Chapter 7: Just You Wait!

The fireball that belonged to him seemed to have slipped from his control, heading straight toward him, while his connection to the fire element was severed in an instant.

Zhao Haifeng felt a vague sense of dread—the fear of the powerful and the unknown. However, his long-standing position of superiority had fostered a spoiled and arrogant temperament.

Overwhelmed by extreme resentment and fury, he struggled to his feet. He glared fiercely at Lu Li, who remained as immaculate as ever, and spat out, "Just you wait! I'm going to get my brother!"

"Go ahead, you little piece of trash," Lu Li waved at him, her expression indifferent.

Hearing this provocation, Zhao Haifeng stumbled, nearly falling over. He desperately wanted to trade insults with her for three hundred rounds, but the memory of that uncontrollable fireball stopped him. Fear welled up, and he held his tongue, quickening his pace and leaving the crowd with nothing but a dejected, retreating back.

Once he had completely vanished from sight, Lu Li pulled the shutter down with a snap. Honestly, in this vast world, nothing was more important than a good meal!

The onlookers erupted in jeers; they never expected to see Zhao Haifeng get put in his place, though they knew he would surely return with reinforcements. The base leader was a Level 3 ability user, after all, and not so easily fooled.

After sparing a second of pity for the girl, the crowd gradually dispersed. After all, these were the hottest months of the year, and it was midday—why would anyone be out here instead of sleeping? Did they want to go out and kill zombies?

There was no air conditioning in the RV, yet it remained cool; the temperature stayed constant, unaffected by the outside world.

Having earned over two thousand points in just one morning, Lu Li couldn't stop grinning. Regardless of whether it was the apocalypse or not, people were addicted to this kind of unknown, challenging game with high reward potential.

She sat in the driver's seat with her legs crossed, nonchalantly browsing the store to decide what to have for lunch.

Suddenly, the system spoke: [Congratulations to the host for reaching Level 2. The store spending limit has been increased to one thousand, and more features have been unlocked. We welcome your exploration.]

Only then did Lu Li check the upgrade rules: Level 1 required 100 points, Level 2 required 1,000, and Level 3 required 10,000.

For every level she climbed, a zero was added to the requirement. Lu Li didn't find it difficult. After all, a single scratch-off ticket sold for 50 points, and she had already made over two thousand that morning.

Some people became truly obsessed once they started scratching; they lost their minds and couldn't stop. As long as they had crystals on them, they would keep scratching, and even if they ran out, they could always borrow from someone else, right?

She looked closer and discovered that the food category had been unlocked. Hot pot, barbecue, the eight major Chinese cuisines, Japanese, Korean, and French food—all were options, provided she had enough points.

Lu Li also noticed that food in the store was incredibly expensive. Believe it or not, a simple boxed lunch with one meat and one vegetable cost 10 points!

But she was the type to live for the moment; if she wanted to eat, she had to eat, otherwise, she would be so distracted she wouldn't even be able to sleep.

She clicked into the hot pot category and selected a single-person set meal. It included almost all of her favorite dishes, but when she saw the price, she nearly fainted.

588!

She would have to sell twelve scratch-offs just to break even. Good heavens!

Whatever! Eat!

Lu Li placed the order decisively. If worse came to worst, she would just sell more in the afternoon. How could she mistreat her own mouth?

A minute after the order was placed, a beam of white light flashed, and a dining table complete with a hot pot and utensils appeared before her.

In the center of the table sat a yin-yang pot, already boiling with her favorite spicy and clear broths. Beside it was a spread of condiments, and the table was packed with ingredients.

Lu Li mixed her favorite dipping sauce, dropped in her favorite shrimp paste and meat, and opened the light screen to watch a variety show.

The RV was at a comfortable temperature—neither hot nor cold. As she watched the show, ate hot pot, and sipped a carbonated drink, life couldn't have been better.

Little did she know that outside the RV, someone was crouched by the door, sniffing the gap with a look of pure intoxication.

He muttered to himself, "So fragrant... what is this scent?"

Someone passed by and asked curiously, "You and that dog nose of yours—what have you smelled now?"

This man's ability was an enhanced sense of smell, several times sharper than a normal person's. Many inconspicuous scents could not escape his nose.

Lu Li’s RV was well-insulated against both sound and smell, but who would have guessed she would run into someone with this specific ability.

"Shh, smell that. It's the scent of meat," the ability user said, clinging to the RV door in a trance, sniffing hard at the gap.

Upon hearing "meat," the other man swallowed hard and leaned in to sniff, but he couldn't smell a thing. He only smelled the odor of the RV’s fuel tank. "This woman has a vehicle *and* fuel? Her strength isn't bad," he thought. Smelling nothing himself, he shot the other man an envious look and walked away, feeling bored.

Only the scent-sensitive man remained, pressed against the RV door.

Inside, Lu Li remained completely oblivious, laughing so hard at the variety show that she nearly choked.

The hot pot meal lasted a full hour and a half. Lu Li stuffed the last bite into her mouth, rubbed her stomach, and sighed, "So full..."

She then clicked "Complete" on the hot pot order. A beam of white light flashed, whisking away the table and all the mess.

She clapped her hands in satisfaction. Wonderful—she didn't even have to wash the dishes.

After resting for a while, she planned to finish the rest of the variety show, but as she watched, sleepiness crept in. She took a shower to wash the scent of hot pot off her skin before heading to bed for a nap.

By the time Lu Li woke up, it was nearly four o'clock. She changed her clothes, yawned, and pulled up the shutter, letting a faint scent of hot pot broth drift out.

As Lu Li was arranging the scratch-off tickets on the window counter, she caught a glimpse of a shadow in her peripheral vision.

She leaned out to take a closer look and—good grief—someone had fallen asleep crouching outside her door!

Lu Li grabbed a stick and poked the man's head. To her surprise, he whirled around the moment he was touched.

She was startled, but he took the initiative to strike: "What are you doing? What do you want?"

"I should be asking you that! Why are you lurking like a creep outside my door?" Lu Li asked, hands on her hips, radiating authority.

The man fell silent, stammering, "I... I was just here to smell the scent, is that not allowed?"

Lu Li thought: *Smelling scents—is this some kind of new profession?*

Though she didn't understand, her intensity didn't waver. "If you want to smell, just do it openly! Sneaking around like a dog—people might mistake you for a thief!"

Before the man could respond, Lu Li said impatiently, "I don't have time for this, I'm opening for business!"

As if a keyword had been triggered, the man jumped to his feet and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The scratch-offs are open for business!" His voice was booming.

Lu Li was taken aback and stared at him, speechless. "No, seriously, what is your problem?"

He didn't need to answer. Soon, Lu Li saw exactly what was happening: people from the base began to emerge one after another, forming an orderly line in front of her window.