42 Melodramatic Past

Hearing no movement inside the supermarket, the weaker faction felt somewhat disappointed. The bearded man standing at the front of the line glared fiercely at the direction of the supermarket with a look of intense exasperation, as if he could stare people right out of hiding.

Both opposing sides shifted their attention back to their adversaries.

Just then, a dull sound, like that of a heavy object being dragged, came from the entrance. Instantly, both confronting parties turned their gaze toward the doorway.

Xuanxuan's soft hair cascaded over her shoulders, partially concealing the small black bird crouching on her shoulder. Little Luo walked out first with a cold, doll-like handsome face. Little Luo was angry because Mommy looked unhappy.

It was all because of those noisy people outside making a fuss and upsetting Mommy.

Wang Lin secretly poked Xia Kai and whispered, "I have a feeling Sister Rong’s little Tyrannosaurus Rex is about to log on. This is going to be tricky." Wang Lin’s mood was somewhat strange—a mix of worry and a perverse desire to watch a good show. Well, it must have been just an illusion.

The two groups blocking the entrance were somewhat taken aback when they saw the two children emerging first.

Aren't there designated shelters for children in the safe zone? Such young children don't need to work; as long as their parents are employed, or if one of the parents is no longer around, they can apply for subsidies or move directly into the orphanages.

Anyone with children to raise should have entered the safe zone by now. In an environment like the outside world, wasn't bringing children along just a burden?

Rong Xianxian was unaware of the inner thoughts of the people outside upon seeing the two toddlers. With a very complex expression, she looked at the larger group, specifically the two women standing at the front of the line. Both were dressed in practical athletic wear—one with flowing long hair, and the other with sharp, short hair.

These two were her former college roommates.

The short-haired woman spotted Rong Xianxian at a glance. She frowned, an involuntary look of disgust flashing across her face.

After glancing at the sparse few people standing around Rong Xianxian, and then looking back at her own lineup of over twenty people, she seemed to draw courage from the comparison.

She straightened her spine, slightly lifted her chin, and naturally curled her lip. "Oh, if it isn't the campus belle of the Qingyi Traditional Chinese Medicine Department? I never expected to run into an old acquaintance here. Seeing as we're old classmates, just drop whatever you're carrying on you and you can leave."

The short-haired woman was named Zhang Linyu, and the long-haired woman beside her was named Zhang Xiaoxiao.

Zhang Linyu's charitable tone was laced with disdain and mockery, provoking Wang Quirui to glare and step forward. With a sharp "crack," he whipped his weapon through the air. The fiery red long whip made an elegant loop, and as Wang Quirui fueled it with his Golden Thunder Art out of frustration, the whip-crack sounded like a deafening thunderclap.

"Tell us to drop our things? You've got a lot of nerve." Wang Quirui looked coldly at Zhang Linyu.

Cui Lie glared at Wang Quirui in dissatisfaction. The loud sound had gone off right beside his ear—couldn't he have stepped further away to crack that thing?

Zhang Linyu was startled; she shrunk her shoulders, caved her chest, and her legs trembled so much she almost squatted down and covered her head.

The group behind her also stirred into an uproar, members whispering amongst themselves, while Zhang Xiaoxiao's gaze grew increasingly burning as she stared at the long whip in Wang Quirui's hand.

This was a treasure...

Zhang Xiaoxiao's undisguised gaze drew the attention of both sides. "The weapon in his hand is a treasure dropped by a monster. They must have other treasures on them. Surround them!"

As soon as Zhang Xiaoxiao finished speaking, the team of twenty-odd people behind her scattered with a rustle, forming a circle and trapping them in the center.

The few individuals holding guns raised their muzzles and aimed them at Rong Xianxian and her group trapped in the middle.

Look at that. In just a short span of a month, the moral baseline of humanity had been shattered over and over again. In broad daylight and full view of everyone, they were brazenly robbing people with righteous arrogance.

Rong Xianxian had not expected to encounter Zhang Xiaoxiao at a time like this. In her past life, she had run into her three months after the apocalypse began, while on the road heading north.

Rong Xianxian’s emotions were complicated. She did not want to stain her hands with blood; however, Zhang Xiaoxiao's personality was paranoid, and today, without resorting to force, things likely wouldn't end peacefully.

"Rong Xianxian, I heard before that you hooked up with a rich man and became a mistress. What, are these guys all secret kept-men you're raising on the side?" Zhang Linyu’s tone sounded flippant and mocking. Just like before, Zhang Xiaoxiao played the lady, while Zhang Linyu acted as her mouthpiece.

"You're the damn mistress, your whole family are mistresses!" Wang Lin couldn't take it anymore; she wanted to slap that woman's obnoxious mouth until it swelled up.

It had been several years since college graduation. Although there was still a class group chat, everyone hadn't actually met in person for years.

When Rong Xianxian gave birth to Xuanxuan, a close classmate from the class had once come here on a business trip, and Rong Xianxian had hosted her.

Later on, rumors circulated among the classmates that Rong Xianxian had married into wealth.

Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zhang Linyu, however, had spared no effort in smearing her, claiming she had become a mistress to a wealthy man.

Now, it seemed that even after being married for years, Zhang Linyu's mouth remained as vicious as ever.

Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zhang Linyu were Rong Xianxian's college roommates. Friendships in a girls' dorm could be very close, or they could be completely superficial.

Rong Xianxian and Zhang Xiaoxiao were both young and attractive girls, frequently compared by their classmates. Rong Xianxian read widely and excelled in her studies, while Zhang Xiaoxiao was a genuine academic underachiever. Good grades still carried a lot of weight on campus back then, and Rong Xianxian possessed a natural, serene temperament to boot.

In short, through repeated comparisons by their classmates, Rong Xianxian almost always came out on top, while Zhang Xiaoxiao was relegated to being the foil—the green leaf serving the flower.

Though Zhang Xiaoxiao was resentful in her heart, at most she would badmouth Rong Xianxian behind her back and pull some harmless little stunts; at least they managed to keep up appearances on the surface.

Rong Xianxian, who focused entirely on her studies and was lazy when it came to socializing among classmates, hadn't noticed any of it.

It wasn't until the arrival of Rong Xianxian's boyfriend, Shang Yuege, that this dynamic was completely shattered.

The events that followed were quite melodramatic. Whether out of lingering resentment or because she had genuinely set her sights on Shang Yuege, Zhang Xiaoxiao poached the childhood sweetheart whom Rong Xianxian had known since junior high and established a romantic relationship with upon graduating high school.

Rong Xianxian brushed aside a strand of hair fallen across her forehead, snapping back from her memories. The heartbreaking past now seemed more like a joke.

In her past life, although she never waited for Ning Qingyun, during the nearly five years of marriage with him, Rong Xianxian had lived as she pleased, at ease and at peace.

Even though she had once hated him during the desperate environment of her past life, Rong Xianxian had never regretted her marriage to Ning Qingyun.

What Rong Xianxian truly loathed was her own weakness and cowardice, missing opportunities, failing to fulfill her responsibilities as a mother, and failing to hold up a protective sky for her child.

While Rong Xianxian's thoughts were running wild like a runaway horse, Zhang Linyu directly pointed her gun right at her.

"Put down the weapons in your hands and everything in your bags. Then we can let you leave," Zhang Linyu commanded, raising the pistol in her hand and aiming it at Rong Xianxian.

Although they didn't have monster-dropped weapons, they had guns. Ranged firearms against close-combat weapons—wasn't that a piece of cake?

A handgun might not be enough to deal with thick-skinned or agile monsters, but surely these ordinary mortals before her wouldn't dare use their flesh and blood to block a hail of bullets.

Although firearms were limited by ammunition and certainly wouldn't be as convenient to use in the long run as melee weapons, while ammunition still existed, could melee weapons possibly stir up any trouble?

As for the power of magical treasures—no matter how good a treasure was, could it be faster than a bullet?