Qin Shilei refocused his attention on the convenience store.
It was a glass door that opened in both directions.
The glass was covered with a layer of newspaper, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
Through the gap in the middle, a lock the size of a thumb was hanging on the door handles on both sides.
Kicking it hard might knock the door down, but it would make too much noise and easily attract zombies.
Qin Shilei said in a deep voice at the gap, "If you don't open the door, I'll kick it down. If zombies are attracted, you won't be able to hold onto this sanctuary."
He paused and added, "We'll only take some food and leave immediately. We promise not to occupy this place."
Unfortunately, there was still no reaction from inside.
Qin Shilei took out his Seven Star Sword and gestured, trying to see if he could break the glass door without making much noise.
Just then, he suddenly heard the sound of heavy objects being moved inside.
Peeking through the gap in the middle of the door, he saw that the person inside had moved some shelves and other items to barricade the door.
Damn it!
The person inside was cunning.
Qin Shilei tried pushing the glass door again, but it didn't budge.
The person inside had likely piled many things behind the door.
Qin Shilei turned to circle around the side to see if there were any windows.
Suddenly, a cry came from inside.
"Tiancheng, hurry! A zombie is crawling in."
"Ayu, run! Climb onto the loft bed."
Then, the sounds of crashing and banging came from inside.
Qin Shilei leaned closer to the door gap and peered inside. He saw a man, about thirty years old, holding a cleaver and fighting desperately against three zombies.
Xu Tiancheng swung the cleaver with all his might, retreating and slashing, managing to take down two zombies in succession.
Unfortunately, he didn't notice the small stool at his feet and stumbled, falling to the ground. The cleaver also fell to his side.
The last zombie seized the opportunity and pounced on him.
This was a male zombie, strong and more powerful than Xu Tiancheng.
It pinned Xu Tiancheng down, its head trying to bite him.
Xu Tiancheng pushed his hands against his chest, holding it tightly to prevent the zombie from biting him.
"Tiancheng, I'll help you."
Ayu climbed down from the loft again.
Trembling, she picked up the cleaver lying nearby and tried to chop the zombie to death. She raised the knife but lacked the courage to swing it down.
"Ayu, hurry and chop!"
"Ah!"
Seeing her husband about to be bitten, Ayu closed her eyes, shouted, and brought the knife down.
She did hit it, but only the zombie's shoulder, and the cleaver got stuck in its bone.
"Roar!"
Ignoring the cleaver in its shoulder, the zombie turned its head and roared at the woman, then continued to bite the man beneath it.
Ayu grabbed a kitchen knife from a shelf and, closing her eyes, swung at the zombie.
"Ugh!"
"Ayu, stop chopping. I can't hold on much longer."
The zombie's strength, combined with the force transmitted from Ayu's chopping, made Xu Tiancheng grunt in pain and forced him to stop.
"Sister, please open the door quickly, I can save him."
Qin Shilei shouted through the door gap.
Hearing this, the woman seemed to have grasped a lifeline and immediately ran over, frantically pushing away the shelves behind the door.
"Tiancheng, hold on a little longer. I'll open the door and let him save you."
Although the woman was not skilled at fighting zombies, she was efficient at pushing shelves. She quickly opened the door with the key.
Qin Shilei lunged forward, his body sideways, and kicked upwards.
A huge head flew off to the right.
Foul-smelling black blood sprayed from the neck, drenching the man below.
"Tiancheng, are you alright?"
Ayu asked worriedly, wiping the bloodstains from her husband's face with a towel.
Xu Tiancheng struggled to get up, first pulled out the cleaver stuck in the zombie's shoulder, and then pulled his wife behind him.
"Thank you for saving me."
Qin Shilei said calmly, "I think you should get cleaned up to avoid the blood turning you into a zombie as well."
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Tiancheng pulled his wife into the bathroom.
Fortunately, these zombies didn't have sharp claws like ghouls. Otherwise, after that close-quarters combat, it would have been unavoidable to get scratched and infected.
After a thorough cleaning, they came out to find Qin Shilei not only locking the door but also boarding up the window behind it.
"He's not going to stay here, is he?"
Xu Tiancheng looked at Qin Shilei with a worried expression.
Qin Shilei smiled at them, then walked to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of "Happy Fat House Water," and drank it down in gulps.
This frozen "Fat House Water" was so refreshing. He wondered when the electricity would go out.
Thinking of this, he quickly put three or four bottles of "Fat House Water" into his spatial ring.
Seeing the other person casually drinking and taking things as if he owned the place, Xu Tiancheng's worry deepened.
His eyes darted around, and he tentatively said, "Thank you so much just now. As a token of my gratitude for saving my life, please take whatever you want."
He then handed over a backpack.
"Uh!" Qin Shilei put down the "Fat House Water," let out a burp, and stared at the backpack without taking it.
The backpack looked sturdy, but it wasn't the largest size sold in the convenience store.
Even if he stuffed it to the brim, the amount of goods it could hold would be a drop in the ocean compared to the store's inventory.
"It's getting dark, and we only have one bed here. I'm afraid we can't accommodate you for the night."
Seeing that Qin Shilei didn't take the backpack, Xu Tiancheng's words became more pointed, trying to get rid of him.
Qin Shilei smiled and said, "I'm not trying to take over your convenience store. Is there any need for you to rush me out like this?"
"It's best if you have no ill intentions, but this is my convenience store, and I apologize for not being able to host you."
Xu Tiancheng pushed the backpack closer to Qin Shilei again.
"Tiancheng, are you called Xu Tiancheng, the owner of Tiancheng Convenience Store?"
Qin Shilei suddenly asked.
"That's me."
Xu Tiancheng paused, but he didn't hide it.
"On the trading system, you sell a bottle of water for one crystal core. I just saved your life, shouldn't you give me some crystal cores as a reward?"
Qin Shilei wasn't necessarily seeking repayment, but he was displeased with the other person's attitude.
He had just saved his life, and the next moment he was being kicked out.
Did he look like a villain?
"I haven't sold a single bottle of water, nor do I have any crystal cores."
Xu Tiancheng flatly denied it.
When he first listed his items, no one bought them.
After all, those who could kill zombies were not fools and knew the value of crystal cores.
But the world was vast, and there were always people who were starving. Just before dinner, he had managed to sell two portions of food.
"No crystal cores, huh? That's a bit difficult."
Qin Shilei said with a look of difficulty, "There's food and drink here, I don't mind setting up a makeshift bed or something."
"You..."
Xu Tiancheng brandished the cleaver in his hand and said fiercely, "This is my convenience store. If you know what's good for you, take some things and leave. Otherwise, you won't even get half a sausage later."
"Heh heh!"
Qin Shilei chuckled disdainfully and pointed at the business license behind the counter, "The owner of this store doesn't seem to be you. You're just someone who has taken over someone else's nest."
"I'm not leaving today!"