Chapter 55: Green Radish

Within mere seconds, Liu Zhizhi reached the entrance of the base. She paused to catch her breath, recovering the stern dignity expected of a base commander.

Then, she stepped out of the base with unhurried composure. The convenience store was quite eye-catching, housed entirely within a transparent glass structure.

Even more striking than the convenience store was the double-decker RV parked not far away. Its overall exterior exuded a high-tech vibe that was incredibly captivating.

At least, it thoroughly captivated Liu Zhizhi. Her gaze fixed on it, and before she knew it, her feet had carried her right up to the RV.

Tang Nannan and the others were still busy scratching cards, while Li Qingqing watched with sheer delight. Around a dozen other girls had also gathered nearby to try their hand at scratching.

The entire scene was remarkably lively. Liu Zhizhi stepped forward, coming face to face with Lu Li.

Lu Li flashed her a smile, her eyes pure and clear. "Hi there, beauty! Up for some scratch-offs?"

Liu Zhizhi sized her up. The girl's gaze was innocent and genuine, as if she were simply admiring a stunning woman, rather than leering with the disgusting, filthy stares typical of those scumbag men who constantly ogled her.

"I'll take one," Liu Zhizhi said.

"One tier-one crystal core," Lu Li said, holding up a single finger.

Liu Zhizhi produced a crystal core and placed it on the table. Beside them, Tang Nannan finished scratching her ticket and let out a heavy sigh.

"Boss, another 'Thanks for participating'," Tang Nannan complained to Lu Li. Glancing up, she jerked in surprise and snapped instantly to attention.

Stammering slightly, she said, "B-Base commander." Her eyes radiated a hint of worship.

Liu Zhizhi gave a soft hum of acknowledgment and said, "Carry on, you guys. I'm just looking."

Lu Li found herself getting slightly lost in that voice. It was such a commanding, older-sister vibe! A gorgeous woman radiating total boss energy!

Her hair wasn't long, falling just past her shoulders with a slight wave, which paired with her commanding features and voice to absolute perfection.

For a moment, Lu Li was utterly mesmerized, completely forgetting to pick up her crystal core. It wasn't until a hand waved back and forth before her eyes that she snapped out of her trance. She swallowed hard and stammered, "Right, right."

She was just a hopeless sucker for good looks; what crime had she committed?

Liu Zhizhi looked down at the table and asked, "Can I pick any of these?" Her voice tailed upward in a melodic, lilting inflection.

Lu Li nodded. She watched as Liu Zhizhi casually touched a ticket, drew one from the box containing the small golden shovels, and began to scratch it with practiced ease.

Every movement she made carried the refined charm of a mature woman. Even in the standard-issue uniform of the base commander, wearing it made her look entirely different—uniquely and strikingly attractive.

Lu Li rested her chin in her hands and watched her. Liu Zhizhi scratched extremely fast. Once finished, she glanced over it, tossed it effortlessly onto the counter before Lu Li, and said softly, "Collect my prize."

Lu Li picked it up and saw the pattern of a small potted plant. Sure enough, the lucky cat coughed up a small potted pothos. Its leaves were a vibrant, glossy green, carrying the faint, fresh scent of earth.

Just as she was about to offer congratulations—realizing this seemed to be the first time anyone had actually won a plant—Liu Zhizhi, along with Tang Nannan and the others, abruptly stepped back, adopting defensive postures.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa? What are you all doing?" Faced with their sudden stance, Lu Li used one hand to protect her face and the other to shield the lucky cat.

Liu Zhizhi's sharp gaze fixed on the pothos. Its green leaves swayed slightly, making it look just like any ordinary plant.

However, she knew from experience that the most ordinary and unassuming things usually concealed a massive twist; she had once paid a heavy price for letting her guard down.

Tang Nannan warned, "Boss, you should get back! Plants can mutate!"

Lu Li slowly lowered her gaze back to the potted pothos, furrowed her brow, and asked the system, "Can they?"

The system replied with absolute certainty: [Of course not. Plants are scarce resources in the future; being able to scratch one out shows this person has exceptional luck, and the plants produced by this system come with miraculous effects as well~]

Too lazy to listen to the system's nagging, Lu Li quickly explained, "It won't mutate, don't worry."

The group clearly remained skeptical. Having witnessed far too many instances of mutated flora and fauna harming humans, their vigilance was instinctive.

Lu Li reached out and stroked the leaves of the pothos in a smooth downward motion. They felt cool to the touch. "See? Absolutely zero hostility."

Tang Nannan relaxed her guard slightly. Lu Li continued, "Really, if you don't believe me, go ahead and touch it."

Mutated animals and plants would never allow humans to touch them; they possessed too much pride of their own.

Liu Zhizhi watched with her own eyes as the shop owner's slender, fair fingers toyed with the pothos leaves, even bending them gently before letting them spring back.

It truly appeared completely harmless, nothing more than an ordinary little houseplant.

Liu Zhizhi stepped forward, extended her hand, and cautiously pinched the very tip of a leaf. The sensation was cool and refreshing.

Up close, she could even catch a faint, clean fragrance. The leaves swayed gently, as if waving hello to her.

In an instant, Liu Zhizhi developed an inexplicable fondness for the little pothos. She lifted the pot, inspected it from top to bottom, and found it more pleasing to the eye the longer she looked.

Lu Li egged her on, "See? How could something this cute possibly mutate?"

Ever since the apocalypse descended, animals, plants, and humans alike had undergone mutation, leaving almost no living greenery inside the base.

Keeping a pot of it on her office desk wouldn't be a bad idea, Liu Zhizhi thought to herself.

She wanted to store it in her spatial storage, but remembering that living things could not be placed inside, she had no choice but to cradle it in her arms as she said to Lu Li, "Manager Lu's abilities are truly extraordinary."

Lu Li didn't bother explaining. Let them believe whatever they wanted. She pointed to the side and said, "We also have a convenience store. Feel free to check it out if you're interested."

Liu Zhizhi had ventured out precisely to see these two shops that had exploded in popularity online, intending to rope them in if possible.

Cradling the pothos in her arms, the topmost leaves brushed lightly against her chin, creating an itchy sensation, so she adjusted the pot slightly lower.

After walking just a few paces, she spotted the convenience store. It wasn't packed with people, but the shelves were already surrounded by dense crowds.

Liu Zhizhi drew closer and noticed a little girl standing by the entrance holding a lucky cat, identical to the one at the lottery shop.

Stopping in front of the little girl, she squatted down so they were eye-to-eye. "What is this used for?"

Xiao Di blinked her large eyes and explained, "The items inside are purchased using points. One tier-one crystal core exchanges for fifty points, and this is the conversion device."

Of course, these talking points had all been taught by Lu Li, so they wouldn't stand there completely clueless when asked.

Liu Zhizhi produced a few crystal cores and fed them into the lucky cat's mouth as instructed by Xiao Di, hearing the child say, "All set. Your account now has 150 points. Welcome inside to shop."

She stood up and walked in with a surge of inexplicable excitement. Another little girl handed her a shopping basket, saying, "Take one if you need it."

She declined, thinking she was merely stepping inside to look around and had no intention of buying—

*Instant noodles! The taste from her childhood. I'll take five packs!*

*Ah, bottled water. So pristine. Let's take two bottles back to drink.*

As she walked further, her arms filled up with merchandise to the point where she no longer had a hand free to hold the potted pothos. Xiao Yang (another little girl from Shen Bing's courtyard) seized the opportunity to offer her a shopping basket.

Liu Zhizhi smiled, accepting it without a shred of embarrassment, as if she weren't the exact same person who had refused it just ten minutes ago.

Navigating past three aisles of shelves, however, Liu Zhizhi's mood grew increasingly heavy, her mind bombarded by a relentless stream of questions.

Where on earth did all these supplies come from? As far as she knew, there were no longer any factories producing snacks in this apocalyptic world.

Yet these items actually had expiration dates printed on them, and they looked remarkably fresh. Through the transparent packaging, she could see real food—the exact same kind that existed before the end of the world.

Could it really be that Manager Lu's special ability was actual material creation?