Chapter 20: Underwater Supermarket — Zero-Dollar Shopping

That night, as expected, Zhou Qiuyang developed a fever.

He had sustained a serious injury and had been caught in the rain. A fever from an inflamed wound was to be expected.

The next morning, when Xia Xiaoman went out, she saw Wen Jianfeng stepping out of Zhou Qiuyang’s place looking exhausted. That’s when she realized he had stayed up all night taking care of Zhou.

Seeing the pack of instant noodles in Xia Xiaoman’s hands, Wen Jianfeng asked, “Are you making breakfast for Xiaoyang?”

Xia Xiaoman nodded. “He’s so badly injured, I doubt he can get up and cook.”

“Instant noodles aren’t suitable for someone who’s sick—they’re too ‘heaty.’ I made some porridge. Take those noodles back.”

Xia Xiaoman was surprised. “You can cook?”

Wen Jianfeng smiled. “Cooking isn’t that hard. I’m actually pretty good. I’ll show you someday.”

Xia Xiaoman was momentarily stunned. In her mind, men didn’t cook, nor were they expected to. Kitchen work was considered a woman’s duty—something her mother had drilled into her since childhood.

Of course, she never agreed with that belief and had no intention of becoming a woman like her mother, which is why she fought so hard to escape her remote mountain village.

“Are you heading out to salvage supplies later?”

Wen’s question snapped her back. “You didn’t sleep all night. You still have the energy to go scavenging?”

Wen Jianfeng nodded. “It’s fine. I used to stay up all the time. And we’re running low on food. I need to find something for Lingling and the others.”

“Alright. I’ll go eat quickly. Let’s meet in half an hour.”

Time was of the essence—everyone in the city was scavenging. Delay even a little, and there’d be nothing left but scraps.

Xia Xiaoman had planned to lend her spare diving gear to Wen Jianfeng, but he had already borrowed a set from Sun Qing.

Leaving the twins in Sun Qing’s care, Wen Jianfeng geared up with his diving suit and inflatable kayak, and joined Xia Xiaoman.

They had already planned their route in advance.

With proper diving equipment, they could access places others couldn’t—deep underwater rather than just skimming the surface.

They decided to head for the nearest supermarket.

It was a massive international chain store covering over 20,000 square meters—stocked with food, clothing, household goods, and more. A scavenger’s dream.

With floodwaters receding to the 7th floor, Xia Xiaoman and Wen Jianfeng left from a 7th-floor balcony.

They paddled for over an hour before arriving.

The supermarket was already attracting a crowd—seven or eight makeshift rafts, three kayaks, one rubber fishing boat, and one motorized rescue boat floated on the surface.

And Xia Xiaoman wasn’t the only one with diving gear. People on the rescue boat, the fishing boat, and one of the kayaks were also equipped.

The rescue boat had a large raft tied to it, already piled with salvaged goods—they had probably been here for quite some time.

Several groups were eyeing the rescue boat covetously, but the people onboard didn’t seem the least bit worried. One even grinned tauntingly at the others.

Wen Jianfeng whispered, “Xiaoman, once I’m underwater, try to stay near the crowd. If someone tries to steal your kayak, head straight into the crowd and cause a distraction so you can escape. If you can’t keep the kayak, leave it—your safety is more important.”

But Xia Xiaoman wasn’t about to miss this rare zero-dollar shopping spree underwater. “Coach, I’m a good swimmer. I’ve gone diving several times before. I actually feel safer underwater than on the surface.”

Wen Jianfeng looked disapproving. “No way. There’ll be a lot of people down there. You’ll be slowed by the gear. If someone gangs up on you, it’ll be dangerous.”

“Relax. I’ll be fine,” Xia Xiaoman replied, ignoring his warning as she donned her gear and dove in.

Sure enough, the water was full of people. As soon as she entered, she saw two or three others hauling things upward—probably eager to deliver what they found to their companions.

She didn’t engage and swam straight toward the supermarket’s entrance.

Before she could reach it, she spotted two people guarding the door, blocking anyone from entering.

At that moment, Xia Xiaoman sensed something off in the current behind her. Turning around, she saw a shadow—someone had crept up behind her, trying to snatch her oxygen tank.

Seeing he was unarmed, Xia Xiaoman spun around, kicked her legs to launch at him, and pulled a sharp knife from her spatial storage. She slashed at his neck.

The man had no idea why she suddenly lunged at him, but the next moment his neck exploded in pain, and blood turned the murky water red.

She kicked him away and swam aside, looking for another entrance to the supermarket.

His companion, seeing the first man sink, knew he had failed and quickly swam toward Xia Xiaoman.

She sensed the pursuit but stayed calm. Reaching an unguarded entrance, she paused and waited, feeling the flow of the water behind her.

After about ten seconds, she yanked out the axe strapped to her thigh and swung back.

The attacker dodged quickly, avoiding the blow. Xia Xiaoman swung again, but underwater resistance slowed her down, and the attacker managed to grab her arm.

Using his force, she lunged forward, simultaneously pulling a watermelon knife from her space with her left hand—and stabbed him in the throat.

With the tail cleaned up, Xia Xiaoman pried open the supermarket doors and slipped inside.

The supermarket was relatively new and sturdily built, so despite being flooded for so long, it hadn’t collapsed. Everything inside was still trapped, unable to float out.

As soon as she opened the doors, a wave of floating goods burst outward.

She grabbed one pack—snacks like chips, fries, and popcorn.

Not her priority.

She grabbed a handful and threw them into her space but waited for the floating goods to drift out before diving deeper.

Her goal today was the warehouse—that’s where the real treasure was. These snacks weren’t filling and were a pain to collect.

The supermarket was huge, and unfamiliar to her. She wandered for a while before finally locating a warehouse.

Just as she began prying it open, she noticed a light in the distance—someone else was coming.

She ignored them and kept working on the lock.

As the light neared, Xia Xiaoman raised her axe and pointed at a distant shelf, signaling the person to stay away and find supplies elsewhere.

But the person didn’t seem to understand—and continued swimming straight toward her…