Doomsday Grocery Store – CH32

Chapter 32 – Grocery Store Exposed? ?

Tie Jin watched as his daughter ate the egg custard spoonful by spoonful, her eyes becoming increasingly lively. The lifeless look she had before seemed to vanish instantly.

A joyful and happy smile spread across his face.

Great, he finally got this little one to eat!

After she’d eaten about half a bowl and he was about to feed her more, Zhou Qi, who had been observing for some time, stopped him.

He said, “Uncle Jin, feel her stomach to see if it’s round. If it is, that means she’s full.”

A child’s stomach is small, and since she hasn’t eaten for a long time, she definitely can’t eat too much at once; otherwise, it could cause problems.

“Okay, okay, let me check.”

Tie Jin hadn’t realized this before. He quickly reached out and felt his daughter’s belly, discovering it was indeed rounded. He nodded promptly, “It seems she’s really full.”

Jin Lili was clutching tightly to his sleeve.

When she sensed that Tie Jin had stopped feeding her, she actually wanted to eat more. She had been starving so badly that she just wanted to keep eating and eating…

The feeling of being able to eat was truly blissful.

But seeing Tie Jin move the bowl away, she obediently let go of his hand.

Her short life experience told her that actively asking for food was wrong. Being able to eat even a little was already very good; she must not be greedy.

Moreover, she didn’t want Daddy to abandon her…

But it was evident that Jin Lili’s small stomach was indeed full.

After she stopped eating, sleepiness swept over her. She was still a little baby, needing plenty of sleep to grow, but she forced her eyes open, seemingly reluctant to fall asleep.

“Sleep now, and eat again when you wake up.”

“When you wake up, Daddy will make more egg custard for you.”

Tie Jin clumsily yet gently stroked her head. Under his soothing voice, Jin Lili gradually gave up resisting and sank into a deep sleep…

Seeing his daughter sleep sweetly, her breathing becoming calm and steady, a relieved smile appeared on Tie Jin’s face.

Since he had brought this little darling home, she had never been this peaceful.

He was about to cover her with a blanket when Zhou Qi stopped him again.

“Uncle Jin, it’s hot now; there’s no need to cover her with too much blanket. Just cover her belly button.”

Zhou Qi folded Jin Lili’s blanket into a strip and draped it over her little tummy. “This way, she won’t get too hot, and it can prevent her from catching a cold and getting diarrhea.”

“Okay, okay.”

Tie Jin quickly noted this point. He had lost his parents at a young age and had survived entirely on his own.

Before awakening his ability, he was a street kid at the bottom of the town. Even after gaining his ability and becoming wealthier, he still lived roughly.

He had thought that the conditions he provided for Jin Lili were much better than what he had as a child; there was no reason she couldn’t grow up well.

But now he deeply realized that he couldn’t use his own standards to take care of his daughter, especially since, after awakening his ability, his physique differed greatly from that of ordinary people.

“Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?” Tie Jin humbly asked for advice.

“If she gets tired of egg custard, you can pour the egg mixture into boiling water to make egg drop soup; she should be able to eat that too.”

Zhou Qi thought for a moment and added, “You can also chop wild vegetables and fruits into a mush, steam it, and let her try.”

“In short, whatever ingredients you have, try to make them into a mush, and use steaming and boiling methods to cook. Don’t give her roasted food.”

Roasted food is generally hard; Jin Lili hasn’t grown teeth yet and can’t eat it.

Then he told Tie Jin some precautions for taking care of a child. The important principle was to ask more questions and observe more, and not to make assumptions based on his own feelings.

These were experiences he had gained from helping take care of Tang Yu’an and his sister.

Tie Jin nodded repeatedly, indicating he understood.

After leaving Jin Lili’s room, he once again expressed his gratitude: “Thank you so much! You’ve helped me a great deal.”

He went to the third floor, rummaged around, and finally found a dagger.

“How about this dagger?” Tie Jin handed the dagger to Zhou Qi.

This dagger was longer than the one Zhou Qi had shown him earlier. The blade was wrapped in leather, and the exposed handle was also metal, tightly wound with finely woven vine ropes, making it both attractive and slip-resistant.

Zhou Qi pulled the dagger out of the leather. The dagger was bronze-colored throughout, but it probably wasn’t real copper. The blade reflected light and looked extremely sharp.

“I made this dagger when I first awakened my ability, to practice and hone my skills.”

Tie Jin said, “I’ve tested it; it can easily pierce the skin of mutated creatures.”

At that time, he hadn’t actually encountered any mutated creatures.

Although Tie Jin was tall and strong, in terms of hunting skills, he might not even be as good as Lin Zhen.

Because his metal ability was highly valued, allowing him to exchange for abundant resources, he didn’t need to make a living by hunting like Old Li, and his physique and ability were enough to crush those hooligans in fights.

He chose to live in the desolate city mainly because it was freer here.

Unlike in the town where he would be controlled by others and had to pay various fees, the resources in the desolate city hadn’t been fully scavenged, and he could easily find metals.

As for testing, he tried it on animal skins and meat he obtained through trade; he wasn’t sure if it would work against creatures like mutated boars.

“If you think it’s acceptable, take it. Your advice earlier was very helpful to me; I won’t charge you anything else,” Tie Jin said.

Zhou Qi didn’t stand on ceremony; he indeed liked this dagger very much, so he reached out and took it.

The next moment, Tang Yu’an received a system prompt.

[Employee “Zhou Qi” has completed a profitable transaction with a new customer. Credits +100, Experience +3]

Wow, this dagger is worth 100 credits!

Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but smile.

It seems that metal is quite valuable in the apocalypse, although the cost-effectiveness might still favor fruits and vegetables.

Tie Jin continued to say to Zhou Qi, “When you made the steamed egg earlier, that salt you used… can I trade for some?”

Even someone as resource-rich as Tie Jin had never seen such fine, white salt. When he saw the boy take it out earlier, his eyes were fixed on it.

If possible, he must trade for some.

He didn’t expect Tie Jin to take the initiative to propose a trade, saving them the effort of convincing him. Zhou Qi nodded and took out a small sealed bag from his backpack, containing 3 grams of salt he had prepared before going out.

“I can give this to you. What do you want to trade for it?” Zhou Qi asked.

Tie Jin stared at the salt, rubbing his hands excitedly. “Besides the dagger, what else do you need? Do you need arrowheads? Old Li has traded for quite a few.”

Zhou Qi thought for a moment and nodded.

They had traded for six arrows with Old Li, but without arrowheads, they couldn’t use them.

“I haven’t traded for this kind of salt before… How about two arrowheads for this small bag of salt?” Tie Jin tentatively asked.

He had intentionally quoted a higher price. On one hand, this salt was indeed rare and precious, but on the other hand, he also wanted to repay Zhou Qi in some way.

However, Zhou Qi did not accept it.

He had previously traded 1 gram of salt for one fruit, and Old Li had told them that he exchanged five fruits for one arrowhead with Tie Jin.

So he shook his head and said, “One arrowhead is enough.”

Tie Jin was stunned for a moment, then gave a hearty laugh. “Alright, young man, you’re an honest person. If you have more salt in the future, you can come and trade; I’ll trade as much as you have!”

As they completed the transaction, Tang Yu’an’s eyes were once again flooded with system prompts.

[Employee “Zhou Qi” has completed a profitable transaction with a new customer. Credits +29, Experience +2]

[Experience is full, Merchant Level +1]

[Merchant Level reached Lv3. New items in the store: mung beans, hardwood charcoal, and milk are now available for exchange. For details, please check the “Wholesale Market.”]

[The store’s “Recycle” page has been upgraded, unlocking the “Identification Album.” For details, please check “Recycle.”]

[Special Skill “Remote Pickup” Level increased to Lv2. For details, please check the skill panel.]

[Storage slots in the portable warehouse +1, Daily Task Refresh Card +1]

[Please choose a delivery address…]

Looking at a series of upgrade prompts, Tang Yu’an was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help cheering out loud.

Before going out, he had calculated that as long as they got enough experience points, they could level up today, but he didn’t expect that among the items unlocked this time, there was milk!

Milk is a wonderful thing—rich in nutrients, helps you grow taller if you drink plenty, and the best part is, it’s delicious!

Also, what’s this “Identification Album”…

Tang Yu’an really wanted to open the interface and check immediately, but with Tie Jin and Lin Zhen present, he had to restrain himself.

His earlier cheer had already attracted attention, but Tie Jin didn’t mind, thinking the child was excited about his earlier “I’ll trade as much as you have” because…

The next moment, he saw Zhou Qi take out another 3 grams of salt from his backpack, wanting to trade for another arrowhead.

Tie Jin was slightly stunned, then grinned widely. His joyful expression had completely lost the gloomy and somber look from when they first met.

“Alright, let’s trade another one!”

After they completed the exchange, Tie Jin got more fine salt, and Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an obtained metal, credits, and experience points—a win-win situation.

Then, Zhou Qi drew a simple diagram of a Chinese wok for Tie Jin.

A wok is very versatile; you can steam, boil, stew, fry—all kinds of cooking methods. It’s a very practical piece of cookware.

Listening to Zhou Qi’s introduction, both Tie Jin and Lin Zhen realized that there were so many cooking methods—they were people born after the Great Catastrophe, struggling to survive outside the fortress, and had never truly witnessed the prosperity and splendor of human civilization.

Listening to Zhou Qi’s casual explanations, they became more convinced that he was from the fortress, and their attitudes became even more friendly and kind, even with a hint of respect.

This respect wasn’t because they were from the fortress, but because of the boy’s generous sharing, allowing them to gain such precious knowledge.

Knowledge is experience; in the wasteland, no one would share it freely with others.

Even though the knowledge the boy shared was just about how to make food delicious, not directly related to survival, but… besides survival, what’s more important than eating?

“If you successfully make this wok, I want one too!” Lin Zhen’s eyes were shining, and she couldn’t help but place a pre-order. “Jin Lili needs eggs, right? I’ll go find some!”

At this time, she didn’t mention that A-Mu was incubating eggs.

Even if A-Mu successfully hatches a hen, it would take at least several months before the hen lays eggs; it’s too early to talk about it now.

Tie Jin nodded and grinned.

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing I, Tie Jin, can’t make!”

He looked at Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an and promised, “When I finish making the wok, I’ll give you one!”

It could be seen that Tie Jin was someone who didn’t like to owe others. Even if Zhou Qi didn’t ask, he wanted to take the initiative to offer something in return.

Tang Yu’an couldn’t help thinking that he and Brother Qi were really lucky. The people they met in this world—Granny Guo, Old Li, Lin Zhen, and now Tie Jin—were all good people.

He didn’t know that, in part, it’s because like attracts like—people with similar character traits tend to come together.

“Alright, we’re not in a hurry.”

Zhou Qi did not refuse and nodded in agreement.

At this point, their transactions were completed, and it was time to leave. However, Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an exchanged a glance and could see the hesitation in each other’s eyes.

They had finished trading with Tie Jin, but there was still one daily task they hadn’t completed.

That was to attract new customers.

They needed to attract two new customers today; otherwise, they wouldn’t get the chance to spin the Lucky Wheel, nor could they complete the achievement combo.

But Jin Lili was already asleep.

She was just a little over one-year-old baby with a rough life. Asking to wake her up to interact with them sounded a bit outrageous.

If they really made such a request, Tie Jin, as a loving father, would probably kick them out immediately, and they wouldn’t be able to contact him again.

Therefore, after some eye contact, they decided to leave with Lin Zhen.

Tie Jin saw them to the door, and after they safely passed through the barbed wire, he couldn’t wait to return to the house, not sure whether to take care of his daughter or to make the wok.

Standing on the path, Lin Zhen bid them farewell.

“I’ll go back to take care of A-Mu,” she said. “You should know the way back, right?”

Zhou Qi was about to ask if she could take them to meet another new customer when Tang Yu’an tugged at his sleeve.

Tang Yu’an’s expression was clearly a bit off. He said to Lin Zhen, “Sister Lin, we know the way back.”

Then he took out a piece of rock sugar and handed it to her. “Thank you for today!”

Although Old Li had asked Lin Zhen to bring them, they couldn’t just not express their gratitude; otherwise, it would be hard to ask her for help next time.

Lin Zhen’s eyes lit up when she saw the rock sugar.

She accepted it cheerfully, popped it into her mouth, and, savoring the rich sweetness, said happily, “No need to be so polite. If you need anything next time, just ask. I’ll head back now!”

Lin Zhen waved her hand, then turned and disappeared among the ruins.

After confirming that Lin Zhen had gone far, Zhou Qi asked, “An An, what’s wrong?”

After Lin Zhen left, Tang Yu’an had been staring at the map.

He had zoomed in on the map, focusing not on their current location but on the star representing the grocery store.

At this moment, next to the star representing the grocery store, a green dot had appeared!

“It’s that red-haired person from before…”

Tang Yu’an frowned tightly, his tone anxious. “He has appeared near the grocery store; the grocery store may have been exposed!”

Zhou Qi was stunned, quickly realizing that he was referring to the two mysterious people they had met when they subdued the four-eyed giant dog that day.

He remembered one of them was red-haired, and they even had guns, so he had a strong impression.

It was then that Tang Yu’an had marked them, so now he knew that the green dot appearing near the grocery store was that red-haired youth!

“Brother Qi, what should we do now?”

The grocery store was their home, their foundation in this apocalyptic world. Now that its location had been exposed, what if someone took it over?

Zhou Qi was also anxious, but he knew he couldn’t panic; otherwise, An An would lose his composure too.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

“Don’t worry; Yuan Bao and Yin Bi are guarding the grocery store. Even if that person has found it, he can’t get in for now.”

He analyzed, “It’s two hours until six o’clock. Even if he got in, he’ll be transported out in two hours, so the grocery store is safe for now.”

As for afterward…

A red light flashed in Zhou Qi’s eyes.

Right now, only that person has found the grocery store, so as long as he disappears, no one else will know about the existence of the Peace Grocery Store…

Tang Yu’an was worried about the grocery store and didn’t notice his abnormality.

“Mm, you’re right.” He nodded. “Brother Qi, let’s go back first and see what’s going on.”

As for attracting other new customers, they could only put it aside for now; they didn’t have the mindset to do it. If they couldn’t complete it, at worst they’d use a Daily Refresh Card.

They had just leveled up and got one more; now they had two Daily Task Refresh Cards available.

Zhou Qi nodded. Since the effect of the Lightfoot Technique was still active, he bent down and carried Tang Yu’an again, quickly heading back toward the grocery store.

Perhaps their anxiety triggered their potential; Zhou Qi’s speed this time was even faster than in the morning.

In the morning, it took more than ten minutes to get to Granny Guo’s house. Now, starting from Tie Jin’s place, which was farther, it took only ten minutes to arrive.

On the way, Tang Yu’an took out the Shadow Umbrella.

The shadows of the two boys instantly disappeared in the wasteland. They carefully concealed their tracks, and when they finally reached the door of the grocery store, they immediately noticed something unusual—

Bloodstains!

On the rubble-strewn open space in front of the grocery store, there were spots of blood extending all the way to the large stone that concealed the grocery store.

Could it be that Yuan Bao had fought with that person?

But why didn’t we hear any noise? Has the fight already ended?

Even though the Shadow Umbrella could hide all traces, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help feeling nervous. This was their first time dealing with other humans.

He got off Zhou Qi’s back and cast another Lightfoot Technique on himself. He handed the Shadow Umbrella to Zhou Qi, and he held the Happy Marble in his hand.

After preparing, he nodded to Zhou Qi.

Then, the two boys cautiously approached the grocery store. As they got closer, the bloodstains on the ground increased, and the smell of blood grew stronger.

Tang Yu’an’s heart was in his throat.

If there had been a fight, it must have been intense! Fortunately, the pet panel showed that their pets were in good condition.

So… all this blood belonged to that red-haired guy?

Finally, they jumped over the stone and reached the door of the grocery store. The door, which they had closed before leaving, had been forced open, and bloodstains extended inside.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Woof woof woof!”

Barking filled with warning came from inside the store. Because of the Shadow Umbrella, Wang Cai and the others probably didn’t notice their return, so that red-haired youth… was inside the store!

Tang Yu’an subconsciously glanced at Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi narrowed his eyes slightly. He held the Shadow Umbrella in one hand and took Tang Yu’an’s hand with the other, stepping into the grocery store.

The smell of blood inside the store was even stronger than outside.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

Yin Bi was standing in the corridor leading to the inner room, crouching low with bared teeth, her big tail swishing back and forth. She was staring at the counter, a constant low growl coming from her throat as a warning.

The little orange cat Wang Cai was standing beside her, displaying courage completely disproportionate to its size.

The next moment, it pounced toward the counter!

Yin Bi was startled and hurriedly grabbed it by the scruff, pulling it back.

Tang Yu’an blinked in confusion. Apparently, Yuan Bao had run out again, leaving Yin Bi and Wang Cai to guard the house, but… can’t they freely change their forms?

Or perhaps because the space inside the grocery store was too small, and they were worried about being unable to maneuver if they returned to their original forms?

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi stepped forward a few steps, and at first glance saw a man’s booted foot on the counter.

Looking toward the counter, they saw the red-haired youth they had met before, now lying in a pool of blood, barely alive.

All the blood on the ground came from his body; it seemed he hadn’t been injured in a fight with Yin Bi and the others.

“Brother Qi, is he dead?” Tang Yu’an asked nervously.

Although when they treated Old Li, Tang Yu’an had mentally prepared himself for the cruelty of this world, seeing someone covered in blood and on the brink of death again, he couldn’t help but tremble.

He quickly put the Happy Marble back into his portable warehouse.

If he accidentally hit the man with the marbles, he might really die laughing, and he’d probably have nightmares.

Zhou Qi handed the Shadow Umbrella to Tang Yu’an, telling him to stay where he was, and walked toward the counter.

His sudden appearance startled Yin Bi.

She immediately covered her head and lay down on the ground, but Wang Cai puffed up into a ball of fur, opened its mouth wide, hissing, and was about to pounce on him.

When it saw clearly that it was Zhou Qi, it awkwardly retracted its attack and squatted aside to lick its paws.

Yin Bi had already raised her head again, wagging her tail excitedly at Zhou Qi, making whining sounds as if to say:

You’re finally back! You scared us to death!

Zhou Qi ignored them and cautiously squatted down beside the red-haired youth. First, he removed the gun tightly gripped in his right hand. Seeing that he didn’t react, he reached out to check his breathing.

His breathing was very weak, barely there. If not treated in time, he would surely die.

Zhou Qi searched him a bit but didn’t find any other weapons, perhaps lost during whatever had happened, leaving only this gun.

After confirming the general situation, Zhou Qi breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, “He’s still alive, but his condition is critical.”

Hearing this, Tang Yu’an put away the Shadow Umbrella. Since the other was so weak, he probably couldn’t suddenly attack them.

“Brother Qi, what should we do now? Should we save him?” Tang Yu’an asked.

Zhou Qi was also unsure. This person was very dangerous to them, not only carrying advanced weapons but also discovering their grocery store.

If it was a chance encounter, saving him would be fine, but in this situation, what if saving him brought danger to the grocery store?

If they did nothing and let him die…

Zhou Qi vaguely sensed something wrong with himself. The voice that had tempted him to devour crystal stones seemed to appear again.

Kill this person…

Devour his power…

Quickly, kill him!

Zhou Qi couldn’t help but close his eyes. Just as he was struggling to get rid of that voice, the red-haired youth, who had been motionless, suddenly raised his hand and grabbed his wrist.

This startled Zhou Qi and brought him back to his senses instantly.

He thought the youth was going to do something, but he only tightly gripped his wrist, his voice weak and pleading, “Help me… please save me…”

His other hand reached into his clothes, and under the wary gaze of Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an, he pulled out a piece of inner lining cloth stained with blood, embedded with five or six red crystal stones.

“For you… save me…”

“Please… save me…”

His hand fell to the ground, and he fainted again.