Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Dismal Business

There was also her favorite watermelon, already sliced, and her favorite fragrant pears, washed and ready to eat.

She waved Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs over to eat as well. As she ate, she thought to herself, ’This is the life.’

The people outside buying scratch-off tickets were practically drooling as they watched. They had to constantly fight the urge to sneak glances.

Forget just their eyes; they had to restrain their hands and feet to keep from reaching out to snatch or steal.

Lily Hart was immune to such gazes by now. She could eat in peace, completely ignoring them.

But some people just couldn’t help themselves. While everyone was focused on the scratch-off tickets and Lily Hart was busy with another customer...

...one man quietly reached out, swiped a fragrant pear, and stuffed it into his pocket. He was caught the very next second.

"What do you think you’re doing?" The man next to him, who had watched the entire thing unfold, was now glaring, his eyes fixed on the pear-shaped bulge in the thief’s pocket.

"Me? Just scratching tickets," the man replied coolly, not flustered in the slightest.

Who knew the other guy was just as audacious. He leaned in close and whispered a threat right into the thief’s ear, "Give me half, or I’m telling Boss Hart!"

"You!" The pear thief was furious at being threatened. He grabbed the other man and started dragging him away.

The second man thought he was about to get dragged into a corner and beaten up. He opened his mouth to yell, but it was quickly covered.

The two were pressed tightly together, their bodies flush against each other. At a glance, you’d think they were the best of friends.

But from an angle no one could see, their hands were practically striking sparks off each other, and whispered curses flew back and forth.

Wary of each other, they finally reached a corner.

The thief glared at him but kept his voice down. "You can have one bite, tops. But after you eat, you keep your mouth shut!"

’An offer this good?’ He immediately nodded furiously, afraid the thief would change his mind.

And so, in a shady corner, the two of them began to munch on the pear as if no one else existed.

Naturally, the thief ate first, while the other man stared, swallowing his own spit, his eyes glued to the fruit.

The pear smelled incredible—a refreshing, soul-soothing sweetness, and it was practically bursting with juice.

He couldn’t hold back and devoured it in a few bites, leaving only the core. Without a shred of guilt, he tossed it to the other man. "Here, suck on it. Still has some flavor."

In these times, no one was picky. Getting to eat at all was a blessing. The man popped the core into his mouth and started sucking on the leftover juices.

"Ew..." The thief walked away in disgust, then sauntered back to the front of the RV, right back to the spot where Lily Hart had left the fruit.

Lily Hart hadn’t noticed a thing. She just assumed Diana Sharp and Tina Jacobs had eaten it. Seeing that there weren’t many customers, she carried the fruit platter over to her lounge chair.

She set the fruit on a small table beside her, rocked gently in her chair, and ate while gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds through the awning.

So blissful~

Of course, she was the only one feeling blissful...

The least blissful were probably the people of Auspice Base. Inside their main gate, several hundred people were lined up, trying to get out.

But the line hadn’t moved an inch in half an hour. A closer look revealed that a conflict had broken out.

"Why won’t you let us out?!"

"Yeah! We need to get out there and kill zombies!"

"Just let us out already!"

The Guardian Corps could only form a helpless, multi-layered blockade, sealing the gate. The residents didn’t dare try to force their way through.

A squad leader announced, "These are the Base Commander’s orders! There’s a spy inside the base, and we need to conduct a thorough investigation!"

Everyone knew it was bullshit, but there was nothing they could do. They stood with hands on their hips, cursing up a storm, but after venting, they had no choice but to turn around and go home.

More people trickled in to join the line, but as soon as they heard they couldn’t leave, they would turn back home, muttering curses.

No one dared to openly defy the Guardian Corps; that would be a direct challenge to the Base Commander. Everyone was too afraid for that, only daring to complain and curse in private.

As a result, even into the evening, it was the same hundred or so people outside the RV, buying scratch-off tickets. They were single-minded, buying only scratch-offs, rarely setting foot in the convenience store or even the bathhouse.

Lily Hart felt a bit helpless. ’Isn’t anyone even curious about a fun place like the bathhouse?’

’And another thing, just how many Crystal Cores do these people have? They’ve been at it all day and they’re still not done? I get that this stuff is addictive, but you can’t just gamble away your entire fortune, can you?’

But at the end of the day, she was the one profiting, so Lily Hart just watched them with a placid smile.

Fewer people just meant a more relaxing day for her.

When closing time came, everyone obediently returned to the base without a hint of impatience.

Lily Hart had just let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Roman Rowe bouncing over. He chirped, "Worked to death yesterday, bored to death today!"

Lily Hart nodded in complete agreement.

Frost Shaw, a few steps behind him, also walked up. "Not many customers today."

"Yeah. Did something happen over at Auspice Base?" Lily Hart glanced worriedly in that direction. The awning was retracted now, offering a clear view of the towering walls and their glaring searchlights.

She retracted her gaze and shook her head, none the wiser. "Whatever. Let’s eat first!"

It was just one slow day. They wouldn’t let it bother them. Life goes on, after all~

But after they had eaten and drunk their fill, the topic inevitably came up again. Roman Rowe gestured toward the hotel with a suggestive look. "Stan Sterling is still staying there, right? You think they’re planning something?"

Lily Hart glanced discreetly at the hotel and shook her head, though she didn’t sound completely sure. "Probably not."

’After all this time, Stan Sterling hasn’t really done anything strange. At most, he’s just trying to charm me a little, right? To get on my good side so he can pry for information about the lottery business.’

’Other than that, I can’t think of any other reason.’

’But he’s playing the long game, being so cautious that I can’t find any leverage on him.’

Thinking of Stan Sterling made Lily Hart think of the plants growing behind the hotel. Seeing that everyone had finished eating, she waved her hand to dismiss them.

Roman Rowe wanted to stay behind and whisper some more gossip in Lily Hart’s ear, hoping to drive a wedge between her and Stan Sterling, but Frost Shaw dragged him away.

After sending them off, Lily Hart closed up the RV and sauntered over to the back of the hotel. As luck would have it, Stan Sterling was there too.

He was squatting on the ground, watering the melon vines, saplings, and fruit seedlings. She could faintly hear him murmuring to the young plants.

From a distance, she could see that the watermelon vines, originally only the size of her palm, had now spread beyond the one-square-meter plot designated for them.

Thumb-thick green vines snaked across the ground. They looked a bit like coiled green serpents, startling at first glance. Small yellow flowers had blossomed along their lengths.

The peach and pear trees were also doing remarkably well. Their trunks were sturdy, and they were already taller than Lily Hart herself.

The original pine tree’s trunk was now so thick it would take a person’s full arm-span to encircle it, and it towered over the three-story hotel.

The space was small, but it was packed with plants, all of which were growing at a delightful rate.

If the researchers from Central Command saw this, they’d probably lose their minds.

The very same melon seedlings they had painstakingly researched and nurtured, yet failed to grow.

And yet, these two had managed to grow them so casually, doing nothing more than watering them each day.

Watching them, Lily Hart couldn’t help but fantasize about those little flowers turning into big watermelons. The thought made her eyes crinkle into a smile, and a small laugh escaped her lips.

Stan Sterling heard the sound and turned, feigning surprise. His voice was gentle. "Boss Hart? You’re here, too? They’re all growing so well, aren’t they."