Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Friend Request

"Huh, Frost Shaw?" Lily Hart asked, turning her light screen.

She had received two friend requests, and all she could say was that their personalities were so distinct she knew who they were at a glance.

Chester Carter’s profile picture and username were a bit cheesy, yet they represented the most sincere wish. It was a pink lotus flower with two words underneath, "World Peace," which was also his username.

Frost Shaw’s profile picture, on the other hand, was an iceberg—a massive chunk of ice. White ice, blue sea, with the sun shining on it, sparkling like a big jewel.

His username was also very simple: just a single letter, B.

’It really fits the mature-man persona he’s trying to pull off,’ Lily Hart critiqued internally.

That’s when it hit her—she hadn’t set her own profile picture or username yet. They were probably still the defaults.

She clicked into her profile to take a look. And sure enough: a dopey-looking cartoon avatar and a string of code.

Lily Hart immediately grabbed Lily for a photo shoot, then picked the cutest picture to use. She changed her username to: Hart.

She gazed at her newly arranged profile with satisfaction, a smug smile playing on her lips. With some reluctance, she closed the Light Brain. ’Nope, time to get to work!’

Frost Shaw had been paying attention to his Light Brain, watching her change her profile picture and then her username. The image of her grabbing Lily for a series of close-ups surfaced in his mind.

’How sweet and cute.’ Frost Shaw couldn’t help but let out a small, quiet laugh. Hidden beneath the brim of his hat, it went unnoticed.

Finally let go, Lily shook her head, groomed her fur, and then hopped onto the counter in a few bounds.

She landed right on the scratch-off ticket Frost Shaw was working on. Man and cat locked eyes. Lily’s eyes were large and a pale yellow, like amber.

"Meow~" *Hello, human.*

Frost Shaw didn’t understand. He just poked her front paw with a finger, signaling for her to move. It felt incredibly soft.

Lily didn’t move. She turned her head to look at Lily Hart. Her owner caught the look but didn’t even spare a glance, simply saying offhandedly, "She says hello."

’?’ Frost Shaw’s mind filled with question marks. ’Wait, she can understand what a cat is saying?’

’Then again, it wasn’t that strange. He’d heard of superpower users with abilities like that. But wasn’t Boss Hart’s superpower all about scratch-off tickets?’

Unable to make sense of it, Frost Shaw could only give Lily a small nod and say softly, "Hello."

Frost Shaw’s hand was still on the counter. Lily lifted a paw and rested it on the back of his hand, only to snatch it back with a shiver.

"Meeow..." *This human is so, so cold...*

Lily Hart, busy greeting other customers, acted as her translator. "She says you’re very cold."

Frost Shaw didn’t say anything. He just quietly pulled his hand back, hiding it inside the wide sleeve of his cloak.

Lily hopped off the counter, then jumped right back up, carrying something in her mouth.

Frost Shaw looked closely. It was a small, oval-shaped sphere, milky-white in color and probably no bigger than his palm.

"Meeoww!" *Here, to warm your hand.*

Lily set the object down, meowed a few times, and nudged it forward with her paw.

Lily Hart leaned over and translated, "She says it’s to warm your hand. The part about you being like a block of ice? That was my own addition."

The corners of Frost Shaw’s mouth curved up slightly, a hint of warmth filling his eyes. He reached out for it. As expected, it was pleasantly warm, almost like a portable hand warmer.

"Thank you," Frost Shaw said in an extremely quiet voice. Lily Hart was too busy to hear him.

Lily trotted closer and meowed twice, looking proud. She held her head high and puffed out her chest, her tail swishing back and forth with lively energy.

’This time, Frost Shaw thought he might have understood. She was probably saying something like, ’Don’t mention it! It’s just what a big sis does!’’

’Just like her owner,’ Frost Shaw thought. He gently patted her paw and returned to his scratch-offs.

He always occupied the prime spot by the counter window, and no one ever dared to challenge him for it.

Today, however, a man showed up. He wore a black tank top and black cargo pants, had a buzz cut, and handsome features. He looked to be around thirty.

But the corners of his mouth were turned down, his face a mask of indifference, as if the whole world owed him five million bucks.

The moment he arrived, he shoved Chester Carter aside, planted himself next to Frost Shaw, and tossed a red Crystal Core onto the counter. Then he started picking out scratch-offs for himself.

Chester Carter, having been shoved aside, was about to start cursing. But then he turned and saw the blindingly red Crystal Core on the counter...

’Fine, I’ll swallow it. I’ll just go to one of the tables outside! There! Are you happy now?!’

Frost Shaw was in the middle of scratching when he felt a new presence beside him, radiating an intense heat as they crowded him.

He glanced over. For a rare moment, his expression stiffened. Seeing the man’s brazen actions and complete lack of respect for Boss Hart, Frost Shaw felt a surge of displeasure.

Meanwhile, Lily Hart, completely oblivious, happily picked up the red Crystal Core and held it up toward the sun.

’Gray is Level 1, yellow is Level 3,’ she thought. ’So what level of zombie did this red one come from?’

The thought of zombies reminded Lily Hart of her first day in this post-apocalyptic world, and the little zombie she’d accidentally scared off.

’Zombies are a huge potential market; I have to figure out a way to tap into it. But they don’t seem to eat. Do they just live forever through photosynthesis or something?’

’So, how would that even work?’

A few other bizarre ideas flashed through Lily Hart’s mind before she managed to wrench her thoughts back to the present.

She tossed the red Crystal Core into the Lucky Cat’s mouth. A moment later, its loud, clear voice announced, "Gavin Lee, 250 points!"

Frost Shaw: "Pfft..." He couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

Two pairs of eyes instantly shot toward him, but Frost Shaw’s hat was pulled down so low it was like a personal force field, deflecting all unwanted attention.

Lily Hart nodded to herself. ’So red means it’s from a Level 5 zombie. He’s another heavy hitter.’

Gavin Lee looked away and impatiently grabbed five scratch-off tickets, "spreading the love" by taking one of each kind available.

He had clearly heard about the lottery shop’s legendary wins and come to try his luck. ’Look how well he knows the rules already.’

This made things much easier for Lily Hart. Eighty percent of her clientele were regulars and repeat customers.

The few new faces were quickly shown the ropes by the veterans and turned into regulars themselves. For a moment, Lily Hart found herself a little bored.

She sat on her high stool, chin in hand, watching them scratch their tickets.

Thanks to the powerful pressure emanating from an intimidating figure like Frost Shaw, plus the newly arrived intimidating figure, Gavin Lee...

...the space directly in front of the counter was occupied by just the two of them.

Everyone else was either scratching their tickets at the tables and chairs out front or had found a random corner to themselves. The only problem was the heat.

Sometimes, watching them wipe away sweat as they scratched, Lily Hart couldn’t bear it. ’They came all the way to my shop! How can I let them suffer like this?’

The system chimed in: *[Upgrade to Level 4, and you can set the temperature within the safe zone to whatever you want.]*

Her ambition flared at the thought. ’But... even if I sell out my entire current stock, I’ll still be almost 50,000 points short of Level 4!’

Before long, Frost Shaw finished with the tickets in his hand—five in total—and gave them all to Lily Hart for redemption.

As expected, they were all prizes for food: pre-packaged meals, fruit, bottled water, and even a voucher for a buffet.

Fortune announced the prizes loud and clear, immediately drawing waves of cheers from the crowd outside.