Chapter 108
“This… this is…”
Old Man Li pointed at the place where the building had vanished before his eyes, too stunned to speak.
“This is the Safety Barrier, also known as the Protection Shield,” Tang Yu’an explained with a smile. “Once the shop closes at 6 PM, it activates automatically.”
He bent down, picked up a pebble, and threw it forward with force. Mid-air, the pebble struck an invisible obstacle and bounced back.
Tang Yu’an explained further, “Not only does it hide the shop, but it also provides protection from danger.”
Old Man Li’s eyes widened as he bent down to pick up a stone and tossed it at the place where Store #1 had stood. The stone met an unseen resistance, just like before.
He reached out his hand to the spot, and though there was no resistance where the stone had struck, his hand passed through easily.
“Since you’ve been hired as our branch store employee, you now have access privileges, so the barrier won’t stop you,” Tang Yu’an explained, glancing at Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi nodded almost imperceptibly and offered, “If you’d like, I can temporarily disable your access so you can see.”
“Right, Brother Qi is the manager of Store #1, so he has management privileges!”
This was part of what they’d discussed earlier.
Through the system interface, Zhou Qi disabled Old Man Li’s access to the Safety Barrier. Instantly, Old Man Li felt a force pushing him back, placing him several meters from where he’d been standing.
[“Handsome Zhou” has revoked your access to housing benefits]
[Current time is outside of business hours; you cannot enter “Peace Grocery Store #1”]
Seeing the system notifications, Old Li looked at Zhou Qi with a bemused expression.
“Handsome Zhou (Handsome Porridge)?”
Zhou Qi’s face visibly tensed, and he replied, a bit helplessly, “Yes, it’s the title given to me by the Mysterious Merchant.”
Old Man Li nodded, recalling the salty meat porridge they had once given him after rescuing him.
“Rather fitting,” he remarked. “Handsome boy with porridge that’s just as fine.”
Zhou Qi: “…”
Glancing at Tang Yu’an, who was standing proudly with his chest out, Zhou Qi had no desire to continue this topic.
Old Li continued to examine the invisible barrier, marveling at its properties. “This shield can block all forms of danger?”
“The store’s operating hours are from 8 AM to 6 PM. Outside of business hours, no one can enter, except employees with housing benefits,” Zhou Qi explained. “It also shields against threats from hostile mutated creatures and destructive natural events.”
Old Man Li’s eyes lit up.
“So, aside from daytime hours, we essentially have guaranteed safety at night.”
Of course, natural disasters like sinkholes or earthquakes might be different. If the ground collapsed, this building would likely fall at the start of the next business day, right?
Still, it was a good setup. It was no longer the intense apocalypse period, and the intensity of natural disasters had lessened over the past few decades.
“This is practically a perfect refuge…” Old Man Li murmured in awe.
As for the daytime? To be able to guarantee 14 hours of safety daily was a luxury in the wasteland!
Besides, the risk was inherently lower during daylight. With a good night’s sleep to stay energized, they’d be well-prepared to face most dangers.
This was probably one of the key reasons these two young men could establish themselves in the perilous Desolate city.
And now, it has become his refuge too.
As Zhou Qi restored his access, even world-weary Old Li couldn’t hide his delight. He looked at the two youths with warmth and deep gratitude.
At Tang Yu’an’s urging, Old Man Li walked through the barrier, watching as the building of Store #1 reappeared before him.
However, when he saw Jin Lili sitting at the entrance, he couldn’t help but ask, “So, has Tie Jin’s daughter been hired as an employee too?”
“Not exactly,” Tang Yu’an explained. “It seems that Lili has an ability. When she spends a lot of time around animals or plants, she takes on their same traits.”
Old Li then understood—since the Safety Barrier didn’t block ordinary animals or plants, this made sense.
Tang Yu’an proceeded to introduce Old Li to the three dogs.
“Grandpa, these are my pets—Yuan Bao, Wang Cai, and Yin Bi. They were originally mutated dogs from the Desolate city, but they’re now our loyal companions.”
Old Man Li nodded, sensing that there was something unusual about the three dogs, and didn’t underestimate them.
Then he suddenly asked, “Is there also a cat?”
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but chuckle—nothing escaped Grandpa Li’s keen senses. On their journey to Jufeng Town, he had indeed noticed Black Pearl.
“Yes,” Tang Yu’an nodded. “Black Pearl loves her freedom and returns to her own territory from time to time, only coming back occasionally.”
Yet, when needed, Black Pearl would show up and respond to his call to protect him.
After introducing everyone and reminding the pets to get along with Old Man Li, Tang Yu’an entrusted Jin Lili to him.
“Grandpa Li, could you keep an eye on Lili for us? Brother Qi and I have some things to take care of.”
“Are you going out?”
“No, just checking the walls outside the barrier.”
“Alright.” Old Man Li sat on the steps with Jin Lili, who looked at him curiously, calm and unfazed by the cooling temperatures—a sure sign of her unique ability.
Of course, he didn’t realize that her comfort came largely from the fact that she was seated on a warm, purplish-red carpet.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi went outside the barrier and began to examine the walls, carefully inspecting and probing them. They noted that the walls extended beyond the barrier, but they weren’t disappointed by this discovery.
As they had suspected, this was an obvious vulnerability. The system wasn’t likely to classify the walls as part of the shop building.
Zhou Qi surveyed the area around the store and then picked up a branch to sketch a diagram on the ground.
“Connect the walls on both sides to the building’s outer walls.”
The storefront of the shop was set up in a suite’s side entrance, with a pathway carved out of the surrounding wall opposite the entrance, and the concrete wall removed to open the passage. They used the removed wall sections to fill in the gaps on either side.
Now, by connecting the walls to the building itself, they effectively enclosed Store #1 within a solid perimeter.
Exiting without climbing over the wall would only be possible through the shop’s door.
When Tang Yu’an confirmed the 3D model to connect the wall to the building, Old Li, who was seated on the steps, couldn’t notice any visible change.
Seeing Tang Yu’an leap up in celebration, Old Li looked puzzled.
And noticing Zhou Qi’s pleased smile, he quickly sensed that something good had happened that he hadn’t yet realized.
Glancing at the walls now connected to the building on either side, Old Li seemed to have an idea and hurriedly stood up, hobbling on the leg that had been injured by a lizard bite.
Soon, he discovered the reason for the boys’ excitement.
To his amazement, he saw that the entire building of Store #1, along with the three-meter-high wall, had vanished from sight.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi’s maneuver had wrapped all the land within the protective wall into the Protection Barrier!
Old Li’s heart raced for a moment.
If they could expand it infinitely like this, wouldn’t they be able to create a “fortress” in the Desolate city? Living within such a “fortress,” they wouldn’t need to fear natural disasters or mutated creatures anymore.
But he quickly came back to his senses.
The Protection Barrier only appeared at night; it wouldn’t be active during the day.
At this current scale, the two of them could manage to guard it, but any further expansion would require additional help.
Even maintaining a population of a few hundred would bring tremendous pressure. Building a place as large as Jufeng Town would be next to impossible.
Because, besides external threats, there was an even greater challenge: human nature itself.
In this wasteland, you could always expect the darkest, most twisted sides of humanity to surface. People here rarely failed to live up to that expectation.
Old Li gazed at Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi.
If it were possible, he wished these two pure, untainted youths would remain free from corruption…
He shook his head, pulling his wandering thoughts back.
This current setup was already good. They had carved out a peaceful corner for themselves, using the goods they exchanged to not only improve their own lives but to help alleviate the hardships of those around them.
This… was good enough.
Old Li turned his gaze to the tall wall.
Perhaps they could cultivate the enclosed land, grow a few crops, set up a shelter for protection, and even raise some animals…
If Lin Zhen’s parrot successfully hatched those eggs, keeping a small flock of chickens wouldn’t be a bad idea.
With the building and the Protection Barrier as a base, they had far more possibilities now than before.
Thinking about it, Old Li’s face lit up with a smile.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were equally cheerful.
What Old Li hesitated to envision was precisely the goal the two boys were working toward step by step.
Of course, they weren’t ambitious enough to want to build a “fortress.”
For now, their aim was simply to create a small, safe haven where they could live peacefully—a sanctuary where the people they cared for could be safe from natural disasters and mutated creatures.
“Hey, Store #1’s popularity score just hit 78!” Tang Yu’an said excitedly.
Currently, Store #1 was at level 0, and upgrading to level 1 only required a popularity score of 50 and 500 points—half the requirements of the main store.
However, Tang Yu’an wasn’t planning on upgrading Store #1 just yet. He wanted to wait until they had the Jufeng Town branch store set up.
Although his point balance seemed sufficient, considering the 9,000 points required for the branch store and a teleportation array, it still felt tight.
But with the popularity score now only 22 points away from the first 100, he felt a sense of accomplishment.
Once they had the points, they could unlock the function to invite customers to stay overnight, which would help ensure Granny Guo and Kang Kang’s safety when they moved in.
Otherwise, he would have to shrink the Guardian Barrier to leave out some building space for them.
With a 24-hour Trafic Boost Card, and now with Grandpa Li joining them, they could certainly keep using it tomorrow…
Suddenly, a thought struck Tang Yu’an, and he glanced at the countdown for the building, then exclaimed excitedly, “Brother Qi, the countdown for the Trafic Boost Card has stopped!”
Could it be that 24 hours didn’t mean a single day and night, but 24 business hours?
“Wow, that means even without a new card, we can continue attracting guests tomorrow!”
At that rate, the guest-attraction card was incredibly cost-effective. Since the store’s business hours were 10 hours a day, a 24-hour attraction card would actually last two and a half days!
Hearing their conversation, Old Li glanced over with a curious expression.
What was this “Trafic Boost Card”?
He hesitated, unsure if he could ask about it.
Zhou Qi noticed his curiosity and, after a moment’s thought, explained, “The Trafic Boost Card is an item given to us by the Mysterious Merchant.”
“Yes, it helps us attract customers!” Tang Yu’an added. “It’s a rare item, and we only have two.”
Old Li nodded in understanding.
No wonder An An had been so confident about attracting new customers after hiring him.
“We had about 17 visitors today,” Tang Yu’an said, checking the message log. “There should be more tomorrow, so we’ll leave things to you, Grandpa.”
Old Li nodded, but his brow furrowed as he asked, “Are you two going out?”
Tang Yu’an didn’t hide it from him and, while leading him into the house, explained, “Yes. Uncle Tie Jin is coming back tomorrow, so we plan to take Lili home and then make a trip to Jufeng Town.”
Old Man Li’s brows relaxed, only to furrow again.
“Going again?” he asked in confusion.
“It hasn’t been long since you returned from Jufeng Town,” Old Man Li said with concern, noting from their tone that this time they planned to go on their own.
“Right,” Tang Yu’an nodded. “Granny Guo mentioned that the floods are almost here. We need to race against time.”
Old Man Li opened his mouth slightly, but in the end, he didn’t voice any objections.
These weren’t ordinary kids—they had many secrets he still didn’t understand. The best he could do for them was to hold down the fort while they were away. Perhaps that was part of the reason they had recommended him to the Mysterious Merchant.
“Are they coming with you?” Old Man Li asked, glancing at Yuan Bao and the other dogs.
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and shook his head. “Yuan Bao, Wang Cai, and Yin Bi will stay to guard the place. We’ll be relying on you to feed them while we’re away.”
“If things go smoothly in Jufeng Town, we should be back fairly soon.”
“All right, I understand.”
“Now, let’s eat!”
With the game Zhou Qi and Old Li had hunted that day, they built a campfire in the courtyard and prepared roasted chicken and barbecued meat.
At one point, Old Li, still uneasy, climbed over the wall to check outside, confirming that not a hint of firelight escaped beyond the perimeter. Only then did he return, filled with amazement.
They sat together under a star-filled sky, the fire crackling as the scent of grilled meat and warm wine filled the air.
They laughed and talked freely, without fear of wild beasts attracted by the flames or the threat of bandits.
How long had it been since they’d been able to sit back, relax, and enjoy a meal like this?
Old Li felt as though he must be dreaming, that all of this could only happen in his dreams… until—
He caught a whiff of instant noodles.
His eyes lit up, even brighter than when Tang Yu’an had brought out the lychee wine.
Zhou Qi had opened two packs of instant noodles, tossed them into the pot to cook, and added seasonings, filling the courtyard with that familiar, unique aroma.
Yes, this was the scent!
Old Man Li recalled the smell he had once thought he’d dreamed, only now realizing it had been real all along. The boys really had been cooking instant noodles!
He stared at Zhou Qi with wide eyes, swallowing reflexively.
When Zhou Qi served him a bowl, he sipped the salty, slightly spicy broth and savored the springy, chewy noodles, his face full of contentment.
This flavor…
It truly brought back childhood memories. Never in his life had he thought he’d be eating instant noodles again. Old Li couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction.
He chewed slowly, savoring every bite.
Just for this bowl of instant noodles, he resolved to work hard to attract customers and increase profits.
As he ate, Old Li discussed trade matters with Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi—what types of goods were most valuable, whether customers could only trade three times a day, and other details.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi shared everything they had learned, including their plans for establishing a currency system.
“You’re both incredibly capable and ambitious,” Old Man Li couldn’t help but praise.
Earlier, he had been skeptical about their idea of issuing currency, but after seeing what they had accomplished, he had no objections left.
Now, he genuinely believed these boys might succeed.
After their meal, Zhou Qi carried Old Man Li on his back while Tang Yu’an held Jin Lili, and they all headed up to the ninth floor.
“The stairs have been reinforced, so feel free to use them from now on.” They had only carried him this time to save time.
After setting his feet on the ground, Old Li glanced again at Tang Yu’an.
Seeing his curiosity and puzzlement, Tang Yu’an playfully hopped up and down and explained, “This is something the Mysterious Merchant taught us. It’s not wind-based ability.”
Old Man Li nodded, though some confusion still lingered in his eyes.
“Grandpa, come pick out a room!”
Tang Yu’an was delighted. While they still had some secrets to keep, there was no longer a need to hide anything about Store #1 from Grandpa Li.
“For now, it’s a bare shell,” Tang Yu’an said, “but as our customer base and sales grow, we can upgrade the store. Then, just like with the walls, we’ll be able to remodel the floors and walls, making it much more comfortable.”
They entered Room 902.
Old Man Li looked around the neat, orderly space and nodded, saying, “This is already good.”
Renovations would certainly require points, and he saw no need to waste them on something nonessential.
“So, you’ll be staying here tonight, Grandpa?”
“Alright.”
Though the floor was unfinished, rough cement, it was spotless, having been thoroughly swept with the gray-blue broom. Not a speck of dust remained.
Additionally, there was a glowing green double bed.
Though the deep-sleep function was of little use to him or Brother Qi, Tang Yu’an couldn’t resist redeeming one.
And look—now they had a use for it!
Not only was the bed well-crafted and adorned with intricate carvings, but it also came with a soft mattress.
Considering the bed’s special functions and Yaya’s excellent after-sales support, the 288 points spent on it were well worth it!
Zhou Qi had brought out gray cotton sheets to make the bed and even laid out a wool blanket he had prepared earlier.
Old Man Li stood to the side, feeling uncharacteristically out of place.
Before the boys could bring out anything fancier, he waved his hands and said, “This is enough. I can sleep on the floor.”
To be honest, the sight of the pristine, out-of-place bed and the tidy room left Old Man Li hesitant to come closer.
After a day of hunting, he was covered in dust and grime, afraid he might soil the bed.
“Grandpa, all of these things are exchangeable with points,” Tang Yu’an reassured him. “There’s no need to feel burdened.”
Old Man Li chuckled and shook his head.
He understood now. They had told him that as they leveled up, the marketplace would unlock even more useful items.
But he planned to earn these things himself. He had hands and feet—no need to rely on two kids to take care of him.
Seeing that Old Li wasn’t ready to accept it fully, Tang Yu’an didn’t push any further. Adjustments took time, and they could take it slowly.
“Well, we’ll head back to our room. You get some rest.”
“Alright.”
Watching the two boys leave, Old Li glanced at the toiletries they had set out for him and the basin of clean water.
He looked over at the candle on the bedside table—it was the only source of light since the branch store didn’t have electricity.
Candles were another thing Old Li hadn’t seen in many years.
He blew out the candle, letting darkness envelop the room. After his eyes adjusted, he finally exhaled a long breath.
This was the night he was used to.
Now that the boys were gone and he was alone, even though he knew the Protection Barrier was keeping him safe, Old Li still found his nerves on edge.
Years of living on the crisis-laden wasteland had trained him well, and he had no intention of changing his habits.
When he felt too exhausted, he would close his eyes and nap briefly. This kind of efficient, short sleep had become his usual way to rest.
In truth, he hadn’t quite grasped—perhaps couldn’t even imagine—just how dramatically his life might change now that he was an employee of Store #1.
For instance, after washing up, he cautiously sat down on the bed, intending only to sit and try it out, and then…
Before he knew it, he had lain down and fallen asleep, his eyes closed, breathing steadily.
Almost instantly, the old man who thought he’d never truly relax again was fast asleep, completely unaware of his surroundings.
It wasn’t until the next morning, when Tang Yu’an came to wake him, that Old Li groggily opened his eyes.
“Grandpa, did you sleep well?” the boy asked, grinning.
Old Li looked at him, bewildered, and nodded hesitantly.
He had no recollection of when he’d fallen asleep or when he’d lain down. It felt as if he had closed his eyes, then opened them to daylight.
But the clarity, the energy he felt…
Standing up, Old Li stretched, realizing his body felt unusually good, and even the leg that had troubled him since the lizard bite seemed less stiff.
What exactly happened here?
It was hard for him to believe he had slept so soundly in an unfamiliar place.
Tang Yu’an chuckled, not offering any further explanation.
“Let’s go get some breakfast!”
“…Alright.”
After breakfast, and with a little time still before eight, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi said their farewells to Old Li and the pets, then set off from Store #1 with Jin Lili.
From his map, Tang Yu’an could see that Tie Jin and A-Lian had returned.
