Doomsday Grocery Store – CH261

Chapter 261

When Zhou Qi arrived at the battlefield, hundreds of mutated creatures had already broken through the defenses and were rampaging through the farmland.

The self-defense force had rallied to fight them off, but Zhou Qi quickly noticed that some of the soldiers had also begun mutating.

He frowned.

Didn’t Uncle Tang say that this type of mutation wasn’t contagious?

As the situation spiraled out of control, Zhou Qi raised his hand, and a towering earth wall erupted from the ground, cutting off most of the mutated creatures.

The self-defense soldiers charging forward suddenly froze in shock at the sight of the massive wall.

It stretched over thirty to forty meters, sealing the gap in the defenses in a semicircle, blocking their path—and, of course, trapping the hundreds of mutated creatures as well.

At the same time, starfruit vines on the ground began to grow rapidly. The vines outside the wall wrapped around the soldiers one by one and hurled them over the barrier.

The soldiers screamed as they were caught mid-air by vines inside the wall and safely placed on the ground.

Meanwhile, those who had visibly mutated were bound together in a separate area, kept away from both the unmutated soldiers and the monsters.

“Look up there!”

Finally, the confused soldiers noticed the mysterious masked figure floating in midair, cloaked in darkness.

“Who is that? Is it Pillow Man?”

“But his head doesn’t look like a pillow!”

“His mask is the same style as the other superhumans!”

Of course, the color and patterns were different—Tang Sheng’s mask was black with yellow patterns, while Tang Xueyun’s was silver with purple.

Zhou Qi’s was completely black.

Regardless, this powerhouse was clearly on their side!

As the soldiers whispered among themselves, the last of their allies were safely evacuated beyond the wall, just as Mo Chengfei and Tang Sheng arrived.

“The breach is sealed!”

Mo Chengfei’s face lit up with relief—only for his expression to freeze in shock as flames erupted beyond the wall.

Some of the braver soldiers climbed up the barrier to see what was happening.

Beyond the wall, the mutated creatures shrieked in agony, writhing in the fire. Yet, their feet seemed locked to the ground, as if nailed in place.

No matter how much pain they were in, no matter how fiercely the flames burned, they didn’t attempt to escape.

Hundreds of mutated creatures were reduced to ashes in the inferno.

The onlookers swallowed hard, exchanging glances.

Then, their fear gave way to elation.

This meant— Their base had gained another powerhouse. Their safety was even more secure!

Zhou Qi used his remote placement skill to pour fuel onto the monsters, intensifying the flames.

At the same time, he set up a firebreak to prevent the blaze from spreading. Seeing that the situation was under control, he turned his attention to the mutated soldiers.

Descending from the sky, he landed in front of them.

Tang Sheng and the others noticed as well and rushed over.

The restrained soldiers struggled violently or lay unconscious. Without exception, all of them displayed grotesque signs of mutation.

“I thought the mutation wasn’t contagious?” Mo Chengfei asked, his voice on the edge of panic.

The surviving soldiers looked at their transforming comrades, the joy draining from their faces, replaced by terror.

Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun exchanged glances before finally revealing their earlier discovery.

“So… the mutated creatures have begun reproducing, and these soldiers have been secondarily infected?” Mo Chengfei asked grimly.

The revelation didn’t make things any better. The situation was still just as dire.

Zhou Qi studied the mutating soldiers, deep in thought.

This was his first real encounter with mutated creatures. According to Uncle Tang’s description, they were likely parasitized by foreign organisms.

Both Uncle Tang and Aunt Tang had awakened abilities—this mutation process resembled the native parasitic spirit bugs of their homeworld but was also distinctly different.

The spirit bugs in their world were byproducts of fragmented natural laws. They consumed their hosts, turning them into beasts.

But so far, all of Zhou Qi’s encounters with spirit bug victims had been… less grotesque than these mutated abominations.

The parasitic spirit bugs felt like an intrusion from another world’s natural order, whereas these mutations seemed more like a viral infection—an act of biological invasion.

Though visually terrifying, these mutated creatures didn’t give Zhou Qi the same overwhelming sense of dread that the spirit bugs did.

If both were parasites…

Zhou Qi suddenly stepped forward toward the mutated soldiers.

Tang Xueyun immediately grabbed his arm. She refrained from calling his name in front of outsiders, lowering her voice instead.

“Don’t go—it’s dangerous!”

“She’s right. During the early stages of mutation, the parasite can transfer to a new host. Stay back!” Tang Sheng warned.

Zhou Qi nodded slightly. That was exactly what he needed to confirm.

“Don’t worry—I know what I’m doing.”

His low, steely voice carried from behind the mask, instilling an unconscious trust in his words.

But—

“What do you mean, you know what you’re doing? Brother Qi, what are you trying to do?”

Tang Yuan’s voice crackled through his communicator—He had been listening in the whole time, reluctant to disconnect.

Zhou Qi paused, gently pulling his arm free from Tang Xueyun’s grip. He took two steps forward, then stopped, glancing at the growing crowd of soldiers.

He raised a hand.

Instantly, vines from the starfruit plants exploded upward, forming a natural barrier that cut everyone else off.

Only then did he quietly explain the situation to Tang Yuan.

“So you want to test whether spirit bugs can combat these mutated creatures?”

“Yeah.”

Zhou Qi approached the nearest infected soldier.

The man’s face was rapidly decaying, and he screamed in agony, trying to claw at his own face—but the vines held him fast.

Zhou Qi reached out, pressing a hand against the soldier’s arm.

For some reason, the soldier immediately stopped screaming and fell unconscious from the pain.

Zhou Qi waited, but nothing happened.

The parasite showed no signs of transferring.

…It was instinctively avoiding threats and staying hidden.

Zhou Qi considered this for a moment, then switched hands. In his palm, he held two fire spirit bugs.

His abilities hadn’t faded since returning—he could still sense the faint presence of spiritual energy in this world, though it was sparse.

This meant that spirit bugs could survive here, too.

However, spirit bugs were highly selective about their hosts, requiring a compatible elemental affinity.

This soldier clearly lacked a fire affinity, so the fire spirit bugs remained inactive.

But that didn’t matter. Zhou Qi wasn’t trying to make them parasitize him.

Instead, he cut a small incision into the soldier’s skin and forcibly shoved one of the fire spirit bugs into his flesh, blocking off any escape routes.

Deprived of Zhou Qi’s control, the spirit bug did what it always did—it burrowed into the nearest available bloodstream.

Zhou Qi had no idea if this would work.

But since the mutation was irreversible… this was a last-ditch effort.

He let go and observed carefully.

“How’s it going, Brother Qi?” Tang Yuan asked anxiously.

“I put the spirit bug in him. No idea if it’ll work…”

“It definitely will!”

Upon hearing Tang Yuan’s words, Zhou Qi slightly curled his lips. He hadn’t been too confident before, but now…

He felt certain of success.

After the Fire Spirit Bug escaped, it began searching for an exit, while the halted aberration reaction on the guard’s body resumed the moment Zhou Qi let go.

Zhou Qi observed carefully.

Although he believed that with An An’s “luck boost,” the success rate should be high, he still remained prepared, intending to capture the Fire Spirit Bug as soon as it left the guard’s body.

But then, it suddenly stopped.

Zhou Qi paused.

Through his senses, he detected that the Fire Spirit Bug had abandoned the nearest wound and instead moved toward the guard’s head—

That was where the aberrant parasite’s egg had been nesting inside the guard. The egg had already hatched and was now attempting to take control of the body.

Then, the Fire Spirit Bug aggressively approached it.

Two parasites from different worlds had now encountered each other inside the guard’s body.

Zhou Qi, who had been keeping a close eye on the Fire Spirit Bug, clearly sensed its aura strengthen slightly at that moment.

Of course, it was only a minor enhancement.

Meanwhile, the guard’s aberration halted once again. Although his decayed skin couldn’t be restored, if the aberrant parasite could be eliminated, at least his life could be saved.

Zhou Qi examined the unconscious guard, noting that the foul stench unique to the aberrant species was now gone.

The Fire Spirit Bug, however, started choosing a new escape route.

So, had it destroyed the aberrant larva? Or… had it eaten it?

Zhou Qi shook his head and once again placed his hand on the guard’s arm. The Fire Spirit Bug, which had been about to escape successfully, was instantly recaptured.

It struggled but finally settled down after Zhou Qi absorbed the small amount of energy it had just recovered.

A slight smile appeared in Zhou Qi’s eyes.

“An An, we did it.”

“Wow! Really?” Tang Yuan’s excited voice rang in his ear. “Brother Qi, you’re amazing!”

Zhou Qi chuckled softly. “It’s all thanks to you.”

“Huh?”

Ignoring Tang Yuan’s confusion, Zhou Qi turned his attention to the other infected individuals and continued using the Fire Spirit Bug to eliminate their aberrant parasites.

This time, he didn’t take his time experimenting. Instead, he released two Fire Spirit Bugs at once.

With this approach, within about ten minutes, all of the dozen or so people with parasitic eggs had stopped their aberrations.

Zhou Qi then took out healing potions, administering a single drop to each person.

They earned points and experience through transactions with customers, so every life had to be preserved as much as possible. Only then could the Peace Grocery Store grow stronger.

After confirming that the infected individuals were stable, Zhou Qi finally shifted his gaze.

Beyond the “wall” formed by Starlink Vines, a crowd had gathered, staring in shock at their comrades who had ceased their aberrations.

Zhou Qi waved his hand, and the Starlink Vines automatically parted, opening a path.

“They should be fine now,” he said. “But just to be safe, gather them in one room for quarantine and observation.”

“Y-yes!”

Mo Chengfei snapped out of his daze and hurriedly arranged for the ten or so unconscious people to be moved into a nearby room.

Because of the mysterious man’s earlier actions—and the fact that the aberration reactions had stopped—no one feared the parasites transferring anymore. Instead, they rushed to provide medical treatment.

Mo Chengfei, however, turned to Zhou Qi and respectfully cupped his fists. “May I ask for your name, esteemed… uh, sir?”

“Peace Commerce Association, Black Moon.”

Zhou Qi didn’t use the name of the Merchant God Sect, as this wasn’t his home dimension.

In that world, decades of catastrophe had nearly collapsed civilization. Using the Merchant God Sect’s name there was an effective deterrent that saved a lot of trouble.

But in this world, the apocalypse had only begun a few months ago. Most people had received modern education, and few would believe in gods.

As long as customers were civilized and willing to trade under established rules, there was no need to promote the Merchant God Sect’s doctrine.

After all, their goal was business, not establishing a religious empire.

“Peace Commerce Association? Haha, what an auspicious name!” Mo Chengfei laughed, though he still appeared somewhat apprehensive in front of Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi didn’t engage in small talk and simply said, “Now that the aberrant parasites are dealt with, gather your people for trade.”

His calm yet commanding tone left no room for argument.

Mo Chengfei didn’t hesitate to comply.

Even though he led a self-defense force of over ten thousand people, Mo Chengfei understood his limits.

He couldn’t even defeat Pillow Man or Power Woman, let alone this powerhouse who had just exterminated over a hundred aberrations in one move.

And, most importantly, this man could cure those infected with the parasite!

This single ability had pulled everyone back from the brink of despair. If they could resolve this crisis, they still had hope for the future.

While Mo Chengfei was organizing the people into lines, Zhou Qi looked toward a nearby earthen wall.

With a wave of his hand, the wall crumbled apart.

Beyond it, more than a hundred aberrants had been burned to ashes by his flames. Any remaining ones had already fled.

Zhou Qi flew into the air, surveyed the terrain, and then expanded the base’s defensive perimeter by another hundred meters.

A continuous wall of earth rose from the ground, enclosing the newly claimed land.

The defensive strength of these earthen walls couldn’t compare to metal or reinforced concrete, but they could be reinforced later.

After completing these tasks, Zhou Qi returned to the fields and released his wood-element energy.

Under his influence, the Star-chain Fruit Vines—already known for their rapid growth—began a massive expansion.

About an hour later, Mo Chengfei had gathered half the people, while the vines had spread across the entire newly enclosed land, even climbing the walls.

Among the lush green foliage, clusters of red Star-chain Fruits ripened under the sunlight, emitting a sweet aroma.

Everyone watching was stunned, including Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun.

They swallowed hard and exchanged glances, seeing the same shock in each other’s eyes.

They knew that An An and Xiao Qi had grown stronger in the other world, but they hadn’t expected them to become this powerful!

After continuously using his abilities for an hour, Zhou Qi felt a bit drained. He descended from the air and landed before Mo Chengfei again.

“Organize people to pick the fruit,” he instructed. “Each person is allowed to take three. Then, have them bring the fruit to me for exchange.”

“Remember, they must bring the three fruits themselves and trade with me personally.”

Hearing Zhou Qi’s emphasis, Mo Chengfei finally understood his reasoning.

The request seemed unusual, but he assumed the Black Moon powerhouse wanted to prevent hoarding or theft, so he insisted on personal exchanges.

Although this requirement felt somewhat restrictive, when someone was overwhelmingly strong, others could only keep their opinions to themselves.

Forcing a smile, Mo Chengfei agreed and organized the people to pick the fruit.

Zhou Qi casually materialized a table and chair, then wrote on a piece of paper:

“One fruit for one compressed biscuit. Trade one by one.”

He stuck the sign to the front of the table and sat down.

Living goods like these had high value, with each Star-chain Fruit worth 10–20 points, while a compressed biscuit only cost 5 points. This ensured a profitable exchange.

The self-defense force members weren’t particularly surprised by Zhou Qi’s ability to conjure objects out of thin air. Compared to him single-handedly wiping out over a hundred aberrants, this seemed trivial.

Soon, the first person, holding three Star-chain Fruits, stepped forward to trade.

Zhou Qi pointed at the sign, and the person quickly nodded in understanding, nervously handing over a fruit.

“One at a time.”

Zhou Qi took a Star-chain Fruit from the person’s hand and placed a compressed biscuit in return.

[You have completed a profitable transaction with a new customer. EXP +1]

Although Zhou Qi had accelerated the growth of these Star-chain Fruits, they had been planted by the self-defense force members and harvested by them, so they didn’t technically belong to him.

Thus, the transactions proceeded smoothly.

Even though the people trading couldn’t understand Zhou Qi’s insistence on exchanging items one by one, they wisely chose to comply.

After all, the fruits were free, and they could trade them for three compressed biscuits—only a fool would refuse such a deal!

Night fell… the sun rose again…

Two days later, after trading away 12,011 compressed biscuits, Zhou Qi finally saw a system notification pop up.

[EXP maxed out. Employee level +1]

At last, he could open a branch store!