Toby Hall's face was soaked with tears and snot, the mess smearing down both cheeks as he trembled violently. If he had known things would end up this way, he would have treated people with basic respect from the beginning. With someone as terrifyingly capable as Evan Ran around, he might have actually lived a quiet, safe life. But no. He just had to covet the wrong woman and poke the wrong sleeping tiger.
Now, no matter which way he looked at it, he was dead.
"B… brother… the way those two died… was that considered an easy death or… not so easy?"
Toby pointed at the corpses of Leo and Lily, lying twisted on the concrete.
"This is definitely one of the easier ways to go," Evan replied calmly.
"If you don't hand over the key, I can take my time with you. I can make you hurt for hours before you finally die."
His tone was light, almost conversational.
"Of course, I can also throw you outside and let the zombies tear into you piece by piece. If they do not bite your throat first, you might take ten whole minutes to bleed out. Maybe even fifteen if your luck is terrible."
He smiled as he said it. A gentle smile, warm even. Which somehow made it infinitely worse.
Toby's entire body shook.
Too cruel.
Too frightening.
Being gnawed alive for ten minutes… that was a punishment worse than death itself.
"I will talk… I will talk…" His voice cracked.
"The key to the freezer… it is in the drinks aisle… under the first bottle on the third row of Goose Beer."
Toby simply could not endure the threat. His mind collapsed, and he spilled everything.
Hiding a key in a place like that… without questioning him, it truly would have taken forever to find.
"Good." Evan nodded.
"Sophie, end it quickly. Then clean everything."
"Yes, Master."
Sophie Yu stepped behind Toby, placed a hand on his head, and twisted sharply.
A clean 360-degree rotation.
Toby dropped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
As Sophie dragged the bodies toward the loading doors, Momo Lin knelt on the ground with a cloth, carefully wiping the blood so it would not stink. Evan, meanwhile, walked into the freezer with the key.
The cold air rolled over him.
The place was packed.
Fresh vegetables and processed meats filled the outer shelves.
And deeper in, row after row of frozen meat.
If he were living alone with this much food, he could probably eat meat every day for decades.
"A shame. The city loses power in a few days," Evan murmured.
All this food would rot. An enormous waste.
"Wait. A place this size should have a generator."
His eyes lit up.
A large supermarket with a full freezer was practically guaranteed to have backup power. As long as there was fuel, the generator could run indefinitely.
Evan took a tomato from the chilled section, bit into it, and stepped out, closing the freezer door behind him.
Back in the main warehouse, Momo was still scrubbing diligently, her small figure bent over the floor. Sophie had already hauled the corpses outside.
"I am going out for a bit," Evan said. "You two keep cleaning."
Sword over his shoulder, he roamed through the back corridors. His combat ability had already surpassed Sophie's by a comfortable margin. With a blade in hand, even dozens of zombies could not trap him.
Outside the loading entrance, two large delivery trucks rested unused. Perfect for transporting supplies, or for relocating once they eventually needed a new base.
He passed through the barren shopping area. The citizens had raided it repeatedly before the outbreak worsened, leaving only scraps behind. Still, desperate survivors continued to wander in daily, hoping to find a stray can of food.
But the place was crawling with zombies. For untrained people, entering here was basically a one-way trip.
Between the warehouse and the store floor, he finally found it.
Four industrial generators.
Enough to power both the warehouse and supermarket simultaneously.
Evan cut the supermarket lines immediately.
Every drop of power needed to be reserved for the warehouse and freezer. Waste was unacceptable.
He checked the diesel supply, then crouched down and ran calculations directly on the dusty floor.
"With this amount… it can only run for about three days," he muttered.
"Not enough."
The storage was meant for emergencies, not long-term survival. They would need more diesel, which meant scavenging the nearest gas stations soon. Fortunately, they still had several days before the citywide blackout. There was time.
For now, reinforcing the warehouse took priority. If intruders or zombies broke in at night, there would be no sleep for anyone.
Evan gathered rows of metal shopping carts and stacked them around the generators to protect them. On the way back, he cut down more than a dozen zombies, painting a grim trail behind him.
As he stepped back inside the warehouse, Evan froze.
Momo Lin…
Was wearing a maid outfit.
Where…
Where did that even come from?
His gaze shifted to Sophie's suitcase.
So that was it.
Of course Sophie Yu would bring something like that.
It was completely in character for her.
And truthfully…
Momo actually looked adorable in it.
She was small, with a soft, doll-like appearance. The maid outfit exaggerated that charm even more. One of the front buttons had even popped from the unexpected fullness stretching the fabric.
"Master, you're back!"
Sophie emerged from the corner.
She had changed as well.
A bunny-girl outfit.
Her long legs, already impressive, were almost hypnotic in the costume.
Evan stared at the two of them, a dangerous feeling rising in his chest.
There was no way he would sleep tonight. Not peacefully at least.
"Ahem… let's focus on real work for now."
He forced several deep breaths, trying to steady himself.
"Yes, Master! Just tell us what to do!"
Sophie and Momo each grabbed one of his arms tightly.
Evan felt suspiciously like a hostage.
"Go to the electronics section. Take apart some appliances and bring back their metal panels. Fridges, air-conditioners… anything with sturdy plates."
"Use them to block the windows. Seal everything with glue or a nail gun."
"As for the back door, pile heavy appliances against it. We do not use that door anyway."
"The ventilation ducts… I will handle those personally."
The three split up and began their tasks.
Despite their outfits, Sophie and Momo took Evan's orders seriously, which pleased him.
By the time evening settled, every window was sealed.
For the first time since he traveled back in time, Evan allowed himself to switch on the lights without fear.
Warm, bright light filled the warehouse.
Before returning to this moment in time, he had spent countless nights hiding in darkness, waiting for death or disaster. To walk freely in a lit space felt liberating.
"Master… I am hungry."
Sophie approached him, rubbing her stomach, ears and tail bouncing slightly as she pouted.
In that bunny outfit, her soft voice and clingy behavior were enough to destroy anyone's composure, especially Evan's.