Chapter 219: Old Man Shaw is So Nice
Only a few persistent customers refused to give up, pestering Lily Hart about when the next flash sale would be.
Just then, Stan Sterling came up. Seeing the situation, he walked over to Lily Hart and whispered a few words in her ear.
Lily Hart’s face immediately lit up. She shot him a gratified look. ’Good kid. He knows what to do without being told.’
She immediately announced to the persistent customers, "Tomorrow night at seven, there will be another flash sale!"
The customers nearby who heard this burst into cheers.
Those in the back who couldn’t hear asked the ones in front, "What’s going on? What’s the good news from Boss Hart?"
And just like that, the news spread like wildfire throughout Central Command.
Logan Holland, Yael Lowell, and Elder Shaw all sent messages asking the same thing: where on earth was she getting all this fruit?
Selling out today was one thing, but she still had more to sell tomorrow?
Wasn’t her inventory a little too large!
Lily Hart simply replied, "Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty."
Although they knew she was probably exaggerating, her words did put all three of them at ease.
The first wave of the flash sale had gone smoothly, but there was no time to rest. It was time to prepare the supplies for Elder Shaw.
After Elder Shaw returned yesterday, he had sent over a list. There weren’t many different types of items, but the quantities were enormous.
He was buying a full 100,000 large bottles of mineral water alone, not to mention long-lasting, filling bread and other items.
Besides necessities like water and bread, he also bought plenty of ham sausages and instant noodles.
Taste wasn’t the priority. The most important things were that the food was filling and came in large quantities.
After Lily Hart received the list, she gave it a quick glance before forwarding it to Frost Shaw, leaving him to handle the preparations.
Frost Shaw purchased the items from the mall but didn’t physically retrieve them, instead storing them in the system’s warehouse first.
Just then, the people Elder Shaw had sent to pick up the supplies arrived.
It was a huge procession. Lily Hart took one look and saw at least a hundred people. ’Are they planning to carry it all back, one box per person?’ she wondered.
’How long would that even take?’
As she was thinking this, Lily Hart sent Frost Shaw a message. He arrived at the RV moments later.
Though the procession numbered over a hundred, only one person entered the RV. He was dressed all in black, with a tall and very thin frame.
He looked like a telephone pole.
He greeted them both with a calm and measured tone. "Boss Hart, Boss Shaw. Elder Shaw sent me to retrieve the supplies. He instructed me that payment would be rendered upon receipt of the goods."
Lily Hart glanced at the photo Elder Shaw had sent to her Light Brain. It was indeed this man.
’He must be an extremely trusted subordinate,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, why would he be entrusted with such an important mission?’
Frost Shaw said, "So there is a Space Ability User."
The man said, "That would be me."
The two men then exited the RV, one after the other, to find a wide, empty space to conduct the transaction.
Curious, Lily Hart followed them. They ended up behind the hotel again, in a wide-open area with no people or buildings.
With the hotel providing cover from the front, it was the perfect spot for a discreet transaction.
Frost Shaw took the lead, releasing the supplies. They took up a massive area, with cases of mineral water piled high.
The tall, thin man took out his list and did a quick check. Once he confirmed everything was correct, he took photos from several different angles.
Only then did he absorb everything into his space. Lily Hart’s eyes widened. ’This guy’s space is huge...’
Frost Shaw had to rely on the system’s warehouse to store that many supplies.
But for this man, using only his Space Ability, to be able to store so much indicated that his rank was anything but low.
"I will take my leave." After stowing the supplies, the man turned and walked away.
Frost Shaw and Lily Hart exchanged a glance and headed back to the RV, just in time to see the tail end of the hundred-strong procession marching away.
They came in a hurry and left in a hurry.
"They could have just sent one person."
The moment the words left her mouth, Lily Hart realized the truth. It was to protect the supplies, but it was also a warning to others.
And sure enough, the customers started buzzing.
"Did you see him? That’s the number one Space Ability User in all of Cathaya!"
"Duh, who didn’t see him? I heard he’s almost at the Eighth Rank! They say his space can regulate temperature and even keep things fresh!"
"He’s incredible. I heard he only works for Elder Shaw. When anyone else talks to him, it’s like he can’t even hear them."
"That’s because he owes Elder Shaw a debt of gratitude! The man is loyal!"
"There’s a story behind it?" "What story? Don’t leave us hanging!"
"Of course there is! Settle down, settle down. Let me tell you all about it!"
Lily Hart and Frost Shaw were also listening in, completely engrossed. Frost Shaw was so captivated he forgot he was supposed to be back at the convenience store working.
This continued until Roman Rowe stormed over and found the two of them practically bent in half over the table, butts in the air.
They were just listening to other people gossip. A wave of irritation and envy washed over him.
He stomped over. The entire area was silent—everyone was listening to the story!
Just as Roman Rowe arrived, he heard, "...and so, Elder Shaw took pity on him..." His interest was piqued.
He leaned in next to Frost Shaw and started listening too. By the time the story was finished, Lily Hart was stretching lazily.
She said in surprise, "Roman Rowe, when did you get here?" Then she added, "Old Man Shaw is a really good person..."
Roman Rowe thought, ’I’ve been here forever, and you seriously didn’t notice.’
The others nodded in agreement. He was completely selfless, doing everything for the sake of the people.
Lily Hart had just finished her sentimental sigh when she saw Rose Rhodes approaching. She always had a soft spot for beautiful women.
But this particular beautiful woman was... on the opposing side. It left her with nowhere to place her goodwill, so she could only retract it.
This time, however, Rose Rhodes wasn’t alone. A man and a woman followed behind her.
Before Lily Hart could dwell on it, Rose Rhodes was already in front of the RV, acting as if she hadn’t seen Lily at all.
The three of them bought some scratch-off tickets and started scraping them. When they were done, they all sighed in disappointment.
Then they turned and headed for the bathhouse. From start to finish, they never once made eye contact with Lily Hart.
Lily Hart figured, ’They’re just here to have some fun, not to see me.’
And indeed, Rose Rhodes hadn’t come for Lily Hart. She was taking Oak and Leafy to enjoy the bathhouse.
But just as they stepped through the bathhouse entrance, Oak sensed something was wrong.
He stopped in his tracks, putting an arm out in front of Rose Rhodes and Leafy. "I smell a zombie," he said cautiously.
At his words, Rose Rhodes and Leafy both scanned the first floor. It was crowded, but everyone looked perfectly normal.
None of them had the telltale signs of a zombie: red eyes, long fingernails, sharp teeth...
After all, Central Command was the most heavily sprayed area. The deterrent wasn’t just sprayed around the perimeter walls.
Its range extended for several kilometers, even tens of kilometers, in every direction.
This was why people felt safe enough to set up camp even outside Central Command’s walls.
It wasn’t just the chemical protection; it also had the highest concentration of The Guardian Corps and superpower users. Stray zombies wouldn’t dare come near.
Any zombies that did appear would have to be part of a horde...
If one managed to get here all on its own, its rank must be incredibly high!
The trio’s vigilance shot to its peak. Rose Rhodes asked in a low voice, "Where is it? Inside or out?"
Oak’s superpower was canine in nature, granting him traits like loyalty, an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and incredible speed.
Since he was the one saying it, the other two had no reason to doubt him.
Oak sniffed the air twice before declaring with absolute certainty, "It’s inside!" The trio’s gazes instantly shot forward.