Dark Steel Forest

"Something good? Is it new snacks?"

Shen Yiyue's confusion became even more apparent on her face.

But Ning Yu didn't answer her and had already walked into the room.

Shen Yiyue reluctantly looked at the few pieces of beef brisket left in the pot before following Ning Yu inside.

"There's nothing here?"

When Shen Yiyue entered, she found that the room looked exactly the same as it did when Ning Yu woke up earlier that day.

Ning Yu raised her hand, and suddenly a huge pile of snacks appeared on her small table, stacked to the brim.

Chocolate, sandwich cookies, meat jerky, and various high-energy snacks were clearly carefully selected.

Once they left the supermarket, they wouldn't have the conditions to cook anymore.

At times like these, small-volume, high-calorie foods offered the best value.

"What's this? Is it the same as that sword of yours?"

Shen Yiyue's eyes widened, not understanding how Ning Yu had done it.

However, when fighting alongside her a few days ago, she had already witnessed the crossbow and Crimson Tang Sword that appeared out of nowhere on her person.

She didn't ask Ning Yu whether this was magic or some superpower, after all, Ning Yu herself was already mysterious enough.

Asking too many questions would only annoy people, and Shen Yiyue was quite clever about such matters.

The silver-haired little girl nodded gently, cutely waving her small hand, making everything on the table disappear again.

"That's right, I can store quite a few things here."

Ning Yu naturally didn't explain what it was, only acknowledging the fact.

"That's wonderful!"

Shen Yiyue immediately broke into a delighted smile.

Firstly, because they wouldn't waste too much food from the supermarket, satisfying her hamster-like hoarding nature.

Secondly, leaving the small supermarket meant they were preparing to head to that survivor settlement, the one Ning Yu had learned about from Lin Hao's intelligence.

There, she might be able to find her family.

They had stayed at the small supermarket for quite a while, and it wasn't that Shen Yiyue didn't miss her sister and parents, she just hid it well.

This longing could only be addressed once she became stronger.

Finally, that time had come.

"These are just what I randomly picked. See if there's anything else you'd like to eat, we can swap some out."

"But don't take too much, the space is limited."

Ning Yu added with a sweet smile, showing her adorable little fangs.

"Really?!"

Hearing this, Shen Yiyue jumped with joy like a child about to go on a spring outing.

As a dedicated foodie, she decided to prepare a snack list overnight.

Looking at the silver-haired little girl, she opened her arms and started acting cute:

"Aww, little Yu, you're too good to me, come let big sister give you a hug!"

Seeing Shen Yiyue dramatically reaching out to hug her, Ning Yu's face darkened, and she lightly dodged her pouncing attack.

"Hmph, I knew you wouldn't let me."

After missing her target, Shen Yiyue didn't pursue further, just grumbled disappointedly.

She remembered the unfinished tomato potato beef brisket in the living room and prepared to go finish it.

As she walked, she muttered:

"The newly awakened little Yu was cuter, now she won't let me hug her anymore..."

"Hmm, I want cucumber-flavored chips! But barbecue flavor is good too! And..."

Watching this silly girl run back to eat, Ning Yu also returned to the living room.

Just as she sat down in the living room, the entire small supermarket suddenly went dark, plunging into dead silence.

A power outage.

Shen Yiyue was still eating and almost choked on her food.

Looking at the pitch-black surroundings where nothing could be seen, she became a bit scared and carefully called out:

"Little Yu... Little Yu? Are you there?"

Ning Yu heard Shen Yiyue's call and showed an amused expression, though she couldn't see it.

She was right next to her, what was she calling for?

Quietly moving closer to her, she said in a low, hoarse voice:

"Not... here..."

"Ah!!"

Shen Yiyue was startled, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. She reached out to punch her but missed.

Ning Yu had already dodged away.

"I'll go check the situation."

The silver-haired little girl stopped teasing her and spoke in a serious tone.

She planned to confirm what was going on.

"Oh, okay, you... come back quickly."

Shen Yiyue's voice was nervous, seemingly uncomfortable with the dark environment.

"Click!"

Seeing that she was genuinely scared, Ning Yu turned on the supermarket's emergency lights before leaving, which were battery-powered.

The dim light illuminated the small supermarket, making things slightly visible now.

Seeing the light, Shen Yiyue finally calmed down.

Ning Yu first checked the supermarket's circuit breaker, which was working normally.

This made her heart sink slightly - if that was the case, then the entire city's power supply system had collapsed.

Quickly heading to the backyard, Ning Yu easily climbed up the high wall and stood on the roof.

She saw that as far as the eye could reach, almost the entire city had fallen into darkness, with only occasional spots of light.

Those light spots must be places with generators or backup emergency lights.

The summer breeze still carried a hint of coolness.

It blew against the silver-haired little girl's black dress, making the hem float and sway gently to one side.

Standing silently with her amber eyes, bathed in the clear moonlight, she raised her hand to tuck her silver hair behind her ear.

At this moment, who knew how many others were, like her, quietly observing this dark forest of steel.

Ning Yu fell into deep thought.

The days ahead would likely be even more difficult.

First power outages, then water shortages, resources would only become more scarce, and other things would likely collapse quickly too.

Could zombies alone have caused human civilization to crumble like this? Or was there something more terrifying invisibly driving all of this?

She felt something ominous rising in her heart, but it was just a vague sensation.

Back in the supermarket, Ning Yu checked the water taps.

Water was still flowing normally for now, but who knew how long that would last.

Returning to the living room, Shen Yiyue was looking at Ning Yu with hopeful eyes:

"How is it outside?"

Ning Yu's expression remained neutral as she calmly said:

"The entire city has lost power, including us."

"Let's prepare to leave. We'll head to the survivor settlement at Yida Commercial Center."

Hearing this, Shen Yiyue nodded gently:

"Mm, okay."

Her heart was filled with both curiosity and anxiety about the unknown journey ahead.

The two cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks in the living room before returning to their rooms to rest.

The night had grown deep.

Ning Yu hadn't fallen asleep yet, sitting upright on her bed with her eyes closed.

She was thinking about the plan to reach the survivor settlement.

She only had a rough location and name, and Shen Yiyue had never been there either, so finding it might be problematic.

They would either need to find a map or locate survivors who knew the way to ask for directions.

There was also the question of what transportation method to use.

Of course, she knew how to drive, but in this apocalyptic world, cars were too noisy and could easily lead to being surrounded by zombies.

Moreover, many roads were blocked by car accidents and were impassable.

So choosing suitable transportation was also an issue.

While her mind was still processing various information, Ning Yu suddenly heard the door make a creaking sound.

Someone was opening it!

Ning Yu opened her eyes, and with a grip of her hand, the Crimson Tang Sword appeared in her grasp.