I’m the City Lord of the Last Days - Chapter 5.2

Finally arriving at their destination, Song Xingcheng noticed that the glass doors of the supermarket had been violently smashed, and he could faintly see the chaos inside the supermarket. However, it was unclear whether this chaos was caused by customers who were shopping when the catastrophe occurred, early survivors who had come to loot the supermarket, or both.

Rather than stopping at the supermarket’s main entrance, Han Qinmin drove past it and circled to the rear of the supermarket, where they parked in front of a small door labeled “Employee Entrance.”

Song Xingcheng followed suit and got out of the vehicle, but instead of immediately entering the supermarket to search for supplies, he saw that He Qianshan was carefully inspecting a row of delivery trucks parked in the loading area.

After selecting a suitable delivery truck, Zheng Nianhao entered a password to open the locked employee entrance door, and the four of them entered the building.

He Qianshan led the way, dealing with any zombies they encountered with a single shot. There was never a need for a second shot. Zheng Nianhao followed behind, collecting energy beads. The four of them made their way without much obstruction and soon found the door to the supermarket’s warehouse.

The warehouse door was also locked with a password. However, after Zheng Nianhao entered the password, the door didn’t open. Puzzled, he pushed the door hard and heard a suppressed scream of terror coming from inside the warehouse.

“We’re human.”

With a slight pause, Zheng Nianhao shouted through the crack in the warehouse door. Soon, he established contact with the supermarket manager who was hiding inside.

Upon learning that their immediate superior was waiting outside the door, the survivors hiding in the warehouse, albeit reluctantly, had to move the obstacles blocking the warehouse door and open it.

The survivors inside the warehouse hid behind crates, while the supermarket manager, a well-fed man with a bald head, couldn’t hide and stood out, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a tissue, clearly frightened.

The supermarket manager quickly recognized his boss’s boss, He Qianshan, as soon as he saw him. His eyes then fell on the gun in He Qianshan’s hand, and a strong survival instinct kicked in. He rushed to He Qianshan’s side, bowing respectfully, and said:

“Mr. He! This situation, it’s not my fault… I mean, I did my best to manage things here…”

He Qianshan gestured to stop the round manager’s earnest self-blame and didn’t show any intention to hold anyone accountable. After all, the apocalypse was a natural disaster, not a man-made calamity. Nobody wanted to see this happen.

He Qianshan then calmly announced:

“I need some help moving goods right now. In return, I can offer you weapons or escort you back home safely. If anyone is willing to help, please step forward.”

The survivors who had been hiding in the warehouse stared at He Qianshan, struggling to process his words. However, there was one quick thinker among them, and a middle-aged employee named Zhao Zhenhai stepped forward.

Since the major incident had occurred that morning and they had taken refuge in the supermarket warehouse, Zhao Zhenhai had been anxious to return home to see his family. Even when there was still a cell phone signal, he couldn’t get through to his family’s phone. He was deeply worried but didn’t dare to make any rash moves.

The horrifying news on the internet and the constant screams of terror coming from outside the warehouse had kept the survivors huddled inside like frightened birds. Occasionally, someone would suggest opening the door, but the fear of attracting the attention of others outside would quickly shut down such ideas.

With the help of He Qianshan’s staff and some of the supermarket’s employees and customers, the process of loading supplies into the trucks went smoothly. The experienced staff from the Duode Supermarket, who had a natural trust in their old employer, He Corporation, took the lead, while some of the more timid new employees and customers remained hesitant. Nevertheless, there were enough people to get the job done, so He Qianshan didn’t push it.

He Qianshan left Zheng Nianhao in charge of directing the workforce and told the supermarket manager to cooperate fully with Zheng Nianhao’s command. Then, he departed the storage area with Song Xingcheng and Han Qinmin.

Once the big boss left, the supermarket manager immediately approached Zheng Nianhao with a round, ingratiating smile and said, “Assistant Zheng, please don’t hesitate to tell me if there’s anything you need. I promise to get it done for you, hehe.”

“Well, then I won’t hold back,” replied Zheng Nianhao, wearing his gold-rimmed glasses. He took out several long lists from his backpack and began to assign tasks to everyone.

Under Zheng Nianhao’s direction, large boxes of food, drinking water, frozen meat, and various other supplies were efficiently loaded onto the trucks. There was even a refrigerated truck designated for frozen products.

When Manager Ma received his assignment, he hesitated for a moment, assuming he’d just need to oversee the process. However, when his uncertain gaze met Zheng Nianhao’s, he quickly realized he should lend a hand. He obediently assisted in loading supplies onto the carts and then pushing them over to the trucks, without daring to question further.

However, every time Manager Ma passed by Zheng Nianhao, he couldn’t resist the urge to inquire further:

“Assistant Zheng, how does Mr. He plan to arrange things for us?”

“Assistant Zheng, are those weapons you have for real? Is Mr. He giving us guns?”

“Assistant Zheng, do you think you could drop me off at my home first, and then I’ll join Mr. He with my family?”

…

Zheng Nianhao, busy with his task of directing and coordinating, occasionally gave brief responses. However, Manager Ma’s questions became increasingly frequent, and the other workers around them slowed down their pace, straining to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Zheng Nianhao finally became impatient with the incessant questioning. He cast a smile that was not quite a smile towards Manager Ma, who had once again leaned in too close, and that look immediately shut Manager Ma up.