14 Original Novel's Female Protagonist

Before long, after the zombies evolved, mutated zombies would appear. Among them, the brute zombies were mainly destructive, charging recklessly. Ordinary buildings would be no match for them, and nothing would be left standing. If she collected these, she could still benefit the survivors.

Of course, she wasn’t a savior; she certainly wouldn’t give them away for free.

Collecting as she went, she moved onward.

Past the hardware section was the soft furnishings area: various furniture, electrical appliances, decorations, fabrics, and exposed lighting fixtures—all to be gathered!

There were also several stores specializing in hardware and electrical supplies, quite well-stocked.

After finishing there, she moved on to the next area: daily necessities.

This area was even larger, with an even greater variety of items.

Everyday goods, cosmetics, bags, toys, bedding, stationery, hats, gloves, scarves, snacks, fruits and vegetables, imported goods, and so on.

The fresh produce stores alone occupied an entire street.

Another half-street was dedicated to dried goods and seasonings.

Seafood and meat shops filled another street, selling fresh seafood and meats, frozen goods, and prepared foods.

Beef and lamb shops, poultry stores, all neatly categorized.

Xiao Xiao didn’t discriminate—she collected everything!

Among the seafood and poultry stores, there were many live fish and shrimp; crabs too, and numerous live chickens, ducks, quail, and pigeons.

Xiao Xiao was a bit worried, unsure if she could store them inside her space.

[Host, you may proceed to collect. I can temporarily seal them for you, but you must unlock the space ecology soon.]

[Ding! Timed mission: Unlock space ecology within twenty-four hours.]

The task arrived promptly.

What was there to wait for? Collect!

After finishing here, she moved to another street, dedicated entirely to grains and oils. The shops and warehouses were piled high with various bags of rice, flour, and cereals, all neatly stacked in different sizes.

There were barrels of cooking oils: soybean, rapeseed, blended, peanut, sunflower, flaxseed, olive oil, and more—large and small barrels alike. Bulk oil containers lined the walls, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

Pickled and salted vegetables were stored in jars, their savory scents drifting through the air.

Various spices were also present: cinnamon, bay leaves, Sichuan pepper, fennel, nutmeg, and so forth.

Sesame seeds, peanuts, and various beans were bundled tightly in different burlap sacks.

Lin Qiu and Lin Shuangshuang had already become numb.

They had no idea how large Xiao Xiao’s space truly was, but gathering all this had surely amounted to tens of thousands of square meters of supplies.

The steel materials and floor tiles alone took up a lot of space.

Grains, flour, and oils also occupied considerable room.

This was enough to feed a city for quite some time!

Ten thousand square meters? Ha! Much more than that.

Although Xiao Xiao didn’t exert much effort collecting, running back and forth still took time.

Every area had zombies, but only a few, quickly dispatched. Lin Qiu and Lin Shuangshuang used the chance to hone their skills.

After Xiao Xiao’s reprimand, Lin Shuangshuang worked hard, imitating Lin Qiu’s movements to kill zombies using the least effort in the shortest time.

It wasn’t until they reached the snack section that they encountered living people.

This place was in chaos.

Several handcarts had been overturned, their cargo scattered on the ground, some packaging trampled to pieces and stained with blood.

“Ah! Help!”

Ahead, a bloodied man ran toward Xiao Xiao and her group, shouting loudly, chased by several zombies.

Xiao Xiao’s gaze sharpened. With a casual swing of her short blade, the shouting man fell dead instantly.

He died with eyes wide open, but Xiao Xiao didn’t care.

The ground was stained with fresh blood, a crimson blot spreading.

The mangled corpses, faces unrecognizable, lay haphazardly.

A scene of brutal carnage.

Occasionally, a few reckless zombies would leap out of the shops, only to be swiftly beheaded by Xiao Xiao.

Not far off, another group was scavenging supplies.

After all, people like Xiao Xiao with their godlike space powers were rare. Ordinary people collected whatever they could—instant noodles, ham, chocolate—foods that could fill the stomach and stave off hunger.

Xiao Xiao had no intention of competing with them. She collected what she could; they took what they could.

But some people were simply courting death.

Watching Xiao Xiao’s group finish off the zombies nearby, they approached.

“How can you do that? That man was clearly still alive. Why did you kill him?”

Xiao Xiao smiled—it was a familiar face.

Bailu!

Wasn’t she the so-called female lead?

So she was in this city too.

But it wasn’t Bailu speaking; it was another woman from her group. Bailu wore a white dress, delicate and graceful, silent but clearly disapproving.

Her dress was immaculate, clearly well protected.

In contrast, the woman speaking was filthy, with dried bloodstains on her clothes.

Xiao Xiao wasn’t a saint, but she didn’t kill the innocent.

Those who died by her blade were never undeserving.

She wanted to ignore this foolish woman, but Lin Shuangshuang wouldn’t stand for it.

“If you’re sick, go get treated and stop babbling here. Or is that man your relative? Why do you care so much?”

Today, Lin Shuangshuang and Lin Qiu both wore black casual clothes with hoods and masks, matching Xiao Xiao’s outfit.

Only Xiao Xiao’s gear was system-issued; theirs merely matched in color.

Together, the three looked unexpectedly formidable.

Even with her mask, Lin Shuangshuang’s words were clear and sharp.

“You! We are all law-abiding citizens. You killed someone for no reason, and yet you have no right to be criticized?”

The other woman, unafraid, argued back confidently.

“Someone? Ha! Which eye did you see us kill a person? We clearly killed zombies.”

She lifted the woman’s head with ease. Xiao Xiao’s blade was sharp; one stroke severed the head cleanly.

Sure enough, the face was already zombified—pale with dark veins, gray-white eyes, and fangs protruding.

Seeing this, the speaking woman stepped back.

But unwilling to lose face, she stubbornly insisted.

“But that person was still screaming for help before! That proves he was alive then. The zombification happened after death.”

“Honestly, sister, is your brain just for decoration? No wonder you don’t understand what I’m saying. But that’s fine—people like me don’t bother with those who lack brains.”

A flicker of amusement crossed Xiao Xiao’s eyes. She hadn’t expected the person she casually saved to be so argumentative. This wasn’t Lin Shuangshuang anymore; she should be called Lin ‘Roast Roast.’

Still, Xiao Xiao kept an eye on Bailu, curious to see her reaction.

But Bailu disappointed her, merely frowning with a delicate, heart-wounded expression, showing no further change.

This early-stage female lead seemed nothing special.

Just as Xiao Xiao was about to look away, she noticed Bailu change slightly.

Lowering her eyelids, Bailu glanced disdainfully at the speaking woman.

Then she took a step forward. The woman wanted to reach out to her, but upon seeing the bloodstains on Bailu’s clothes, she withdrew her hand.

Ha! Interesting.

A gleam of amusement flickered in Xiao Xiao’s eyes.

“Sister Liu is kind-hearted, with no other intentions.”