Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Watching the Clown

Winnie Lowell was in disbelief. Normally, anyone who heard her title would be falling all over themselves to curry favor. ’Is this woman playing hard to get? Or does she just not understand the weight that the names Hope Base and Base Commander carry?’

Whatever the reason, Winnie Lowell felt insulted! Deeply, utterly insulted!

With a wave of her delicate hand, she snapped, "Get her!"

Winnie Lowell and her group happened to be just over ten meters from the RV, placing them outside the safe zone. A thought flickered through Lily Hart’s mind.

At her command, the four bodyguards charged forward like fierce tigers. BANG—

It was as if they had run into an invisible wall. All four were thrown back several steps. Confused but silent, they braced themselves to charge again.

BANG— This time they charged even harder, and were sent flying even farther.

Lily Hart leaned against the RV with her arms crossed, watching them with an unhurried air. With her lazy posture and amused gaze, she might as well have been watching a troupe of circus clowns.

Furious, Winnie Lowell spun around and berated her four bodyguards. "What does my daddy even pay you for? You’re completely useless! I’m going to have him feed you all to the zombies when we get back!"

The bodyguards’ faces went pale at her words, but they were resentful of the scolding.

To be one of Winnie Lowell’s bodyguards, one had to be a superpower user. How could they stand being called worthless by a young girl? But they couldn’t afford to offend the Base Commander’s only daughter...

...so they could only shift their focus to the woman who was putting on this show with her RV.

"Let’s go, men!" the lead bodyguard ordered viciously.

With that, they all began to channel their internal energy, intending to shatter the invisible wall with their strongest attacks. Debris on the ground swirled around them as if in a windless vortex, adding to the spectacle.

Frost Shaw stood up, his cool gaze fixed on the scene. He discreetly opened his palm, ready to turn the men into ice sculptures at a moment’s notice.

He was a Seventh-level Ice Ability User—the only one in the world. Dealing with these guys would be a trivial matter.

Only Lily Hart remained completely unperturbed. She even pulled out a popsicle and started eating it. Her nonchalant behavior made it seem even more like she was just watching a show.

Winnie Lowell gritted her teeth in fury. Seeing her bodyguards powering up, she calmed down. They were all Second-level Superpower Users, and that wretched woman looked like a regular person.

’Dealing with her? It’ll be a piece of cake~’

Just then, a faint aura enveloped the four bodyguards. As they charged forward, Winnie Lowell crossed her arms, mimicking the other woman’s pose to enjoy the show.

But a second later, her gaze slowly tracked the four figures as they were sent flying more than ten meters away, followed by several dull thuds. BANG—

Right where they landed were several oversized, square dumpsters. The four bodyguards fell in, one for each—a perfect fit.

Winnie Lowell stood frozen on the spot. It took her a long moment to react. She pointed a trembling finger at Lily Hart. "You... you... you! What did you do to my bodyguards!"

Lily Hart spread her hands helplessly. "What do you think?"

She hadn’t done a thing, really—just activated the lottery shop’s defense mode. The ten-meter radius around the RV was an absolute safe zone.

Once the defense mode was on, an invisible wall materialized at the ten-meter line. The more force one used to attack it, the more forcefully it would retaliate, multiplied several times over.

Winnie Lowell paid her bodyguards no mind and ran straight into the base.

She had to tell her daddy! Someone was attacking the base! Someone was trying to be a saboteur, causing trouble right outside. They had to arrest her!

Seeing her leave, Lily Hart put her hands on her hips in exasperation. ’Why does everyone always pick a fight with me right when I’m about to eat or clock out? Honestly!’

Chester Carter and his group, having enjoyed the show, started cheering for Boss Hart. "You’re the best, Boss! Don’t let those evil forces suppress you! We’ll always be on your side!"

Lily Hart gave a dismissive wave. ’These people are nothing but opportunists. Trust them? I’d be better off trusting myself.’

"All right, all right, I’m going to eat now. You guys do whatever," Lily Hart said, shooing them away as her stomach started to grumble again.

Chester Carter and his group nodded, getting the hint. They didn’t leave, though. There were tables and chairs outside, so they could just nap there or go kill some zombies.

This time, before pulling down the service window’s shutter, Lily Hart peeked outside, worried someone else might come looking for trouble. Instead, her eyes met Frost Shaw’s cool, indifferent gaze.

She glared at him and snapped impatiently, "What are you looking at?"

Frost Shaw replied earnestly, "Don’t close it. I want to smell the food."

Lily Hart: ...

’Is it really okay to say such shameless things with such a deadpan expression?’

She thought for a moment. ’Fine, I won’t close it. It’s not like it hurts to let him watch.’

For lunch today, she had a particular craving for fried chicken, so she’d placed a huge order at the "McD’s" in her system’s mall.

A McFlurry was essential, Coke was a must, and burgers, wings, nuggets, fries, and popcorn chicken were all non-negotiable.

She felt hungry enough to eat a horse, but because of her spending limit, she was still relatively sensible with her purchases.

It only cost four hundred and thirty-nine points. ’Not bad, not bad at all,’ she thought. ’Cheaper than the hot pot.’

The items Lily Hart ordered were delivered via teleportation on a tray, which she found particularly nostalgic.

It was just like ordering at a real restaurant, carrying your tray from the counter to find a table.

Unlike the hot pot and barbecue, this meal didn’t come with its own table, so Lily Hart had no choice but to place the tray on the scratch-off counter.

Frost Shaw’s gaze instantly turned fervent. Even Lily Hart noticed. She asked, puzzled, "Didn’t you just have hot pot? You’re hungry again already?"

He shook his head. "Not hungry." The gulping and the look of intense longing were just his body’s subconscious, heartfelt reaction to the sight of food.

Lily Hart was the type of person whose ambition peaked right before and during the ordering process; she’d even fantasize about what show she’d watch with her meal.

But once the food actually arrived, her interest and excitement would plummet by half. Today was no exception.

She smelled the greasy aroma of the fried chicken, then glanced at the look of pure longing in Frost Shaw’s eyes. Her fingers twitched.

"Here, have some of this," Lily Hart said generously, moving half the nuggets, half the fries, a wing, and a drumstick to a corner of the tray.

"For me?" Frost Shaw asked in disbelief. His eyes lit up, shining as brightly as flashlights.

"Yeah," Lily Hart said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Gloves. Put them on before you eat." She looked at Frost Shaw’s face—still boyish, despite his efforts to appear mature.

She was suddenly reminded of her own younger brother. He was about the same age, had just finished his college entrance exams, and wasn’t even an adult yet, but he was far more mischievous than Frost Shaw.

’Damn this apocalypse!’ she thought. ’He should be enjoying the best years of his life, about to start college, but instead he’s trapped in this hellscape.’

Frost Shaw was deeply flattered but concealed it well, calmly pulling on the plastic gloves.

He reached for the pile of food that was now his when, suddenly, a blob of red appeared in front of him.

It was Lily Hart squeezing out some ketchup. "Fries are meant for dipping," she explained patiently.

Frost Shaw was confused. He wasn’t even eighteen yet, which meant the apocalypse had broken out when he was only eight years old.

He had absolutely no memory of this kind of unhealthy fast food. His mind was filled only with the slaughter, deceit, and betrayal of the post-apocalyptic world.