Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Claire Lawson

’Aren’t superpower users supposed to be full of energy? I thought they didn’t need to sleep and could just recover their stamina by training?’

As his mind wandered, the RV door was pulled open, and he was met with Lily Hart’s extremely impatient expression.

Before she could yell at him, Frost Shaw made a quick getaway.

Just then, a customer happened to arrive. Lily Hart habitually plastered on a smile, but she inwardly grumbled, ’I’ll get you for this later!’

Once business officially got underway, Lily Hart found herself rather bored. The customers were simply too self-sufficient.

They fed the Crystal Cores in themselves, picked their own scratch-off tickets, and redeemed their prizes on their own. She wasn’t needed at all.

The system was also incredibly reliable. The entire process ran smoothly and never got stuck at any stage.

"Miss, can I scratch one?"

Lily Hart was spacing out when a childish voice suddenly sounded. She looked left and right but couldn’t see anyone.

It wasn’t until she stood up, leaning her whole upper body over the counter to peer out, that she finally spotted a tiny tot.

She had dull, yellowish hair, a gaunt and sallow little face, and parched lips. Her clothes were dirty, stained with all sorts of colors.

But her eyes were incredibly bright and large, sparkling as if they held the stars themselves as she gazed up at you.

"Of course you can. Do you have a Crystal Core?" Lily Hart replied, leaning over the counter.

The little girl took out a Crystal Core as if she were revealing a precious treasure, declaring firmly and proudly, "I have one!"

"Wow, that’s wonderful!" Lily Hart praised. She grabbed a fresh book of "Big 7" scratch-offs and held it out for her. "Go on, pick one."

The little girl approached the task with a great sense of ceremony. She studied them for a long time, though she couldn’t discern any difference between them, muttering to herself all the while.

"I’m seven years old, so I’ll pick the seventh one." The little girl counted down the stack and pulled out her choice.

Lily Hart clicked her tongue. ’This tiny, emaciated frame... she looks more like she’s four or five. She’s just so thin...’

After making her selection, the little girl found a corner to scratch the ticket. A long while later, she returned to Lily Hart, looking crestfallen.

Lily took one look at it. ’Ah, a losing ticket.’ She didn’t have the heart to tell the girl the cruel truth.

"I know, Miss. I didn’t win," the little girl said, her voice full of disappointment. But she quickly rallied. "One more! Just one last one!"

She muttered under her breath, "If I go back today and still can’t find anything to eat..."

Her voice trailed off, and Lily Hart couldn’t make out the rest, but she was sure it wasn’t anything good.

An idea struck Lily Hart. She stood up and yelled, "Frost Shaw, get over here!"

Frost Shaw’s heart skipped a beat. ’That tone is dangerously sharp.’ He quickly wracked his brain, trying to figure out if he’d done something to offend Boss Hart.

His body, however, was more honest than his thoughts. He immediately started walking toward the RV, where the first thing he saw was a little girl who wasn’t even as tall as the service window.

"Here, pick a scratch-off ticket for her," Lily Hart said, subtly gesturing toward her Light Brain.

Frost Shaw glanced down and saw a message from Boss Hart. [Use your intuition.]

He got the message. Stepping forward, he took the entire book of scratch-offs, looked them over one by one, then selected a ticket and handed it to the little girl. "Here. Go ahead and scratch it."

She took it trustingly and began to scratch. A moment later, she cried out, "Miss, look! Does this mean I won a prize?"

It was actually very easy to tell if a ticket was a winner. Losers were covered in "Thanks for playing," while winners had cute little symbols on them.

"Let me see." Lily Hart took the ticket and announced with theatrical flair, "Congratulations, you’re a winner!" She then stuffed it into Fortune’s mouth.

The little girl’s sparkling eyes were fixed on the strangely shaped Lucky Cat. When it suddenly opened its mouth wide, as if it were about to devour a person, she stumbled back a step in fright.

She patted her chest, her heart still pounding as she calmed herself down. Lily Hart handed her a box of dates. "Your prize."

In that instant, it was as if she heard the voice of an angel descending, a beautiful, melodious sound bringing her good fortune. The little girl was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears.

She accepted the box of dates with both hands and bowed repeatedly, rambling, "Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss! I have to go now."

Lily Hart watched her walk away into the distance, then gave Frost Shaw a thumbs-up. "Nice work."

Frost Shaw smiled, about to head back to watch the shop.

Suddenly, Lily Hart gasped, then cursed, "Son of a bitch! Are they even human?!"

Following her gaze, Frost Shaw saw the little girl surrounded by several adults. The combination of their vicious expressions and aggressive, grabbing motions was truly horrifying.

Frost Shaw started to intervene, but Lily Hart pulled him back. He looked at her in confusion.

Lily Hart slowly shook her head. "Those people... they’re probably her relatives."

There was a slight resemblance in their features, and since they weren’t far away, Lily Hart could faintly hear the adults shouting abuse.

"You little bitch! Taking a Crystal Core to play some lottery game, were you?"

"I’ll beat you half to death! Any Crystal Cores you find belong to us!"

"Claire, we’re only doing this for your own good. There are too many bad people out there..."

Claire Lawson clutched the box of dates desperately, refusing to let them snatch it away. Only one resolute thought filled her mind.

’I have to let my sister taste fruit...’

"Hand it over, you little bitch!" The adults surrounded her, kicking, punching, and spewing profanities, looking as if they wanted to beat her to death right then and there.

The other customers scratching tickets nearby glanced over, then quickly averted their eyes. They might have felt a pang of pity, but what could they do?

Things like this were all too common these days. You couldn’t get involved in everything. The most important thing was to look after yourself.

Claire Lawson curled into a ball on the ground, clenching her jaw and protecting the dates with her hands.

One of them snarled, "Claire Lawson, if you don’t hand over those goodies today, I’ll throw your sister out to the zombies tomorrow!"

Claire Lawson froze. The image of that happening flashed through her mind, and for a single, stunned moment...

Her attackers shoved her over, snatched the box of plump, juicy dates with lightning speed, and bolted.

She lay on the ground, left with nothing. Her expression was numb, but her eyes burned with indignation and hatred.

Suddenly, a hand reached down for her. It pulled her completely to her feet, and a gentle voice spoke as it patted the dust from her clothes. "Go on. Kill them."

Claire Lawson’s back was to the speaker. She could feel a hand gently patting her back—it wasn’t a sickening, predatory touch.

Instead, it was a gentle, friendly gesture, a comforting sensation as the dust was carefully brushed from her clothes bit by bit.

Her numb expression began to crack. A single, warm tear slipped from the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek, quickly absorbed into her skin.

Lily Hart took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face her. "Do you dare? Do you dare to kill the people who have been tormenting you?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Claire Lawson’s eyes. "But... they’re my relatives," she stammered.

"They certainly don’t treat you like family," Lily Hart scoffed. "You’re a superpower user, aren’t you?"

Claire Lawson nodded. She held out her hand, and a small orb of clear water materialized in her palm, flowing and twining around her fingertips.

"Because I’m a rare Elemental Superpower User, they keep me under their control. They threaten me with my sister... she’s the most important person in the world to me..."

Lily Hart encouraged her, "Then rescue your sister. And then kill them all. With your abilities, you could easily secure a place for yourself in the Central Command."