Chapter 105: The Last Night
She had seen it online, so she already had a good idea of what was sold inside. ’It would be great if they had fruits and vegetables, though.’
Nowadays, a single green leaf was harder to find than a star in the sky. Thank goodness the lottery shop had burst onto the scene.
Even though she knew what to expect, the sight of all the instant noodles, snacks, and cookies still made her irresistibly hungry.
Before she knew it, she had filled several shopping baskets. The young boy at the door smiled brightly and told her to come again soon.
After that, she went to the hotel. She didn’t check in, but she did grab a colorful, detailed promotional flyer that left her even more shocked as she read it.
’It was hard to imagine just how monumental it would be if Boss Hart fully established this business empire, and how many people would turn green with envy.’
But she had also heard that Boss Hart was incredibly powerful and that ordinary people couldn’t even get close to her. The lottery shop was even said to have a function like a Protective Shield.
Nancy Garrison remained in a state of shock all the way back to Nutwood Base—no, Riveria Base—and only barely snapped out of it upon her return.
Lily Hart was leaning against the desk in a nonchalant slouch, shaking her leg as she teased, "Looks like things are about to get shaken up at Nutwood Base~"
’Ultimately, it had nothing to do with her. She was heading to Gilden City tomorrow, after all.’
Her Light Brain flashed. Lily Hart glanced down to see a message from Nancy Garrison. She was asking if Riveria Base could form a partnership to purchase supplies from the convenience store.
Lily Hart sent over the online supermarket’s mini-program directly and explained how to use it.
The moment she sent it, she recalled how Hope Base had exploited the scratch-off tickets to resell for a profit. ’No, I absolutely have to prevent that from happening again.’
’I created the mini-program to benefit the survivors. It would be unacceptable if people deliberately used it for price gouging!’
’Wouldn’t that be forgetting my original purpose?’
First, she set a purchase limit. Anyone wanting to exceed that amount would have to get authorization from her.
Next, she required facial and iris recognition for all purchases, ensuring that only the account holder could buy things.
Furthermore, the purchased goods could only be used by the buyer themselves. They couldn’t be opened or consumed by anyone else, unless that person was a survivor personally authorized by the buyer.
This whole process should eliminate ninety percent of the middlemen. ’That’s good enough.’
The customers today were especially enthusiastic. Several new faces were scratching tickets from morning till night. When asked, they all said they had spent the past few days desperately killing zombies to save up Crystal Cores.
They had been planning to have a huge scratching spree all at once, but who knew Boss Hart was about to leave? So, they had to come and splurge right away.
But no matter how enthusiastic they were, the sun still had to set and the sky still turned dark. As nine o’clock approached, Lily Hart closed up shop.
Lily Hart’s group of nine went up to the third floor of the convenience store, which had a large terrace. The cool breeze made it refreshing, and it was obviously the perfect spot for a barbecue.
With a wave of her hand, a barbecue grill, charcoal, skewered ingredients, tables, and stools all appeared before them.
Roman Rowe, always the most enthusiastic when it came to food, dragged Frost Shaw over to set up the grill and charcoal. Soon, the fire was lit...
Skewers of ingredients were laid neatly on the grill. With a white towel draped around his neck, Roman Rowe periodically flipped the skewers, brushed them with sauce, and sprinkled on cumin.
His movements were practiced and professional. If you didn’t know it was the apocalypse, you’d think you were at a roadside barbecue stall back in the civilized era.
Lily Hart had Frost Shaw on her left, Leo Colby on her right, and not far in front of her was Roman Rowe, grilling for her. Any one of them could have debuted as a pop idol back in the civilized era.
Roman Rowe was wearing a sleeveless shirt, revealing his strong, well-defined arms. His back view, for some reason, gave off a strong "husband material" vibe.
’He’s the type to cook for you, to ask with a grin whether you want it mild or medium spicy, completely catering to your tastes. Damn it, who could possibly refuse that!’
’Then there’s Frost Shaw next to you, eating quietly, occasionally handing you a freshly grilled skewer. The plate in front of you is piled high with all your favorites, so much that you can’t even keep up. Your drink is never empty.’
’The service puts those high-end restaurants to shame.’
’And Leo Colby? His main role was to be the eye candy.’
’Having the three of them together was truly a feast for the eyes.’ A good mood leads to a good appetite. Lily Hart rubbed her full stomach, leaned back, and sighed in satisfaction.
"Full?" Frost Shaw asked, tilting his head.
Lily Hart glanced down at her small potbelly, then slowly back up at Frost Shaw, a look on her face that clearly said, "What do you think?"
Frost Shaw let out a soft chuckle. He glanced at her little tummy, then quickly averted his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. Lily Hart only saw his lips move but couldn’t hear a word.
As the party wound down, Lily Hart reminded everyone, "No need to get up too early tomorrow. We’ll head to Gilden City whenever everyone’s awake."
"Oh yeah!" Roman Rowe cheered.
The men had all had a bit to drink and were now in high spirits. The usually reserved Leo Colby’s face was flushed, but he just kept silently pouring himself more drinks.
Roman Rowe was slurring his words as he boasted, one arm slung around Leo Colby and the other around Frost Shaw. The three of them sat in a row, swaying back and forth.
Frost Shaw was still relatively sober, but he didn’t have the strength to handle two people at once, so he had no choice but to join in.
Lily Hart felt like laughing as she watched them. She used her Light Brain to snap a picture of their swaying backs. Because they were moving, the photo came out a bit blurry. The lighting was poor in the dark night, making the picture dim, yet it had a special, atmospheric feel to it.
After taking the picture, Lily Hart returned to her RV, leaving the three of them on the terrace. Time to wash up and sleep!
Since she didn’t have to get up early the next day, Lily Hart slept in until ten. When she finally crawled out of bed, her head was still fuzzy. Feeling a rare sense of leisure, she sat and spaced out for a while before lying back down.
"Ahhh..." Lily Hart let out a long, contented sigh.
She lay there playing on her Light Brain, scrolling through the "Human Social Sphere." It was pretty fun reading the comments under her post. Many people wanted Lily Hart to visit their bases.
She posted again: "Heading to Gilden City soon. Wait for me, my darlings~"
The post immediately shot to the top of the trending topics again. Some busybody even created a poll: "Guess which base in Gilden City Boss Hart will visit?"
"Auspice Base."
"Spring-Watch Base."
"Fortune Base."
Gilden City was smaller than Rodington City and had a total of three bases recognized by Central Command. Auspice Base was the largest, Fortune Base was the smallest, and Spring-Watch Base was medium-sized.
Therefore, Auspice Base received the most votes. In less than an hour, a full fifty thousand people had voted for it.
The other two lagged slightly behind but still had twenty to thirty thousand votes each. Lily Hart was stunned as she glanced at the numbers.
’You people are pretty bold, trying to decide my itinerary for me. Fine, if I’m going, I’ll go to the smallest one.’
Lily Hart sent a message to their small four-person group chat: "Everyone up? Let’s get some food and then get ready to go~"
She also sent a message to Logan Holland: "I’m heading to Fortune Base. If you’re planning on staying at the hotel, don’t go to the wrong one~"
Soon, the other three replied one after another. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
Lily Hart opened the RV door to find Frost Shaw dressed in casual clothes. His hair looked like it had just been blow-dried, making it appear soft and fluffy.
Since Frost Shaw was outside the vehicle and she was inside, she was a bit taller than him. Unable to resist, she reached out and playfully ruffled his hair.
Frost Shaw’s body went rigid. He stood there, stunned, not daring to move, his head still tilted up at the same angle as before.
Lily Hart tousled his hair a couple of times as if petting a puppy, then pulled her hand back. She made a fist, brought it to her lips, and coughed twice to hide her embarrassment.