Chapter 11: Shen Bing

This person scraped out a grenade but didn’t leave; he kept reaching in for more crystal cores, saying he wanted to keep scraping.

Lu Li liked customers like this—no questions asked, just scrape, eyes wide open, just scrape!

By eight or nine o’clock, more people had gathered, and a crowd quickly formed in front of the counter.

Some regulars were very disciplined, lining up properly and patiently feeding their crystal cores to the lucky cat. Once it announced their names and points, they would then choose the scratch cards they wanted.

The whole process was so smooth that Lu Li hardly had to worry, except for some new customers.

They liked to ask endless questions, and when they didn’t get the rewards they wanted, they would curse out loud on the spot.

Lu Li naturally showed no smile to such people; if she didn’t kick them out, it was already a testament to her good temper.

Just as Lu Li was explaining to a new customer, the previously noisy scene suddenly quieted down.

Puzzled, Lu Li looked up and saw the somewhat disordered line parting to form a narrow path, as if to welcome someone.

At the end of the path, a tall figure walked slowly forward, dressed in a white shirt and black pants, and despite the scorching heat, still wore a long black cloak that reached his ankles.

The hem of the cloak swayed with his steps, sometimes gently brushing his calves like lively waves of the sea.

He didn’t say a word, walking casually, but Lu Li could feel the overwhelming aura he exuded.

She couldn’t help but wonder—is this Zhao Haiting’s powerful backer? He looked formidable…

She quickly asked the system in her mind, “Can this safe zone hold off this person?”

The system replied confidently, “Of course. You are the absolute master here. Have confidence!”

Lu Li was reassured; the system would never lie. With that firm answer, she rested her hands on the table and gazed at the newcomer until he reached her.

The closer he got, the more Lu Li felt breathless, as if the very air around her was under his command.

The man stopped before the counter. The hood of his cloak was long enough to completely shadow the upper half of his face, revealing only thin lips and a sharply defined jawline.

Judging by the exquisite lower half of his face, Lu Li was certain he was quite handsome.

No matter how many lifetimes she lived, one thing Lu Li would never change was her love of good looks—an absolute face lover!

Before she could speak, the man stretched out his empty palm; the next moment, a yellow crystal core appeared in his hand.

Those around gasped softly. Lu Li was puzzled—did the color matter?

She took it calmly, her fingertips brushing his palm, which felt like ice.

She shivered involuntarily. No wonder this man wore a cloak in such heat—he carried his own air conditioning.

But Lu Li didn’t think much of it. In the apocalypse, weird supernatural abilities were common. She fed the core into the lucky cat’s mouth as usual.

Soon, the cat happily announced, “Shen Bing, 150 points.”

So even crystal cores had ranks? What a ruthlessly stratified apocalypse!

The man was named Shen Bing. His eyes, hidden beneath the hood, glowed—150 points!

She’d heard that 50 points were enough for one scratch card, so he could get three.

Suppressing his excitement, Shen Bing casually picked three scratch cards and began scratching on his own.

Though Lu Li loved beauty, her career came first. Seeing he understood the rules, she immediately invited the other hesitant customers forward.

“Are you going to scratch or not? There’s still room,” Lu Li said, her dimples deepening with an enchanting smile.

Shen Bing happened to look up and caught her pure, radiant smile. He was stunned—such smiles were rare in the apocalypse.

But the scratch cards mattered more. He snapped out of it and lowered his head to continue scratching, eyes full of anticipation.

The onlookers glanced at Shen Bing, then at Lu Li’s enthusiastic invitation, finally shifting their gaze to the tempting scratch cards.

Some stepped forward decisively, handing over crystal cores. “Scratch!”

Others trembled on the sidelines, not daring to look up. Lu Li noticed this—Shen Bing was powerful and not easy to get along with.

Otherwise, why would so many people be scared off at his arrival? They were her customers, after all!

Lu Li shot Shen Bing a sharp glare. If he didn’t scratch the cards for those who left, she wouldn’t forgive him!

Unaware, Shen Bing’s eyes gleamed as his hand holding the small golden scraper trembled slightly.

He quickly finished scratching all three cards and stacked them together, handing them to Lu Li.

She raised an eyebrow and muttered under her breath.

All three cards Shen Bing scratched were “Big 7” cards, and without exception, they all revealed food rewards.

Everyone was curious about what the big shot had won, dozens of eyes locked onto Lu Li’s hands.

Shen Bing also stared, but his attention wasn’t on the scratch cards—it was fixed on Lu Li’s hands: pale, reflective, slender, and delicate, each fingernail perfectly manicured and rounded like pearls.

Since the apocalypse began, Shen Bing hadn’t seen such tender hands. Most were grimy, with dirt caked in the nails or calloused from hard labor.

Some even had missing fingers. In short, it had been a long time since he’d seen such healthy hands.

For a moment, he was dazed. Seeing her radiant and healthy appearance, he felt as if he’d briefly returned to the world before the apocalypse.

Lu Li fed the scratch cards into the lucky cat’s mouth. Moments later, it spat out three rewards.

They were a box of winter jujubes, a box of sliced watermelon, and a bottle of canned cola.

To be honest, many people nowadays didn’t recognize these fruits, but it didn’t matter—the lucky cat dutifully announced them.

Though no one had heard of them, it wasn’t important as long as they knew they were fruit.

The box of winter jujubes held about a dozen, each red and green, medium-sized, and fragrant with sweetness.

The sliced watermelon was bright red, with not a single black seed.

The canned cola looked freshly taken from a fridge, droplets of condensation still clinging to the can.

Shen Bing tucked the three rewards into his cloak, shielding them from greedy gazes, then pulled out another yellow crystal core.

The crowd gasped again. Lu Li was speechless—didn’t their stomachs hurt from all the gasps?

She habitually took the core and fed it to the cat. Again, it announced 150 points.

Shen Bing chose three more scratch cards.

On the table were eight books of scratch cards, two copies of each type. Each book had twenty cards, each with its own number, allowing customers to pick freely.

Lu Li noticed Shen Bing was carefully selecting—not like others who grabbed cards randomly or chose based on favorite numbers.

He scanned each card from start to finish, intensely focused, as if he could see through the scratch cards themselves.

This thought made Lu Li shiver—could this man’s ability be X-ray vision?

She immediately asked the system, “Can these scratch cards be seen through their protective coating?”