Chapter 7: A Full Stomach and a Warm Bed Means Safety (2)

Chapter 7: A Full Stomach and a Warm Bed Means Safety (2)

Xiao Mei drove the truck loaded with fresh goods she bought from the local market out of the city. She turned into a quiet, deserted alley, letting Pao Pei—currently in his giant bee form—fly around to scout the area for any signs of people. Once she was certain no one was around, she transferred the goods into her spatial dimension, letting the little spatial sprite handle sorting and organizing everything into neat categories.

She repeated this process five times until she'd bought everything on her list. Now, her truck was parked by the roadside outside the city, while Pao Pei busied himself helping the little sprite separate ingredients into groups.

"Everything I ordered online should arrive in two days. Do you think this room's big enough to store all of it?"At first, Xiao Mei couldn't afford much, but now that Grandma had handed over a fully accessible bank card, she might've gone a little overboard. There was barely any space left for storage.

"You can store only perishable goods and items with expiry dates in the dimension, Master. No need to bring in household items,"the little sprite advised her while lifting bags of rice and lining them up on the shelves.

Despite taking the form of a chubby emperor penguin, it was surprisingly agile. It could easily lift items weighing dozens of jin and even fly up to stack things on high shelves with its tiny wings.

"This is the first time I've seen a penguin that can fly."Xiao Mei sat watching the sprite organize everything, mesmerized. It felt like watching one of those oddly satisfying cleaning videos on Douyin.

"Master, stop watching and help us out!"Pao Pei rolled his eyes at Xiao Mei. Everyone else was busy, and she was sitting there admiring a flying penguin?! What was so amazing about that?! Not only could the sprite fly, but it was also a powerful fighter—just wait until she got stronger and could actually witness it in battle.

"You're the one who should stop helping. Can't you see the sprite is taking everything you just put on the shelves and moving them back down?"Xiao Mei had been watching for a while now. The more Pao Pei helped, the more chaotic things became. Every time he placed something on a shelf, the sprite moved it elsewhere. It was never-ending.

"Master and Guardian, please leave. I can handle this myself."The little sprite had had enough and shooed them both out. The more time they spent here, the longer it took to finish the job. It was way easier without their 'help.' It didn't want anyone's help!!!

Pao Pei, who was in the middle of hauling a box of oranges, froze at the words. He dropped the box on the floor with a loud thud!!

"Hmph! What a waste of effort. Shouldn't have bothered. Not even a single thank you from that servant sprite."He left the dimension and sat sulking in the passenger seat, paws placed neatly together, nose in the air with a very grumpy expression.

"Please finish organizing everything. I'm heading back to the farm now. Grandma's probably worried.""Don't worry, Master! The sprite's got it covered!!!"It mimicked Pao Pei's salute, standing at attention like a soldier receiving orders. The only difference was its wings were too short to even reach its eyebrows!

Xiao Mei drove back to the farm just before sunset. She had already called ahead to let Grandma know she'd be eating at the market.

By now, Pao Pei had transformed back into his giant bee form and was flying around the house on another patrol. Xiao Mei went upstairs to shower, change clothes, and begin researching solar panel installations.

Grandma Li Zhu brought a plate of fruit and a cup of chamomile tea—grown in their own backyard—up to her room.

"Have some fruit and sip some tea, dear. The chamomile I planted helps you sleep well.""Thank you."Xiao Mei took a sip. The fragrant aroma was uniquely soothing—just as Grandma said.

"I met Uncle Ma today. He'll be coming next week to build the fence. Starting tomorrow, packages will be arriving daily. If I'm not home, could you please sign for them? I'll move everything to the storage room later.""You're going out again? But you just got back."Grandma Li Zhu's tone revealed her concern.

"I won't be going far—just into the city to buy supplies. There's still so much to prepare. You're getting older, Grandma, and I want to make sure we have medicine and warm clothes ready for winter."Xiao Mei had already anticipated extreme weather conditions: sub-zero temperatures, snowstorms, or even droughts that could leave them without water. She needed to be ready for anything.

"Do you really think it'll get that bad?"Though Grandma didn't argue, deep down she didn't believe things would escalate too terribly. Surely the government would regain control of the situation soon.

"It'll be even worse than that. We might need weapons for self-defense, too."Human nature was unpredictable. Being able to protect themselves would always be safest.

"All right... If you say so, then I'll trust you."Grandma Li Zhu gently patted Xiao Mei's head before returning to her room.

Xiao Mei resumed her research into solar panels. She needed to ensure they would have electricity no matter what happened. Solar power seemed the most viable option. But the more she read, the more she realized how complicated installation was. They'd have to replace the roof of both the house and storage shed to properly support the panels. Mounting brackets had to be rust-proof steel, installed by experts. The conduit pipes and wiring needed to be safe, because once society collapsed, there'd be no repairmen.

After reading multiple articles, she decided they'd also need a backup gasoline-powered generator, along with fuel reserves.

Pao Pei returned from his patrol, flying in through the open window and landing on the bed before transforming back into a chubby white tiger cub.

"Master... we barely have any neighbors. I checked the nearby farms—only three people in the one next door, and five behind us."She really had chosen to live in isolation. That was great for safety, but if they needed energy crystals, this place might be too quiet.

"Fewer people means fewer zombies. That's a good thing."Xiao Mei didn't even look up. She was too focused on the screen.

"But if there are no zombies, how will you collect crystals and level up?"The emperor was calm, but the eunuch was in a panic! The meteor strike was getting closer. Zombies were weak right now—perfect for farming crystals. He wanted her to level up quickly.

Xiao Mei turned to him, frowning slightly.

"Crystals… You mean those zombie head crystals?"She'd read some novels before. Zombies with energy crystals in their skulls weren't unheard of.

"Yes, Master! Crystals are essential for mutated beings to level up. They're also used for trade and currency!"Pao Pei's eyes sparkled with excitement. Clearly, he loved crystals and wanted to hoard them.

"If they're like money, then we'll just head into the city. More people, more zombies—exactly what you want, right?"She could already imagine how swarmed the city must be. The thought alone gave her chills.

"Mm! Yes, yes! Master makes a great point!"Pao Pei nodded eagerly, already devising a mental plan to collect as many crystals as possible.

Xiao Mei walked over to the bed and picked him up.

"Let's sleep. We've got an early trip to the city tomorrow. We need to install those solar panels and find a generator too."

The master and guardian burrowed under a large blanket. The air was growing cooler by the day, and soon, the temperature would only keep dropping