The dining hall was so silent that only the ticking of the wall clock echoed through the room.
Su Wan sat comfortably in a chair, holding a cup of warm water in her hands.
Outside the door, seeing no reaction from within, the bald thug grew even more arrogant. His meat-heavy face pressed tightly against the transparent, explosion-proof glass, his murky, bloodshot eyes staring intently at Su Wan’s pale, delicate face.
In those eyes gleamed a sickening greed alongside undisguised, vulgar lust.
“Little girl inside, don’t think you can play dead in there and I won’t have a way to deal with you!”
As the bald thug roared and cursed, he swung the solid steel pipe in his hand, which was smeared with dark blood. Putting every ounce of his strength into it, he slammed it fiercely against the glass door.
*CLANG!*
A heavy, dull ring echoed down the street.
The bald thug felt his hands go completely numb, the steel pipe nearly jolting out of his grip. Yet on that seemingly ordinary glass door, not even a single hairline white scratch remained.
“Boss, there’s something weird about this door. It looks like military-grade explosion-proof material,” a skinny, monkey-like henchman stepped up to look, his tone tinged with hesitation.
“Bullshit! Where would a delicate woman get a military-grade explosion-proof door?!”
Feeling he had lost face in front of his crew, the bald thug instantly flew into a rage from embarrassment. He took two steps back and pointed at Su Wan and Li Jin inside, issuing an ultimatum:
“I’ll count to three! If you still don’t open the door obediently and hand over the food, once I break this door open, I’ll kill that pretty boy first and then take my sweet time torturing you!”
Inside the hall, Su Wan took a sip of warm water without so much as lifting an eyelid. Her cold gaze was as if looking at a bunch of jumping clowns about to turn into piles of rotten meat.
She set down her water cup lightly, her tone as nonchalant as if discussing today’s weather:
“Li Jin, time to work.”
Standing beside Su Wan, Li Jin slowly stretched his neck. The bones in his body made a stomach-churning crackling sound, and a bloodthirsty smirk curled on his lips:
“At your service, Boss.”
Su Wan reached out and clicked a switch on the service counter.
With a crisp *click*, the electronic lock on the explosion-proof door was released in an instant.
Hearing this sound, the bald thug assumed the woman inside had finally caved in fear. He shoved the door open and barged in with seven or eight thugs wielding machetes and iron bars.
“Hahaha! Glad you know what’s good for you, little bitch! Hurry up and bring out the hot food—”
Before the bald thug’s arrogant laughter could finish, his voice cut off abruptly.
He saw that the pretty boy, who had looked weak and sickly moments before, was now walking toward him step by step.
Li Jin didn’t bother wasting a single word. He raised his deep, icy black eyes, and a terrifying, bone-chilling aura erupted from his body in an instant.
This was not merely the cold air of a top-tier ice ability, but also the absolute suppression infused with spiritual authority.
The ambient temperature plummeted by over ten degrees in a split second, and frost even bloomed across the floor.
The bald thug instinctively sensed a lethal breath of danger. He was about to raise the solid steel pipe to smash it down onto Li Jin’s head, only to realize in despair that his arms had become as heavy as lead.
Li Jin’s frame moved like a phantom, disappearing from the spot in an instant. The agility-boosting effect from the plate of Shredded Hot and Sour Potatoes earlier was put on full display.
The bald thug felt his vision blur, and Li Jin was already right in front of him.
With no extra movements, Li Jin casually raised his right hand. A sharp ice spike materialized instantly in his palm and pierced straight through the bald thug’s wrist.
Excruciating pain paired with extreme, biting cold invaded his bones in a split second.
The steel pipe in the bald thug’s hand clattered onto the floor. His thick wrist, along with the blood spurting from the wound, froze solid into a block of hard ice in the blink of an eye.
“My hand! My hand is ruined!”
The bald thug let out a blood-curdling shriek like a slaughtered pig, collapsing to his knees while clutching his ice-frozen arm.
Seeing this scene, the remaining thugs were scared out of their wits. They never could have imagined that this seemingly fragile man was actually a high-tier ability user.
A few timid thugs dropped their weapons on the spot, turning around in a desperate bid to run out the door.
Li Jin let out a cold snort, and his spiritual ability exploded instantly. An invisible wave of mental shock struck the minds of those thugs with immense force.
Everyone felt as though a massive sledgehammer had smashed into their heads, causing blood to trickle from their seven facial orifices. They crashed to the floor one after another, lacking even the strength to crawl.
In less than ten seconds, this group of arrogant scavengers was completely crushed in a one-sided slaughter.
Li Jin looked down at the bald thug wailing in agony on the floor, his eyes icy and razor-sharp. He was preparing to condense ice blades to dispose of these suicidal pieces of trash once and for all.
“Alright, don’t dirty the shop. Bloodstains are hard to clean up.”
Su Wan’s cool voice rang out just in time, halting Li Jin’s next lethal move.
She walked out slowly from behind the service counter, her heavy combat boots clicking against the floor.
By now, the bald thug was thoroughly terrified. Ignoring the searing pain in his wrist, he frantically banged his head against the ground:
“Mercy, warrior lady! Mercy, big boss! We were blind not to recognize great power! Please, let us go like a puff of smoke!”
Su Wan walked up to them, looking down arrogantly at the group of miscreants:
“If you want to live, you can. But you’ll need to remember the rules of Wanwei Chinese Restaurant with your bodies.”
“There is a Universal Exchange Box outside. Take out everything valuable on you to convert into points.”
“Once converted, buy my noodles to eat, and then get the hell out. If you ever dare cause trouble again, I’ll chop you up and feed you to the zombies.”
Hearing this, the group felt as if they had received a divine pardon.
Compared to being frozen into ice sculptures on the spot by this God of Slaughter, spending money to save their lives was a monumental blessing.
The bald thug scrambled frantically to the black metal box outside the door. Using his remaining intact hand, he pulled a bloody Tier-1 core crystal from his most hidden pocket.
This was the sole hard currency their team had put their lives on the line for yesterday, losing two brothers in the process.
*Ding! One Tier-1 ordinary zombie core crystal detected. Converted to 100 points.*
Hearing the system’s crisp high-value announcement, the bald thug trembled from the pain in his wallet. In the apocalypse, a Tier-1 core crystal could be traded on the base’s black market for half a month’s worth of mutated beast meat.
Yet right now, he didn’t dare hold the slightest resentment.
Next, the skinny monkey-like henchman stepped forward tremblingly. He pulled out half a pack of moldy cigarettes, a chipped machete, and a broken lighter from his tattered backpack.
*Ding! Miscellaneous items: Converted to 7 points.*
Without core crystals, these pieces of scrap metal were practically worthless in the system’s eyes.
Altogether, after scouring themselves completely clean, these seven or eight men managed to scrape together 115 points from the exchange box.
Standing inside the shop, Su Wan looked at the credited point balance in her system background and nodded with satisfaction.
For people like this, killing them outright was far too merciful. Draining them of every core crystal they had traded their lives for was the harshest punishment.
“Li Jin, go to the kitchen and bring out seven bowls of clear broth noodles.”
“Add another plate of Shredded Hot and Sour Potatoes for that bald leader. Consider it what his hundred-plus points bought to save his life.”
Having taken the money, Su Wan naturally provided food in accordance with the principle of equal exchange, leaving no room for anyone to criticize her.
Soon, piping-hot food was carried out to the steps outside the door.
Originally, these thugs had only spent money to save their skins, never expecting the food to be particularly delicious. But upon smelling that rich bone broth aroma and the sharp, appetite-whetting hot and sour fragrance, everyone swallowed their saliva uncontrollably.
Using his left hand, the bald leader picked up chopsticks and stuffed a mouthful of shredded potatoes into his mouth.
The extraordinarily crisp, sour, and spicy texture exploded in his mouth instantly. He had never eaten such delicious hot food in his entire life, and tears flowed uncontrollably down his cheeks.
Yet right after, something even more mind-boggling happened.
As he swallowed the shredded potatoes, a strange warm current traveled through his entire body. He felt his body become lighter than ever before, as though the excruciating pain from his severed hand had dulled significantly.
“Boss! There’s something magical about these noodles! My internal injuries don’t hurt anymore!”
The skinny monkey took a huge gulp of noodle broth, looking at his hands in shock as he yelled in astonishment.
The thugs looked at one another, the fear in their eyes completely replaced by profound shock.
This was no mere food—this was a life-saving divine medicine! No wonder that precious Tier-1 core crystal could only buy a single set meal here.
The bald leader stood up and bowed deeply toward Su Wan and Li Jin, his attitude becoming exceptionally respectful:
“Boss, today we were completely blind.”
“My brothers and I will remember the divine effect of this meal. From now on, we are your most loyal customers!”
With that, he led his men and withdrew from the perimeter of the Chinese restaurant like a pack of tamed, obedient puppies.
Watching their departing backs, a subtle arch formed on the corner of Su Wan’s lips.
She knew these men would never keep their mouths shut after leaving. The news that the Chinese restaurant had food capable of providing special attribute buffs would spread across the entire wasteland in no time.
That very afternoon.
A team of ability users dressed in matching special forces tactical gear arrived at the restaurant entrance, dripping with lethal aura.
The team consisted of five people, led by a burly man with a scar running across his face and eyes like a hawk.
The scar-faced man looked at the black Universal Exchange Box at the entrance and then at the sign overhead.
“Captain, this is the place. Word is that Crazy Qiang’s gang took a beating here.”
A teammate pointed at the sign, his expression somewhat dubious.
“What do those scavengers know? We’re the Gale Squad, fresh out of the contaminated zone,” the scar-faced man grunted coldly.
Walking up to the exchange box, he magnificently pulled an irregularly shaped crystal emitting a faint red light from a cloth pouch at his waist.
It was an extremely rare Tier-2 Fire Element mutated beast core crystal.
*Ding! High-quality Tier-2 Fire Element core crystal detected.*
*Converted to 500 points.*
*Current total points: 500 points.*
Hearing this high point announcement, a satisfied look flashed in the scar-faced man’s eyes.
Five hundred points were enough for their team to indulge in a fine feast here.
Leading his teammates, he pushed open the explosion-proof door and strode into the restaurant, only to be instantly stunned by the clean environment and enticing aroma inside.
Standing behind the service counter, Su Wan looked at these new guests of extraordinary stature, her tone calm and composed:
“Welcome to Wanwei Chinese Restaurant.”
“Clear broth noodles are ten points per bowl. Shredded Hot and Sour Potatoes are fifty points per plate.”
“Order whatever you like.”
This restaurant had finally welcomed its first batch of core high-value clients with true purchasing power.