Soon, Su Ling reached the third floor.
Stopping at the elevator entrance, the vast supermarket layout presented itself to her.
It appeared calm and peaceful, with no sign of the danger she anticipated.
But Su Ling knew that the calmer it seemed, the more dangerous it was.
The doomsday had arrived precisely during rush hour.
At this time, both students and office workers would have finished their studies and work for the day.
And this was also the time when people were most active.
As the largest supermarket in Xuyang City, the department store usually had a large flow of people.
Yet, on this third floor, apart from the dazzling array of merchandise, there were no signs of zombie activity, which was not normal.
What did this mean?
It meant that survivors had already occupied this floor and cleared out the zombies.
After all, the department store had a very high foot traffic.
If it were the effort of a single person, it would be difficult to clear out the active zombies without leaving a trace.
Not everyone was Su Ling, reborn into the apocalypse with prior preparations and a space that had refined her body.
Clenching the Tang dao in her hand, Su Ling carefully surveyed the third floor and then stepped inside.
The further she walked, the stronger and more pronounced the feeling of being watched became.
Su Ling didn't focus on the dazzling merchandise but headed straight for the third-floor emergency exit.
The scrutinizing gazes sent feedback to her from different directions, making it difficult for Su Ling to pinpoint the exact location of those hiding in the shadows. She walked quickly, quickly reaching the emergency exit door under those watchful eyes.
Stopping before the door, Su Ling glanced back at her empty rear, then turned around.
Looking at the closed door, she took a deep breath and pushed it open, stepping inside.
After entering the emergency exit, Su Ling casually locked the door from the inside.
She was fortunate to have found the department store's warehouse, but this didn't mean she could collect supplies at will.
Warehouses usually had staff organizing goods, and she needed to find them to eliminate potential threats.
Without knowing whether the warehouse staff had turned into zombies or were still survivors, Su Ling couldn't directly transfer the supplies.
But the warehouse was too large, with an immeasurable amount of supplies that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Searching blindly like this would only increase her risk.
With this thought, Su Ling took out a whistle from her space and blew it without hesitation.
Not long after the whistle fell silent, Su Ling heard movement, and it was heading towards her.
Su Ling didn't stop blowing the whistle. She stood still, leaning against the door, waiting for the zombies to come to her.
Two to three minutes after the whistle sounded, a male zombie appeared.
The flesh on his face was bloody and mangled, revealing his white teeth, and blood dripped from his mouth.
Judging by his appearance, he was likely a survivor after the apocalypse, but unfortunately, he had been bitten and turned into one of the undead.
Behind him, several more zombies followed, their mouths and chests stained with blood, their eyes bulging and bloodshot, and the flesh on their faces beginning to rot.
It was evident that this lead zombie was a survivor who had mutated after being bitten.
They were drawn by the sound of the whistle. Upon seeing Su Ling, the sight of fresh flesh stimulated their brains. Their cloudy eyes held unconcealed excitement. Their steps quickened, and they made guttural sounds, approaching Su Ling like wolves or tigers.
In the early stages of the apocalypse, zombies were slow-moving.
However, with the advent of extreme weather, it would accelerate the zombies' mutations.
Early-stage zombies were easy to deal with, but they became troublesome later on.
Su Ling stopped blowing the whistle. She gripped her Tang dao tightly and twisted her neck from side to side, her bones cracking loudly.