The Green Jinjiang Mihana Town branch's editorial efficiency was quite fast, perhaps also out of gratitude for her contributions in solving the case. By the time Qianben Xixi returned home after giving her statement that evening, her signed contract had already been officially entered into the System, making her a contracted author on the website.
So, the first thing she did was withdraw all the JJ Coins she had received from tips over the past few days to upgrade her shop.
Fortunately, she had received another one or two hundred in tips today, and after deducting the handling fees, she had just over a thousand JJ Coins—enough for the upgrade.
[System: Dear player, your JJ Coins have been successfully converted and can now be used for upgrades. Your current JJ Coins are 1036, and the upgrade from Lv0 to Lv1 requires 1000 JJ Coins. Would you like to proceed with the shop upgrade?]
Wow, no wonder the attic she was living in was so shabby—it turned out the initial level wasn’t even Lv1.
"Sure, upgrade," Qianben Xixi said.
[System: Confirmation received… Happy Shop Lv0 to Lv1 upgrade in progress… The upgrade will take 10 hours and 30 minutes. Please wait patiently.]
Hearing the announcement, Qianben Xixi suddenly thought of a crucial question. "System, will the upgrade affect my sleep tonight?"
[System: It will not affect your rest. The shop upgrade mode involves automatic replacement, though the loading time may be a bit long. Wishing you a pleasant life :)]
After this explanation, Qianben Xixi roughly understood the upgrade principle. The System likely loaded the shop module first, and once the loading was complete, it would instantly replace the original shop without causing any disturbance.
As for how unreasonable it might seem for a snack shop to be completely renovated overnight, the System would surely handle it in a way that wouldn’t raise suspicion. So, she didn’t need to worry at all—just wait for the upgrade to succeed.
Making use of the remaining time that evening, Qianben Xixi opened her document and quickly typed out two more chapters to upload.
Although she was somewhat surprised by the unexpected popularity of her novel, it wasn’t hard to understand. After all, the tense and thrilling plot, the suspenseful and terrifying Instance settings, and the various charming, well-developed characters were all real.
Rather than writing a novel, she was more like a chronicler, recording the reality of another world.
But regardless, she was still grateful that so many people enjoyed her story.
…
Early the next morning, when Qianben Xixi woke up, she found that her shop had already been upgraded.
It had transformed from its original cramped and dilapidated state into a much more spacious and bright space, with many more furnishings.
At the very least, she was now sleeping on a soft bed instead of a cold, hard floor.
Getting out of bed, Qianben Xixi immediately pulled open the curtains.
The window, which had previously been the size of a palm, now stretched across the entire wall. When she opened the curtains, the view outside was completely unobstructed. She could even see the playground of Teidan Elementary School diagonally across the street, as well as the beautiful snow-covered scenery of Beika Park on the other side, with its flowers, plants, and trees wrapped in silver.
It seemed the 1000 JJ Coins were well spent.
Wait… something still seemed off.
"System, System, why is it snowing outside?" Qianben Xixi was a bit confused. "Wasn’t it still summer yesterday?"
[System: Dear player, after the shop upgrade, the System has automatically synchronized the time of this world for you. It is now November.]
"Wait, what do you mean? Wasn't the original time synchronized?"
[System: It synchronized once when you first arrived. This is the second time.]
"Wait…" Qianben Xixi was even more confused. "So when I first arrived, it was July. After staying here for a month, this world has already entered November?"
[System: Correct. The timeline of this world is rather unique. From now on, the system will synchronize once a week.]
Qianben Xixi: …
"System, are you sure this place called the Conan-style world is an ordinary world?"
[System: No need to doubt it. It is indeed an ordinary world.]
Qianben Xixi: Hah, I believe that.
Ignoring the system's nonsense, she finished washing up and went downstairs to the shop.
The spacious kitchen area and the bar counter instantly lifted her mood. The Xingfu Snack Shop could now be considered a proper establishment, not like the small street vendor it used to be, without even a single table or chair inside.
Although the bar counter could only seat four or five people, at least it allowed customers to dine in the shop.
Not only that, but the changes outside also delighted her. What was once dilapidated, looking like a condemned building ready for demolition, had now become much more attractive, finally resembling a modern structure that could help attract more customers.
Sure enough, just as she was thinking about it, a customer walked in.
It was a tall young man wearing a long black trench coat and a matching black top hat. Long silver hair cascaded from beneath the hat down to his waist, adding an extra layer of chill to his already cold and imposing presence.
He was a dangerous man, Qianben Xixi thought, just as he walked up to her.
"Hello, would you like to order something?"
The man didn't reply but stood there motionless, seemingly sizing her up. Puzzled, she looked up to meet his gaze and instantly locked eyes with a pair of emotionless green irises.
In all her time in this world, this was the first person she had to look up at. Judging from her own height, he was probably around 190 cm tall. Standing before her now, he blocked all the light, creating a strong sense of oppression. It was like a venomous snake in the dark, coldly watching its prey.
A few seconds later, the man finally shifted his gaze.
"Sherry," he said. His deep voice was as cold and emotionless as his demeanor, yet surprisingly pleasant to the ear.
"I'm sorry, sir," Qianben Xixi said with an apologetic smile. "We're a snack shop. We don't sell alcohol."
Gin: "…"
"Is there anything else you'd like?" Qianben Xixi asked with a beaming smile, though inwardly she was complaining wildly.
Her shop was just a proper, ordinary snack shop! With all the imposing aura he exuded, not only did it not match his status, but she also had no alcohol to sell—only soy milk!
"Hah," the man sneered, seemingly disdainful. "Then what do you sell here?"
"Egg pancakes and soy milk," Qianben Xixi replied, thinking for a moment before adding, "And ice cream… strawberry-flavored."
Gin: "Then give me two orders of egg pancakes and soy milk."
Qianben Xixi: …Alright, as long as you're happy.
Ten minutes later, Gin got into his vintage Porsche holding two bags of egg pancakes and soy milk—items that didn't quite match his image.
"Big brother, how did it go? Did you get any information about Sherry?" Vodka asked eagerly. "Asti has been in Mihana Town all along. She should have noticed something, right?"
Gin sneered as he handed the item to Vodka, then started the car.
"No, it's not needed anymore." His chilling smile seeped from between his teeth. "After all, we'll see her tonight."
…
At three in the afternoon, Qianben Xixi reluctantly closed the shop door after a busy day. Because there was an Organization activity today, she needed to take the subway to Beihu Town.
She had originally thought it would be the same training facility as last time, but clearly it wasn't. The address Gin provided in the email was a restaurant.
Could it be a gathering for Organization members? That guy Gin didn't make it clear. For some reason, Qianben Xixi suddenly thought of the man from this morning. He was somewhat similar to Gin, probably because of his voice—both were so cold.
An hour later, Qianben Xixi arrived near Beihu Restaurant as agreed and dialed Gin's number.
"Hey Gin, I'm here. Where are you guys?"
On the roadside, inside a black Porsche 356A, Gin rolled down the window. He immediately spotted the figure across the street, dressed in white so bright it seemed to shine. His blood pressure instantly shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
"You came empty-handed like this?" Gin gritted his teeth, his questioning tone laced with a chilling murderous intent that made Vodka, who was eating a stuffed pancake beside him, shiver. "Where's your sniper rifle?"
Qianben Xixi didn't understand why he was so angry but calmly replied, "You didn't issue a sniper rifle."
Gin laughed in exasperation. In all his years, this was the first time he had encountered an Organization sniper who showed up empty-handed for an operation and had the audacity to act so righteous.
"Come here. I'll give you one." Having reached the peak of his anger, he instead grew calm, even finding the mood to crack a malicious joke. "You're the first sniper who seems determined to let everyone know exactly where you are. Should I award you a prize for best-dressed?"