In the dark, Sasha slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.
The rustling sound seemed to be coming from the front door of the supermarket.
She silently exited the supermarket’s living room and nimbly climbed up the high wall in the backyard.
Skilled in weaving through the anti-theft spikes on the high wall, which would deter ordinary people, these spikes had no effect on her.
Sasha moved towards the front door of the supermarket, staying on the roof.
A few scattered zombies roamed aimlessly nearby, but none noticed her.
She gently summoned the titanium alloy wrist crossbow she had just acquired, feeling its cool touch on her arm.
The bolt was loaded and ready.
When she reached directly above the supermarket’s front door, she looked down but saw no one.
She squinted slightly, thinking.
The supermarket’s front door had already been locked by the two thugs earlier that day.
If it was only the lock to be picked, even if the lock cylinder was opened, the door would still be blocked by the three chains locked from the inside, preventing entry.
Sasha, dressed in a form-fitting black dress, gracefully jumped down from the roof like a black cat.
She landed without making a sound.
Under the dim light of the moon, she saw that the lock hadn’t been opened, but there were obvious signs of tampering.
Perhaps someone had opened it, but upon discovering the iron chains inside, had given up and closed it again.
Hidden in the shadow under the eaves, Sasha looked around.
At the end of the street in the distance, a shadow was slowly disappearing into the night.
It must have been that person.
But Sasha didn’t chase after them.
Since the person dared to venture out in the dead of night, risking encountering zombies, they at least had some skill in sneaking around.
Sasha wasn’t familiar with the area, so rashly chasing after them wouldn’t necessarily lead to finding them.
Moreover, they probably had already given up.
Her heart sank slightly.
There were plenty of supplies here, enough for two people to survive for a long time, so giving up was very regrettable.
But as the apocalypse dragged on, people who were running out of food and water would soon target this place.
It seemed like she’d need to think of a way to reinforce this place, to prevent future problems.
As she thought, she quietly returned to the supermarket.
Around 2 AM, Shen Yi Yue came out of her room, still sleepy.
Her large pajamas were crooked, with one of her snow-white shoulders exposed, and her dark hair hung loosely.
She saw Sasha busy moving around, unsure of what she was doing, and asked in surprise:
“What’s going on, Xiao Yu?”
Sasha glanced at Shen Yi Yue, whose exposed shoulder was in plain view, but continued her work without stopping.
“Someone tried to pry open the supermarket’s front door, but they’ve already given up.”
“So I decided to reinforce the supermarket’s defenses tonight instead of waiting for tomorrow.”
Shen Yi Yue was startled, but fortunately, nothing had gone wrong. She paused for a moment and said:
“I’ll help too!”
Sasha didn’t decline her offer and instructed her to start working together.
The supermarket’s front door had three iron chains locked, so there was no need to tamper with them for now.
Anyway, Sasha never used the front door, and Shen Yi Yue wasn’t strong enough to leave.
They checked the windows of the warehouse and other rooms that didn’t have security bars.
They used thick wooden planks and steel sheets to seal them off.
The anti-theft spikes on the backyard wall were also inspected, and no gaps were found.
Sasha still wasn’t satisfied. She gathered some steel wires, nails, and other materials, setting up obstacles around the high wall.
By the time they finished, the sky was already getting light. Shen Yi Yue collapsed in a chair in the living room, exhausted.
Sasha, on the other hand, seemed unaffected and calmly walked out of the living room. She turned back to Shen Yi Yue and said:
“It should be safe for now, you don’t need to stay up any longer. Go get some more rest.”
“We’ll start training first thing in the morning.”
Then Sasha returned to her room, locked the door, and prepared to rest.
Shen Yi Yue watched her small, cute back but felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
It was as if with Sasha around, any danger would be easily handled.
But she knew she couldn’t rely on her entirely; she needed to work hard as well!
Shen Yi Yue thought to herself and returned to her own room.
...
The morning sun shone into the well-protected small supermarket, and only a few stray beams of light filtered through.
But it was enough to wake Shen Yi Yue.
She got up, checked the time—it was around 8 AM. She yawned and was about to wash up.
As she walked out of her room, she heard some noise coming from the backyard.
Shen Yi Yue was startled and hurried over.
When she reached the backyard door, she saw:
It was Sasha, already practicing in the morning.
Did she really only need two hours of sleep? Shen Yi Yue couldn’t help but completely believe Sasha’s words.
She thought back to the words her teacher had drilled into her mind when preparing for her final exams:
“People smarter than you, stronger than you, will only work harder than you.”
She thought Sasha would definitely be a king of grind if she were in school.
In the bright morning light, Sasha’s movements were swift and strong.
Her sportswear clung to her small, delicate frame.
Her silver-white hair was slightly damp with sweat, and a few drops of sweat trickled down her fair face to the ground.
Her pink lips were gently pursed, and her expression was serious and focused.
Her amber-colored eyes gleamed like gems, looking even more beautiful in the sunlight.
In such a wonderful morning, the scene seemed like an incredibly beautiful landscape.
Shen Yi Yue was momentarily stunned.
If it weren’t for the occasional moans of zombies and the distant screams and breaking glass, this would have been a peaceful and perfect day.
Sasha didn’t stop practicing upon noticing Shen Yi Yue’s presence.
She was always strict and disciplined with herself.
If she wanted to survive in the apocalypse, the top priority in the short term was to do whatever it took to make herself stronger.
After a while, Sasha finished her practice, grabbed the towel beside her to wipe off the sweat, and said to Shen Yi Yue, who was still in a daze at the door:
“Get ready quickly, we’ll start training this morning.”
Shen Yi Yue finally snapped out of it, quickly agreed, and rushed to wash up.
For Shen Yi Yue now, in order to become her helper, she needed to improve her strength and learn combat skills.
Sasha had drawn up an aerobic and strength training plan for Shen Yi Yue, using equipment available in the supermarket.
It was all neatly listed on a piece of paper.
The whole morning was dedicated to aerobic and strength training.
In the afternoon, they would focus on hand-to-hand combat and weapon training.
As for firearms training, Sasha didn’t have any guns herself yet, so that was out of the question.
In the morning, Sasha taught Shen Yi Yue the correct movements and postures, and she practiced them on her own.
In the afternoon, Sasha would personally teach her the combat techniques.
Once Shen Yi Yue began training on her own, Sasha planned to go out for a while before the afternoon combat training.
She intended to explore the area, get a better sense of her surroundings, and kill some zombies to earn points for the upcoming [Weekly Special Sales].
Seeing Shen Yi Yue already working hard on her training, Sasha felt quite satisfied.
For someone her age, to see such a complicated and intense training plan without complaining, and to immediately start learning and acting, was impressive.
Perhaps that’s the drive to survive—the hope of seeing her family again.
Sasha tucked a dagger and an axe into her clothes, summoned the titanium alloy wrist crossbow from the system panel, and concealed it in her sleeve.
Fully armed, she climbed over the high wall in the backyard and left the supermarket.
She had just stepped out of the alley when a staggering zombie, like a dog smelling bones, lunged at her, baring its teeth!