Chapter 39: Watching the Drama

A crowd gathered around, their voices impatient. "Boss Shen, stop setting things up! We can just grab what we need ourselves."

Shen Bing stepped back silently, letting them help themselves. He knew that as long as they possessed any goods from the convenience store, the system would identify them and deduct the payment the moment they stepped through the door.

The news of a convenience store appearing at the entrance of the base had spread throughout the entire compound by noon. Even Liu Hongtao, the head of the base, came to investigate out of curiosity. The first things he noticed were two ice sculptures, flanked by five men whose feet were frozen to the ground. He clicked his tongue; this shopkeeper was a ruthless character.

Tired of holding the beckoning cat statue, Shen Bing dragged a table and chair over from the lottery shop. He placed the cat on the table, sat down beside it, and left the customers to their own devices.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. "The base head is actually here?"

Shen Bing didn't even spare them a glance. Given his level as an esper, it was only fitting that the base head should be the one to greet him. Sure enough, Liu Hongtao pushed past the others and walked straight up to Shen Bing, saying with practiced politeness, "So, Hero Shen is here as well."

Shen Bing gave a faint nod. Hearing himself addressed as "Hero Shen" gave him a sense of satisfaction. In the past, his moniker had been "Shen, the Master of Ice," a rather cringeworthy title that he nonetheless loved, and as it passed from person to person, everyone had settled on calling him "Hero Shen."

Liu Hongtao had long tried to invite Shen Bing to join the Hope Base, but he had been rejected time and again. Maintaining his affable demeanor, he tried to strike up a conversation. "Is Hero Shen here to check out the convenience store? How curious. I wonder which expert opened this place."

Shen Bing pointed nonchalantly in a certain direction. Liu Hongtao followed his gaze... to Lu Li, who was propping her chin in her hand, napping while continuing to "fish" for customers. She didn't have to worry at all; the customers were perfectly capable of serving themselves.

Shen Bing sighed to himself. Is this Boss Lu a pig in human skin?

Liu Hongtao felt a jolt of alarm. What exactly was Lu Li’s ability? It was one thing to open a lottery shop, but now a convenience store too? What was she planning? Did she intend to put the Central Base’s businesses out of commission? As he thought this, he raised Lu Li’s status in his mind even higher; she was someone he must never offend.

"Boss Lu is truly a saint," Liu Hongtao praised repeatedly. "A real benefactor to the people..."

After he finished his barrage of flattery and received an approving nod from Shen Bing, he finally relaxed and headed toward the convenience store. As for the scratch-offs and such, he was getting on in years and didn't care for anything too stimulating. A convenience store was better—you got what you paid for.

He strolled inside. The customers, wary of his status, shifted slightly to make room.

"Carry on with your shopping," Liu Hongtao said with feigned warmth. "I’m just here to take a look."

Once he said this, the crowd stopped caring about his sincerity and immediately rushed back to the shelves to grab items. Liu Hongtao was shoved out of the throng, his face darkening with displeasure as he watched them.

A bootlicker in the crowd shouted loudly, "What are you doing? Don't you see the Base Head is here? Stop pushing! What if you hurt him? Move aside!"

Others muttered under their breaths, "Look at you, showing off. If you're so good at kissing up, why are you still standing there?"

Someone else chimed in, "Oh, the Base Head is magnanimous; why would he care about such trifles?"

Unfortunately for him, Liu Hongtao heard both comments clearly. The air grew still.

"Oh, it's fine," Liu Hongtao said with forced generosity. "First come, first served. You all go ahead and look first." He stepped back a few paces, his face wearing a shallow, kindly smile.

The crowd immediately started singing his praises. "I told you the Base Head isn't a petty man. He’s incredibly generous. You’re just worrying over nothing."

The bootlicker, feeling somewhat ashamed, rushed forward, grabbed a few tubs of instant noodles, some bread, and several bottles of water, then scrambled away in a panic.

Liu Hongtao’s eyes darkened, though he kept his amiable, approachable smile on his face. Only his hands, clenched behind his back, betrayed his true feelings.

With the Base Head’s polite dismissal, everyone let their guards down, selecting their goods and exiting the store. They were quite efficient, not wanting to waste time since there were still so many people waiting in line outside.

Once the wave of fifty people had mostly cleared out, Liu Hongtao finally approached the shelves with feigned indifference. He picked up a bottle of mineral water and held it up to the light, sighing inwardly at its purity. Even the water provided by the Central Base was full of impurities and had a strange, metallic tang.

Staring at the bottle, he couldn't stop himself from swallowing hard. He desperately wanted to know what such pure water tasted like. Unable to resist, he twisted off the cap and took several large gulps, finishing nearly half the bottle.

[Warning! Warning! Liu Hongtao has taken water without paying. Liu Hongtao has taken water without paying.]

The alarm blared through the store, audible for fifty meters in every direction.

Shen Bing stood up abruptly and strode toward the store, his brow furrowed and his expression fierce. The crowd outside looked toward the store and couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's going on with the Base Head?"

"I don't know. Is he inspecting the store?"

A loyal fan of Lu Li defended her, "Does he think he’s qualified to inspect a shop opened by Boss Lu? Who does he think he is?"

"Exactly. Boss Lu has helped so many people. What has Liu Hongtao done? He just spends his days putting on airs."

"Quiet, keep your voice down! We still have to live in the Hope Base."

Lu Li stopped napping, leaned forward to look, then hopped out of her vehicle and jogged over, curious. She was, after all, a Chinese person who loved a good show.

Inside the store, Liu Hongtao froze as if waking from a dream. Burning with embarrassment, he quickly screwed the cap back on. He turned to face the menacing Shen Bing and offered a sheepish explanation. "How many crystals? I can pay."

Shen Bing’s face remained cold. "One warning. If there is a next time, you will be blacklisted, and the shop will no longer be open to you."

Liu Hongtao’s face flushed a deep red. He hadn't expected Shen Bing to show him such little face, and a flicker of resentment flashed in his eyes.

The crowd of onlookers grew. Though Liu Hongtao couldn't hear everything they were whispering, he could feel their judgment.

"I didn't know the Base Head had such habits?"

"Right? A dignified Base Head, not paying for things and stealing sips of water. He has a much larger share than we do; has he never seen mineral water before?"

"Oh, the goods in Boss Lu’s shop are high quality, and the water is so clean. It’s natural to be surprised."

"That doesn't mean he should drink without paying. How tacky."

The fragmented whispers drilled into Liu Hongtao’s ears. His vision blurred; the image he had spent years painstakingly cultivating was ruined in an instant.

"Shut up!" Liu Hongtao roared, his face livid. He turned to storm out of the convenience store.

Shen Bing blocked his path. "The crystals."

Liu Hongtao nearly choked on his own breath. He pulled a crystal from his storage, threw it at Shen Bing with force, and bolted out the door.

Shen Bing caught the crystal—a yellow, third-tier crystal. He turned and called out to Liu Hongtao.

"Hey," Shen Bing said, his voice flat. "You gave me too much."