Chapter 11: Someone Came to Steal the Fruit of Their Labor

The vacuum-packed sugar and salt didn’t contain much air and had all sunk to the bottom.

Xia Xiaoman searched the area near the seasonings section and found dozens of bags of different brands of salt and sugar.

After making a round through the supermarket, she collected all usable and edible items into her storage space and even found two boxes of water purification tablets.

That was a great find—once their bottled water ran out, they’d need those tablets for clean drinking water.

The supermarket’s warehouse door was tightly locked. Xia Xiaoman tried to pry it open but gave up when it wouldn’t budge.

She pulled the pre-sorted supplies from her space and clipped them onto climbing ropes. Once everything was secured, she tugged the rope three times.

Sun Qing, recognizing Xia Xiaoman’s signal, immediately began pulling up the rope, hauling the supplies out of the water bit by bit.

As she pulled up the first rope, Sun Qing waved Ye Xiaojie aside. “Let me handle the rope—you keep watch and don’t let anyone get close. There are watermelon knives tied to the rope—grab one.”

Xia Xiaoman had attached four watermelon knives to the ropes in anticipation.

The knives weren’t very long—less than 40 centimeters—but they were sturdy and sharp, much more effective than trekking poles in a fight.

Ye Xiaojie tucked her trekking pole behind her waist, picked up two of the knives, and vigilantly watched the surroundings.

The two men in the distance whispered something to each other. Soon after, one of them left and headed upstairs.

Xia Xiaoman had prepared five ropes full of clipped-on supplies. As soon as she finished, she swam back to the surface.

Back in the corridor, Sun Qing hurried to remove Xia Xiaoman’s diving gear. “Xiaoman, someone’s coming to snatch our stuff. Do you still have a weapon?”

“Four knives aren’t enough for you two?” Xia Xiaoman asked between breaths.

“They’re enough for us, but what about you?”

Without replying, Xia Xiaoman pulled a fire axe from behind her waist.

Sun Qing frowned. “That’s too heavy—why not switch to something else?”

Xia Xiaoman shook her head. “No need. I’m used to swinging an axe.”

Before college, she chopped all the firewood at home herself. Big logs required an axe. Compared to flimsy knives, she preferred the heft of an axe.

The sound of footsteps grew closer. The man who had left earlier returned—this time with seven or eight others, all charging downstairs in force.

To cut off any escape, the group split: four approached from the right corridor, while five—four new ones plus the man who had stayed—circled from the left.

“I’ll take the left. You two take the right,” Ye Xiaojie said calmly, gripping two knives and staring straight ahead.

The shiny blades didn’t scare off the robbers. One sneered, “Little girl, do you even know how to use those knives? I’ve been playing with blades since before you were born.”

“Be smart—drop everything you’re holding and scram. We’ll let you go this once.”

“Refuse, and don’t blame us for getting rough. These days, drowning one or two people isn’t even news.”

No wonder they were eyeing Xia Xiaoman’s group.

They had arrived early, broken into several places, and found only a bit of leftover food in some restaurant—not even enough for their nine people.

Now they saw Xia Xiaoman bringing up haul after haul with diving gear. How could they not be tempted?

They may have been outnumbered, but Sun Qing wasn’t intimidated. She shouted, “If you’ve got the guts, come and take it! Quit whining!”

“Alright, you asked for it! Get them!” the leader yelled, raising his blade.

Xia Xiaoman glanced sideways. “Sun Qing, are you a trained fighter too?”

Sun Qing: “Nope!”

Xia Xiaoman: “…”

Then why are you acting so bold?

As four men rushed forward, Xia Xiaoman grabbed a bag full of salt, spun in place twice, and flung it with force.

The bag slammed into the four attackers, knocking them down. Xia Xiaoman immediately charged in and struck one in the back with the blunt end of her axe.

Sun Qing raised a knife but hesitated, battling with herself—then she stuffed it back at her waist and punched a man square in the temple.

He collapsed like a sack of bricks, motionless.

Ye Xiaojie stood still, poised—the moment anyone moved, she’d strike.

Small and agile, she was hard to hit. After weaving through them a few times, the five men in her group were all cut and bleeding.

She had controlled her strength—none of the wounds were deep, just superficial cuts—but painful enough to leave them hunched and gasping.

The empty mall echoed with screams.

Nine men in total: Ye Xiaojie cut five, Xia Xiaoman took down two, and Sun Qing knocked out two with her fists.

“You said you didn’t know martial arts?” Xia Xiaoman asked.

Sun Qing nodded. “I don’t. But I’ve trained in boxing. That’s how I met Xiaojie—we’re boxing gym buddies. She’s my junior.”

Xia Xiaoman: “…”

Sun Qing turned to the gang leader. “Didn’t you say you were gonna drown someone?”

The man clutched his bleeding abdomen, bluffing, “You’d better not touch us! Before you arrived, I sent someone to get reinforcements. If you harm me, my brothers won’t let you go!”

Sun Qing mimicked fear, “Oh no, I’m so scared.”

“Let’s see who gets here first—your gang or the fish that eat you at the bottom of the pond!”

As Xia Xiaoman tied up the two unconscious men, the leader panicked. “Killing is illegal! You—you can’t kill us!”

Xia Xiaoman sneered. “Now you remember that? What about earlier, when you said you’d drown us?”

“That was—that was just a joke! I just wanted to scare you. I’m a good citizen—I’d never kill anyone!”

A real man knows when to yield. The guy dropped to his knees. “Please, sisters! I have a wife and kid waiting for me at home.”

Xia Xiaoman said nothing. She picked up the pace and soon had all nine men tied to a railing.

Sun Qing checked their supplies—mostly restaurant stock like rice, flour, and condiments.

“I’ll go upstairs and look for gas canisters. You two pack the stuff. Once I find them, we’re heading back.”

She was more familiar with restaurant layouts and could quickly locate the kitchen.

Xia Xiaoman and Ye Xiaojie hauled up the remaining supplies still underwater.

“There’s too much stuff. Three inflatable boats won’t be enough,” Ye Xiaojie said.

Xia Xiaoman walked over to the captives. “Hey, how did you get here?”

The leader looked down and played dead.

Annoyed, Xia Xiaoman pulled out a multi-tool knife and stabbed his thigh.

His scream echoed across the mall. “AAAAHHH! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

“We came here in a motorboat—it’s hidden behind the front desk of the clothing store by the entrance!”