Chapter 208: Beware the Shaw Family
Lily Hart froze for a moment, then nodded and extended an invitation. "Come on up."
When Rose Rhodes sat down across from Lily Hart, Logan Holland still couldn’t quite process what was happening.
Alex Shaw had been tossed aside, crashing to the ground with a THUD. He was carried off with broken limbs.
Rose Rhodes had won a good prize from a scratch-off and was invited into the RV...?
’This is someone from The Mysterious Clan! We can’t get too involved!’ he thought, desperately trying to signal Lily Hart with his eyes.
But Lily didn’t notice any of his signals. The two of them were chatting happily, and Lily even brought out some watermelon to offer her guest.
He leaned in to listen and realized their conversation had already drifted to the moon and back.
Logan Holland listened with his heart in his throat. Finally, it came. Rose Rhodes asked, "Lily, are you interested in joining our Rivers Family?"
He gasped. ’Asking her so directly?’
’And how long has it been? They’re already on a first-name basis?’
Lily Hart smiled and shook her head. "No, thanks. Long live freedom."
Logan Holland breathed a sigh of relief. If even Lily Hart was kowtowing to The Mysterious Clan, then humanity would be screwed sooner or later.
The Mysterious Clan was on a completely different level from ordinary superpower users. They had special bloodlines, resilient bodies, and their superpowers were exceptionally potent.
More importantly, they supplied all the major bases with resources—water, food, weapons...
But no one knew where these supplies came from. All they knew was that they had to hand over massive quantities of Crystal Cores every single day.
Only then could they trade for a few pitiful supplies. It was safe to say that before Lily Hart’s arrival,
the resources of the entire post-apocalyptic world had been in the hands of The Mysterious Clan.
Rose Rhodes just smiled without a word. She didn’t press the issue, but now that she knew Lily’s stance, she couldn’t help but worry for her.
The Mysterious Clan was incredibly arrogant. If anything threatened their interests, their policy was to eliminate it first and ask questions later.
They would never tolerate a thorn in their side. If one appeared, it absolutely had to be removed.
And Lily Hart... she had been that thorn for quite some time now.
"Be careful of the Shaw Family," Rose Rhodes offered as a final warning before she left.
This gave Logan Holland a lot to think about. ’The Shaw Family...’
Even though he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the subject of The Mysterious Clan was taboo throughout Central Command...
There was simply no additional information to be had.
Lily Hart turned to see Logan Holland’s face scrunched up in a frown. "Jeez, stop worrying. You should probably keep your distance from me, just in case you get caught in the crossfire."
Logan Holland gave a wry smile. From the moment they first met, they were already in the same boat.
Rose Rhodes didn’t leave the area. Instead, she headed for the convenience store, wanting to see for herself just how powerful Lily Hart truly was.
’Could she really shake the foundations of The Mysterious Clan...?’
Stepping into the convenience store, her first thought was, ’Wow, it’s packed...’
But a quick glance revealed it was quite spacious. The shelves were neatly arranged and fully stocked with all sorts of goods.
To the right of the entrance was a checkout counter with a computer and an electronic device that looked like some kind of exchange terminal.
Further inside were rows upon rows of shelves, with freezers lining the walls.
There was everything from drinks and snacks to all sorts of miscellaneous items like nail clippers and trash bags.
You could say that aside from cooked meals, fresh produce, and fruit, you could buy just about anything at this convenience store.
Of course, that didn’t include the bizarre rewards like blind box fruit trees, replication items, or soil-enhancing saplings...
Rose Rhodes couldn’t help but grab a shopping basket. She walked—no, squeezed—her way through the aisles, filling her basket as she went.
By the time she’d completed a circuit of the store, her basket was full. With a resigned smile, she got in line to add credit with her Crystal Cores.
Even though it was crowded, the line moved quickly. Everyone, including the people at the counter, was efficient and practiced.
After finally tearing herself away from the massive temptation that was the convenience store, Rose Rhodes smoothed down her hair and stored her full bag of groceries in her inventory.
She turned to go check out the bathhouse but noticed another building behind it. It looked like a sealed iron box, and it was surrounded by a huge crowd.
Curiosity piqued, she went over to take a look and asked a random person in the crowd, "What’s going on here?"
The person didn’t even turn around, clearly having answered the question many times before. "Selling fast food."
"Oh." ’The same kind Oak and Ivy Whittaker brought back last night. I haven’t tried it yet. I should give it a go.’
Rose Rhodes got in the back of the line. After a long while, it hadn’t moved an inch.
She asked again, "Why aren’t we moving?"
"Heh, they sold out a while ago. We’re lining up for tomorrow’s."
"..." Rose Rhodes turned and walked away. She’d forgotten—Ivy Whittaker had mentioned they only made two hundred portions a day.
She continued on to the bathhouse, only to find it was also packed to the gills. She was starting to realize that every place here was crowded.
This place had an even wider variety of services. It was practically tailor-made for Central Command, where there were lots of people with lots of Crystal Cores to spend.
But its people were also under constant physical and mental stress, to the point where it was normal for someone to snap and attack another person without warning.
With a place like this to unwind, the number of inexplicable "suicide" incidents in Central Command would probably decrease significantly.
Rose Rhodes decided to try a few services for herself. First up was the hot spring. They had private baths for one, as well as larger ones for two or more people.
Each private bath was sectioned off with screens or plants, ensuring you couldn’t see the other bathers.
Rose Rhodes let out a contented sigh from her private bath. ’This is the life,’ she thought. ’I’ll have to bring Ivy Whittaker here tomorrow to try it.’
While soaking, she noticed a screen in front of her that could play movies and videos.
She could soak, watch a movie, and even eat the small fruits and snacks she’d picked up from a self-serve counter.
’Good heavens, this is a life fit for the gods...’
’What was the point of fighting tooth and nail against zombie hordes every day, if not for moments exactly like this!’
After her soak, Rose Rhodes changed into the disposable clothes provided by the bathhouse and went to the massage area. She found an empty table, lay down, and waited for a masseuse to arrive.
The massage was intensely, satisfyingly painful. Rose Rhodes had always thought she had a high pain tolerance, but she was pressed so hard she almost cried out. ’How embarrassing.’
The masseuse even commented, "Your shoulders are so tense, young lady. You really need to exercise more often~"
’Me? Me? I don’t exercise enough?’
Rose Rhodes didn’t say a word, focusing on the experience. She had to admit, the massage was genuinely excellent.
’Where did she find these people? They don’t look like they’re from Central Command. They’re all so full of life and energy!’
After the hot spring and the massage, Rose Rhodes even got a professional ear cleaning.
After the full experience, she felt completely refreshed. If she hadn’t been keeping an eye on the time, she would’ve loved to grab a big meal and watch a movie.
As she was leaving, Rose Rhodes felt reluctant to go. She was finally beginning to understand why Lily Hart was so popular...
’This is what it means to be alive, not just waking up every day to kill zombies!’
Rose Rhodes walked out of the bathhouse, looking radiant. She glanced at the sign for the Dawn Hotel and decided to go inside.
The moment she stepped through the doors, her eyes met those of the person behind the front desk. Both of them froze, their breath catching, before tacitly looking away.
Leo Colby instinctively sat up straighter. "Looking for a room?"
Rose Rhodes nodded, then shook her head. "Just looking around for now."
There weren’t many people in the hotel lobby, just a scattered few. This wasn’t like the convenience store, where you could just buy something and leave.
’Most residents have assigned rooms back at Central Command,’ she mused. ’The people here now are probably just gathering intel.’