Chapter 34: Teaming Up with Building 9—The Plan to Loot the Supermarket!  

Encouraged by Wang Lei, the men in the group chat began voicing their opinions one after another. 

The women, however, had lost all trust in them. Venturing out was a life-or-death risk, and there was no guarantee they'd even get a share of the supplies. So they stayed silent. 

After a moment of thought, Wang Gang analyzed in the group: 

"The supermarket near Building 5 is the farthest from us. That leaves the ones near Building 9 and Building 3. Building 3 is in front of Building 7, and since Building 7 has already suffered heavy losses, they probably won't join. So our options are either convincing Building 9 or Building 3. If they agree, we can make a move!" 

Ma Tao added: 

"Exactly. Ideally, we get Building 9 on board. They're right next to us, and their supermarket is the closest. If we pull this off, we might even get enough water to wash up a little." 

Then, the sleazy guy known as Golden Right Hand—Fei Changkuai—spoke up: 

"But do any of you actually know people from Building 9? Who's in charge over there?" 

A brief silence followed. 

"Leave that to me," Wang Lei cut in. "Their leader used to drink with me at the bar all the time. I can talk to him." 

This was exactly the moment Wang Lei had been waiting for. Once again, he proved the value of his pre-apocalypse connections. The group chat immediately erupted with fawning praise, everyone lauding his impressive network. 

Wang Lei quickly pulled up the guy's number and dialed. 

"Hao Dong, it's Wang Lei." 

"Oh, Lei! What's up?" 

Chen Haodong's voice came through the phone. Before the apocalypse, he and Wang Lei had been good friends, frequenting bars together. Wang Lei's family was wealthy—he always picked up the tab and even hooked Haodong up with girls. Naturally, Haodong owed him some favors. 

"We're thinking of teaming up with you guys to loot the supermarket near Building 9. What do you say?" 

"How many people can you bring?" 

"Around twenty. You?" 

"We've lost a lot to starvation, but we still have close to forty." 

"Can you make the call on this?" 

"No problem. But how do we split the supplies?" 

"You've got more people, so we'll take just a third." 

"Deal. Let's move at 8 AM tomorrow." 

"Done. I'll notify the group. We'll confirm by phone at 8." 

Hanging up, Wang Lei immediately switched back to the group chat and posted: 

"It's settled. Building 9's bringing about forty people. We move at 8 AM tomorrow. Who's in?" 

Wang Gang, Ma Tao, and Ji Dayong were the first to agree, pledging to gather downstairs at the designated time. With their commitment, the others quickly followed suit, steeling themselves for the mission. 

Only Huang Ming and Li Chang'an opted out. The remaining twenty-four men were all in. 

"Huang Ming! You spineless coward!" Gao Weiwei suddenly lashed out in the group, tagging him directly. "While everyone else risks their lives for supplies, you're hiding like a damn ostrich! I can't believe I ever wasted my time on you!" 

"Relax, Weiwei," Wang Lei chimed in, though his tone was just as mocking. "Let the man enjoy his early retirement in his little doghouse. Hahaha!" 

The other guys joined in, laughing at Huang Ming as if he were some pitiful deserter—less than a man, even less than a woman. 

Meanwhile, Zhou Ting silently shook her head as she read the messages. 

She knew the truth. Huang Ming wasn't afraid—he simply saw no point in engaging with them. In his eyes, they were already dead. 

Li Chang'an, on the other hand, was busy playing a mobile game, completely detached from the group's affairs ever since aligning himself with Huang Ming. 

Liu Shuang'er watched the insults fly with amusement. 

"They're hilarious," she mused. "Too blind to see their own doom. Pathetic." 

"Just a bunch of walking corpses," Huang Ming replied indifferently. "No point arguing. Let's hope a few of them make it back—otherwise, the group chat's gonna get real quiet." 

Shuang'er rolled her eyes but stayed nestled against Huang Ming's shoulder, her gaze fixed on her phone. 

By 10 PM, Gu Anqing finally paused her work. 

Exhausted, she stretched, rolling her stiff shoulders. She had been racing against time—lives were at stake, and she couldn't afford mistakes. Fortunately, she'd made significant progress. 

Too drained to stand, she plopped down right onto the pile of materials. 

Huang Ming's heart twinged at the sight. He walked over, helping her to the couch. Gently brushing aside sweat-dampened strands of hair, he met her eyes—only for her to shy away, her cheeks flushed. Whether from heat or something else, he couldn't tell. 

"Huang Ming," she said, catching her breath, "I've fitted your pistol with a silencer and prepped twenty magazines. The bullets are custom-made—200 rounds total, enough to fill all of them. I also crafted five grenades. I assume you know how to use them. As for the tactical gear, the design's ready. It'll be finished tomorrow." 

She led him to her workstation, returning his modified pistol—now equipped with the silencer—and gestured to a case filled with ammo and grenades. 

The sight sent a thrill through Huang Ming. With this arsenal, he could finally face Li Qingya, the mutated zombie, head-on. 

Overcome with gratitude, he pulled Anqing into a sudden embrace—then, without thinking, kissed her. 

She stiffened in surprise but didn't resist. Her lashes fluttered, breaths growing uneven. 

Strangely, despite the sweat, she didn't smell unpleasant. To Huang Ming, her scent was oddly sweet. 

When they finally parted, Anqing was gasping, her face crimson. She fumbled over her words, adorably flustered. 

"A-Anqing, I'm sorry," Huang Ming stammered. "I was just—so happy. Thank you. For everything." 

"I-It's nothing," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "I… I was happy to help." 

Clearly inexperienced with romance, she was blushing all the way to her ears. 

But before Huang Ming could savor the moment, a chill ran down his spine. 

He turned—only to meet Liu Shuang'er's glare. 

Her eyes burned like a predator's, as if she were seconds away from pouncing and tearing into him. 

Good thing he was used to her jealousy. In the old world, she'd have given him hell for weeks.