Chapter Twenty-Seven: Occupation

“Who’s there?” Seeing Shen Lie approaching with an imposing air, the four guards stationed at the supermarket entrance finally noticed something was amiss. They barked out a warning, weapons leveled at him—a pistol in one man’s hand, the other three wielding long machetes.

“Don’t come any closer, or we’ll kill you on the spot!”

Bang!

After two warnings, seeing Shen Lie’s steps remain undeterred, the guard with the pistol narrowed his eyes, sneered viciously, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

As the gunshot rang out, Shen Lie’s figure flickered, and he appeared right in front of the shooting guard. With a smile, he reached out lightly, and the guard’s pistol was suddenly in his hand.

Everyone was stunned by Shen Lie’s actions—even Zhang Jing and Li Cheng at his side. Shen Lie was pleased with this effect; the two Phantom Mushrooms he’d just consumed had greatly increased the energy within him, offering many new ways to utilize it. That was the main reason he’d decided to act immediately.

Of course, it wasn’t that his speed surpassed a bullet; rather, as soon as the guard raised his hand to pull the trigger, Shen Lie moved first, anticipating his enemy’s actions. Once the bullet actually left the chamber, its power might be diminished, but at such close range, he could not possibly dodge it—not yet, at least.

“You—you, are you an Awakened?” The guard who fired stared at Shen Lie’s golden right hand, panic-stricken as he backed away. The other three guards were no better off, thrown into utter confusion.

Their panic was fleeting. After a moment, the gun-wielding guard regained his composure and, as expected, spoke respectfully, “I didn’t realize the esteemed Awakened was here. I assure you, I meant no offense. Our Lord Xiao is not at home. May I ask what brings you here?”

This guard must have guessed Shen Lie’s identity. In such a small place, the appearance of an Awakened had quickly spread, and he considered himself backed by a powerful lord. He spoke the name “Lord Xiao” with deliberate emphasis.

“Lord Xiao? He won’t be coming back, I’m afraid.” With that, Shen Lie toyed with the pistol in his hand, then suddenly gripped it tightly and fired at the guard before him.

The guard was not Awakened. He didn’t even have time to react before falling dead beneath Shen Lie’s weapon, sending the other three guards fleeing in terror back into the supermarket.

Shen Lie glanced at the fallen guard, surprised to feel no discomfort after killing him, as if he’d merely squashed a monstrous spider. The sensation left him bewildered—was he naturally ruthless?

Of course, the guard deserved his fate. Given his readiness to shoot without hesitation, he must have shed much blood since the apocalypse began.

Shen Lie’s shot shattered the courage of the remaining guards, who retreated into the supermarket amid shouts and chaos, the inside erupting in turmoil.

“Open the door!”

As Shen Lie’s command fell, Li Cheng finally shook off his shock. He hurried forward, opened the supermarket’s main door, and entered first.

Though the supermarket’s size couldn’t rival those in large cities, it wasn’t small. The first floor alone covered about one hundred and fifty square meters, with four stories in total—enough to house a hundred people if they crowded in.

The first floor, once a produce and fruit section, now had all shelves emptied. Around forty or fifty people, armed with a variety of weapons, gathered at the far side of the hall and by the stairway. Seeing Shen Lie enter, a commotion erupted.

“Who are you? This is Lord Xiao’s territory. Have you got a death wish, causing trouble here?” After a brief chaos, a middle-aged man in a red shirt stepped out, wielding a short pistol identical to the guards’.

The town had not been a military zone, so these guns were likely acquired from the police station after disaster struck. As one of the first to awaken, Xiao Gang would naturally gather essential supplies.

Li Cheng leaned close and whispered in Shen Lie’s ear, informing him that the man in red was Xiao Gang’s elder brother, the second-in-command. On the other side, a woman with cold, venomous eyes was Xiao Gang’s sister, nicknamed “Venomous Flower”—rumored to delight in tormenting young men, a perverse predator.

Shen Lie cast a surprised glance at the woman. Sensing his gaze, she flashed a cruel smile and even licked her lips.

Shen Lie shook his head inwardly. The chaos of the apocalypse amplified the darkness within people’s hearts, especially those emotions suppressed for so long—the deeper the repression, the fiercer the rebound.

But he had no time to concern himself with these matters, nor did he care about their thoughts. He didn’t even bother to announce Xiao Gang’s death. With a swift motion, he brandished the black spear, instantly closing in on the red-shirted man and knocking him unconscious before the latter even realized. He followed up with a strike to the perverse woman, who dropped as well.

“Nobody move! Get down, hands on your heads! Anyone who moves will be shot on the spot!” Shen Lie stood in the center of the crowd, his voice cold and sharp.

The reputation of the Awakened, combined with his decisive actions, cowed everyone present—none dared defy him, all obediently crouched with hands clasped over their heads, some trembling visibly.

“You—you, and you two—go upstairs and bring everyone down. If anyone isn’t down in three minutes, they’ll be executed where they stand, no matter who they are!” Shen Lie pointed to several people, ordering them to search for anyone still upstairs.

The chosen few exchanged glances but found no courage to object. They rose and hurried up the stairs.

The takeover went smoothly. In all, about sixty people lived in the supermarket—mostly men, with just over twenty women. Some were Xiao Gang’s relatives, the rest his henchmen. Upon learning of Xiao Gang’s demise, they lost all will to resist, left only with a sense of uncertainty about the future.

Several people tried to cozy up to Shen Lie, hoping to find a new patron, but he had no intention of ruling over the town. He ignored their attempts, leaving the cleanup to Li Cheng and heading upstairs to the fourth floor.

From interrogations, Shen Lie learned that Xiao Gang lived alone on the fourth floor, which was reserved exclusively for him. Even his brother and sister were forbidden to enter; anyone else who went up without being summoned met a cruel end.

Zhang Jing followed closely behind Shen Lie as they ascended. The second and third floors, occupied by others, were chaotic and reeked of various odors. But the fourth floor was markedly different.

The hall was kept impeccably clean, the original shelves undisturbed. Some even held unopened daily necessities and snacks. Most conspicuous was a large desk at one side of the hall, now covered in textbooks and teaching materials—physics, chemistry, English, politics, and especially history and literature. On the desk lay a half-finished lesson plan, which gave Shen Lie pause.

“It seems Xiao Gang was a man of taste. If not for the apocalypse, he might have been an excellent teacher.” Shen Lie picked up the lesson plan, noting the fresh ink. Even in these dire circumstances, the man had been preparing lessons—a testament to his dedication.

“Let’s check over there.” Setting the lesson plan aside, Shen Lie pointed to a nearby metal door.

The fourth floor’s layout included a central hall and a separate room at one side—once perhaps an office, now Xiao Gang’s living quarters.

The metal door was locked, but that posed no difficulty for Shen Lie. With a few deft strikes of his black spear, he sliced the iron door to pieces, then gripped it with his golden right hand and tore it off entirely.

Zhang Jing’s eyes burned with admiration at the sight, unconsciously moving closer to Shen Lie.

The room was small, a double bed against the wall, a cabinet by the headboard, and a safe in the corner—nothing more.

Shen Lie was surprised, his expectations unmet, disappointment flickering across his face.

He had hoped to find something valuable here. After all, Xiao Gang had been a “king” for three months; there should be some prized stash—perhaps more Phantom Mushrooms. But that hope seemed dim.

He searched under the bed and through the cabinet, but found only a few books. Disappointed, Shen Lie turned his attention to the safe.