The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

There were about a hundred people on the second floor of the supermarket.

Besides the twenty ability users Wang Xin had taken to deal with Qiu Rong's group, there were fifteen more inside the supermarket, totaling thirty-five. The remaining seventy-plus people were ordinary individuals. Among these ordinary people, apart from young men and teenagers, there were only women. There were no elderly people or children at all.

Seeing this situation, it was obvious that in the apocalypse, the elderly and children were abandoned. Moreover, from the beginning of the apocalypse until now, they had endured a brutal winter and were now in the scorching summer. Countless had died from freezing, zombie attacks, killings by their own companions, or starvation. The remaining were relatively healthy young adults. As for the women, judging by their fearful or numb expressions and the marks on their exposed skin, they had likely endured inhumane treatment.

Although Qiu Rong and her group felt a pang of sympathy, they ignored the gazes of these people and directly escorted the bound Wang Xin and his companion towards the rooms upstairs.

Among the fifteen ability users remaining in the supermarket, several were Wang Xin's confidants. Seeing Wang Xin tied up, they immediately reacted, but as soon as they attacked, they were suppressed by the soldiers following Qiu Rong. Their speed was astonishing; they didn't even need to use their abilities to subdue these ability users who possessed powers but lacked the skill to utilize them effectively.

The ordinary people huddled together in the supermarket, who had initially watched with apathy, finally showed a flicker of emotion in their dull eyes, but it quickly vanished. In their minds, ability users didn't treat them as human beings. Even if Wang Xin's group was subdued, it wouldn't change their situation. It likely just meant the people abusing them would change, and they didn't care who controlled the supermarket.

Upon arriving upstairs, Qiu Rong simply locked up Wang Xin and Gan Jingcheng, personally assigning guards to watch them. Then, ignoring them, she addressed the restless ability users: "Now, I'm in charge here. If you disagree, I can fight until you do! I'm not afraid of schemes either! However, I think you'll be more concerned about the consequences if Gan Jingcheng dies, so don't do anything stupid to displease me!"

Hearing Qiu Rong's words, the ability users hesitated. The ordinary people in the supermarket might not be aware, but all the ability users knew Gan Jingcheng's importance. If he died, they wouldn't be able to withstand the siege of zombies in the city. The outcome was obvious.

Seeing their obedience, Qiu Rong flicked her sleeve, signaling Zhao Wen to handle the other matters.

Next, Zhao Wen took two people to confiscate Wang Xin's stored food. The food was piled in a staff break room on the second floor. According to other ability users, another batch of food was stored with a space ability user. The space ability user was Liu Xia. Because they relied on her space ability to store food, Wang Xin had become her boyfriend, fueling her arrogance.

Liu Xia's space ability was second-tier, and most of the food Wang Xin's group collected was stored in her space. Zhao Wen unceremoniously demanded she take out the food. Liu Xia initially refused angrily, but after being personally dealt with by Zhao Wen, she feared her methods and reluctantly complied.

Their food supply was indeed meager, barely enough to feed the people here for a month. However, according to them, these ordinary people only ate one meal a day, consisting of a few biscuits, leaving them emaciated.

Therefore, the first thing Qiu Rong did was distribute a meal and a bottle of water to each of the ordinary people. Wang Xin and Gan Jingcheng, locked away, were unaware that Qiu Rong was using their food to win over the ordinary people. The ability users, though resentful, dared not speak, only watching as Qiu Rong distributed food to those they considered useless waste. Their only consolation was that they also received food, and Qiu Rong's distribution clearly considered their larger appetites as ability users, unlike Wang Xin's stinginess. Although they were companions, he had used the excuse of limited food to keep them from even eating their fill.

But after eating one full meal, what would happen when the food ran out?

Regarding this question, Qiu Rong narrowed her eyes at the female ability user who raised it. The ability user was a speed-type named Chen Lili, petite and thin, with ordinary looks and a timid demeanor. Chen Lili, seeing Qiu Rong looking at her, was startled, thinking she had asked the wrong question, and became flustered.

"If we run out of food, won't we go find more?" Qiu Rong sneered. "This city is so large, and the apocalypse hasn't even been a year. I believe there's still plenty of stored food."

"But…" Chen Lili, seeing no support from her companions, continued hesitantly, "There are many high-level zombies in this city, and we can't leave. Eventually, we'll run out. We should conserve…"

Hearing this, Qiu Rong understood their mentality. They clearly believed they lacked the ability to break the city's strange hold, assuming they were trapped here. So, they lived day by day, with a defeatist attitude of clinging to life. This was fine, but too passive.

Qiu Rong didn't bother with them further, telling them to rest. She promised a second meal in the evening, ensuring everyone ate twice a day.

Leaving two people to guard the door, Qiu Rong called the others into the room. There was a bed inside, but someone was already lying on it, along with two others who were tied up. Qiu Rong didn't have Lou Ling untie them, instead having everyone sit down to talk.

Qiu Rong addressed the group: "Rest today. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for people to gather supplies in the city. Be careful." Then, she looked at Lou Dian, asking, "Xiao Dian, have you discovered anything?"

Lou Dian shook his head, saying, "I'll go into the city tomorrow and take a look."

Qiu Rong nodded. She didn't know what was strange about this city, but she knew that where there’s a will, there’s a way. No matter how strange it was, there were bound to be flaws, and they would eventually discover them.

By evening, Lou Shang finally woke up. Lou Yan, who had been caring for him all day, was the first to notice and exclaimed with joy, "Second Brother!"

Lou Shang opened his eyes, his vision still blurry. As he regained clarity, he saw his younger sister by the bedside, along with an unfamiliar girl. When the girl looked at him quietly, she seemed as gentle and well-behaved as the girl next door, but her smile was radiant, making it hard not to smile back. Hearing her also call him "Second Brother," like Lou Yan, he was a little confused.

Soon, Qiu Rong and Lou Dian also appeared before him. It took Lou Shang a moment to connect the now mature man's face with the once stubborn and unlovable boy.

"Sister-in-law, Xiao Dian… you're here too…"

Lou Yan helped him sit up, overjoyed. If he weren't so weak, she would have hugged him and cried.

Qiu Rong checked him over. His fever had subsided, but he hadn't eaten for days, leaving him very weak and needing a few days to recover. This coincided with their search for a way out, allowing him time to recuperate.

Zhao Wen distributed food outside. Inside the room, Lou Dian took out an alcohol stove from his space and started cooking white rice porridge for Lou Shang, adding red dates, goji berries, and other blood-enriching ingredients. The aroma of rice wafted through the air, making the still-bound Gan Jingcheng and Wang Xin salivate, but even craning their necks, they received nothing.

"I haven't seen you in years, Xiao Dian, and you've become so powerful. You even have a space ability and are so well-prepared. You're truly a must-have for any journey! In a few years, I won't be your match!" A smile appeared on Lou Shang's pale face. His words were teasing, completely different from Lou Zhan's serious personality. He seemed more like brothers with Yan Ge, likely due to growing up together.

Lou Dian casually replied, "You don't need a few years; you're not my match now!"

Lou Shang chuckled and looked at Lou Ling. Seeing her sitting next to Lou Dian, handing out milk candies to Lou Yan and Qiu Rong with a smile, he couldn't help but smile as well, saying, "Little Ling, won't you give your poor Second Brother a candy?"

Lou Ling smiled, "When you recover, I'll give you ten!"

Lou Shang happily agreed.

The next day, after breakfast, Qiu Rong gathered all the ability users, dividing them into three teams of about ten each, adding the extras to her own team. She then assigned two teams to go out and gather supplies.

The ability users were reluctant, but Qiu Rong was in charge now. If they disobeyed, she coldly threatened to throw them out, so they begrudgingly left. Qiu Rong didn't expect them to collect much. Sending them out was simply to train them. How far they went and what they found was up to them.

After the two teams left, Lou Dian and Lou Ling also went out.

Qiu Rong was confident in Lou Dian's abilities. As a space ability user, he was the most suitable for scouting and gathering supplies. So, regarding his taking Lou Ling along, Qiu Rong simply gave a reminder and didn't interfere. She knew Lou Dian preferred to keep Lou Ling within sight, treating her like a younger sister he kept on a leash. She was used to it; he could do as he pleased.

Lou Dian's reason for taking Lou Ling wasn't to train her, but simply because he didn't want to be separated. As he had said before, even if there was danger, they would face it together. He would rather die with her than not know whether she was alive or dead.

Shortly after leaving the supermarket area, they encountered zombies wandering the streets. Smelling the scent of living people, they lunged forward. Lou Dian pulled Lou Ling and ran, unwilling to waste time killing zombies. That task was left to the two other teams.

The two traversed the city, encountering mostly second and third-tier zombies, which Lou Dian didn't consider a threat. He led Lou Ling through the city, swiftly eliminating any that blocked their path.

After wandering through the city for a morning, Lou Dian chose a roadside shopping mall to rest. After pulling the doors shut, he released his mental power, easily dispersing the zombies that were banging on the doors, making them afraid to approach. There were also some zombies inside the mall, which they quickly dealt with upon entering.

Choosing an open space on the second floor to rest, Lou Ling took out a towel, poured some water on it, and washed her face. Then, she took off her camouflage jacket, revealing her figure in a tank top. Noticing his gaze on her chest, Lou Ling glared at him. Couldn't he refrain from being a pervert at a time like this?

Lou Dian smiled, pulling her into his arms and kissing her lips softly. He asked tenderly, "What do you want for lunch?"

"Anything."

"How about cold noodles?"

"Okay, with a fried egg!"

The fan whirred, making her drowsy. The water in the pot on the alcohol stove was boiling. Lou Dian scooped out the noodles, mixed them with sauce, and set them aside. Then, he blanched some vegetables and placed them on top, before frying an egg in a pan.

Cold noodles were the most comfortable meal in hot weather. Although these weren't authentic, being able to eat normal food at a time like this was fortunate. Lou Ling ate while discussing the city's strangeness with him, then the conversation shifted to Lou Shang.

"Second Brother only resembles Eldest Brother in appearance, not personality. He's more like Brother Yan."

"They grew up together, so it's natural. And Eldest Brother is Uncle's successor, so Uncle raised him strictly. Second Brother is more normal." As Lou Dian spoke, he couldn't help but recall his past life. If they hadn't come this time, Qiu Rong and Lou Yan would have likely died on the road, and Lou Shang would have perished in this city.

No wonder the Lou family had fallen so easily in his past life. Following the trajectory of his previous life, Lou Zhan and Yan Ge died during their mission at the research institute base, Lou Shang disappeared on a mission, and Qiu Rong and Lou Yan came to rescue him. If they had encountered the mutated goat on the road like this time, without preparation, they would have died. Lou Shang would have also died in the dark supermarket warehouse. The Lou family would have been left with only Aunt and Lou Ye, an old woman and a child, both ordinary people. Without the Lou family's protection, their fate was predictable.

This lifetime, because he had changed many things, the outcome was what he wanted to see.

Thinking this, he looked at the girl beside him, meticulously eating her noodles. Her eating posture was very proper, the Lou family's upbringing ingrained in her bones. Usually carefree, she showed its effects in the details. His gaze softened.

After finishing the noodles, Lou Ling leaned against him to rest, letting him gently rub her belly as if helping her digest. It felt extremely comfortable, like a cat basking in the sun.

After resting for half an hour, the two got up to gather supplies from the mall.

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Find a way to leave!

Lou Dian's goal: Change the trajectory of the past!

URGENT: Our Google Ads account was blocked due to violations. We'd deeply appreciate your support through donations to help us continue our work. Or we won't be able to continue the translations.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

Love what you read?