Chapter 18: Searching the Shopping Mall

This pharmacy was quite substantial, spanning at least three or four thousand square meters. Rows of shelves were arranged neatly, and inside, it was deathly silent; for the moment, there was no sign of any zombies.

Qin Zhong hesitated slightly before slowly closing the two glass doors of the pharmacy. Seeing that there were two other doors on the left and right sides leading to adjacent shops, he walked over and closed those as well.

As he was closing the glass door leading to the neighboring store, Qin Zhong’s pupils contracted slightly. Opposite them was a bookstore, and between the shelves, he could see three zombies wandering about. Fortunately, their backs were turned toward him, and they had not yet discovered him.

With all the glass doors secured, Qin Zhong breathed a slight sigh of relief in the relatively enclosed space. Being the only person in the massive pharmacy, he could finally relax for a moment.

Soon, Qin Zhong found some traditional Chinese medicine on one of the shelves meant for promoting blood circulation and treating internal injuries. After taking the medicine according to the instructions, he found bandages to wrap the wound on his knee, then found a corner and lay down.

The medication was quite effective. A day passed, and by evening, Qin Zhong felt that his internal injuries had healed by about forty or fifty percent. He couldn't help but feel much more at ease; after taking the medicine for another two days at most, his injuries should be completely healed.

Once he had idle time, Qin Zhong began to let his mind wander. He thought of the betrayal by Yang Xin and Wu Qian; if he could make it back alive this time, he would definitely make that pair of scoundrels pay.

But then he thought that since he had been betrayed, his old brothers likely wouldn't fare well either. Aside from those who had turned on him, he estimated that the rest were either exiled or killed.

If that were the case, he doubted that returning alone would allow him to do anything about Yang Xin. After all, Yang Xin controlled the shelter and had grown significantly stronger.

Facing so many people in the shelter all by himself, he wouldn't be a match for them, no matter how good he was at fighting.

Thinking of this, Qin Zhong rubbed his temples with a headache, unable to come up with any good ideas for the time being.

Should he find a few more partners, form a small team, wait for Sun Xiaoyan to get him some equipment, and then go back for revenge?

Although it wasn't impossible, it would take time. Even if he gradually grew stronger, the enemy wouldn't just be standing still; they would likely be growing stronger as well.

It was like a game of elimination; the advantages would cancel each other out, and ultimately, it would come down to which side had the more substantial strength.

By comparison, having lost control of the shelter, he was definitely inferior to that traitor Yang Xin in terms of overall power, which was exactly where Qin Zhong’s frustration lay.

Just then, a thought struck Qin Zhong, and he remembered the pentagram the woman had mentioned earlier.

Although the woman had insisted until her dying breath that he should not go there, to be honest, in his heart, Qin Zhong was still extremely curious about this pentagram.

He even had an intuition that perhaps this pentagram could make him stronger. Once that thought took hold, Qin Zhong became restless.

The woman had said that zombies and mutated animals were haunting Henglong Plaza, seemingly vying for that pentagram.

According to this, no one had obtained the pentagram yet, but if he waited too long, it was hard to say. Almost instantly, Qin Zhong decided that he needed to head to Henglong Plaza as soon as possible.

As he was now, he didn't want to give up any opportunity to strengthen himself, even if that opportunity was elusive.

However, although Qin Zhong was anxious, traveling to Henglong Plaza was a huge risk. Therefore, he had to recover from his injuries first, and he could use these few days of recovery to thoroughly explore this shopping mall.

Truth be told, the environment of this mall was actually quite good. The skylight on the dome was enormous, the size of half a football field.

If he shattered the glass on the dome, the mall would not only be much brighter, but the air quality would also improve significantly. If it rained, he could even solve his future water supply problems.

In the atrium garden on the first floor, Qin Zhong had already observed green and red fruits among the leaves; they were likely apples or oranges. If they were watered by rain, his future fruit supply would be constant.

Most importantly, as a large, comprehensive shopping mall, the stored supplies must be very rich. If he managed to kill Yang Xin later, he could turn this place into a new shelter.

As Qin Zhong’s mind wandered, night began to fall. He ate a little something, leaned against the wall, and gradually drifted into a fitful sleep.

Throughout the night, Qin Zhong woke up several times. It was mainly because he had no sense of security in such a strange environment, making it hard to sleep soundly.

Moreover, with only a layer of glass separating him from the man-eating zombies in front and on the sides, how could he possibly sleep peacefully?

...

When the skylight on the dome began to glow with a grayish-white light, a new day had arrived.

Qin Zhong stood up from the corner of the pharmacy and stretched hard, feeling that his internal injuries were healing even faster than he had expected.

Looking toward the glass door leading to the bookstore, Qin Zhong thought that since he was fine for now, he might as well explore this mall first, which could also serve as preparation for building his future base.

Furthermore, he needed to further hone his strength. To improve his ability quickly, the best way was to learn and grow through constant killing. Once the thought occurred, he acted on it; Qin Zhong decided to start with those few zombies in the bookstore.

He drew his Miao saber, practiced a few phantom slashes, packed his gear, and opened the door into the bookstore.

He hadn't walked many steps along the aisle before he saw a male zombie wandering back and forth between two rows of bookshelves, suddenly letting out a howl.

This zombie was not one of the female zombies he had seen the day before; it seemed there were at least four zombies in the bookstore.

The zombie had its back to Qin Zhong, its body swaying. Qin Zhong walked quietly behind it and hummed softly. The zombie heard the noise and turned around. Qin Zhong did not hesitate and thrust his blade toward it.

The bookshelves on either side were in the way, and unlike the situation at the apartment complex where he could stab through a security gate with time to aim, this thrust went directly into the zombie’s chest and missed any vital organs.

The zombie let out a howl and pushed forward against the blade with such strength that Qin Zhong’s feet slid backward.

Seeing that things were going poorly, Qin Zhong quickly jumped back to a slightly wider area. A zombie’s greatest weak point was its head; normally, as long as he damaged its head, he would essentially win.

Seeing the zombie lunging at him, Qin Zhong took aim at its neck and slashed down violently. With a thud, he didn't waste any more energy; the zombie’s hideous head rolled directly onto the floor.

The commotion here alerted the other three female zombies in the bookstore. They surrounded him from three sides, their approach fierce, knocking over three or four bookshelves in the process.

Seeing the three zombies lunging at him, Qin Zhong realized that even though they were small, thin female zombies, he couldn't guarantee his own safety if he faced all three at once.

If he were accidentally bitten or scratched, his life might be forfeit. Thinking of this, Qin Zhong hurriedly darted past a few rows of bookshelves and hid.

Fortunately, while these zombies had great strength, their speed and agility were not high, and they didn't manage to track Qin Zhong. After losing his trail, the three female corpses dispersed in confusion.

After hiding for a while, hearing the noise subside, Qin Zhong moved quickly through the shelves, using them as cover to lure the three female corpses out one by one into the open and finishing them off individually.