Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - chapter 31

Xiao Youqi didn’t want to die.

But the wound on his abdomen kept festering inward.

Death was like the roots of an old tree, growing and taking hold inside his body.

Radiation contamination was irreversible.

His health status would shift from yellow to red.

By then, no matter how many Gold Coin he spent to pull strings, the guards of the Underground City would not let him in.

He would slowly rot away, dying miserably and alone outside, his decaying flesh shaved off by the Rat People, his bones extracted and made into Bone Armor, then sold on the outskirts of the Lower District.

The only solution was to enter the Upper District and use the repair pod, but a ticket to the Upper District was priceless and unavailable.

The Black Market sold tickets to the Upper District.

No one knew if they were real, but they represented hope.

What Xiao Youqi needed most now was Gold Coin, enough to buy a ticket to the Upper District.

Gu Huaiwei wasn’t in a hurry to do business. She turned her head to look at Xiao Youqi, sensing his unusual urgency, and casually found an excuse: “My supply chain has run into some issues. I need to temporarily pause business here.”

Xiao Youqi’s brows furrowed, his face seemingly covered in frost: “We can’t stop now. Business is booming-it’d be a shame to halt.”

“Take it easy. There’s never an end to making money,” Gu Huaiwei replied, her long hair falling behind her as she focused on organizing the front desk’s register.

“But…” Xiao Youqi tried to persuade her further.

“Are you really that short on Gold Coin? You should’ve made quite a bit lately, right?” Gu Huaiwei raised her brows, half-smiling. “Don’t worry, I only care about what I receive. As for how high you mark up the price for outsiders, that’s your skill.”

Gu Huaiwei turned a blind eye to certain things.

That’s how business works-finding a balance of interests both sides tacitly accept.

You can be shrewd, but not too shrewd. The best approach is to play dumb on unimportant matters, so everyone profits and the cooperation is win-win.

Every time Xiao Youqi reported his profit margin to her, he always understated it.

He pocketed more of the profits.

Gu Huaiwei didn’t mind, because her purchase price was low enough and her profit was high enough-not because she was naïve and couldn’t guess his tricks.

Xiao Youqi’s gaze grew complicated, his fists clenching and relaxing inside his sleeves.

So she knew everything all along…

“Fine… Let’s do as you say. We’ll pause for a while.”

Xiao Youqi looked pale, said nothing more, and returned to his room with heavy steps.

As he turned into the elevator lobby, Xiao Youqi glanced toward the hall, his eyes sharp, like a lone wolf stained with blood.

“What a pity…

I was finally thinking of doing business by the book…

In the end, I still have to go back to my old ways.”

Every afternoon, Gu Huaiwei would set aside time to practice the Women’s Dagger Self-Defense Technique.

If she ran into something she didn’t understand, she’d mark it with a red pen.

Today happened to be Scarred Woman’s turn to watch the shop.

Toward evening, Gu Huaiwei packed two large bags of beef jerky, compressed biscuits, orange juice, and other snacks, and shamelessly went to ask questions.

Scarred Woman was wearing her Protective Suit, about to close up and leave.

“Master, I’m here again.” Gu Huaiwei shook the plastic bag full of snacks in her hand.

“I told you, don’t call me Master. I don’t take apprentices.”

Scarred Woman was cold and impatient.

But when Gu Huaiwei asked professional questions, she answered seriously.

Gu Huaiwei joked and called her Master.

Scarred Woman refused to let her.

Gu Huaiwei said, “You’re teaching me how to fight. It’s only right I call you Master.”

Scarred Woman pulled down the shutter, gesturing for Gu Huaiwei to step aside: “You’re always pestering me. I don’t want to teach you.”

“Last time, I promise.” Gu Huaiwei held up one finger, her eyes curved in a smile. “I’ll try to ask everything at once this time.”

Scarred Woman crossed her arms and lifted her chin slightly: “You said that last time, and the time before, and the time before that…” If it weren’t for Gu Huaiwei always bringing snacks, she would’ve kicked her out long ago.
So many times?

Gu Huaiwei vowed earnestly, “Uh, this time it’s definitely real.”

The Scarred Woman narrowed her eyes. “Oh, so it was fake before?”

“Alright, alright.” Gu Huaiwei grabbed the Scarred Woman’s wrist and pulled her toward the hotel. “Teach me again, I promise I won’t treat you badly.”

The surface of the Protective Suit was covered in radioactive dust. No matter how many times she saw it, the Scarred Woman still found it amazing-Gu Huaiwei was truly completely immune to radiation.

“Hmph, for the sake of that pile of stuff you have, this is the last time.” Though reluctant, the Scarred Woman still followed Gu Huaiwei into the Oasis Hotel.

Once inside the Oasis Hotel, the Scarred Woman took off her heavy Protective Suit.

It was so much more comfortable in the hotel.

Unfortunately, neither she nor her companions were wealthy enough to stay in the hotel for long and enjoy the comfort here.

“Master, please watch my moves and point out any problems directly.”

Gu Huaiwei gripped her dagger, moving swiftly, her steps steady, her gaze focused, her actions smooth and fluid.

She first demonstrated the results of her recent training.

The Scarred Woman stood to the side, quietly watching Gu Huaiwei’s performance.

She marveled at Gu Huaiwei’s physical fitness and flexibility.

At the flash of the blade, a ripple stirred in the Scarred Woman’s usually calm heart.

A rare, promising talent!

Her movements were crisp and precise. To reach this level in such a short time required not only hard work but also extraordinary talent.

The Scarred Woman hid her approval, keeping her face expressionless and her tone cold: “Your moves still aren’t fast enough, and your force needs to be more precise.

This technique relies on wrist strength, not finger strength.

Your wrist needs to be more flexible-strike by instinct, don’t wait to see your prey before attacking.”

“Got it!”

Following the Scarred Woman’s guidance, Gu Huaiwei repeated the moves she had previously struggled with several times.

Sure enough, changing the way she applied force made it easier and her attacks stronger.

After about two hours of training, the Scarred Woman glanced at the time. It was time to leave; her companions were still waiting for her.

“That’s it for today.”

“Mm.” Gu Huaiwei stopped as well, feeling that was enough.

Two hours of training-neither long nor short-the Scarred Woman noticed that Gu Huaiwei’s breathing hadn’t even quickened, and couldn’t help but be curious about her constitution.

She asked, “Did you do similar training before?”

Gu Huaiwei sheathed her dagger and answered honestly, “No, I used to be in poor health, always getting sick, and never did any basic exercise.

It was only after you gave me that Manual that I started training.”

The Scarred Woman felt something was off.

Gu Huaiwei was thin, with slender limbs and palms without calluses-she really didn’t look like someone who practiced martial arts.

But her performance with the dagger just now-her strength, speed, and precision-were all excellent, even less like someone who was chronically ill.

It was contradictory.

Full of secrets.

Gu Huaiwei flexed her wrist and neck. “Speaking of which, after I recovered, my body really does feel much lighter.

I want to train more and learn some self-defense skills. That way, I can protect myself.”

Rather than being protected by others, it’s better to have strength yourself.

The Scarred Woman didn’t want to waste Gu Huaiwei’s talent. She said, “This book is basic, and you’ve pretty much mastered it.

I’m self-taught when it comes to fighting, so I don’t have anything new to teach you.

If you have the ability, go to the Upper District and learn from a professional Mercenary. They can teach you the latest in tech combat.”

Gu Huaiwei looked into the Scarred Woman’s eyes and said with utmost seriousness, “But I think you’re great.”

“Tch, stop with the cheesy talk.” The Scarred Woman turned away, a bit awkward.