Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

’What am I going to do? Little Spider is just too good.’ Her water-cube Dimensional Space had just expanded to three cubic meters all at once.

It was now filled with over a hundred fish, numerous live shrimp, and she had even tossed in two king crabs. The selection of seafood was looking extremely abundant.

From the outside, however, it still appeared to be only one cubic meter in size, wobbling as it spun in midair.

Mrs. Xie Ning, having listened to this gobbledygook for what felt like an eternity, finally couldn’t resist meekly asking, ”So, can the king crabs reproduce on their own?”

”They cannot!” If Little Spider were capable of human emotions, it would probably be hopping mad right now.

’What a pipe dream! Such ignorance!’

Feeling as if she’d just been scorned by a spider, Mrs. Xie Ning cleared her throat and rubbed her nose. ”Well, then... what about some of the fish and shrimp? Some prefer deep water, and some prefer shallow water. Is it okay to mix them all together?”

”You don’t need to worry about that! In the future, through various calculations, I can ensure all these aquatic products live happily in the superpower water.” It paused. ”Most can reproduce, but their population growth will need to be controlled to prevent overcrowding.”

”Now, I need some more superpower water.”

Mrs. Xie Ning silently tossed it three large Water Balls.

Xie Ning didn’t say a word. She wasn’t in the aquaculture business, so how would she know all this? If the AI was going to look down on her, then so be it.

She had studied economic management before the apocalypse. Now, in the end times... one could only say it was completely useless.

Mrs. Xie Ning was starting to get it. This meant she and her daughter didn’t have to worry about managing anything—they just had to be in charge of collecting supplies and providing superpower water.

Xie Ning collected a few more things from the nearby stalls before recalling her Dimensional Space.

Inside the empty seafood market, only the mother-daughter duo could be seen jogging through.

The farmers market was right next door, accessible through a connecting entrance.

The pair scoured the farmers market, and Xie Ning piled all the scavenged vegetables and fruits onto the kitchen shelves inside her Space. When the shelves were full, she just put the rest on the floor for now.

After finishing up, the two of them hurried into a small supermarket.

Near the cigarette and liquor display at the supermarket entrance, five or six rows of boxes were stacked—it was obvious that the delivery had been interrupted by a sudden catastrophe.

Some of the boxes had been kicked open, with bags of rice strewn about.

Xie Ning tossed forty or fifty undamaged boxes of rice and flour into the large storage room of the villa in her Space.

She then pulled her mother inside for a whirlwind tour, collecting over a dozen boxes of cookies and instant noodles and moving three entire shelves of daily necessities into the storage room.

Song You’ai was again struck by how her daughter’s ”little” Space was actually not small at all. But she didn’t ask any questions, simply and efficiently helping her daughter scavenge.

Just as they were about to retreat, they accidentally kicked several boxes under a shelf. They opened one and found it full of self-heating meals—rice and mini hot pots. With a wave of her hand, Xie Ning collected them all.

The mother and daughter were overjoyed. The day’s mission was a resounding success!

They decided to quit while they were ahead and head home. Compared to what others might find, this was an enormous haul.

On their way out, they passed a bread stand and deliberately stuffed some expired—but still edible—whole wheat and sliced bread into their backpacks as a diversion.

They made a show of stuffing in some milk and cookies and other snacks, then scurried back the way they came, heading for the side exit.

”Mom, wait,” Xie Ning suddenly called out, vaulting over a toppled shelf.

”Where are you going?” Mrs. Xie Ning whispered, staying put.

Xie Ning pushed open a small glass door in front of her and smiled at her mother. ”Don’t come over. I’ll be right back after I grab something.”

True to her word, her daughter didn’t lead her into trouble this time. The trip took only two or three minutes, and she was back in a flash.

”What did you get? What’s worth taking from a phone store?”

Xie Ning pulled out a handful of new cell phones. ”They’re alarm clocks. Could be lifesavers at a critical moment.”

”Oh, right.” It dawned on Song You’ai.

Xie Ning grinned at her mother. ”I also grabbed a bunch of tablets.”

’I practically emptied the phone store. Anyway, the stuff isn’t that big. I’ll just toss the boxes in the living room for now.’

”Then let’s hurry. I don’t think the battery on your grandpa’s old phone will last much longer.”

Xie Ning nodded, and together with her mother, she ran toward the small side exit of the seafood market.

Reaching the door, they listened carefully. As expected, the cacophony from outside had ceased.

The zombies that had been circling the green planters were now scattered in twos and threes, wandering aimlessly in search of prey.

”Zhong, they’re coming out!” Cao Fa, hiding at the mouth of the alley opposite them, suddenly shouted.

”Keep your voice down!” the others hissed, glaring at him.

”Look at their bags,” a man said, licking his chapped lips. ”They must be full of water.”

”Follow them!” Lu Zhong gestured with his hand, a look of absolute certainty in his eyes.

The thought of all the things he was about to snatch from the two women made Cao Fa’s eyes redden with excitement.

He mimicked Lu Zhong’s gesture, leading six of his cronies forward.

However, one of the cronies behind him, whether from excitement or nervousness, rushed forward without watching his step and stomped on a soda can.

A loud CRUNCH echoed out, instantly causing several nearby zombies to turn their heads.

Lu Zhong cursed, ”Useless,” and abandoned the others, bolting forward.

”Zhong! Zhong!” Cao Fa screamed in terror.

Just as Xie Ning and her mother ran out of the seafood market’s small side exit, they saw two or three men from across the way howling as they ran, drawing a horde of zombies behind them.

The zombies were obviously much faster runners than those idiots.

The unlucky soul at the back was quickly surrounded and overtaken by three or four zombies.

The scalp-tingling sounds of chewing and bloodcurdling screams echoed through the humid air.

These inhuman shrieks, combined with the scent of blood, immediately drew all the zombies from around the planters.

Xie Ning cursed under her breath, grabbed her mother’s arm, and sprinted toward their RV.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhong, Cao Fa, and the other faster runners abandoned their zombie-eaten crony and also sprinted toward the parked vehicles.

The first thing they laid eyes on was the big, impressive RV.

Cao Fa lunged at it, yanking the door handle. ”Zhong, it’s locked!” he shrieked in a panic.

”Fuck! Smash the window.”

”There’s no time!” another crony stammered, trembling as he yanked on the door of an adjacent car.

With a sharp CLICK, the door gave way. The crony’s face lit up. ”It’s open!”

He yanked the door open without looking inside.

But a small, brightly-dressed zombie that had been slumped against the inside of the door lunged out as it swung open.

The crony’s joyful expression froze on his face, replaced by one of utter terror.

He was in no position to dodge. The child zombie sank its teeth into his neck, and blood immediately began to gush out.

Another crony was so frightened he fell right on his ass.

Cao Fa, in a frenzy, kept yanking on the RV’s door handle. Suddenly, he felt a sharp prick on the back of his hand and cried out, snatching it back in pain.

Xie Ning sprinted up and, without a word, sent Cao Fa flying with a swift kick.

With a flick of her wrist, she drove a Metal Spike into the child zombie’s forehead. Xie Ning then opened the RV door and told her mother to get in first.