Isn't This Something to Be Pleased About?

The basketball seemed to have a navigation system of its own, rolling right to his feet.

Holding the ball, a certain image crossed his mind—a dance routine using a basketball as a prop—but he quickly dismissed the thought. His basketball skills were abysmal.

He was about to put the ball back, but then he remembered the elderly folks and Feifei, who was still growing.

There wasn't much entertainment in the residential complex, so buying one to take back for their exercise wouldn't be a bad idea. He placed the basketball into his shopping cart.

Just then, a low, guttural growl echoed through the air. He looked up to see a strange zombie that had appeared out of nowhere, crouching and crawling like an animal.

It was a female zombie wearing a dress, though the color was hard to discern beneath the layers of blood. Her long, matted hair was filthy, caked with viscous, flesh-like substances.

ROAR!

The female zombie snarled, her face twisted in a hideous grimace. Unlike other zombies he had encountered, she didn't lunge at him like a madman the moment she spotted a living person; instead, she seemed to be observing him with a sense of curiosity.

"Hello there..."

Lin Fan raised a hand in greeting. A friendly salutation was a standard way for people to interact, and even though the other party was a zombie, he felt it shouldn't hinder communication. After all, when people talk to animals, they use normal speech, and animals often seem to understand.

He believed the zombie could understand him.

The apocalypse had arrived.

People these days were irritable and unfriendly, which left him feeling quite helpless.

As soon as he finished speaking—

ROAR!

The female zombie shrieked and, moving on all fours, vanished from his sight. He could hear her sprinting rapidly on the other side of the shelves, and in the blink of an eye, she appeared in the aisle behind him.

"You're very fast. Were you an athlete?" Lin Fan asked.

He continued to converse with the zombie as if he were talking to himself.

Since the zombie hadn't taken the initiative to harm him, he naturally wouldn't strike first.

He noticed that this strange zombie had incredibly thin legs. He knew that women often desired slender legs—the thinner and longer, the better, like chopsticks.

Her arms were also thin, with black veins pulsing beneath the skin, giving her a rather eerie appearance.

The female zombie leaped up, crawling along the top of the display shelves. Every so often, she would bare her teeth and emit a ferocious sound before darting away again, moving across the shelves as if they were flat ground. Her sense of balance was remarkable.

"So fast. You're faster than any other zombie I've met." Lin Fan never skimped on compliments; he knew that praise often put people in a better mood.

In fact, he had once joined a "compliment group" where everyone was incredibly friendly. Every morning upon waking, he would see messages of praise from the members.

It made the start of a new day much more pleasant.

The female zombie seemed to be showing off her speed, moving back and forth at high velocity, darting from one side to the other.

He watched her clearly; no matter how she moved, he could track her every motion.

In fact, he felt he could run even faster than her.

But he didn't want to say it.

He wasn't an athlete, and running faster than her wasn't something to be proud of. Using his amateur abilities to crush someone else's professional talent—and even outperforming them—would be quite hurtful. So, he kept it to himself.

"Hey, I know you're fast, but you should watch your surroundings. You're knocking all the goods off the shelves. This kind of behavior..."

ROAR!

Before he could finish his sentence, the female zombie lunged at him, her long, black, razor-sharp claws swiping through the air.

Squelch!

He swung his sword.

His expression remained calm, tinged with a hint of regret.

The female zombie froze in mid-air, then split down the middle from her forehead, her body falling into two halves as blood splattered across the floor. Frostmourne felt a slight resistance as it struck, perhaps bone, but he didn't dwell on it.

[Killed Evolved Speed-Type Zombie]

[Points +3]

"The three corpses I saw earlier must have been your handiwork. You cut off their heads; your claws are just too sharp. It's really dangerous."

Lin Fan shook his head, pushed his cart, and continued his shopping.

At the checkout counter.

"I'm done shopping. Please ring me up."

He spoke to the empty counter. It wasn't that he had a problem; it was just a normal behavior, much like someone looking in a mirror and saying, "Am I not handsome?"

He stepped behind the counter and scanned the items.

The prices were separated. Some were for Sister Li and her daughter, others for the elderly men. He held all three of their bank cards, so he certainly couldn't mix up the payments.

Perhaps they all got along well.

But such relationships were usually maintained through fairness. Once one party felt they were always getting the short end of the stick, the relationship wouldn't be far from falling apart.

He quickly calculated the bill, settled the payment, and left.

There were quite a few items, and carrying them in shopping bags was clearly not feasible. He had no choice but to borrow a shopping cart from the store. He would return it after dropping the goods off; it was just a few extra steps, not a bother at all.

He left the supermarket, pushing the cart as he walked down the street.

The quiet street, a solitary figure, carrying the hopes of the apartment complex survivors, accompanied occasionally by zombies—it all sparked a different kind of fire.

Lin Fan was in a great mood and felt very happy. He loved helping others. Although he had acted indifferent and casual when facing the gratitude of Sister Li and the four old men, he was actually feeling a bit secretly pleased inside.

He was still a sensible young man, and naturally, he enjoyed receiving praise from others.

After all, who isn't a baby who likes to be praised?

It was just that Huang City still required more effort. He believed it could definitely return to its former state. He still had to work hard to earn money, buy a car, live in a big house, and move toward a better life.

Even if the wind blew and the rain poured, even if the sky collapsed and the earth split, and even if there were countless difficulties, he would never give up.

At this moment.

He stopped in his tracks.

He looked at two connected storefronts.

Xinhua Bookstore.

It was a very famous bookstore a long time ago, but with the passage of time, such bookstores had gradually disappeared, and even if they did exist, they were only small shops.

The reason he stopped was that he noticed this bookstore was different from the surrounding shops.

The nearby shops were a mess, with items scattered everywhere and debris covering the floor, yet the books in the bookstore were arranged so neatly.

As expected, those who love books are unwilling to lay a hand on them, even in the apocalypse.

Lin Fan sighed to himself.

He then walked into the bookstore.

Thinking of Feifei's situation, she needed schoolwork, and it was also to soothe her heart; after all, it was the apocalypse now, and the outside world was truly chaotic.

But he didn't want Feifei to be affected by the apocalypse.

He hoped she could still be like before: finish her studies, come home from school, and do her homework. So, he picked out a few sets of test papers.

Math, Chinese, Geography, History...

That should be enough.

Once Feifei finished these sets of papers, he would come out again to buy her new ones.

This was all small change, not worth mentioning. Being able to watch a child constantly improve their knowledge—wasn't that a very gratifying thing?

He looked at these test papers with a smile.

Thinking of Feifei seeing these.

She would definitely be thrilled.

He could tell at a glance that Feifei was a little girl who loved to learn.

PS: Seeking votes.