owlsbooks Chapter 4: Free Purchase Begins!
Chapter 4: Free Purchase Begins!
Jiang Ming and his two roommates went to the supermarket on the second floor of the cafeteria.
The area in front of the supermarket on the second floor of the cafeteria was a mess.
The violent tremor had caused goods to fall from the shelves and litter the floor, with drinks, snacks, and shards of glass all mixed together, and a sweet yet strange smell filled the air.
Strangely, the supermarket was completely empty.
The cashiers and stock clerks probably ran away in fright during the first wave of tremors.
"Quick, move fast! I see figures rushing this way from the first floor!"
Wang Yang lowered his voice, his tone revealing an barely suppressed excitement. He grabbed a shopping basket in each hand and charged in like a nimble, fat leopard.
Li Bin was even more direct, pushing the overturned cart by the door, its wheels screeching loudly on the cola-splattered floor.
Jiang Ming turned his head and glanced at the stairwell. Sure enough, many students began to surge towards it, and the chaotic footsteps and panicked shouts grew louder as they approached.
Can't wait any longer!
He hurriedly grabbed two shopping baskets stacked next to him and rushed into the supermarket, following closely behind his roommate.
The three had a very clear goal, and they formed a tacit understanding without even needing to communicate.
Head straight to the instant noodle section!
In this bleak place with an uncertain future, nothing is more important than food that is easy to store, convenient to eat, and provides enough calories and satiety.
Jiang Ming rushed to the shelf, not even glancing at whether it was braised beef or mushroom stewed chicken. He swung his arm around like a harvester, frantically sweeping rows of bagged instant noodles into his shopping basket.
The rustling sound of the plastic bags was, at that moment, the most beautiful music in the world.
Meanwhile, the first batch of students had already poured into the supermarket entrance.
"Hurry and grab it!"
"Food! The food is here!"
"Don't push me! Damn it!"
"Hurry, or you'll miss out, everyone!"
A cacophony of shouts, the sounds of pushing and shoving, the crash of shelves being knocked over...
The various sounds mingled together, constantly stimulating Jiang Ming's nerves.
Within minutes, the entire supermarket transformed from an empty area into a chaotic "vegetable market".
Jiang Ming quickly swept through half the shelf, and the two shopping baskets soon piled up into a small mountain.
Just as he was about to straighten up, he caught a glimpse of the dessert area in front of him out of the corner of his eye.
The shelves were overflowing with chocolates, energy bars, and candies.
High in calories!
Small size!
These keywords flashed through Jiang Ming's mind instantly.
He didn't bother to meet up with his roommates to buy bottled water anymore. Carrying two heavy shopping baskets, he pushed his way through two girls who were fighting over potato chips and rushed to the chocolate shelf.
Dove, Snickers, Ferrero Rocher...
Who cares what brand it is!
Jiang Ming poured most of the instant noodles from his shopping basket onto the shelf, and then rummaged through the basket with handfuls of high-calorie "energy cubes".
Not satisfied with that, he unzipped his jacket and stuffed all the pockets full until the clothes were bulging, like a badger that had stolen a bunch of melons.
Just then, he noticed that a lot of people had gathered around, mostly girls, all with red eyes, frantically grabbing at the sweets.
Some people even put instant noodles into his shopping basket.
"Wow!"
The screams and cries were giving Jiang Ming a headache.
He dared not linger there, and with great effort, he picked up two nearly overflowing shopping baskets and squeezed through the crowded throng.
As soon as he got away, he saw Wang Yang and Li Bin waving frantically at him from the side entrance of the supermarket not far away.
Li Bin's shopping cart was already piled high with instant noodles and bottled water, with a few packets of biscuits on the edge. Wang Yang's two shopping baskets were also crammed full, leaving no room to move.
"I haven't gotten my bottled water yet!" Jiang Ming jogged over, only to suddenly realize.
Food was available, but the most important source of water was still unsettled.
"It's too late!" Li Bin grabbed him, his eyes behind his glasses filled with anxiety. "There are too many people! If you go now, forget about getting water; your two baskets of stuff will be stolen!"
Wang Yang nodded vigorously beside him. Just as he was about to add something, several tall boys suddenly rushed in through the side door.
These guys must be from the blue team; they're charging around recklessly.
"Bang!"
Wang Yang was bumped hard by one of the muscular men, causing him to stumble and the three bottles of mineral water in his left shopping basket to roll out of his hand.
"Holy shit!"
Wang Yang cursed, not bothering to argue, and quickly squatted down to pick it up.
The muscular men didn't even glance at him, and rushed straight into the relatively intact shelf area inside.
Seeing this, Jiang Ming turned around and looked back, unwilling to give up.
With just one glance, any glimmer of hope in his heart was completely extinguished.
At this point, the supermarket could no longer be described as simply "crowded."
It was practically a sea of human flesh, a mass of despair and panic.
The students went crazy, pushing, tearing, and even fighting over a bag of instant noodles, a bottle of mineral water, a pack of biscuits, and so on.
A girl, unable to compete with others for milk, simply sat on the ground, hugged two boxes stacked together, and burst into tears.
If he goes in carrying these two large baskets of supplies now, he will definitely become the target of everyone's criticism.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Wang Yang picked up the three bottles of mineral water covered in dust, and without bothering to wipe them clean, stuffed them into his clothes and hurriedly ran towards the side door.
Jiang Ming and Li Bin did not hesitate any longer and immediately followed.
The three of them slipped out through the side door like thieves, leaving behind a growing chaos and noise.
However, just before stepping out of the supermarket, Jiang Ming subconsciously glanced back.
That one glance made his blood seem to freeze instantly.
In the chaotic crowd, a short, thin boy was pushed by someone, tripped over a few scattered bottles of mineral water, and fell to the ground with a "plop".
He seemed to be struggling to get up, his face filled with terror.
But the students around them, crowding around and focused only on the supplies, didn't notice at all.
Or perhaps they noticed, but were simply unable to stop themselves amidst the surrounding crowd.
Jiang Ming stood at the door, carrying two large, heavy baskets of food, but felt his hands and feet were ice cold.
"Damn, that was terrifying! That woman almost pulled my pants off."
As Wang Yang spoke, he placed the two shopping baskets he was carrying onto Li Bin's supermarket shopping cart, then turned around and saw Jiang Ming still standing dumbfounded at the supermarket entrance.
"Old Jiang! What are you daydreaming about! Come over here and lend a hand!"
Li Bin turned around and saw that Jiang Ming hadn't followed yet.
Jiang Ming was jolted awake by his two roommates' reminder.
"They're here."
He swallowed hard and quickly followed, piling his two heavy baskets of supplies onto the shopping cart as well.
The shopping cart was crammed full, and the wheels left deep marks on the ground.
"Watch out for the slope, let's get back to the dorm first!" Li Bin urged in a low voice, pushing the bike. "We can't stay here any longer!"
The three of them didn't linger any longer, pushing their spoils and quickly leaving this place of trouble.