Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Tank Fragment

Instantly, a crowd gathered, passing the item around. One by one, they all shook their heads in confusion.

"I have no idea. You can’t eat it, so what’s it for?"

"Ah, this thing’s got to be useless. It’s probably just another one of those household-item consolation prizes."

"No way! I got this from the most expensive scratch-off ticket!" the person said indignantly.

Lily Hart looked over, her eyes lighting up. ’This thing looks a bit like that helicopter fragment, doesn’t it?’

She gave the Lucky Cat a gentle pat, and it, ever so perceptive, softly announced: "Tank part."

’Ooh, a treasure. Logan Holland will definitely love this.’

Just as she was thinking of offering to buy it, the crowd started egging the man on to go up and demand a justification.

Getting a piece of junk like this from the most expensive scratch-off ticket—wasn’t that a waste of 150 points?

"Boss, I want a refund!" the man said, mustering his courage.

The people next to him kept giving him encouraging looks, offering their moral support.

Lily Hart was momentarily speechless. ’Talk about perfect timing—getting a pillow just when you feel sleepy. But I can’t set a precedent for refunds.’

’What if everyone who got a prize they didn’t like wanted a refund?’

She refused coolly. "Absolutely not."

The man immediately lost his nerve. If it weren’t for the crowd surrounding him, he would have just turned and walked away.

The onlookers were just there for the drama, wanting to use this opportunity to test Boss Hart’s limits.

Lily Hart’s tone suddenly changed, showing a sliver of interest. "Bring the prize over here. Let me have a look."

The man hastily handed it over. Lily Hart picked it up, glanced at it, then tossed it back on the table in disgust, saying, "What is this thing?"

Silence.

’If even the boss thinks it’s junk, it must be actual junk.’

More than half of the onlookers instantly scattered, and the man himself turned to leave, dejected.

He waved his hand dismissively in his disappointment. "I don’t want this piece of junk. Whoever wants it can take it."

A flicker of triumphant joy flashed across Lily Hart’s face. ’Perfect, this is exactly what I wanted.’

"Fine, I’ll take care of it then," Lily Hart said, feigning impatience and reluctance, though in reality, she could barely keep from smiling.

Once the man was gone, she brought the tank part back inside, discreetly tucking it away under the counter.

Once the store was a little less crowded, Lily Hart took a video of the part from every angle and sent it to Logan Holland.

He replied instantly, "What’s this? A fragment of something new? I haven’t even collected all the helicopter pieces yet!"

Lily Hart sent a smirking emoji and replied with just one word: "Tank."

Sure enough, a string of exclamation points came back in reply. You could feel his excitement through the screen.

"What! How many Crystal Cores! Sell it to me!" Logan Holland typed, unable to wait, afraid it would be gone in the next second.

"Since you’re a friend, let’s say fifty Crystal Cores," Lily Hart offered magnanimously.

Logan Holland replied without hesitation: "No problem. I’ll have Cherie bring the Crystal Cores to you. Make sure you save it for me, okay? And sell me any good stuff like this you get in the future!"

Lily Hart sent back an "OK" emoji.

「1,500 kilometers away.」 Logan Holland paced back and forth in excitement. He’d had a hunch when the helicopter fragments first appeared.

If he collected them all, he was sure he could either assemble a helicopter or exchange the parts for one.

Right now, the major bases were most in need of food and strategic resources. And now, both helicopters and tanks had made an appearance.

Could other heavy weaponry be far behind? Logan Holland was filled with anticipation!

Lily Hart, on the other hand, wasn’t holding her breath about collecting all the fragments. It was all up to luck, which was far too unpredictable.

When dinnertime arrived, the number of customers hadn’t dwindled at all; everyone was still full of energy.

So, Lily Hart ordered some takeout for herself, Diana Sharp, and Tina Jacobs, so they could eat quickly and get back to it.

It wasn’t just the lottery shop that was doing well; business at the other three stores was just as brisk.

Perhaps it was because Spring-Watch Base was surrounded by a city, and thus had more zombies, that its residents were especially well-off.

This was an observable fact; far more people came out to buy scratch-off tickets here than in other places.

Most survivors in other bases were ordinary people without superpowers, forced to rely on their wits and brute strength to kill zombies.

But in Spring-Watch Base, the ratio of superpower users to ordinary people was nearly one-to-one, so an exceptionally large number of people were out spending their Crystal Cores.

Perhaps because they had never seen supplies so cheap, Lily Hart’s Convenience Store was packed like a can of sardines.

With everyone carrying a basket, and some even pushing shopping carts, the already crowded store became even more congested.

When a lot of people gather, especially a lot of men, conflicts tend to break out. And right on cue—

"Would you stop shoving me!"

"You’re the one shoving me!"

"Have you no shame!"

"You’re the shameless one!"

"Buying that little bit of stuff? Who’s the real shameless one here?"

"I think you’re the most shameless of all!"

Roman Rowe, standing at the front counter, stuck a pinky in his ear. It was the same argument every day; he was sick and tired of hearing it.

"Are you going to do something about it?" Roman Rowe asked, looking helplessly at Frost Shaw, who just shook his head.

Frost Shaw curled his lip and said impatiently, "Do what about it? Just let them be. As long as they don’t wreck the store, who cares."

"Fine by me. I can’t be bothered either." Roman Rowe shrugged, turning to lean nonchalantly on the front counter.

Frost Shaw opened his Light Brain and started searching for something in the "Lily Hart’s Convenience Store" app.

A second later, his eyes locked onto his target. A smirk touched his lips as he pressed an activation button, then immediately closed his Light Brain.

The two men were still arguing, one with a shopping cart and the other with a basket, their faces flushed with anger.

The surrounding crowd, who loved nothing more than a good drama, started shouting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

But the more the crowd cheered them on, the more the two men lost their nerve. "What are you talking about, a fight?" one of them stammered in rebuttal. "This is Boss Hart’s store!"

When in doubt, invoke Boss Hart’s name. It was a surefire tactic.

Sure enough, as soon as the crowd heard that, they let out a collective "Tsk!" and "How boring!"

Then they promptly turned and walked away, losing all interest in the spectacle. The two men who were left shot each other a look, then stormed off as well.

Roman Rowe craned his neck to see. "Huh? They’re done arguing already?"

Frost Shaw rolled his eyes. "What, were you hoping they’d actually wreck the place?"

"Hey, I’m just bored. Trying to find a little entertainment, that’s all~"

"If you’re looking for entertainment, go to the bathhouse. I hear it just got a huge upgrade."

Roman Rowe’s eyes lit up. "What kind of upgrade? C’mon, let’s go check it out!" With that, he started dragging Frost Shaw out of the convenience store, and they ran right into Lily Hart at the bathhouse entrance.

The three of them walked in together. The place was overflowing with people.

Lily Hart had been here many times and knew the layout well. She could tell with a single glance that the interior had expanded significantly, even though the building’s exterior looked exactly the same.

It was just like the hotel: it didn’t look big from the outside, but the inside was like a separate dimension. After all, a single floor held dozens of rooms. If every upgrade expanded its real-world footprint, the building would have to be absurdly long...

Lily Hart did a quick scan. A second floor had even appeared. The rest and bathing areas had both expanded considerably, but there still wasn’t enough room for everyone.

She led Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe directly up to the second floor. The lighting was dim and subdued, making one feel sleepy upon entering.

The Zombie King was alone on the second floor. Hearing the noise, he turned, saw them, and raised a hand in greeting. "You’re here."

"Mhm," Lily Hart replied. There was an inexplicable familiarity between them, and behind her, Frost Shaw couldn’t help but feel a knot of tension in his chest.

Lily Hart walked a few steps forward, glancing around. "So, what’s new?"