Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 21

The Scarred Woman knew that as Gu Huaiwei’s bodyguard, she could stay at the hotel for free and enjoy a life comparable to that of the Upper District.

But she could not betray her companions.

The five of them had escaped together from the toy factory in the Eighth District.

She couldn’t just walk away for her own bright future.

Lin She modified the hotel’s computer and successfully connected to the Underground City’s network.

Gu Huaiwei immediately transformed into an internet-addicted girl, leaning back in the swivel chair and browsing the web.

She discovered that while the world above ground was desolate and ruined, covered in yellow sand with not a blade of grass growing, the world underground was vibrant, strictly regulated, and technologically advanced.

The Lower District had the most developed slave market.

The Middle District was home to all kinds of sweatshops.

And the Upper District resembled the pre-nuclear world: blue skies, white clouds, clean streets, and complete infrastructure, creating an illusion for people from other districts.

Gu Huaiwei leaned forward, clicked the mouse, and entered the largest forum in the Underground City.

This forum was shared by all three districts.

Gu Huaiwei noticed the high daily activity and had a sudden idea-she started a “Versailles” post to attract attention.

[Help! I overwatered the greenery in my room and drowned it. How can I save it?]

Below, she attached a photo of the The Wizard of Oz themed room.

Lush and full of life.

Location shown: Contaminated Zone.

In just ten seconds, countless replies appeared below.

“Reminder: OP forgot to change the location tag when photoshopping.”

“What needs saving isn’t your potted plant, but your brain, which has absorbed too much nuclear radiation.”

“What kind of plant is this? Did you dig it out of some old textbook? I study pre-nuclear history and I’ve never seen this plant in any book.”

“Why are you holding up a kettle from hundreds of years ago? Is it filled with sand?”

“Location in the Contaminated Zone? Is this a human meat shop?”

“This room looks familiar. I think I saw it on some shady scam app.”

“The photo is real. I was lucky enough to see it.”

“OP’s alt account above.”

…

Gu Huaiwei didn’t reply to any messages, letting people question as much as they wanted.

Every two hours, she updated with a new themed room photo.

She also included the download link for the hotel’s online booking app.

Although there were many skeptics, the app’s downloads skyrocketed.

This was the first step: increasing attention.

Because the Oasis Hotel was located in the Contaminated Zone and three hundred Gold Coins was not cheap, no one but Wasteland Wanderers would come here.

So, the download surge did not bring Gu Huaiwei enough room bookings.

She needed a second step: to have someone influential promote her hotel, making everyone believe the Oasis Hotel really existed.

Gu Huaiwei cranked up the Versailles act, taking fancy photos of the rooms.

[The bed is too soft, like marshmallows. My back hurts from sleeping on it. Any solutions?]

Photo: Cloud Pavilion.

[The room is too damp, I feel like I’m getting rheumatism. Haven’t gone out in ages- is it the same outside?]

Photo: Flowing Stream Banquet.

[The moon is so big, but not very round.]

Photo: Mountain Island Clear Moon.

With just a few simple posts, she maxed out the hate level.

Her “let them eat cake” remarks naturally earned her the “friendly” greetings of the Underground City residents, who not only cursed her personally but also extended their concern to her ancestors for eighteen generations.

When Gu Huaiwei’s posts became popular enough, someone finally jumped out, saying they would organize a convoy to come and livestream an exposé.

Gu Huaiwei searched online.

That person was the young master of the Fifth District’s governor.

With a district governor as his father, he never worried about food or drink, so he looked for trouble out of boredom, and liked to venture into the Contaminated Zone-a typical rich second generation.

The fish had taken the bait.

A hint of pride flashed in Gu Huaiwei’s eyes. She tapped the keyboard, uploaded the last two photos, spun around in her wheeled chair, and closed her eyes to think.
She had posted so much, yet still failed to attract anyone from the Upper District.

Are people from the Upper District really so uninterested in joining the fun?

Or perhaps, just a few beautiful rooms aren’t enough bait to lure them over.

The Fifth District is two thousand kilometers away from the Oasis Hotel-one way.

Even in the Real World, driving would take a full day and night.

At night in the Wasteland, Radiation Storms sweep through.

With mountains high and roads long, the young masters from the Fifth District wouldn’t be able to arrive in just a few days.

Gu Huaiwei would have to wait patiently.

Thinking of this, Gu Huaiwei stood up from her chair and stretched lazily.

After posting so many threads, she had finally gotten her wish: someone with some influence, carrying shiny Gold Coins, would travel thousands of miles to expose fakes.

Especially since that person said they would livestream the whole process-this was exactly what Gu Huaiwei wanted.

What is livestreaming?

It’s free advertising!

Gu Huaiwei couldn’t be happier.

Time spent online seemed to be on fast-forward; she opened her computer at dawn, and when she came back to herself, the sun was already setting outside.

Having spent so much time posting, Gu Huaiwei was too lazy to cook dinner. She tore open a pack of Nutrient Solution, held it between her lips, and slowly sipped.

Lin She doesn’t drink Nutrient Solution; he took his red umbrella and went out to forage for food himself.

Gu Huaiwei had opened an expensive blueberry-flavored Nutrient Solution.

The thick liquid barely touched the buds on her tongue before a strong industrial flavor shot straight to her brain.

Gu Huaiwei nearly spat it out.

After gulping down a few mouthfuls of mineral water, she picked up the Nutrient Solution she’d only tasted, held it up to her eyes, lifted her glasses, and her beautiful pupils widened slightly as she stared at the blue liquid inside.

It shimmered with iridescent colors, looking quite pretty.

How could it taste so awful?

It was like rotten blueberries mixed with rusty metal, plus an overdose of MSG-one sip was so intense it felt like it could blow the top of your head off.

And this was considered one of the better flavors.

Then…

Gu Huaiwei glanced nervously at the earthworm-flavored Nutrient Solution.

It was dirt yellow, like poop.

She decided it was better not to try it.

She pushed open the door. The evening wind had turned biting, sand and dust swirling, twisting into the eye of a storm that was growing larger.

Gu Huaiwei shielded herself from the wind and sand, tossed the unfinished Nutrient Solution into the trash bin.

Suddenly, a sneaky Rat Person jumped out of the trash bin, grabbed the Nutrient Solution, and poured it straight into their mouth.

Gu Huaiwei glared at the Rat Person.

The Rat Person quickly ducked back into the trash bin, slamming the lid shut with a bang.

These Rat People really are everywhere!

Not far away, Qian Duoduo hurried back to the Oasis Hotel before the Radiation Storm hit.

She had just sold Gu Huaiwei’s photo to the Black Spiral Research Institute.

On the way back, she’d also picked up a large bag of metal scrap.

Qian Duoduo was small but surprisingly strong.

She lifted over twenty pounds of metal scrap with one hand, dumped it into the retail machine’s big funnel, and didn’t even break a sweat.

After exchanging it for virtual Gold Coins, Qian Duoduo didn’t buy water or snacks. Instead, she stood with one hand on her hip, looking at Gu Huaiwei, who seemed completely out of place in the Wasteland World.

So clean it was almost offensive.

She wanted to ruin it.

She’d seen everything that just happened.

She said, “So extravagant-that was blueberry-flavored Nutrient Solution.”

Just thrown away like that.

Blueberry was her second favorite flavor, right after strawberry!

Gu Huaiwei shrugged, unconcerned. “Oh, I’m just not used to it.”

Qian Duoduo’s words dripped with sarcasm: “You should go live in the Upper District. Only people like you, who can’t even drink Nutrient Solution, belong there.”

“No thanks, I prefer life on the surface,” Gu Huaiwei could sense her hostility.

It was the kind of anger that wanted to tear her apart and sell her for cash, but couldn’t find a way to start.