Chapter 20: The Restaurant

Di Ping gave the overweight man a disdainful glance, feeling a surge of anger. Didn't this guy see how miserable he looked? Yet, he was still worried about the house.

"Wow! Di Ge! Are you doing some performance art?" The fat man seemed to finally notice Di Ping's attire, his face full of amazement.

"Fatty, next time I run into a mutated cat, I'll lock you in with it! Then you'll understand what performance art really is!" Di Ping glared at the fat man through gritted teeth.

"Heh heh! How could I? Di Ge, I was just trying to lighten the mood!" The fat man immediately grinned, shamelessly getting closer.

"Get lost, I'm about to puke just looking at your face!" Di Ping seriously considered kicking the fat man out.

"That's brutal!"

The first reaction from the group upon seeing the coat lifted was shock. Beneath it, the white cat's body was unrecognizable, squashed flat as if run over by a truck. Its eyes bulged out, its nose and mouth twisted, intestines spilled out, and it was a bloody, mangled mess.

"Di Ge, you're too violent!" The fat man said, wide-eyed.

"Fatty, didn't you see how badly I'm wounded? If I didn't have some tricks up my sleeve, you'd be cleaning up my body right now!" Di Ping snapped back.

"Really?" Cheng Chao looked uncertain. He knew Di Ping's strength – powerful and fast – so the cat must've been formidable. Di Ping had killed more than a dozen mutated dogs without such carnage.

"Yeah, it's really powerful!" Di Ping's face turned serious as he looked at the group. "From now on, be careful around mutated cats. They're incredibly fast, and most people won't even have time to react."

"We'll be careful, Di Ge!" The four nodded, all serious. If Di Ping said it was dangerous, they understood it was no small matter.

"Another crystal core!"

After resting for a while, Di Ping stood up, swung his sword, and split open the white cat's head. Inside, he retrieved a crystal core about the size of a fingernail. He felt a surge of happiness.

Though the others didn't know what the crystal core was, they didn't ask. If Di Ping wanted to tell them, he would, and if not, asking would only upset him.

"Alright, clean up. Wrap the woman in the blanket, and we'll bury her later. Life is cheap in the apocalypse."

Di Ping pocketed the crystal core, glanced at the mess on the ground, and sighed.

"Don't worry, Di Ge!" The group immediately responded.

"Ah! Di Ge, what happened? Are you hurt?"

When Di Ping opened his door to change clothes, Yu Shujie was startled. Seeing his bloody clothes, she thought he had been injured.

"Don't worry! I'm fine, just need to change!" Di Ping casually waved, smiling.

When he opened the door again, a pile of food had been left outside: rice, noodles, and some ham.

"Di Ge, this woman's house had a lot of food! They've only moved half of it!" Cheng Chao, carrying two oil cans and a large bag of snacks, walked out from the opposite room, smiling.

"Great! Let's move everything in. We'll go house by house and gather more!" Di Ping said, pleased. Food was critical for survival in the apocalypse.

They quickly moved all the food into the house. Afterward, they carried the body of the woman down the stairs. Di Ping led the group, systematically clearing each floor. Most of the people in the building had been summoned to the provincial government, leaving the place deserted. They gathered plenty of water and food, but the small storage room was already full. The rest was placed on the balcony. Looking at the massive pile, Di Ping felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Too bad there's not enough meat!" The fat man grumbled.

"You, fatty, should eat less!" Cheng Chao laughed, looking at the fat man's 200-pound frame.

"Di Ge! The gas is cut off!" Yu Shujie looked at Di Ping helplessly.

"Already?" Di Ping had been prepared for it, but hearing it still brought disappointment. He had hoped it could last another two days. With the gas cut off, they couldn't cook, and eating just bread and ham wouldn't be enough.

"Didn't you say there was a restaurant nearby? Let's go check it out!"

Di Ping suddenly remembered what Yu Shujie had said yesterday and made a decision.

"Di Ge… are we really going?" The fat man asked nervously.

"How else are you going to fill your stomach with just bread?" Di Ping asked, slightly exasperated. This fatty could sometimes be brave, but at other times, he was timid like a mouse. Although these days, the mouse seemed to have gained some courage.

"Alright, let's go!" Ultimately, the fat man's true nature as a foodie won out, and they decided to go.

When they stood outside the neighborhood again, the mood was indescribable. Just two days ago, over a hundred people had left here, and now, only the few of them remained. There was a mix of relief and sadness.

Di Ping gazed at the once bustling city, now transformed into a desolate wilderness. Everywhere were towering trees and dense wild grasses. The distant view was blocked by layers of forest, and it felt as though countless wild beasts were lurking within. Standing in this ancient desolation, for the first time, Di Ping truly felt small. They were no longer the rulers of this land but prey waiting to be hunted. If you couldn't adapt, you'd be eliminated.

Suppressing his unease, Di Ping waved his hand and softly ordered, "Be careful, stay close, and follow me."

The supermarket was to the east, where Di Ping had previously raided for food. To the west, there were several small shops, mostly restaurants, with five or six eateries, two of which were larger.

The grass had already started to grow up the stairs, but the concrete was thick, so the steps were still passable. Di Ping led them to the first restaurant, a hotpot shop. He figured there'd be meat inside, and since the place was fairly large with two floors and several hundred square meters, it likely had stocked up enough food.

"Break the door open!"

Di Ping peered inside through the glass door and instructed.

"Got it!"

Old Luo stepped forward, holding a large pair of shears meant for cutting rebar. He had found these while clearing out an apartment under renovation. Di Ping had kept them, thinking they might come in handy.

"Clink, clink!"

The sound of steel clashing echoed as the U-lock was cut in half, and Li Sheng removed it.

"Done, Di Ge!"

Old Luo wiped the sweat from his brow. The lock was tough to cut, the steel was hard, and it had taken a lot of effort.

Di Ping nodded and was the first to enter. The bright daylight outside made it nearly noon, with the sun high in the sky. Though the store had no lights, it wasn't too dark.

"Search for anything useful and gather it up. I'll keep an eye on the outside, hurry!" Di Ping scanned the surroundings, not detecting any immediate danger. He instructed the others, then moved to the door to keep watch.

"Okay, Di Ge!" The fat man grinned and headed toward the kitchen.

"Di Ge, there's a cold storage! But the door's locked!" Old Luo ran out and reported anxiously.

"Keep an eye on the outside. I'll check it out!"

Di Ping was excited, hoping to find some frozen meat in the cold storage. Meat was the one thing they lacked.

As he entered the kitchen, he found the others gathered around a small door – the cold storage entrance. The door was thick and usually difficult to break.

Without hesitation, Di Ping walked over, examined the door, and noticed it was an outward-opening type with an internal lock. It could only be opened with a key, and trying to force it open without the right tools would be tough.

"Anyone check if there's a key around?" Di Ping asked, deciding that brute force wouldn't work and that the key might be stored somewhere in the restaurant.

"We've looked everywhere, there's nothing!" Cheng Chao said helplessly.

"Then we'll have to break it open!" Di Ping glanced at the thick iron door. It was tough, but it was still possible to break through. He grabbed a wrench and tried to force it, but it didn't budge. Frustration built up inside him.

"Bang, bang…"

Di Ping suddenly noticed something. He walked up to the cold storage wall and knocked on it. The sound was different from the door.

Hearing the noise, Di Ping's heart skipped a beat. Cold storage walls often weren't entirely made of thick steel. Usually, they were double-layered with insulating materials in between.

"Look for some tools! We'll break through the wall!" Di Ping ordered, running his hands over the wall as he spoke.

The others quickly scrambled around the store, searching for any useful tools.

"Di Ge, will this work?" Cheng Chao suddenly called out, holding up a red fire axe he had found.

"Perfect, bring it here!" Di Ping was elated. What could be better than this for breaking through a wall?

Taking the axe from Cheng Chao, Di Ping tried its weight. It was heavier than his sword, but perfect for the task at hand.

"Everyone move aside!" Di Ping turned and said to the group.

He aimed at the cold storage wall, swinging the fire axe with all his might.

"Bang!"

The axe struck the wall, and the thin iron skin of the cold storage cracked open with a loud noise, revealing foam and insulation materials behind it.

"Bang, bang!" Di Ping didn't stop, hacking at the wall repeatedly. Foam flew everywhere.

"We're through!" The others exclaimed in surprise as the wall was hacked open, a cold rush of air bursting through, sending a shiver down everyone's spines. Their faces lit up with joy.