Just as we were at a loss, my hand accidentally brushed against something hard in my pocket.
Ha! It was a lockpick set! How could I have forgotten about it? Why not try using this to open the door?
Liu Yuxuan took the lockpicks and began the illegal entry...
The door was indeed picked open. To prevent any zombies inside, he quickly jumped aside and raised his knife after pulling the door open.
The light inside was a bit dim, but I could still make out a man's figure beside the shelves. Someone was inside! And definitely not a zombie—zombies don't play hide-and-seek; they would have roared and charged out by now.
I quickly softened my voice and called inside, "Don't be afraid! We're here to rescue you!"
Saying this was somewhat embarrassing. Actually, we were here to loot this store. Whether this man owned the store or not, we couldn't exactly take things righteously.
"Then get in quickly! What are you dawdling for?" the man replied.
Hey! Quite the attitude! You didn't answer when we knocked earlier. How were we to know if there were living people or zombies inside? Did you think we were fools who'd charge in blindly after opening the door?
But hearing a human voice put us completely at ease. We quickly entered and relocked the door.
After adjusting to the indoor light, we could see the man was around his thirties, with messy hair and a pale face. He seemed quite strong physically but looked nervous, watching us warily with a knife in his hand.
"Who are you? What's the situation outside?" The man took the initiative to interrogate us. Despite being alone, he had a strong presence. I couldn't help but admire him inwardly.
"We're survivors from Wanxiang Compound, out searching for supplies. We saw this store and wanted to get some formula and supplies for the children in our compound," I replied as the representative.
"You want to rob my store?" The man's eyebrows furrowed, his voice turning stiff.
"So you're the owner of this store! May I ask your name?" Even though these were chaotic times, the owner was still here, and we had broken in. The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Sigh, I had wondered if this man might be the owner, and it turned out to be true! This was really somewhat embarrassing.
"Qin Goodluck. Now what do you plan to do? Kill me and loot everything?" Boss Qin clearly had a terrible temper. Didn't he consider that if we were that kind of people, why would we bother talking to him? Could one knife really stop us all?
"Are you aware of the situation outside? Actually, guarding this store has lost its meaning. The normal order outside has collapsed, Boss Qin." I felt like Qin Goodluck hadn't been out since the incident happened.
"I know things are bad, but the country won't abandon us. The army will definitely eliminate these monsters and restore peace. So, I must guard my store—this is my business!" Qin Goodluck concluded arrogantly, as if he hadn't heard a word I said!
I couldn't help but frown. "You're too optimistic, Mr. Qin! The situation outside is far worse than you imagine. The army hasn't come to clear the city of zombies. The city is almost entirely occupied by zombies; survivors are few and far between. Don't rely on others; we can only depend on ourselves now!"
"You're not safe here. Why not come back with us? Our compound has been fortified. There are many warm empty rooms and plenty of food. Mr. Qin, it's freezing in here. The heating's been cut off, right? And how long has it been since you had a proper meal? Baby food might sustain you, but it won't last forever, will it?"
When watching movies, I always found blindly optimistic people the most unbearable—they usually died the fastest. Stubbornness only harms oneself.
Qin Goodluck didn't answer but still hesitated. What was he worried about? Was guarding this cold store really that wonderful? Moreover, the store's door didn't seem very sturdy. The only reason he'd lasted this long was that no zombies had discovered living people inside. Otherwise, they would have smashed the glass, broken down the door, and swarmed in long ago.
"Daddy! Daddy!" A tender little voice suddenly called from upstairs. Qin Goodluck's expression changed instantly. He immediately dropped us and ran upstairs, shouting, "Don't be afraid, Little Sweet! Daddy's here!"
So there was a child upstairs! I told the others to stay put downstairs and followed Qin Goodluck up alone.
The upstairs space was quite large and brighter, probably because there were more windows on the second floor.
As I reached the top, I saw Qin Goodluck by a crib at the far end. His knife was now tucked behind his back, and he was bending over to pick up a little girl from the crib.
The little girl looked less than a year old, thin and small, with messy hair. But her large eyes were dark and bright like a spirit's. She clung tightly to Qin Goodluck's neck. She must have just woken up, cried upon finding her daddy gone, and now had little tears on her cheeks. She looked utterly pitiful and adorable.
But children will be children. Seeing a strange auntie behind her daddy, she immediately stared at me with wide-eyed curiosity, her sobbing stopping.
"Is this your daughter? How old is she? My son is 12 months old, just turned one." Seeing a baby around Shuai Shuai's age, my maternal instincts overflowed instantly.
"Her name is Little Sweet. She's just 11 months old. On the day of the incident, her mother and I brought her to the store. Her mother went shopping underground while I stayed to work and look after her. But her mother never came back... The staff all desperately rushed home, ignoring us. I couldn't stop them, so I quickly locked the store, turned off all the lights, and hid upstairs with Little Sweet. We've been here ever since." Qin Goodluck held Little Sweet, his voice suddenly as gentle as a big sheep.
"Little Sweet is still on formula. Her mother didn't have breast milk, so she's always had formula from our store. At first, before the power cut, we had electric kettles and bottles everywhere, so I could make her formula. After the power went out, I couldn't boil water, so I fed her ready-to-eat baby food from the store—just open and feed."
"So guarding this store means Little Sweet always has food. If we leave, what will happen to her? You say we should go to your compound, but can you guarantee that all the food from my store will be moved for Little Sweet's future use? Aren't you planning to distribute these supplies to the other children in your compound?"
"The inventory in my store isn't huge. If it's all distributed, Little Sweet won't have enough. She's still so young; she can't eat adult food yet. So I didn't dare agree to go with you. You don't seem like robbers. You won't forceably loot my store, will you?" So Qin Goodluck's hesitation about leaving this cold place was because of his little daughter.
Such great paternal love! After all that, he hadn't mentioned what he himself had been eating all these days!
I looked at the crib, which still had a price tag—it must have been merchandise from his store. He had padded it thickly. Various packaging bags were scattered around. His baby store really had everything! There were baby bedding, baby blankets... Being his daughter must be such a blessing!
Little Sweet was also bundled up warmly. Of course, his store certainly wasn't lacking in baby clothes.
"Qin Goodluck, I think you should consider Little Sweet's safety and warmth more. First, if this store is overrun, you and the child have no chance of survival. Second, it's severe winter. You have no heating here. Adults can't endure this cold; how can a child? Dressing her in ten layers won't help."
"Come to our compound, and I can assure you, the child can live a normal life! Our compound has heating; water, electricity, and gas are all still running. Everyone can cook normal meals. The children can have warm formula and hot baby food. They can even wear short sleeves indoors."
"You're worried we'll distribute your food to other children, but don't forget—this city doesn't only have your one baby store. There are hundreds of stores like yours, and major supermarkets have baby sections too. Ensuring all children have enough until next year isn't a problem. Your way of thinking is wrong!"
"Come with us quickly! We'll definitely set aside ample formula and food for Little Sweet first before distributing the rest to other children! Is that acceptable?" I held Little Sweet's little hand reaching out to me, speaking gently to her—though these words were really for her father.
After hearing this, Qin Goodluck relaxed. He kissed Little Sweet's cheek and said, "Sweetie, Daddy will take you to a good place!"
Qin Goodluck bundled Little Sweet up warmly. I helped carry her while he and our modification team partners began boxing all the formula and baby food, preparing to evacuate with us.
"Buddy, first help me start the car in front. It hasn't been started in almost a month. It's so cold; let it warm up first." Qin Goodluck handed a car key to Liu Yuxuan. So the black Land Rover out front belonged to Boss Qin! Running a baby store must be profitable!
"No problem!" Liu Yuxuan checked the situation outside through the glass window—clear!—then unlocked the door and went to Qin Goodluck's car.
After working for a while, we had everything boxed and sealed. But a problem arose: Qin Goodluck's car and the ones we brought had limited space. We couldn't move all these boxes in one go!
"Take the essentials first! Take the formula and food! Load as much as possible. After we get Little Sweet back to the compound, we'll bring more cars to get the rest!" I directed, and everyone sprang into action.
Many hands make light work. Soon, the trunks of three cars were packed full. Qin Goodluck locked the store door, and we drove off together toward the compound!
Qin Goodluck drove his own car. I chose to ride with him to help hold Little Sweet. Little Sweet kept touching my face, babbling, sometimes saying "Mama."
My heart ached. Poor child, probably unaware her mother would never return.
Sometimes, thinking about how pitiful Shuai Shuai would be without me, I tell myself: no matter what, I must survive, and live well. Not for anyone else, but for my baby!
The group soon returned to the compound. I arranged for Qin Goodluck and Little Sweet to stay in our unit, Room 1102, opposite Dr. Xiaoshuang's place.
I asked Dr. Xiaoshuang to temporarily care for Little Sweet. As a pediatrician, she knew best how to care for little children!
Then I gathered other Action Team members and told them to take vehicles out to transport the remaining goods.
This time, I didn't let Qin Goodluck come along. He was utterly exhausted. Moreover, he couldn't bring himself to leave Little Sweet yet. Indeed, in such terrifying times, until one truly feels secure, I wouldn't dare leave Shuai Shuai's side either.
I had Dr. Xiaoshuang give the child a bath and urged Qin Goodluck to go take a hot shower himself. Dr. Xiaoshuang's parents kindly prepared hot meals for Qin Goodluck.
Qin Goodluck, your name finally lived up to its meaning—encountering us during our "looting" expedition, you truly had good luck