Chapter 43: Super Lotto!

Shen Bing arrived without anyone noticing, standing behind the crowd and gazing up at the double-decker RV. A sudden sense of inferiority welled up in his heart.

Time slipped away bit by bit amidst the discussions. At nine o'clock sharp, Lu Li pressed the button.

The upper halves of the four vehicle walls vanished, replaced by a countertop that extended sixty centimeters inward, exceptionally sturdy.

Lu Li hadn't expected so many people early in the morning, so she hurriedly logged into the system mall, purchasing twenty copies of the Big Seven and five copies of each of the other three models.

After setting them out properly, she bought a card-making machine from the mall, complete with a scanner. She only needed to point it at a customer and press it to make a "beep" sound to record their information.

The customer's optical brain would then display the "Lu Li Lottery Shop" software, allowing them to top up their points directly.

Yet, she discovered a seemingly new game mode named "Super Lotto."

She was extremely familiar with this. After all, back in the 21st century, it only cost two yuan a bet, yet it could yield a fortune-changing jackpot.

Lu Li clicked into it immediately. The gameplay was somewhat similar to before, centered around picking numbers.

Players had to choose six numbers between 1 and 31 as their personal combination. Matching all winning numbers resulted in the grand prize.

Matching five numbers won the first prize; four numbers, the second prize; and three numbers, the third prize.

Below that, there were no more tiers; anything else missed the winning circle. (Slightly modified, as the real-life version is too complicated and the author didn't understand it either, apologies.)

Filled with enthusiasm, she immediately pulled out a small white board, wrote down the rules, and clearly marked the prize pool.

The grand prize was five hundred first-tier crystal cores, the first prize three hundred, and the second prize one hundred.

There were also one hundred slots for the third prize, with a prize of five crystal cores each.

Who provided the crystal cores? Naturally, the system covered the bulk of it since it was the one introducing the game mode and would also take a cut.

As for the pricing, it was set at one first-tier crystal core per bet.

With a flurry of scribbles, Lu Li finished writing, brought out the small white board, and found a spot to secure it.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted it, immediately pushed forward to read it silently in their heart, but still didn't understand.

Having no choice, they pulled the person next to them to look together. The two muttered softly, and noticing this, Lu Li walked over.

She rested both hands on the countertop, leaned forward slightly, and two small dimples bloomed on her face with her smile.

With a friendly tone, she asked, "What's wrong? What don't you understand? Feel free to ask!"

That person hurriedly waved their hands and said, "No, no, I just want to buy a bet and try my luck."

Lu Li's eyes lit up, not expecting business to start so quickly. She promptly placed an order in the mall for a Super Lotto machine.

Having upgraded to level four, the mall no longer restricted the use of points.

As soon as the machine appeared, the crowd was dumbfounded once again. One look told them the machine was exquisite and advanced. They knew Boss Lu was wealthy, but did she have to be *this* wealthy?

Inside the base, only the research institute and the core zone had access to electricity, and even then, it was subject to time limits. Who else could be as lavish as Boss Lu?

After studying the machine for a moment, Lu Li beckoned, "Come, come, come, pick your numbers."

After pondering for a moment, the man solemnly stated six numbers, which Lu Li entered one by one.

Before long, the machine began to emit a *clack-clack* sound. The onlookers instinctively took a step back in a panic and asked, "Is it going to explode?"

Lu Li gave them an unamused look and muttered, "Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo." As she spoke, she pulled a small slip of paper from the side and handed it to the man.

The man took it, looked it over, and let out a sigh of relief—it turned out to be just the sound of the machine printing.

At the top was printed "Lu Li Lottery Shop · Super Lotto," followed by his chosen numbers, and below that were the betting time and the draw time.

Lu Li instructed, "Remember to bring the ticket back to claim your prize when the time comes."

Hearing this, the man tucked the ticket carefully against his body. If he somehow won the jackpot and lost the ticket, he'd want to slap himself twice in the middle of the night out of crippling regret.

As soon as he left, several people crowded forward, scrambling and shouting, "Boss Lu, we want to buy too!"

Lu Li quickly said, "One at a time, everyone gets a turn. Just have your crystal cores ready and think of your numbers beforehand, don't stand there hesitating and stuttering."

They all knew Boss Lu had a decent temper, but her patience ran a bit thin.

One crystal core per bet wasn't expensive at all. Anyone who could afford to come out and play scratch-offs every day had some savings, and even if they didn't, ordinary people nowadays had the courage to kill zombies.

Without some means of survival, they wouldn't have made it to the tenth year of the apocalypse; everyone had a few crystal cores tucked away for emergencies.

Shen Bing walked over silently and joined the very end of the line. The person in front of him turned around and locked eyes with his extremely cold expression, causing him to shudder and say, "Master Shen, you go first."

Shen Bing shook his head in refusal. He couldn't cut in line; Boss Lu hated line-cutters the most.

Speak of the devil, Shen Bing's sharp eyes caught sight of a skinny, tiny man who was taking advantage of the chaos and his diminutive size to squeeze into the front of the queue in the blink of an eye.

The people right in front and behind him were unsure whether this person had been in the line previously or not.

Shen Bing walked up with a dark face, grabbed the back of the man's collar, and dragged him out of the line. The man was about to yelp in protest, but when he turned around and saw who it was, he lost his nerve and instantly turned into an ostrich.

"Stand here and catch line-cutters, or turn into an ice sculpture—take your pick," Shen Bing said mercilessly.

The skinny man hurriedly pressed his palms together and begged for mercy, "I'll go to the very back, Master Shen, I was wrong!"

Shen Bing nodded in acknowledgement, walked back to the end of the line, and kept a watchful eye on the convenience store. He had added two extra shelves today and stocked up on plenty of goods, so it would easily last for several hours.

When it was finally Shen Bing's turn, Lu Li caught sight of him and greeted, "Why are you even waiting in line? You could've just bought a bet during your lunch break."

Shen Bing: *I let my guard down.*

Lu Li glanced past him. "Where are your little cubs? Didn't you bring them along?"

Shen Bing looked toward the convenience store, a rare trace of softness melting into his cold gaze. "They're helping out inside the convenience store."

"Alright, bring them over for lunch later," Lu Li said casually, skillfully entering the numbers he called out, handing him the ticket, and repeating the exact same words she had told dozens of people that morning.

"Don't lose the ticket. Claim your prize with it when the time comes," Lu Li reminded him repeatedly.

Shen Bing tucked the small slip of paper into his spatial storage—that way, it definitely wouldn't get lost. He strode back to the convenience store, where Dadong was busy arranging mineral water bottles one by one onto the shelves.

Xiao Di sat by the entrance, a lucky cat placed on the tall stool beside him. Though young, his gaze was sharp and piercing as he watched the people coming in to top up their points, making sure none of them acted out of line.

Today, Shen Bing had only brought Dadong and Xiao Di, fearing that Boss Lu would be unhappy if too many people crowded around.

Lu Li had been rushed off her feet all morning. Not only did she have to register customer information and offer brief explanations, but she also had to input numbers for the Super Lotto buyers and give them detailed reminders.

She was truly exhausted. As noon approached and the number of customers dwindled slightly, she finally caught a breather.

She slumped limply over the countertop, not even wanting to lift a hand. When Shen Bing walked over with Dadong and Xiao Di, Lu Li merely raised her eyes for a quick look and offered a weak greeting, "Sit wherever you like."

Xiao Di suddenly felt a bit nervous. He looked at the high-end, luxurious RV, then lowered his gaze to his own faded, washed-out clothes, restlessly twisting the hem of his shirt with both hands.