Chapter 9: The Desire to Grow Stronger

"Can you actually do it?"

Sun Xiaoyan stared at the manager, who had been silent for a long time, and could not help but press him for an answer.

"Ah!"

Startled by Sun Xiaoyan's voice, Wang Meng snapped back to reality. He nodded and bowed frantically, stammering, "N-no problem at all! Prime Supermarket is the largest chain in the capital. You’ve definitely made the right choice coming here. Rest assured, even if you wanted the sun itself, I could get it for you."

"Oh?"

Hearing the bald manager's grandiose claim, a glimmer of light flashed in Sun Xiaoyan's eyes. She glanced around the room and, seeing that they were alone in the reception area, lowered her voice. "You can really get anything?"

"Ah!"

Wang Meng immediately felt he had backed himself into a corner. However, having just made such a bold promise, he couldn't retract it instantly. He had to grit his teeth and reply, "I... suppose... probably... yes."

Sun Xiaoyan became immediately interested. Leaning in closer, she whispered, "Can you procure firearms and ammunition?"

Cold sweat beaded on Wang Meng's forehead. He instinctively glanced around before remembering that he and Sun Xiaoyan were alone in the private reception room.

"Miss Sun, please, don't joke around. How could I possibly get my hands on those? They are strictly contraband." Wang Meng replied, feeling sheepish and embarrassed at having to contradict his own boast so soon.

"Sigh."

Sun Xiaoyan sighed, cast a sidelong glance at Wang Meng, and said with a tone of disappointment, "I thought you were truly capable. What a pity. If you can't handle a big order like this, then there's nothing more to discuss."

"Er!"

Wang Meng’s heart skipped a beat. He asked tentatively, "Miss Sun, why do you need those things?"

Sun Xiaoyan glanced at him, then looked down at her own delicate, jade-like hands, and said casually, "A personal hobby. Is that not allowed?"

"No, it's fine! Perfectly fine!"

Wang Meng muttered to himself, thinking that rich people certainly had strange interests, though this one wasn't exactly unheard of. Compared to some overseas tycoons who liked to keep lions and tigers as pets at home, this hobby actually seemed relatively tame.

"Alright, enough chatter. I will pay 30% as a down payment, and the rest upon delivery. That’s acceptable, right?"

"No problem! Three days—I only need three days, and I will have the goods ready."

Wang Meng agreed immediately. He had been prepared to accept a mere 10% deposit; getting 30% made him very happy indeed.

Ten minutes later, after Sun Xiaoyan signed the agency procurement agreement, she suddenly remembered something. She looked up at Wang Meng and said, "Manager Wang, I have one additional request."

"Please, go ahead!"

Sun Xiaoyan had just transferred the 30% deposit via online banking—a full three million yuan. Any remaining doubts Wang Meng had about her ability to pay vanished instantly. Look at her—not only was she beautiful, but she was wealthy. Paying three million without a second thought; this was a truly rich person.

"Since I don't have a suitable place to store the goods once they arrive, please help me find a warehouse. Naturally, I will cover the rental fees in the final settlement. Also, prepare ten days' worth of basic supplies for one person and load them into my car."

"Of course, that's no problem at all. You can leave it to me!"

Wang Meng agreed readily to such a simple request, which elicited a satisfied expression from Sun Xiaoyan.

*Ring-a-ling!*

Just then, the phone Sun Xiaoyan had placed on the table began to ring. Seeing the caller ID, she frowned slightly. After a brief moment of hesitation, she answered.

"President Sun, it's bad! A dozen suppliers somehow found out that the group is facing a cash flow crisis. They've all swarmed the headquarters demanding payment, and they're saying if we don't give them an answer, they're going to start seizing company property to cover the debts."

As soon as the call connected, her female assistant's tearful voice came through, delivering the shocking news.

Sun Xiaoyan’s expression darkened upon hearing this. "How did they find out? Besides, the payment deadline isn't until the end of the month. On what grounds are they demanding it now?"

"President Sun, I don't know! There are so many of them; they've blocked the company entrance. People from other floors are all gathering to watch. When can you get here?"

The assistant's words sparked a flash of anger in Sun Xiaoyan. After a moment of thought, she said quickly, "I'll be back at the office in about 20 minutes. Keep them calm and wait for me."

Sun Xiaoyan hung up the phone. She pondered for a second, her eyes shifting, before looking at Wang Meng. "Manager Wang, there is one small favor I’d like to ask of you. I wonder if..."

"No problem."

Although Wang Meng didn't know what the "small favor" was, he grit his teeth and agreed. There was no helping it; Sun Xiaoyan was simply too generous.

Sun Xiaoyan leaned in and whispered something to Wang Meng, who listened intently while nodding along.

Once she had finished her instructions, Wang Meng laughed heartily. "President Sun, it's a minor matter. Rest assured, I will handle it perfectly for you."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded, said no more, and under Wang Meng's deferential escort, she got into her sports car and sped off toward her company.

...

The next morning, Qin Zhong was awakened by the groaning of the undead downstairs. He sat up abruptly, his eyes bleary and his head throbbing, feeling a sense of disorientation as to where he was.

After a long while, Qin Zhong finally recalled his surroundings. Thinking of the deal he had made with Sun Xiaoyan the previous night, he felt a flicker of joy, followed immediately by a wave of despondency.

Although Sun Xiaoyan had promised to prepare supplies for him, distant water could not quench a near thirst. He was still trapped in this apocalypse, and he had to find a way to survive first. Only then could he hope for Sun Xiaoyan’s supplies to arrive; otherwise, everything was just a fleeting bubble.

He sighed, got up, and went to the kitchen. He forced down some leftover rice from the day before to fill his stomach, then took inventory of the remaining food. Over the days in the apocalypse, he had become accustomed to rationing. After all, in this world, these supplies were critical. Humans were not zombies; they needed food and water. If one went a few meals without eating, they wouldn't even need a zombie to bite them—they would be too weak to move on their own.

To Qin Zhong's disappointment, it seemed this family rarely ate at home; the food storage was meager. After he had eaten some of the ten-pound bag of rice yesterday, there was only half a bag left. There were twelve eggs, a small piece of pork, and a case of milk. Rarer still, he found a box of fruit in the kitchen; although much of it had spoiled, a few apples were still edible.

Overall, if he had to stay here, he probably wouldn't last a week.

Furthermore, he had no idea what was happening at the shelter. Yesterday, the sounds of explosions and constant gunfire coming from the direction of the shelter had made Qin Zhong feel uneasy. He knew that when they had established the shelter, they had managed to procure a few handguns, but they had no explosives. Those intense explosions he heard yesterday were clearly not ordinary; they filled him with dread.

"Heaven never shuts off every exit. There's no point in worrying so much; I need to escape this place first!"

After considering it for a while, Qin Zhong comforted himself. "Even if I panic like a mad dog here, it won't change what has already happened. I must survive the present. Once I return to the shelter, everything will become clear."

After packing his supplies, he realized that to save himself, he had to leave this room rather than wait passively for death.

Qin Zhong walked out of the kitchen and stopped before the door of the master bedroom. He moved the dining table and other items he had used to barricade the door. His first step toward survival would be taking down the trapped female zombie inside.

In the past, Qin Zhong had always had companions by his side, and from the moment the apocalypse began, things had gone smoothly for him. He had never faced a situation like the zombie horde he encountered yesterday on his own. Since being betrayed by his own people, he had decided he must become stronger. Becoming stronger started with self-improvement; if he couldn't even handle a single female zombie, then his talk of becoming stronger was just empty words.