Doomsday Grocery Store – CH159

Chapter 159

“Cluck—cluck-cluck-cluck.”

Faced with Zhou Qi’s wary gaze, the giant hen merely tilted its head at him before resuming its pecking at insects on the ground, showing no signs of aggression.

Zhou Qi remained cautious, pulling Tang Yu’an back toward the facility’s entrance before finally stopping.

“Brother Qi, this big hen doesn’t seem like a dangerous creature,” Tang Yu’an said, glancing at the map. There were no red dots indicating a threat, and so far, the map’s danger assessments had been accurate—except for the incident with the Green Gem.

When calm, the Green Gem was marked as a plant, but during its rampages, it turned red on the map.

It seemed likely that this mutant hen was docile, allowing it to pass through the protective barrier into the swimming pool.

Zhou Qi nodded thoughtfully. “If it becomes aggressive, the barrier should send it back out, right?”

Just like how rainwater wasn’t blocked unless it breached the shop’s safety threshold, at which point the barrier would activate to keep it out.

“That makes sense,” Tang Yu’an agreed, breathing a sigh of relief.

This meant they didn’t need to fear an attack from the hen—it would be expelled the moment it became hostile.

“Still, we can’t let our guard down,” Zhou Qi warned. “Stay here. I’ll go test its behavior.”

Tang Yu’an grabbed his arm. “No! If you’re going, I’m coming with you.”

Zhou Qi sighed, knowing he couldn’t dissuade Tang Yu’an. “Fine, but you have to follow my instructions, understand?”

Their goal was to test the hen’s aggression, not to deal with it like other mutant creatures they’d encountered.

“Got it!” Tang Yu’an nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll listen to you!”

With a light-body spell activated, the two approached the hen cautiously.

“Cluck-cluck-cluck!”

The hen glanced at them briefly before continuing to peck at bugs, unbothered.

Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an moved closer, inch by inch.

When they got within a meter of the hen, it calmly trotted away.

It didn’t seem afraid of the two boys but maintained a safe distance, moving further whenever they got too close.

In this back-and-forth, the hen seemed slightly annoyed, judging by its increasingly vocal clucking, but it never attacked them. At one point, it even laid an egg mid-stride and kept foraging as if nothing had happened.

Tang Yu’an rushed over to examine the egg.

The freshly laid egg was still warm, and despite falling straight to the ground, it hadn’t cracked—remarkably sturdy.

Tang Yu’an had never seen a chicken egg this large before, though it was smaller than the ostrich eggs he’d seen on TV.

After all, a full-grown ostrich stood two to three meters tall, while this mutant hen was only about a meter.

“It really is docile. Even after we took its egg, it didn’t react,” Tang Yu’an remarked.

Zhou Qi kept a watchful eye on the hen and nodded in agreement.

Holding the oversized egg, Tang Yu’an glanced at the hen and suddenly mused, “Brother Qi, does this mean we don’t need to figure out artificial incubation anymore?”

Zhou Qi paused before shaking his head. “Artificial incubation is still a way to stabilize production, so we’ll need it eventually.”

For now, though, they could make use of this hen.

“If it’s started laying eggs, it should lay one or two every day. We’ll need to collect them daily.”

If some of the eggs were fertilized, they could gather ten and let the hen incubate them once it stopped laying. If not…

“Do you think it would incubate regular eggs?”

Tang Yu’an grinned, cradling the large egg in his hands. “We’ll just have to try and see!”

By the time the hen stopped laying, the three chicks in Desolate City Haven would likely be grown, making the hen’s role as an incubator redundant.

“Hopefully, some of these eggs are fertilized,” Zhou Qi said.

Mutant chickens seemed to have high potential as livestock—a single egg could feed an entire family, providing high-quality protein.

Tang Yu’an placed the mutant egg into his portable storage and used its inventory feature to inspect it. To his delight, he found it was fertilized!

Hearing this, Zhou Qi remarked, “That means there must be other mutant chickens in the area. But the question is, can they survive the flooding?”

“It’d be great if more showed up!” Tang Yu’an said cheerfully.

Zhou Qi looked down at him. The boy’s eyes sparkled with joy, and his plump, rosy cheeks gave him an irresistibly endearing look.

Just as Zhou Qi raised his hand to ruffle Tang Yu’an’s hair, the boy asked, “Brother Qi, do you know how fertilization works?”

Tang Yu’an had only attended one month of junior high biology before the apocalypse, so he hadn’t reached that topic yet.

Although the internet was full of information, Tang Yu’an’s strict parents had shielded him from certain subjects. At most, he knew that couples might hold hands, hug, or kiss when in love.

Back in sixth grade, he’d even witnessed a boy from a neighboring class taking a girl for a bike ride.

When he shared this gossip at home, Zhou Qi had sternly warned him not to spread rumors or discuss others behind their backs—and especially not to pursue girls himself.

Since Tang Yu’an found academic discussions with Zhou Qi far more enjoyable than mingling with classmates, he hadn’t given the matter much thought. But now, he was curious.

“Sister Lin once said mutant roosters are so big that ordinary hens can’t handle them. Why is that?”

Zhou Qi: “…”

Looking into Tang Yu’an’s clear and innocent eyes, Zhou Qi pressed his lips together and said, “You’ll understand when you get to junior high biology in second year.”

“Can’t you just explain it to me now?” Tang Yu’an tugged at his hand, acting spoiled.

“No,” Zhou Qi coughed lightly. “It might confuse you.”

“Oh…” Tang Yu’an responded reluctantly.

“And don’t go asking Sister Lin about it either,” Zhou Qi added, still concerned.

“Hmph, I wouldn’t ask her anyway,” Tang Yu’an muttered. He wasn’t completely clueless—he’d seen enough on TV to understand the basics of gender differences. Besides, his mother had taught him from a young age that some topics weren’t appropriate to discuss with girls.

“I’m only asking you.”

“Alright.” Zhou Qi patted his head and said softly, “In the future, if you have questions about these things, just ask me.”

Tang Yu’an glanced at him. “But when I ask, you won’t tell me… Stingy!”

Zhou Qi was left speechless.

Feigning a cough, he changed the subject. “Let’s go feed the fish.”

He pulled Tang Yu’an to the pool and began scattering millet into the water. The previously calm pool surface suddenly teemed with activity.

Tang Yu’an wasn’t actually upset; he figured he’d eventually learn about it in biology class. Worst case, he’d study first-year biology on his own and then skip ahead to the second-year lessons. The course schedule was flexible anyway.

Soon, he was focused on feeding the fish, even casting two purification spells to improve the water quality.

Standing nearby, Zhou Qi stole a glance at Tang Yu’an and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck—”

The mutant hen was drawn over by the millet and stretched its neck to peck at the bag.

“Hey! Don’t peck at my bag!” Tang Yu’an scolded, chasing the hen away.

Even so, after it ran off, he took some soybeans from his portable storage and scattered them on the ground.

The hen clearly preferred the size of the soybeans, eagerly returning to peck at them.

After feeding the fish and hen, Tang Yu’an went to check on the yellow rabbits.

“Brother Qi, they’ve dug so many holes!”

The decades of apocalyptic erosion, combined with the destruction from mutant lizards and the Green Gem, had left the floor’s tiles and concrete cracked and exposed. The rabbits had burrowed into the exposed soil, digging one hole after another.

“Turns out the saying ‘a cunning rabbit has three burrows’ is true,” Tang Yu’an mused.

Zhou Qi examined the holes and suddenly furrowed his brow. He sensed something unusual about the life energy emanating from them.

He approached one cautiously. As he got closer, a yellow rabbit darted out and ran to another hole.

Ignoring it, Zhou Qi took out a small flashlight and shone it into the hole.

Curious, Tang Yu’an leaned in to look, and to his surprise, they saw—

Inside the shallow burrow was a nest of newborn rabbits, huddled together, their eyes still closed.

“Wow, the rabbit had babies!”

The yellow rabbits had only been here a few days and already had a litter.

Tang Yu’an reached out to touch them, but Zhou Qi stopped him. “If we leave our scent on the babies, the mother might abandon them.”

“Oh, okay!” Tang Yu’an quickly pulled his hand back.

He watched the baby rabbits for a while, then glanced at the rabbit that had run off. It wasn’t hiding in another hole but stood at the entrance, sniffing toward them.

Finding it adorable, Tang Yu’an pulled a wild vegetable from his portable storage.

The rabbit cautiously approached, and after sensing no danger, boldly nibbled on the vegetable in Tang Yu’an’s hand.

“Do you think they’ll run out of water here?” Tang Yu’an wondered aloud, watching the rabbit.

Although there was water in the pool, it was far from the shore, making it difficult for the animals to access.

Zhou Qi went to check, and Tang Yu’an quickly followed. Eventually, they discovered a small puddle near the swimming pool’s entrance.

The ground around the puddle was marked with various animal footprints, indicating it was the local drinking spot.

What’s more…

When Zhou Qi tried transferring the puddle’s water into his portable storage, something fascinating happened.

Part of the puddle extended beyond the protective barrier. When the water inside the barrier was drained, new water flowed in to replenish it.

Once the puddle was full again, the flow stopped.

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed. “Do you think we could set up something like this for the fish pond at Store No. 1?”

They could dig a channel leading outside the barrier, allowing water to automatically refill when the pond was drained for cleaning.

Zhou Qi nodded. “We could also dig a reservoir for easier filtering and access.”

But about the fish pond…

The water outside was too dirty. Unless An An used purification spells every time they changed the water, it wouldn’t be suitable for keeping fish.

While that might work once or twice, Zhou Qi didn’t want it to become a regular occurrence.

The residents needed to learn to solve their own problems rather than relying too heavily on them; otherwise, they’d become shackled to the homestead.

Zhou Qi always believed they wouldn’t stay in the Wasteland Homestead forever—they’d eventually explore other places.

Hearing Zhou Qi’s reasoning, Tang Yu’an nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

Since the swimming pool had a small puddle for the animals to drink from, there was no need to worry about their water supply.

Tang Yu’an then turned to the small green vine coiled in his hair and asked, “Green Gem, there are more and more animals here. Does that upset you?”

The vine conveyed a sense of reassurance—it wasn’t bothered at all.

Having spent its days following Tang Yu’an around, it hardly paid attention to its original location anymore.

Even though the animals occasionally ate its leaves, it didn’t mind. It had plenty to spare, and some animals even helped by eating pests, which made it quite happy.

Tang Yu’an breathed a sigh of relief but still gave a gentle reminder.

“If you ever get upset, let me know right away. Don’t throw a tantrum like before, okay?”

The vine brushed its leaves against his fingers affectionately, signaling its understanding.

Tang Yu’an smiled, chatted with it for a while, then followed Zhou Qi to inspect the swimming pool’s structure.

Previously, Zhou Qi had patched up the hole the giant mother lizard had made, intending to reinforce the outer walls and foundation, but other tasks had delayed him.

Now, upon inspection, they found several cracks, and the entire building looked precarious. Zhou Qi couldn’t leave it as it was.

“I’ll handle the outer walls, and you can work on the foundation,” Tang Yu’an offered.

With their ample points, they could use the reinforcement function to replace the walls, just as they had done for Building No. 1.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Got it!”

The two divided their tasks and quickly reinforced the pool’s foundation, outer walls, and floors, spending over 20,000 points in total.

As for the roof, since the hard reinforcement feature didn’t include roofing yet, they decided Zhou Qi would handle it later when he had time.

“Baa—baa—”

With the walls completely replaced, the goats could no longer scale them.

However, the goats still avoided Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, displaying strong aggression whenever they tried to approach.

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had no choice but to back off.

“Looks like we won’t be getting fresh goat milk anytime soon,” Tang Yu’an said with a sigh.

Luckily, they could exchange for milk through the system’s wholesale market, so they weren’t lacking dairy products.

After using the teleportation array to return to Store No. 1, Tang Yu’an hesitated before saying, “Brother Qi, should we tell Grandpa about the teleportation array?”

Zhou Qi didn’t hesitate. “Yes, let’s tell him.”

He figured Grandpa Li had already guessed something. While the old man might not know exactly how they were managing it, he was undoubtedly aware of their frequent trips outside.

Since Xiao Cao and Shi Tou already knew about it, letting Grandpa Li in on the secret wouldn’t hurt.

To Zhou Qi, as long as the Peace Grocery Store remained hidden, the other branches were expendable if necessary.

“Alright! I’ll go tell Grandpa!”

Perhaps they could even delegate tasks like feeding the chickens and fish to others. If Grandpa Li was busy, Xiao Cao and Shi Tou could take over.

And don’t forget collecting eggs!

The eggs needed to be gathered daily. If they managed to collect ten, the hen would start incubating them and stop laying more.

As for the rabbits, once they grew up, they could be moved to the Desolate City Haven for the residents to raise.

Tang Yu’an happily flew downstairs.

With practice, his flight technique had improved significantly. While he still struggled with dodging obstacles—mostly because Zhou Qi’s training was overly strict, requiring him to avoid Zhou Qi’s attacks—he was steadily improving.

When dealing with stationary obstacles, he could now maneuver effortlessly.

“Grandpa, are you free?”

Tang Yu’an found Grandpa Li in the courtyard, examining the Star-fruit vines.

After laying down a thousand Lanhu leaves last night, the vines had successfully survived the cold and now covered the two-meter-tall fence, beginning to climb toward the trellis.

“Wow! They’re growing so well!”

“Indeed,” Granny Guo said nearby. “I only used my ability to help them sprout. The rest is all their own doing.”

The growth rate was only slightly slower than what she could achieve at full power.

What was even more remarkable was how quickly the vines thrived in such barren soil. She was already eager to see the black soil they would eventually transform it into.

“An An, is there something you need?” Grandpa Li asked.

“Yes, Grandpa, come with me!” Tang Yu’an replied enthusiastically.

Tang Yu’an carried Grandpa Li on his back and flew him straight to the ninth floor.

Even with all his life experience, this was Grandpa Li’s first time flying, let alone at such a height. Far from being scared, he seemed intrigued, as if eager for another ride.

However, after hearing what the two kids had to say, his curiosity shifted entirely.

“To Jufeng Town?” Grandpa Li asked skeptically.

“Yes,” Zhou Qi confirmed as he granted Grandpa Li permission to use the teleportation array between Store No. 1, Store No. 2, and Store No. 3.

This authority was something Zhou Qi could provide as the branch manager of Store No. 1, ensuring that Tang Yu’an’s identity as the Mysterious Merchant remained hidden.

“Te-teleportation array?”

Despite bracing himself mentally, Grandpa Li couldn’t help but widen his eyes in disbelief.

“Teleportation… do you mean the kind I’m thinking of?”

“Yes, probably,” Zhou Qi replied. “We’ll demonstrate it for you.”

With that, they brought Grandpa Li to the basement of the Jufeng Grocery Store.

“This is Store No. 2,” Tang Yu’an explained. “It was burned down a few days ago, and Sister Hong Li’s people are helping us rebuild it.”

He added, “That’s also why we brought Xiao Cao and Shi Tou back to the Desolate City Grocery Store.”

Grandpa Li opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again.

Finally, he couldn’t help asking, “So, traveling between the Desolate City and Jufeng Town now only takes a few seconds? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s correct,” Zhou Qi affirmed.

Grandpa Li looked up at the exit above and found no reason to doubt their words, given the unmistakable sounds from outside.

He stood there in stunned silence, processing what he’d learned. Just when he thought these kids couldn’t surprise him any further, they shattered his worldview yet again.

A teleportation array—was such a thing even possible through abilities? Wasn’t this something out of cultivation or fantasy novels? And yet, here it was, real and functional.

“Does this mean we can go directly to the fortress?” Grandpa Li asked.

“Nope,” Tang Yu’an shook his head.

“The Mysterious Merchant hasn’t granted us access to the fortress,” Zhou Qi explained seriously.

Grandpa Li gave them a skeptical look.

After all, who else had delivered ten firestones to him just the other day? And where had Granny Guo’s thousand Lanhu leaves come from?

Still, he stuck to his usual approach—if the kids didn’t volunteer the information, he wouldn’t press.

“Alright, so where’s Store No. 3?” Grandpa Li asked.

They brought him back to Store No. 1 and then teleported to the swimming pool.

Looking at the animals in the pool area, Grandpa Li remained calm and said, “So, this is your farming base?”

“Well, I suppose you could call it that,” Tang Yu’an admitted.

Grandpa Li chuckled. “So, am I in charge of managing this too?”

Hearing this, Tang Yu’an hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed. “Not entirely… We were just thinking that when we’re too busy, you could help us take care of it…”

Grandpa Li smiled. “At your age, studying is what’s most important.”

“I understand. You two focus on your studies, and I’ll take care of things here.”

With that, Grandpa Li began strolling around the pool, his silhouette radiating satisfaction.

Raising animals wasn’t a new idea to Grandpa Li, but the conditions never allowed for it before.

Now, with such a safe facility and so many harmless animals, just watching them was fulfilling.

Seeing his contentment, Tang Yu’an relaxed as well.

“Grandpa, we’ll head back now,” Tang Yu’an said. “Take care of yourself and don’t go outside the barrier.”

“I know, I know. Don’t worry about me.”

With that reassurance, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi left, heading to Jufeng Town to complete their daily tasks.

That evening, when they returned to the Peace Grocery Store, they found that Round Head had already finished making clothes for Kang Kang and Lili, as well as transforming all the leftover fabric into low-temperature cloth.

The clothes for the two kids were made in a loose fit, ensuring they’d last for some time as they grew.

Tang Yu’an adjusted the fabricator settings and added new materials, instructing Round Head to produce another batch of regular-temperature fabric.

Tomorrow, Round Head would be tasked with turning the fabric into ready-to-wear garments to be sold in Room 501.

“Having Round Head around makes things so much easier!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed, rolling happily in his bed.

“Not worried about the points anymore?” Zhou Qi teased.

“It was only 6,600 points! If I could get another one, I’d buy it in a heartbeat!”

Another robot would mean more productivity, after all.

Zhou Qi nodded in agreement, standing up to fetch a message bottle. Before he could leave, Tang Yu’an spoke up.

“Brother Qi.”

“Hm?”

“Do you think we could trade water to Gan Lin?”

Zhou Qi paused. “What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” Tang Yu’an explained. “The first time, we didn’t put the water in bottles but just splashed it on him, and he thought it was raining.”

Tang Yu’an continued, “So, could we use the outside water to create a real rainstorm for him?”

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