I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 44: Scavenging

They didn’t waste time in the supermarket. The moment it was cleared, it was time to move.

And of course, they didn’t start in the actual supermarket where it was displayed. That would be inefficient as they’ll have to transport those in a grocery cart which would be filled to the brim but the quantity would be low. They needed something fast.

They moved through the employee door behind the counters and pushed into the storage area.

The layout opened up fast.

Cold units ran along one side—chest freezers, upright chillers, all humming. Frost lined the seals. Indicator lights were still on. Power hadn’t dropped.

The rest of the room was dry storage.

Stacks of boxes, shoulder-high. Pallets wrapped in plastic. Metal racks filled with canned goods, sacks of rice, cartons of instant food, bottled water.

Adrian swept the space once.

"Clear."

One man moved to the breaker panel. Everything live.

Ryan stepped up beside a pallet and cut the wrap with his knife. The plastic peeled back. Inside—boxed canned goods, packed tight.

He pulled one open.

"Canned meat," he said. "Full stock."

Adrian nodded. "Good. We take what won’t last first."

He turned toward the cold units and pointed with his chin.

"Start there. Frozen meat, anything in the chillers. Once the power cuts, that’s gone." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Two men moved to the freezers without waiting.

Adrian shifted back to the rows of boxes.

"After that—water. Then canned. Rice last."

Ryan glanced over from the pallet he’d opened. "Why water first?"

Adrian stepped over and nudged a pack of bottled water with his boot.

"You can stretch food. You can’t stretch water."

Ryan held his gaze for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. Got it."

Adrian looked around the room again, taking it in.

"No loose items. If it’s already boxed, we take it. Don’t waste time filling small stuff."

He pointed toward the back.

"Find crates or a jack. Move whole loads."

Two of the men headed off right away, weaving through the stacks.

Ryan picked up another box, weighed it in his hands.

"How much can the trucks even take?"

Adrian keyed his radio.

"Outside, what are we running?"

"Two FMTVs," the voice answered. "Standard beds."

"Capacity?"

"Five tons each, if you pack them right."

Adrian lowered the radio and looked at Ryan.

"Ten tons total."

Ryan set the box down and wiped his hand on his pants.

"That’s not touching half of this."

"No," Adrian said. "So we don’t try."

He stepped closer to the pallets, tapping one with his hand.

"Keep it simple. We fill fast, we move fast."

He pointed toward the freezers.

"Two guys stay on frozen. Don’t get stuck there."

Then to the stacks of water.

"Rest of you—water first. Grab whole packs, don’t break them."

He shifted again, nodding at the canned goods.

"After that, take whatever’s boxed and sealed. No digging, no sorting."

Ryan grabbed the pallet jack one of the men dragged over and slid it under a stack of bottled water.

"Alright," he muttered, pushing it forward. "Let’s move."

The others fell in without needing more.

Plastic wrap tore open. Boxes came down in quick pulls. Someone dragged a crate across the floor, the scrape cutting through the hum of the freezers.

At the loading dock, one of the guys cracked the door and waved.

"Ready outside!"

The first pallet rolled out through the loading dock.

The FMTV sat backed up to the ramp, tailgate already down. Two men were on the bed, clearing space, boots thudding against the metal floor.

"Bring it up!" one of them called.

Ryan shoved the pallet forward with the jack. The wheels rattled over the lip of the dock, then onto the truck bed with a dull clank.

"Lift it—don’t drag!" someone said.

Four hands grabbed the sides and shifted it into place. Boxes stacked tight, no gaps. Another pallet came in right behind it, then another.

Crates of frozen meat came out next, carried two at a time. Cold vapor still clung to them as they were passed up onto the truck. The men on the bed adjusted their footing, setting each crate down, pushing them into rows.

"Stack higher!" one of them said. "Use the corners!"

"Watch the edge!" another snapped as a box nearly slipped.

On the ground, Adrian stood near the ramp, watching the flow. He checked the perimeter between loads, eyes moving past the parked vehicles to the empty lot beyond.

No zombies detected.

Ryan came out behind the next pallet, pushing hard, then let it roll the last few inches into the truck.

He stepped aside, catching his breath for a second, then moved toward Adrian.

"Hey."

Adrian didn’t turn right away. "What."

Ryan glanced back at the loading.

"They’re working fast, but look at it."

Adrian followed his gaze.

Inside the storage room, stacks still stood untouched. Pallets lined the walls. Freezers barely dented.

"We’re not clearing this in one day."

"I know."

Ryan shifted his weight.

"So why are we treating it like we will?"

Adrian looked at him now.

Ryan jerked his thumb toward the building.

"This place... it’s solid. Power’s still up. Storage is intact."

Another pallet came out behind them, men shouting as they guided it up.

Ryan leaned in slightly.

"We can’t haul everything out in one go. Takes days. Maybe more. So why don’t we hold it instead. We clear what we can today. Then we come back. But if we leave this place empty, someone—or something—gets in."

Adrian’s eyes shifted back to the building.

Front glass. Side door. Loading dock.

Too many ways in if it was left alone.

Ryan went on.

"It’s already set up. Power’s running. Storage is good. We can lock it down, post a team, we don’t lose it."

"You thinking permanent?"

Ryan shook his head.

"Not yet. Just... hold it. Use it. Clear it in cycles."

"I see, well that’s not a good idea. In fact it was a really good idea. Thank you for your suggestion Ryan. Okay, we will post a team here to protect this place. After all, this is our food."

"Happy to help sir."