Ch 100: My Multiverse Supermarket

Who wouldn’t want to own an island for free!?

Of course Zhou Li wanted one too.

But after traveling through so many worlds, it was hard for her to feel greed over material things anymore.

She and An Fengxuan might have arrived first, but they didn’t belong to this world. Even if they claimed the island today, someone else could take it over once they left.

Besides, the island wasn’t entirely unclaimed—if the Hirthus family ever came back, there would be endless disputes over ownership.

Still, Zhou Li didn’t plan to refuse outright.

If she declined too cleanly, what if Qi Jiayu’s group decided to take the island and drive her away?

She needed this island as a base while she roamed the world selling goods.

With that in mind, she asked, “What are your plans next?”

Qi Jiayu and the others thought Zhou Li was implying the island now belonged to her. That eased their own thoughts of claiming it—they hadn’t really wanted to in the first place.

Being the island master might sound nice, but that underground shelter full of zombies was another story.

If they didn’t clear them out, restarting the artificial island was impossible. Without functioning systems or resources, it was nothing but a deserted rock. Better to stock up from the supermarket and head for Lonewind Island.

Still, before making that decision, they hoped to establish a steady trade relationship with Zhou Li’s store.

“We don’t know where Lonewind (Gufeng) Island is yet,” Qi Jiayu said, “so we don’t have concrete plans.”

Fang Qin spoke more directly. “If possible, we’d like to travel with you. That way, we wouldn’t have to worry about supplies.”

Zhou Li immediately understood—they wanted to tag along because her little supermarket seemed to have a stable source of goods.

That, she was more than happy to accept.

An Fengxuan, knowing Zhou Li needed more customers anyway, said, “How about this—we take this island, clear the shelter, and restart the artificial systems.”

That suggestion caught everyone’s interest.

Qi Jiayu’s group grew visibly excited. “If we can clear the zombies, we wouldn’t need Lonewind Island—we could settle here!”

Zhou Li doused their enthusiasm. “I still have to find customers elsewhere. We won’t be staying put—we’ll be traveling the world.”

Fang Qin frowned. “Why can’t we just buy from you?”

“You’re too few,” Zhou Li said. “You couldn’t possibly consume all the inventory.”

Lin Xiaole almost said they could take their time eating through it—then she remembered. From the very beginning, Zhou Li had only seen them as customers.

So selling goods really was her goal.

They couldn’t understand it—who in their right mind would voluntarily sell precious resources in the apocalypse?

What was this supermarket’s real purpose?

“But if there are too many people,” Lin Xiaole argued, “won’t someone try to seize the store?”

Zhou Li smiled. “They can try.”

An Fengxuan laughed too, recalling past encounters. “Anyone who’s tried either died or ended up neck-deep in trouble.”

Qi Jiayu and her companions were once again reminded that this supermarket wasn’t ordinary at all.

If the shop really had the power to deal with looters, then An Fengxuan’s proposal sounded much more promising.

Zhou Li added, “We only open a few days each month. When the store is closed, both we and the supermarket will leave the island.”

Fang Qin immediately understood—Zhou Li wasn’t afraid of losing the store because she could take it with her. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. But if they wanted to hold this island, they’d have to defend it themselves once she was gone.

And if artificial islands could sail across the sea, then a walking supermarket didn’t sound that crazy.

“Let’s clear the zombies first,” An Fengxuan said.

“What’s your plan?” Qi Jiayu asked.

“Simple,” An Fengxuan replied. “We let them out. You all hide in the supermarket—shoot if you have guns, stab if you don’t.”

When it came to cunning alien creatures, strategy mattered. But zombies? Just charge in and smash.

Qi Jiayu’s group: …

“There are too many,” Fang Qin muttered. “They’d break through the glass doors in seconds.”

“I told you—the supermarket is absolutely safe,” said An Fengxuan. “If you’re scared, hide inside and let the boss protect you. I can lure them out tomorrow by myself.”

After some debate, they decided Qi Jiayu would join her while the others fortified the surrounding area.

Zhou Li overheard and blinked. “Wait—you have bombs?”

The three looked utterly calm. “Why wouldn’t we? If we have the materials, we make them ourselves.”

An Fengxuan frowned. “Aren’t those regulated?”

“It’s the apocalypse,” Fang Qin said dryly. “Who’s regulating anything? Plenty of arms shops sell openly. On many islands, it’s perfectly legal.”

Zhou Li: …

So this world was basically Apocalypse-America?

Even America didn’t allow free use of bombs! No wonder island rulers changed faster than clothes.

“Fine,” Zhou Li said, “but plant them far from the supermarket. If you damage it, the defense system will activate and you’ll be blacklisted.”

Fang Qin and Lin Xiaole exchanged a look and agreed to bury them about two hundred meters away.

*

Night fell.

The sea wind howled, waves crashed against the rocks.

Strange cries echoed from the dark waters, chilling everyone to the bone.

“What’s that sound?” An Fengxuan asked.

“Drowned corpses,” Qi Jiayu said calmly. They were used to it.

“They can’t come ashore,” Lin Xiaole explained, “so they stay near the coast and use their cries to lure prey.”

Zhou Li blinked. “…Does that actually work?”

Wasn’t that just advertising their position?

“The sound mimics sea creatures,” Fang Qin said. “People who’ve lived inland their whole lives get curious and go investigate—then the drowned ones ambush them.”

Zhou Li sighed. “So zombies really do have intelligence.”

“They evolve,” Qi Jiayu said grimly.

That thought troubled her.

As humans adapted and learned survival tactics, infections decreased.

In the first year of the outbreak, the global population—nearly ten billion—lost over a billion lives.

In the second and third years, when the virus peaked, more than six billion died.

The fourth year saw another two billion dead.

Now, halfway through the fifth year, around two hundred million had perished—some from the virus, others from hunger or human conflict.

According to scientific estimates, only six to seven hundred million people remained worldwide.

Aside from newborns, most survivors could handle a lone zombie with ease.

So the threat level had dropped significantly.

Humans were evolving—and so were zombies.

Some had developed jumping and climbing abilities; the drowned ones had learned to swim.

Fortunately, none had evolved into true amphibious creatures—if they did, humanity would never know peace again.

*

By ten p.m., the supermarket closed for the night.

Qi Jiayu’s group set up tents nearby.

Watching her looking refreshed after bathing, Fang Qin asked, “Feel good?”

“Very,” Qi Jiayu admitted.

Fang Qin gazed at the store. “Tomorrow I’ll ask the boss if we can fetch some water to wash up too.”

After so long at sea, they all reeked like salted fish. It was a miracle Zhou Li hadn’t kicked them out already.

Suddenly, a savory aroma drifted through the air. They turned—and saw Lin Xiaole holding a steaming package.

“What’s that?”

“Self-heating rice,” she said. “It cooks itself—no stove needed.”

She’d stocked up mostly on food and water, especially the ready-to-eat kind.

Fang Qin and Qi Jiayu had bought supplies too, but no self-heating meals, so they still had to boil water for instant noodles.

Lin Xiaole grinned. “We should buy more. Even on the raft, we could have hot rice without fire.”

Fang Qin laughed. “Once we clear the zombies and restart this island, what raft? We’ll live in the shelter—no sun, no rain, and air conditioning! The data says there’s seawater desalination equipment too. That means fresh water. Plus, plenty of fruit trees—we could have real fruit again.”

Lin Xiaole’s eyes widened. “You’re right…”

Qi Jiayu smiled faintly, clearly moved by the vision of such a future.

But Lin Xiaole soon frowned. “Still… can we really hold the island on our own?”

Fang Qin and Qi Jiayu exchanged glances.

After a long pause, Qi Jiayu said, “Maybe we should suggest to the boss that we head to Lonewind Island first.”

They had given up on that idea earlier—but aside from Lonewind Island’s leader, there was no other trustworthy armed force left in the world.

The next day, after hearing their proposal, Zhou Li fell into thought.

“You know the island’s ruler?” she asked.

Lin Xiaole shook her head. “Not personally, but we’ve heard about her over the radio.”

Lonewind Island’s new ruler was Xu Jiayi, once a major under General De’an.

The island had been under the general’s control—until his youngest son seized it for himself.

He extorted travelers, taxed ships, and assaulted the island’s women.

Xu Jiayi, stationed there with five hundred soldiers, repeatedly tried to stop him—only to face harassment and assassination attempts.

Finally, one stormy night a year ago, she snapped—leading her troops in a bloody coup.

She purged the general’s loyalists and stabilized the island through sheer force.

Since then, she’d repelled every retaliation fleet and forced General De’an into negotiation, earning official recognition as Lonewind Island’s new ruler.

Though the general’s family still plotted against her and blockaded the island, travelers said its order and safety were unmatched.

If not for the blockade cutting off supplies, Lonewind Island would already be a paradise in the apocalypse.

…

Zhou Li made no comment on the island’s bloody history.

But hearing that its supplies were scarce instantly piqued her interest.

Where there was shortage, there was business.

As for General De’an’s vendetta?

Zhou Li was sure that if Xu Jiayi was as smart as her reputation suggested, she’d find a way to help Qi Jiayu’s group protect this artificial island too.

☢️☢️☢️