Kapitel 12: Supermarket Sweep
The first floor of the mall bore evident signs of water damage, but luckily, the second and third floors remained intact. Fortunately, a well-preserved large supermarket was located on the second floor, and everyone who came here grabbed two shopping carts, loading them up with rice, noodles, and cooking oil without checking the prices.
Alice found herself in the grain and cereal section, where a group of people rushed to grab bags of rice as soon as the staff unloaded a cart full of them. With quick reflexes and strength, Alice successfully snatched three bags of rice amidst the frenzy.
"The supermarket's rice is all gone; everyone, please go to other places to shop," the staff helplessly announced. The warehouse was emptied of rice, flour, and noodles almost as soon as they were brought out. People who arrived later heard this news with a sense of despair. The nearby vegetable market was flooded, rendering everything inedible. The businesses suffered heavy losses, and they couldn't buy any food.
Alice, pushing two shopping carts, went on a spree in the supermarket. The instant noodles shelf had only five bags left, and she took them all. Pickles, sauces, salt, oil, ham, melon seeds, peanuts, hawthorn, candies, and various loose snacks for girls—all went into the shopping carts.
With limited space in the two carts, Alice didn't take more than she needed and headed to the checkout counter once they were full. The queue for payment was already long, with some families bringing seven or eight carts, stacked to the brim.
Despite the efforts of over a dozen supermarket staff working together to collect payments, they couldn't keep up. It took a whole hour before it was Alice's turn to pay. The supermarket still had electricity, and electronic payments were still possible. Alice's cash remained unused.
More people gathered as they heard about the commotion. Alice, pushing the loaded shopping carts out, attracted the attention and envy of onlookers. Some admired her, some were jealous, and others glared angrily. Someone even shouted, "Can't you be less selfish? Think about others behind you. If you take everything, what are others supposed to do?"Alice turned a deaf ear to the commotion. If it weren't for the fact that these people had managed to secure items in the supermarket, they wouldn't waste time hurling insults here. Snatching goods inside the supermarket was the real priority. Waiting any longer, there might not even be water left in the supermarket.
Many private cars were parked outside the mall, and those who arrived early were busy loading their vehicles with bags of supplies.
"This is my stuff! It's a robbery!"
Someone suddenly shouted loudly. Alice looked over and saw that a person who hadn't been able to buy anything noticed a private car with only the owner inside. Seizing the opportunity, they grabbed several items from his shopping cart.
The owner of the private car was furious, cursing non-stop. However, he dared not chase after the thief. The immediate concern was to protect the rest of his belongings. He hastily dumped the contents of his shopping cart into the car, locked the doors, and quickly left.
People who walked out of the supermarket, disheartened by their failure to secure supplies, couldn't help but entertain sinister thoughts upon witnessing a successful robbery. At this moment, survival was paramount, and all notions of righteousness and morality went out the window.
Meanwhile, those who had successfully acquired supplies became vigilant. Most people traveled with their families, with one person keeping watch while the other handled the transportation.
Alice, too, was loading supplies into the trunk of her car. Even without turning her head, she could sense the predatory gazes surrounding her. When she turned around for a glance, she noticed that those who couldn't buy anything had no intention of leaving. Their eyes were fixed on the contents of her shopping carts. In a corner not far away, a few people were huddled together, whispering.
As Alice prepared to leave, a group of men in the corner couldn't sit still any longer and strode towards her. The others, seeing them move quickly, hesitated and withdrew the steps they had taken forward.
"Miss, we don't want to trouble you. Leave the goods with the car, and you can safely go. Otherwise..." the men stared at Alice's beautiful face and suddenly chuckled insidiously, "otherwise, we'll take you along with the goods.""The town is already in chaos. If someone suddenly disappears, I don't think anyone would care, and there won't be any investigation," another man threatened.
Recently, the number of people reporting to the police had increased significantly, but the criminals were getting away with little consequence. More and more people were becoming fearless and bold. Those with keen instincts could sense that a change was imminent, and the order of civilized society might soon crumble.
Alice was not interested in wasting time talking to them. She directly took out a Tang knife from her car. She had anticipated such a situation before coming.
The men were momentarily stunned, but the next second, they burst into laughter. "Thought you could scare us with a toy knife."
One of the men beside them tried to seize the opportunity when Alice wasn't paying attention, but the next moment, a cold light flashed, and his arm experienced intense pain. A scream echoed, and when they turned to look, the man's arm was soaked in blood, with blood continuously flowing from the covered wound.
The group of men, horrified, collectively stepped back, staring at Alice in shock. The delicate and beautiful face of Alice exuded a chilling coldness, and the Tang knife in her hand was still dripping blood, making her look like a sinister and enchanting figure.
"Remember to stay far away the next time you see me."
Terrified, the men sprinted away, constantly looking back as if afraid that Alice might catch up. Those who had harbored thoughts of robbing her silently abandoned their plans.
Alice, calm and composed, took out a bottle of water to clean the blood off the Tang knife, then she sheathed it. Only after completing these actions did she drive away.
Instead of immediately returning to Serenity Springs, she visited the villa area where they had lived before as a family.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein