Doomsday Grocery Store – CH79

Chapter 79

Tang Yu’an wondered if he was seeing things, so he opened the task panel to take a look.

[Clearing the Giant Lizard’s Nest… (4/41)]

The total number of lizard eggs had changed from 43 to 41!

So he hadn’t been mistaken; the eggs in Lin Zhen’s basket were indeed the lizard eggs from the giant lizard’s nest!

They stared at each other through the window. Clearly, Lin Zhen hadn’t expected Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi to visit at this moment and catch her just after she had acquired some valuable items.

After a moment of silence, Lin Zhen was the first to speak.

She smiled and said, “It’s hot outside; come in quickly.”

Lin Zhen had initially planned to hide the lizard eggs, but since they’d been discovered, she straightforwardly took them out of the basket.

“Hehe, you didn’t expect this, did you? I managed to steal the lizard eggs all by myself!”

As soon as Lin Zhen finished speaking, A-Mu’s voice rang out.

“Stinky!”

“So smelly!”

A-Mu, who had been curiously watching, shrank back, using his wings to cover his nose and mouth, and loudly said, “Big Lin stepped in poop! So smelly!”

Lin Zhen’s smiling face instantly stiffened.

“What nonsense are you spouting?” She was both embarrassed and angry, grabbing the cloth that had covered the basket, crumpling it up, and throwing it at the big parrot.

A-Mu immediately flapped his wings, skillfully dodging her attack, then grabbed the cloth with his claws and disdainfully tossed it far away—it had absorbed the odor from covering the lizard eggs.

After throwing away the cloth, he hurriedly flew back to continue nesting on the eggs in the chicken coop, showing great dedication.

Seeing this, Lin Zhen felt a bit guilty.

She was used to playing around with A-Mu and sometimes forgot that he was now a “nanny,” different from before.

“Just wait until I make egg custard; then you’ll know how delicious it is!” Lin Zhen put down the lizard eggs, finally taking off her dirty straw sandals, and placed them outside the window to reduce the odor in the room.

Tang Yu’an looked at the two lizard eggs she placed on the ground, his expression complicated.

When Lin Zhen returned, he learned about her morning adventure.

She had originally gone out to find food, but when passing by the giant lizard’s nest, she noticed a hole on one side of it. She bravely went to investigate.

She found that—

“The mother lizard wasn’t in the nest!” Lin Zhen said excitedly.

Lin Zhen always believed in “fortune favors the bold,” so after confirming that the mother lizard was indeed not there, she didn’t hesitate to sneak in and successfully brought back two lizard eggs.

Listening to her story, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but sweat nervously for her boldness.

He had been inside the giant lizard’s nest and had nightmares about it last night, knowing how harsh and terrifying the environment was inside. Yet Lin Zhen had ventured in alone multiple times—it was truly admirable.

But from what she said, the mother lizard hadn’t turned back from being a mouse…

“You didn’t encounter anything unusual?” he probed.

“Unusual?” Lin Zhen thought for a moment and said, “Not really, except that when I was putting the eggs into my basket, suddenly a big mouse with a broken tail rushed out.”

She chuckled, “Luckily, I reacted quickly; otherwise, it would have bitten me.”

Hearing about the “mother lizard,” Tang Yu’an became a bit nervous.

“And then?” he asked.

“Oh, that mouse went crazy trying to bite me, so I sprinkled some Itch Powder on it, and it calmed down.”

Lin Zhen spoke lightly, unaware of the remarkable thing she had done.

“Wild rats can carry poisonous pathogens; if you encounter them, it’s best not to get bitten, and even if you catch them, don’t eat them.”

Tang Yu’an shook his head decisively; he and Brother Xiao Qi would certainly not eat rats!

“And then?”

He continued to ask, “What happened to that mouse in the end?”

“I took advantage of it scratching around on the ground and threw it into a pool, then grabbed the two eggs and ran away before the mother lizard returned.”

Lin Zhen thought for a moment and then seriously warned them, “You two better not go to the giant lizard’s nest anymore, and I’ll tell Old Li not to go either.”

“Why?”

“It’s not that I want to keep all the lizard eggs for myself, but I suspect that the mother lizard’s mutation level has really increased.” Lin Zhen’s face was solemn. “That hole in the outer wall was blasted from the inside.”

Moreover, the viewing platform near the hole had been pulverized.

This indicated that the mutated mother lizard had evolved particularly powerful skills. If they entered the nest again and were discovered, they might not be as lucky as Old Li was to escape.

“Mm, we understand.”

Facing Lin Zhen’s admonition, Tang Yu’an could only nod.

Although she might never know, she had already faced off against the mother lizard.

He then shifted the topic, tentatively asking, “Sister Lin, what mutation level was the male lizard we encountered before?”

“It was just an ordinary enlarged low-level giant lizard, probably between Level 1 and 2.”

Lin Zhen knew they came from the fortress and probably hadn’t had much contact with mutant creatures, so it wasn’t strange for Tang Yu’an to ask.

“That’s what Old Li told me.”

Lin Zhen continued, “Most Level 1 mutated creatures mainly have the characteristic of being enlarged; besides being more aggressive, they’re not much different from ordinary large animals.”

“At Level 2, they have a bit more intelligence, and their speed and strength increase; they can sense and absorb elements.”

“At Level 3, their physical qualities further improve, and they can skillfully use elemental skills, though the power is still relatively low.”

“As for Level 4 and above…”

Lin Zhen paused and then said, “That’s already considered mid-level mutated creatures. They possess powerful elemental skills with great destructive power, not something ordinary people or low-level mutants can handle.”

Because of this mutation level classification, Lin Zhen couldn’t determine whether A-Mu was a mutated parrot.

He was indeed very smart, but his physical condition was too weak; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been abandoned by the flock in his infancy, and even after growing up, he hadn’t shown any control over abilities.

But it didn’t matter; in Lin Zhen’s heart, A-Mu held an irreplaceable position.

“Anyway, so far, I haven’t encountered any mid-level mutated creatures; I’ve only heard Old Li describe them.”

Lin Zhen gathered her thoughts and continued, “He said that the territory of mid-level mutated creatures is in the center of the Desolate city, and he always warns me not to venture further than the giant lizard’s nest.”

Moreover, Old Li had also said that in the lush forest at the center of the Desolate city, there might be even higher-level mutated creatures.

In short, that’s a place I might never set foot in, especially after today’s trip to the giant lizard’s nest.

Even the walls and viewing platforms were destroyed; it’s hard to imagine if I could survive such an attack.

“I don’t know what the mother lizard encountered to make her use such a powerful skill.”

She hadn’t counted how many eggs the mother lizard had laid before, and now seeing that there were only four left, she thought the mother lizard might have encountered another powerful mutated creature.

Speaking of this, Lin Zhen couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic.

“Now that the mother lizard might have evolved to mid-level, for safety, I’ll probably have to shrink my activity range…”

But when she looked at the two lizard eggs at her feet, she forced herself to cheer up. “Fortunately, I managed to steal these lizard eggs; it somewhat compensates for the loss.”

Tang Yu’an was digesting the information she had shared.

Although Chi Hao had explained mutation levels to them before, Lin Zhen’s explanation was more detailed.

He recalled his four pets, trying to match them to the levels. So Yuan Bao and Black Pearl’s mutation levels should be between Level 3 and 4?

Black Pearl could skillfully control metal, and Yuan Bao’s speed was extremely fast, which seemed like some kind of skill.

Wang Cai was probably Level 2, and as for Yin Bi… likely just Level 1.

At this time, Lin Zhen lowered her voice and mysteriously said, “I’ve heard that eating mutated creatures might awaken corresponding elemental abilities. The eggs of mutated creatures can do that too.”

She hadn’t awakened any abilities, so she inevitably had some obsession with this matter.

Tang Yu’an swallowed hard.

So, after eating the mutated lizard egg yesterday, would he be parasitized? He quickly glanced at his personal panel and was relieved not to see the words “Early Stage of Parasitism.”

He breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t help wondering: Could it be that all those who awaken abilities are parasitized?

Thinking about it, Tang Yu’an changed the subject, “So, what are you planning to do with these two lizard eggs? Eat them? Or take them to the town to trade?”

Lin Zhen’s expression visibly became conflicted.

Finally, she said, “At least I’ll eat one! I don’t have anything in particular I want to trade for; I’ll satisfy myself first.”

Speaking of this, she looked at Zhou Qi with longing in her eyes. “Zhou Qi, besides making egg custard, do you know any other delicious ways to cook them?”

“Why don’t you stay for lunch? I’ll treat you to lizard eggs, and you make a delicious meal for me?”

“Or if you need other compensation, I can offer insect repellent, anti-inflammatory medicine. I also have hallucinogenic powder that can knock out people or ordinary creatures.”

Zhou Qi was quite willing to agree, but Lin Zhen didn’t have any tools in her place, only a pot for boiling water, which would greatly limit his cooking abilities, and the food might not taste good.

“Besides the lizard eggs, do you have other ingredients?”

“Other ingredients…”

Lin Zhen took out a beast’s hind leg that had been skinned and wrapped in large leaves from her basket. “Will this do? I just traded it from Old Li this morning.”

“That will do,” Zhou Qi nodded. “Do you eat meat and egg pancakes?”

“What’s that?” Lin Zhen’s eyes lit up.

“Meat and egg pancakes are delicious! Savory and tasty; once you start, you can’t stop!” Tang Yu’an said to her.

Lin Zhen felt her mouth watering.

“Great, I want to eat that!” She looked at Zhou Qi with anticipation.

“Then let’s do it this way,” Zhou Qi said. “You give me one lizard egg and that beast’s hind leg. I’ll go back and make it, and later I’ll bring it to you.”

Lin Zhen hadn’t expected him to suggest that.

After hesitating for a moment, she decided to take a gamble for the temptation of delicious food.

She had never eaten anything genuinely tasty in her life and didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

Anyway, the lizard egg was an unexpected gain, and she didn’t think Zhou Qi would run off with it.

“Alright, no problem!”

So they agreed, and Zhou Qi used some verbal tricks to let the system judge the transaction as completed. After taking the meat and lizard egg, he earned 160 points and 1 experience point for Tang Yu’an.

When they delivered the food later, they could earn more points.

They then completed two more profitable transactions, exchanging rice for paralyzing venom and hallucinogenic powder. As for insect repellent, they now had spider blood and didn’t need it for the time being.

After that, Zhou Qi looked at the large leaves Lin Zhen used to wrap the hind leg and asked, “Do you have more of these leaves?”

He couldn’t take out plastic bags to pack the meat and egg pancakes; these leaves would be good.

“Yes, I have more.”

Lin Zhen rummaged and took out the large leaves she had collected earlier—she used these large leaves, dried and cut, as “paper” to wrap her medicinal powders.

She also found a biscuit tin and put the leaves inside.

Finally, she handed everything to Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an, eagerly watching them leave, wishing it were already time for their return.

“I’ll make some egg custard first to satisfy my craving!”

Saying this, after hiding the remaining lizard egg, Lin Zhen turned to boil water.

*

Back at the grocery store, it was only eleven-thirty.

Zhou Qi went to prepare lunch, while Tang Yu’an began researching furniture upgrades and modifications.

The indoor temperature had already risen to an uncomfortable level. For the sake of the plants in the pots, Tang Yu’an turned on the air conditioner.

Their stored fuel had been used up, so he spent 80 points to exchange for 4 liters of fuel, conveniently completing the daily task of purchasing goods from the wholesale market.

The air conditioner chugged along, working very hard, but at least it lowered the indoor temperature somewhat.

Tang Yu’an drank iced cola while opening the panel to research.

The most pressing need now was to address the indoor temperature.

He first thought of the air conditioner, but unfortunately, in the furniture upgrade and modification list, he didn’t see options for upgrading the air conditioner. So he had to settle for upgrading the Freezer.

[Freezer]
[LV1 Effect: Can absorb heat and convert it into electrical energy, reducing energy consumption by 50%]

[Refrigerator]
[LV1 Effect: Can absorb heat and convert it into electrical energy, with a chance to trigger a special effect: “The Hotter, the Colder.” The higher the ambient temperature, the better the cooling effect. Under scorching sun exposure, the electrical energy conversion is optimal.]

After upgrading, both the refrigerator and freezer could rely on absorbing heat to convert it into electrical energy.

So as long as they were placed indoors during the day, the refrigerator and freezer could absorb heat; as the indoor heat was absorbed, the temperature would naturally drop, roughly achieving the effect of an air conditioner.

As for nighttime, since the indoor temperature was higher than outside, he could cover the plants with warm cloths to prevent them from freezing.

He checked the upgrade requirements.

[Upgrade Requirements: Points x200, Fuel (1L) x5, Metal Blocks x5, Malt Beer (500ml) x1]

That was for the freezer; for the refrigerator, the materials were the same, but the quantities were doubled.

“Why does upgrading furniture require malt beer? It’s really strange!”

In the kitchen, Zhou Qi heard his muttering and was recalling how to brew malt beer when he heard the boy say, “Wait! Beer is malt beer, right? We can use beer to upgrade!”

Hearing this, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but pause.

“Brother Xiao Qi, beer is malt beer, right?” Tang Yu’an poked his fluffy head out from the kitchen doorway.

“Mm, that’s correct,” Zhou Qi nodded.

“Great!”

After getting an accurate answer from Zhou Qi, Tang Yu’an cheered and ran off.

When Zhou Qi came out of the kitchen with the dishes, he saw that Tang Yu’an had placed the prepared materials on the freezer—including a 550ml can of beer.

“Brother Xiao Qi, I’ve got everything ready!” Tang Yu’an called him over.

Zhou Qi put the dishes on the table, walked over to him, and couldn’t help but glance at the can of beer.

“Then I’ll start!”

“Okay.”

[Upgrade conditions met]

[Do you want to deduct 200 points immediately to upgrade the furniture “Freezer”?]

Tang Yu’an clicked “Yes.”

Then, a new system prompt popped up.

[200 points deducted successfully!]

[Furniture Sprite is reviewing your order…]

[Sprite BoBo has accepted the order!]

[BoBo: “Freezer” is being upgraded, estimated time needed: 2 hours. Please wait patiently.]

Furniture Sprite?

Tang Yu’an: 0.0

As the system messages flashed by, the items placed on the freezer disappeared one by one, leaving only the 550ml can of beer.

Next, a grayish-blue light appeared.

They saw a little figure flapping its wings appear above the Freezer. It waved its small hand, and countless starlights fell, enveloping the entire Freezer.

After finishing, the sprite flew to the beer can.

Its body was only palm-sized, less than two-thirds the height of the beer can. They saw it gently tap the can with its small hand.

The next moment, the tab on the can popped open.

The sprite waved its hand again, and a thin straw appeared in its hand, which it inserted into the beer can.

“Gulp gulp—”

The sprite took big sips of beer, then let out a satisfied sigh.

Throughout, it didn’t pay any attention to the onlookers, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, its eyes and mind only on the can of beer.

The two teenagers watched in amazement.

So that’s the real purpose of the malt beer? To feed the furniture sprite? Or as a reward for the sprite?

Tang Yu’an looked at the other upgrade requirements, realizing that milk, mung beans, mutant fruits—these might all be the favorite foods of other furniture sprites.

“So cute!”

He stared at the sprite, which looked like a figurine, and couldn’t help but greet it, “Hello, your name is BoBo?”

The sprite glanced at him, then indifferently looked away, continuing to gulp down the beer, a slight blush appearing on its face.

Not getting a response, Tang Yu’an wasn’t upset.

He watched the sprite for a while, suddenly thinking of something. He reached into his personal warehouse and took out a pack of squid shreds, unwrapped it, and placed it on a plate.

“My dad likes to eat squid shreds when drinking beer. Would you like to try?”

Zhou Qi was also curious to see how the sprite would react.

The sprite, a bit tipsy from drinking beer, tilted its head to look at him. It had been frowning unhappily, but upon seeing the squid shreds, it was attracted.

However, it didn’t speak, just twitched its nose, eyes showing a hint of longing.

So Tang Yu’an picked up a piece of squid shred and carefully brought it closer to it.

The sprite immediately reached out with both hands, grabbing the squid shred, and began to nibble on it with an “ah-woo.”

It happily alternated between bites of squid shred and sips of beer, showing a contented expression.

Soon, Tang Yu’an realized something.

The sprite couldn’t leave the freezer, and during the upgrade, he couldn’t perform any operations on the freezer, including placing a plate on it.

But he could feed the sprite with food.

The two teenagers leaned in, watching the magical furniture sprite for a while. After feeding it a second piece of squid shred, they reluctantly went to have lunch.

The freezer hadn’t finished upgrading yet, but Tang Yu’an was already looking forward to seeing other furniture sprites.

“If Mom and Xin Xin were here, they’d definitely love BoBo!”

Speaking of this, the originally enthusiastic Tang Yu’an’s smile slowly faded, and he suddenly became a bit downcast.

He wondered how his dad, mom, and Xin Xin were doing in another world…

Zhou Qi reached out and hugged him.

Originally, it was just a momentary mood swing, but being comforted like this, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but purse his lips.

He tried hard to hold back, but tears blurred his vision.

“Hehe, I’m fine!” Tang Yu’an quickly rubbed his eyes, then gave Zhou Qi a smile. He really didn’t want to make Brother Qi feel sad too.

“Brother Qi, you sit down; I’ll go get more rice!”

Watching the teenager run into the kitchen, Zhou Qi didn’t follow. He sat at the dining table and sighed softly after a long while.

When Tang Yu’an came out with more rice, apart from his slightly red eyes, nothing else seemed amiss.

He was trying hard to be strong, so Zhou Qi didn’t point it out.

“Do you want to have mung bean soup this afternoon?” he asked gently.

“I want to eat red bean paste.”

“Okay,” Zhou Qi nodded. “Then we’ll have red bean paste this afternoon.”

Tang Yu’an grinned, his mood changing quickly, and he seemed almost recovered.

“Mm!”

After the meal, Zhou Qi exchanged some cotton fabric and started cutting it to make clothes for Kang Kang.

After cleaning the dishes, Tang Yu’an opened the furniture upgrade and modification panel again, beginning to prioritize the next furniture upgrades.

To prepare for the possible future flood, he wanted to upgrade the main store to Level 2 as soon as possible, which required meeting the conditions of Merchant Level 10, store popularity of 1000, 2000 points, and having five Level 1 pieces of furniture in the main store.

They already had the super storage shelves and the self-filling insulated cup. Next were the refrigerator and freezer. They just needed to upgrade one more item to meet the conditions.

Tang Yu’an looked through the options and finally decided—

“Let’s upgrade the broom!”

The upgrade conditions for the broom were the same as the freezer. After upgrading, it could automatically clean the house. Although it needed to be charged and could only work continuously for two hours, it would free up their hands.

In the future, when it’s upgraded to a higher level, maybe it could unlock functions like scheduling.

This way, when they went out for tasks, they wouldn’t have to worry about the daily task of cleaning.

He glanced at the freezer.

The sprite BoBo had eaten and drunk to satisfaction and was now sleeping soundly on the freezer. The grayish-blue starlight enveloping the freezer brightened and dimmed with its breathing.

After watching for a while, Tang Yu’an was pulled away by Zhou Qi for a nap.

When he woke up from his nap, he saw a system prompt.

[“Freezer” upgrade completed. Please check.]

[Furniture sprite BoBo is very satisfied with your hospitality and has given you a five-star review.]

[Warm reminder: Furniture that receives a five-star review from a sprite has a chance to trigger additional effects. Please check.]

Tang Yu’an: Wow!

The sprite actually gave him a five-star review? Was it because he fed it squid shreds?

Tang Yu’an hurriedly opened the furniture panel to check.

[Gray-Blue Freezer]

[Level: LV1]

[Size: …]

[Description: An old Freezer over five years old, rejuvenated after modification by the furniture sprite, can absorb heat and convert it into electrical energy, reducing energy consumption by 50%.]

[Special Effect: “The Hotter, the Colder (Seafood Edition)”: The higher the ambient temperature, the better the cooling effect. When storing seafood products, the electrical energy conversion is optimal.]

Seeing that the special effect “The Hotter, the Colder” was triggered, Tang Yu’an was pleasantly surprised, but when he saw the words “Seafood Edition,” he couldn’t help blinking in confusion.

The freezer also had an explanation for its special effect, but that was optimal efficiency under scorching sun exposure…

So this “Seafood Edition,” was it because he fed the sprite squid shreds? If he fed it other snacks, would there be different effects?