CHAPTER 63: CHAPTER 63: THE LAST HAPPY SODA OF THE FAT HOUSE

Chen Xin bypassed the entrance of the community and arrived at what used to be a convenience store. He looked up at where the sign lightbox once was; there was nothing left after the fire, not even the metal frame.

Before leaving, the owner of the convenience store had thoughtfully locked the front gate, perhaps hoping that the nation could prevent the impending disaster.

However, whether it was the nation or the world, humanity ultimately failed to stop the catastrophe. The disaster brought by the meteor fall destroyed everything that once was.

Chen Xin tapped on the firmly shut gate of the convenience store with the hiking pole in his hand. The turnstile gate was still sturdy, although it was charred and unrecognizable, it remained in its original form.

When Chen Xin knocked on it with the hiking pole, it clanged but remained firmly locked, blocking everything from outside just like it did in the past.

This gave Chen Xin a bit of anticipation, as an intact turnstile gate undoubtedly suggested that the store hadn’t been wrecked or looted, increasing the possibility of finding supplies.

Although it was uncertain what might be found, Chen Xin was evidently excited and full of expectations.

Nevertheless, to get inside, he first needed to open this diligently locked turnstile gate.

Trying to lift it, Chen Xin couldn’t budge it, indicating that the owner had indeed locked the door before leaving.

But this wasn’t an obstacle for Chen Xin. The structure of this turnstile gate wasn’t particularly complex; forcing it open wouldn’t be a big hassle aside from using a key.

Drawing out the upgraded cherry blade, Chen Xin didn’t adopt any specific sword form or technique but simply inserted the blade at the bottom linkage between the turnstile gate and the door frame, then forcefully cut through the locking mechanism inside.

The upgraded cherry blade had become quite sharp, and since the turnstile gate was already fire-burnt, it only took Chen Xin a bit of effort to ruin the locking mechanism of the turnstile gate.

After breaking the turnstile gate, although there was another layer of glass doors in the convenience store, they couldn’t stop Chen Xin anymore.

Inside the convenience store, Chen Xin surveyed around. Even though the store wasn’t extensively damaged by fire, there were signs of scorching and burning, which were not too serious.

However, even so, the shelves were still bare without much left behind.

Chen Xin took out a flashlight from his pocket, turned it on, and illuminated the shelves, hoping to search for any remnants, as the shelves being empty didn’t mean nothing was left at all.

Food and water must have been cleaned out, but on the shelves inside the convenience store, Chen Xin still found some things left.

Two slightly charred wooden-handled mops, three kitchen knives, four or five soup spoons, and two bars of soap with burnt packaging.

There was also a bottle of shampoo, but unfortunately, the plastic casing had melted, spilling the liquid all over, looking rather terrible.

Mops, though not very useful, could perhaps still be used for cleaning in the shelter, while the knives, spoons, and soap were a bright find.

Taking out a plastic bag from his backpack, Chen Xin, feeling excited like finding trash in the wasteland, packed the items into the plastic bag before putting them into his backpack.

The thrill of finding these supplies made Chen Xin eager to find more. He picked up the flashlight, adjusted his backpack, and headed towards a small room inside the convenience store. It was the store’s small warehouse, used for storing goods and holding parcels.

The small warehouse gave Chen Xin a pleasant surprise. Although most of the goods had long been cleared out, leaving behind remnants mostly damaged by fire, Chen Xin luckily found a box of unscathed fizzy drinks.

This box of sodas were all canned, evidently indicating that the metal cans were slightly more resistant to burning than the plastic bottles beside them, enabling them to survive the fire.

Carefully inspecting these fizzy drinks, though a few cans seemed over-roasted from the previous fire and slightly expanded, most of the soda cans remained unchanged.

This truly was an unexpected delight!

Chen Xin had not tasted fizzy drinks for a long time. When stockpiling before the disaster, he had only focused on collecting survival supplies. Items that were once easily obtainable became scarce after the disaster; having a sip of fizzy drink now was a luxury.

Finding this box of sodas was indeed a grand stroke of fortune for Chen Xin.

Apart from this relatively well-preserved box of sodas, there was also half a box of canned beer in the small warehouse, likewise surviving due to the metal cans, which delighted Chen Xin.

Chen Xin decided within less than a second, dropping his backpack. He took out the knives and soap he had just packed and stuffed a few cans of soda into the bag. After some hesitation, he wrapped the soap in the plastic bag again and placed it in the side pocket of his backpack.

As for the knives he found, Chen Xin decided to leave them and retrieve them on his next visit.

Taking a sip of water from his bottle and resting briefly, Chen Xin resumed his exploration journey.

It seemed that he had used up his luck in the convenience store, as the other stores in the community offered no new finds to Chen Xin.

Most of the shops had been emptied clean; those with leftover supplies were mostly burnt into a mess during the previous fire. The remaining bits were mixed with charred ashes, making it challenging to pick out usable items.

Chen Xin did some basic sorting but found nothing useful.

Even though he knew that with careful searching in the nearby community, usable things could still be found, he didn’t have the time and energy to search door-to-door.

This community didn’t have a shelter constructed due to its location, so Chen Xin didn’t spend further time here.

After organizing the items found in the convenience store altogether, placing them back in that small warehouse, and using a shelf to block the small warehouse door, Chen Xin pulled down the convenience store’s roller shutter and moved on.

It was still drizzling in the sky, with fine raindrops pattering against Chen Xin’s Protective Suit, creating a rustling sound.

The rain wasn’t clean, mixed with dust; it stayed the same color as sewage even before hitting the ground.

Fortunately, Chen Xin’s Protective Suit was water-resistant, and the gray-black digital camouflage was dirt-resistant. Although the rainwater was the color of mud, it didn’t dirty Chen Xin’s Protective Suit, only leaving a few black specks on his breathing mask.

If it were in the past, strolling in Jiangnan’s fine rain with an oiled paper umbrella would undoubtedly be full of poetic and romantic imagery.

But under the dark sky of this apocalypse, there was only heaviness and suffocation.

In Chen Xin’s ears, only his breath could be heard; his eyes saw no light, and his steps were heavy.