Chapter 105
“The flood is coming?”
Hearing Granny Guo’s prediction, despite being mentally prepared, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart.
“Yes, the feeling is very strong,” Granny Guo said. “In any case, you all should prepare early; the flood will last at least a month.”
The duration is uncertain; sometimes it can last even longer. She had once encountered a flood that lasted three months.
It was during that flood that her daughter was swept away, and she lost her only child, leaving her with only her little grandson who was still in swaddling…
Fear.
As she recalled this, Granny Guo couldn’t help but feel a pang in her nose, but she quickly masked it.
“The flood will submerge the ground; only in high places can you survive, and there will also be Mutated Creatures lurking in the water.”
She said seriously, “The environment will be worse than it is now; you all need to be mentally prepared.”
The Fortress likely has various means to cope with natural disasters, but these two boys had never faced such calamities, so they had yet to witness the horrors of these disasters.
After a round of reminders, Granny Guo left to plant potatoes.
After watching her leave, Tang Yu’an looked at the sign hanging at the door, where “Desolate City Grocery Store” was painted in bold letters.
Although the name was different from “Peace Grocery Store No. 1” in the panel, the system still determined that Zhou Qi had completed the side quest.
Tang Yu’an received 50 Points and a 24-hour Traffic Boost Card, while Zhou Qi received 1 point of merchant satisfaction.
Looking at the new sign, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but sigh, “The flood is coming; doesn’t that mean we can’t operate normally again? This is too difficult.”
Zhou Qi comfortingly patted his shoulder.
This was something they had anticipated; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so eager to establish the branch store.
“Fortunately, after opening the branch, the main store can temporarily close. With the protective barrier, even if the flood comes, we won’t have to worry about it being washed away.”
He had already prepared for the worst, but he didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise after the branch was established.
Just this alone made the branch worth building.
Tang Yu’an agreed with Zhou Qi’s words, and his mood improved.
That’s right, the Grocery Store is their home, and now it has the best protection; nothing is more important than this!
“Do we still need to use the Traffic Boost Card?” Tang Yu’an asked.
This week’s weekly task had not yet been completed; it was stuck on the last task: use the Traffic Boost Card once.
The weekly tasks would refresh soon, and if they didn’t complete it, they would have to use a Weekly Task Refresh Card— but even after using the refresh card, there was no guarantee that the new tasks would be easier.
“Let’s use it,” Zhou Qi said. “Anyway, today should still be safe.”
“Okay!”
Tang Yu’an nodded and took out the item card from the Portable Warehouse to use it.
[You have used the “Traffic Boost Card (24 hours)” on “Peace Grocery Store No. 1”]
[Traffic Boost Card countdown: 23:59:59]
[Before the countdown ends, potential customers within a ten-kilometer radius will be subconsciously attracted to your little store. Please be ready to receive them.]
Tang Yu’an watched as the Traffic Boost Card transformed into sparkling starlight, flying towards the sign of Store No. 1, finally merging into it and disappearing.
As soon as Tang Yu’an looked at the building, he saw a prominent countdown for the Traffic Boost Card appear.
Other than that, there was nothing particularly special.
Within a ten-kilometer radius…
Tang Yu’an opened the map to take a look; the map did not display distance units, but he could see several green dots appearing on the map that had been cleared of fog.
And these green dots were slowly moving towards Store No. 1!
It seemed the Traffic Boost Card was indeed very effective.
Tang Yu’an happily shared this good news with Zhou Qi, then said, “Brother Qi, should we make a railing to surround the building?”
Although they could check the customers’ locations on the map at any time, if too many people came at once, they might not be able to handle it.
“It might be too late to do it now; I’ll go seal up all the windows on the first floor.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Qi went to seal the windows to prevent outsiders from entering, while Tang Yu’an stayed in the first-floor hall with Lili and Kang Kang. With the three little ones guarding, their safety was not a concern.
When Tang Yu’an came in, Kang Kang, who had been playing with Yin Bi and Wang Cai, suddenly remembered something and hurriedly ran over to him.
“Brother! Brother!”
He took out a small bag tied around his waist and handed it to Tang Yu’an, “Qingliang fruit, for you!”
Tang Yu’an took the bag and looked inside, surprised to find five small fruits. He exclaimed, “The cooling fruit is ripe?”
“Yes!”
Kang Kang nodded, his face already slightly flushed with a smile, looking particularly cute.
“Kang Kang, you are amazing!”
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but rub his head vigorously. Kang Kang squinted his eyes, like a little cat, particularly enjoying his brother’s head pats.
Then he looked at Tang Yu’an and said, “Brother, eat! Cool!”
Tang Yu’an smiled and said, “Wait until we finish the game, then I’ll eat, okay?”
Kang Kang agreed.
So, Tang Yu’an took out the Mutated Blueberry, the previous Mutated Lantern Fruit, and the Gathering Grass he had prepared to give to Kang Kang.
As soon as Kang Kang saw the Gathering Grass, his eyes widened, just like when he saw the Lan Hu Tree leaves before.
Tang Yu’an smiled, and after a series of guiding actions, he successfully earned 1330 Points! He managed to raise his Points balance to 9539.
Yes, after spending over ten thousand Points, he successfully raised his Points balance to nearly ten thousand in just one day!
This was all thanks to the three high Points rewards from the lucky spin.
Of course, there were also Lili and Kang Kang who were willing to cooperate with him.
As a reward, Tang Yu’an gave each of them a bowl of mashed potatoes, then handed the Gathering Grass and five Mutated Blueberries to Kang Kang.
The value of the Mutated Blueberry was not as high as the Qingliang fruit, worth 10 Points each. If Kang Kang could grow the plants, they would be even more valuable.
“Thank you, brother!”
Kang Kang hugged the gifts, grinning from ear to ear.
However, unlike before, Kang Kang did not cling to the newly acquired plants; instead, he immediately began “researching.”
Perhaps he really wanted to do that, but in the end, he held back.
He picked up Lili’s bowl of mashed potatoes and used a small spoon to feed her, showing great brotherly demeanor—
Of course, he didn’t neglect himself; when Lili took a bite, he also took a bite.
Jin Lili’s eyes curved slightly; every time she ate mashed potatoes, she would clap her little hands. This was her favorite food now.
Watching this harmonious and adorable scene, Tang Yu’an felt a sense of healing.
Of course, when he saw the current Points balance, his thoughts couldn’t help but become active again.
The main store’s shop level had already met the upgrade conditions; it only needed to spend 1000 Points to complete.
Since it was impossible to go to Jufeng Town today, it meant he could still play trading games with Kang Kang and Lili tomorrow to earn Points, at least starting with 2000 Points.
So why not upgrade the Grocery Store’s shop level first?
Thinking of this, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but run to discuss it with Zhou Qi. After receiving Zhou Qi’s affirmation, he no longer hesitated.
He opened the shop panel and clicked to upgrade!
[Peace Grocery Store (Small is Strong!) lv1]
[Upgrade Requirements: Merchant Level lv10 (met), Shop Popularity 1000 (met), Equip Magical Furniture v1*5 (met)]
[Do you want to deduct 1000 Points to upgrade the main store “Peace Grocery Store” to (Small is Strong!) lv2?]
Tang Yu’an clicked confirm.
[Deduction successful!]
As the Points balance decreased by 1000, a series of upgrade notifications popped up on Tang Yu’an’s system panel.
[Congratulations! The main store “Peace Grocery Store” has been upgraded to (Small is Strong!) lv2]
[“Super Energy Storage Cabinet” +2, delivered to “Peace Grocery Store” warehouse]
[Dream Drift Bottle +1, daily catch number +1]
[“Dream Drift Bottle” has added a directional delivery function, which can send Dream Drift Bottles to designated dream wishers. Note: Must have previously completed a transaction with the dream wisher and the dream wisher must be asleep.]
[Unlock hard decoration upgrade function, allowing for hard decoration upgrades and renovations of the Grocery Store. For details, please refer to the “Renovation” section.]
[New employee forum added, unlocking message board function, available in the “Personnel section.”]
There were too many pop-up messages, and Tang Yu’an could only browse them one by one.
Wow, two super energy storage cabinets after the upgrade!
This way, the Grocery Store gained an additional 38 cubic meters of storage space. Just these two super energy storage cabinets accounted for two-thirds of the upgrade Points.
Moreover, the catch and delivery numbers for the Dream Drift Bottle increased, and it could now be delivered directionally.
This felt a bit like the designated delivery to that technological apocalypse dimension yesterday; did that mean he also needed to use a Drift Bottle?
If so, he couldn’t place the Drift Bottle in the Dream Sea for interdimensional communication.
How to choose still needed careful consideration.
After all, with the new addition, he now had a total of 3 Dream Drift Bottles, and his biggest wish and goal was to contact the MR1688 dimension.
As long as he could make contact, there would be hope of finding his parents.
Tang Yu’an continued to browse down.
Wow!
The external decoration upgrade function!
He quickly opened the renovation section. Previously, there were only two functional blocks: “Renovation Plan” and “Furniture List.” Now, there was indeed an additional “External Decoration Upgrade.”
Tang Yu’an curiously clicked to enter.
Then, a new interface popped up.
[Please select a store]
[1. Peace Grocery Store]
[2. Peace Grocery Store No. 1]
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and first entered Store No. 1, as the main store was currently closed, and he didn’t want to change the layout of his home unnecessarily.
[Current selectable hard decoration upgrades are as follows]
[1. Floor]
[2. Wall]
[3. Protection]
Naturally, Tang Yu’an chose [3. Protection], and a new interface popped up.
[Current selectable protective hard decoration parts are as follows]
[1. Wall]
[2. Guardian Barrier]
Tang Yu’an: 0.0
The Guardian Barrier can actually be upgraded!
He quickly clicked the second option, but after seeing the specific content, his enthusiasm suddenly waned.
[Current selectable “Protection Barrier” upgrade functions are as follows]
[1. Unlock the function to invite customers to stay overnight (requires deducting 2000 Points, 200 shop popularity)]
[2. Unlock all-weather resistance to destructive natural disasters function (requires deducting 3000 Points, 300 store popularity)]
[3. Unlock resistance to all dangerous creatures function (requires deducting 3000 Points, 300 store popularity)]
[4. Unlock expansion function: starting from the store building, for every deduction of 1000 Points and 100 store popularity, can expand 1 meter outward]
Tang Yu’an looked at this series of functions, feeling excited with each one he saw.
The function to resist destructive natural disasters should be the original function of the protective barrier, but after unlocking, it can include business hours.
As for destructive natural disasters, it probably does not include extreme heat and extreme cold; otherwise, the Grocery Store wouldn’t be so cold at night—
Of course, it could also be that the low temperature at night doesn’t count as extreme cold.
Although he felt excited, looking at the Points that needed to be deducted, Tang Yu’an felt a pang in his heart.
This set of upgrades costs 8000 Points, almost the same as unlocking the teleportation function.
And such a high Points value is one thing, but the key is that even if they gather enough Points, the upgrade only applies to the protective barrier of Store No. 1.
This means that in the future, if they want to upgrade each branch store, they will need to deduct again separately?
QAQ
Tang Yu’an suddenly felt a sense of anxiety that the Points would never be enough.
Of course, the most important thing is that besides Points, they also need to deduct store popularity, which is accumulated from the number of transactions and customers.
Currently, Store No. 1 only has a store popularity of 15, and wanting to upgrade these functions is still a long way off.
It seems they must work hard to manage Store No. 1 next, earn more Points, and increase their store popularity.
Although the main store is also very important, their energy and resources are limited, and Store No. 1 is more suitable for their current development in every aspect.
After all, the flood is coming soon; they can unlock the overnight stay function to accommodate customers in Store No. 1, ensuring their safety while continuing to conduct transactions.
So, they need to quickly increase the store popularity of Store No. 1!
Tang Yu’an temporarily exited the upgrade interface of the protective barrier. Looking at Kang Kang and Jin Lili, who was playing with Yin Bi after finishing his mashed potatoes, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel the urge to bring back a few more babies.
That way, they could play trading games to earn Points!
He shook his head and continued to open the upgrade interface for the [Wall].
[The current store has not built a wall, please first construct a wall for the store, you can build it yourself or choose from the options below]
[1. Fence (10 Points)]
[2. Brick Wall (50 Points)]
[3. Stone Wall (50 Points)]
[4. Concrete Wall (100 Points)]
[5. Metal Wall (500 Points)]
All of the above are priced per wall of 10 meters long and 3 meters high, with width depending on different materials.
[Note: The land between the store and the wall must be claimed; otherwise, construction cannot proceed.]
Compared to the Points required for the protective barrier, Tang Yu’an suddenly felt that the wall prices weren’t that expensive.
Although the price of the metal wall is relatively high, he didn’t need to choose something so expensive.
So, he immediately authorized the newly discovered function to Zhou Qi. As the Branch Store Manager, he could also obtain the right to upgrade the external decoration of Store No. 1.
Zhou Qi, who was still sealing the windows, quickly received the system prompt.
He, like Tang Yu’an, first looked at the protection, then finished checking the protective barrier.
When he saw the store popularity required to upgrade the protective barrier, Zhou Qi suddenly felt the same impulse as Tang Yu’an to transfer Xiao Cao to Store No. 1.
If he remembered correctly, the little girl had brought 67 points of store popularity to the main store yesterday.
After browsing through this information, Zhou Qi immediately said, “ Wait, I’ll go measure the length.”
Tang Yu’an replied: “No need, I can calculate directly on the 3D map.”
Although the 3D map did not indicate values, as long as they measured it in reality, they could calculate a rough size on the 3D map according to the proportions.
Soon, Tang Yu’an calculated the area of the building, and replied.
“The area of Store No. 1 is approximately 25 meters by 21 meters, with a total area of about 525 square meters.”
The building is not a regular rectangle, so what he measured was just an approximate value.
After speaking, Tang Yu’an asked Zhou Qi, “Brother Qi, how long should we build the wall? And what material should we choose?”
While Tang Yu’an was calculating, Zhou Qi had been staring at the authorization interface he just received, frowning in thought, and did not respond to his question for a moment.
“Brother Qi?” Tang Yu’an called him again.
Zhou Qi came back to his senses and explained, “I was just curious to know if the protective barrier function includes the wall as well?”
Tang Yu’an: 0.0
Without Zhou Qi needing to explain further, Tang Yu’an, who had a rich experience in the system’s loophole, looked at Zhou Qi with shining eyes.
He said, “If the wall is included, does that mean the inside of the wall is also within the protective range of the barrier?”
Zhou Qi nodded, “Just like the canopy and the ground underneath it at the main branch, which is considered an extended part of the store, is also covered by the protective barrier.”
“If that’s the case, then can we use the wall to enclose land?” Tang Yu’an said excitedly.
Zhou Qi nodded.
Tang Yu’an continued, “If we can use the wall to enclose land, combined with unlocking other functions of the protective barrier, then we can develop a safe territory in the wasteland?”
As long as they are within the wall, they can be protected from destructive natural disasters and dangerous creatures at all times.
Aside from guarding against bad people, it seems there’s not much else to worry about!
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but imagine such a scene, feeling as if they had built a paradise in the apocalypse, but…
“Is this really possible?”
Looking at the description of the protective barrier’s expansion, Tang Yu’an felt that such a big loophole, the system couldn’t possibly have missed it.
After all, if the wall could enclose land, then this expansion function would be rendered useless, right? They wouldn’t need to spend Points and store popularity to infinitely expand the protective barrier outward—
Of course, the premise is that they have obtained land ownership.
Zhou Qi nodded; he also felt that the system couldn’t be that foolish, but…
“What if we connect the wall to the building?”
Zhou Qi said, “Then the wall becomes part of the store?”
Tang Yu’an opened his mouth, and finally realized…
It really seems to be the case!
After all, according to the system’s judgment logic, the parts covered by the canopy and roof are considered within the range of the Grocery Store and are protected by the barrier.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but exclaim, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Zhou Qi.
Nearby, Jin Lili and Kang Kang naturally couldn’t understand their discussion, but upon hearing Tang Yu’an’s exclamation, they exchanged glances and then…
“Wow—”
“Wow~~”
Then, they all looked at Zhou Qi with starry eyes.
Zhou Qi cleared his throat, feeling a rare sense of embarrassment.
“Let’s first build an equilateral wall of 30 meters; we’ll experiment with the rest tonight,” Zhou Qi said.
30 x 4= 120, so the wall length is 120 meters.
“Okay!”
Tang Yu’an nodded and asked, “What material should we choose? How about concrete?”
The metal wall is too expensive; at 500 Points for every 10 meters, 120 meters would cost 6000 Points, which they can only consider when they have surplus Points in the future.
Concrete would only cost 1200 Points, which they can still afford for now, though it does stand out a bit in the apocalyptic environment.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and nodded, “Then let’s use concrete.”
They currently lack store popularity and Points, and cannot unlock the all-weather function of the protective barrier in the short term, so the wall still needs to have some defensive capability to serve as a barrier during the day.
However, according to Tie Jin, when the flood comes, the water can reach a height of up to three stories, which is nearly 10 meters.
A 3-meter high wall has limited protective effect, so they still need to upgrade the protective barrier as soon as possible.
Tang Yu’an chose the concrete wall, then under the system’s operational guidance, began to draw lines on the 3D map.
The land around the building is mostly unowned, so he wasn’t worried about ownership issues.
Once he clicked confirm and the Points were successfully deducted, he saw a concrete wall rise directly from the ground about four to five meters away from the entrance of Store No. 1.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi couldn’t help but walk out and circle around the building.
Looking at the 3-meter high wall standing around the building, enclosing it tightly, they felt an inexplicable sense of security.
Of course, they also knew that such a wall could only block some small animals; even ordinary people could easily climb over it, so they would need to continue strengthening it later.
But no matter how they looked at it, it was much better than being directly exposed.
They chose a house with an area of 170 square meters, which had a small garden on the first floor, and the door leading to the garden happened to open at the spot where Tang Yu’an used the 3D map function to move the wall, creating an opening that aligned perfectly with this door.
Finally, after hanging the sign they made in the morning, the facade of Desolate City Grocery Store was completed!
Soon, three potential customers attracted by the lure card appeared nearby, coming from different directions.
Two of them were relatively orderly, walking along the wall towards the entrance of the Grocery Store.
Another one was trying hard to climb over the wall, attempting to enter the yard. Without needing Tang Yu’an to remind him, Yuan Bao disappeared in a flash.
From the light spots displayed on the map, it was clear that it had rushed towards this uninvited guest.
Tang Yu’an didn’t mind; Yuan Bao knew its limits. As long as this person retreated obediently, it definitely wouldn’t chase out to attack.
He and Zhou Qi waited at the entrance.
Jin Lili and Kang Kang were in the room, with a purple-red carpet, and even as the weather gradually heated up, it didn’t affect them.
Soon, two figures sneaked around the corner, and then they saw the two boys who had been waiting for them for a long time,
One on the left and one on the right, like guardian deities, squatted at the door beside two mutated giant dogs.
