Abundant supplies

The supplies stored in the basement-or rather, the cellar-far exceeded anything they had imagined.

Chen Ye guessed that the chief of Longevity Village might have noticed something wrong long ago and started stockpiling supplies in his basement.

According to the reports from those who had gone down, the cellar held more than potatoes and sweet potatoes. They had also found plenty of canned food, rice, and flour farther inside.

Only then did Chen Ye realize what a rare treasure Captain Chu's Eavesdropping Radio was.

Without the information from the Eavesdropping Radio,

finding this many supplies would have taken at least a day or two.

Delighted cheers rose from the cellar now and then.

"Auntie Zhao, hurry up and come out! We're running out of time!"

The young man with glasses lay at the edge of the opening, urgently calling down to the old woman still packing potatoes in the cellar.

Only then did Chen Ye learn that the grandmother who had clashed with him, along with her grandson, was surnamed Zhao.

"Xiao Fu, give me another minute. It wasn't easy finding all these supplies. It'd be a waste not to take a little more!"

The old woman's voice came from below.

The bespectacled young man holding a steel pipe was around twenty. He looked as though he had yet to graduate from college, and his eyes often held that guileless clarity unique to college students.

It was this college student surnamed Fu who had first discovered the cellar.

Everyone in the convoy now despised the grandmother and grandson. Only this college student still bothered with them.

The other survivors had already climbed out of the cellar.

When they had left the little supermarket, many people's backpacks had been only half full. Now every backpack bulged, and every face wore a satisfied smile.

To make room for these supplies, many had simply dumped out the snacks they had found in the supermarket and filled their bags with potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and flour instead.

After all, compared with chips and spicy snack strips, the village chief's supplies were more filling and better suited to surviving the apocalypse.

Some had even taken off their shirts, filled them with supplies, and cradled the bundles in their arms.

The absurdly large backpack on Iron Lion's back was now stuffed to the brim.

With that enormous backpack, Iron Lion looked as though he were carrying a small mountain, leaving everyone astounded.

Probably only a hulking meathead like Iron Lion could carry a backpack like that.

Not only was the fellow carrying a mountain-sized backpack, but he also held several large bundles in his arms, apparently packed with plenty more supplies.

Even the sisters, Zhou Lan and Zhou Xiaoxiao, were laden with supplies.

Zhou Lan wore one bag on her chest and another on her back, with a third in her hand.

Zhou Xiaoxiao carried no less than her older sister.

Smiles lit up everyone's faces.

By comparison, Nana and Chen Ye carried relatively little.

"It's getting late. Let's get out of here!"

Chen Ye urged them on.

Nana glanced at her wristwatch, and her expression grew tense as well.

"Forty minutes until four. We have to leave the village within forty minutes!"

"Let's go!"

Everyone quickened their pace and left the village chief's house.

Only Chen Ye kept scanning their surroundings warily.

This trip had gone far too smoothly.

That smooth progress left Chen Ye uneasy, as though something utterly terrifying were waiting for them ahead.

"You... wait for me!"

The old woman in the cellar seemed to have heard that they were leaving, and her anxious voice rose from below.

Apart from the college student called Xiao Fu, nobody paid her any attention. Quite a few even looked pleased at her predicament.

Perhaps it was true that the wicked lived forever.

With the kindhearted college student's help, the old woman still managed to climb out of the cellar.

When Chen Ye saw the supplies she was carrying, he froze for a moment.

The old woman was laden with supplies from head to toe.

Besides the huge backpack on her back, she held a large bundle in each hand and had another hanging around her neck.

She had actually gathered more supplies than any of the other survivors.

Seeing the looks everyone gave her, the old woman even seemed a little smug.

Never assume that old men and women lacked stamina.

Compared with young wage slaves enjoying the so-called blessing of twelve-hour workdays, six days a week, these elderly folks had practically inexhaustible energy.

Anyone who doubted that only needed to watch them scramble for eggs at a supermarket, or visit certain tourist attractions.

In an environment like this, however, carrying so many supplies was no different from courting death.

Chen Ye ignored the old woman and scanned the area warily.

The Hunchbacked Old Puppet from earlier had now vanished without a trace.

"Let's go!"

Nana, the Young Sword Immortal, led the way with her sword in hand.

The hulking Iron Lion followed close behind.

Unfortunately, Iron Lion's backpack was so enormous that he had trouble getting through the doorway.

In the end, he had to forcibly tear out the village chief's door before he could get the backpack out of the room.

The courtyard looked no different from when they had arrived.

The black luxury sedan sat quietly inside.

Chen Ye wanted to take the sedan with him. If he could get it out, it would surely be useful for modifying his motorized tricycle.

Unfortunately, he lacked the means and could only look for another opportunity later.

They began retracing their route.

The sky remained a murky gray.

Outside the village, a hazy, blazing sun hung high overhead.

Nobody spoke, but the mood was noticeably better than before.

Only Nana kept checking her wristwatch as she walked.

The Young Sword Immortal shared Chen Ye's foreboding. She could not shake her unease.

Every supply run was a brush with death.

Yet this one had gone exceptionally smoothly.

"Something's wrong!"

Suddenly, those long legs came to a halt.

Iron Lion also stopped short. The enormous backpack on his back lurched, but fortunately, the hulking fellow's astonishing strength let him steady himself before he fell.

Chen Ye instantly raised his hand crossbow.

"What's wrong?"

"We've been down this road!"

The girl pointed to a house beside the road, its door standing open.

The house looked very familiar. Earlier, someone had gone inside and never come back out.

Everyone exchanged looks, momentarily at a loss for words.

Chen Ye lit a cigarette. The faint flare illuminated his eyes.

He frowned as he studied their surroundings.

Although Chen Ye had a poor sense of direction, everything before him looked unmistakably familiar.

"Up ahead... is that the Big Willow Tree?"

A trembling voice suddenly broke the silence, filled with boundless terror.

Startled, everyone hurriedly looked up.

An enormous willow stood not far away. Just around the corner, they would be able to see the Big Willow Supermarket.

By all rights, the Big Willow Tree should have been behind them. How had it suddenly appeared ahead?

The color began draining from every face.

Their excitement over gathering supplies was fading.

"We went the wrong way!"

Nana glanced at her wristwatch, her small face utterly serious. "Thirty minutes left. Let's head back. If we hurry, we can still make it!"