Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Ding! Achievement Unlocked

The Zombie King opened the customer page and entered 0023 to look up the person’s information.

He tended to other customers while he waited, wanting to see if the person would extend their time or do something else.

Time ticked by, second by second, and Owen Warren was so busy he nearly forgot all about it.

The broadcast sounded again: "Customer 0023, your time is up by ten minutes. Please leave immediately."

The Zombie King slowly rose from his chair. His pant legs were too short, and he placed his hands on his hips and stomped his feet twice.

He scanned the customers in the rest area. Everyone exchanged glances, wondering who could be so brazen as to cause trouble in Boss Hart’s shop.

"0023!" The Zombie King shouted, his voice radiating immense pressure. He didn’t want to make a huge scene on the very first day of business.

’Hopefully, this person has enough sense to step forward on their own.’

The hall gradually fell silent, leaving only the TICK-TOCK of the second hand on the wall clock.

"0023." The Zombie King’s fingertips tapped on the tabletop as he called out again, his sharp gaze sweeping the room.

The customers in the rest area couldn’t take it anymore and started shouting too. "Who is it? Hurry up and leave! Stop making a fool of yourself, okay?"

"Exactly! We’re all residents of the same base. You’ll stop when everyone starts laughing at you."

"Yeah, it’s the grand opening of Boss Hart’s new shop. Can’t you just not cause trouble?!"

Ten minutes past the time limit, the numbered tag started to alarm with a frantic BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.

"Over here!" someone shouted, pulling a green numbered tag that was flashing red from under a sofa.

The surrounding residents broke into a flurry of discussion. "Where’s the guy? Where did he go?"

"It must be whoever doesn’t have a tag! So shameless, pulling a stunt like this!"

"He’s a disgrace to our Fortune Base! I say blacklist him!"

Behind a sofa near the entrance, a skinny man nonchalantly rested his hands on its back.

His hair was still damp and dripping, and pastry crumbs lingered at the corner of his mouth.

Then, he shoved his hands in his pockets, darted his eyes left and right, and walked out the door with a calm expression.

The moment his left foot crossed the threshold, the broadcast blared, "Customer 0023, please halt. You are required to pay the overtime fee."

In an instant, every customer in the hall snapped their gaze to the doorway, locking onto the man who was about to exit.

"Stop him!" one of the residents roared.

The skinny man flinched and bolted. But after only two steps, The Zombie King lifted a hand.

The man’s body flew backward uncontrollably, his arms and legs still flailing in a forward-running motion.

"Crystal Cores," The Zombie King said coldly.

He had the skinny man by the neck. He wasn’t squeezing hard—just enough to keep him from falling.

But the chilling aura emanating from The Zombie King terrified him. The man struggled desperately, his limbs flailing wildly.

The more he struggled, the tighter The Zombie King squeezed. A terrifying sense of suffocation set in, making the man’s scalp crawl.

He was a Second-rank Superpower User, but against this boss, he was utterly powerless—like a mayfly trying to shake Oak.

"I’ll pay! I’ll pay, alright? Now let me go!" the skinny man finally gasped.

"Fine." The moment The Zombie King heard this, he let go. The skinny man’s legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath.

A few Crystal Cores tumbled from his pocket, along with several plump, bright red Holy Daughter Fruits.

The other customers saw this and immediately started shouting, "You crook! You even stole fruit? The nerve!"

They themselves didn’t dare to take or eat even one extra piece, afraid of leaving a bad impression and not being allowed back.

Once the skinny man caught his breath, he immediately tried to explain. "What are you talking about? I was just taking home what I couldn’t finish!"

Who would believe that? Absolutely no one!

His tag was green, meaning he had the 88 package, which provided only one kilogram of fruit and food combined.

He would have polished that off in no time, so how could there be any left over? Besides, the numbered tag records exactly how much has been consumed.

The solid green color of the tag indicated that the allowance had been completely used up. The evidence was undeniable; there was no room for excuses.

The Zombie King extended a hand, telekinetically lifting the Crystal Cores and Holy Daughter Fruits from the floor.

"Scram. Next time, it won’t be this simple," The Zombie King said, sending him away out of a rare sense of mercy.

On any other day, he wouldn’t have been in such a good mood. He was only letting it slide because it was the grand opening, and he didn’t want to cause a scene.

The skinny man scrambled out of the shop. The Zombie King put the Crystal Cores in a drawer, casually wiped the Holy Daughter Fruits a couple of times, and tossed them into his mouth.

"Next," The Zombie King said, sitting back down to resume his work.

The customer at the counter was frozen in fear, only snapping out of it after the person behind him gave him a couple of shoves.

"I-I-I’ll take the 288 package," he said, shakily pulling Crystal Cores from his pocket.

He placed them carefully on the counter, following the procedure Owen Warren had laid out.

The power Owen Warren had just displayed was terrifying. Grabbing people and objects from thin air—that wasn’t something a Low-level Superpower User could do.

No one dared to step out of line. They all obediently followed the rules.

The rest of the morning passed without incident, and business at all four shops was booming.

Lily Hart finally had a rare moment of leisure. She lounged in her chair and glanced to her left, where people were bustling in and out of the Dawn Hotel.

She glanced to her right, where the convenience store was just as busy. Everyone who emerged from it wore a smile of pure satisfaction.

Then she looked behind her at the bathhouse. A steady stream of customers flowed in, their faces filled with anticipation and curiosity.

Lily Hart leaned back contentedly, crossing her legs. On the small table next to her sat a bubble tea and a platter of freshly cut fruit.

She took a sip of her bubble tea, nibbled on a small piece of watermelon, and watched the crowds bustling between her concurrently operating shops.

The managers were all handsome, and most of the money they earned flowed right into her pocket. ’Now this is the life...’ she sighed to herself.

She opened her Light Brain again and pulled up the online supermarket’s mini-app. People were placing orders every single minute.

[Ding! The 100,000-point achievement for Fortune Base has been reached. Do you wish to place the automatic scratch-off machine?]

The system prompted warmly. Lily Hart accepted mentally. ’Oh dear, I’ve already conquered another base without even noticing. It’s almost too easy...’

A white light flashed, and a row of two-meter-tall, rectangular machines materialized outside her RV.

Everyone thought it was some new attraction and crowded around to see. The operating instructions were displayed right on the machines.

One look and they knew—automatic scratch-off machines! The customers cried out in joy, but that joy was immediately tinged with a sense of regret.

According to rumor, the appearance of these machines meant Boss Hart would soon be leaving for the next base...

They all sighed in unison. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, they swarmed the convenience store and the bathhouse.

Word spread like wildfire. The online supermarket was now available in all the major bases, and everyone used it with gratitude.

But only those who had shopped at the physical convenience store knew that it was much cheaper than the online version. Time to stock up!

Lily Hart paid them no mind. ’All good things must come to an end,’ she thought. ’Besides, the online supermarket is so convenient now; it’s practically the same thing.’

She hadn’t expected the news about the machines to spread so fast. Even Douglas Donovan came rushing over in a panic, terrified that Boss Hart would be gone if he was even a second too late.