Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Madwoman

Looking through the narrow glass, barely the width of a forearm, she saw that the stairwell was packed tight with zombies.

Since they hadn’t sensed anyone outside, they were all just swaying back and forth.

Chen Xing didn’t dare to breathe, cautiously taking a step back to hide against the wall.

It was a good thing she’d spotted the zombies in time. Otherwise, if that door had opened, searching the rest of the mall would have become a lot more difficult.

’But... who would lock zombies in a stairwell?’

’This person has to be an idiot!’

’If they knew enough to lock up the zombies, why didn’t they seal off the entrance?’

Since the stairs were out of the question, Chen Xing returned to the escalator.

’It’s better that the entrances are open anyway. I can loot quickly, and if there’s trouble, I can use any of them to escape.’

Chen Xing hesitated no longer and stepped onto the escalator.

But to her surprise, the stationary escalator suddenly lurched into motion the moment she stepped on it, letting out a grating screech.

Chen Xing was speechless. ’So the power isn’t out in the whole mall?’

Realizing the danger, Chen Xing scrambled up the moving steps.

At the same time, the stairwell door burst open. Zombies swarmed out, making a beeline for the escalator.

It turned out the door had only been propped shut, completely unable to hold back the zombies.

Chen Xing was fast. She led the zombies right out of the mall’s exit.

The zombies outside saw Chen Xing emerge and immediately swarmed toward her.

Chen Xing picked the direction with the fewest zombies and ran, leading the horde back toward the same parking garage entrance she’d used before.

She shook them off using the same trick as before and slipped back into the parking garage.

All the zombies from the stairwell were now outside, having been lured away by her. The coast was now clear.

Chen Xing opened the door and walked slowly up the stairs. She peered out from the first-floor entrance; the outside was just as quiet as where she was.

After glancing up at the security camera, she opened the door and went out.

’Being chased by all those zombies just now... that had to have been a deliberate trap.’

’And I’m not the type to take a loss lying down.’

Exiting the first-floor stairwell, Chen Xing very quietly cleared out all the restaurants on that level.

The person upstairs would never have guessed she’d ignore the supermarket and go for the restaurants instead. Several of the security cameras along her path didn’t even move.

Chen Xing glanced upstairs.

The supermarket was on the second floor. If she wasn’t mistaken, that mysterious person had to be there.

Chen Xing took the stairs, skipping the second floor and going straight to the third.

The third floor was mostly kids’ tutoring centers, with a few beauty salons mixed in. Uninterested, Chen Xing skipped it and went on to the fourth floor.

The fourth and fifth floors also had a number of scattered restaurants. She successfully avoided the cameras and cleaned out every single one.

’The second floor... The person who set a trap to put me in danger... I absolutely can’t let them get off easy.’

She entered the stairwell and immediately headed down.

The security camera swiveled periodically, accurately capturing its target.

As Chen Xing passed the third floor on her way down, a sudden crackle echoed out. The PA speaker above her head had abruptly turned on.

She couldn’t make out any words, but the screeching static was incredibly loud.

The sound, of course, lured the zombies from outside back into the mall.

’Alright... you’ve successfully pissed me off!’

Before the zombies arrived, Chen Xing sprinted to the supermarket entrance.

The rolling security gate at the entrance was down, blocking her way.

The roars of zombies could already be heard in the distance; it wouldn’t be long before they were upon her.

But Chen Xing wasn’t the least bit flustered. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a fire axe.

”Fuck! That’s one crazy bitch!” The person watching the monitor, which had captured the scene perfectly, had a sudden sense of foreboding, but it was already too late.

He watched as the ”crazy bitch” raised the axe and brought it down on the lock. The sturdy security gate immediately shot upward, retracting with a deafening racket.

In a flash, she was gone. In her wake, countless zombies poured into the supermarket.

He panned the cameras, trying to spot the crazy bitch inside the supermarket, but it was as if she had simply vanished. She was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Xing couldn’t turn invisible. As soon as she entered the supermarket, she had pinpointed the camera’s location, perfectly evaded its view, and climbed onto the thick pipes overhead.

If the zombies looked up, they would surely spot her, but... they wouldn’t, unless a sound drew their attention.

Before long, shouting erupted from deeper within the supermarket.

”Brother Li, don’t leave me! Brother Li...” The shouts were filled with despair. ”We promised we’d live or die together...”

”To hell with ’live or die together’! The most I’ll do is avenge you and kill that crazy bitch!” As he spoke, a sturdy man covered in blood appeared, a long blade in his hands. He was furiously cutting down zombies as he fought his way toward the exit.

’He’s impressive, I’ll give him that. Not giving up and carving a path through so many zombies... but he’s a dead man walking.’

The ”crazy bitch’s” sudden disappearance infuriated Brother Li. Even as he desperately fought for his life, he didn’t stop scanning the area for her.

But he couldn’t see her anywhere.

’Did she just fly away?’

After angrily cleaving a zombie’s head in two, Brother Li glanced up at the ceiling and saw her—Chen Xing, hiding on the pipes.

’This crazy bitch isn’t just insane, she’s cunning too!’

’I was all set to live a carefree life guarding this supermarket for a while. Who knew I’d run into a complete lunatic?’

’There’s no way I’m letting her get off this easy!’

Brother Li hefted his long blade and charged toward the pipes where Chen Xing was hiding.

He was incredibly strong; the zombies couldn’t even slow him down.

But when he got to the pipes, he realized they were at least four meters off the ground. No matter how high he jumped, he couldn’t reach.

”You fucking get down here!” Brother Li roared at Chen Xing while fending off zombies. ”I’m going to chop you into a million pieces!”

Chen Xing leaned back against the pipe, watching him with an unhurried gaze.

”Dammit!” Brother Li was furious, frustrated, and helpless. He swung his long blade a few times, but each slash fell just short.

His roars only agitated the zombies further, and they swarmed him, surrounding him in layer upon layer.

Brother Li was clawed and mauled, and soon there wasn’t an uninjured spot on his body.

”You fucking remember this! When I get back, I’m gonna strip you naked and throw you in the street for the monsters to eat!” Seeing his own life was in danger, Brother Li gave up on Chen Xing and fought his way toward the main entrance.

He ended up leading the zombie horde out of the supermarket. In the blink of an eye, the store fell silent.

Only when it was completely quiet did Chen Xing jump down from the pipes.

Inside the supermarket now, besides the man who had just died, lay the corpses of several zombies killed by Brother Li. Their Crystal Cores were all still intact.

After collecting the Crystal Cores, she did a sweep of the area. Only after confirming that no one else was around did she begin storing the supplies in her space.

Today’s haul was more than enough. With the time she had left, she could go look for things like gasoline and diesel.

Satisfied, she started walking toward the supermarket’s security gate when she heard footsteps rapidly approaching.

With nowhere else to hide besides the pipes, she climbed back up and looked toward the entrance.

The person who entered was Brother Li, covered in blood and his eyes blazing with fury.

’Even if I die today, I’m taking this damn woman with me!’

Seeing the now-empty supermarket, Brother Li froze for a moment. He then snapped his head up toward the pipes. ”Get the hell down here!”