Gu Shangse entered the cake shop and stood at the doorway, not daring to proceed further. He deliberately pushed the half-closed door wide open as he entered.
This was to ensure he could retreat without hindrance should he encounter danger.
After observing the situation inside the cake shop, Gu Shangse walked towards the counter where the cakes were displayed, searching for bread that had not expired.
Taking a bag from the counter, Gu Shangse kept an eye on the shop while sifting through the dazzling array of cakes for edible ones.
Upon entering the cake shop, Gu Shangse immediately realized something was amiss.
It was too quiet!
This cake shop was located in a bustling downtown area.
As a route Gu Shangse passed daily for work, he knew how good business was here.
Moreover, the doomsday had occurred during peak leisure hours for most people.
It was impossible for this cake shop to be empty.
However, aside from the slightly ajar door, there were no survivors or zombies in the shop.
Furthermore, the shop was clean and tidy, showing no signs of disarray.
This indicated that someone had been here before his arrival, cleared out the zombies, and maintained the shop's original state. But what was the purpose of doing so?
Even more bizarre was that the entire city had lost power after the doomsday.
Yet, the display counters holding the cakes in the shop were still powered on.
Because of this, very few cakes in the shop had gone bad.
Gu Shangse was not greedy. He only took enough for himself, Su Ling, and Yang Yang. He left the shop and returned to Su Ling's side without any trouble.
Gu Shangse stopped in front of Su Ling, handed her the bread he had obtained, and whispered, "This shop is not right."
Su Ling took the bread, her gaze turned cold, and she looked at Gu Shangse. "It is indeed not right."
After the doomsday, the entire Xuyang City was in a power outage mode, yet the cake Su Ling received from Gu Shangse was slightly cool.
This indicated that these cakes had been stored in display cases with constant power to prevent spoilage.
Pointing to the shaded area under a large tree in the corner, Su Ling's voice was also very soft, "Go over there, sit down, and talk while we eat."
Since something was wrong and they had stumbled upon it, they would uncover the truth.
This cake shop still had power, meaning its stock of cakes and other items must be abundant, offering a chance to sweep through.
Gu Shangse nodded and pushed his bicycle towards the spot Su Ling indicated.
Su Ling and Yang Yang walked ahead and sat down on the ground under the large tree that provided shade from the sun.
Tossing a bread to Yang Yang, Su Ling took what she needed and gave the rest to Gu Shangse.
The two sat under the large tree, holding bread and drinks, neither speaking, simply eating in silence.
It wasn't until Yang Yang finished one bread that Gu Shangse tossed another to it, and the conversation began. "When I went inside, it was very clean. The cakes in the counters were all recent, and the power was on.
"This cake shop was incredibly popular before the doomsday, with huge customer traffic every day. But when I went in just now, there were neither zombies nor traces of survivors. Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case.
Su Ling hummed, not glancing at the cake shop. She lowered her head slightly, looking at Yang Yang, who was eating bread between her and Gu Shangse. "When things are abnormal, there's usually a reason."
Looking at Gu Shangse, Su Ling said lightly, "According to your analysis, it should have been filled with wandering zombies, with no survivors. The place should have been a mess, chaotic. But—"