Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 20

Qian Duoduo was tormented by the aroma of hotpot.

Even after drinking two packs of nutrient solution, it was useless.

She was about to leave the hotel, return to the Ninth District for some fresh air, and contact the Black Spiral Research Institute to see if they were interested in collaborating.

Just as she stepped out, she saw Xiao Youqi coming back, carrying two damn bowls of hotpot vegetables.

Steaming hot, mouthwatering.

“Did you ask the female clerk downstairs for these?” Qian Duoduo ground her molars, her tongue beginning to salivate. “These things have less nutritional value than nutrient solution.”

“But they’re delicious, aren’t they?” Xiao Youqi was about to enter his room to enjoy them.

Qian Duoduo’s voice was icy: “This hotel has worn down your edge.”

Xiao Youqi paused, lowered his gaze, his brows furrowing slightly. After a moment, he slowly exhaled, his voice deep and lingering: “Here, you get a sense of being alive.

My friend, you’re luckier than me. Why not just stay here and stop thinking about the Upper District?”

Peaceful days, far from killing and scheming, were once unattainable.

But this kind of life-his time here was almost up.

Xiao Youqi’s contamination was worsening, and even the Inhibitor couldn’t help. The skin beneath his clothes was starting to fester.

If he wanted to live, he had to leave here and go to the Upper District to seek a cure.

Qian Duoduo didn’t know Xiao Youqi’s situation; she had her own plans.

No matter what, she still wanted a ticket to the Upper District!

Once again, the two parted on bad terms.

Gu Huaiwei just wanted to quietly enjoy her hotpot.

But after Xiao Youqi, six or seven more waves of customers came down.

No one knew how the rumors started.

Guests at the hotel began to whisper that the mysterious female clerk was living a luxurious life like those in the Upper District.

She was stewing expensive ingredients that only grew before the nuclear blast in a big pot.

That mouthwatering aroma was something everyone should taste before they died.

So, they all wanted to try the hotpot.

“Excuse me, can I trade with you using watermelon-flavored nutrient solution?”

Fruit-flavored nutrient solutions were the most expensive of all.

“I can buy it with Gold Coin!”

“Me too!”

“I’ve run out of Gold Coin, but I have some earthworm-flavored nutrient solution. I can trade ten packs for just a small taste! Please!”

“I have rare blueberry-flavored nutrient solution! Let me trade first!”

…

Seven or eight people surrounded Gu Huaiwei, all talking at once in her ear.

The buzzing was like airplane engines.

Too much business was its own kind of trouble.

“Wait, you all need to line up first.” Gu Huaiwei was half full. “You can trade, but it has to be one at a time.”

Gu Huaiwei moved the pot away from Lin She and served the customers one by one.

Three Gold Coins per serving.

Ordinary nutrient solution, five packs for a bowl.

Fruit-flavored nutrient solution, three packs for a bowl.

All things considered, trading with nutrient solution was actually more cost-effective.

Gu Huaiwei wasn’t full, but looking at the rows of nutrient solution, her eyes curved with joy, her spirits high-she felt all the hard work was worth it.

Too bad the pot was too small, otherwise she could’ve sold even more today.

Lin She’s stomach wasn’t satisfied. While Gu Huaiwei was busy with the customers, he quietly slipped away a bag of thawed raw beef.

Gu Huaiwei cooked hotpot for two hours.

She hummed a cheerful tune, counting her spoils.

Today, Gu Huaiwei earned 6 Gold Coins, 35 packs of ordinary nutrient solution, and 9 packs of fruit-flavored nutrient solution-a tidy profit.

It seemed that food made with fresh ingredients had even greater allure.

Inspired, Gu Huaiwei uploaded several hotpot photos to the Oasis Hotel’s online booking app, noting that booking a themed room would include a complimentary hotpot lunch.
The app’s download count increased significantly.

Gu Huaiwei liked cooking, but hated washing dishes.

When she was cleaning up the pots and pans, Gu Huaiwei wanted to pull Lin She over to help. However, after glancing around the lobby, she didn’t see him anywhere.

Even the red umbrella was gone.

He seemed to have gone out.

The upgraded staff lounge required 30,000 Gold Coins to unlock.

There wasn’t a large sink in the Oasis, so Gu Huaiwei had to find a big basin herself, drag out the half-used bottle of mineral water from before, and wash the dishes clean.

If other customers from the Wasteland saw this, they would definitely scold her for being wasteful and squandering precious water resources.

But a basin full of water was simply too heavy. Dragging it into the bathroom to fill would strain Gu Huaiwei’s slender waist, so she had no choice but to be a little extravagant and use the leftover mineral water to wash up.

After cleaning up, Gu Huaiwei dragged the basin to a spot a little farther outside the door and poured out the dirty water.

Unexpectedly, a swarm of Rat People hiding in the shadows came surging out.

They held ladles in their hands, frantically fighting over the dirty water.

Gu Huaiwei was squeezed aside by the Rat People.

“There’s dish soap in that water, you all…”

Gu Huaiwei wanted to stop them, but those Rat People, who were timid within the Oasis’s boundaries, now revealed a fierce glint in their eyes as they guarded their food, cutting Gu Huaiwei off from the basin.

“Just a friendly reminder, that water isn’t safe to drink. If you get poisoned, don’t blame me.” Gu Huaiwei pulled out her self-defense dagger.

The Rat People saw the cold gleam of her blade, shrank back, and retreated in fear, not daring to approach her.

Gu Huaiwei simply stood a little farther away, watching the Rat People scramble for the dirty water.

Their eyes glowed red, and none of them wore protective suits. They looked like damp rats emerging from a sewer. For a bit of survival resources, they used their ladles to strike at their companions’ heads, tore at each other’s arms, fighting for their lives.

In the end, not only was the dirty water gone, but even the big basin used for washing dishes was broken into several pieces and carried off.

A swarm surged out, and then dispersed.

Gu Huaiwei pressed her lips together, her expression calm, but the emotion at the corner of her eyes betrayed her thoughts.

Just five steps from the Oasis, and it was already a different world.

In this Wasteland World filled with sand and radiation, naming the inn “Oasis” was truly fitting.

“This is the real outside world.” The wind swept up dust, swirling through the air. At some point, the Scarred Woman had appeared behind Gu Huaiwei. “Someone like you shouldn’t take even a single step outside the doors of the Oasis.”

Gu Huaiwei turned around to look at her.

A mask covered the Scarred Woman’s face, revealing only a pair of cold, sharp eyes.

“It’s just five steps from the Oasis. I only came out to pour dirty water.”

“To these Rat People, there’s no such thing as dirty water, nor human flesh. You’d better be careful.

Although their attack power is weak, their numbers are overwhelming. If they swarm you, even if you have a special bloodline that can’t be polluted, you’ll still be bitten to death, one bite at a time.”

Gu Huaiwei could hear the warmth beneath her cool words and smiled. “Then how about I hire you as my bodyguard?”

The Scarred Woman’s eyelashes quivered slightly. “Don’t you already have a bodyguard by your side?”

“He’s just my colleague.”

The Scarred Woman was silent for a moment, then turned away and refused, “Tsk, I’m not doing something so troublesome. You’d better work through the booklet I gave you. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just come ask me.”

Gu Huaiwei didn’t insist. “My invitation is always open.”

The Scarred Woman turned and left, leaving Gu Huaiwei with a cool silhouette.

She really was someone who kept others at a distance, yet was unexpectedly warm-hearted.

Gu Huaiwei quite liked her.

After Gu Huaiwei returned to the Oasis, the Scarred Woman silently looked back toward it.

She… it wasn’t that she didn’t want to say yes.