Ch 113: My Multiverse Supermarket

Zhou Li and her small supermarket had stayed long enough in the zombie-ridden world. She still had other worlds to visit, so she asked Qi Jiayu to issue a notice announcing that Newborn Island would be closed.

On the day of closure, no one would be allowed to enter or leave the island.

Qi Jiayu knew this meant the Little Boss’s departure was imminent, and she did everything she could to cooperate.

Du Xiaogan said, “Even though there aren’t many people on the island, there will still be some who try to sneak in.”

She knew this well—after all, she herself had once snuck in.

Qi Jiayu replied, “Then we’ll have to ask Major Xu to assist.”

Although Xu Jiayi didn’t understand why Newborn Island needed to be closed, she had benefited greatly from her cooperation with them, so she was willing to dispatch patrol boats to stop any Lonewind Island civilians from crossing.

Still, she warned Qi Jiayu, “Su Wujun’s ships haven’t left yet. The Li family may soon send people to condemn Newborn Island.”

Li Zairen had been desperate to divert the Li family’s attention, but once news spread that the Su family had begun trading with Newborn Island, the loss of his three escort ships would surely become the perfect excuse for them to launch an attack.

Xu Jiayi even suspected that Newborn Island’s closure might be a strategic move to avoid conflict with the Li family.

…

Zhou Li herself had no idea that her decision to close the island would spark so many speculations.

Her original plan was to announce the closure, stay for two more days, and deliberately lure out whoever was watching in the shadows—so she could make an example of them.

But An Fengxuan told her, “Real snakes don’t show themselves when you start rattling the grass. They’ll wait. Their strike will come days later. How long can you afford to stay here?”

Zhou Li thought about it and agreed.

The first three days after closure would be filled with Lonewind Island civilians trying to sneak in.

Even if they triggered the island’s defense system and got punished, it wouldn’t stop the Li and Su families from sending scouts later.

By the third day, both families would likely dispatch suicide squads to test the waters.

If Zhou Li wasn’t around and the defense system didn’t activate, they would soon realize that Newborn Island’s strength was only a facade.

By the time Zhou Li returned, the island could already have changed hands.

Qi Jiayu and the others were deeply troubled.

Then Du Xiaogan, confused, asked, “What exactly happens after the island is closed?”

Everyone fell silent—they had forgotten that since joining the logistics team, Du Xiaogan had begun attending meetings.

But they had never told her about the Little Boss’s origins or the true situation of Newborn Island.

Qi Jiayu turned to Zhou Li. “Should we tell her?”

Zhou Li smiled faintly. “I’ll explain.”

She paused, then said to Du Xiaogan, “You may have already guessed—Newborn Island wasn’t built by us. As for its origins, I won’t go into detail. You can check the archives at the operations center if you’re curious.

“What you need to know is this: I’m leaving to find medicine that can treat your sister. It’ll take around ten to twenty days. During that time, the island’s defensive systems will temporarily shut down. Any armed group could seize Newborn Island easily.”

Zhou Li wasn’t lying.

She did plan to travel to the interstellar realm to purchase an Orka energy core to replace the island’s current power source—and she’d also look for a cure for ALS—but that wasn’t her main reason for leaving.

Still, the promise of a possible cure was motivation enough to ensure Du Xiaogan would never betray Newborn Island’s secret.

Du Xiaogan’s eyes hardened with determination. “I’ll protect Newborn Island with my life.”

Qi Jiayu said, “That’s admirable—but we can’t defend it alone.”

Du Xiaogan thought for a while. “Maybe we can cooperate with Major Xu. Have her station troops here while the Little Boss is away. But Newborn Island might need to offer her something in return.”

Qi Jiayu asked, “What could she want besides supplies?”

“She wants to break Lonewind Island’s blockade.”

Buying resources from Newborn Island helped, yes—but the Li family’s blockade still strangled her operations.

She couldn’t just stay on the defensive forever. To survive, she’d have to strike back someday—but she lacked the power to do so.

Du Xiaogan then asked Zhou Li, “As long as you’re here, the defense system works, right?”

“Yes,” Zhou Li said. “But it only reacts defensively.”

Du Xiaogan smiled slightly. “Then that means Newborn Island really does have the strength to destroy escort ships. That’s exactly what Major Xu needs. The Little Boss can move Newborn Island closer to the Dusa Archipelago. The Li family won’t dare touch it, and if they attack, they’ll be countered. When they’re too busy fending for themselves, the blockade around Lonewind will crumble.”

A sly glint flickered in her eyes.

Zhou Li: …

So she wanted Newborn Island to play the troublemaker.

An Fengxuan leaned in and whispered, “Little Boss, that’s actually a great plan. Our original goal in taking Newborn Island was to open the supermarket to the whole world, wasn’t it? If we’re going global, swinging by Dusa along the way isn’t a big deal.”

Zhou Li sighed. “…Fine. So who’s going to negotiate with Major Xu?”

“I’ll do it,” Qi Jiayu volunteered.

She had always handled external affairs, and now that they had a clear direction and bargaining chip, it made sense for her to take the lead.

No one objected.

…

After negotiations, Xu Jiayi agreed to send fifty soldiers to Newborn Island for patrol and defense duty.

Before Zhou Li departed, An Fengxuan handed Du Xiaogan a doll and a stack of talisman papers.

Du Xiaogan blinked. “What’s this?”

An Fengxuan explained, “Take one drop of your sister’s blood and smear it on the doll’s forehead. Then place one of these talismans on someone else. That person will mimic your sister’s movements exactly.”

Du Xiaogan frowned. “Wouldn’t that make them unable to move?”

An Fengxuan smiled sweetly.

And suddenly Du Xiaogan understood—this was meant as a weapon. Anyone who broke into the island and got marked would instantly lose all mobility, just like her paralyzed sister.

An Fengxuan added, “The doll must carry your sister’s blood. The person marked by the talisman will move in sync with her until the paper is torn off.”

Du Xiaogan thought of everyone on the island and realized no one’s movements were more restricted than her sister’s.

She opened her mouth as if to object, but An Fengxuan cut her off. “It’s borrowed, not gifted. You don’t need to know what it is.”

Why Du Xiaogan, specifically?

Because, in An Fengxuan’s eyes, she was skilled yet predictable—the perfect choice.

So Du Xiaogan said nothing more.

Soon after, she and the others watched as the small supermarket vanished before their eyes.

Lin Xiaole’s eyes bulged wide. “They’re not… aliens, are they? Maybe that house was actually a spaceship?”

“Why not deities?” Fang Qin suggested. “Fengxuan feels more like a being with divine powers.”

Qi Jiayu asked thoughtfully, “Do you think they might be connected to the zombie virus? I don’t mean they caused it, but… could they have a cure or vaccine?”

Du Xiaogan shook her head. “If they did, they would’ve used it by now.”

After all, the Little Boss already had access to drugs that could treat ALS. If she had a cure for the zombie virus, she wouldn’t hide it.

*

After sending An Fengxuan back to the Infinite Realm for vacation, Zhou Li returned briefly to Earth.

She restocked her supermarket’s warehouse and ordered a fresh shipment of vegetables from local farmers.

She added several new fruits and vegetables to the inventory and expanded the meat selection beyond just pork to include beef and lamb.

The system questioned her. “If you want produce and meat, you could just buy them through the auction hub.”

Zhou Li replied, “The supermarket’s sales volume might have skyrocketed since we added more worlds, but it’s still a small supermarket. I want it to stay that way—at least on the surface.”

Ever since she became a supplier across worlds, her trades often reached billions in value. Sometimes she forgot she even ran a supermarket.

But she didn’t want to lose herself in the multiverse. She couldn’t forget who she was—or what she stood for.

So on Earth, she still ran her shop as if it were just a modest local store making under a thousand yuan a day.

Once she had the new products and prices synced to the store’s app, she finally relaxed.

That’s when Mu Kun wandered in.

The moment she entered, she noticed a large basket of colorful stones on the counter—each about the size of a pigeon egg, irregularly shaped, crystal clear but neither gemstone nor glass.

Zhou Li was sealing them in OPP plastic bags.

Mu Kun glanced at the unfinished labels. “Sea fluorite? Is that a type of fluorite?”

Zhou Li looked surprised. “You know fluorite, Aunt Mu?”

Mu Kun gave a small laugh. “Of course I do. I know every kind of pretty gem there is. But I’ve never heard of sea fluorite—and I’ve certainly never seen fluorite this beautiful.”

Zhou Li smiled. “It’s a new craft stone. A bit pricey, though.”

“Oh, it’s an ornament stone! Perfect—I’ve been meaning to fix my necklace.” Mu Kun began picking a few pieces out of the basket.

She hesitated, though, because they were expensive—499 yuan each for a 50-gram stone.

Zhou Li had bought the sea fluorite from the zombie world through the auction system at 7 yuan per gram.

Since she thought it might be useful in the magic world, she purchased all of it under the supermarket’s account—about 350 yuan per piece. Selling them at 499 yuan meant a profit of 149 yuan each.

Mu Kun ended up choosing three.

Zhou Li blinked in surprise. “Aunt Mu, you’re buying three?”

“The other two are gifts,” she said cheerfully. “My friend’s daughter is getting married—I’ll have them made into earrings and a hairpiece.”

Zhou Li thought about it. The auction system hadn’t flagged any radiation or health hazards, so she said nothing.

“Give me a discount, hmm?” Mu Kun grinned.

Zhou Li was used to small-town bargaining. It would’ve been strange not to haggle over something this expensive.

“Alright, 20 percent off for Aunt Mu,” she said.

Both sides were satisfied—Zhou Li still profited, and Mu Kun felt she’d scored a deal.

By the time Zhou Li finished packaging a few dozen stones, night had fallen.

She placed the basket under the counter, then left to pick up An Fengxuan.

*

After several days, Zhou Li finally arrived at the interstellar realm again. The tense situation on Planet Mia had eased somewhat.

When Lin Jianshan came to work, Zhou Li learned that Julia Bates had officially announced a short-term migration program—recruiting technicians from across the planet to join Mia’s engineers aboard the orbital station.

The public welcomed it. As long as there were no fees and as long as someone was still trying to keep them alive, they were on board.

Julia had even mentioned that Good Life Supermarket would provide material support for the initiative.

With such generous benefits—guaranteed food and supplies for participants and their families—technicians were eager to sign up.

After Bates Industries joined the supermarket’s alliance, Wolf Pharmaceuticals could no longer resist pressure and approached the mayor, the Richter family, and the Bates family to negotiate peace.

In this new climate of loosened restrictions, Zhou Li successfully acquired a large batch of medicine.

☢️☢️☢️