Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Kill the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

Over time, the number grew. No matter where he went, he had to have one or two beauties with him.

Despite this, Jason Lynch never mistreated them, providing them with the best food and drink, molding them into the type of women he preferred.

The two beauties lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and sighed in unison.

"I wonder when this will ever end."

"I heard a lottery shop opened up outside the base. The owner is a woman, and she’s incredible. They say she even got the better of the Base Commander."

"For real? Tell me more! There’s actually someone that impressive out there?"

They got so engrossed in their chat that they completely forgot about Jason Lynch, who was out for a solitary walk.

As if drawn by some unseen force, Jason Lynch found himself on the perimeter wall. A guard on duty jolted, suddenly wide awake.

"Anything out of the ordinary?" Jason Lynch demanded sharply.

"Everything’s normal," the guard said, his voice betraying his guilt. He kept his head low, not daring to meet Jason’s eyes.

Jason Lynch rested his hands on the wall, his gaze fixed on the spot where the RV was parked. It was the only point of light in the pitch-black night.

The darkness was too thick, and without channeling energy to his eyes, Jason Lynch couldn’t make out the details of the scene.

He asked casually, "Anything unusual at the lottery shop?"

The guard grew even more nervous. He swallowed hard and said, "Everything’s normal."

"Mm," Jason Lynch grunted. He had great faith in the Guardian Corps. Just as he was about to turn and leave, a searchlight swept over the RV.

A single glance was all it took for Jason Lynch to realize something was wrong. ’What is that, swarming around the RV? Are they zombies? Or people?’

When it came to uncertainties, Jason Lynch was the type who couldn’t rest until he got to the bottom of things.

He channeled energy to his eyes and stared intently at the RV. A moment later, his heart seized in shock.

The swarm around the RV was indeed made up of people. But the base gates hadn’t opened in two days, and the walls were ten meters high. None of the residents should have been able to get out.

And the surrounding area was a wasteland where survivors never lingered. So how could there suddenly be so many people gathered around the RV?

As Jason Lynch continued to watch, he was surprised to spot several familiar faces.

A squad leader from the Guardian Corps’ Second Team, the second-in-command of the Logistics Department, a group leader from the External Affairs Department.

’Excellent. Just excellent!’

Jason Lynch slammed his palm against the wall with such force that hairline cracks spread outward from the point of impact. If the wall hadn’t been so well-built, he would have smashed it to pieces.

The guards behind him immediately dropped to their knees with a series of thuds.

Jason Lynch’s voice was low, promising a coming storm. "Go. Bring every last one of them back to me!"

’I might not be able to do anything about Lily Hart, but are you telling me I can’t even handle my own residents?!’

The guards were confused but didn’t dare to ask questions, terrified they’d lose their heads if the Base Commander’s anger turned on them.

They had no choice but to scramble to their feet, get down from the wall, and assemble the Guardian Corps members in the area to exit the base.

Though he hadn’t been told who "they" were, the captain of the Guardian Corps wasn’t an idiot. ’It has to be about that lottery shop that’s been causing such a stir lately, right?!’

Once outside the base, a force of over a hundred Guardian Corps members broke into a jog, moving as one toward the solitary light in the darkness.

Their training made them swift and silent. The customers on the outskirts of the crowd didn’t even have time to react before their arms were twisted behind their backs, pinning them securely.

"Who are you—?" The customers started to protest, but their words died when they saw the matching uniforms...

They snapped their mouths shut. A cold sweat broke out on their foreheads, and their legs began to tremble.

As the outer ring of customers was hauled back toward the base one by one, those closer to the center finally noticed and turned to look.

’Holy crap, where did everyone go? No wonder it suddenly felt less crowded.’

"Run!" someone yelled, and the remaining customers scattered like startled birds.

Lily Hart stared in a daze. The crowd, which had been packed several layers deep just moments ago, vanished in an instant, leaving behind an empty patch of ground.

"Hey! You guys!" Lily Hart cried out as she watched her customers being dragged away by people in uniforms. On their right shoulders, she could make out a patch with the word "Nutwood."

’It’s the Guardian Corps from Nutwood Base!’

She immediately went after them, but not without remembering Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe. ’I’m still a bit vulnerable away from the RV. I’d better bring my two bodyguards.’

The pair emerged from the convenience store with bewildered expressions. Seeing not a single customer left, they were puzzled. Frost Shaw scanned the area, her eyes locking onto the people being forcibly marched into the base.

"Let’s go!" Lily Hart said, taking the lead. ’It really boosts your confidence having bodyguards for backup.’

But she knew this wasn’t a long-term solution. She needed the ability to protect herself. She took a moment to ask her system.

"Can I awaken a superpower?" Lily Hart asked expectantly.

[Negative, Host. Analysis indicates your biological composition is incompatible with superpower awakening.] The system’s voice was cold and merciless.

It was one step short of saying, ’You just don’t have what it takes.’

But then, a glimmer of hope. The system added: [However, you can purchase superpowers from the store~]

Lily Hart immediately pulled up the store. There was a dizzying array of superpowers available—speed, strength, enhanced smell, and more—all with different price tags, of course.

The more powerful the superpower, the more expensive it was. A quick scroll revealed tens of thousands of different powers...

She could even buy Frost Shaw’s Ice Ability, but the price was... breathtaking. One hundred thousand points for just ten minutes of use. She skipped past that one.

She spent a meager five hundred points on a Speed Superpower and a Strength Superpower, both of which would last for twenty-four hours. A real bargain. Lily Hart was very pleased.

The three of them stealthily slipped into the base, following the tide of people being herded by the Guardian Corps.

They were in a vast, open plaza. Jason Lynch, though small and wiry, stood at the front, his presence as imposing as if he were ten feet tall. He scanned the crowd with a grim expression, his authority palpable even without a single word of anger.

There were two or three hundred residents who had snuck out, now encircled by the Guardian Corps, who watched them vigilantly.

The plaza was eerily silent. An invisible pressure hung over everyone. Lily Hart and her two companions pressed themselves against a wall, staying in the shadows and trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Who was the ringleader?" Jason Lynch’s voice, clearly amplified by his power, boomed with a resonant force that reached the ears of every person present.

A tremor of fear ran through the crowd, and no one dared to speak. Everyone knew the Base Commander’s methods; he was utterly ruthless. To stick your neck out now was to ask for death.

"I’ll ask one more time. Who was the ringleader?" Jason Lynch began to pace slowly. "If no one confesses, I’ll start killing one person at random every minute."

The sound of his leather boots on the concrete wasn’t loud, but in the silence, each footstep landed like a war drum, pounding against their fragile composure.

A minute passed quickly. No one in the crowd spoke. They were all waiting. And they were all gambling.

Waiting for someone else to be the scapegoat. Betting that they wouldn’t be the first to die.

Jason Lynch let out a cold laugh. His icy gaze swept over the residents as he slowly raised a hand, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk.

A man standing ten meters away was suddenly yanked forward, as if caught by a powerful, invisible force that dragged him through the air.

"L-let me go!" the man shrieked in terror, his neck caught in Jason Lynch’s iron grip.

SNAP. The man’s voice cut off abruptly. His head, no longer supported, lolled limply to the side.

The crowd watched in abject terror. Screams erupted as people scrambled backward, crushing together into a terrified mass.