Chapter 114
“Thwip—”
After the second arrow struck, the unknown creature no longer cared about the disorientation from hitting the invisible barrier. Panicking, it turned and fled.
Old Li nocked another arrow but didn’t get up to pursue it.
The sky was overcast, concealing the moon, and the night around him was pitch-black. Though visibility wasn’t entirely gone, everything was reduced to vague outlines at best.
Everything around him was shrouded in darkness. Chasing a creature under such conditions would be as good as asking for trouble.
However, Old Li did notice something peculiar.
The creature had been charging directly toward him but had seemed to hit an invisible obstacle mid-charge… Had Xiao An and Zhou Qi succeeded in upgrading the barrier?
Old Li gazed into the pitch-black night, puzzled.
They’d only left for Jufeng Town that afternoon. Could they really have set everything up so quickly?
Though he didn’t know exactly how many points were required to unlock that feature, the boys’ concerned expressions had indicated it would be no small amount.
Did they encounter some kind of unexpected windfall along the way?
Concern crept into Old Li’s eyes. In these wastelands, opportunity and danger were often intertwined.
He could only hope the two kids would return safely…
“Woof! Woof!”
The sudden sound of barking jolted Old Li from his thoughts. The dog’s bark was crisp and loud in the still night, startling him slightly.
Looking down, he saw his two large dogs wagging their tails by his side.
The little pup had wandered off somewhere, and since Old Li hadn’t dared light a candle, the building was as dark as the night outside, making it impossible to see clearly, let alone spot a small dog.
But these two big dogs had stayed by his side, calm and alert. Now, though…
“Woof, woof, woof!”
The other dog joined in, barking cheerfully with an almost laughing sound, showing no tension at all.
So the protective barrier was indeed active?
Animals were particularly sensitive to such things, and these two were no ordinary dogs.
Old Li patted them on the head to reassure them, but he didn’t lower his guard. He cautiously moved to the gap in the wall.
With the night so dark and visibility so low, he couldn’t confirm the building’s presence with his eyes alone.
So he picked up a stone and threw it forcefully forward.
Only when he felt the distinct resistance of the barrier did he relax, retreating back behind the screen, finally letting his guard down.
“Wang Cai, Yin Bi, go on to bed now.”
Old Li chuckled and, after rummaging around on the first floor, found a candle. Carefully, he made his way up to the eighth floor.
In Room 801, Granny Guo lay peacefully on the woolen blanket, her breathing steady and calm. Her condition had stabilized.
Kang Kang was curled up by her side, fast asleep as well.
As for his plant “friends,” Old Li had already moved them to the ninth floor earlier that afternoon. Under the protection of the barrier, they were perfectly safe.
After confirming that the grandmother and grandson were all right, Old Li continued upstairs to the ninth floor, candle in hand.
Lin Zhen had stopped by earlier that afternoon.
She had noticed the commotion caused by the mutant bear but, unfamiliar with Granny Guo, had come by simply to warn Old Li to be cautious.
Come to think of it, the item called a “Traffic Boost Card” had been exceptionally useful.
Despite the mutant bear’s appearance near their store, which would typically scare off the Desolate City’s residents, their customer traffic had been steady.
After the boys left, Old Li had received seven or eight customers in succession, right up until the six o’clock closing time.
Old Li entered Room 902.
By candlelight, he glanced at the doorframe and made a mental notes to install a proper door soon.
Then he went over to the twin beds, set the candle down, and blew it out.
Though he’d climbed all the way from the first to the ninth floor, his breathing was still steady, with only his old injury acting up slightly.
He sat on the edge of the bed, intending just to rest for a moment, but…
His body relaxed involuntarily, and before he knew it, he lay back and quickly drifted off, peacefully falling asleep on the soft, glowing green bed.
Not long after Old Li fell asleep, sounds began to stir in the neighboring room, 901.
“Ah, it feels good to be back in the Desolate City!”
Tang Yu’an stretched as he stepped out of the main bedroom—they had just finished tidying up Store No. 2 and returned here via the teleportation array.
Zhou Qi, following close behind, suddenly frowned and pulled Tang Yu’an back, positioning himself protectively in front of him.
“Who’s there?” he demanded in a low voice.
A large shadow emerged slowly from the doorway.
Could a dangerous creature have gotten in?
Tang Yu’an quickly cast a Purification spell.
Under the glow of the spell, the figure’s identity was revealed.
“Huh, Black Pearl!”
To their surprise, the one waiting for them was none other than the big black cat they hadn’t seen in days. Tang Yu’an’s face lit up as he ran over to it, laughing.
“Black Pearl, did you come to see me?”
The large black cat didn’t respond but fixed its gaze on him, sniffing around him to make sure he wasn’t hurt.
“Did you sense the mutant bear as well?” Zhou Qi relaxed his guard and asked the cat.
Black Pearl cast him a sideways glance, then padded toward the teleportation array, as if ready to leave.
“Black Pearl, are you leaving already?”
Hearing Tang Yu’an’s disappointed voice, the black cat paused.
It looked back at Tang Yu’an, who stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the cat’s neck, rubbing his cheek against its soft fur with a happy smile.
“I’m so happy you came back to see me!”
Tang Yu’an held onto the big cat, unwilling to let go. “Stay a little longer, okay? How about some milk?”
The tips of Black Pearl’s ears twitched slightly. Then, with a resigned look, she slowly shrank her body down to her kitten form and curled up in Tang Yu’an’s arms.
While Tang Yu’an played with Black Pearl, Zhou Qi took a flashlight and left the room to check on things. He soon returned.
“Granny, Kang Kang, and Grandpa Li are all asleep,” he reported. “Everything is in order at Store No. 1, and it’s a good thing we unlocked the Guest-Accommodation Function in time.”
Tang Yu’an grinned, stroking Black Pearl’s head. “Brother Qi, your employee level must have gone up too!”
Earlier, Zhou Qi had earned only 39 experience points as an employee, not quite enough for a full level-up. But being the branch manager came with perks—Old Li, as an employee of Store No. 1, contributed 1 experience point to Zhou Qi for each profitable transaction he made.
So, Zhou Qi successfully reached level 7.
Tang Yu’an granted Zhou Qi the upgraded Remote Retrieval skill, which now included the ability to place items remotely.
Though the current range was only one meter, it was still a tremendous improvement for Zhou Qi.
Now, in a future fight like today’s, he’d be able to place the Super Mouse Trap at the optimal spot without needing to hide behind a cabinet to distract the creature or risking his life to set it down at the monster’s feet.
If he’d been even a fraction slower against that mutant bear, he could’ve ended up under its paw.
Speaking of which…
Zhou Qi retrieved the two green-glowing cabinets from the main store’s storage.
After enduring the mutant bear’s massive strikes, the cabinets looked fine on the surface—remarkably sturdy. However…
Zhou Qi pressed lightly on one of the shelves, and it cracked immediately.
“Oh no, is the cabinet broken?”
Tang Yu’an examined it carefully and quickly began searching for a way to summon the furniture sprites for repairs.
He no longer viewed the cabinets as just storage; with such incredible durability, they could be a powerful asset in future battles.
Plus, since they were magical furnishings made by Yaya, they came with a lifetime warranty!
Tang Yu’an soon located the repair button and clicked it, triggering a system prompt.
[Furniture Sprite is reviewing the repair request…]
[Sprite “Yaya” has accepted the order!]
[Yaya: Repair time is 90 minutes. Please be patient ^^]
A gentle, glowing green light began to spread from within the cabinet, quickly illuminating the entire cabinet and casting a soft glow throughout the room.
“Oh, Yaya’s not coming?” Tang Yu’an asked, slightly disappointed. It seemed that Yaya, the furniture sprite, only made personal appearances during furniture upgrades.
Nonetheless, he took a cup of freshly made soy milk from his personal storage and placed it on the cabinet. But since the sprite hadn’t appeared, the usual dust of appreciation didn’t scatter from the furniture.
“Yaya likes plant-based snacks, and soy milk is made from soybeans, so maybe she’ll like it?”
“Let’s give it a try.”
“Yeah!”
They sat down together on the soft, purple-carpet, while Black Pearl jumped down from Tang Yu’an’s arms and began padding across the rug, seemingly impressed by its comfort.
Zhou Qi took out last night’s roasted meat, some instant noodles, and a meat and egg pancake they’d made earlier. Since everything had been stored in his personal space, the food was still warm and delicious, as fresh as when they’d first made it.
Tang Yu’an summoned his pets and handed out milk and meat pancakes for them to enjoy.
It was still only nine in the evening, and on the desolate wastelands where night stretched long, time seemed to move especially slowly.
Meanwhile, in Jufeng Town…
“This is the salt that the new merchants supplied to the Mountain Lord? And those kids are planning to open a shop here to sell it?”
Jin Fu tasted a pinch of salt that one of his men had brought him, his expression darkening.
“Yes, we obtained this from a guard. Hei Xiong distributed something called ‘salt notes’ to them, which they can use to exchange for salt from those two boys,” his subordinate explained, handing Jin Fu a high-priced salt note they’d acquired.
Holding the note, Jin Fu’s face grew even more grim.
He immediately understood the purpose of the note and narrowed his eyes. “Do you think we could replicate this with our current resources?”
“I’m afraid not,” his subordinate replied. “These salt notes are of exceptional quality—tear-resistant, chew-proof, and even fire- and water-resistant. We can’t tell what they’re made from.”
“Quite the extravagant setup…”
Jin Fu glared at the salt in his hand. It was sea salt, indicating that these merchants had found a source at the coast.
Though infuriated, he knew he couldn’t blame the coastal town for this—it was the unruly salt merchant who was disrupting things.
Cutting off one’s supply was as grave as cutting off one’s livelihood!
When he had met those two kids on the way up the mountain, he had even generously invited them to join him on his next trip to the coastal town—a gesture he hadn’t made out of pure kindness, but he had indeed hoped to build rapport with them.
But they’d gone too far!
“Send someone to scout out their store and gather information. If necessary…”
Jin Fu made a throat-slitting motion, his expression cold and merciless, entirely different from his usual easygoing and friendly demeanor.
His subordinate nodded in understanding.
In the deep quiet of the night, a few seasoned men slipped past the guards, taking advantage of the darkness as they stealthily infiltrated the “Jufeng Grocery Store.”
However, they found absolutely nothing inside the shop—not a trace of the two kids, nor even the five large sacks of goods they had seen brought in during the day as part of the transaction with Hong Li.
The intruders exchanged bewildered looks, cold sweat starting to trickle down their foreheads.
The infiltrators realized they’d walked into a trap.
Just as they prepared to retreat, flames flared up around them—Hei Xiong had surrounded the Jufeng Grocery Store with a team of guards.
Sensing the danger, the intruders tried to fight their way out, but they were swiftly overpowered by the guards. Some were killed, and the rest captured, leaving none to escape.
Listening to his team’s report, Hei Xiong nodded with satisfaction.
He had merely been passing by when he noticed some suspicious movement in the store. Knowing how important those two kids were, he had quickly ordered a perimeter to be set around the building.
To his surprise, it had indeed flushed out intruders.
The audacity of these thugs was infuriating; they showed no respect for the town guards.
But now that the Guard Post was well-stocked with food and salt, given a little more time, they wouldn’t need to tolerate these scoundrels any longer!
“The guards stationed here tonight should report for punishment,” Hei Xiong barked. “If I hadn’t happened to walk by, the grocery store could have been in serious danger. These guards clearly don’t understand the importance of this store to Jufeng Town!”
Glancing toward the Jufeng Grocery Store, a sudden thought struck him, and his face darkened.
With all the commotion, why hadn’t the two boys come out yet? Could something have happened to them? He rushed into the store to check.
But quickly, Hei Xiong found himself facing the same puzzle.
Where were they? And the goods?
*
Meanwhile, back at the Peace Grocery Store No. 1…
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were blissfully unaware of the trouble brewing in Jufeng Town or how lively their Store No. 2 had been that night.
After dinner, Tang Yu’an eagerly opened the interface to check the new external upgrade options.
To fully unlock the barrier’s “24-Hour Protection Against Natural Disasters” and “24-Hour Protection Against Dangerous Creatures” functions, they’d need 3,000 points and 300 popularity points each.
“We’ve got the points now, just need to reach the popularity requirement,” Tang Yu’an noted.
Zhou Qi nodded. “With all the foot traffic in Jufeng Town, as long as we don’t run into trouble, it shouldn’t take too long to gather 300 popularity points.”
“So, which one should we prioritize?” Tang Yu’an wondered aloud, finding both options essential and struggling to choose.
Zhou Qi furrowed his brow. “Maybe we could ask Grandpa Li for advice tomorrow.”
“Good idea!”
Tang Yu’an browsed through the other options unlocked by leveling Store No. 1 to Lv1.
[Flooring]
1. Concrete Flooring (1 point per square meter)
2. Wooden Flooring (2 points per square meter)
3. Tiled Flooring (Unlocks at Lv2)
[Walls]
1. Cement Walls (1 point per square meter)
2. Painted Walls (Choose Color)
3. Door (Select Material and Pattern)
4. Window (Select Material and Pattern)
Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up.
Not only could they customize doors and windows, but they also got to choose materials!
But what surprised him even more was a new section that appeared beneath Flooring and Walls:
[Water Supply (Unlocks at Lv2)]
[Electricity (Main Store Lv3, Branch Store Lv2 required)]
“Water and power upgrades!” Tang Yu’an’s excitement was palpable.
He quickly checked the requirements to level up Store No. 1 to Lv2: 500 popularity points, 1,000 points, and five Lv1 pieces of furniture.
The points and furniture were easy to handle, leaving the 500 popularity points as their biggest challenge.
“But based on today’s progress, we should be able to meet that goal in just a few days if we keep up our business in Jufeng Town,” Tang Yu’an said enthusiastically.
“Once we upgrade Store No. 1 to Lv2, we can use points to get clean water here!”
Tang Yu’an beamed, “And when we unlock electricity, we won’t have to fumble around in the dark at night.”
While upgrading the main store to Lv3 would take more effort, this new goal gave him even more motivation.
Everything about Store No. 1 was great—except for the lack of water and electricity, which made the nights inconveniently dark.
Zhou Qi shared his excitement. “If we had power, we could even cook here…”
Then, an idea struck him. “Check out the windows?”
“Oh, right!”
Tang Yu’an immediately granted Zhou Qi, as branch manager, access to the newly unlocked features so they could explore them together.
The windows came in wood and glass options, with varying costs based on material and design—just like with their cloth goods.
For now, upgrading the windows and door was a priority.
More people would likely be staying in Store No. 1 in the future, and a proper door would add privacy and convenience.
As for the windows, they were currently covered with plastic wrap—a flimsy, unopenable material that paled in comparison to actual glass.
“Look at all these types of glass!”
The more expensive options were tougher and provided better soundproofing. The wood options followed a similar pattern.
Tang Yu’an tried selecting both wood and glass materials, maxing out the quality tier, but opted for the cheapest pattern and style.
After confirming the purchase, the system deducted 100 points, and the damaged window in Room 901 was suddenly restored. The frame transformed from metal to wood, giving it a much cozier appearance.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi examined it with their flashlights and found the glass surprisingly sturdy.
Zhou Qi picked up a rock and threw it at the new glass window, but it didn’t even make a crack. Breaking through a window to escape, as they’d done earlier, wouldn’t be so easy anymore.
Once the window was closed, it blocked out the wind completely, and the transparency was excellent.
Looking at the window, Tang Yu’an felt a twinge of worry for his points balance.
“If we outfitted the entire building with these kinds of windows… just think of how many points we’d need!”
However…
“Won’t it draw too much attention if people see clean, beautiful windows like these?” Tang Yu’an frowned, a little uneasy. “And what about the floors and walls? If we eventually decorate the whole building, it might make us stand out too much, don’t you think?”
Anyone passing by would take one look and realize something was different.
He remembered how they had kept the main store under wraps to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention, not even letting their allies know about it.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and then said, “This is different.”
The main store was not just a grocery store but also their home, a place of immense importance to them. Naturally, they were cautious about it. But Store No. 1 was established specifically for experimenting with their system’s features.
With the teleportation array, they could escape anytime if things took a bad turn. However, that would be a last resort. They had invested a lot of points here and wouldn’t abandon it easily.
Besides, with four mutated creatures guarding the place, while it wasn’t impenetrable, it would be enough to ward off most threats.
And worst case scenarios, they could simply close the store.
Of course, that would also mean Granny Guo and Kang Kang would be transported to the main store as well.
“So our most important goal now is to build up our strength. With enough power, we could openly show more of what we have and still keep it safe.”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “It’d be great if we could bring the Green Gem over too.”
With that, the store’s security level would be maxed out!
Of course, he knew this was just wishful thinking. The Green Gem was a plant, after all, and he’d be devastated if it didn’t survive the transplant.
He glanced at Yuan Bao and Black Pearl.
Speaking of strength…
Tang Yu’an suddenly remembered something and quickly retrieved the bear paw from the main store’s storage.
“Here, you guys should eat this!”
Given the high level of the mutant bear, its meat should be valuable for boosting Yuan Bao and Black Pearl’s strength.
But Black Pearl merely gave the bear paw a glance and looked away, while Yuan Bao only licked the blood on the paw before stopping.
Only Wang Cai and Yin Bi latched onto the paw, eagerly chewing on it with great excitement.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Tang Yu’an asked, puzzled.
“Maybe it’s because they just recently leveled up?” Zhou Qi speculated.
“Oh, that makes sense.” They had gone through a long rest after eating the mother lizard, and not much time had passed since then.
To prevent Wang Cai and Yin Bi from overstuffing themselves, Zhou Qi cut a large piece of bear meat off for them, and Tang Yu’an put the rest back in his storage.
“I wonder what happened to that mutant bear?” Tang Yu’an mused as he opened his map, searching for its marker. He saw that it was headed toward the center of the Desolate City.
Now that it was a mere mouse, its movement was significantly slower. After traveling most of the day, it had barely made it past the old swimming pool and was still within Tang Yu’an’s tracking range.
Speaking of which…
Tang Yu’an remembered Hong Li mentioning “Xie Chao Ri.” Recalling the marker he had set for him earlier, he ran a search.
Soon, the results came up.
The marker showed up near the mutant bear, in a part of the map they had yet to explore.
To be exact, the marker was in the very heart of the Desolate City—in that stretch of primeval forest Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had once seen from a distance.
So, not only was Xie Chao Ri still alive, but he had survived in the heart of the Desolate City for all these days alone?
