This time, the two of them didn't take the small side door, but instead followed the other residents of the Residential Area out through the main entrance.
When they arrived at the Supermarket entrance, they found that the number of shoppers had indeed increased. Many people were carrying large bags of groceries, and the adjacent parking lot was no longer deserted.
Suddenly, Chen Xiao's eyelids twitched uncontrollably a few times, and a sense of dread inexplicably assailed him. He stopped, looked around, and saw that the sky was heavily overcast, but found nothing unusual.
“I'm getting a little too nervous,” he thought to himself.
He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyelids, trying to relax.
“What's wrong, Chen Xiao? Let's go in quickly, there are so many people inside,” Lin Sinan pulled Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao came back to his senses: “Oh, okay.”
Due to the sharp increase in shoppers inside the Supermarket, two security guards had already been arranged at the entrance to maintain order, and thick green cloth curtains had been hung to insulate the store.
After the two entered the Supermarket, they found that it was even more crowded inside, especially the food section. The fresh produce area was basically empty, and the frozen foods in the freezers were also sold out.
For instant foods like canned goods, bread, and instant noodles, Supermarket employees were still continuously moving goods from the warehouse to restock. Even so, supply still couldn't meet demand, and there was even some jostling. The two restocking employees were simply overwhelmed.
They couldn't believe that in just twenty minutes since they left the Supermarket, it had turned into such a scene. Chen Xiao and Lin Sinan exchanged glances, both feeling fortunate. Luckily, they had acted quickly, and their food and water were already fully prepared.
Among the shoppers, many had wary expressions in their eyes, and their movements were noticeably faster than others. More people, however, were diligently selecting the goods they needed, adopting a mindset of preparing for home isolation.
Chen Xiao sighed, realizing that not everyone knew what they were about to face.
The two didn't dally and headed straight for the third floor. Lin Sinan went to pick out items, and Chen Xiao also wandered around on his own, checking if there were any essential items he had missed.
Suddenly, a black figure rushed around the corner. Chen Xiao quickly dodged to the side, but due to the close proximity, he still collided with them head-on.
However, with Chen Xiao's current physical condition, he merely took two steps back before steadying himself, while the other person was sent sprawling onto the ground by the force of the impact, their shopping basket overturning and the fallen items clanging.
After Chen Xiao saw the items on the ground, his eyes narrowed slightly. It was a hammer, and next to it was a wooden baseball bat. There were also some other outdoor items in the basket, scattered all over the floor.
The owner of these items was a somewhat thin young man in black. The hood of his black hoodie was pulled over his head, preventing Chen Xiao from seeing his eyes.
He scrambled to his feet, gathered his things into the basket, bowed slightly to Chen Xiao, mumbled an apology, and hurried downstairs.
Chen Xiao remained silent throughout. He understood that this boy must have also known something, and the items he bought were likely for self-defense.
And he indeed needed some items for self-protection, so he followed the direction the boy had just come from and, sure enough, found the outdoor equipment area.
After a few steps, he saw some outdoor tools: hammers, axes, entrenching tools, and so on. Ultimately, Chen Xiao chose an axe, much larger than the one the boy had carried, about fifty centimeters long.
Although it was much heavier, Chen Xiao could wield it perfectly with one hand now, and it didn't lack flexibility.
He looked at the baseball bats displayed in the adjacent sports equipment area. Chen Xiao picked one up and weighed it. These were too light for him, and aluminum alloy ones were prone to deformation, while wooden ones could break easily with too much force. However, even though he didn't need one himself, he still took a wooden one for Lin Sinan's self-defense.
Just then, Chen Xiao suddenly saw a cylindrical object in the corner, at the very back of the outdoor equipment area, next to a tall stack of tents. It was hard to spot if one wasn't looking carefully.
When Chen Xiao saw its shape, his eyes lit up, as if he had remembered something incredibly important. He quickly walked over and took it out. It was a portable outdoor toilet.
Solving the eating and drinking problems, excretion was also a big issue! What if the power and water went out? How would they flush the toilet? After a long time, wouldn't the toilet reek to high heaven?
Just thinking about it sent shivers down Chen Xiao's spine. It was too terrifying, absolutely not acceptable. With this and some thickened garbage bags, they could tie them up after use and just toss them out the window. It was simply perfect.
As for the residents downstairs, 'dead friends don't die poor Taoists,' he couldn't care less. Besides, it was debatable whether there would even be people living downstairs by then.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw some glow sticks. These were outdoor emergency light sources; bending them and shaking them would make them glow for about ten hours. Chen Xiao had seen them on video-sharing websites.
There seemed to be about forty or fifty on the shelf. Without a word, he packed them all into the toilet. The axe and baseball bat also went in, no need for a shopping basket anymore.
On the way back, he also packed a lot of garbage bags. Lin Sinan had also gathered her items and returned to Chen Xiao's side. After confirming nothing was left behind, the two went to the first floor to check out.
When they arrived at the checkout area, they saw four cash registers, all with long lines. Chen Xiao led Lin Sinan to the outermost line, which was next to the Supermarket entrance. The open view made Chen Xiao feel much more relaxed.
With a crash, an elderly woman suddenly stumbled out of the line, her basket's contents scattering across the floor.
She sat on the ground, her body jerking upwards twice, as if trying to bounce up with her bottom, then pointed and shrieked, “What are you doing?!” Her voice was shrill and hoarse, extremely grating, causing others to frown.
A tall, thin figure emerged, one hand in his pocket, the other running through his golden hair, and said coldly, “You dare to cut in front of me? Do you want to die?”
Chen Xiao saw that it was none other than the yellow-haired guy from yesterday.
The yellow-haired guy also noticed Chen Xiao and Lin Sinan, and even gave Lin Sinan a malicious smile. Lin Sinan quickly hid behind Chen Xiao.
The elderly woman on the ground was now a mix of shock and anger, baring her teeth and shouting, “That's my downstairs neighbor! What's wrong with me checking out with her? What business is it of yours?!”
“Ptooey!”
The yellow-haired guy turned his head and spat a thick wad of phlegm onto her face: “I don't care if she's your upstairs neighbor or downstairs neighbor! If you've got guts, try cutting in line again, and see if I don't slap you!”
The neighbor wanted to say something, but Er Niu glared at her, scaring her into quickly turning her head away, not daring to make a sound.
“You, you, you...” The elderly woman was furious and embarrassed. Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly began to wail, pounding the floor and shouting at the onlookers, “He's hitting me! He's hitting me! I'm this old, can no one do anything?! Call the police! I want to call the police!”
Seeing the elderly woman throwing a tantrum on the floor, everyone backed away, their faces showing disdain.
Only Chen Xiao stood rigidly in place. At this moment, his heart was pounding, his eyes fixed on the Supermarket entrance. At the edge of his vision, a blood-stained hand gripped the thick green cloth curtain.