Ruined Earth, Sector 4.
Lin Yao stared at her employee with a look of profound exhaustion.
"No."
She pointed a manicured finger at the store's exit.
"And if you keep staring at the shelf like a hungry wolf, I'm going to ask the System to install a spray bottle feature."
Su Ling stood by the counter, her newly glossy hair tied back in a high ponytail that swung with lethal grace. She looked every bit the apex predator except for the puppy-dog eyes she was currently directing at the box of 'Morning Brew' coffee.
"But I'm an employee," Su Ling argued, her voice tight. "Doesn't that come with perks? Staff discount? Override codes?"
"It comes with a salary of store credit," Lin Yao replied, not looking up from her magazine (a 2018 fashion issue she had found in the 'Lounge' unlock). "Which you can use... tomorrow."
Su Ling clenched her jaw.
"Tomorrow is twelve hours away. I need the caffeine now. The patrol route is long, and the caffeine withdrawal headache is starting to kick in."
Lin Yao sighed, snapping her magazine shut.
"Su Ling, read the sign."
She gestured to the glowing holographic text floating above the register.
[Rule No. 1: Daily Limits Are Absolute. One Unit Per Item Type Per Person. No Exceptions.]
"The System is a tyrant," Lin Yao explained sympathetically. "It doesn't care that you're the Chief of Security. To the System, you are just a biological entity with a wallet. You bought a box this morning. You drank all ten sachets in three hours. That is a you problem."
Su Ling looked at the sign, then at the coffee, and finally at Lin Yao.
"I could threaten you," Su Ling suggested, though her heart wasn't in it.
"You could," Lin Yao agreed cheerfully. "But then the defensive barrier would turn your insides into outsides, and I'd have to mop. And we both know I hate mopping."
Su Ling slumped. Defeated by bureaucracy.
"Fine."
She straightened her tactical vest. "I'll go patrol the perimeter. Maybe killing a few zombies will distract me from the lack of mocha."
"That's the spirit!" Lin Yao cheered. "Oh, and Su Ling?"
Su Ling paused at the door. "What?"
"Strut," Lin Yao commanded. "You are my living advertisement. Make sure the locals see how shiny your hair is."
Su Ling rolled her eyes, but as she stepped out into the gray, dusty world, she flipped her hair dramatically.
Lin Yao smiled. "Perfect."
With Su Ling gone, the store fell into a comfortable silence.
Lin Yao stretched her arms, hearing her spine crack. It was a slow afternoon. The Raider gang incident had provided a nice boost in sales, but the System's tasks were demanding.
[Main Task: Sell 20 Items from the Fashion Section. (0/20)]
Lin Yao glanced at the newly installed racks on the right side of the shop.
They were beautiful.
Soft, heather-gray oversized hoodies. Black, high-waisted yoga pants made of a material that felt like a second skin. Fuzzy bunny slippers.
In the old world, this was basic loungewear. In the apocalypse, where everyone wore stiff leather, scratchy wool, and scavenged tactical gear, this was the attire of gods.
"System," Lin Yao mentally whined. "Can't I just wear the merchandise to promote it?"
[Rejected. Host inventory is separate from Sale inventory. You must purchase items with your own salary.]
"You charged me for the chocolate I ate earlier!"
[Capitalism spares no one.]
Lin Yao groaned and slumped onto the counter. She was about to nap when a low hum vibrated through the floor.
It was the smooth, purring engine of something well-maintained.
Lin Yao sat up straight, fixing her silk collar.
Through the glass walls, she saw a vehicle approach. It was a matte-black armored SUV, but unlike the raider junkers, this one was clean. The armor plating was welded professionally. The tires were new. On the door, a stylized crest of a golden hawk was painted.
"Ooh," Lin Yao whispered. "Money."
The SUV stopped in front of the shop. The driver's door opened, and a muscular guard stepped out. He scanned the area, eyeing the corpses of the raiders that Su Ling had... relocated to a ditch nearby.
Satisfied, he opened the rear passenger door.
Two women stepped out.
The first was striking. She was tall, with an icy, regal bearing that made the ruined city look like a mere backdrop for her elegance. She wore a tailored trench coat made of mutant beast leather expensive, durable, and stylish. Her hair was pulled back in a severe, intricate braid, revealing a face that was beautiful but hard, like a diamond.
This was Jiang Wan, the Vice-Commander of the 'High Garden' Settlement.
Beside her scurried a younger woman, shorter and visibly anxious. She carried a large tablet and a heavy-looking bag. Her hair was messy, tied up in a chaotic bun, and she wore oversized glasses that kept sliding down her nose.
This was Xiao Mei, the personal assistant.
"Commander," Xiao Mei squeaked, looking at the glowing shop. "Is this the place the scouts reported? It looks... suspicious. It's too bright."
Jiang Wan didn't answer immediately. She stood before the glass doors, her sharp eyes analyzing every inch of the structure.
"It has power," Jiang Wan observed, her voice cool and melodious. "And clean glass. In Sector 4, that implies significant resources."
She stepped forward. The automatic doors whooshed open.
The gust of lavender-scented air hit them instantly.
Xiao Mei gasped. "Oh my god. It smells like... not death."
Jiang Wan's expression didn't change, but her pupils dilated slightly. She stepped inside, her boots clicking on the immaculate white tile.
"Welcome to the Dimensional Boutique," Lin Yao greeted them, putting on her best 'mystery merchant' persona. She didn't stand up. Mysterious merchants never stood up for customers. "Please, leave the dust at the door."
Jiang Wan stopped in the center of the store. She looked at Lin Yao specifically at Lin Yao's glowing skin and relaxed posture.
"You are the owner?" Jiang Wan asked. Her tone wasn't rude, but it carried the weight of someone used to giving orders.
"I am," Lin Yao smiled.
"I am Jiang Wan of High Garden. My scouts told me a new power had established itself here. They said you defeated the Wild Dogs."
"My security manager had a disagreement with them regarding noise levels," Lin Yao corrected lightly. "We value a peaceful shopping experience."
Xiao Mei was looking around wildly. Her eyes landed on the 'Daily Essentials' shelf.
"Commander!" she whispered loudly. "Look! Shampoo! Actual bottles of shampoo!"
Jiang Wan glanced at the pink bottles. A flicker of interest crossed her face, but she suppressed it. She was a leader. She couldn't be seen losing her composure over soap.
"Hygiene products are valuable," Jiang Wan conceded. "But we have soap factories in High Garden. This is not enough to warrant a trip across the wasteland."
Lin Yao's smile widened.
"Soap is for cleaning," Lin Yao said smoothly. "But what I sell is... comfort."
She gestured grandly to the right side of the store.
The Fashion Section.
Jiang Wan turned.
For a moment, the Vice-Commander forgot herself.
She walked toward the rack of clothing. Her hand reached out, hovering over a gray hoodie.
In the apocalypse, fabric was rough. It was canvas, denim, leather. Anything soft had rotted away years ago.
Jiang Wan touched the sleeve of the hoodie.
Her breath hitched.
It was impossibly soft. Thick, plush cotton fleece. It was the kind of fabric you drowned in.
"What is this material?" Jiang Wan whispered.
"Cloud-Cotton blend," Lin Yao lied (it was just polyester-cotton, but marketing was key). "Breathable. Warm. And it never pills."
Xiao Mei was already hyperventilating over the rack of leggings.
"Commander," Xiao Mei whimpered. "Touch these pants. They stretch. They actually stretch! My leather trousers have been chafing me for three years!"
Jiang Wan picked up a pair of black yoga pants. She pulled the fabric. It snapped back perfectly.
She imagined wearing this. Not the stiff, heavy armor she slept in to stay safe, but this soft, yielding shadow. She looked at the price tag.
Price: 5 Mutant Crystals.
Five crystals. That was the price of a working generator.
Jiang Wan's hand tightened on the fabric.
"This offers no defense," Jiang Wan stated, trying to convince herself. "A zombie would bite right through this."
"True," Lin Yao agreed from the counter. "But you're inside High Garden's walls most of the time, aren't you? You sleep in a secure room?"
Jiang Wan nodded slowly.
"Then why are you dressing for war when you're in your own bedroom?" Lin Yao asked softly. "Don't you deserve to relax? To feel... soft?"
Jiang Wan bit her lip. She was the Iron Lady of High Garden. She never relaxed. She was always armored, always ready.
God, she was so tired of being armored.
She looked at the bunny slippers. They were ridiculous. They were white and fluffy and had little pink ears.
"I'll take them," Jiang Wan said. Her voice was strained.
"The pants?" Lin Yao asked.
"The pants," Jiang Wan said, grabbing them. "And the hoodie. And... the slippers."
Xiao Mei's jaw dropped. "Commander? The slippers too?"
Jiang Wan glared at her assistant. "It is for... stealth training. They are silent."
"Right. Stealth," Xiao Mei nodded frantically. "Can I... can I get a hoodie too? I have my own savings!"
"Get whatever you want," Jiang Wan said, marching to the counter. She slammed a bag of high-grade crystals onto the marble.
"Do you have a changing room?" Jiang Wan demanded.
"Back left corner," Lin Yao pointed. "Mirrors are flattering, lighting is adjustable."
Jiang Wan vanished into the fitting room with the speed of a tactical retreat.
Xiao Mei rushed to the counter, clutching a hoodie and a bag of chocolate from the snack shelf.
"She never buys anything for herself," Xiao Mei whispered conspiratorially to Lin Yao. "She works twenty hours a day. Thank you."
"Just doing my job," Lin Yao winked.
A moment later, the fitting room door opened.
Jiang Wan stepped out.
Gone was the trench coat. Gone was the rigid posture of a commander.
She was wearing the oversized gray hoodie, which swallowed her formidable frame in billows of soft fabric. She wore the black leggings, which made her legs look miles long. And on her feet were the bunny slippers.
She looked... cozy.
She looked at herself in the glass wall reflection. Her shoulders dropped three inches. The tension that had defined her silhouette for a decade simply evaporated.
"It's so..." Jiang Wan whispered, wiggling her toes in the slippers. "Light."
"It's the 'Apocalypse Off-Duty' collection," Lin Yao said. "Very exclusive."
Jiang Wan turned to Lin Yao. The hard look in her eyes was gone, replaced by a dangerous sort of determination.
"I want to buy the entire rack," Jiang Wan announced.
Lin Yao's smile froze. Not this again.
"Ah," Lin Yao held up a finger. "About that..."
She pointed to the sign.
[Rule No. 1: One Unit Per Item Type Per Person.]
Jiang Wan read the sign. Her eyes narrowed. The 'Iron Lady' returned instantly.
"I am the Vice-Commander of High Garden," Jiang Wan said coldly. "I do not follow rationing rules."
"The Store does," Lin Yao shrugged. "And the Store has a very big bouncer."
As if on cue, the glass doors slid open.
Su Ling walked in, smelling of ozone and dead zombies. She saw Jiang Wan. Jiang Wan saw her.
Su Ling's eyes went to the bunny slippers.
Jiang Wan's eyes went to Su Ling's glossy, perfect ponytail.
A heavy silence filled the room. The tension was palpable. Two apex predators assessing each other.
"Nice slippers," Su Ling drawled.
"Nice hair," Jiang Wan shot back.
They stared at each other for another second.
"Where is the shampoo?" Jiang Wan asked, not breaking eye contact.
"Aisle one," Su Ling pointed. "But don't take the last bottle. I'm watching you."
Jiang Wan turned to Lin Yao.
"I will respect your rules today," Jiang Wan said. "But I will be back tomorrow. With my entire personal guard."
She leaned in close over the counter.
"And if you sell those bunny slippers to anyone else before I can equip my squad... we will have a problem."
Lin Yao grinned.
"Pleasure doing business with you."