Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Eating Melon

A crowd of people had formed, circling around him. "Boss Shaw, don’t worry about setting things up," they said impatiently. "We can just grab what we need!"

Frost Shaw silently took a step back and let them have at it. As long as a person was carrying an item from the convenience store, they would be identified and charged automatically upon leaving.

News of a convenience store at the base entrance had spread throughout the entire base before noon.

Even Base Commander Hunter Lowell came over to have a look, his curiosity piqued. The first thing he saw were two ice sculptures and, next to them, five people with their feet frozen to the ground.

He clicked his tongue. ’This boss is a ruthless one.’

Frost Shaw grew tired of holding the Lucky Cat, so he dragged a table and chair over from the lottery shop. He placed the Lucky Cat on the table and sat down beside it, letting everyone serve themselves.

Gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd. "The Base Commander is here?"

Frost Shaw didn’t spare him a glance. ’For a superpower user of my level, it’s only proper for the Base Commander to come and greet me.’

Sure enough, Hunter Lowell walked past the others and went straight to Frost Shaw. "Great Hero Shaw, you’re here too," he said politely.

Frost Shaw gave a faint nod. Hearing himself called Great Hero Shaw felt pretty damn good.

His old title had been ’The Ice Dominator, Great Hero Shaw.’ It was incredibly over-the-top, but he’d loved it. As word spread, everyone just started calling him Great Hero Shaw.

Hunter Lowell had always wanted to invite Frost Shaw to join Hope Base, but he had been repeatedly rejected.

So, he continued good-naturedly, trying to make conversation. "Come to check out the convenience store, Great Hero Shaw? That’s a rare sight. I wonder which master is behind this one."

Great Hero Shaw nonchalantly pointed in a certain direction, and Hunter Lowell followed his gaze...

...right to Lily Hart, who was propping her chin up with one hand, dozing off while ’fishing’ for customers. Her shoppers were completely self-sufficient, so she didn’t have a care in the world.

Frost Shaw felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. ’Is Boss Hart part pig or something?!’

Hunter Lowell’s heart skipped a beat. ’What in the world is Lily Hart’s superpower? Opening a lottery shop was one thing, but now a convenience store, too?’

’What’s her game? Does she want to put Central Command’s businesses out of commission?’

As he thought this, his estimation of Lily Hart’s importance rose yet again. ’She is someone I absolutely must not offend.’

Hunter Lowell immediately began to heap praise on her. "Boss Hart is a true saint! A benefactor to the people..."

After a torrent of compliments, he finally got an approving nod from Frost Shaw. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and walk toward the convenience store that had caught his interest.

’Scratch-offs and that sort of thing... at my age, I don’t really like such thrilling pastimes. A convenience store is much better. You get what you pay for.’

He strolled inside. Out of deference to his status, the other customers shuffled aside to make way for him.

Hunter Lowell put on a friendly facade. "Don’t mind me," he said. "You all go on with your shopping. I’m just here to take a look."

The moment he said it, nobody cared whether he was being sincere or not. They immediately swarmed the shelves and resumed their frantic grabbing.

Hunter Lowell was immediately squeezed out of the crowd. His face darkened as he glared at the people, displeased.

A bootlicker shouted, "What do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see Base Commander Lowell is here? Stop pushing! What if you hurt him? Everybody back off!"

Others muttered under their breath, "Look at you, showing off. If you’re so good at bootlicking, how come you’re still stuck here with us?"

Someone else chimed in loudly, "Oh, come on! The Base Commander is a magnanimous man. Why would he care about a little thing like this?"

Unfortunately for them, Hunter Lowell heard both comments crystal clear. The air instantly fell silent.

He said magnanimously, "Oh, it’s quite alright. First come, first served. Please, you were here first."

With that, he proactively took a few more steps back, his expression kind and his smile faint.

Everyone started praising him. "See? I told you the Base Commander isn’t a petty man. He’s very generous! You were just making a fuss over nothing."

The bootlicker who’d started it all, utterly mortified, darted forward, grabbed a few cups of instant noodles, some bread, and a few bottles of water from a cardboard box, and then beat a hasty retreat.

A shadow passed through Hunter Lowell’s eyes, but he maintained his approachable, down-to-earth smile. Behind his back, however, his hand quietly clenched into a fist.

Reassured by the Base Commander’s gracious words, everyone relaxed and went back to picking out their items before leaving the store.

They were all quite quick about it, not wasting much time. After all, a long line of people was still waiting outside.

Once that wave of fifty people had mostly cleared out, Hunter Lowell nonchalantly made his way forward.

Feigning nonchalance, he picked up a bottle of mineral water. He held it up to the light, examining it, and sighed to himself. ’It’s so pure.’

Even the water provided by Central Command was full of impurities. It tasted strange, with a hint of rust.

Staring at the bottle now, he couldn’t help but gulp. He was dying to know what such pure water tasted like.

With that thought, Hunter Lowell couldn’t resist twisting off the cap. GULP, GULP. He took several large swigs, downing almost half the bottle.

[WARNING! WARNING! HUNTER LOWELL IS DRINKING WATER WITHOUT PAYING! HUNTER LOWELL IS DRINKING WATER WITHOUT PAYING!]

The alarm blared throughout the convenience store, loud enough to be heard clearly fifty meters away.

Frost Shaw shot to his feet and strode toward the convenience store, his brow furrowed and his expression murderous.

The other onlookers turned toward the store, unable to stifle their laughter. "What’s going on with the Base Commander?" they whispered.

"I don’t know. Is he inspecting the store or something?"

One of Lily Hart’s loyal fans spoke up defensively, "As if Boss Hart’s store needs his inspection! Who does he think he is?"

"Exactly! Boss Hart has done so much for us. What has Hunter Lowell ever done, besides strut around and put on airs all day?"

"Alright, keep your voices down. We still have to live in Hope Base, you know."

Lily Hart stopped dozing. She craned her neck to see what was happening, then, her curiosity piqued, she got up and trotted over.

A true Cathayan, always ready for the drama.

Inside the convenience store, the alarm jolted Hunter Lowell as if from a dream. His face flushed with embarrassment as he hurriedly screwed the cap back on the bottle.

He turned to face the menacing-looking Frost Shaw and explained with an awkward laugh, "How many Crystal Cores? I’ll pay for it."

Frost Shaw’s face was cold as ice. "This is your only warning. If it happens again, you’ll be blacklisted from the store permanently."

Hunter Lowell’s face flushed beet-red. He hadn’t expected Frost Shaw to show him so little respect. A flash of resentment crossed his eyes.

More and more people gathered to watch, whispering amongst themselves. Although Hunter Lowell couldn’t make out their words...

...he could just feel them gossiping. ’I never knew Base Commander Lowell had such... peculiar habits.’

"Right? It’s one thing for the Base Commander of all people not to pay, but to just open it and drink it? His rations are way bigger than ours. Has he never seen a bottle of water before?"

"Well, Boss Hart’s products are high-quality, and the water is so clean. It’s only natural to be a little shocked at first."

"That’s no excuse to drink without paying! He has no class."

The whispers drilled into Hunter Lowell’s ears. His vision swam. The image he had painstakingly cultivated for years... ruined in an instant.

"Shut up!" Hunter Lowell roared, his face livid. He turned on his heel, about to storm out of the store.

Frost Shaw blocked his path. "The Crystal Core."

Hunter Lowell nearly choked on his own rage. He pulled a Crystal Core from his dimensional space, hurled it at Frost Shaw, and stormed out the door.

Frost Shaw caught the Crystal Core. It was a yellow Level 3 Crystal Core. He turned and called after the retreating Hunter Lowell.

"Hey," Frost Shaw called out, his voice flat. "You overpaid."