Chapter 100: Home Delivery?
Someone shot to their feet, demanding, "So what about coming to Central Command? She’s not even willing to do that?"
Logan scoffed internally. ’Why should she be willing? Why should she get tangled up in the complex mess of Central Command?’
Another man frowned, his expression practically screaming that this Boss Hart was too ignorant, that she had no consideration for her country. "And what about turning over her superpower? What did she say to that? She’s not willing to do that either?"
Logan inwardly rolled his eyes again. ’These old geezers really are clueless. I deliberately skipped over that part, and they still have to press me on it.’
He had no choice but to let his expression turn grim. He planted his hands on the tabletop and said, word by word, "That’s right. She is not willing. Boss Hart has her own plans, and for the time being, she will not be coming to Central Command."
An uproar erupted the moment he finished speaking. Someone shot up from their seat in a rage. "On what grounds! We are all striving for the future of humanity. How dare she be so selfish!"
Logan’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected someone to be this shameless, to practically broadcast their ulterior motives for everyone to see.
What was even more unexpected was how many people agreed. One by one, they stood up to condemn Lily Hart, and soon, the accusations turned ugly.
Everyone’s selfish intentions were perfectly clear. They just wanted Lily Hart to come to Central Command so they could take advantage of her and skim some profit for themselves.
Logan didn’t want to hear it, but his position was still too low. He could only fume in silence.
An elderly man at the head of the table cleared his throat. The meeting room fell silent at once as all eyes turned to him.
The elder glanced at Logan Holland and gestured with his hand. His voice was deep and resonant. "Minister Holland, please continue. Tell us how we can procure supplies from this Boss Hart, the prices, the quantities, and the logistics of transportation."
Logan instantly felt his confidence return. He began pulling items out of his spatial storage: bottled water, instant noodles, sausage links, bread, and more...
They were all items from the convenience store. To give a better presentation, Logan explained as he set them out.
"For example, this cup of instant noodles costs three Crystal Cores to purchase..." Logan quoted the doubled price they had agreed upon.
In the store itself, a cup of instant noodles was only 75 points, but the price had to be doubled for sales to Central Command.
This was something Logan and Lily Hart had already agreed on.
Before he could say more, a voice cut in. "That’s a bargain! Buy them! Buy a few thousand of them!"
Central Command’s stockpile of Crystal Cores was astounding. After all, it was the largest base in Cathaya, with a huge population of superpower users.
Their reserves, built up over endless days of killing zombies, had reached a terrifyingly high number.
Logan had some idea of Central Command’s true strength, which was why he had dared to negotiate the doubled price with Boss Hart.
The elder who had intervened earlier also nodded. "It is cheap. Food like this is difficult to produce anymore. But do ask if there’s a bulk discount."
Logan nodded and continued, "As for the quantity, you can decide. Boss Hart says she can provide as much as you want. I’ll have to discuss the transportation issue with her further."
Someone shamelessly chimed in, "Can she offer door-to-door delivery?"
Someone else retorted, "We’re over a thousand kilometers away."
’Door-to-door delivery?’ Logan hadn’t even considered it. ’Boss Hart is resourceful, but I wonder if even she could pull that off.’
The meeting eventually wound down amid the clamor of debate. Logan hurried back to his residence—a cozy little two-bedroom apartment.
His daughter was exactly ten years old, born the year the apocalypse began. She had endured too much hardship over the years.
Life for their family of three had only gotten better after he became a minister. They received daily provisions and no longer had to suffer being bullied.
The moment he walked through the door, a small figure rushed over and threw herself into his arms, crying out in a bright voice, "Daddy!"
Logan freed a hand to stroke her head. "Hey, there’s my good girl," he said affectionately. "Did you miss Daddy while I was gone, Tanya?"
He kicked the door shut behind him, sealing them off from the chaotic world outside. A woman in an apron emerged from the kitchen.
Logan’s heart ached with affection as he looked at her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on, you go rest. I’ll make dinner."
"Making dinner" just meant preparing the black jelly-like substance. Families that were slightly better off could add a pinch of white sugar for flavor.
Those who were less fortunate couldn’t even afford the black jelly.
Logan went into the kitchen and closed the door. He stealthily took out the fruit and selected the prettiest plate he could find.
Once the colorful fruit was arranged on it, the plate suddenly looked like it was worth a fortune.
He hid the plate of fruit behind his back, opened the door, and walked out. Logan Holland’s wife, Cherie Lowell, hurried toward him.
"What’s wrong? Where’s the food?" Cherie asked.
"Ta-da!" Logan whipped the fruit out from behind his back. With his exaggerated expression and tone, he looked just like a little kid showing off a precious treasure.
Cherie’s eyes widened. She looked from her husband to the plate of fruit and back again, then said in disbelief, "Where did you get this? Please don’t tell me you stole it! We’ll be in huge trouble if you’re found out!"
"I was at Nutwood Base for the past few days, remember?" Logan explained. "My main purpose was to meet Boss Hart, and also to handle that business with Jason Lynch..."
He raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the fruit. His voice lifted. "And this is the reward I managed to score from Boss Hart."
Cherie’s face lit up. "Really?! Let’s eat it right now! I can’t remember the last time we had fruit!"
She didn’t doubt Logan’s story for a second, completely lost in the joy of having fruit to eat.
This was what Logan loved about Cherie. She always knew how to make him feel appreciated.
The family of three sat side-by-side on the sofa, gazing at the brightly colored fruit on the coffee table. All three of them swallowed hard.
Logan was the first to act, picking up a large apple and placing it in Cherie’s hands. "Here, honey, you have it."
Cherie then passed it to Tanya. "You have it, sweetie." Tanya looked from her mom to her dad, then beamed. "Let’s share it!"
They didn’t have the heart to eat all the fruit at once. Being frugal, they wanted to make it last for the next few days.
That night, as they were about to go to sleep, Logan held Cherie in his arms. "In a few days," he began, "what would you think if I sent you and Tanya to go live at Boss Hart’s place?"
Cherie didn’t ask why. She simply asked, "And what about you?"
Logan puffed out his chest matter-of-factly. "I’ll keep slaving away at Central Command, of course! Got to earn Crystal Cores for my two girls!"
"Pfft..." Cherie couldn’t help but laugh, though her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Tell me about this lottery store."
"You got it." Logan agreed instantly. A torrent of words began to flow from him, accompanied by images he pulled up on his Light Brain.
In no time, a clear image of a decisive, beautiful, and formidable boss took root in Cherie’s mind.
All thoughts of sleep vanished as they began discussing the arrangements, talking back and forth.
From his description, Cherie was extremely eager to experience it for herself. She was a Third-rank Superpower User, after all; she wouldn’t be afraid of running into a First-rank Zombie.
She could kill zombies in the area, gather Crystal Cores, and reduce the pressure on Logan.
They talked late into the night. Eventually, sleepiness crept in, and the two fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Meanwhile, far away outside Nutwood Base, Lily Hart, having had a busy day herself, was also about to turn in. Just before bed, she checked the sales status of her machines one last time.
’Everything looks good. Normal.’ With Hunter Lowell, their ringleader, gone, the others didn’t dare cause any trouble. Besides, with such a recent cautionary tale, who would be stupid enough to try anything?