Chapter 4: So What If I Did It?

Chen Yue hesitated to drink the water; it was crystal clear and pure, without a trace of impurity, and even the glass was impeccably clean. She first took out her own water pouch, then carefully lifted the glass and tilted it to pour the water into the pouch. A few stubborn drops spilled onto the table, and a man eagerly licked them up, exclaiming, “Such sweet water!”

Lu Li was shocked. This table couldn’t be used anymore; it had to be replaced immediately! She waved her hand as if shooing away flies, and the three men, confused, stepped back cautiously, watching her with curiosity.

Lu Li picked up a dumpling, expressionless, then snapped off a section of the table plank and asked the system to replace it. The three men watched helplessly as the old plank was tossed far away. When they turned back, a new plank had appeared, serving as the tabletop.

The man who had licked the water blushed deeply and stammered, “I—I couldn’t help it!”

The other two nodded in understanding. Anyone seeing such pure water wouldn’t be able to resist. Yet their respect for the shopkeeper grew unknowingly; she seemed to have an obsession with cleanliness and was quite formidable. This RV was truly strange.

Lu Li’s face returned to a warm smile, the curve of her lips exquisitely graceful. She asked the three men with a smile, “Do you want to scratch more? By the way, you haven’t finished your dumplings, feel free to continue.”

Chen Yue swallowed instinctively, clutching her dumplings as she slipped to the side, her posture somewhat uneasy. Lu Li paid no mind, instead smiling at the two men. After Chen Yue’s dumplings had yielded water from the scratch cards, their confidence now brimmed.

“Let’s scratch, let’s scratch!” The two men eagerly dug crystal cores from their pockets, three or five at a time.

Lu Li’s smile widened as she tossed each crystal core into the mouth of the beckoning lucky cat. The cat’s eyes rolled as it announced, “Wang Qiang: 150 points, Chen Zhi: 250 points.”

“Great!” Wang Qiang and Chen Zhi exclaimed excitedly.

Both men, cautious by nature, had each bought a Chinese Blessing scratch card but secretly dreamed of striking it rich.

Lu Li’s dimples deepened with her friendly, approachable smile. The men were so anxious, fully immersed in the world of scratch cards, oblivious to all else.

Even when another group appeared outside the base, they remained unaware. Lu Li waved to the newcomers cheerfully, “Want to try the scratch cards? There’s food you’ll love~”

She had noticed that everyone here was gaunt and pale, long suffering from malnutrition, with a near-pathological craving for food.

As expected, the new group rushed over, crowding around the already small window. Lu Li remained calm, her smile still in place though her dimples faded slightly and her gaze darkened.

She silently complained, “System, isn’t this table a bit too small?”

The system comforted her, “Once the host earns enough points, you can redecorate as you like~”

Lu Li was annoyed but powerless, so she did her best to promote and answer their barrage of questions.

“What’s a scratch card?”

“What can you win?”

“How do you scratch it?”

“How much do they cost in crystal cores?”

As the shopkeeper, she answered patiently. Nearby, Chen Yue finished her dumplings, mouth full, and returned with an empty plate, serving as convincing proof.

“Now I know why it smells so good at the base entrance! Chen Yue, you’re hogging all the food!”

Chen Yue rolled her eyes disdainfully, snapping, “Mind your own business!”

Then she smiled at Lu Li, “Shopkeeper, I want to scratch another one.”

She pulled out a crystal core, fed it to the lucky cat, and took a Chinese Blessing scratch card, joining Wang Qiang and Chen Zhi in their enthusiasm.

The second group exchanged glances and decided to observe first, then spread out to surround Chen Yue and the others. About seven people in total, they packed tightly around the window, making it somewhat inconvenient for the trio to scratch their cards.

But they were all potential customers, and Lu Li endured, promising herself a major renovation once she accumulated enough points.

“Ten universal bullets!” Wang Qiang held up his scratch card, thrilled.

“What? An ear pick? What am I supposed to do with this? Crazy! Shopkeeper, you’re losing money!” Chen Zhi looked at his companions’ prizes and felt unfairly treated. His poor luck made him complain loudly, demanding a refund of his crystal cores.

Seeing this, Chen Yue quickly scratched her card. When she recognized the pattern, she gasped, “A hand grenade!”

In the tenth year of the apocalypse, not only was food scarce, but firearms were extremely rare, reserved for the military.

Ordinary people could only acquire them by smashing crystal cores or through backdoor channels—otherwise, it was nearly impossible.

Now, by simply scratching a card and paying one crystal core, they could obtain coveted firearms!

The crowd immediately erupted in excitement, clamoring to exchange their prizes and see if it was true.

Lu Li collected the three scratch cards and fed them to the lucky cat, which suddenly opened its mouth wide and spat out the three rewards.

Wang Qiang and Chen Yue beamed as they took their prizes, while Chen Zhi looked around reluctantly, slapping the table and demanding, “Scratch another one!”

The others quickly chimed in, “Me too, me too!”

The entrance to the base was always busy, and the growing commotion drew more attention. Everyone loves a spectacle, and more and more gathered.

Before long, the window was surrounded three deep on all sides, the noise swelling with chatter. Lu Li frowned deeply, the hot weather making it hard to breathe.

She turned and pulled out a megaphone, recording a message: “Please line up in an orderly fashion!”

But no one listened. In the apocalypse, strength was respected above all else. A clean, harmless-looking young girl like her was nobody’s concern.

Some troublemakers stirred the pot, asking questions here, cutting in there, shoving a few people—making the scene even more chaotic.

People pushed forward relentlessly. The original trio was bewildered, and the newcomers were lost in the crowd, everyone shouting to find out what was going on.

Lu Li was exasperated, her eyes scanning the troublemakers within the safety zone of the lottery shop as she silently thought…

Suddenly, someone in the crowd was lifted into the air. All eyes turned toward him, and the noise ceased. The next moment, the man was flung backward, crashing heavily onto the ground amidst a cloud of dust.

“Ouch… who the hell did that!” he howled, cursing instinctively.

Lu Li felt a surge of satisfaction. Seeing him lying sprawled on the edge of the safe zone, she focused her mind, and the man’s body was slammed down repeatedly. Only after a few heavy impacts did she feel content.

Serves you right for cursing me!

The man’s cries gradually faded until he passed out from exhaustion.

The crowd’s eyes followed him up and down, visibly shaken.

Who was the powerhouse hiding nearby? Without releasing any energy waves, they toyed with a man as if he were a plaything.