Chapter 194: Don’t Think of Leaving Without Paying
The packaging even had a picture—stir-fried green peppers with pork. It looked so lifelike, it was mouthwatering.
It wasn’t even labeled with the usual disclaimer, "Image for illustrative purposes only," which just went to show its quality.
"I’ll take one!" the nearest customer yelled.
Besides, it wasn’t expensive. There was nothing to lose, no risk of being ripped off. ’What if it’s actually delicious? That would be a steal!’ Just the thought of it made his mouth water.
The customer got the boxed meal and immediately started complaining, "Why is it cold? How am I supposed to eat this!"
When you had no choice, you’d even strip bark off trees to eat. But now that he’d paid and had options, of course he was going to demand the best!
Lily Hart smiled and walked forward, directly flipping open the lid of the meal in his hands. Magically, clouds of steam billowed out, and it became hot almost instantly.
The customer’s mouth fell open and his eyes went wide. He stammered, "It’s, it’s hot!" He gave a goofy laugh and eagerly turned to sit at a table in front of the lottery shop.
A crowd of customers surrounded him, all watching him eat. They all started asking at once, "Is it good?"
He had bought the stir-fried beef. He was too busy eating to bother with their stupid questions, just burying his head in the food and devouring it. In less than five minutes, the entire box was empty.
But he still wasn’t satisfied. He picked up the container and used his spoon to scrape every last grain of rice and drop of sauce from the corners into his mouth.
Everyone watching had been drooling for a while, their hearts itching with desire. He didn’t even need to answer; they could see the answer with their own eyes.
They swarmed around Lily Hart and Seth, pulling out Crystal Cores while shouting, "I-I want one too!"
"Me too! Me too!"
"I’ll take this one, don’t fight me for it!"
Seth fumbled to collect the Crystal Cores. Some gave him three First-rank Crystal Cores, others a Second-rank Crystal Core. ’And some even need change?!’
But after a brief moment of panic, Seth gradually got the hang of it. Working in perfect sync with Lily Hart, they soon sold out all several dozen meals on the small cart.
Seth looked at the completely empty cart, then glanced at the sack beside it, now full of colorful Crystal Cores.
Baking under the sun, his head felt a little dizzy. He still hadn’t processed it. ’How are we already sold out? No, wait, how did I even end up in this situation?’
Beside him, Lily Hart laughed heartily, her expression gentle. She clapped her hands in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad at all. We didn’t have nearly enough. Seth, should we go get some more?"
Hearing her laughter, Seth’s dazed mind gradually calmed. He glanced at the customers who hadn’t managed to get a meal and were still staring at him eagerly, and nodded in agreement.
And so, the two of them led a large crowd of customers toward the factory.
When they arrived in front of the factory building, their jaws dropped in astonishment. ’When did this appear? It definitely wasn’t here yesterday. Does Boss Hart’s superpower include raising buildings from flat ground?’
While the crowd was still reeling from the shock, Seth had already hurried over, opened the rolling shutter door, and gone inside to turn on the machine.
Lily Hart stood outside the door. Thinking about the machine’s slow speed, she sighed and began to introduce the newly opened factory to everyone.
It was all just bragging anyway, a skill Lily Hart had plenty of practice in. The words flowed effortlessly, leaving everyone stunned speechless.
When they heard there was a daily limit of two hundred servings, their moods soured. They all looked at Lily Hart with pitiful, puppy-dog eyes, just short of saying, ’Please make more! That’s too little, it’s barely a snack!’
Lily Hart fell silent. It wasn’t up to her, after all. They would just have to wait for the machine to be upgraded.
Before long, Seth came out pushing the small cart. A crowd swarmed it, and in an instant, everything was snatched up. He stood there stunned, the words of greeting still unspoken.
Lily Hart put her hands on her hips and said forcefully, "You have to pay before you eat!"
Seth immediately snapped back to reality. He looked at the sack for holding Crystal Cores; he had deliberately swapped it for a new one to keep it separate from the first batch, but even a fool could see that there were Crystal Cores missing!
His voice was quiet but firm. "That’s right, pay up!"
A few people had already unwrapped their food and started eating. Naturally, they weren’t willing to stop, their mouths stuffed with white rice.
Their voices were muffled, and their faces showed pure enjoyment. "Don’t rush us, don’t rush us. We’ll pay, we’ll pay."
Seth wasn’t some naive fool. You could say that no one who survived ten years in the apocalypse was.
So he fixed the customers with a sharp gaze, not letting a single person who looked like they might dine and dash out of his sight.
They ate incredibly fast, as if they couldn’t get enough. The moment they finished, Seth decisively held out his hand to them.
"Hurry up! If you haven’t paid, pay now!" Seth didn’t mince words, unafraid of a fight or conflict.
He only looked weak... but he was a Seventh-rank Superpower User, after all.
Most customers were decent enough. After eating, they threw their containers in the trash and pulled out Crystal Cores for him.
A small portion, as always, tried to get a freebie. Taking advantage of the chaotic crowd, they rubbed their bellies, pretended they’d already paid, and tried to leave.
But Seth’s eyesight was sharp. WHOOSH! As if teleporting, he instantly grabbed the men’s hands.
The muscles under his sleeves were faintly visible, veins bulging. He wasn’t the pushover he appeared to be.
He said sharply, "Don’t even think about leaving without paying." Anger colored his features.
The man tried to struggle free but found himself held in an iron grip. He immediately resorted to denial. "Do you have any proof? Stop slandering me!"
Seth’s face was expressionless, but the corner of his mouth curled into a slight sneer. He didn’t let go; instead, he tightened his grip.
He didn’t say a word, just kept staring. The man was about to argue more but then met Lily Hart’s icy gaze.
She stood a short distance behind and to the side of Seth, arms crossed, looking like his staunchest supporter.
The man could only give an awkward laugh. "I was just messing with you. No need to get worked up, I’ll pay right now."
Seth remained silent, turning his gaze to the others he had caught.
’Pay up. Pay up now! Don’t make me use force!’ The meaning was crystal clear.
It wasn’t that they didn’t think of resisting, but Boss Hart was over there watching them like a hawk.
Besides, this guy was too strong; they couldn’t break free at all. ’His rank must be high,’ they thought, and the idea of resisting died.
’Three Crystal Cores... might as well just pay up.’ The mocking and scornful gazes from the crowd were practically piercing through them.
The men exchanged glances, then quickly said, "We’ll pay, just let go of our hands first."
Seth didn’t let go. He just silently tightened his grip. Being tall, he looked down on them with a calm gaze.
They could only pull Crystal Cores from their spatial storage or pockets, handing them over with awkward smiles. "There, you happy now? Sheesh."
Seth did a quick headcount, then finally released his grip on their hands and gave a soft "Mm."
They were furious inside but didn’t dare act out here, so they could only shoot a few hateful glares at Seth as they left.
The other customers who hadn’t paid saw this and quickly took out their Crystal Cores, handing them to Seth one by one.
’We were hoping that if someone took the lead, we could all get away with dining and dashing. But this is how it ends?’
Seth had always had a good memory and remembered most of the faces that had just eaten. After all the fuss, not a single person got away with a free meal.
Lily Hart was very satisfied. Seth was very satisfied. And Logan Holland, who had returned to the hotel not long ago, was also quite satisfied.