As the silver wolf disappeared into the distance, Hongye snorted disdainfully, then flopped down beside Wen Yu and began to act coquettishly. 

Using its front paws, it gently pawed at its master in an attempt to attract attention, its maple-red pupils filled with a clear intent to compete for affection. 

Wen Yu lowered her head to stroke the soft fur around Hongye’s neck, brushing away the snowflakes clinging to its coat. 

“There, there, our Hongye is the best behaved~” 

The sky darkened further, like a furnace gradually losing its flame. Snow had accumulated thickly on Wen Yu’s hat, making it appear, from a distance, as though it were trimmed with white fur. 

After sending Hongye off, she returned to the convenience store. 

The control panel lit up with the day’s summary: 

[Days in operation: 3] 
[Total revenue: 4298 (Upgrade to a mini supermarket available at 5000)] 
[Cumulative positive feedback point: 33 (All redeemed)] 
[Achievements unlocked: Novice, First World] 

Today’s advertising proved highly effective, the store’s revenue for the day exceeded 3,000. At this rate, just a few more customers would be enough for an upgrade to a mini supermarket. 

To reward herself, Wen Yu purchased a rocking chair and had the system place it by the window in the resting area. 

Holding a cup of warm water, she gazed out at the thick snowflakes falling like goose feathers. 

“It’s already the third day…” 

Snowy nights were always quieter than usual. Watching the snow in this unfamiliar world and the faint moonlight on the horizon, Wen Yu felt a subtle melancholy. 

But she wasn’t homesick. In the world she had come from, there had been neither family nor friends—only a job that did not truly align with her interests. 

For others, transmigration might be a mixed blessing. But for her, it had been purely a blessing. 

That brief melancholy faded as quickly as it came. Wen Yu drank the last of her warm water and gave herself a small encouraging gesture. 

“Let’s set a small goal first—become the lord of this city!” 

✧✧✧ 

It had just snowed yesterday, so there were fewer customers this morning. Wen Yu walked around the store twice to stretch, still feeling a bit tired, and decided to do a set of radio calisthenics. 

“One, two, three, four—five, six, seven, eight—two, two, three, four—five, six, seven, eight—” 

Accompanied by the music broadcasted by the system, Wen Yu bounced lightly around the convenience store, following the rhythm. 

Suddenly, a noise came from the entrance, as if something had fallen. She turned to look and was startled. 

The glass window was blocked so tightly that no light passed through. Only a narrow gap was left at the door, barely enough to push it open. 

The object didn’t look alive and made no sound. After confirming there was no danger, Wen Yu used all her strength to push the door open. 

A strong smell of blood hit her face, and she couldn’t help but frown. Outside the glass was a small mountain of mutated animal carcasses. 

A silver-white shadow flashed by—it was the silver wolf she had just tamed yesterday. 

“Tianbing!” 

As soon as she called out, the silver wolf had already run far away. 

It stopped, looked back, howled once, and then ran even further off. 

So, it was Tian Bing who had sent it… Wen Yu shook her head and smiled. 

The silver wolf looked cold and aloof, but it was actually quite tsundere. 

However, there was so much mutated meat, it seemed the wolf must have hunted all night to gather this much prey. 

“Hopefully I can see it again at six tonight… Wait, how do they even tell time?” 

“Probably by their biological clock?” 

The meat in the fridge wasn’t finished yet. Wen Yu muttered to herself while collecting all the mutated meat at the door to exchange it for silver coins. 

These mutated creatures looked freshly dead; some were still bleeding, making it hard to clean the glass. 

The garbage-cleaning robot beeped and produced a water spray and cloth, wiping the floor-to-ceiling window spotless. Wen Yu patted its mechanical head. 

“Good job, Xiao Xin!” 

After being praised, Xiao Xin excitedly spun twice, then rushed over to wipe the glass again. 

✧✧✧ 

During the day, the temperature rose, and before more snow could fall, it turned into a fine, dense rain. 

Ding-ling-ling” 

The chime at door rang, and the Oasis Convenience Store welcomed its first customer of the day. 

“Finally found it. It’s just so hard to get around in this rain.” 

From the voice, it was probably a middle-aged woman. 

On rainy days, there were fewer mutated creatures in the desert, and radiation levels were somewhat lower. But with the rain, people without rain gear were reluctant to go outside for fear of getting sick. 

The visitor wore colorful protective gear and carried a homemade umbrella on her head. The umbrella’s ribs were tied around her waist, looking like a blooming mushroom. 

Wen Yu decided to have fried mushrooms for dinner tonight. 

“Welcome! What can I get for you?” 

As the woman closed her umbrella, rainwater ran neatly along the umbrella’s ribs into a collection tank strapped behind her. Not a single drop touched the floor. 

“Boss, did a little girl come here yesterday to buy sanitary pads?” 

The woman took off her helmet and smiled at Wen Yu. 

“I’m her mother, Siji.” 

Jin Xia and Siji—what an interesting combination of names for a mother and daughter pair, Wen Yu thought, nodding in acknowledgment. 

“Yes, did something happen?” 

Siji fumbled in her pocket for a long time, then took out a silver coin and held it straight out in front of Wen Yu. 

There were already wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but her overall demeanor remained youthful. 

“She told me she only paid five silver coins for such a large pack of sanitary pads,” Siji said with a hint of disbelief. “That’s how I knew she must’ve met a kind soul willing to help her.” 

Siji awkwardly scratched the back of her head. Seeing that Wen Yu wasn’t taking the coin, she continued to explain. 

“I know a bit about mechanical modification. Life at the central base hasn’t been too bad. It’s just that the market has been out of stock these past few months, so I couldn’t buy any. My family isn’t in trouble—I didn’t want to take anything from you for free.” 

“That child worries about me too much. And she’s far too bold for her age,” she added, her voice tinged with both concern and pride. 

“She’s only eleven! And she dared to venture into the desert all alone!” 

Despite her evident frustration, a smile crept across her lips, unable to suppress the maternal pride in her tone. 

“Luckily, she came back safe and sound, and even found such a good place as the Oasis Convenience Store…” 

Wen Yu listened patiently and more or less understood the whole story. She pointed to the products on the shelf. 

“No one helped her.” 

“When she told me about it, I didn’t believe it at first… huh? What?” 

Siji was a bit stunned, and Wen Yu continued. 

“All items at the Oasis Convenience Store have clear price tags. Look.” 

Siji looked up, and sure enough, there were several large packs of sanitary pads stacked on the shelf, with clear price tags: five silver coins per pack. 

“But…” 

Each large pack contained five smaller packs, enough for an adult woman to use for seven days. At the market, each small pack would cost six or seven silver coins, and besides, even if you had silver coins now, there was nowhere to buy them. 

After hesitating for a while, Siji couldn’t help but ask. 

“Boss, this big pack sells for more than thirty silver coins at the market, and you’re selling it for five… aren’t you losing money?” 

Wen Yu tilted her head and smiled, winking at Siji. 

“This is a special promotion we’re running, basically a product to bring people in.” 

Some products in stores are obviously priced much lower than elsewhere, usually sold at cost to attract customers. 

But Siji knew well that no store would choose a product with only half the potential audience to attract customers. The store owner was doing this just to help female survivors in the wasteland have a slightly better life. 

She nodded, touched, then suddenly thought of something else. 

“Boss, what if someone resells these? You’d have to limit the purchase, right?” 

Wen Yu thought for a moment. 

“That’s a good idea.” 

There had always been a purchase limit icon on the control panel, but since few people had bought anything before, she hadn’t paid attention. 

Wen Yu clicked the purchase limit icon and selected the product—sanitary pads. 

[Purchase restricted to: women of appropriate age.] 

[Purchase limit: one pack per person per month.] 

Done. She had just fixed a small loophole. 

While Wen Yu was setting the limit, Siji picked out quite a few things nearby. She bought daily necessities and also picked out two snacks for Jin Xia. Then she paid with silver coins at the nearby automatic checkout and said goodbye as she left. 

✧✧✧ 

As soon as the female customer left, Xu Yang came over carrying a sack of potatoes he had dug out from the ground. 

He wiped the rainwater off and showed a simple, smiling face. 

“Boss! I’m here to sell!” 

He exchanged the sack of potatoes for 60 silver coins. Holding the shiny coins, he smiled so widely that he couldn’t close his mouth, then carefully put them into his inner pocket. 

This time, Xu Yang didn’t order freshly made food but bought sandwiches and purified water instead. 

After bending over for a long time to search for potatoes in the sandy soil, he looked a bit hunched, unable to straighten up fully, but his eyes were full of vitality. 

“When I just left the central base, I really thought I was going to die. I figured I’d just survive day by day.” 

“Anyway, my mutation level was about to pass 60. Whether I died suddenly or turned into a mutated monster, I wouldn’t be human anymore.” 

“It was you, boss, who saved me.” 

Wen Yu looked at him quietly and kindly, without taking credit. 

“This morning when I tested at the entrance of the central base, my mutation level was only 56. At first, I thought I was dreaming. It was only after hearing people at the entrance talking that I realized that the zero-radiation food sold in the convenience store could actually reduce mutation levels!” 

Wen Yu thought to herself, so that’s why Chen Zui’s reaction was a bit strange. 

The raindrops soaked through Xu Yang’s clothing, making him look somewhat disheveled, but the vitality in his eyes was like new shoots emerging in a gentle spring rain—unstoppable and vigorously announcing to the wasteland world: 

I am alive, and I will keep living. 

“Thank you, boss. Really, thank you so much.” Xu Yang’s eyes reddened as he waved his hands, not knowing how else to express his gratitude other than repeatedly saying thank you. “I’ve already found a long-term place to stay. Next, I’ll work hard to save money to buy a new anti-radiation suit!” 

Wen Yu was happy too. Although the wasteland apocalypse was a flawed game, everyone inside it was clear and vivid, and every detail of the locals was lifelike. 

This world, abandoned by the gods, struggled but had grown its own soul. 

She handed Xu Yang a piece of beef jerky, smiling to encourage him. 

“The anti-radiation suit is reserved for you; the beef jerky is today’s gift. Live well!” 

✧✧✧ 

The rain drizzled into the evening, and no other customers came by today. 

The sky was gloomy. The clock on the wall showed 5:50. Wen Yu had opened the door to look outside five or six times but still saw no sign of Hongye or Tianbing. 

“What’s going on… why hasn’t anyone come today?” 

In the distance, a maple-red figure ran through the rain. Wen Yu held up an umbrella and went out to greet. 

It was Hongye. 

Today, Hongye was unusually enthusiastic. It whined softly, crazily trying to push its three tails into Wen Yu’s hand. 

Wen Yu held the umbrella with one hand and couldn’t free her other hand, so she let Hongye enter first, but it didn’t move. 

A five-meter-long mutated deer carcass fell from the sky, smashing a pit in the wet sand. Hongye froze helplessly, its cries growing more pitiful. 

One after another, mutated carcasses fell, gradually piling up into a small hill—just like the familiar scene from that morning. Wen Yu held her forehead. 

“Tianbing! Come out!”