In the afternoon, they planned to go to a large shopping mall to get some supplies.
At noon, they rested in the RV for a while and ate something simple. Xiāo Yáng unceremoniously absorbed all the crystals he had obtained.
At this point, his Time energy had reached an astonishing 950 years.
With another 50 years of Time energy, he would be able to break through 1000 years.
Once that happened, his physique would undergo earth-shattering changes, and he would no longer fear attacks from ordinary blades, guns, or clubs.
In his previous life, he grovelled for 10 years, only to accumulate over 1000 years of Time energy.
Now, reborn and returned, he had only used half a month and was about to reach this level of strength. It could not be considered anything but rapid.
If things continued like this, Xiāo Yáng believed he would soon break through ten thousand years and reach a higher level of strength.
At that time, he could walk sideways in Hǎi chéng.
Xiāo Yáng thought this and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
……
After resting, Xiāo Yáng drove the off-road RV directly to a large shopping mall.
This mall was the largest in University Town.
Since the heavy-duty off-road RV was too tall to enter the underground parking lot, Xiāo Yáng drove the car directly to the entrance of the mall.
"Xú Tóng! Stay here and watch the car! Call me on the walkie-talkie if anything happens!"
Xiāo Yáng handed Xú Tóng a walkie-talkie, took out the car keys, and walked towards the mall with Mù Wǎnqīng and the other two.
The mall's outer door was open, but iron mesh gates had been lowered in each area inside.
There were no signs that the iron mesh gates inside had been tampered with. It seemed no one had been there yet, or perhaps they came and found they couldn't get in.
This was good news, at least indicating that the supplies inside had not been touched.
These iron mesh gates were quite sturdy, but they couldn't stop Xiāo Yáng.
Xiāo Yáng took out a crowbar and, after some effort, finally pried open a corner of an iron mesh gate.
The quality of this iron mesh gate was truly undeniable. Even Xiāo Yáng found it difficult, so it was even more impossible for others to get in.
After entering, they went straight to the supermarket on the first floor.
This supermarket was large and well-stocked. Xiāo Yáng was not polite and directly collected all the items, along with the shelves, into his space.
This scene amazed the three women behind him.
They had seen Xiāo Yáng take things out of his space, but they had never seen him put things into his space.
It took less than two hours to empty the entire supermarket, with Xiāo Yáng collecting everything.
The three women couldn't help but sigh, wondering how large Xiāo Yáng's space was to hold so much!
After collecting the supermarket, they went to the clothing areas on the second and third floors. Xiāo Yáng was equally direct, collecting all the clothes inside into his space.
Although they were all summer clothes, they would be useful in the future.
Especially some bras and underwear, which Mù Wǎnqīng and the others would always need and have to change frequently!
Xiāo Yáng even specifically divided the bras into several sizes.
"Hmm! This one is breathable, and it's black, suitable for Wǎnqīng."
"Hmm! This one is a bit smaller, suitable for Lín Shīshī."
"Hmm! This one is larger, of course, it's most suitable for Sister You!"
…
Chapter 40: Female Captain Táng Yǐng
After collecting all the clothes, the group went to the fourth floor.
This floor was filled with restaurants, and there weren't many usable supplies. They then headed to the fifth floor.
This floor had a cinema, and the rest of the area consisted of gyms and clubs.
Xiāo Yáng felt there was nothing useful, while Mù Wǎnqīng and Lín Shīshī, led by Lǔ Yōu, each picked up a yoga mat.
Lǔ Yōu said she wanted to do yoga with Mù Wǎnqīng and Lín Shīshī. Xiāo Yáng heard this and thought, doing yoga was great!
This time, he would have eye candy again. Xiāo Yáng immediately offered to sponsor yoga suits for them.
Before the apocalypse, he had bought quite a few yoga suits online.
Just as he was imagining the beautiful scene, the walkie-talkie rang.
"This is Xú Tóng. A few people are being chased by a group of zombies and are running towards our RV! What should I do?"
Xiāo Yáng was startled. Were they being targeted, or were they just passing by?
Regardless, it was best to go out and check.
"Stay in the car and don't come out. We'll be there immediately!"
Xiāo Yáng replied, and immediately hurried downstairs with Mù Wǎnqīng and the others.
However, when they ran out of the mall, they found the off-road RV surrounded by a group of zombies.
Looking around, there were only zombies, no living people.
Could they have hidden inside the off-road RV?
"Xú Tóng?" Xiāo Yáng called out on the walkie-talkie, wanting to see if she was still alive.
"I'm here! Our RV is surrounded by zombies!" After a moment, Xú Tóng's deliberately lowered voice came from the walkie-talkie.
"What about those few people?" Xiāo Yáng pressed.
"They're here, in the car!" Xú Tóng said nervously. It seemed she also felt it was wrong to let them into the RV without permission.
Xiāo Yáng was furious. This Xú Tóng, not knowing if they were friend or foe, let them into the RV?
Xiāo Yáng looked at the zombies surrounding the off-road RV. There were at least nearly a hundred.
Forget it, let's take care of these zombies first.
As for those few people, if they were sensible, they would leave immediately.
If not, hmph, don't blame him for being heartless.
About a hundred zombies were a piece of cake for the four of them.
The group drew their Tang knives and went on a killing spree. In a short while, the zombies were cleared.
The group approached the RV door. Lǔ Yōu, behind Xiāo Yáng, quietly raised her hand, ready to let those inside taste lightning at any moment if the situation turned bad.
"Xú Tóng, open the door!" Xiāo Yáng shouted.
The RV door opened, the steps extended, and Xú Tóng walked down.
Seeing that Xú Tóng was not controlled, the group was slightly relieved, as it seemed the other party had no malicious intent.
"Why did you take the initiative to let people in?" Xiāo Yáng's tone was displeased.
"They, they are police officers from the Public Security Bureau's Public Order Brigade, so I... I..."
Xú Tóng hadn't finished speaking when a woman walked down from the RV.
She had short hair, fair skin, beautiful features, and clear, upright eyes.
Just standing there, she exuded an extraordinary heroic aura.
Was she a police officer?
Xiāo Yáng had seen police officers before, but never such a beautiful and graceful female police officer.
"Hello, I am Táng Yǐng, the captain of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Public Order Brigade. The two behind me are my colleagues. This is my identification!"
Táng Yǐng introduced herself first and then took out her identification.
Xiāo Yáng took the ID and looked at it. The photo wasn't as good-looking as the actual person.
However, he couldn't help but smile inwardly. What time was it, and she was still showing her ID? Was it useful?
Well!
Xiāo Yáng admitted it was somewhat useful. After all, before the apocalypse, they were very trustworthy.
He believed that at least at this stage, she wouldn't have any malicious intentions!
"Heh heh, hello Captain Táng!" Xiāo Yáng greeted with a smile.
Táng Yǐng looked at Mù Wǎnqīng and the others behind Xiāo Yáng and said with admiration, "You are all truly impressive. Four people managed to take down so many zombies so easily. If we hadn't been injured and feared being a burden, I would have come down to fight with you long ago!"
Xiāo Yáng listened and observed carefully, noticing that Táng Yǐng's clothes were torn in places, indicating she had been through a fierce battle.
He then looked inside the RV and saw a woman bandaging a man's hand.
Xiāo Yáng suddenly became vigilant and asked, "Has anyone among you been bitten by a zombie?"
Xiāo Yáng knew very well that if they had been bitten by a zombie, they absolutely could not be left alive.
This Zombie Virus was highly contagious. If bitten or scratched by a zombie, one would last at most 3 hours before mutating.
Táng Yǐng didn't understand why Xiāo Yáng had suddenly become so vigilant. Wasn't it normal to get injured?
"Well, myself and a female colleague accidentally fell and got injured while fighting zombies. My male colleague accidentally bit his hand on a zombie, but it only bled a little, nothing serious!"
Xiāo Yáng's expression immediately turned cold upon hearing this.
"Captain Táng, please have your colleague get out quickly. We're leaving!"
Táng Yǐng didn't understand why Xiāo Yáng's attitude changed so drastically upon hearing that her colleague was bitten by a zombie.
"Well, can we do this? You can drop us off at the police station in University Town, and we can get off there?" she tentatively requested.
Xiāo Yáng immediately refused, "I can take you and your female colleague, but your male colleague must get out of the car immediately!"
Táng Yǐng frowned, surprised by Xiāo Yáng's direct refusal.
Her female colleague inside the car, however, stood up angrily and said, "Why are you like this? Our captain said to just take us to a nearby police station. If we hadn't killed over 50 zombies today and gotten injured, we wouldn't have bothered you!"
"Cough cough, Captain, perhaps I should get out. You and Comrade Xiǎo Jiāng can go first, and I'll walk!" Táng Yǐng's male colleague voluntarily offered to get out, hearing that Xiāo Yáng didn't want him in the car.
"Woof woof woof!" Suddenly, a dog darted out of the RV and barked ferociously at Xiāo Yáng.
Xiāo Yáng was startled and looked closely, realizing it was a German Shepherd police dog. It might have been hiding in a corner of the RV earlier, so Xiāo Yáng hadn't seen it.
"Yángyáng, stop barking!" Táng Yǐng sternly ordered.
Just as Xiāo Yáng was about to say "What?", he suddenly noticed the police dog obediently standing at Táng Yǐng's feet, ceasing its barking.
Holy crap!
This dog's name is "Yángyáng"?
When Xiāo Yáng was little, his biological mother used to call him "Yángyáng."
Xiāo Yáng habitually thought they were calling him when he heard it.
Who knew this dog shared the same nickname as him?
"Cough cough! Is this dog named Yángyáng?" Xiāo Yáng pointed at the police dog and asked Táng Yǐng.
"Yes, that's the name I gave it!"
Xuiao Yang's face darkened. Damn it, he shared a name with a dog.
Seeing that Xiāo Yáng had gone silent, Táng Yǐng felt that begging further would seem too impolite on their part.
"Xiǎo Jiāng, Xiǎo Liú, get out. We'll walk to the police station ourselves!"
Táng Yǐng said to her two colleagues in the RV before turning back to Xiāo Yáng and giving him a salute.
"However, thank you. Without you and this RV, we might have already sacrificed ourselves!"
With that, she turned to leave with her colleagues and the police dog.
"Wait!" Xiāo Yáng suddenly said.
Chapter 41: Who Hasn't Had a First Time
Xiāo Yáng called out to Táng Yǐng and the others.
"Yes, Captain? Do you have any further instructions?" Táng Yǐng turned back and asked calmly.
"I can take you to the nearest police station, but you must keep a close eye on your colleague. Once bitten by a zombie, they will definitely turn into a zombie; no one can save him!"
Xiāo Yáng's compassion was stirred.
First, because they still retained their pre-apocalypse demeanor and didn't force him to do anything.
Second, they were very united and wouldn't abandon anyone.
Third, hehe, building a good relationship with such a beautiful female captain might not be bad.
Moreover, he heard from her colleague that they had previously killed over 50 zombies.
Their combat power was definitely not to be underestimated.
Táng Yǐng and the others' expressions softened upon hearing that Xiāo Yáng agreed to take them to the police station.
But their faces immediately tensed up when they heard that their injured colleague would also turn into a zombie.
Táng Yǐng walked to Xiāo Yáng's side with a solemn expression and whispered, "Are you telling the truth?"
Xiāo Yáng nodded.
"Is there any way to treat it?" Táng Yǐng looked at Xiāo Yáng with a glimmer of hope.
Although she had personally witnessed a colleague's insides being ripped out by a zombie before, she still felt that with just a small bite, there might be hope.
"If the arm is severed immediately after being bitten, there's still hope! But now..." Xiāo Yáng shook his head. "It's certain death!"
After hearing this, Táng Yǐng was stunned for a moment, then tried her best to appear calm.
"Then let's set off quickly and try not to cause you any trouble!"
Táng Yǐng immediately turned around, supported her injured colleague, and got back into the RV.
Xiāo Yáng also hurriedly called everyone into the car, floored the accelerator, and headed straight for the police substation in University Town.
In less than 20 minutes, the off-road RV drove directly into the police station's compound.
This place had clearly also suffered zombie attacks. Several headless zombies lay in the courtyard.
The glass door of the police station building was also shattered, indicating that the situation inside was not optimistic.
The group got out of the car. Táng Yǐng and the female colleague Xiǎo Jiāng each took out a dagger for defense.
"Thank you for bringing us here! You can leave now!" Táng Yǐng saluted Xiāo Yáng and the others, then turned and instructed her colleague, "Xiǎo Jiāng, you first take Xiǎo Liú to find a room to stay in. I'll go to the armory to see if there's any ammunition left!"
She suddenly remembered something, walked up to Xiǎo Jiāng, and whispered a few words in her ear.
Xiǎo Jiāng listened carefully, glanced at Xiāo Yáng, then at her colleague Xiǎo Liú, and nodded solemnly.
Xiǎo Jiāng supported Xiǎo Liú and found the nearest office, where they went inside. Táng Yǐng, leading the police dog, continued deeper into the police station building.
Xiāo Yáng thought to himself that he was also looking for ammunition. This was an opportunity. He just didn't know if it would be appropriate to do so with Captain Táng present.
Xiāo Yáng hesitated for a moment, then said to Mù Wǎnqīng and the others, "You guys stay here and keep watch. I'll go in and take a look!"
He then drew his Tang knife and followed.
He had decided to find the equipment depot first. If there was still ammunition, it would be easy for him to take some with his Space ability.
Táng Yǐng was very surprised to see Xiāo Yáng following her with a knife. "Didn't I tell you to leave? Why are you following me?"
"Heh heh, Captain Táng, police and civilians are one family. I saw you were short-handed, so I came to help you. We'll leave after confirming it's safe here."
Táng Yǐng gave Xiāo Yáng a scrutinizing look, but his expression was so sincere that she couldn't detect any ulterior motives.
Considering that Xiāo Yáng's combat ability was not inferior to hers, Táng Yǐng tacitly agreed.
The police dog Yángyáng cautiously sniffed the way ahead, with Táng Yǐng in the middle and Xiāo Yáng following behind.
As Xiāo Yáng looked at the scene before him, he suddenly thought: Two Yángyángs are protecting you, be content!
They walked further inside, and at the end of the corridor, there was a staircase leading to the basement. The password-protected door at the entrance of the stairs was open, so Xiāo Yáng followed Táng Yǐng down.
As soon as they entered the basement, it became dark due to the lack of windows. Xiāo Yáng took out a powerful flashlight from his space and turned it on, shining it ahead.
The sudden bright light startled Táng Yǐng.
She glanced back at the flashlight in Xiāo Yáng's hand and thought that this kid was quite well-equipped.
Then she glared at Xiāo Yáng, implying that he should have given her a heads-up before turning on the flashlight.
Xiāo Yáng smiled helplessly, thinking that his good intentions had backfired.
Seeing Táng Yǐng's cautious demeanor, her efficiency was too slow.
He directly went over, patted her shoulder, and motioned for Táng Yǐng to step back.
Then he gently knocked on a door next to him.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to be heard throughout the entire basement.
Táng Yǐng immediately raised her dagger and cautiously prepared herself.
After a while, seeing no movement, Xiāo Yáng relaxed his guard and said, "Alright, there are no zombies in this basement. Remember, zombies are very sensitive to sound. If there were any, they would have come out long ago. Why bother being so cautious?"
"Understood!" Táng Yǐng humbly accepted Xiāo Yáng's advice, but she was very curious about how Xiāo Yáng had so much experience and who he really was.
However, it was not appropriate to ask now, so they continued to search for the equipment depot.
Once they confirmed the area was safe, their search speed increased, and they soon found the equipment depot.
The door to the equipment depot was also open, which filled Xiāo Yáng and Táng Yǐng with both joy and worry.
The joy was that the equipment depot door was very heavy, and if it had been closed, they would have had to exert considerable effort.
The worry was that since the door was open, it meant someone had been inside, and the ammunition might have been taken.
There was no use dwelling on it; they would go in and see.
Táng Yǐng entered first, followed closely by Xiāo Yáng.
He shone the flashlight around. The interior was messy, with cabinets pulled open.
Several handguns were scattered on the ground, and some cabinets still had a lot of bullets on them.
Táng Yǐng immediately stepped forward to grab the bullets, and Xiāo Yáng followed.
While Táng Yǐng wasn't paying attention, Xiāo Yáng used his Space ability to take a few boxes of bullets and a few handguns.
He didn't know if these bullets and guns were compatible, but he took them first.
Táng Yǐng packed all the bullets and also took the only police rifle.
Xiāo Yáng was a little envious; if only he had seen it earlier, he would have taken it first.
After loading the rifle and handguns with bullets, Táng Yǐng felt a little more confident.
She turned to look at the dumbfounded Xiāo Yáng and said somewhat impatiently, "What are you standing there for? See if there's anything useful and take it!"
Xiāo Yáng was stunned and asked in disbelief, "Can... can I also take something?"
"What time is it now? There's no such thing as 'can' or 'cannot'! Taking it to save your life, not to commit a crime!" Táng Yǐng said with a wry smile.
Xiāo Yáng was having trouble processing what Táng Yǐng said. Alas! He had underestimated her with his petty mind. She really lived up to her reputation as the captain of the Public Security Bureau; her perspective was broad!
He glanced at the emptied ammunition and thought that she had already taken all the important items, so what was left for him?
He looked at a handgun on the ground and picked it up.
"Do you know how to use it?" Táng Yǐng mockingly asked when she saw him picking up the gun.
"Damn it! Who hasn't had a first time? I'll learn after I fire one shot!" Xiāo Yáng retorted angrily upon hearing her tone.
Chapter 42: Not Recognizing Good Intentions
"Heh heh, you can't fire it without bullets!" Táng Yǐng teased.
Xiāo Yáng raised his eyebrows. Hey! This woman was getting feisty.
He took a step forward, pressed himself close to Táng Yǐng, and said flirtatiously, "Even without bullets, it's still hard! Would it hurt if I poke you?"
Táng Yǐng felt Xiāo Yáng's breath close to her, warm and spraying on her high nose bridge, making her feel a little ticklish.
Hearing Xiāo Yáng's words, it seemed to have a double meaning.
She rolled her eyes at Xiāo Yáng, pushed him away, and raised the gun in her hand. "Stay away from me, it's easy to have an accidental discharge!"
"Ah~" Just as Xiāo Yáng was about to retort, he suddenly heard a scream from upstairs.