In legend, the dragon was unseen from head to tail, and the Martial Arts Hall Master of Extreme Martial Arts Hall, who hadn't been seen since the establishment of the gym, was now standing in front of the largest shopping center in Luoxia.
Rubbing his forehead, he looked at the cheerful Xing Ling sisters, Xing Yue, and Xiaoli, the bamboo rat, who was close to drooling.
Heaven only knew why he had foolishly agreed to go shopping when the Xing Ling sisters had brought it up.
It was precious time, which could have been spent cultivating, sleeping, or at the very least playing games, reading novels, or finishing the movies he hadn't seen before the apocalypse...
Why should he waste this valuable time on shopping!
Especially with creatures like girl Xiaoli.
Tang Yu thought back briefly.
It was probably... out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the purple tips of a young girl's hair gently swaying in the breeze. The sisters looked almost identical to each other, and their glances added a picturesque beauty to the scene.
Even the survivors passing by couldn't help but turn their heads, but fortunately, the area was empty, free of obstacles like telephone poles, so accidents were avoided.
But Tang Yu would never admit that it was at the sisters' request, and his will just simply failed...
The real reason he agreed was that Tang's Mom was standing nearby at the time, looking at them with the eyes of a mother-in-law, almost asking which one he would choose.
It almost seemed like if he had refused, he wouldn't be able to live it down.
So that was why he agreed to the shopping request. That had to be it!
The shopping center was situated on the commercial boulevard of the Central District, being part of the original constructions from before the apocalypse. During the great construction period after the apocalypse, it had been expanded to some extent.
It housed the most comprehensive variety of goods in the entire Luoxia Sanctuary, and there was no doubt it was also the area with the highest flow of people.
But the security was not bad at all.
Just a glance around, and you could see many Awakeners wearing standard uniforms and carrying firearms, patrolling back and forth.
Most of the surrounding survivors were also well-dressed, unlike the relief area where sometimes people would fight over a little food, even to the point of causing deaths.
These dignified survivors wouldn't go against the laws of the Sanctuary over some small conflicts of interest. It would cost them much more.
Just like the survivors around who, despite frequently turning their heads towards the Xing Ling sisters, not a single one dared to approach.
Hmm, Tang Yu thought the bigger reason was probably the powerful aura of Fifth Tier Awakening radiating from the sisters.
Even more excited than the sisters was the bamboo rat spirit, Xiaoli.
At this moment, she had bounded off to the nearby snack stands. In no time at all, Xiaoli was holding skewers in her left hand, milk tea in her right, and stuffing her cheeks full with food, her cheeks puffed out roundly.
If you didn't know any better, you'd think the child had been starved for ages.
Entering the supermarket.
Tang Yu figured since he was already there, he might as well buy some gifts for the others to take back.
Before leaving, the Carmen Brothers asked for a case of vodka.
The others, whether he hadn't seen them or they were far away in Green Shadow, didn't need to be bothered with a Contract for such a trivial matter as buying gifts.
He did have a fair understanding of his followers though.
He'd get a few suits for Shay, some pretty dresses for Eileen... Luoxia, a super Sanctuary with a population of over two million, truly had a shopping mall that left nothing to be desired, with a full range of goods and excellent service. He could even find plus-size clothes for Winnie here.
Then there was the sturdy watch for Luo Zhe... He had heard Luo Zhe mention that the several watches he used to wear had all been broken, making it hard to manage the Patrol Team members' time.
Tang Yu silently mourned for the Patrol Team members for a moment.
Due to the variety of goods they needed to buy, not only gifts but also many daily necessities, each person pushed a shopping cart, picking and placing items they needed into the carts.
As for the price, there was no need to even glance at it.
At this moment, Xiaoli's eyes lit up, and she quickly pushed her cart towards another side.
Tang Yu noticed the commotion and turned to look, just in time to see Xiaoli pushing the cart swiftly through the aisles.
She was in the snack section, and as the cart passed the shelves, Xiaoli used her strong spiritual power, capable of materializing, to flick the snacks from the shelves.
Boxes of cookies and bags of potato chips flew off the shelves and landed precisely in the cart.
In the blink of an eye, the cart was piled high with snacks, even taller than the basket frame. Xiaoli, being small, pushed the cart with her hands on the lower part of the frame, completely covered by the snacks.
At a glance, it looked as if a cart full of snacks was moving on its own, and even stranger, items fell from the shelves as the cart passed.
This seemed to be... the legendary ghost cart!
The snack-chomping ghost cart!
Seeing this, it seemed that someone was already frightened and ready to call the Security Team patrolling around.
Tang Yu, holding his forehead, had no choice but to lift up the bamboo rat Xiaoli behind the cart.
In the bustling square where people were coming and going, several people dressed in Security Bureau uniforms kept glancing at their watches and occasionally looking towards the distant entrance to the mall, seemingly waiting for something.
"Brother Fei, why don't we go inside the supermarket? If we just check the surveillance, we could easily locate those from Extreme Martial Arts Hall."
Li Yunfei, the Security Team member who had suggested seeking external assistance, had now been promoted to ordinary Captain.
Leading several Security Team members, he was responsible for seeking... hiring Awakeners from Extreme Martial Arts Hall to help solve the case.
He shook his head, "Extreme Martial Arts Hall is not a mercenary group; their services don't include hiring out. And this time, we took the initiative to approach them. Even though we offer an enticing salary in the name of the Security Bureau, people from Extreme Martial Arts Hall have no reason to refuse, but..."
"As the Hall Master of Extreme Martial Arts Hall, with plenty of people at his disposal, why would he personally come to the shopping center? It's obviously for relaxation. If we approach and disturb him, it'll inevitably leave a bad impression. Even if Extreme Martial Arts Hall accepts the hiring offer, the price... it's hard to say how much higher it could go."
"I see, Brother Fei, your analytical skills are impressive. No wonder you were able to come up with a critical suggestion when the other Captains were at a loss... I just don't know how much longer we have to wait here..."
Li Yunfei, already considering the timing, looked over the multiple exits of the supermarket and replied, "With the speed of Awakeners, it shouldn't take long to browse a supermarket."
Li Yunfei began to grow anxious, "Any moment now, they should be coming out. Tell the others to keep watch, too. Don't miss them."
Li Yunfei ran his fingers through his hair, "Just a little longer, we've waited this long already. It would be a waste to go up now and spoil everything."