Chapter 99 Extra Chapter 1: Long Time No See

Extra 1

The 6.5 magnitude earthquake ultimately did not occur, and the online buzz surrounding the earthquake gradually subsided. Only the residents who were awakened by the tremors that night and fled in panic still remembered this disaster that appeared suddenly and disappeared inexplicably. Even after half a month, it is still a topic of conversation among the residents.

"Tsk tsk, that night really gave me a fright..."

"Yeah, I twisted my ankle from running, and it's still not healed."

"Let me see... wait, why is the supermarket closed?"

A middle-aged man stood at the supermarket entrance, pushed up his glasses, and squinted at the posters displayed there.

[Supermarket clearance sale, get free eggs with purchase]

Eggs on sale.

Two keywords struck a nerve with the middle-aged man, who immediately put down what he was doing and decided to go in and take a look.

There was a fresh food supermarket that had been open downstairs in a residential building for five or six years, and business had always been good. It was very convenient for me to come and buy groceries on my way home from get off work every day. The food was cheap and fresh. Why did it suddenly close down?

The middle-aged man was very curious.

But this curiosity was quickly overshadowed by the large signs advertising "50% off," "Buy 200 and get a free bag of eggs," and "Win an apple in the lucky draw."

Thanks to the discount and promotional advertisements, the number of people in the supermarket more than doubled compared to usual. A huge crowd of people crowded in front of the shelves, and soon all the goods on the shelves were gone.

"etc--"

The elderly man who had just complained of a sprained ankle suddenly became brisk, his foot no longer hurting and his back no longer aching, as he squeezed into the crowd of older men and women to grab the freshest vegetables and eggs.

A middle-aged man carrying a large bag of his purchases went to pay, but couldn't help asking, "Boss, why are you suddenly closing down?"

Fang Zhiyi scanned the product with the barcode scanner, then looked up and smiled upon hearing this: "We're not closing down because we plan to take a break for a while."

"Take a break for a while..." The middle-aged man took it as an excuse and frowned. "So sudden? The supermarket was doing just fine. How many customers will you lose if you close it down like this? Boss, are you not making any money?"

Fang Zhiyi packed the goods into bags and organized them: "It's 207 yuan in total. This is an egg coupon. You can pick up eggs at the entrance."

The middle-aged man took the bag and, as usual, lectured, "You young people are so impulsive; you can't handle any hardship at all..."

Fang Zhiyi has been running this supermarket for so long that he's long been used to these lectures from middle-aged and elderly people, and he just smiles and lets them go in one ear and out the other.

The middle-aged man finished his rant and left satisfied.

Fang Zhiyi rubbed his cheeks and continued to settle the bill for the next customer.

Because of the promotional activities, the supermarket's customer traffic far exceeded that of the past, and they were busy until 11 p.m. before they could finish get off work.

The supermarket shelves were quite empty, making it seem rather deserted.

Fang Zhiyi stayed behind to take inventory and cleaned the premises with a temporary worker.

A temporary worker, sweeping up the vegetable leaves on the ground, asked, "Boss, are you really going to close down for a while?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded: "Mm."

Temporary worker: "Isn't your supermarket doing pretty well? Are you planning to close down?"

Fang Zhiyi said helplessly, "We're not closing the door because we plan to take a break for a while."

He's grown attached to this fresh food supermarket that's been open for so many years, how could he possibly close it down so easily? Besides, he was able to beat the post-apocalyptic survival game thanks to this supermarket, so there's no way he'd let it go.

He really just wanted to rest.

After playing a post-apocalyptic survival game, he realized that life should be lived in the present, and you should do what you want to do, because no one knows whether an accident or tomorrow will come first.

The temporary worker said with some skepticism, "Boss, if you open another shop in the future, don't forget to hire me! I can save you money; I can save you 20 yuan compared to hiring someone else!"

Fang Zhiyi: "...Okay." He counted the money and gave him his full salary, saying, "You get what you're owed, you won't be shortchanged."

The temporary worker said sincerely, "Boss, you're such a good person!"

After a flurry of activity, the temporary worker and Fang Zhiyi were moving and restocking goods together. With nothing else to do, they started talking about something interesting that had happened recently: "My relative's son is obsessed with video games. He keeps saying that he's entered a post-apocalyptic survival game and almost died in it. Isn't that strange..."

Fang Zhiyi paused in her steps: "It is quite strange."

Since he completed the post-apocalyptic survival game, players who were eliminated have gradually returned to the real world. Some treat what happened in the survival game as a nightmare and keep it buried in their hearts without saying a word; others spread it all over the internet, wanting the whole world to know... No matter which one, few people believe it. The vast majority of people think it's just a small circle of people daydreaming, and it hasn't caused much of a stir.

The game ended, but some apocalyptic factors remained. In the days that followed, some small-scale disasters occurred across the country. However, the grassroots staff were well aware of the risks and conducted emergency drills regularly, so the disasters were weathered without further casualties.

Days passed by, and the impact of the post-apocalyptic survival game gradually diminished. If it weren't for the fact that his physical enhancements hadn't disappeared, Fang Zhiyi would have thought it was all a dream.

Whether it's a dream or not, life goes on.

As the last day of the supermarket promotion came to an end, Fang Zhiyi pulled down the supermarket's shutter door, slung a backpack over his shoulder, and set off alone on his journey to a distant place.

In the days that followed, Fang Zhiyi climbed mountains, went to see the sea, and explored caves... He searched for traces of the post-apocalyptic survival game in the real world, but he couldn't find them anywhere.

Post-apocalyptic survival games seem to exist in another world, yet they are intricately connected to the real world; otherwise, the changes that occur in them would be inexplicable.

Later, he secretly observed the other eliminated players and found that they did not show the same changes as him.

Does this mean that you can only get the game's rewards after you complete the game?

Fang couldn't figure it out, so he just let it be.

The last stop on the trip was a hotel.

The hotel is also called Jiahua Hotel, but its style and layout are different from those in the game.

As Fang Zhiyi stepped into the hotel lobby, he heard a commotion.

"Damn, this game has given me nightmares. Now I'm even afraid to ride in a car, let alone drive, damn it..."

The familiar tone and familiar verbal tics immediately reminded him of someone.

Fang Zhiyi turned around and saw Brother Ca striding towards her, still wiping as he walked, his words forceful and full of energy.

Noticing the gaze directed at him, Brother Ca paused, then looked over: "Ca... Boss?!" His eyes lit up instantly, filled with excitement, "It really is you! Boss! I thought I'd never see you again!"

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

Fang Zhiyi chuckled awkwardly, trying to pull his hand away from Brother Cai's grasp, and said, "We're not in the game anymore, so you don't need to call me boss anymore..."

There were quite a few people in the hotel lobby, and Brother Cai's loud voice immediately attracted a lot of strange looks.

Brother Cai wasn't affected by other people's opinions at all: "How can this be? Once the boss, always the boss! Boss, I'll always follow you!"

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

Stop saying such strange things.

Didn't you see that everyone else thought they were gangsters?

To prevent Brother Cai from saying anything more outrageous, he quickly said, "Let me check in first, then we'll talk upstairs."

Brother Ca readily agreed.

As expected of the chatterbox, Brother Cai was incredibly quick-witted. During the check-in process, he had already recounted all the dangers he and Da Chan Ya Tou encountered in the road survival world, how they managed to get through the levels, and what world they ended up in afterward.

Brother Cai described it as thrilling and exciting, full of surprises, and even the front desk staff couldn't help but take a second look.

Fortunately, post-apocalyptic novels are popular online these days, so the waiter just thought he was talking about a plot from a novel.

Fang Zhiyi took the room key and went upstairs with Brother Cai.

After chatting all the way, Brother Cai was still eager to continue, but remembering that he had something important to do, he said, "Boss, I have to take care of something. I'll add you as a friend, and I'll treat you to dinner tonight!"

Brother Ca came quickly and left quickly.

Fang Zhiyi smiled helplessly, swiped the door, and went inside. He saw a floor-to-ceiling window offering a panoramic view of the sea. He put down his backpack, sat on the sofa, opened a can of cola, and watched the waves while drinking it. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

When he woke up, it was already evening. He remembered the dinner he had arranged with Brother Cai, so he took a shower, changed his clothes, and went out.

The hotel's restaurant is on the top floor, with a terrace and an infinity pool. Looking up, you see a galaxy of stars, and looking down, you see splashing waves.

Fang Zhiyi had already checked online and found that the restaurant on the hotel's rooftop was often packed and required reservations, but when she came up today, there was not a single person there.

I wanted to find a waiter to ask what was going on, but to my surprise, even the waiter had disappeared.

Fang Zhiyi was a little confused. He hesitated and walked into the restaurant. He looked around and was about to send a message to Brother Cai when suddenly there was a "bang" above his head. He looked down instinctively and saw fireworks blooming in the night sky, like shooting stars falling like rain.

A child's scream came from downstairs: "Mommy, there are fireworks!"

The top floor is so close to the sky that it seems you could reach out and pluck the fireworks.

The afterglow of the fireworks fell on Fang Zhiyi's shoulder, and as if sensing something, he turned around.

The restaurant lights went out at that moment.

In the boundless darkness, a figure slowly walked out.

Bang!

Another firework exploded.

A streak of light flashed and landed on the distinct contours of the newcomer's face. He was tall and slender, his silver-gray eyes reflecting the distant fireworks that had bloomed and faded.

He extended his hand to Fang Zhiyi: "Long time no see."

Fang Zhiyi was surprisingly unsurprised and remained calm, as if she had long anticipated this day and had rehearsed for it many times in advance.

He grabbed the outstretched hand. "You really made me wait a long time."

Chu Zhao smiled and said, "I am deeply sorry, and I promise that this will not happen again."

Fang Zhiyi blinked, his eyes slightly moist. Suddenly, the force in his hand shifted, and he was pulled forward, crashing into a strong and powerful embrace.

Looking up, a pair of deep eyes were close at hand, shimmering with a faint light.

I miss you so much.

"……Me too."

Behind them, colorful fireworks fell one after another.

Under the cover of night, the two said nothing, simply embracing silently, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss, exchanging breaths. The days of separation and unease transformed into a fierce embrace, almost as if they were melting each other into their very bones.