Chapter 205: Rose Rhodes
Outside the factory, survivors slept under the open sky, their whispers filling the air. In an inconspicuous corner, a man and a woman exchanged a glance and quietly rose to their feet.
Under the cover of night, the two entered Central Command through a side entrance.
Central Command, like other bases, was divided into several zones: a residential area, a core area, a research area, and a cultivation area.
They passed through facial recognition checkpoints unimpeded, making their way to the core area. After navigating a winding path, they stopped in front of a villa. They waited for a good while before the main gate finally opened.
A small, thin man in an apron led them inside.
"Uncle Leo, you’re still up this late," the woman said.
The small, thin man, Uncle Leo, had a simple, honest smile. He shook his head without speaking, merely leading the two to a room. After knocking respectfully, he bowed and waited by the side.
Not until a sharp "Enter" came from within did Uncle Leo open the door, stepping aside to gesture for the two to go in.
It was a large, sparse office. The desk and chair looked old, but it was clear their owner took great care of them. They were frequently polished and spotless.
Behind the desk sat a woman in an executive chair. Her long, slightly curly hair was draped over her shoulders, and her small face was defined by sharp, striking features. She had an intimidating, not a gentle, air; one felt that looking at her for too long would be unsettling.
She looked the two of them up and down. "What brings you here so late at night?" she asked.
"Rose, this is the fast-food meal, scratch cards, and mineral water from the lottery shop owner," the woman said, pulling the items from her spatial storage and placing them one by one on the desk.
Rose Rhodes nodded. She leaned back into her large, comfortable chair, crossed her arms, and stared thoughtfully at the three items on her desk.
"The meal box. Open it," Rose Rhodes said. Her voice was sharp, and combined with her aggressive features, it made her seem fierce, almost daring you to meet her gaze.
The woman was named Ivy Whittaker, and the man was Oak. Rose Rhodes had given them both their names.
Ivy Whittaker stepped forward and touched the container. "Rose, it’s cold," she said.
Rose Rhodes nodded. "Open it."
Ivy Whittaker did as she was told. The moment she lifted the lid, steam billowed out with a PUFF. A surprised look on his face, Oak strode forward.
All three stared intently at the meal, inhaling the aroma that filled the air. But none of them let their guard down, ready to toss it out the window at the first sign of anything strange.
Ivy Whittaker was puzzled. "How did it get hot the moment I opened it? Is it just the side dishes? Where’s the rice?"
"It’s probably some kind of superpower," Rose Rhodes guessed. "Oak, give it a taste. See if it’s any good." ’The real questions are, is it edible? Is it poisoned?’
Oak agreed without hesitation. He grabbed the chopsticks, lifted the container, and started shoveling the food into his mouth.
"Wait," Rose Rhodes stopped him.
Oak’s heart skipped a beat. ’So there really is something wrong with this meal!’
’Good thing Rose warned me in time...’
He quickly put down the container, an angry expression on his face as he turned to Rose. Just as he was about to curse that damn Lily Hart, he saw Rose Rhodes reach out with her slender, pale fingers and lift... the entire layer of food?
She set it aside, revealing the plump, fragrant white rice underneath. "You blockhead," Rose Rhodes said.
Oak: ’...’ ’Well, why else would I be named Oak? Weren’t you the one who said I was simple and honest...’
Ivy Whittaker laughed, her voice melodious and pleasant. "That’s what I was thinking! How could you eat it without rice? Go on, Oak, try it and see if it’s good."
Oak picked up the container and glanced at the rice. The grains were plump and pristine, without a single impurity. He couldn’t help but swallow before rapidly shoveling a huge mouthful!
For some reason, Ivy Whittaker started to feel hungry just watching him, even though she’d eaten a black jelly ration not long ago.
Ivy Whittaker and Rose Rhodes simply watched as Oak devoured the entire meal.
He ate with such relish, completely lost in his own world, looking as if he wanted to lick the container clean.
After finishing, Oak reluctantly set down the empty container and exclaimed, "That was amazing! Seriously, that was so good! Rose, Leafy, do you get it? This kind of deliciousness! It’s real! It was just so good!"
Oak was so excited he felt like roaring. Ivy Whittaker swallowed. She couldn’t imagine just how good it tasted, but... it really did smell incredible!
Rose Rhodes pinched the bridge of her nose in resignation, pulling the conversation back on track. "Any side effects?"
Oak wiped his hands on his clothes and scratched his head. "Side effects? Does it being too delicious count?"
Rose Rhodes: ’...’ ’So there are no side effects, then.’
She asked, "You only bought one?"
Ivy Whittaker replied sheepishly, "Oak had to fight his way through the crowd just to get this one. And it was only three Crystal Cores. That’s almost suspiciously cheap."
Rose Rhodes nodded, then turned her attention to the scratch cards on the desk. "And these? Scratch one."
In just one short month, the name "Lily Hart’s Lottery Shop" had spread by word of mouth among the survivors, and the leadership of every major base had heard of it.
The owner was a young girl who looked like a pushover, but the scratch cards in her shop were rumored to grant any prize imaginable, and her business was booming.
Ivy Whittaker complied, stepping forward to scratch off the film with her fingernail. Oak leaned in to see. "What is this?" they both asked in confusion. "It looks like an apple."
"It is an apple. Go redeem it tomorrow," Rose Rhodes said.
Who could believe it? That a simple, thin piece of paper could yield the very fruit the world now coveted and fought over? And there were even rumors of prizes like convenience stores and hotels.
It was... truly unbelievable.
The night grew late. Rose Rhodes dismissed the two to get some rest, then sat alone in her executive chair, lost in thought for a long time.
「The sun rose, bathing Central Command in light.」
Nana the kitten was playfully biting the curtains, allowing shafts of glaring sunlight to periodically pierce the room and fall across Lily Hart’s peaceful face. Unaffected, she simply rolled over and went on sleeping.
Not until her ten o’clock alarm rang did Lily Hart groggily stumble out of bed to wash up.
At 10:20, she opened up the four sides of her vehicle. As expected, yet still somehow surprising, the area outside was packed with people.
There were men and women, refugees who were permanently camped outside Central Command, and superpower users who had made a special trip out from inside the base. All of them had a single purpose!
Scratch cards!
Lily Hart snapped to attention, quickly acquiring books of scratch cards from her system and laying them out on the counter.
She didn’t have to worry about theft or non-payment. First of all, the RV was equipped with surveillance cameras.
Second, each card had a unique code. When a prize was redeemed, the system would verify that the card had been paid for and properly dispensed. If not, an alarm would sound.
So, Lily Hart wasn’t worried. The only thing she had to stress about was: ’Move, you stupid hands! Move faster! Get them on the counter!’
There were simply too many people. Several customers won[Yellow]-tier prizes, but Lily Hart was too busy to even see who they were, let alone what they’d won.
Luckily, she had Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs to help. Otherwise, Lily Hart never would have been able to handle the crowd on her own.
Now she could finally slack off a little and see what kind of prizes her customers were winning.
’Hmm, apples, pears, grapes, yams? Why is it all food? Oh, right, it’s because I’m hungry...’
Lily Hart always took good care of her stomach. She got up and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. There were steamed dumplings, steamed buns, and other similar items that just needed to be heated up.