lingers as Lin You and his team pack their belongings. After checking to make sure they haven’t left anything behind, they head south with the store employees.

Ye Zhou doesn’t emerge from the break room, so the employees are left kneeling at the entrance of the supermarket. They kowtow to The Lord Immortal cave that has sheltered them and saved them from danger.

Chen Liu kneels on the ground, crying, and is eventually helped up.

The others aren’t much better than Chen Liu.

They want to follow The Lord Immortal forever, but they can’t bring themselves to leave. The unknown world outside seems too daunting.

Ye Zhou asks Lin You to escort these people through the pass, then lets them leave the team.

No matter where Chen Liu and his group are headed, Ye Zhou doesn’t want them to be associated with Lin You’s family.

More importantly, he doesn’t want them to be arrested and tortured because of him.

To ensure their safety, Ye Zhou doesn’t take back the crossbows they carry, though the arrows are limited and can’t be used as freely as before.

Ye Zhou has considered everything he can for them. But as he watches them leave from the window, a tinge of disappointment lingers. No good thing lasts forever, and these people have been through so much with him. Their friendship is different because of it.

He wonders if he will ever meet them again if he returns to this plane.

“Are you leaving now?” Chen Shu sits on the sofa, her sniper rifle resting beside her. She had even kept the rifle next to her bed the night before.

Ye Zhou nods. “Let’s go now. Do you need to make any preparations?”

This is his first time jumping planes, so he wants to ask these more experienced individuals for advice.

Chen Shu arrived at 5:30 a.m. and only rested for two hours, yet she appears full of energy, not showing the signs of someone who hasn’t slept.

When Ye Zhou woke her, she was already awake, her eyes open and alert before he even approached or made a sound. Her gaze is sharp, like she is always on guard.

Although Chen Shu was introduced by Zou Ming, they don’t seem close and haven’t spoken much. It’s likely just an ordinary professional relationship, maybe not even friends.

Chen Shu says, “No need to prepare. Not like it would make a difference anyway.”

Ye Zhou nods. “That makes sense.”

The doctor, who arrived earlier than Chen Shu, also sits on the sofa. He has large dark circles under his eyes and is slouching, his head drooping as though he is struggling to stay awake.

Chen Shu stands tall, only a little shorter than Zou Ming at around 1.85 meters, with a strong build. Her arms are about as thick as Ye Zhou’s thighs, and her square face and thick eyebrows give her a firm, upright appearance. Yet, despite her imposing physique, she doesn’t give off a masculine vibe.

She has a kind of androgynous beauty.

In contrast, Dr. Zhou Yuanhe seems much more “frail.” He looks to be not quite 1.75 meters tall, with pale skin. He is thin and looks unwell, especially with the dark circles and eye bags, giving off the vibe of a vampire villain from an anime.

Every time Ye Zhou looks at him, he worries the man might collapse at any moment.

When Ye Zhou hired him, Zhou Yuanhe looked healthy in his photos. His price was reasonable, and he had plenty of experience. As a doctor, Ye Zhou figured experience was key.

But now…

Fortunately, Ye Zhou has money. If Zhou Yuanhe proves incompetent, he can pay a penalty and terminate the contract.

Ye Zhou glances at the jump button on the computer, next to the name “Luoyang Base.”

He makes up his mind and presses the button.

“Are there any bullets left?!” The young man stands on the makeshift “wall” and shouts at the person behind him.

“Bullets?!” The person behind him hoarsely hands over a box of bullets. “These are the last ones.”

The young man freezes. “Where are the supplies?!”

The man hesitates, his lower lip bloodied from biting it, and shakes his head. “The supply convoy was ambushed on the road…”

The young man’s eyes widen in disbelief. “All the supplies?”

The man nods. “We can’t spare any manpower now.”

They can only endure.

“The general gave the order,” the man says, lifting his own gun—only six bullets left. “If it comes to it, we’ll have to go down there. We can’t let the zombies break through.”

Going down means close combat.

They will surely die—sacrificing themselves to form the final line of defense.

The young man falls silent, but his hand doesn’t tremble as he loads the bullets into his gun. He lies down again and aims. Just like usual, each shot pierces a zombie’s head.

But the zombies below the city wall surge forward in waves, unfazed by death or the sound of gunfire. They instinctively rush toward the group.

The young man’s mind begins to wander, but he fires his last bullet.

When he stands up, his comrades have already begun preparing cold weapons.

One comrade tosses him an axe. “This one’s good and easy to use. If you feel like you’re going to change, you can use it on yourself.”

Another wipes sweat from his forehead. “If you ask me, we should retreat. What’s the point of staying here? The rear can’t even send supplies. It’s like they want us to die.”

He sighs. “What era are we in, and we’re still using cold weapons?”

The young man doesn’t respond.

At first, when the base had plenty of supplies and ammunition kept flowing from the rear, they had enough to defend the base and even rescue people from surrounding towns.

But as the battle line stretched, humanity’s disadvantages became clearer.

There is no one left to work in the factories.

A person has to be at least ten years old to work, and even then, the replenishment of human labor can’t keep pace with the zombies.

It will take a decade to barely get a new generation of workers.

But zombies won’t allow that luxury.

The worst part isn’t the zombies themselves, but the dwindling supplies and the shrinking workforce.

Women are reluctant to have children. Pregnancy lasts ten months, and in the later months, a woman’s mobility is almost completely restricted. It isn’t just hard to run; they can’t protect themselves.

Without newborns, the human race can’t replenish its numbers.

It’s a vicious cycle with no solution.

The young man takes a deep breath. He binds his wrists and ankles. If he avoids bites and scratches, he’ll turn slower. Even if he becomes a zombie in the end, it’ll still be several of them in exchange for one of him—not a bad trade.

“Stop complaining,” says the woman beside him. “My parents are still in the base. It’s too late to run now. We can only grit our teeth and go.”

Luoyang Base is a military hub for everyone. Anyone between the ages of fifteen and fifty, who isn’t already working in the factories or other essential jobs, has to serve in the army. Even children are required to train.

Even though they don’t look older than twenty, they’re already battle-hardened veterans.

The woman picks up a long blade, testing its weight. “This one’s too light. No momentum. Got anything heavier?”

Her comrade rolls his eyes. “If I had one, I’d keep it for myself. Still using an axe here, aren’t I?”

“Go down!” Someone shouts through a loudspeaker. “Exit through the small door! The general’s contacting the rear! Another batch of ammo is on the way! You have to hold on!”

The first group to go down are the cannon fodder, buying time for the others to resupply.

The woman sighs. “What’s the point of being in the vanguard? No rewards, just medals. And when something happens, we’re the first ones sent out.”

“You didn’t seem to mind when you got the medal. You were grinning like you won the lottery,” her comrade teases.

The woman smirks. “Let’s go. After all, we’re excellent soldiers. If we don’t kill at least ten zombies, we won’t get our money’s worth or they’ll laugh at us.”

They all smile, as if they’re not going to die but are headed to receive awards.

From the moment they join the army, they know they will one day die on the battlefield.

And now that day has come, they are mentally prepared.

There is nowhere to retreat to—so forward is the only way. They have to carve a bloody path through the sea of corpses to protect their loved ones behind them.

Even if they don’t succeed in the end, they can die with their heads held high.

The young man finally looks back at the Luoyang Base behind him.

The strongest fortress at the end of the world.

If even this base, occupying such a crucial position, falls, what will happen to the rear?

The rear’s role is production—of weapons, ammunition, daily necessities. Most military power is concentrated on the frontlines.

If the front line falls, the rear will be in danger as well. If they can’t hold this base, the zombies will flood in.

The small door beneath the “city wall” creaks open.

The young man clenches the axe in his hand, takes a deep breath, and lowers his head. His hands tremble slightly, but he clenches them into fists, as if doing so will stop the fear.

His comrades are already charging ahead.

The young man follows quickly.

Don’t think too much. Thinking only leads to fear. Fear means death.

Even if he has to die, he can’t die in vain.

Just as the first group prepares to break through the second line of defense and face the zombies head-on…

A strange flash of light streaks down from the sky.

It is blinding—so intense that even the professionally trained soldiers can’t help but shut their eyes.

Even the zombies freeze under that blinding light.

The young man waits for the light to fade before opening his eyes.

It has landed not far from them, in front of the second line of defense blocking the zombies.

As the light dissipates, the soldiers stare in shock.

They can’t believe their eyes.

The zombies around them seem to fade into the background.

Before them stands a square building, familiar interior décor…

The sign reads—

“Longsheng Supermarket.”