Doomsday Grocery Store – CH30

Chapter 30 – Metal Ability User

Lin Zhen finished attaching the feather to A-Mu and walked over to the window.

Seeing Tang Yu’an’s hesitant expression, she winked and smiled at him.

Only then did Tang Yu’an realize that Lin Zhen had noticed A-Mu’s little tricks but was pretending not to know, not wanting to expose it.

“Why are you here at this time? Don’t you feel it’s scorching?” she asked.

“Scorching? I feel like I’m melting,” Tang Yu’an climbed in through the window. The moment he left the shade of the Shadow Umbrella and stood outside for just a moment, he was drenched in sweat.

Lin Zhen glanced at him and couldn’t help saying, “Your constitution is a bit weak.”

Tang Yu’an pouted but didn’t argue because even Kangkang seemed more heat-tolerant than he was.

“Sister Lin, do you have any abilities?” he couldn’t help asking.

“Nope,” Lin Zhen shook her head, speaking lightly.

Tang Yu’an blinked in surprise. “Then you’re amazing!”

Not only was she agile, but she also dared to explore the giant lizard’s nest alone—all without any abilities but purely relying on her own trained skills?

That’s incredible!

Facing the admiring gazes of the two boys, Lin Zhen waved her hand dismissively. “Just average. If I could awaken an ability, I might be even stronger.”

Unfortunately, she had never shown any signs of awakening.

Lin Zhen used to be quite proud of her skills, but after being left far behind when tracking Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an, she realized the gap between ordinary people and those with abilities.

She had been staying in the desolate city and was a bit like a frog in a well.

Of course, Lin Zhen never aimed to become a powerful figure. Being able to eat well, dress warmly, and live comfortably in this wasteland was good enough for her, so she quickly adjusted her mindset.

“A-Mu has started incubating the eggs. See if there’s anything that needs improvement?” she said.

They had already told her all the knowledge points before, so there wasn’t much else to add. Whether it would succeed depended on luck now.

Still, they went over to A-Mu and took out some of its favorite millet to feed it.

“A-Mu, do your best; it’s up to you now,” Tang Yu’an encouraged.

“Do my best! Eat yummy!” A-Mu bobbed the feathers on its head, appearing to be in a great mood.

After playing with it for a while, Tang Yu’an took out the beer bottle he had picked up yesterday from his backpack and asked, “Sister Lin, I picked up this bottle; do you want it?”

Lin Zhen’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, yes! I haven’t picked up a bottle in a long time; let me see!”

She took the bottle and examined it under the sunlight by the window.

“It’s washed so clean; I can use it directly,” Lin Zhen said. “What do you need? I’ll trade with you.”

“We’d like some of that insect-repellent powder from yesterday,” Zhou Qi interjected directly.

“Insect-repellent powder?” Lin Zhen muttered, “One bottle isn’t enough to trade for that.”

“Then what else do you need?” Zhou Qi asked.

Lin Zhen licked her lips and said, “Sugar, or grains—like that yellow rice you have.”

“Sure.”

Zhou Qi thought for a moment and took out a 100-gram bag of millet. Using millet for the exchange would benefit A-Mu as well.

Since A-Mu was the main force incubating the eggs, it needed proper nutrition.

Seeing that he took out millet, Lin Zhen was a bit disappointed; she had hoped for sugar. But seeing A-Mu excitedly stretching its neck, she finally accepted the deal.

She took the millet and the beer bottle, then pulled out two packets of powder and handed them to Zhou Qi—actually, Zhou Qi had only intended to trade for one packet.

[Employee “Zhou Qi” completed a profitable transaction with a regular customer. Credits +95, Experience +1]

Two packets of insect-repellent powder—95 credits!

Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help asking, “Sister Lin, is it troublesome to make this powder?”

“Of course it’s troublesome. Just collecting the materials takes a lot of effort,” Lin Zhen said as she put away the beer bottle and went to find a container to store the millet.

Tang Yu’an glanced at Zhou Qi.

Without needing him to say more, Zhou Qi nodded and returned one packet of powder to Lin Zhen, planning to trade for it next time.

When the transaction was completed just now, it had already been recorded by the system, so as long as Zhou Qi didn’t make any new transactions with Lin Zhen—including verbal agreements—it wouldn’t be considered a loss-making deal.

Perhaps it counted as a gift?

But even if it was recorded as a loss-making deal, it didn’t matter because no credits would be deducted; at most, Zhou Qi wouldn’t receive employee experience points.

“Just one packet is enough.” Afraid that Lin Zhen might misunderstand, Zhou Qi added, “We originally only planned to trade for one.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhen was stunned.

So he had taken out so much millet just to exchange for one packet of insect-repellent powder, and she had unintentionally given double the amount, yet Zhou Qi proactively returned the extra?

Lin Zhen looked at Zhou Qi in amazement.

She glanced at Tang Yu’an, who seemed to think this was perfectly normal, and couldn’t help feeling a bit moved.

Are all people from the fortress this generous?

Although she thought this was a bit foolish, she couldn’t deny that she found these two kids more pleasing to the eye. After all, who wouldn’t like such generous and trustworthy trading partners?

“Alright, if you need more in the future, come find me. As long as I have stock, I’ll definitely trade with you!”

Lin Zhen took back the powder and put it into her bag. “I have other medicines; do you want to take a look?”

“Do you have any medicine that can paralyze mutated creatures?” Tang Yu’an asked curiously.

Although they might not need it immediately, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.

“Of course.” Lin Zhen selected a bottle from her collection of jars and containers. “This one—you apply it to your weapons.”

It was a bottle of dark green liquid, stored in a glass bottle sealed with cloth and wood. Judging by its shape, it might have originally been a milk bottle.

“You’re giving us such a big bottle?” Tang Yu’an estimated that the bottle held at least 300 milliliters.

“Of course not!”

Lin Zhen gestured with her fingers, “I can only give you this much. Don’t you have that plastic bottle for alcohol? Do you have it with you? I’ll pour some for you.”

Tang Yu’an took out the alcohol spray bottle, but instead of handing it directly to Lin Zhen, he gave it to Zhou Qi.

Thus, Zhou Qi smoothly traded for the paralyzing venom, exchanging five pieces of rock sugar for 20 milliliters.

The dark green liquid was stored in the plastic spray bottle, looking quite viscous and emitting a faint grassy fragrance—not unpleasant at all.

[Employee “Zhou Qi” completed a profitable transaction with a regular customer. Credits +19, Experience +1]

Then, Zhou Qi felt it wasn’t enough and once again exchanged five pieces of rock sugar for 20 milliliters of venom.

“This venom can only be used against mutated creatures.”

Lin Zhen warned seriously, “When you use it, be very careful. If it accidentally gets into a wound, it might cause muscle necrosis around the injury.”

“Although not fatal, it could leave you disabled.”

Tang Yu’an quickly nodded and stored the bottle of paralyzing venom in his portable warehouse, thinking that perhaps they shouldn’t trade for this kind of poison from Sister Lin again.

It sounded scary; the Happy Marble was more useful.

But he thought for a moment and asked, “Is this venom effective against the giant lizard?”

They had triggered a mission to clear the giant lizard’s nest that day but hadn’t made any progress yet.

Hearing this question, Lin Zhen gave him a meaningful look and said, “You overheard that conversation?”

Tang Yu’an didn’t deny it.

He nodded, “We accidentally heard it. Are you and Grandpa Li planning to deal with that big lizard?”

Lin Zhen looked at him strangely.

“Did I say something wrong?” Tang Yu’an asked, puzzled.

“Who said we’re going to deal with that big lizard?” Lin Zhen said. “Maybe you didn’t hear clearly—the male lizard is already dead, the one that bit Old Li.”

Tang Yu’an’s expression became strange, and he exchanged a glance with Zhou Qi.

So that was the giant lizard they had turned into a big yellow dog?

“How did it die?” Tang Yu’an asked somewhat guiltily.

“Don’t know,” Lin Zhen shrugged. “When I saw it, its belly was ripped open, and the female lizard was crouching over it, eating.”

“Sounds a bit scary…” Tang Yu’an said.

“Yes,” Lin Zhen’s expression turned serious. “The female lizard ate the male’s flesh and blood, so its mutation level must have increased. We couldn’t beat it before, and now it’s even less likely.”

The female lizard was larger and more ferocious than the male.

Previously, Old Li only dared to target the male lizard; now that the male was gone, he naturally gave up the idea.

“So you’re going to leave the female lizard alone?” Tang Yu’an continued to ask. “Didn’t it lay many eggs?”

“Yes, so we’re planning to steal the eggs.”

Lin Zhen smiled slyly, then turned to look at Zhou Qi. “How about it? Interested in joining us?”

“Mutated lizard eggs are quite rare. Not only are they highly nutritious, but if you’re patient, you can hatch baby lizards and keep them as pets.”

So Sister Lin and the others were planning this!

“Are lizard eggs tasty?” Tang Yu’an asked.

“They taste pretty good. Old Li got one before and let me try it,” Lin Zhen showed a reminiscing expression.

Zhou Qi, however, sensed something unusual.

“So, there are more than just these two giant lizards in the desolate city?” he asked with a frown.

If Old Li had previously obtained a lizard egg, it meant that this female lizard wasn’t laying eggs for the first time, or there were other female lizards that had laid eggs.

Assuming the female lizard laid thirty or forty eggs at a time, Old Li couldn’t have taken them all. Even accounting for predation and accidents, at least a dozen should have survived, right?

“Indeed,” Lin Zhen said. “But there’s currently only one female lizard in that nest.”

She explained, “That nest originally belonged to the male lizard who died. During the breeding season, he successively defeated all nearby competitors, winning the favor of the female lizard.”

“His rivals were either driven away or eaten.”

“Now… there aren’t many surviving male lizards, and the aggressive female lizard during egg-laying is very fierce. Even if other giant lizards approach, she’ll drive them away or hunt them, so there’s no need to worry.”

Competition among mutated creatures is intense. With such large sizes, ordinary animals couldn’t fill their stomachs, so they often preyed on their own kind.

Zhou Qi nodded and asked, “When are you planning to act?”

“Wait until Old Li’s injury heals,” Lin Zhen replied. “Besides, he said he’d take you to the town first.”

“Okay, we’ll see then,” Zhou Qi said.

They didn’t necessarily need to cooperate, as the system’s mission was to separate all the lizard eggs from the female lizard. According to Lin Zhen, she and Old Li planned to steal just one or two eggs.

“Alright, I’ll let you know when we’re ready to act,” Lin Zhen said.

With that, the topic ended, and Tang Yu’an asked, “By the way, Sister Lin, do you know Tie Jin? When you have time, could you take us to find him?”

Lin Zhen raised an eyebrow. “Old Li told you to come find me?”

“Yes, Grandpa Li said you could take us,” Tang Yu’an replied honestly.

“Alright,” Lin Zhen shrugged. “It’s too hot outside now; I’ll take you when it cools down a bit.”

It was past twelve noon, the hottest time of the day.

Tang Yu’an didn’t want to go out now, and with Lin Zhen around, he couldn’t use the Shadow Umbrella. Just that short distance would be enough to roast him.

“Then, Sister Lin, sorry to bother you,” he said.

Lin Zhen waved her hand. “No need to be so polite. Come, I’ll find you a room.”

After the Great Cataclysm, uninhabited houses were everywhere, and those who chose to stay in the desolate city mostly lived alone.

So it was almost one person per building—provided they could find a habitable place.

Lin Zhen took them to an empty room next door. There weren’t many jars and bottles, nor were there poisonous plants or mushrooms, so it was safer for them.

“Alright, I’ll go accompany A-Mu. You two rest here.”

After Lin Zhen left, Tang Yu’an began to look around the room. It should have been the master bedroom. In the corner, he could see the bed frame dismantled by Lin Zhen and a damaged wardrobe with only the main body left.

He wondered what had happened to the original owners of this house and what it was like outside.

He just hoped that the apocalypse in their original world wouldn’t come too soon…

“An An, time to eat.”

Zhou Qi spread a picnic cloth on the floor and took out the lunch they had prepared in the morning.

They had only eaten one fried bird leg earlier, so there was still one left. He placed it in Tang Yu’an’s bowl and took out buns for himself.

Tang Yu’an put on disposable gloves and picked up the fried bird leg, but he didn’t eat it immediately. Instead, he held it up to Zhou Qi’s mouth.

“Brother Qi,” Tang Yu’an urged.

Zhou Qi paused, then opened his mouth and took a bite.

The golden fried bird leg emitted a fragrant aroma. The crispy fried coating outside and the marinated, tender, juicy meat inside were savory and delicious—a bite satisfied the taste buds.

In such a wasteland world, being able to eat such delicious food was a rare treat.

Tang Yu’an swallowed his saliva at the enticing aroma. After Zhou Qi took a bite, he couldn’t wait to take a big bite himself, squinting his eyes in happiness.

Feeling a bit thirsty, he took out two bottles of chilled soy milk.

Although he liked cola, he remembered his mother saying that drinking too much cola would stunt growth, so he didn’t dare drink it every day.

The two of them enjoyed the fried bird leg, sharing bites and sipping soy milk.

After finishing the last bit of meat, Tang Yu’an carefully licked the residue off his gloves. Since coming to this world, he deeply understood how precious food was and subconsciously didn’t want to waste anything.

“Have a bun.”

Zhou Qi handed him a meat bun.

“Mm, thank you, Brother Qi!” Tang Yu’an took the bun and started eating.

They were both at the age of growing and naturally felt hungry. They ate seven or eight buns before stopping.

Tang Yu’an patted his round belly and sighed contentedly.

“Buns are still the best!”

They had made nearly a hundred buns in the morning, enough to last them a week. Just thinking about being able to eat them every day made Tang Yu’an feel especially happy.

Thinking of something, he couldn’t help asking, “Brother Qi, since you can make buns and steamed bread, can you make noodles?”

Seeing that he was thinking about the next meal right after eating, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “Craving noodles?”

“A bit,” Tang Yu’an said. “Although we have instant noodles, handmade noodles are chewier.”

“Okay, I’ll make some for you when we have time.”

“Great!” Tang Yu’an hugged him happily. “Brother Qi, you’re the best!”

Zhou Qi smiled slightly. “Aren’t you hot?”

“Hot!”

Tang Yu’an let go of him and showed that his back was soaked with sweat. Zhou Qi glanced at him, took out a towel and water from his portable warehouse, dampened the towel, and helped him wipe down.

After wiping off the sweat, Tang Yu’an felt much more comfortable.

“Lie down; I’ll fan you.”

Since Lin Zhen might come by at any time, they couldn’t use the Shadow Umbrella, so they’d have to make do.

Tang Yu’an obediently lay down on the picnic cloth. Zhou Qi took a paper fan and gently fanned him.

As the cool breeze brushed over him, before he knew it, Tang Yu’an fell asleep and had a dream.

In the dream, he seemed to return to his childhood.

Back then, in summers without air conditioning, he and Brother Qi would lie on a straw mat on the cement floor, with Brother Qi’s grandmother beside them, gently humming a soft tune to lull them to sleep…

He turned over and moved closer to Zhou Qi’s leg.

When Tang Yu’an opened his eyes again, Lin Zhen was already in the room, waiting for them.

Tang Yu’an instantly woke up and jumped to his feet.

Lin Zhen looked at the picnic cloth on the ground, then at the paper fan in Zhou Qi’s hand, marveling, “You two are well-prepared.”

She could still smell a faint aroma in the room, though she didn’t know what they had eaten for lunch.

Remembering how they had cooked savory rice porridge for Old Li, Lin Zhen felt a bit regretful. If she had known, she might have shamelessly stayed to get some good food.

But there was nothing to be done; she’d have to see if there was a chance next time.

“It’s not so scorching outside now. Let’s pack up and get ready to go,” Lin Zhen said, then turned and left the room.

Tang Yu’an wiped his face and, upon asking, found out it was already three in the afternoon.

“Brother Qi, why didn’t you wake me earlier?” he grumbled while packing up the picnic cloth.

“You looked like you were sleeping soundly.”

“Alright.”

Before leaving, Tang Yu’an cast the Lightfoot Technique on Zhou Qi, then followed Lin Zhen out.

The sun outside was finally not as harsh, but it was still hot. The ground, baked repeatedly by the sun, radiated waves of heat, making it feel like an egg dropped on the ground would cook in no time.

After about ten minutes, they arrived at an abandoned building.

The building was about four or five stories high and hadn’t collapsed. From the outside, it looked intact—the most normal dwelling among the customers they had visited.

Piled outside the building were various metals: abandoned car shells, steel bars removed from buildings… Surrounding these old metals was a spiked iron fence coated with poison, enclosing the lower part of the building.

This was also the most properly fortified dwelling among the customers they had seen.

“Be careful not to touch those spikes,” Lin Zhen said. “They’re coated with paralyzing poison.”

Tang Yu’an couldn’t help swallowing.

It seemed that this Tie Jin was one of the wealthier ability users in the desolate city.

But thinking about it, in such an era, being able to produce metal—and with a nickname like Tie (Iron) Jin—he must be a strong adult male. Owning and defending his wealth was normal.

Lin Zhen led them carefully around the poisoned spikes to the door, then knocked on an iron plate hanging in front.

“Clang, clang, clang—”

The iron plate emitted a clear sound.

Tang Yu’an covered his ears and looked at the map, unexpectedly finding that besides the one green dot—he had marked Tie Jin’s name on the way—there was now another green dot.

This potential customer must be someone Lin Zhen hadn’t contacted in the past two days, now appearing on the map because they were nearby.

Did Tie Jin have a guest at home?

As he thought this, footsteps came from inside the door.

Soon, a tall man with a full beard appeared before them.

Contrary to what Tang Yu’an had imagined, although this ability user nicknamed Tie Jin was indeed tall—at least 1.8 meters, which was rare in the wasteland—he wasn’t overly muscular or burly, and even seemed a bit thin for his height.

He might be relatively wealthy and lived better than others, but definitely not comparable to people in peaceful times.

“Uncle Jin!” Lin Zhen greeted first.

Iron Jin nodded at her, his gaze falling on Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, eyes filled with the wariness and vigilance unique to wasteland natives.

“Who are they? I don’t think I’ve seen them before,” he asked Lin Zhen.

“Old Li asked me to bring them,” Lin Zhen said. “They’re my friends.”

“Just met?”

“Yes, they’ll be staying in the desolate city for a while and want to trade some metal with you.” Then she lowered her voice, “They came from the fortress.”

Hearing this, the man looked up and down at Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi several times.

The appearance and temperament of the two boys quickly convinced him. He nodded slightly, “Alright, come in.”

Tie Jin stepped aside, and after Tang Yu’an and the others entered, he cautiously looked outside before closing the door and placing a big stone in front to block it.

Seeing the muscles bulging on his arms, Tang Yu’an decided to retract his previous thought—this Uncle Tie Jin was indeed very strong!

The first floor of Tie Jin’s house was also piled with miscellaneous items, but not all metal. Tang Yu’an even saw a small boat in the corner.

Strange. Is there a river nearby? Why would he have a boat in his house? He thought about it and figured it might be like other scrap, just for extracting metal.

“Come upstairs,” Iron Jin said, heading towards the stairs.

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi followed him up to the third floor, where the rooms became spacious.

“Make yourselves at home. Since Old Li introduced you, I’ll give you a good price.”

“What kind of metal do you want? How much do you need?” The man’s voice was rough, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look somewhat grim, giving off an unapproachable feeling.

Zhou Qi pressed his lips slightly, stepped forward to shield Tang Yu’an, and took out the dagger that had failed to deal with the mutated boar and had its blade rolled.

“Can you help make a dagger like this?” Zhou Qi asked.

Seeing Iron Jin take the dagger to examine it, Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an subtly stepped back a bit, maintaining a safe distance.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense.

“This dagger…” The man had just started to speak when there was a noise from the stairs.

Tang Yu’an looked up.

He saw a small figure appear on the stairs—it was a little girl who looked just over a year old, holding onto the railing with both hands, looking down at them.

“What’s wrong?”

Iron Jin spoke up, “Why did you come down?”

The man, who had just appeared stern and fierce, put down the dagger and hurried over.

He showed a doting smile to the little girl, and his rough, deep voice suddenly became soft and gentle, sounding…

So cute!

Want more chapters that are downloadable as EPUB or PDF? Click Here~