NOVGO.NET Chapter 26 First come first serve.
Chapter 26: Chapter 26 First come first serve.
Tiredness slowly began to wear down the group one after another.
Hours had passed doing the exact same thing—packing supplies into Luna’s strange bag that, for some mysterious reason, never seemed to fill up no matter how much they threw inside.
The endless cycle was beginning to break their spirits.
"Fuck this shit."
Rowan finally threw the carton in his hands onto the floor before stretching his sore shoulders.
"I am tired."
"I am fucking tired."
He rubbed both palms together, trying to ease the burning ache that had settled into them.
"Unlike Adrian, who’s doing that weird disappearing trick with his powers, I have to use my own hands for everything."
He pointed toward the towering piles they had already cleared.
"We should at least get a break."
Luna stopped walking through the aisle and glanced at him.
Her expression remained unreadable.
"If you want to sleep, don’t let me stop you."
She shrugged casually.
"Go and rest."
"The people who can still work will take over from here."
That was all she said before turning around and continuing deeper into another aisle.
Rowan stared after her in disbelief.
He had expected resistance...
Just not such a cold response.
After standing there for several seconds, he sighed heavily.
"We’re all trying here, Luna..."
He paused before looking toward Kai.
"...or whatever your name is."
Kai gave him a small nod.
"It’s Luna."
Rowan continued.
"We’ve been working almost the entire night."
"I don’t even know what’s happening outside anymore."
"I know the world’s falling apart..."
"But none of us will last another hour if we keep pushing ourselves like this."
His tone softened.
"And I’m not only talking about myself."
"You need the rest too."
Luna stopped walking.
For the first time since the conversation started, surprise flickered across her face.
She genuinely thought Rowan was only complaining for his own sake.
She hadn’t expected him to include her.
"Take a look at yourself."
Rowan pointed toward one of the dusty mirrors hanging on a nearby pillar.
"You look terrible."
"You’ve barely stopped moving since we got here."
"If we don’t rest, nature will collect its debt sooner or later."
"And we both know nobody can cheat nature forever."
His words made Adrian and Kai exchange glances.
Both of them silently nodded.
Kai’s arms had become so sore that simply lifting another carton felt exhausting.
Adrian wasn’t much better.
Using his spatial ability continuously had left a pounding migraine behind his eyes.
His head felt ready to split apart.
Neither of them wanted to admit it...
But Rowan was right.
They desperately needed a break.
Luna folded her arms.
"So this is the new plan?"
Her gaze swept across the three men.
"Three against one."
She gave a dry laugh.
"Well, congratulations."
"But let me remind you."
"This isn’t the worst thing waiting outside."
"There are threats far more dangerous than this."
"And zombies..."
She continued walking.
"...should be the least of your worries."
Ignoring their exhausted faces, Luna entered another section of the bunker.
Boxes upon boxes filled the shelves.
Different brands of bread.
White bread.
Bagels.
Croissants.
Hotdog buns.
Bottled water.
Sparkling water.
Juices.
Soft drinks.
Energy drinks.
Everything remained neatly packed inside cartons and plastic crates.
Without wasting a second, Luna stretched out her hand.
One touch.
The cartons disappeared.
Another touch.
More supplies vanished.
Everything was instantly absorbed into her supermarket space.
She didn’t even bother counting anymore.
Every single item represented apocalypse coins.
Every carton meant another step toward expanding her supermarket.
Another step closer to returning to the luxurious home waiting inside her space.
Rest?
She inwardly scoffed.
Forget resting.
If sacrificing sleep meant growing stronger before the apocalypse truly unfolded...
Then it was worth every second.
As Luna continued sweeping entire shelves clean, the bunker suddenly became noticeably darker.
The fluorescent lights flickered several times.
Then another row went out.
Another.
Another.
Within seconds, nearly half the bunker had fallen into darkness.
Only a handful of emergency lights remained glowing faintly overhead.
"Well..."
Kia looked toward the ceiling.
"Isn’t that just great?"
His voice dripped with sarcasm.
The remaining lights continued blinking rapidly.
It almost looked as though they were desperately struggling to stay alive before finally surrendering.
"There goes our lighting."
Kai scratched his head nervously.
"So..."
"What now?"
No one answered him.
The silence became awkward.
Kai had always hated quiet environments.
Whenever things became too silent, he instinctively tried to start conversations.
Unfortunately...
Every attempt he made today died almost immediately.
Judging from their personalities...
Rowan and Adrian were both obvious introverts.
Which made Kai feel like the odd one among them.
Luna calmly walked toward several empty cartons stacked in one corner.
She arranged them neatly before sitting down as though she had expected this all along.
"That..."
She looked toward the ceiling.
"...was the power grid."
"If the lights are failing now..."
"It means the electrical network has finally collapsed."
"The wiring."
"The substations."
"The entire connection."
"Gone."
Her calm explanation barely affected Rowan or Adrian.
Electricity wasn’t going to save them from monsters.
But Kia looked completely devastated.
His face turned pale.
"That’s insane."
"If it’s really gone..."
"Doesn’t that mean..."
He swallowed hard.
"The world’s actually ended?"
"No hope?"
Luna almost laughed.
Only now was he beginning to realize the truth?
Had he honestly believed everything would eventually return to normal?
Who kept feeding him that fantasy?
"The internet..."
Kia continued weakly.
"Electricity..."
"They’re always the last things to disappear before civilization completely collapses."
"That’s what happens in every apocalypse movie."
Luna simply shrugged.
She didn’t bother correcting him.
Kai suddenly shot to his feet.
"What the hell are we supposed to do now?"
His breathing became uneven.
"The government said they had everything under control."
"They said a solution was coming."
Rowan sighed deeply.
"The authorities are lying."
His answer was immediate.
"This situation is already beyond them."
"I’ve seen enough inside this so-called safe zone."
"They’re barely holding things together."
"They’re only saying those things to stop people from panicking."
He leaned against a nearby shelf.
"And once the zombies become impossible to contain..."
He looked toward the ceiling.
"Watch."
"They’ll lose control completely."
His voice became quieter.
"Humanity..."
"...is already disappearing."
"And I honestly don’t think anyone can stop it."
Luna remained silent.
His words made her think.
Could the government already be working on something?
A cure...?
A procedure...?
Perhaps.
But she knew better than to rely on hope.
"They should still find a solution."
Kia refused to give up.
"If humans created this..."
"Then humans should be able to cure it."
"Scientists exist for a reason."
Luna slowly shook her head.
Some people simply refused to let reality sink in.
Hope wasn’t always a good thing.
Sometimes...
It only delayed acceptance.
After several minutes of silence, Luna finally spoke again.
"We’re resting."
The three men immediately looked at her.
"Tomorrow morning..."
"We continue stockpiling."
"We’ll eat."
"Sleep."
"Recover our strength."
"Then continue collecting supplies."
"We stay inside until the situation outside settles down."
The relief that spread across the men’s faces was almost comical.
For a brief moment, they genuinely felt as though heaven had finally touched Luna’s heart.
Without wasting another second, everyone split up to search for something they wanted to eat before sleeping.
The bunker finally became peaceful.
Or...
At least it tried to.
Just as everyone began settling down...
Voices echoed from outside.
"There has to be enough food in there!"
Someone slammed violently against the bunker entrance.
"The military can’t possibly eat everything themselves!"
"They’re hoarding supplies!"
"Raid the place!"
"Take everything you can!"
Luna immediately became alert.
She quietly counted the footsteps.
Eight people.
At least.
Maybe more hiding behind them.
Judging from the sounds, they were already preparing to force their way inside.
Although Luna had already emptied most of the bunker...
She still had no intention of sharing what remained.
She had arrived first.
Why should she hand over her rewards?
Outside, the shouting became louder.
The food shortage had finally pushed desperate civilians over the edge.
Fear erased morality.
Hunger erased reason.
When survival became the only priority...
Humans could become far more terrifying than monsters.
"We know someone’s in there!"
"Stop being greedy!"
"Share with everyone!"
"We can survive together!"
Kai instinctively stepped toward the entrance.
Before he could say anything...
Luna grabbed his wrist.
One look was enough.
The massive reinforced door remained firmly shut.
Thankfully...
The bunker entrance was completely controlled by her system.
Without her permission...
Nobody was opening it.
"Come out!"
A man’s voice roared.
"I’m warning you!"
"If we break this door down..."
"It’s going to get bloody!"
Silence answered him.
No movement came from inside.
Outside...
Their impatience slowly turned into desperation.
"Open the door!"
Another loud bang echoed.
Then another.
More footsteps approached.
Apparently, the commotion had attracted even more survivors.
Soon dozens of people surrounded the bunker.
Fists.
Feet.
Makeshift weapons.
Everything slammed repeatedly against the thick steel entrance.
Then...
A woman’s desperate cry pierced through the chaos.
"Please!"
"My baby hasn’t eaten for two days!"
"Have mercy!"
"We’ll all die!"
Luna slowly turned toward one of the reinforced windows.
Outside...
The crowd had already grown beyond a dozen people.
More survivors continued running toward the bunker from every direction.
But that wasn’t what caught her attention.
Her eyes slowly lifted toward the sky.
The clouds...
Were changing.
They glowed with an unnatural crimson light.
Even worse...
The massive protective barrier covering the safe zone had begun cracking.
Thin fractures spread across its surface like shattered glass.
Luna quietly watched the terrifying sight.
Then she simply shrugged.
"First come..."
She leaned back against the cartons.
"...first served."
The words had barely left her mouth when a horrifying chorus erupted outside.
Human screams.
Zombie growls.
Frantic pounding.
Everything blended together into one terrifying sound.
It echoed across the entire safe zone.
And then...
Another season of slaughter began.