Seventeen

Originally, Ye Yin hadn't planned on giving Bai Qing any special treatment and was about to arrange for him and Aunt Pan’s family to stay in the suite on the top floor. However, a small incident occurred midway.

Wang Huihui and several of her new friends went absolutely wild upon seeing Bai Qing. It went far beyond the usual requests for autographs and photos—they lunged at him, nearly surrounding and devouring him on the spot. In such a dangerous situation, even Bai Qing’s superb acting couldn’t save him. The girls were convinced he was NEO and tried every possible way to get closer to their idol.

Since they were girls, Bai Qing could only dodge carefully, feeling utterly awkward. If Ye Yin hadn’t arrived in time to rescue him, he might have become the first celebrity in this world to be collectively harassed by his fans.

“Who would have thought there’d still be celebrity chasers even in the apocalypse?” Ye Yin remarked. “Aunt Pan and her husband are getting old—they can’t handle being tormented by this pack of girls. You’d better move out. There’s a vacant office behind my place; we can tidy it up for you to live in.”

“It’s cold there,” Ye Hua interjected. “And not very convenient.”

Bai Qing said, “It’s all right—we can’t afford to be picky now.”

Ye Yin glanced at Ye Hua, then asked Bai Qing, “Would you mind staying with us?”

Bai Qing smiled. “Of course not. But… will it cause you trouble?”

“Who cares?” Ye Yin shrugged, a touch indifferent. “All this hard work isn’t for misery’s sake.”

“Thank you,” Bai Qing said softly.

“No need to thank me,” Ye Yin replied. “You were born under a lucky star—just remember to look out for me if I fall on hard times.”

“I will,” Bai Qing replied with a smile.

The night was quiet and deep.

The lights in the staff dormitory had long since gone out—who knew how many people were actually asleep? Ye Yin silently slipped out of her pajamas and donned a black, form-fitting military uniform, practical for movement. She pulled on her combat boots and fastened a weapon belt tight around her waist, its pouches stocked with spare guns and an assortment of folding knives, long and short.

After a thorough check, she adjusted her skin’s hardness to the level of rock and recited a night-vision incantation. Instantly, her eyes could see everything in the darkness with greater clarity than by day.

This was her first real battle, and she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, Ye Yin resolutely stepped onto the arcane circle in her room and activated the teleportation.

Her first destination was the “MegaMart” warehouse supermarket in City A. This supermarket was enormous, famous for its low prices and frequent, heart-pounding sales—a spiritual haven for housewives everywhere. With such massive daily turnover, the market and warehouse were directly connected, goods piled high like mountains, endless in supply—if you could move them.

Once the dizzying weightlessness of the teleport faded, Ye Yin opened her eyes and found herself in the fresh-food section on the third floor of MegaMart. When she’d laid down the teleportation talismans earlier, she’d been extra careful, leaving sub-arrays in several key locations so she could target specific areas and minimize unexpected loss. The fresh-food section, adjacent to the grain and oil aisles and other food sections, was the first priority.

Because it was winter, even though the power was out, the vegetables, fruits, and seafood on ice hadn’t spoiled, and the frozen dumplings and sweet rice balls in the freezers were only slightly thawed. The fresh-food section was vast, enough to accommodate over a hundred frenzied housewives pushing carts in a riot.

Ye Yin wasn’t tempted by the abundance before her. She pulled a paper talisman from her clothing, murmured a few words, and blew it into the air. The talisman drifted gently down and, with a flash, transformed into a nearly two-meter-tall, completely naked man.

This man was a bizarre sight—monkey-like face, limbs of uneven length and thickness, making odd humming sounds as he gleefully streaked through the supermarket.

The zombies on the third floor, drawn by the commotion, crawled out from all corners and instinctively began chasing this fleshless, scentless being. Ye Yin observed the farcical pursuit from a corner, finding it amusing at first—until she broke out in a cold sweat: there were nearly sixty zombies here!

Thank goodness she hadn’t acted rashly.

Ye Yin murmured another spell. The naked man, being made of paper, could effortlessly leap into the air and shake off the grasping zombies, running even more cheerfully.

Soon all the zombies had formed a pack, chasing the paper puppet like wolves after a hare. Seeing her chance, Ye Yin swiftly recited an earth-binding spell to pin them all in place, then pressed her palms together, rapidly forming seals to unleash the most powerful attack technique she currently knew: the Heavenly Fire Wheel.

In “The Great Shamanic Compendium,” the Heavenly Fire Wheel was only considered a basic attack, but its value lay in its utility: with minimal spiritual power, it could silently incinerate enemies to a crisp, its force far surpassing the fire of elemental abilities or cultivators’ pill flames—worthy of the “heavenly” name.

Zombies, being creatures of evil, were especially vulnerable to the pure and searing Heavenly Fire. So when Ye Yin’s fire swept through, the horde was reduced to nothing in an instant, leaving only sparkling remains.

Ye Yin’s eyes lit up—these were crystal cores. She rushed over at once.

To be honest, while zombies were disgusting and terrifying, the crystal cores in their heads were exceptionally beautiful, as pure as diamonds. Ye Yin sifted through them, counting fifty-three in all—most were colorless and transparent, only two with the faintest trace of color, noticeable only upon close inspection.

After a moment’s thought, she stored the two colored cores in her spatial vault and put the rest into her refining field.

The refining field, dormant for ages, erupted the moment it absorbed the crystal cores—Ye Yin felt as if she might explode!

It wasn’t pain or tearing, but a wild, ecstatic sense of power overflowing inside her, an exhilarating detonation. For the first time, Ye Yin glimpsed the fierce beast lurking deep within her body, its hunger for strength driven to madness. The crystal cores, like a spark on dry grass, awakened its hunger and its unquenchable obsession with power…

Trembling, Ye Yin extended her right hand, channeling the power into her palm until the veins bulged and a black hole appeared at her wrist. She swept her palm toward the fresh-food section, and with force, sucked all the goods, shelves, and freezers into countless spatial pockets.

At her previous speed, it would have taken at least half an hour to clean out the fresh-food section, but this single move even startled Ye Yin herself. As some of the power dissipated, the uncomfortable swelling eased, and she managed to suppress her bloodthirsty, murderous impulses, gradually regaining composure.

After some calculations and analysis, Ye Yin nearly burst out laughing.

What was Qiao Xinran’s tenfold speed at refining compared to this? Her own refining field had reached the terrifying level of instant refinement!

Ye Yin was not yet an ability user, so the refined power became pure shamanic strength, enhancing her physical constitution. According to the compendium, she was now at the entry level of a shaman—the Human Shaman stage.

Not all milk is called X-Lensu, and not everyone who knows secret arts can be called a Great Shaman. According to rank and power, practitioners of arcane arts ascend from Human Shaman, Spirit Shaman, Earth Shaman, Elder Shaman, to Great Shaman. In ancient times, Ye Yin would have been an insignificant ant, but now, in the apocalypse, the shamanic race was extinct—she was the only one left who knew these arts.

Ye Yin understood that cultivation had declined in the modern world. If she achieved the Earth Shaman stage, even the boss, Cloud Wanderer, wouldn’t be able to touch her… No matter what, this was truly uplifting news.

Though she couldn’t relax entirely, Ye Yin now had much more confidence. Gathering supplies was much easier, and she was no longer so tense at every sound.

At MegaMart, each floor was widely spaced, so Ye Yin’s zombie-clearing on the third level hadn’t alerted the zombies in the home and clothing section on the second floor. A few with keen hearing looked up blankly, but, sensing no scent of flesh or screams, soon resumed their aimless wandering.

Sweeping up food always lifted one’s spirits. When Ye Yin saw the mountains of premium rice, grains, and oils in the grain section, she automatically converted them in her mind into a pile of spendable crystal cores, her eyes gleaming green. With granaries as the next target, she didn’t even consider how difficult it might be to trade so many crystal cores. She simply believed she’d have six bowls of rice tomorrow.

No time to lose—enough daydreaming, or the crystal cores would vanish. Snapping back to reality, Ye Yin grabbed a shopping cart, put one foot on it, and, like riding a skateboard, zipped through the aisles, swiping up goods and shelves alike—more thorough than any city enforcement raid.

Mountains of canned goods, durable dried foods, instant oatmeal, lotus root and walnut powders, biscuits, chocolates, candies, pastries… Normally, she’d have turned up her nose at these additive-laden foods, but in the apocalypse, anything edible was a blessing—waste not, want not. Besides, with her current constitution, even arsenic wouldn’t be a problem.

Reaching the imported snacks section, Ye Yin spotted the H-Nation cocoa milk that Ye Hua adored and was delighted. She promptly gathered all those snacks. They tasted much like the domestic ones but cost several times more. Ye Yin had always thought that foreign brands simply seemed more desirable; she’d usually pass them by in the supermarket. But today, with everything free, they looked surprisingly appealing—no wonder they were expensive, the packaging was exquisite.

The third floor’s bounty would last the sisters and the farm residents a year or two at least. Still, Ye Yin had no intention of generously handing everything over. People are prone to take advantage—once they get used to handouts, your efforts become taken for granted. If supplies suddenly stopped, they might just turn on her. Want to eat? Then pull your weight!

There were about a hundred zombies on the second floor, more than on the third. Now an entry-level shaman, Ye Yin dispatched them easily with her naked man puppet. She refined all the colorless crystal cores, saving the colored ones for future ability development.

She’d been worrying about the farm’s lack of textile production, but the seasonal clothing and linens on the second floor eased that problem for now. As for pots, pans, and utensils, they’d always come in handy. When clearing out goods, she paid special attention to sanitary pads and toilet paper—no way was she resorting to the hand-washing method used in some places…

The first floor was the least useful—zombies swarmed, most goods were home appliances, and a few jewelry stalls. Energy was precious in the apocalypse; most people lived primitively and didn’t waste electricity. Still, the privileged always had needs, and her spatial storage had no limits. Who knew—they might be useful later. After a quick glance, Ye Yin took everything. The warehouse goods were much the same, stacked densely, saving her a lot of trouble.

If it hadn’t been for the uncomfortable fullness of power inside her, Ye Yin would have been reluctant to leave the horde of zombies outside the supermarket—she’d have wiped them out too.

After a brief rest and recovery in her villa room at the farm, Ye Yin immediately set off for her next destination—Starlight Department Store.

Author’s note: The naked man puppet, with cat ears for extra cuteness, begs for bookmarks and comments!

[Ye Hua: Author, are you sure something this weird can be cute?

Ah Ba: QAQ, there’s really no other way. Please, for the sake of the hard-working naked guy, bookmark and comment!~~]