Chapter Twenty-Seven: Occupation

"Who goes there?" Seeing Shen Lie approaching with such fierce momentum, the four men guarding the supermarket entrance finally noticed something amiss. They shouted a warning, aiming their weapons at him—one held a pistol, the other three brandished long machetes.

"Don't take another step, or you'll be killed on the spot!"

Bang!

After two warnings, Shen Lie still did not pause. The guard with the pistol glared, sneered viciously, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

As the gunshot rang out, Shen Lie's figure flickered, instantly appearing before the shooter. Smiling, he reached out lightly and took the pistol from the guard’s hand.

Everyone was stunned by Shen Lie’s move, even Zhang Jing and Li Cheng beside him. Shen Lie was rather satisfied with the effect; the two Phantom Mushrooms he had just absorbed had increased his internal energy substantially, opening up many new possibilities. That was the main reason he decided to act immediately.

Of course, it wasn’t that his speed was faster than a bullet—rather, he anticipated the attack and moved just as the guard raised his hand and pulled the trigger. It was a matter of foresight; once the bullet left the chamber, even with its power diminished, he couldn’t dodge it at such close range—not yet, at least.

"Are you... Are you an Awakened?" The guard who fired stared at Shen Lie’s golden right hand, his face blanching as he retreated in panic. The other three guards were equally unsettled, thrown into chaos.

But their panic was brief. A moment later, the guard with the pistol regained his composure and addressed Shen Lie with respectful anticipation: "I didn’t know an Awakened had arrived. My earlier actions were not intentional. Our Lord Xiao is not at home. May I ask your business here?"

The guard had likely guessed Shen Lie’s identity. In such a small place, the appearance of an Awakened had become common knowledge soon after Shen Lie arrived. Yet this guard, confident in having a ‘King’ backing him, managed to keep his cool—though he emphasized the words ‘Lord Xiao’ with particular force.

"Lord Xiao? He won’t be coming back," Shen Lie replied with a hint of amusement. He played with the pistol in his hand, then suddenly gripped it tightly and fired a shot at the guard before him.

The guard, not being Awakened, didn’t even have time to react before falling dead, becoming another victim of Shen Lie's gun. The remaining three guards, terrified, shouted and fled back into the supermarket.

Shen Lie glanced at the fallen guard, strangely feeling no discomfort after the kill—as if he had merely crushed a spider. The sensation left him bewildered. Was he, by nature, ruthless and cold-hearted? Of course, the guard had deserved his fate; his habit of shooting at the slightest provocation made it clear he’d shed plenty of blood since the world’s end.

Shen Lie’s shot had completely shattered the nerve of the other three guards, who retreated into the supermarket amid terrified screams. From inside, Shen Lie heard the chaos: shouting, confusion, people stumbling.

"Open the door!"

As Shen Lie finished speaking, Li Cheng finally shook off his shock, hurried forward, and opened the supermarket door, entering first.

Though not as large as the famous supermarkets in big cities, this store was substantial. The ground floor alone spanned roughly one hundred and fifty square meters, and the building was four stories high—crowded, it could house a hundred people.

Originally, the first floor was where vegetables and fruit were sold, but now all the shelves had been cleared. Around forty or fifty people, armed with an assortment of weapons, gathered in the main hall and by the stairs. When Shen Lie entered, a stir erupted.

"Who are you? This is Lord Xiao’s territory. You must have nerves of steel to stir up trouble here!" Amid the confusion, a middle-aged man in a red shirt stepped forward, holding a short pistol identical to the guard’s.

This town hadn’t been a military zone; likely, these guns came from the police station after the disaster hit. Xiao Gang, as one of the first Awakened, would naturally secure the most important supplies.

Li Cheng leaned close to Shen Lie and whispered, letting him know that the man in red was Xiao Gang’s brother, the second-in-command here. On the other side, a woman with cold, venomous eyes watched Shen Lie—Xiao Gang’s sister, nicknamed the Poison Flower. Rumor had it she delighted in tormenting handsome young men, a true sadist.

Shen Lie glanced at her in surprise; she sensed his gaze, curled her lips into a savage smile, and even licked them with her tongue.

Shen Lie shook his head inwardly. The chaos of the apocalypse seemed to amplify people's deepest urges, especially the dark emotions long repressed—the deeper the suppression, the more violent the rebound.

Yet he had no time to dwell on these matters, nor any interest in the thoughts of those around him. He didn’t even bother to announce Xiao Gang’s death. With a single sweep of his black spear, he closed in on the red-shirted man and knocked him out in a daze, then followed up with a blow to the twisted woman, who also collapsed.

"No one move. Hands on your head, squat on the floor. Anyone who makes a move will be executed immediately!" Shen Lie stood in the center of the crowd, his voice icy.

The reputation of the Awakened—backed by his decisive actions—left no one daring to resist. All obediently squatted with hands on their heads, some trembling uncontrollably.

"You, you, and you two—go upstairs and bring everyone down. If anyone isn’t down in three minutes, they’ll be shot where they stand, no matter who they are!" Shen Lie gestured casually, selecting a few to search for those who hadn’t come down.

The four exchanged uncertain glances, but lacked the courage to object. They stood and hurried upstairs.

The takeover went smoothly. The supermarket housed around sixty people, mostly men, with just over twenty women—a portion belonging to Xiao Gang’s family, the rest his henchmen. Upon learning that Xiao Gang was dead, these people lost all will to resist, leaving them only confused about the future.

Several tried to approach Shen Lie, seeking a new protector. But he had no intention of ruling the town, ignored their ingratiating faces, and handed off the aftermath to Li Cheng before heading up to the fourth floor.

From his interrogation, Shen Lie learned that Xiao Gang had always lived on the fourth floor, which was reserved entirely for him. Not even his brother or sister were allowed up; anyone else who entered without invitation faced a brutal death.

Zhang Jing followed closely behind Shen Lie as they ascended. The second and third floors were occupied by others and were filthy, reeking of various odors. But as soon as they reached the fourth floor, the atmosphere changed.

The entire hall was meticulously tidy. The original shelves remained, some still stocked with unopened toiletries and snacks.

Most striking was a large desk on one side of the hall. Its former purpose was unclear, but now it was covered with textbooks and teaching materials: physics, chemistry, English, political science, with the greatest number being history and language. Shen Lie even spotted a half-written lesson plan, causing him to pause in surprise.

"It seems Xiao Gang had a taste for life. If the apocalypse hadn’t happened, he’d likely have been a fine teacher," Shen Lie mused, picking up the lesson plan. The ink was fresh—this man had been preparing lessons even in such dire circumstances, truly devoted to his profession.

"Come, let’s take a look over there." Shen Lie put down the lesson plan and pointed to a nearby metal door.

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

The metal door was locked, but that posed no obstacle for Shen Lie. With a few strokes of the black spear, he sliced the iron door into pieces, then tore it off entirely using his pale golden right hand.

Seeing this, Zhang Jing’s eyes burned with admiration, and she unconsciously drew closer to Shen Lie.

The room was small: a double bed against the wall, a cabinet at the head, and a safe in the corner—these were the only furnishings.

Shen Lie was surprised; it was far different from what he’d expected, and he felt a hint of disappointment.

He’d thought he might find something valuable here, considering the man had been a ‘King’ for three months—surely there should be some good stockpiles, perhaps even Phantom Mushrooms. Now, it seemed unlikely.

After searching under the bed and in the cabinet, he found nothing but a few books. Silently grumbling, Shen Lie turned his attention to the safe.