When Su Cheng walked into the food section, she caught the rich aroma of something delicious, which instantly hooked her cravings.
Following the scent, Su Cheng was lured over to the deli counter. Inside the display cases sat rows of roasted chickens and roasted ducks with a glossy, glistening sheen that looked deeply crispy and appetizing!
“Let me check the price… 30 points?”
Perhaps she had grown too used to seeing prices in the hundreds, because 30 points actually didn’t seem expensive at all.
Once she had money in the future, she could buy one to try.
The rest of the shelves were basically stocked with common instant noodles, biscuits, oatmeal, various snacks, and drinks… along with a fruit section, making it hardly different from the real world.
The items on the yellow-signed shelves only had a single variety:
【Nutrient Solution: Concentrates the effective components of food according to standard ratios; extremely high nutritional value and provides a sense of fullness. Price: 50 points】
The packaging of the nutrient solution consisted of a 10ml test-tube-style glass bottle, available in several flavors like red, yellow, blue, and green, looking somewhat like vegetable juice.
If Su Cheng had to choose between nutrient solution and roasted chicken, she’d definitely pick the latter.
The living supplies section contained all sorts of miscellaneous items—clothing, kitchenware, household appliances… and even stationery.
Su Cheng headed first to the clothing section, where regular shelves, just like the medicine section, mostly featured pre-packaged bundled sets.
【Four-Season Outfit Set — Standard Edition: One set each of spring, summer, autumn, and winter clothing, plus a complimentary pair of spring shoes. On sale / promotional discount!!! Price: 20 points】
【Four-Season Outfit Set — Upgrade Edition: Two sets each of spring, summer, autumn, and winter clothing, plus one hat and scarf each, and complimentary pairs of spring and winter shoes. On sale / promotional discount!!! Price: 40 points】
Su Cheng sighed, her gaze landing on an item of clothing on the yellow-signed shelf.
【Fine Thermal Base Layer Set (Black, Thin): Non-thermal, but possesses a limited degree of fireproof and waterproof effectiveness. Price: 20 points】
Su Cheng hesitated between the standard four-season outfit set and the base layer. Regular clothes wore out far too quickly and could also be obtained through dungeons…
“Let’s go with the base layer set!”
Su Cheng picked up the boxed fine thermal base layer. “Who knows, maybe the next dungeon will let me bring back regular clothes and pants…”
Having run out of points, Su Cheng lost all appetite to keep browsing.
The rest of the supplies weren’t urgent necessities, so she didn’t rush to buy them. Glancing around casually, she headed to the checkout counter.
The female cashier offered a polite smile. “Hello, what membership tier would you like to top up?”
Su Cheng noticed her name tag read Tang Su.
“Hello, what are the respective perks for the three membership tiers?”
“Ordinary members receive no special perks; senior members enjoy a 70% discount storewide, excluding promotional items; super black diamond members enjoy a 50% discount storewide, including promotional items, and the supermarket gifts special holiday items every month.”
“Set me up with an ordinary membership, please.”
“Certainly.”
Tang Su picked up a scanner. “Please bring your bracelet closer so I can scan and register your info here.”
“Okay.”
With a beep, the scanner completed the information registration. Only then did Tang Su begin scanning the items to check out.
Su Cheng remembered something. “Are passes bought at the supermarket? How come I didn’t see any?”
“Passes aren’t on the supermarket shelves. A single pass costs 50,000 points. After the resident completes the payment here at the supermarket, I report it upward, and designated personnel will deliver the pass directly to the resident’s apartment.”
Fifty thousand points—truly an astronomical price.
“What are the prices for vehicle rentals and access cards?”
“Bicycles are 50 points a day, electric scooters 80 points a day, and cars 100 points a day. A 200-point deposit is collected prior to rental, which is waived for super black diamond members. An access card costs 50 points.”
“Would you like to process a rental or purchase an access card?”
Both access cards and vehicle rentals related to going outside. Su Cheng had no plans to venture out right now, nor did she have any points left anyway.
“No, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Could you please present your bracelet once more?”
Beep—Payment successful.
Su Cheng’s bracelet data updated: Points: 0.
She instantly transformed into a penniless pauper.
“Here are your items, please take them.”
Su Cheng accepted the plastic bag, yet felt very little joy.
Many items she wanted were unaffordable, and points were simply never enough to spend…
With a deep sigh, Su Cheng pressed the elevator button.
When the elevator doors opened, a familiar face walked out.
“Oh? Sis from elevator No. 2?”
It was precisely the twin older sister from their previous elevator ride together.
The girl was also wrapped in a bathrobe just like Su Cheng, appearing to have returned to the apartment only moments ago.
Su Cheng offered a polite smile. “What a coincidence. Where’s your sister?”
A trace of worry surfaced on the girl’s face. “She hasn’t come out of the dungeon yet.”
“Don’t worry, she should be back very soon.”
“Yeah! I think so too!”
“My name is Hai Shuang, and my little sister’s name is Hai Lu. Can I add you as a friend, Sister?”
Hai Shuang blinked playfully, her eyes clear to the bottom.
Su Cheng didn’t refuse, inputting her own name for the contact tag.
The two didn’t exchange excessive pleasantries. Hai Shuang waved. “I’m heading to the supermarket first, see you next time, Sister Orange~”
Sister Orange?
Su Cheng chuckled softly. What a long-lost form of address; back in her student days, close classmates had loved calling her Orange.
“Alright, see you next time.”
Back in her apartment, Su Cheng checked her bracelet—it was already 20:35.
Without realizing it, she had spent over an hour browsing the supermarket.
Drawing back the apartment curtains, gray fog drifted outside, rendering everything completely indistinct. There was no telling what lay beyond the apartment…
Su Cheng lay down on the sofa and turned on the television, only to find a single channel playing a recorded survival expedition of an outdoor blogger.
“Up ahead is a wild boar currently in its rutting season. Its attack power is extremely strong right now, best not to get close! I’d better find somewhere else to cut bamboo…”
Su Cheng unwrapped the box containing the Smart Pack.
【Do you wish to use the Smart Pack?】
Use.
【Successfully used. The Smart Pack has been bound to you and cannot be opened by anyone else.】
The white Smart Pack looked no different from an ordinary cloth bag. Dropping items inside prompted 3 storage slots to pop up.
Each storage slot carried a 3kg weight limit.
Su Cheng then unwrapped the box containing the base layer. It consisted of a thin layer of fabric with differing textures on the inside and outside, feeling slightly coarser and stiffer on the exterior.
“Tsk tsk, just these two items cost 370 points.”
Stung by a mild heartache over her points, Su Cheng gave up thinking about it and sprawled flat on the sofa.
Following the medicinal bath in the white diagnostic room, her post-exercise muscle soreness had instantly vanished as if it never existed. Feeling her own arm, she thought: “Maybe I’ll actually grow some muscles in the future.”
Su Cheng finished watching the outdoor expedition recording while eating chocolate.
Speaking of which, she hadn’t watched TV in ages; previously, she exclusively scrolled through short videos on her phone, and didn’t even install a television in her rented apartment.
After the outdoor survival program finished, a cooking show came on. Not in the mood to watch that, Su Cheng turned off the television.
She stood up and walked toward the bathroom, washing up before lying down in bed to prepare for sleep.
Before entering the apartment, she had been a night owl, rarely sleeping until 2:00 or 3:00 AM. Ever since entering the dungeons, she had cultivated the fine habit of sleeping early.
The soft, bouncy mattress underneath her felt vastly more comfortable than the folding bed she had slept on for three nights at the convenience store.
Su Cheng let out a yawn, her final thought before drifting off to sleep being: I’ll enter a dungeon right after waking up tomorrow morning.
The feeling of having 0 points and an empty balance felt identical to being broke… deeply unsettling.
For once, Su Cheng enjoyed a peaceful, sound sleep, waking up feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
Checking her bracelet: only 9:25 AM.
Having gone to sleep early last night, she woke up early today.
Behind the mirror of the bathroom vanity sat a disposable toothbrush and toothpaste sample. Su Cheng frugally squeezed out a soybean-sized dot of toothpaste.
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Su Cheng sighed. “Driven by life’s pressures, driven by life’s pressures…”
After washing up, Su Cheng changed into her newly purchased base layer; the one-size-fits-all garment fit her snugly.
Outside the apartment window, the view remained gray and overcast, entirely unchanged by the passage of time.
Yet the interior of the apartment consistently maintained an optimal temperature and brightness level, keeping Su Cheng from feeling cold even in just her base layer.
Crouching before the cabinet, she pulled out today’s breakfast: two breads, one piece of chocolate, and half a bottle of water.
Nibbling on her bread, with the Smart Pack slung cross-body, Su Cheng deliberated over what items to bring into the next dungeon.
“Bring the iron shovel, one blister pack each of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and cold/fever tablets, plus 10 chocolates and the remaining 4 bottles of water.”
Stepping out the door, Su Cheng bumped into a middle-aged man and a red-short-haired girl waiting for the elevator.
The middle-aged man looked depressed, his facial stubble and messy hair making him appear rather slovenly. Staring down at his shoes, he didn’t even lift his head upon hearing footsteps.
Chewing gum, the red-short-haired girl wore a leather jacket, while oversized black sunglasses covered the upper half of her face, giving off a strong fashionista vibe. She glanced at Su Cheng before quickly shifting her gaze away.
Su Cheng had no inclination to strike up a conversation either.
Maintaining a certain distance, all three stood before elevator bays No. 1 and No. 2.
The silent atmosphere didn’t persist for long.
Ding~
Elevator No. 1 opened its doors first.
The middle-aged man stepped inside. The exact moment the elevator doors closed, elevator No. 2 arrived.
Ding~
The red-haired girl and Su Cheng stepped inside one after the other.
The red-haired girl pressed “6”—the floor Su Cheng had originally intended to select—a step ahead of her.
Su Cheng paused, then pressed “8”.
The red-haired girl chuckled softly. “Looks like we both really like lucky numbers.”
She blew a pink bubble with her gum, popped it, and asked, “Do you know why I didn’t take elevator No. 1?”
Assuming there might be some hidden backstory between the two elevators, Su Cheng’s expression turned slightly serious as she followed up, “Why?”
Meeting Su Cheng’s expectant gaze, the red-haired girl snorted and pointed at her own eyes. “Because I saw that guy just now radiating bad luck all over his body, and I didn’t want any of it rubbing off on me.”
Su Cheng: …Right, she was overthinking it.
Ding~
The 8th floor had arrived.
The elevator doors opened to reveal the exact same expanse of pitch-black darkness.
The red-haired girl waved her hand casually. “Since you rode the same elevator as me today, you’ve definitely caught some of my good fortune. Go ahead with peace of mind.”
“…”
Su Cheng had rarely encountered someone possessed of such extreme self-confidence.
The moment she stepped into the darkness, it felt like stepping into empty air.
Until her feet landed on solid ground and her eyes transitioned from darkness to blinding light, unable to open wide due to the glare—Su Cheng preemptively covered her eyes.
She seemed to be located somewhere with scorching weather.
Su Cheng suddenly thought of the red-haired girl’s sunglasses, realizing they were probably meant precisely to let one open their eyes quickly in a moment like this.
The ground shuddered, and a flock of screaming seagulls flew across the sky.
The sounds of a crowd buzzed around her. “Why is the ground shaking? Is it an earthquake?!”
“Look over there!”
A scream suddenly rang out beside her ear. “No, run for your lives!”
Author’s Notes: Next dungeon: Tsunami~