Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Hunter Lowell

Simultaneously, for everyone in the base who owned a Light Brain, that line of text dominated their screens, no matter what they were doing.

Soon, a few lights flickered on in the base’s core district, and the residential area erupted into commotion.

The squad leader was now truly panicking, frantically rattling off a string of orders.

Lily Hart had no experience in these matters, but his orders sounded reasonable enough. It seemed like he was covering all the bases.

Twenty-five minutes remained until the zombie horde’s arrival.

She planned to drive her RV further inside. That way, even if the zombies breached the wall, she would have time to drive away.

Just as she was about to get in, the squad leader grabbed her arm. She looked at him in confusion. "What do you want?"

The squad leader’s lips trembled with nervousness as he blurted out, "You knew the zombie horde was coming, so you must be powerful. You have to stay here with me."

Lily Hart: ? ’What in the world is he talking about?’

She shook her head. "I’m just an ordinary citizen. Stay here and wait to die with you? Who do you think you are?"

Beads of sweat dripped down the squad leader’s forehead. He kept talking, trying to alleviate his nervousness.

"If I say you’re powerful, you’re powerful. They say you’re a lottery shop owner. What kind of lottery? Is it like the ones from the civilized era, where you could win five million?"

The squad leader was about thirty-five and had enjoyed the wonders of the civilized era, though those memories were gradually fading with the passage of time.

He had a death grip on Lily Hart’s arm, and she couldn’t struggle free. Resigned, she decided to humor him. "That’s right. But it’s not for five million. You can win things like fruit and clothes."

"Really? If I survive this horde, I’m definitely going to check it out." The squad leader’s eyes lit up.

His attention was clearly diverted, and he wasn’t as nervous anymore. Lily Hart was getting bored and felt like having a snack.

Just then, several bright beams of light shone over. Lily Hart turned her head away, her eyes narrowing as she frowned with impatience.

The squad leader beside her whispered, "The Base Commander and his men are here." He was clearly relieved.

Lily Hart was relieved too. Since the bigwigs had arrived, she just wanted to head back to her RV, find a quiet place, and get some sleep.

"Stop right there!" a sharp voice called out, each word landing on her with an aggressive weight.

Lily Hart stopped and turned around. It was a middle-aged man, stern and imposing, whose eyes and brow bore some resemblance to Winnie Lowell.

This had to be the Base Commander, Hunter Lowell.

A group of people, who appeared to be the base’s management team, followed at his side.

She spread her hands and said impatiently, "Can I help you?"

Not far away, the squad leader couldn’t help but sweat for her. ’Where did this woman pop out from? She doesn’t even recognize the Base Commander?’

Hunter Lowell frowned, his face growing even more imposing. The aura of a Level 3 Superpower User radiated from him.

It surged toward Lily Hart like an overwhelming tide, but she didn’t budge. She simply folded her arms across her chest nonchalantly.

"What are you doing? Your attack doesn’t work on me." Lily Hart wore a bewildered expression, though her eyes held a trace of disdain.

Hunter Lowell was taken aback, and the invisible pressure receded like a tide. He asked impassively, "And what name might you go by?"

’His daughter had come complaining to him today, saying that a woman in an RV at the base entrance had bullied her.’

’But he had been busy then and had just sent her away.’

’Could this be her? She looks so harmless, like a perfectly clean and innocent young woman.’

’Moniker? What’s that?’

’Is that something I have to make up for myself?’

Lily Hart casually pulled a name out of thin air. "The Lottery Fiend, Lily Hart."

After her ridiculous declaration, she added, "Hey, the zombie horde is coming. Could you all maybe focus on what’s important?!"

’Honestly, why is everyone so fixated on me?’

Hunter Lowell frowned. He’d never heard that moniker before. ’A newly risen figure?’

Hearing her mention the zombie horde, Hunter Lowell scoffed, "Rest assured, miss. We’re experienced in dealing with them."

’They’re a common occurrence.’

Lily Hart was relieved. As long as they had experience, it would be fine. She waved her hand dismissively. "All right, I’ll be leaving then. Good luck, everyone."

Hunter Lowell watched as she climbed into her RV, catching a glimpse of the interior through the open door.

Though minimalistic, it exuded an air of refinement. The overall style was cohesive, giving it a feeling of being perfectly, naturally put together.

It was nothing like his own RV, the interior of which was cobbled together from various sources, resulting in a mishmash of clashing styles.

As far as he knew, only a few key figures at Central Command had the financial means to build a brand-new RV like that.

’Could she be the daughter of one of them?’

Hunter Lowell didn’t dwell on it. Central Command was too far away, a place beyond his reach.

Twenty minutes remained until the zombie horde’s arrival.

Lily Hart got into her RV. She had no intention of helping, nor did she know how.

She figured that simply not getting in the way was a blessing in itself, so she drove the RV further inside.

She drove into the residential area, stopped behind a random building to use it as cover, about a thousand meters away from the main gate.

Then, she saw squads of soldiers arriving one after another on the open ground in front of the gate. They stood tall with solemn expressions.

When there were fifteen minutes left until the horde’s arrival, the troops had finished assembling. They had all been temporarily recalled from their various patrol routes.

Lily Hart squinted to count them, doing so until her eyes blurred. There were about a thousand of them.

’This many people against that many zombies? Would it be enough?’

She didn’t know much about the capabilities of this world’s zombies and humans, relying entirely on her system and what she’d seen with her own eyes over the last few days.

Once the thousand-strong army was in formation, Hunter Lowell stood at the forefront to rally the troops.

Seemingly aware that time was short, the rally was brief, consisting of only a few sentences.

Just as it ended, another hundred or so people ambled over listlessly. They slouched and leaned where they stood, showing no proper military bearing.

Hunter Lowell shouted sharply, "You’re completely listless! What kind of display is this? Straighten up!"

The group straightened up slightly, but they still looked like an undisciplined mob, with the same careless attitude.

Hunter Lowell didn’t say anything else, but his brow was furrowed in clear displeasure.

They were the base’s resident army of superpower users. In times of peace, they were well-fed and well-cared for, but when danger struck, they were expected to be the first on the front lines.

With five minutes left until the horde’s arrival, a faint vibration could be felt through the ground, growing more pronounced toward the southeast.

Hunter Lowell issued a few orders, and everyone calmly began to carry out their duties.

The heavy artillery team on the walls was responsible for continuous bombardment, with light artillery and archery teams nearby to pick off any stragglers.

The superpower users were responsible for dealing with the High-level Zombies. Everyone was intimately familiar with the process and their positions, as if they had drilled it a thousand times over.

Seeing them proceed in such an orderly, unpanicked fashion, Lily Hart was finally able to relax completely. After all, she wanted to keep doing business with Hope Base.

Her Light Brain came with its own software for tracking zombie movements, one that was even more accurate than Central Command’s.

Lily Hart watched the dense swarm of red dots close in on the blue circle, so numerous it looked like they were about to swallow the base whole.

She sat up again and glanced out the window. ’Are so few people really going to be enough?’

Ten... nine... eight... until the horde arrived.