Chapter Four: The Watermelon Shows Its Might

It seems the zombies’ weakness lies in their brains—once struck, they die instantly.

Qi Xi glanced at Li Feidao, who was patrolling nearby, recalling the man’s swift and decisive axe swing moments ago, and how, even after being splattered with zombie brain matter, he remained calm and unflustered. Qi Xi thought to himself, this man is far from ordinary.

The supermarket was dimly lit. Qi Xi squinted as he opened the cigarette cabinet, took out three packs of soft Zhonghua, slipped them into his pocket, grabbed two lighters, and put them away as well. Only then did he pick up a large plastic bag and leap out from behind the counter.

Once out, Qi Xi didn’t hurry deeper inside. Next to the counter was a display of small items—condoms, Dove chocolates, Yida chewing gum, and the like. The best choice was, of course, the Dove chocolate; high-calorie foods were the most precious. Qi Xi stuffed all three large boxes of chocolate into his bag. With that done, he turned away without hesitation.

Closer to the counter was a row of shelves stacked with beverages. Qi Xi grabbed two bottles of mineral water and five cans of Red Bull, putting them all into his bag. He didn’t take more; if too heavily laden, and zombies gave chase, he’d have to abandon his hard-won supplies for the sake of speed. That was the logic, though most people, when faced with such choices, wouldn’t be able to resist their greed and would take as much as they could carry, heedless of how it might slow them down.

After collecting the drinks, Qi Xi hurried into the inner aisles.

Fatty Nan was there, clutching a marinated chicken leg. Qi Xi came over and swept quail eggs, tea eggs, chicken legs, and wings into his bag.

He was so close to Nan that he could almost hear the man’s heavy breathing and the constant sound of him swallowing; clearly, he was starving. In the darkness, Qi Xi couldn’t see Nan’s face, but the glint in his tiny, slit-like eyes was pure greed—food! Food! He was shouting with excitement inside as he stuffed more and more into his bag.

Qi Xi only put a dozen or so packs of food in before turning to fetch other supplies—bread, instant noodles, candy, all on his “shopping list.” But just then, a loud crash erupted as a shelf toppled over nearby and a shadowy figure approached.

It was too dark for Qi Xi to make out who it was, but something about its movement set him on edge. He quickly activated his world observation skill—but before he could get a good look, the shadow was already upon them, only five meters away.

At such close range, both Qi Xi and Nan were immediately assaulted by a choking stench and a deep, rough growl.

A zombie!

Their scalps tingled with shock, caught completely off guard and at such proximity.

“Aaah!” Nan shrieked, his voice loud as a slaughtered pig, terror in his eyes, his fat quivering. Then, in a panic, he spun around and charged toward Qi Xi, almost barreling into him.

“You fat pig! What do you think you’re doing?”

Qi Xi was furious. That scream would draw even more zombies, and now the panicked Nan was charging right at him. With his bulk, if he crashed into Qi Xi, Nan would barely be slowed, but Qi Xi would surely fall—and become the zombie’s first target. On the ground, Qi Xi would be defenseless; even as a transmigrator, he’d be as good as dead if bitten. Death here was final, no matter your status—whether working for the gods or leading a team, once you died in another world, the gods couldn’t help you. Humans were expendable; the gods could always recruit more and compensate families as per the rules. For the gods, money was limitless.

Cursing, Qi Xi leapt sideways, ramming into the adjacent shelf with all his strength, knocking it over.

With a crash, Qi Xi tumbled among the fallen goods, quickly rolling and scrambling away. Fatty Nan had already fled ten meters, clutching his kitchen knife in terror. The zombie pressed on, its cloudy eyes brimming with murderous hunger—pure instinct.

Qi Xi gripped his chopsticks tightly, eyes fixed on the zombie. The item’s description had been disappointing, but it told him one vital thing: he couldn’t kill a zombie with chopsticks. He needed a better weapon. Not far away was the home appliance section—there’d be kitchen knives and fruit knives there.

Luckily, at that moment, Li Feidao came running, dragging his axe behind him. Seeing him approach, Nan visibly relaxed but continued to retreat, step by step, facing off with the zombie.

“Careful. Don’t lose the food,” Li Feidao said, striding toward the zombie with his axe, exuding a reckless, domineering aura. He focused intently, ready to strike.

But things changed in a flash.

Suddenly, another zombie burst into view, lunging at them.

Two zombies now!

Li Feidao froze, eyes wide. He could handle one, but two was another story. If he got careless and was scratched, he’d soon turn into one himself. After striking a zombie’s head, his axe might get stuck—then the danger would be even greater.

Qi Xi held his breath, grabbing a can of Red Bull from his pocket, prepared to use his skill [Thirty Years of Single-Minded Focus] and hurl it with fifty percent more strength. At this range, he could smash a zombie’s skull open—maybe not kill it outright, but it wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

The first zombie growled and lunged.

Li Feidao gritted his teeth, already thinking of retreat—he never risked his life on uncertain odds. Survival came first!

“Run!” he shouted, urging Nan and Qi Xi to flee while he himself turned to sprint for the exit.

But just then, a lithe figure sprang down from the shelves above. Even in the faint light, Qi Xi recognized him at once from his clothing and build—it was Xigua, who had been missing earlier.

Xigua, clutching a dagger, leapt down from the shelves. He kicked the zombie in front square in the nose, sending it tumbling. Its head cracked against the floor with a sickening thud, and brains mixed with blood began to seep out. The wound was severe, though not fatal, but the zombie was stunned and unable to get up, only able to let out weak whimpers.

After toppling the zombie, Xigua performed a midair flip and landed lightly on his feet. By then, the second zombie was upon them, but Xigua charged, dagger in hand, utterly fearless.

Nan and Li Feidao stood transfixed.

A master! Incredible!

His moves were like something out of an action film—fluid, seamless, absolutely stunning.

“This guy…” Li Feidao and Nan had stopped running, staring in disbelief at Xigua’s display.

Xigua dashed at the attacking zombie, leapt up, stepped on the head of the fallen one, and used it as a springboard to vault horizontally, both legs slamming into the zombie’s abdomen and sending it flying. Gravity being what it was, he crashed heavily to the ground but immediately sprang to his feet, spun around, and finished off the stunned zombie on the ground with a swift knife thrust—ending it for good.

The other zombie had already climbed back up and was charging again.

But Xigua showed no fear. The zombie’s movements were far too slow.

Armed with memories from his past life and various combat skills, even if he couldn’t execute them perfectly in this world, handling one or two zombies posed no challenge at all.

With a swift sidestep, he was beside the zombie. His dagger plunged into its brain, stirring viciously. The zombie collapsed, motionless. Retrieving his blade, Xigua acted as if nothing had happened, picked up the plastic bag on the ground, and walked toward Qi Xi and the others.