The next morning, Charlotte got up early and, upon pulling back the curtains, found that it was still raining outside.
Thinking about the chance to go shopping today, she excitedly grabbed a backpack from the wardrobe, changed into comfortable black sportswear, and quickly freshened up before heading downstairs to open the breakfast room.
After having three fried dumplings and a cup of soy milk, she went downstairs first.
"Bear, wait until after eight o'clock to come upstairs and clean the breakfast room."
When Charlotte turned around, she saw Jeremy coming over and decided not to ask if he was full.
"Let's go, Charlotte." Jeremy, wearing a military-green waterproof suit and waterproof boots, took a few long strides to the door.
Charlotte responded and followed him, ensuring the system locked the door, forbidding anyone from entering or exiting, and kept the defense system on 24/7. She felt quite secure.
At six in the morning, although it was still somewhat dark under the overcast clouds, the streets on both sides were visible.
Jeremy shook his umbrella and opened it with a whoosh, covering his head.
Seeing that she had also opened her umbrella, he decided not to interfere.
Charlotte quickened her pace to keep level with him.
The two walked in silence, Jeremy's sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. He quickly spotted zombies lurking in the corners and avoided them before they could notice them, safely approaching the large supermarket.
Charlotte seemed to be in a hurry, but she was actually observing the surroundings closely and memorizing the route.
She might need to come here often in the future, and not knowing the way wouldn't do!
"We're here."
Jeremy stopped, and the large building across the street had the title in huge letters.
Charlotte looked over from the edge of her umbrella and felt quite pleased.
After over an hour of walking, they had finally arrived!
"Let's go in."
Crossing the street, they headed straight for the main entrance.
As they got closer, Charlotte noticed that the massive glass doors had all been smashed, and the ground was covered in shards of glass. Through the gaping doors, she could see inside.
Since the supermarket relied entirely on lighting, and with no windows and no power, it was pitch black inside.
Jeremy had already anticipated how dark it would be inside and thought this trip might be in vain.
Not only was the girl afraid of the dark, but also of anything that might appear in the darkness.
He casually kicked an empty can blown by the wind, the clinking sound echoing eerily in the dark, empty space.
Charlotte was indeed startled, turning sharply to look at him.
Jeremy calmly met her gaze, as if he hadn't been the one to kick it.
"Are we still going in?"
Charlotte detected the hint of mockery in his flat tone, took a deep breath without showing her emotions, and took out her flashlight. As soon as she turned it on, the entire space was as bright as day, illuminated clearly.
"Let's go!" With that, she entered first.
Jeremy looked at the farthest point illuminated by the flashlight and sighed inwardly at how she had so many good things and wasn't afraid he might get tempted. She took them out so openly.
Charlotte was indeed unafraid. The system's top-level defense wasn't just for show, and she could teleport back to the hotel instantly.
The two rows at the supermarket entrance were two milk tea shops, with "KFC" on the left and a small food court on the right, both of which had been looted and smashed, leaving a mess.
In front were two paths: one to the left and one straight ahead. Unfamiliar with the environment inside, Charlotte looked up to check the directional signs.
Seeing this, Jeremy moved ahead silently to lead the way.
After walking 50 meters to the left, they encountered a long escalator going up. Jeremy, using the light, saw several zombies lying in the middle of the escalator, not knowing if they were dead or alive.
He picked up a table leg and continued forward.
The light cast a long shadow of him, like a several-meter-tall black giant holding a cane.
Understanding his intention, Charlotte stopped at the escalator entrance.
Jeremy walked over and nudged the zombies' bodies, finding they were already dead. He took out a piece of cloth from his pocket, wrapped it around his hand, grabbed the zombies' legs, and threw them downstairs.
After clearing all the zombies from the escalator, he turned back to call her.
"Come up."
Charlotte smiled and responded, her fondness for Jeremy growing.
He was quiet, hard-working, and attentive.
In the future, if vegetables and fruits were available, they would be sold to him first.
She could also create a VIP system, allowing approved customers to have priority in purchasing everything in the hotel.
After climbing the escalator, the supermarket's main entrance finally came into view.
Charlotte shone the flashlight inside and saw that both the standing shelves and the middle shelves were not only empty but also violently dismantled.
It was as if a disorganized demolition team had done half the job and then ran off.
Jeremy remained indifferent. In the post-apocalyptic world, supermarkets, warehouses, and wholesale areas with supplies had all been looted by people. Even during the harsh winter, when heating was not available, people would burn various wooden furniture and books to stay warm.
In the severe winter, some people in the north lived in rural areas, while others moved south. Although the southern winter was milder than the northern, the damp and cold air made it extremely uncomfortable without heating.
Every winter, many people died.
Charlotte carefully walked on flat ground. There was nothing much to collect here, so she continued to explore deeper.
Ahead was the home appliance section, which seemed relatively intact. Her eyes lit up as she ran inside.
Was she looking for home appliances?
Jeremy immediately understood. Since the hotel had water and electricity, she could indeed make use of these things.
But why come to a supermarket for this? Why not go to an appliance store?
Jeremy couldn't comprehend, but it didn't affect his thoughts about the hotel's management. He thought about checking out furniture stores as well.
Charlotte found a hanging air conditioner that looked functional, though it was covered in dust.
'System, transport the air conditioner back to the store.'
[Okay]
So Jeremy saw the air conditioner in front of her disappear.
Originally, he thought he would have to carry the air conditioner back himself, and he wondered how many trips he would have to make to equip all the rooms with air conditioners.
After all, the hot season was coming, and if there were air conditioners in the rooms, he would be very willing to rent them for six months.
But if Charlotte only intended to install an air conditioner in her own room, one unit would be enough.
Given that electricity required crystal cores to generate power, running air conditioners in all rooms wasn't practical. It would consume a lot of crystal cores.
Even if he bore the cost of the crystal cores for his own room, the current stock could only last a little over a month.
It had to be said that Charlotte was already very generous, with lights that could be turned on anytime, clear water from the pipes, cheap breakfasts provided every morning, and ridiculously low room rates...
Jeremy put aside his thoughts and quietly followed her.
"There's also a standing refrigerator that's usable over here." He pointed to the only undamaged refrigerator in the corner.
Charlotte looked over and found it was a large capacity, side-by-side refrigerator!
Jeremy took out a piece of cloth from his pocket, wiped off the dust, and opened the door to reveal the still clean and tidy interior.
"Perfect! It's usable!" Charlotte decided to put this refrigerator in her room so she could store any leftover food.
'System, place it in the lobby for Bear to disinfect.'