Chapter 40: Chapter40-Essentials
John shook his head, not answering Helena\'s question.
He truly didn\'t know how to respond.
Should he reveal the whole truth and tell them that the so-called game was merely a pastime for the [Deities]?
Or should he tell them that no matter how hard he tried, it would be difficult to change his fate of dying in the end?
These were things John couldn\'t bring himself to say, so...
"Sorry..."
"You don\'t need to apologize. Although I don\'t know what you\'re hiding, I believe you have your reasons. I won\'t ask anymore until you\'re ready to tell me."
...
Thirty minutes later, John finally recovered from his exhausted state, and Exiled Immortal returned with over a dozen floating boxes.
"John! Look at what I found!"
"What has you so excited?"
"Just look!"
Exiled Immortal eagerly approached, showing the contents of the boxes to John and Helena.
Most of it was instant food and canned goods, and there were even some precious vegetables, though they looked a bit wilted. In these times, seeing a bit of green was a rare treat.
But...
"Is this all? There\'s nothing else?"
"Was there supposed to be something else?"
Exiled Immortal blinked, clearly not understanding John\'s question.
There was food, water, even some precious drinks and vegetables. What could be more important than these?
"Damn! Personal care items! Didn\'t I say we needed personal care items?"
"Don\'t we already have plenty of toilet paper and toiletries at home? What else do we need?"
"Uh... I think John means you should get some sanitary pads..."
Helena pinched the bridge of her nose, helplessly saying, "He specifically mentioned women\'s personal care items."
"Sanitary pads? What are those?"
"Forget it, just take Helena back home first. I\'ll go back in and see if there\'s anything we missed."
John didn\'t bother explaining to Exiled Immortal. He was just a kid; it was normal for him not to understand. The time spent on these explanations would be enough for John to go in again.
"John, inside, it\'s mostly rubble. It can barely hold up, but it looks like it\'s about to collapse. Be careful and don\'t take too long."
"Don\'t worry, I understand. You two go back first. Once Helena is safe, come back to get me."
"You stay safe."
After watching Exiled Immortal and Helena leave, John wasted no time and entered the supermarket through the passage.
As Exiled Immortal had said, the place had long lost its former glory. Large chunks of concrete from the upper floors had smashed through the ceiling, causing it to collapse, and the occasional groans of metal indicated it was barely holding up.
Noticing this, John quickened his pace.
Due to the new passage, many survivors had noticed this place and rushed in, looting frantically and even fighting over a single can or bottle of water.
But this was the apocalypse, and John had no room to criticize. If it were his former self, he would have done the same, risking his life for a chance to survive.
Thinking of this, John took out the [Firewalker Dagger] and held it tightly, cautiously eyeing anyone who might pose a threat.
However, John\'s destination was different from the others.
Food and water, though precious, were not in short supply for him at the moment. Instead, John headed towards the clothing section.
The place was a mess; many stores had been smashed by debris, making them inaccessible. John could only search nearby, gathering a few intact clothes and shoes before heading to the personal care section.
John hadn\'t prepared any women\'s personal care items before, but with Helena\'s arrival, he had to consider these needs.
Fortunately, this area hadn\'t been heavily looted, and no one seemed interested in these items. Within ten minutes, John collected hundreds of packs, wrapping them in cardboard and clothes. As he was about to leave, something caught his eye.
Seeing the words like "ultra-thin," "snug fit," and "large particles" on the packaging, John\'s face turned red.
Feeling that it wouldn\'t hurt to take some since he was already there, John grabbed a handful and stuffed them into the box.
Additionally, he took any cigarettes and alcohol he came across, knowing they were valuable in the apocalypse.
Although John didn\'t smoke, others did, and these items could be traded for other resources.
Nearly an hour had passed, and the creaking sound of metal grew more frequent. John glanced at the still-scrambling crowd and sighed, "This place is about to collapse. Leave as soon as you can."
His warning seemed to go unnoticed by most, but a few cautious individuals heeded it, choosing survival over staying, and left with their collected resources.
As for the others, within thirty seconds of John\'s departure, the metal framework could no longer hold and collapsed, burying those inside forever.
Seeing this, John felt no sorrow, nor did he lament the deaths of those people.
He had given a warning once, and that was enough. Even if he had managed to drive everyone away, saving them from the collapse, they likely wouldn\'t have been grateful. Instead, they might have started coveting John\'s spoils.
But in any case, the purpose of this trip was achieved.
Not far away, Exiled Immortal had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing John, he quickly approached.
"John, thank goodness you made it out. The supermarket has collapsed!"
"It was lucky it held up for this long."
"John, you were in there for quite a while. What did you manage to get?"
"Don\'t ask now. Let\'s move. We\'re already being watched."
Feeling the gazes from all directions, John lowered his voice. "I\'ll go back on my own."
"Are you sure, John?"
"Don\'t worry, I\'ll be fine."
John nodded slightly, reassuring Exiled Immortal.
What John could do in the game world, he could also do in the real world.
For instance, falling from a height of over ten meters without a scratch.
Or summoning a golem!
Understanding this, Exiled Immortal didn\'t waste any more words. With a thought, he used Qingfeng to lift the collected supplies into the air, ascending until they became a small black dot in John\'s vision.
After Exiled Immortal left, John silently chanted, "Golem!"
Instantly, a giant steel golem slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust!
The moment the golem appeared, those with ill intentions quickly abandoned their plans and turned to squabble among themselves.
The appearance of such a steel monster was as impactful as seeing Exiled Immortal ascend into the sky.
It\'s best not to provoke such a formidable figure.
Therefore, on his way back, John encountered no trouble, as no one dared to mess with him.
After leaving the city, John breathed a sigh of relief, recalled the golem, and took out the [Firewalker Dagger].
This was a necessary move.
The journey had almost exhausted the golem\'s chant essence, and the excessive energy consumption was giving John a headache.
When he returned to the abandoned warehouse, he spotted Exiled Immortal waving at him from the top of the building, making John smile.
"Get down quickly, before someone notices you."
"What\'s there to be afraid of? With your golem around, who would dare cause trouble?"
Exiled Immortal grinned and said, "John, you\'re smart, gathering so many supplies!"
"Of course, these are essentials. Even if we don\'t need them, we can trade them. Learn from this!"
John appreciated Exiled Immortal\'s praise and patted his head. However, when he opened the door, he saw Helena with a knowing smile, holding a box of ultra-thin 0.2.
Seeing this, John froze in place.
"Well... you really did prepare thoroughly, Brother John~"
"No, Helena, I didn\'t..."
"Didn\'t what? Didn\'t mean it? You clearly took so many! I knew you had ulterior motives! Exiled Immortal, go back to the game world. I have some questions for John!"