71: Chapter 71 Nothing, absolutely nothing!

The female host on TV had trembling lips, and her tone and delivery had lost their usual composure. She was currently standing in front of a large supermarket.

The street behind her was packed with people, all of them rushing toward the supermarket entrance.

The supermarket's rolling shutter was tightly closed, and someone was frantically pounding on it, "Open the door! Open the door!"

"Why is the supermarket closed? Could it be that something truly terrible has happened? Are they not planning to care about whether we common folk live or die?"

"They talk a good game about delivering supplies every day, but who knows how long that will last? If supplies run low, they'll definitely prioritize the people at the top and won't care about us at all!"

"Exactly! Everyone, let's work together to smash the door open. We'll just use shopping carts to load up on food and drinks and take them. It's not like we aren't going to pay!"

"Right, right! People are starving to death, who cares about order anymore?"

Incited by a few individuals, the crowd lost their reason. One after another, they picked up whatever they could find and began smashing the door.

With each strike, the dull thudding sound transmitted through the television, making one's chest feel tight.

Lin Wanqiu watched the people on TV with worry, "I didn't expect that even without mentioning The Apocalypse, some people still can't control the urge to hoard."

Wen Shuyang took a bite of an apple, "If we had told them about The Apocalypse, people would only be even more frantic than they are now."

If they hadn't known the news in advance, they would be right there among those people, panic-buying too.

The aerial camera zoomed in; the crowd at the supermarket entrance was growing larger and larger.

They were all nearby residents who, upon seeing people below trying to snatch up supplies, wanted to come down and get a share for themselves, fearing that if these people cleaned out the supermarket, the government wouldn't be able to distribute daily supplies later on.

"Everyone, push a little harder!"

Someone shouted, and everyone began to surge forward frantically, like a wound-up spring.

A middle-aged woman was pushed up against the rolling shutter, her face contorted. She desperately pushed back with her elbows, trying to carve out a little space for herself, "Stop pushing!"

Beside her, a young man of about twenty was holding a piece of metal pipe he'd ripped from somewhere, swinging it with all his might at the door lock. Even as sparks flew, he didn't flinch.

After striking it seven or eight times, the bottom right corner of the rolling shutter finally pried open, "It worked! It worked!"

Dozens of hands reached out simultaneously, forcibly tearing the gap wider and wider. The screeching sound of the twisting metal was painful to the ears.

Xu Wanning and the others watched the TV screen in silence, their brows tightly furrowed.

The door was finally ripped open, and people surged inside, scrambling, pushing, trampling, and cursing.

The supermarket was pitch black, so everyone quickly pulled out their phones and turned on their flashlights, creating a chaotic display of light and shadow.

The people behind were still pushing in, but those at the front had all stopped.

The first burly man to enter stood there blankly, holding his phone up. His flashlight beam swept back and forth—empty, it was all empty.

The usually familiar rice, flour, grain, and oil section was completely bare. The snack and beverage section also had nothing; there were only the abandoned shelves standing quietly in the supermarket.

A chubby woman rushed to a shelf, her hands frantically clawing at the empty partitions. Her fingernails scraped against the metal, producing a harsh, screeching sound. Finally, she collapsed to the ground, opening her mouth to let out a desperate wail, "Nothing! There's nothing!"

Then, everyone began to scream—not in anger, but in a complete breakdown.

Someone kicked an empty shelf hard, and it hit the floor with a deafening crash. The people nearby didn't even glance over, because they were doing the exact same thing.

Someone was on the phone, roaring at the person on the other end, "There's nothing here! What about your side? Is the whole city empty?"

As they roared, they smashed their phone against the ground, the screen shattering like a spiderweb.

There were also a few elderly people with gray hair standing motionless in the crowd. Even when bumped into, they swayed but managed to steady themselves, their lips trembling as they muttered something incomprehensible.

Lu Chengyue took hold of Xu Wanning's hand, "Ningning, were the supplies in the supermarket moved by you?"

Everyone else looked at her as well.

"Mhm." Xu Wanning nodded expressionlessly.

The authorities had long predicted that something like this would happen, so they had her move all the supplies from the warehouse, leaving only what was on the sales floor.

Once those were sold, there was no restocking, and the rest were transported away overnight using pre-prepared vehicles.

Suddenly, the camera began to shake violently. The cameraman must have been pushed around in the crowd and couldn't stand steady. The footage flickered, occasionally flashing images of distorted faces.

After the camera panned around the entire supermarket, especially the warehouse area, and confirmed there was nothing left, the crowd at the front finally completely erupted.

They knocked over every shelf they could, and threw shopping baskets to the ground, stomping them flat.

Some were crying, some were cursing, some were laughing hysterically, and some were screaming shrilly.

The fact that this footage was being broadcast was likely intentional on the part of the authorities, to let everyone know via television that even if they went out, they wouldn't find any supplies. It was better to stay home obediently and wait for the staff to come and distribute supplies.

In the midst of the chaos, several military vehicles appeared on camera, parked on the periphery of the crowd. Soldiers in camouflage uniforms jumped out, dispersing in orderly steps to organize the evacuation of the crowd.

The lead soldier held a megaphone, his steady, powerful voice cutting through the chaotic shouting, "Attention all citizens, please return home immediately. Do not linger outside. Please cooperate..."

Before he could finish, a man in a gray T-shirt rushed out from the crowd, his eyes bloodshot.

Reaching the officer, he grabbed him by the collar, his voice hoarse, "Where's the food? Where are the supplies? Where did you take everything?!"

Spittle sprayed onto the officer's face, but the officer neither dodged nor fought back. He simply repeated in a steady voice, "Please cooperate and return home immediately."

The man seemed to be provoked by his calmness and swung his fist at him.

As his fist struck the officer's face, the situation completely spiraled out of control. Dozens of people suddenly surged from the crowd, which had previously only been wailing in despair, and rushed toward the soldiers who were maintaining order.

Some were bare-handed, some were holding metal pipes, others were wielding shopping baskets—they were acting like madmen, descending into total chaos.

A soldier was grabbed around the waist from behind, and a plastic basket shattered against his helmet, sending pieces flying everywhere.

A comrade nearby tried to come over to help, but a woman grabbed his arm tightly, her fingernails clawing at his vulnerable neck, leaving several deep, bloody scratches.

Xu Wanning stared at the soldier who had been the first to be struck. His brows were furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing.

They were soldiers who believed the common people were important, but he certainly couldn't just stand by and watch his men get beaten one after another.

Just as she had thought, the soldier raised his walkie-talkie and said something.

Before long, reinforcements appeared on the screen.

More soldiers jumped out of the vehicles. This time, they didn't call out or try to guide the crowd; instead, they formed neat ranks and, using shields to clear the way, began to push forward, step by step!