Lin Jing didn't care. Raising his knife with both hands, he slashed at the male zombie's neck, then delivered a powerful kick to the zombie's chest. Pulling his knife free, he swung it again, sending the zombie reeling.
Lin Jing's movements caught the attention of the other four zombies, who all began to move in their direction. However, the small supermarket was packed with shelves, forming a maze. As they moved back, Lin Jing circled around, getting behind the last zombie and slashing at him.
The zombie was completely unprepared, and Lin Jing quickly slashed a second time, ending his life.
At this point, the three zombies in front also heard the noise and turned back toward Lin Jing, seemingly trying to determine by scent whether he was a zombie.
Lin Jing ignored their thoughts and attacked with his sword. The three zombies hadn't expected his sudden attack, and since he didn't smell like a living being, they weren't interested. Therefore, Lin Jing easily dispatched them.
"Congratulations, dear! You've collected 50 zombie cores so far. Keep up the good work, dear!" the system's piercing voice echoed again.
But to be honest, Lin Jing wasn't made of iron. Even if he was a skilled fighter, he was already drained of most of his strength. Add to that the nauseating stench, and it was a sheer act of willpower that kept him from fainting.
He fought back his nausea and checked the shop again, making sure there were no other zombies around before locking the door. He then placed two wooden chairs against the glass door, so that if anyone broke through, he'd be the first to know.
Lin Jing immediately went to the small supermarket's bathroom, turned on the faucet, and began to wash his face. Just now, outside, he'd been able to tolerate the odor even in extremely dangerous situations. Now, knowing he was safe for now, Lin Jing felt like vomiting.
He rinsed his face with water, but the odor was still strong. He tossed aside his denim jacket, which was practically dripping with blood, leaving him in a black vest. His arms were toned and defined, and while there wasn't much muscle, they gave the impression of strength.
However, Lin Jing wasn't in the mood to admire his figure. He pulled down his hair tie and caught a strong, fishy odor. For the first time, Lin Jing felt his defenses break. He'd never experienced this before, even on the most dangerous missions. No wonder the zombies behind him ignored him. He was practically soaked in the flavor. Just breathing made him want to vomit.
Water couldn't wash away the smell, but since they were at a small supermarket, he grabbed his face cleanser, shampoo, and body wash and headed straight to the bathroom. He washed his hair four times thoroughly, finally clearing the blood from it and restoring it to its original state.
Then, he washed his face twice more with face cleanser and rinsed with water. Only then did he feel alive again.
He thought for a moment, reopened the bathroom door, and began searching the small supermarket. The store was open 24 hours, so employees should have a place to keep their clothes. He was sticky and smelly, and he thought it might be bad for his health to be covered in zombie blood. He decided to change his clothes quickly.
He rummaged around the counter and found a thin baseball jacket. He quickly placed it on the counter and continued searching, but this time, he only found two short-sleeved shirts that looked like men's, which he also placed on the counter.
Lin Jing then walked back, hoping to see if there was a staff dressing room. He actually found one. There was a small door to the side of the counter. Pushing it open, he revealed a space of about three square meters. On one side were six sets of double-door metal cabinets, and on the other, barely enough for a servant to stand.
Lin Jing checked and found only two unlocked; the rest were locked. Fearing the noise might attract more zombies, he opened only those two. The third one from the top was likely a locker for the men. Inside were three short-sleeved shirts of varying colors. One was even still in its packaging, with the tag still attached.
Lin Jing quickly took them out. He needed pants more than a top. His black jeans, though not visibly dirty, were stained with the stinking blood of zombies. He didn't want to wear them for even a minute longer.
He found a pair of men's beach shorts and a pair of men's sweatpants with a drawstring. The beach shorts weren't very useful, so Lin Jing took out the sweatpants, which he could still wear.
He then squatted down to check the contents of the second-to-last metal cabinet, which was clearly the storekeeper's. The short-sleeved shirts inside were noticeably smaller than the previous one, and the colors clearly indicated they were women's.
He took out all three short-sleeved shirts, then found a pair of white slacks, a pair of thin black wide-leg denim pants, and a white jacket. He took all the clothes out, along with the baseball jacket from the counter, and placed them on a clean stool in the bathroom. After a moment's thought, he resumed his search through the supermarket. Sure enough, he found a good amount of underwear and a number of tank tops. He grabbed a few pieces and a pair of slippers and hurried into the bathroom.
He locked the bathroom door and then undressed, including his shoes. His Doc Martens were good quality, so no blood got in them. He changed into slippers and began a cold shower.
It was summer, so a cold shower was bearable. He scrubbed himself repeatedly with body wash, and only by the fourth time did he begin to smell human again. He breathed a sigh of relief and dried himself with a fresh towel from the shelf. He changed into brand new underwear and his wide-leg black flared pants. He found socks on the shelf outside, put them on, re-tied his Doc Martens, and finally donned the baseball jacket he had just found.
Only then could Lin Jing finally breathe a sigh of relief. He hadn't packed much clothing when he'd been preparing his supplies. If he had to constantly slash zombies like this, it would be quite a waste. He'd better stock up when he had the time.
Thinking about this, he wiped the blood off his backpack with a towel and opened it to check. It wasn't soaked in zombie blood. Luckily, he'd ordered a waterproof backpack, otherwise the food and drinking water inside would have been disgusting.
Seeing that there was still some space inside, Lin Jing went to the shelf and grabbed three vests and three pairs of underwear, all in plastic bags. He didn't know what might happen later, so it was better to have something to be prepared for any eventuality. Thinking this way, he simply stuffed a bottle of shower gel inside. This time, the backpack was completely full, and Lin Jing finally zipped it up.
He checked his phone. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon, with only an hour left before the card draw location refreshed. But he was running low on energy. Lin Jing decided to rest for a while and eat something before continuing.
They were in a small supermarket, so everything was readily available. He found a small electric rice cooker from the counter. Lin Jing rinsed the cooker with clean water and poured the bottled water directly into it. He also grabbed a bag of mushroom-flavored hot pot base, cut it open, and poured the mixture in. After all, his wisdom teeth hadn't healed yet, so he couldn't handle anything spicy.
Since he was short on time, Lin Jing didn't plan on getting anything elaborate. The supermarket didn't have any beef or mutton, but there were plenty of packaged meatballs. He grabbed a bag of cuttlefish balls, three bags of shrimp paste, a can of luncheon meat, and a bag of noodles, then returned to the pot.
He tossed the cuttlefish balls in to cook, then cut up the luncheon meat with a knife and tossed it in. He added the noodles, then squeezed in both bags of shrimp paste. A simple pot of hot pot noodles was ready.
Lin Jing walked to the shelf, grabbed a bottle of electrolyte water, and once the food was done, he began to eat.
Feeling the mushroom soup base wasn't strong enough, Lin Jing even poured a packet of dipping sauce onto the pot lid and ate from it.
He'd exhausted himself so much just now that he really needed some energy. He scooped some shrimp and beef balls onto the lid, then scooped up a handful of noodles, mixing them with the dipping sauce and devouring them with big mouthfuls. After a long gulp of electrolyte water, he finally felt a bit better.
Not wanting to waste any time, Lin Jing continued to scoop out the luncheon meat and noodles. By the time he'd had enough, it was almost three-thirty.
Lin Jing turned off the power, packed his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder. He grabbed a new leather case from the shelf, tied his long, untied hair back into a ponytail, and then unearthed his Tang sword, holding it in his right hand, as he headed for the door.
Perhaps because their neighborhood wasn't directly on the street, and because Lin Jing had cleared out some of the zombies earlier, there weren't many roaming around.
Lin Jing stretched his muscles. Thinking back to the feeling of being enveloped in the stench of blood, his entire body numbed. But time was running out; he had to get as many zombie cores as possible.
With that thought in mind, he opened the door to the small supermarket. His strength hadn't fully recovered yet, so he simply pulled out his compound crossbow. After loading it with arrows, he planned to use it to kill some of the zombies. While this would cost him arrows, there was no other way now.
As he opened the door, a nearby zombie, alert to the noise, immediately swooped over.
Lin Jing quickly aimed his crossbow at a zombie twenty meters to his left and pulled the trigger. The arrow flew straight into the zombie's face, hitting it squarely in the forehead.
Lin Jing's lips curled up slightly. He was still confident in his shooting skills. In his previous life, he was the most powerful male bodyguard in the international bodyguard company. He was the best in both firearms and close combat. Therefore, he received many orders and made a lot of money. He was definitely a wealthy man.