The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland

Since the man hadn’t caused her any real harm, she had only taught him a small lesson, not taken his life.

By the time the owner noticed the situation in his store and came out from the back, Shen Lu had already picked out an air purifier.

The owner glanced at the unconscious salesman on the floor and instinctively reached for his lower back.

It was common knowledge that the rear district had poor security. The appliance store owner had not only paid protection fees but also bought a weapon for self-defense, just in case of situations like today where security couldn’t arrive in time.

He couldn’t afford a firearm, but a melee weapon was well within his means.

The owner gripped the hilt of his dagger, warily eyeing the masked girl.

He didn’t know how strong she was, so he didn’t make a rash move.

If she was a Superpower User, even with a dagger, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to win.

Shen Lu pretended to pull a thick stack of Star Coins from her pocket, but she had actually taken them from her inventory.

"Here’s 2,000 Star Coins." Shen Lu pointed at the air purifier. "This unit is priced at 2,488. How about we knock 488 Star Coins off the price, okay?"

"N-No, I can’t!" The owner’s tongue felt a little twisted. "The prices are set by the company. We can’t just change them."

"Really? Just a little cheaper. I won’t tell anyone." Shen Lu’s tone shifted. "Your employee was incredibly rude to me and even tried to attack me. Don’t you think you owe me some compensation for my emotional distress?"

The owner’s eyes went wide.

’His employee is out cold on the floor, and she wants *him* to compensate *her* for emotional distress?’

’I’ve never met someone so shameless!’

Shen Lu narrowed her eyes, studying the owner for a moment. Then, she suddenly pulled down her mask.

"Uncle Zhou, so this is your shop."

Boss Zhou paused, and after getting a clear look at her face, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled.

"Xiao Shen, what are you doing here?"

Boss Zhou was one of her food stall’s very first customers. Shen Lu remembered him because he always ordered the works every time he came.

"The downpour is making everything stink. My landlord suggested I buy an air purifier."

Shen Lu briefly explained why she was there. "Uncle Zhou, you know it’s not easy for me to make money. Just waive the odd 488, will you?"

"Since when is 488 ’the odd change’? You might as well just ask me to bleed myself dry."

Business was business, and Boss Zhou didn’t mince words when it came to deals.

"But your employee..." Shen Lu pressed her case.

"Alright, alright, I’ll knock off 200 at most." Boss Zhou was all too familiar with his employee’s rotten attitude; if the guy weren’t a relative, he would’ve been fired long ago. "But Xiao Shen, you have to give me a little something too. I’m not trying to take advantage of you. How about you just throw in an extra serving of malatang for me from now on?"

Shen Lu counted out another 488 Star Coins. "Alright, 2,488 Star Coins. Could you get me a new one, please?"

Rules were made to be followed. If Shen Lu gave Boss Zhou an extra serving of malatang just to save 200 Star Coins, others would start expecting the same.

That would be a much greater loss for her in the long run.

Boss Zhou felt it was a bit of a shame, but there was nothing he could do if she didn’t accept his proposal.

"Sure, I’ll go to the stockroom and get it for you."

Shen Lu put her mask back on. Once Boss Zhou brought out a new unit, they made the exchange—cash for goods.

The machine was packed in styrofoam, which happened to be waterproof. Shen Lu put on her raincoat, hoisted the air purifier, and started walking back to her rented room.

The trip back was shorter; Shen Lu was back in her room in less than an hour and a half.

The water in the room had mostly receded, with only a few shallow puddles remaining in the low spots.

After hanging her raincoat on the wall, Shen Lu wet a cloth with clean water to wipe her face and hands, then changed into a set of dry clothes.

As she changed, she glanced back at Fu Cheng on the bed, only relaxing when she confirmed his eyes were closed.

She felt much more comfortable after changing. She cleared the remaining puddles from the room, securely closed the door and windows, and then unwrapped the package.

Her rental didn’t have any outlets, but this model of air purifier had a built-in rechargeable battery that could last a month on a single charge.

Following the instruction manual, she switched on the purifier. Sitting in front of the machine, Shen Lu could clearly feel a gentle breeze on her face.

She tentatively pulled down her mask and sniffed the air coming from the machine’s vent.

It was definitely working.

It was working remarkably well, in fact. Worth every one of the 2,488 Star Coins she’d spent.

Before long, the stench in the room had diminished by more than half. She no longer needed to wear a mask to avoid being assaulted by the odor.

Shen Lu waited until the air in the room was back to normal before taking off Fu Cheng’s mask.

It got dark early on rainy days, so Shen Lu completely gave up on the idea of setting up her stall and decided to just make herself some dinner.

To keep things simple, she made a tomato hot pot, materializing a few ingredients to cook in the broth. Shen Lu loved spicy food, so she mixed up a spicy dipping sauce for herself.

As she was eating, Shen Lu discovered another wonderful use for the air purifier.

It perfectly absorbed the aroma of the hot pot, preventing the smell from wafting over to her neighbors’ places like it used to whenever she cooked something fragrant.

It did a great job of concealing the fact that she was cooking, which made her feel even more strongly that the 2,488 Star Coins were money well spent.

After she ate and fed Fu Cheng, the day was pretty much over.

Even though she hadn’t worked her stall, Shen Lu didn’t feel rested at all. In fact, she felt much more tired than on a normal workday.

"I hope the rain lets up a bit tomorrow."

Shen Lu prayed fervently before going to sleep.

’Resting in a place like this isn’t exactly pleasant. I’d rather be working the stall. At least then I can earn money and popularity value, and complete quests.’

’No stall today means no quests. And I bought an air purifier, so my assets are down 2,488. It’s a total loss.’

Perhaps her prayer was heard. The next day, she opened her eyes to dazzling sunlight outside her window.

The air purifier was working tirelessly, and Shen Lu felt especially refreshed and clear-headed that morning.

However, her good mood vanished the moment she opened the window.

Granny Jin had been right. After a heavy rain, a hot, sunny day would cause the stagnant water to cook under the sun, brewing an indescribable stench. It was so aggressive it felt like an awl piercing her forehead.

Shen Lu held her breath and quickly slammed the window shut.

’Better to keep it closed.’

After washing up and eating breakfast, Shen Lu put on her homemade mint-scented mask and headed out the door.

She had already taken yesterday off; she couldn’t afford to rest again today.

Living off her savings wouldn’t last forever.

Perhaps it was because relief supplies had just been distributed yesterday, or maybe the stench from the landfill baking in the sun after the heavy rain was simply too unbearable. For now, Shen Lu was the only person at the No. 3 Landfill.

She switched on her detector and immediately got to work.

Her luck was incredible today. She not only found 10 grams of gold but also some copper pipes and tin bars.

By almost ten o’clock, Shen Lu’s endurance had reached its limit. She decided to head back.

Just as she turned around, the same black and red garbage truck from before came roaring over, its horn blaring arrogantly.

At the entrance to the area, quite a few residents who heard the noise came running over in twos and threes. They gathered around the spot where the truck was dumping its load, waiting with eager eyes.