Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 374: Chapter 364: Qiao Jin’s Aunt

But things were different for them now. Zhao Huan patted the large backpack on his back.

Now that they’d struck it rich overnight, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try some of the things they hadn’t dared to do before.

’It’s just seven or eight pieces of bait. Gambling them for a whole supermarket? Totally worth it!’

”Let’s go!”

Zhao Huan had originally thought it was too dangerous with so many Red-eyed Meat Dragons gathered there, and he’d wanted everyone else to wait somewhere safe.

But this was a supermarket! A supermarket that had very likely never been looted!

No one was going to pass up an opportunity like this. Besides, the Zhao Brothers were going to feed the Red-eyed Meat Dragons with bait first, so there was nothing to worry about.

Fortune favors the bold, after all. When you’re about to starve to death, a little risk like this is nothing.

Soon enough, Zhao Huan was tossing the bait into the Meat Dragons’ mouths, one by one.

The Meat Dragons, which had been charging them with glowing red eyes, immediately became docile after eating. They shed their violent rage, turning into a bunch of goofy simpletons.

A charge from seven or eight Red-eyed Meat Dragons was a terrifying sight. Their fangs and claws made many in the group squeeze their eyes shut and back away, terrified the creatures would be on them in the next second.

But Zhao Huan, Zhao Yu, and Zhao Tian, if nothing else, had plenty of experience feeding Meat Dragons after leading the team for so long.

The three of them worked in perfect concert, precisely tossing the seven or eight pieces of bait into each Meat Dragon’s mouth in just over ten seconds.

”Time is short! Hurry!”

With the danger outside cleared, Zhao Huan waved for everyone to hurry inside.

After all, a supermarket like this was a massive draw for Red-eyed Meat Dragons. Even if this batch was pacified for now, there was no guarantee a new wave wouldn’t show up soon. The safest bet was to get in and out quickly.

When they reached the supermarket entrance, however, they found the main doors were locked tight from the inside.

”Ram it!”

Even before Zhao Huan could give the order, everyone started ramming the door on their own.

’Are you kidding me? If not now, when? Were they supposed to wait for the Meat Dragons to come back and surround them?’

The supermarket doors weren’t very sturdy to begin with. Under the combined force of the group, they quickly began to shudder.

”Stop! Stop ramming the door! There’s someone in here!”

A panicked woman’s voice came from inside.

’So there *is* someone inside. That means there must be tons of food in the supermarket!’

They’d already paid a steep price. So what if someone was inside? The crowd was already worked into a frenzy; there was no way they would give up now.

Everyone started ramming the door with even more force.

”BANG!”

The Meat Dragons would regain consciousness soon. Right now, time was Life. The door was quickly smashed open.

Everyone poured inside like a crazed mob, terrified that being a step too slow would cost them the precious chance to get food.

Fortunately, while it wasn’t a huge supermarket, it was a fairly large chain convenience store. The Space inside was large, able to accommodate all fifty-plus people.

”Don’t take that! Don’t! All of this is mine! You thieves!”

The woman at the door continued to shriek, her voice already hoarse.

But no one paid her voice any mind. She was like a mosquito buzzing in their ears—utterly ineffective, and at most, a little annoying.

The scene inside the supermarket was enough to drive anyone mad. Goods were packed tightly on the shelves, like a bountiful orchard waiting to be harvested.

”Fuck, the gamble paid off.”

Zhao Huan’s blood boiled as he took in the scene. He, Zhao Tian, and Zhao Yu charged toward the food section like rabid wolves, scrambling for food alongside everyone else.

In a supermarket like this, all rules were long gone. There was a finite amount of goods, and whatever you could grab was yours.

Everyone had a single destination: the food section.

Aunt Hua had already shoved Xiao Bao into Da Bao’s arms. She rolled up her sleeves and dove into the crowd.

Tang Mo, however, simply stood by the entrance with her arms crossed, watching the clamorous scene unfold.

Her backpack only had so much room, and it wasn’t like she was short on food, so she couldn’t be bothered to grab anything.

After all, with Tang Mo’s current power, she was basically an NPC in this world. Other than not having found Mr. Qiao and Mrs. Qiao yet, there was nothing for her to worry about.

”Big Sister, aren’t you going to go?”

Da Bao looked up at Tang Mo, still holding Xiao Bao in his arms.

”I’m not going. There’s too much stuff, and I can’t carry it all.”

”Then, can you watch Xiao Bao for me, Big Sister? Thank you!”

After getting Tang Mo’s affirmative answer, Da Bao set Xiao Bao down by Qiao Jin’s feet and rushed in, following in his mother’s footsteps.

’That’s more like it,’ Tang Mo thought, smiling as she watched Da Bao’s small figure. ’A kid like that is the only kind who can survive in the apocalypse.’

Tang Mo scooped Xiao Bao up from the floor and held him, watching as everyone swarmed and fought over the goods.

Da Bao was clever. He didn’t rush to the food section first. Instead, he went to the nearby bag aisle and grabbed a large backpack.

Then, he used his small size to his advantage, squeezing through the crowd.

He couldn’t reach the higher shelves, nor could he compete with the adults.

He just quickly snatched up the items people dropped on the floor in their haste and stuffed them into his backpack.

”Thieves! You’re all thieves!”

Just as Qiao Jin was watching the scene unfold with great interest, a female voice suddenly rang out beside her again.

It was the woman who had been trying to hold the door shut.

Tang Mo looked over at the woman...

That face... it was a familiar one from her memory.

It was someone Qiao Jin knew.

Tang Mo delved into Qiao Jin’s memories, searching carefully, and finally understood just who this woman was.

”Qiao Jin?”

Before Qiao Jin could say anything, the woman had already called her name.

”Auntie.”

The woman before her was none other than Qiao Jin’s aunt, Qiao Xin.

In the Qiao Family, Qiao Jin’s father’s generation had only two children: Qiao Jin’s father, George Lin, and his only sister, Qiao Xin.

The Qiao Family had been a family of merchants for two generations. With their vast family and sprawling business, they were considered top-tier even among the wealthiest tycoons.

As the only daughter in her generation of the Qiao Family, Qiao Xin was doted on immensely. Though being spoiled had made her a bit arrogant, she had an excellent relationship with her older brother, George Lin.

The Qiao Family didn’t have many children in that generation—one son, one daughter—and the family fortune had been divided up long ago.

Fifty-one percent of the company shares went to George Lin, while twenty percent was set aside for Qiao Xin.

George Lin would manage the company, and all Qiao Xin had to do was be a silent partner, collecting her dividends each year.

Twenty percent in annual dividends was an enormous sum of money.

Qiao Xin was perfectly content with this arrangement, having long ago prepared to live out the rest of her life as a carefree princess, relying on her family and her brother.

But fate is not something one can control. A life of ups and downs is the true norm.