Volume One, Chapter 20: Mistaken for an Immortal

Ning Jue was not joking.

Because he had killed someone again yesterday. Although the feeling of killing was unpleasant, it was undeniably effective.

Dou Long could tell Ning Jue was serious.

With a thud, he knelt heavily on the ground.

“Please, don’t kill us. We have no grudge against you, it’s not worth it!”

“My sister, please say something! We really won’t dare to cause you any more trouble from now on,” Scorpion knelt down as well, his voice trembling with tears.

Qiao Yuan had no intention of killing anyone herself. After a few seconds of careful thought, she realized: if these three left and Wang Qingchun still refused to give up, what then?

What if he sent others to tail her next time?

They were lucky this time with Ning Jue around, but next time, who could say?

She couldn’t rely on the gloves from the mystery box every time to deal with these people.

If too many people disappeared, surely the police would start noticing something.

“If you want to live, you must agree to one condition,” Qiao Yuan said, looking at Dou Long.

Dou Long lifted his head, his expression softening slightly—it seemed there was room to negotiate.

“Whatever you say, anything!”

“For the next few days, keep following me as usual and report to Wang Qingchun. Whatever he plans to do, you must also tell me.”

After speaking, Qiao Yuan, wearing her gloves, quickly tapped each of the three men once.

“If you have other intentions, the consequences will be more painful than death.”

Dou Long’s mind began to spin with schemes.

This young girl must watch too many TV shows—her threats were so naive. As long as they escaped, her words would be worthless.

“Ning Jue, put the gun away,” Qiao Yuan pressed down on Ning Jue’s arm.

“Damn you!”

Just as Ning Jue was lowering the gun, Qiangzi stretched out both hands and made a flying tackle, trying to use his body’s momentum to trip Ning Jue.

“Go away,” Qiao Yuan whispered softly.

Qiangzi was horrified to find his lower body tingling. Looking down, he saw his body gradually becoming transparent from the feet upward.

“No! No!”

Qiangzi vanished without a trace; not a single sign of him remained in the store.

Dou Long and Scorpion were completely stunned.

What kind of terrifying woman was this Qiao Yuan?

How on earth had they gotten tangled up with someone so frightening?

The flicker of hope in Dou Long’s heart vanished without a trace. He stammered, “I—I’ll do whatever you say! Whatever you say!”

***

Qiao Yuan opened the supermarket door and gestured politely, “Please.”

“You know what should be said and what should not, no need for me to teach you, right?”

Dou Long tried to steady his breathing and forced a smile. “Boss, I—I understand, I really do.”

He and Scorpion staggered out of the supermarket and hurriedly got into their car.

After closing the door, Qiao Yuan exhaled heavily. “That scared me to death just now.”

Ning Jue tilted his head. “How did that person disappear?”

Oh no! In her panic earlier, Qiao Yuan had forgotten that Ning Jue had been there too.

Qiao Yuan hesitated, but Ning Jue gave her a knowing smile. “Everyone has secrets. You don’t have to explain to me.”

Qiao Yuan nodded. “I put the insecticide and roach poison into the space. You’d better head home quickly—don’t let your sister worry.”

The thought of a swarm of insects made Qiao Yuan’s hair stand on end; she absolutely hated bugs.

“Alright, I’m leaving now.”

Ning Jue turned and passed by the fast-food section, licking his lips.

Qiao Yuan instantly understood.

“Order whatever you want. I’ll pack it up and put it in the space for you.”

Ning Jue’s eyes sparkled brightly. It had been over three months, and yesterday was the first time he had eaten freshly made food.

Twenty meals in total—they each ate two portions and ended up lying on the floor for an hour before recovering.

“If possible, can I have ten portions of each?” Ning Jue asked in a negotiating tone.

“Of course!” Qiao Yuan pointed to the oden and fried food section. “I’ll pack everything for you later. That’s all the dishes we have now. If you get tired of them, just tell me—I’ll buy something else for you.”

Ning Jue waved his hand repeatedly. “No need to go to such trouble! I won’t get tired of it, I won’t!”

“Well, then I’m off...”

He walked toward the warehouse door but seemed to remember something.

“By the way, are those things I gave you hard to sell?”

“I have a way,” Qiao Yuan smiled.

After Ning Jue left, Qiao Yuan began her day’s busy work.

Though the supermarket was fully stocked, it had no signboard yet.

Qiao Yuan found a design company online, submitted her requirements, and paid a deposit of two thousand yuan before preparing to meet Xu Lian.

[ Ding dong! The grocery store system meets the upgrade conditions. ]

[ Is the host ready to upgrade? ]

[ Yes or No ]

Another upgrade? Qiao Yuan’s movement of locking the door stiffened.

An upgrade meant going to the apocalypse, but the apocalypse had happened only a week ago.

Zombies, insect swarms, extreme heat—any one of these alone was terrifying.

***

In truth, just running this small supermarket and earning some money from Ning Jue was already pretty good.

She had no grand ambitions—why risk her life?

After convincing herself, Qiao Yuan decisively clicked “No.”

Seconds later, her expression became even more exasperated.

Because the system said something that made her want to curse.

[ Sorry, that option does not exist. ]

[ If no choice is made within three days, it will be deemed a refusal. The system will automatically detach, and all items obtained through the system will be reclaimed. ]

Dou Long and Scorpion, still shaken, then saw Qiao Yuan standing at the supermarket entrance, punching the air a few times before muttering curses and walking away.

“Big brother, could she be an immortal?” Scorpion, a fan of cultivation novels, immediately connected Qiao Yuan with the immortals from his books.

“Who knows? Whatever she is, she’s not an ordinary person!”

Dou Long looked at the empty passenger seat and felt a chill run down his neck.

***

Qiao Yuan finally chose “Yes.”

People find it easy to go from thrift to luxury, but hard to go back.

Without the system, the supermarket, the props, the space—and even her gold, silver, jewels, and the 33 million yuan in her bank accounts—would all vanish.

Moreover, Chen Wei and the entire Qiao Zhenyun family might return to this world.

If that happened, she would truly be walking into the jaws of a tiger.

Qiao Yuan drove aimlessly through the city.

Eventually, she stopped at a coffee shop, ordered an iced Americano, and sat by the window.

She appeared calm, seemingly enjoying this rare moment of leisure.

Yet her mind was racing.

First, the scorching heat of over 50 degrees—she was not a awakened one; her body could never withstand such temperatures. What could she use to keep cool?

Then, the insect swarms. Ning Jue hadn’t elaborated much. Just how severe were these swarms? Could they flood a whole building in an instant? Would ordinary roach poison and insecticide even work?

Lastly, the zombies.

Thinking of the humanoid rotten flesh she’d encountered in the museum, Qiao Yuan’s stomach churned with acid.

She did have an infinite pistol with auto-aim, but the noise was too loud. One shot might attract thousands of zombies. If she had an infinite Gatling gun, she might stand a chance.

Lost in thought, she rested her head on the table, staring blankly out the window like a lifeless, withered tree.

“Miss Qiao? What a coincidence!”