Chapter 54: Liu Zhizhi

When it is time for payment, the software recognizes your behavior. After scratching a card, the fee is automatically deducted.

Lu Li tapped open the membership card page; nearly a thousand people were already members.

She smiled with satisfaction. Once she successfully converted someone into a member, she would receive 5 points. Although it didn't seem like much, it was all about accumulation!

Tang Nannan and her two companions each chose a scratch-off ticket and quickly notified their acquainted friends via their optical comms.

[At the base entrance, there's that legendary internet-viral lottery ticket shop, come quick!!!]

Inside the convenience store, Shen Bing, accompanied by a bunch of little ones and one big one, finished breakfast and prepared to open for business.

First, he stocked up on goods from the virtual mall, then led the others to arrange them on the shelves. Buoyed by the craze at the Hope Base, Shen Bing had purchased two additional shelves.

Currently, there were a total of six shelves inside the convenience store, arranged back-to-back in pairs.

The goods were neatly sorted and displayed by category. Shen Bing even wanted to buy a freezer specifically for chilling mineral water and beverages.

However, glancing at his remaining balance and the points earned over the past few days—of which eighty percent had to be handed over to Boss Lu—he dismissed the thought.

Just a few minutes after opening, someone came up and asked, "Are you guys the internet-viral convenience store? Where's the RV?"

Da Dong pointed backward speechlessly, "Right there."

The man nodded, then peeked inside, "Are these things for viewing or for eating?"

Da Dong replied patiently, "For eating."

The man was shocked, "There's still instant noodles these days? You've got to be kidding me."

Da Dong said, "You'll know once you try."

Clearly in disbelief, the man clutched his wallet tightly and left. He didn't look like someone from the Blooming Flower Base, but rather one of the residents surviving in the nearby settlements.

A few girls walked in curiously, holding hands and strolling around, occasionally letting out gasps of amazement and whispering discussions.

"Look at this, what is it?"

"Scallion crackers!"

"And this, look!"

"Oh my god! Pork floss bread!"

"What does this 55 mean on top, 55 crystal cores?"

"Ah, so expensive, but it looks so delicious."

"This one's cheaper, ham sausages for 25 crystal cores, want to try?"

"Did you guys bring crystal cores?"

"We did. We were originally planning to go exchange them for a small packet of shampoo."

The girls pooled their resources,掏出 all the crystal cores they had on them, which amounted to just 20. They looked at each other and gave up.

Xiao Di watched curiously from the side. Why take out so many crystal cores? Were they planning to buy out the entire shelf?

One of the girls met Xiao Di's curious gaze and took the initiative to strike up a conversation, "Little sister, do you work here?"

Actually, it was a statement rather than a question. After all, the five children were all wearing identical little sheep uniforms, making them far too easy to recognize!

Xiao Di nodded and asked directly, "What do you want to buy?"

The girl pointed regretfully at the ham sausages and said, "But we don't have enough crystal cores, we're short five."

Xiao Di widened her eyes, waving her hands in denial, "A single crystal core can buy two ham sausages!"

The girls opposite her all widened their eyes and asked again, "Really? Doesn't that mean one crystal core is equal to two ham sausages, and 50 of these... what are they called?"

Xiao Di reminded them, "Points."

The girl continued, "One crystal core equals 50 points, right?"

"That's for a Tier 1 crystal core," Xiao Di added.

"That's wonderful!" they exclaimed, looking at the 20 crystal cores in their hands, then turning back to the shelves, suddenly feeling quite wealthy.

With confident strides, the several girls walked toward the shelves, "Let's go, time to loot!"

Xiao Di thoughtfully handed over a shopping basket—one of fifty that Shen Bing had bought this morning because some customers bought too much to carry at once.

With the shopping baskets, the girls went on a wild shopping spree, sweeping across the shelves one by one until they completely filled three baskets.

Astonished by their purchasing power, Xiao Di hurriedly approached holding the Lucky Cat.

She explained, "Just feed the crystal cores into its mouth. Once you walk out this door, the points will be automatically deducted from your account."

It sounded very professional and high-end. Beaming with smiles and laden with goods, the girls exited the convenience store.

Running into acquaintances on their way back to the base, they immediately began pushing recommendations, "Did you know, a new convenience store opened at the entrance, and there's supposedly a lottery shop right next to it!"

"Of course it's true, otherwise where do you think this bread I'm holding magically appeared from? Bought it at the convenience store, two for a single crystal core, isn't that cheap! Hurry up and go! You'll miss out if you wait!"

Chatting all the way like this, they finally returned to their residence.

Over at the lottery shop, Tang Nannan and the other two were also desperately notifying their friends and family, because they had no idea whether this lottery shop would still be here tomorrow!

First come, first served anyway!

The news spread like winged creatures, eventually reaching the ears of Base Leader Liu Zhizhi.

She was currently scrolling through "Humanity's Design Grounds," opening the two photos posted by Luo Mu countless times, and zooming in repeatedly to examine the fruits in them.

She had also read through almost all the top comments beneath the posts, which varied wildly in content.

[I know this, it's Boss Lu. She started at the New-Born Base, then went to the Hope Base, and I heard she skipped town again. Who knows where she'll go next.]

[A resident of Hope Base speaking from experience—never thought Boss Lu would blow up in popularity. Does that mean she's never coming back?]

[Hope resident +1. Boss Lu is a really nice person, just has a slightly fiery temper and not much patience, but that doesn't matter! She is the deity who masters the scratch-offs!]

[Residents of the New-Born Base have arrived. At first, I didn't believe such good things existed, but I never expected her to actually scratch out fruit for me!][Attached image: a plump, juicy apple.]

At least a hundred people posted images to back up their claims, gradually convincing initially skeptical netizens.

Some were even praying to the heavens, begging Boss Lu to set up a stall at their base.

Liu Zhizhi also noticed that this Boss Lu seemed to only ever set up stalls outside the bases? That meant her target demographic was quite uniform.

Those who dared to leave the bases were either going out to kill zombies or to complete missions; in any case, they all carried some crystal cores on them. The overly timid ones wouldn't even dare step outside their doors.

She wondered when Boss Lu would grace the Blooming Flower Base with her presence...

Before her sat a pack of compressed biscuits, a small bottle of water, and a small bowl of black jelly—her breakfast.

Just looking at it brought zero appetite, but this was already the highest-grade breakfast available within the base.

Accustomed to it, Liu Zhizhi first gulped down the black jelly, a nutrient solution developed by the Central Base with a faint bitter taste.

Then she unwrapped the compressed biscuits, nibbling them down bit by bit while washing them down with water, her eyes refusing to leave the fruits held by the people in the pictures.

Suddenly, the door was knocked. Liu Zhizhi casually wiped her mouth and called out loudly, "Come in."

A woman dressed in a guard uniform walked in and reported respectfully, "Base Leader, an RV and a convenience store have appeared outside the base. It's the one that went viral online yesterday..."

Before she could finish, she saw the usually calm Base Leader abruptly stand up. Immediately afterward, a gust of wind swept past her side, and she hurriedly gave chase.

Liu Zhizhi was a Tier-4 Speed Awakened One; when she really picked up speed, no one in the entire base could keep up with her.