Just as Xu An was about to call Zhou Haimei, he saw her walking towards him with a small bag on her back.
Xu An went to meet her directly.
"Is everything done?"
Zhou Haimei nodded, then glanced at her watch.
"I went down just now and saw a few wandering outside. I don't know if they smelled something, but I dealt with them."
"Those steel bars and cement below, I have to say, they were actually useful."
"However, I also noticed that the zombies in this area seem to be more agile than those below, but they still can't perform some high-intensity movements."
Xu An said thoughtfully, "I suspect the virus was originally extracted from the zombies below, and then it evolved into these zombies that don't rot."
Zhou Haimei had already largely believed Xu An's statement.
After all, a virus wouldn't just mysteriously appear on the lighthouse out of nowhere.
"Then what do you think they were trying to do when they first extracted this zombie virus?"
Xu An lightly scoffed, "What else could they be doing? It's all the same old intentions."
Though not explicitly stated, both of them understood perfectly.
It was like the cruel wars China experienced in its early years, where innocent civilians were captured by invaders and used for poison gas experiments.
All were heinous acts, yet they were still pompously claiming to be in pursuit of "truth."
Poison gas and viruses had always been common means of attack.
It was like nuclear weapons; even though everyone in the world knew that nuclear weapons would destroy the entire Blue Star.
Yet, countries still spared no effort in trying to develop nuclear weapons to secure their international standing.
Speaking of which, regardless of what the people on the lighthouse initially intended when they brought the ground zombies back.
By now, that purpose had become corrupted.
This was beyond doubt.
"Perhaps the lighthouse initially just wanted to create a vaccine?" Zhou Haimei's tone was somewhat dejected, clearly unable to convince herself with this reason.
Xu An pulled Zhou Haimei up from the ground.
"Let's go, no more thinking about it, let's eat first."
It wasn't a big deal before, but after Xu An mentioned it, Zhou Haimei instantly felt her stomach grow empty.
A wave of hunger surged through her.
"Quick, let's go, now that you mention it, I'm so hungry."
Xu An smiled and pulled Zhou Haimei towards the tent she had set up.
As for the timing of the explosion, they planned to do it at night, waiting for the zombies' movements to slow down due to the darkness before detonating.
This would also ensure that everything was foolproof.
While Xu An and Zhou Haimei were hiding in the warm tent, enjoying this moment of peace.
On the other side, Xu Yan's situation was not as good.
Because the supermarket was not very large to begin with, when they arrived, everyone lacked a sense of crisis.
Most of the goods on the shelves were taken by the young and strong.
Those left behind were either like Xu Yan, a "widowed mother" with a child, or elderly people with mobility issues.
The few men who were there were all thin and small, with shifty eyes, clearly people who were timid and afraid of trouble.
The woman who had been adamantly advocating for everyone to lie flat and wait for military rescue during the day had now quieted down.
She seemed to have gradually lost her initial firm conviction.
The string of Buddhist beads she constantly turned in her hand had also stopped.
Everyone had spent the day here. Because they had no sense of crisis when the events first occurred during the day,
they had no proper plan for the food in the supermarket; everyone ate and drank as they pleased.
The original supermarket manager had long since become one of the zombie horde during the first wave of the zombie outbreak.
Therefore, the supermarket was now an ownerless place, freely plundered.
During the day, it was Xu Yan who stepped forward and made a suggestion.
She proposed dividing the supermarket's food, water, and other daily necessities into portions for a few people, so that everyone would have sufficient supplies.
This would prevent disagreements caused by unequal distribution.
Initially, some people disagreed. The dissenters were a mother and son.
The son, who was nearing thirty, still behaved like a mama's boy, with everything dictated by his mother. He himself was pale and plump, while his mother clearly had the look of someone who had endured hardship.
She was thin and dry, but her eyes flickered with shrewdness.
The old woman first pretended to be pitiful, saying that she was a widow with a son, and after finally reaching the lighthouse, she thought she could live a peaceful life, but unexpectedly encountered this situation again.
Fearing that she might attract zombies, the old woman cried so mournfully.
But she shed tears alone, and besides her own son, no one else in the crowd paid attention to her.
She then dejectedly withdrew. Seeing that no one responded, she stated her intention.
"I think we can only overcome difficulties by uniting as one. If we divide all the resources, won't it be a case of every man for himself when disaster strikes?"
When the old woman had remained silent, the crowd had not reacted much.
As soon as the old woman finished speaking, some sharp-minded individuals had already figured out what the old woman was trying to do.
Even in the apocalypse, there was never a shortage of hooligans and rogues.
Since no rescue was coming, no one dared to act rashly and leave this supermarket. As for how long they would stay here, no one knew.
Since they had to live here, they needed resources and food.
This old lady's scheme was evident on everyone's faces.
Looking at her useless son, one could tell he definitely had a large appetite. She didn't want to divide the resources not for everyone's good, but because she was afraid her own portion wouldn't be enough.
With this thought, those who were previously indifferent started to get up and organize the distribution of resources.
Seeing her intentions exposed, the old woman immediately became anxious.
"Hey, hey, you can't distribute it like this. Wouldn't we be at a disadvantage this way?"
A man as thin and cunning as a monkey looked at the troublesome old lady with a sinister gaze.
"Then how do you suggest we divide it?"
The old woman said matter-of-factly, "Of course, we should divide it according to the amount of food consumed. My son is a man, and he eats more, so he should be allocated more. Otherwise, what if my son doesn't get enough to eat?"
As her words fell, scattered mocking laughter erupted from the surroundings.
"Is this old lady crazy?"
"Now I know why this son eats so much and looks so well-fed."
"During the day, this mother and son ate the most, and we didn't say anything. Now they still want to play dirty and get more food. Who gave this old lady the audacity?"
The continuous discussions went from quiet murmurs to loud accusations.
Facing the questioning from dozens of people around her, the old woman became a bit flustered.
"You... you guys... what's wrong with my son eating a little more? He's a man. When the zombies come, you little sluts and old sluts will still have to rely on my son for protection!"