C27 He Went to the Supermarket Again

"All aboard! Let's roll out!" commanded Han Feng, and with that, the eight vehicles embarked on their journey, grandly setting off toward the large supermarket they had visited the day before.

The convoy, larger than the previous day's, took a bit more time to reach the supermarket. Half an hour later, they pulled up at the entrance, where the car left behind yesterday still sat, keys waiting inside.

Han Feng surveyed the silent supermarket with a scoff. "Haha, the same old tricks won't work on me now."

"First and Second Teams, you're with me. The rest of you, secure the entrance," he instructed, leading the way as more than forty people strode into the supermarket.

Inside, the dim lighting and desolate atmosphere were unchanged. Han Feng paused, not rushing in. He distributed the limited number of fire axes to a few of his team members, as not everyone could have one.

"Take them down one by one, and don't get tied up in battle," he commanded. Then, with a swift motion, Han Feng drew his pistol and kicked open the door to the nearest shop.

Upon entering, shops selling items like watches lined both sides, their windows shrouded with cloth—a tactic employed by the Third Level zombies to obscure the view from survivors. It was a testament to their cunning intelligence.

But the Third Level zombies hadn't counted on someone like Han Feng. While other survivors who had managed to flee might never dare to return, Han Feng was different... he was driven by vengeance.

"Bang!"

"Roar!"

The sounds of shattering glass and zombie roars filled the air.

"Da! Da! Da!" Gunshots rang out as Han Feng took down the closest zombie, then stepped back to clear the way.

He signaled the four soldiers armed with fire axes to advance. They charged into the shop, felling a zombie with a few swift chops. Two American soldiers stood ready behind them, providing cover with their machine guns, prepared to lay down suppressive fire if the pace of the assault faltered.

"Da! Da!" Han Feng maneuvered behind the soldiers, firing his weapon. When his magazine ran empty, he swiftly reloaded, and one by one, the zombies in the shop were eradicated.

Over twenty zombies were concealed within the shop, but with the coordinated efforts of four conscripted soldiers and Han Feng, the final zombie fell. Exiting the shop, Han Feng surveyed the supermarket's interior, finding it eerily deserted.

"Quite the patience you've got. Let's see how long you can keep that up!" Han Feng taunted before heading to the shop across the way.

With a forceful "Bang!" he kicked the door open, and the soldiers charged in once more.

"Da! Da!" Behind the axe-wielding soldiers, Han Feng's gunfire rang out as he continued to scavenge for gold coins.

Minutes later, the skirmish came to a temporary halt. The supermarket's silence persisted as Han Feng emerged from the shop.

After a moment's pause, he summoned Gale, the police dog. "Patrol the area around the supermarket. Report back immediately if anything comes up. Go," he instructed. With that, Gale dashed off.

Han Feng stood motionless, his mind filled with questions he posed to the system.

Before entering the supermarket, he had stumbled upon the bodies of two soldiers who had been on guard duty the day before. Preoccupied with his plans, he hadn't given it much thought, but now, Han Feng was riddled with doubts.

"Why didn't they turn into zombies? Their heads were intact, their limbs whole. Why was there no mutation?"

"The commander has absolute authority over their summoned soldiers. Without the commander's consent, no one can direct the Red Police's conscripts. The virus has disrupted the settings of the Red Police's soldiers, triggering the system's self-destruct protocol. In essence, the virus-affected Red Police soldiers won't turn into zombies because their brains have been rendered useless."

Despite the system's explanation, Han Feng's furrowed brow remained. Another question haunted him.

Han Feng understood that an evolved zombie's characteristics might be tied to the deceased's condition before death. The stronger or smarter a person was in life, the higher the likelihood they would become a Second Level or Third Level zombie upon reanimation.

Han Feng had come today contemplating how he would confront evolved zombies, should the Red Police soldiers have turned. However, the system's response negated any chance of the Red Police soldiers becoming zombies, leaving Han Feng without a way to verify the cause of the zombies' evolution.

"Do zombies evolve more rapidly depending on the state of the person before they were infected?" Han Feng queried the system, though he wasn't holding out much hope.

"The system is unable to respond to the commander's inquiry. Please construct a combat laboratory," came the reply.

Just as Han Feng had anticipated, building a combat lab was essential to address the current issue.

The mysterious power within him... was the evolution of zombies random or predetermined?

At the moment, Han Feng was at a loss regarding these questions.

He took a quick look at his gold coins—273 in total—far from the 10,000 needed for the combat lab.

With a sigh, he resolved, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! Onward!" With that, Han Feng strode toward the adjacent shop.

"Bang!"

"Roar!"

As before, the door burst open followed by the guttural roar of zombies.

"Da, da!" Han Feng fired his pistol, fending off the zombies while honing his marksmanship.

Before long, the third shop's zombie was dispatched.

Exiting the shop, Han Feng noticed the supermarket was still quiet.

"Aren't you coming out?" he muttered under his breath, then glanced back at the vigilant soldiers.

Confident in their robust firepower, Han Feng feared no tricks from the Third Level zombies.

"If you won't come out, I'll just have to whittle you down to nothing! Let's keep moving!" he declared, kicking open another shop door.

The fourth shop... the fifth... the sixth...

After clearing the eighth shop, Han Feng stood on the supermarket's main aisle.

"Rotate the attackers," he commanded. The four soldiers passed their fire axes to the reserve troops, reorganized their gear, and moved back to rest and stand guard.

Han Feng had the reserves rotate in after every four shops were cleared, maintaining a swift pace of elimination while conserving their energy.

This was the third rotation, and the gold coin tally had reached 813.

The first floor remained desolate. From his vantage point, Han Feng could just make out the interior's layout in the faint light.

The floor was chaotic, the air heavy with the stench of blood that refused to dissipate.

"Hmm?" Han Feng grunted, puzzled.

The interior was a mess, but not a single corpse could be found.

"Has it been cleaned up...?" Han Feng murmured under his breath. Unfazed by the Third Level zombies' schemes, he showed no signs of backing down.

With a fully equipped military unit at his back, Han Feng was confident of a breakout, even if the zombies swarmed as they had the day before—especially with the two cleared shops on either side providing an escape route.

"Continue!" His voice resolute, Han Feng resumed his prior tactics.

"Boom!"

"Huh?"

Before the zombies in the shop could even let out a roar, Han Feng had already uttered a sound of astonishment.

He had stumbled upon an unexpected delight.

Among the throng of zombies, Han Feng spotted two that stood out.

Second Level zombies!

These zombies moved like regular people and possessed a hint of consciousness. For Han Feng, armed with a firearm, Second Level zombies were akin to walking ATMs.

"Ha-ha, jackpot!" he exclaimed, as he aimed his gun at a Second Level zombie.

"Da-da-da!" A few shots later, and 100 gold coins were his!

Brimming with satisfaction at the significant boost in his coin count, a smile of joy finally graced Han Feng's face.

Minutes later, the ninth shop was cleared.

"955 gold coins... 955 gold coins..." Han Feng's excitement propelled him swiftly toward the tenth shop.

With the money rolling in at this pace, the Combat Laboratory was well within reach!

With the anticipation of unwrapping a gift, Han Feng booted open the door to the tenth shop.

"Bang!"

"Roar!"

"Ah..."

No Second Level zombies in sight, Han Feng let out a soft sigh and set to work dispatching the lesser zombies.

After the cleanup, he stepped out of the shop, casting his gaze toward the exit and the supermarket's interior.