On the control panel, the pointer of the lottery wheel turned slowly. The “garbage cleaning robot” option, which had been drawn last time, disappeared and was replaced with a new one—Automated Checkout. 

Wen Yu rubbed her hands in anticipation. With more and more customers showing up, it was getting harder to juggle both cooking and handling payments on her own. 

Since she hadn’t been in this world for long, she wasn’t quite comfortable hiring help just yet. 

She clasped her hands together and carefully pressed the lottery button. 

Ding, ding, ding, ding! 

A familiar chime rang out. Wen Yu stared intently at the screen. The spinning wheel gradually slowed, and, right on target, landed exactly where she hoped. 

Automated Checkout! 

[A small automated checkout machine has been installed. The number of machines will increase as the supermarket level rises.] 

Anything from the system was guaranteed to be top-notch. 

The automated checkout machine looked similar to those she’d seen in supermarkets in her previous life—just smaller. It was placed beside the counter. 

It had two primary functions: 

On the left was the checkout scanner. Customers could place items in front of a glowing panel, and the price would automatically pop up. After payment, they could leave. 

On the right was the processing unit. Customers could put unwanted items into a basket, and after scanning, the machine would take the items and dispense silver coins accordingly. 

“Finally, some help,” Wen Yu sighed with relief. She could finally free herself from repetitive cashier duties. 

A noise came from outside. Peeking out, she saw the crimson fox, Hongye, letting out soft whimpering sounds. 

Hongye had somehow rolled around in a pile of dry grass and was now surrounded by the garbage robot Xiao Xin, who was enthusiastically trying to groom it. 

Curious, the fox padded over to inspect the new device in the store. Wen Yu was testing the machine’s functionality by placing a piece of mutant creature meat into it. A small handful of silver coins dropped from the machine into a small basket below. 

The sound startled Hongye. Its eyes went wide and the fur on its neck stood on end. It took a while for Wen Yu to calm it down. 

“There, there, Hongye. It’s okay, don’t be scared~” 

“What should I make for you today… How about something sweet?” 

During the day, Hongye would usually hunt on its own. It only stopped by Wen Yu’s place for occasional treats and wasn’t picky about what it ate. 

After some thought, Wen Yu decided on dinner. 

Salted Egg Yolk Pastry! 

She had always loved these in her previous life, but work kept her too busy to make them. Store-bought ones were either overly sweet or too greasy—none quite matched her taste. 

She began by roasting salted duck egg yolks until the oil surfaced, turning them a deeper shade of yellow. She couldn’t resist crumbling one and tasting it. 

Aromatic, grainy, and just the right amount of salty—it was delicious even on its own. 

Hongye sat nearby with its head tilted, waiting patiently. Wen Yu tossed it into the air, and it traced a graceful arc before landing squarely in Hongye’s mouth. 

Next came the dough preparation. High-gluten flour, sugar, salt, and lard were kneaded into a soft water-oil dough. Low-gluten flour was combined with lard to make a separate batch of pastry dough. 

With the basics ready, it was time to assemble. She wrapped red bean paste and mochi around the salted yolk, then layered the doughs over it, shaping them into neat, round balls. 

Once the pastries were formed, she brushed them with egg yolk and sprinkled black sesame seeds on top before sliding them into the oven. 

As the oven slowly baked, the pastries turned a beautiful golden color. Wen Yu and Hongye sat side by side, waiting. 

Ding! 

Thirty minutes flew by. Wen Yu opened the oven, and a sweet aroma filled the air. After a few minutes of cooling, she couldn’t wait any longer. 

Ignoring the heat, she picked one up and broke it open. The flaky crust crumbled, releasing steam. The inner layers were distinct—the mochi was soft and chewy, the yolk rich and savory. 

She took a bite. The sesame balanced the sweetness of the dough, and the flaky crust fell apart in her hands. Rich filling, just the right sweetness. Wen Yu savored every bite. 

Beside her, Hongye stared longingly. One soft whimper reminded Wen Yu of its presence. 

She had baked forty pastries this time. Wen Yu generously placed ten into the fox’s dish, letting it eat to its heart’s content. 

Since the pastries took a while to bake, by the time Hongye finished eating, it was already dark. 

In the wasteland apocalypse, the temperature difference between day and night was extreme—scorching heat during the day gave way to subzero cold at night. Snowflakes began to drift past the glass window. 

Wen Yu couldn’t resist opening the door. She reached out and caught one. 

A tiny flake landed on her palm, quickly melting into a single drop of water from the warmth. 

“It’s snowing.” 

She recalled the background information she had seen in the control panel. In this world, the conventional cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter no longer existed. Instead, weather patterns occurred randomly. Following a snowfall, the daytime temperature might drop slightly the next day, yet it could still reach 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. 

But tonight, those surviving in the wilderness were bound to have a hard time. 

The snow was falling harder and heavier. Hongye held the last piece of salted egg yolk pastry in its mouth and stood by the window next to Wen Yu, watching the scene outside. 

Before long, a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the ground. On a whim, Wen Yu changed into warmer clothes, put on a hat, gloves, and a scarf, and stepped out of the convenience store. 

In the distance, it was pitch dark. Only the entrance of the Oasis Convenience Store remained brightly lit. A warm yellow light illuminated the area, making the drifting snowflakes visible as they slowly settled on the roof. 

Beneath her feet, the snow crunched with each step she took. Beside her, the snow that Hongye stepped on left small plum blossom-shaped pits, reminding Wen Yu of plum blossom cakes. 

Next time, she’d make that for Hongye. 

The air was filled with the chilly scent of snow. Wen Yu formed a small snowball and gently tossed it at Hongye’s forehead. The crimson fox looked at her in confusion, then used a paw to scoop up a patch of snow and flung it all back onto her. 

Wen Yu’s laughter and the crimson fox’s howls mingled together, rising into the snowy night. 

After playing for a while, Wen Yu felt satisfied and planned to send Hongye off. 

Suddenly, Hongye took a defensive stance and growled toward the darkness in the distance. 

“Wo—wooo!” 

Wen Yu immediately became alert, hiding behind Hongye and peering ahead. 

From afar, a pair of emerald-green eyes appeared, glowing eerily in the night. 

What is that? 

She took a few steps back with Hongye, pressing herself against the convenience store’s door, ready to slip inside at any moment. 

The green eyes gradually approached. Their gaze was sharp, and the faint outline of a long, pointed snout became visible. As the figure stepped into the light, Wen Yu finally saw it clearly—it was a silver wolf. 

“System, what level is this silver wolf?” 

The wolf looked powerful, its body covered in thick silver-white fur. Fresh blood stained its mouth, and its abdomen bulged oddly. It didn’t look like a pregnancy—more like a massive tumor. 

[A-grade mutated creature detected—Silver Wolf. Mutation traits: Enhanced intelligence, Sharp claws, Abdominal tumor.] 

The closer it got, the more tense Hongye became. Its orange-red eyes narrowed as it let out a threatening growl. 

Wen Yu wasn’t eager to engage. She could sense the wolf’s danger. Although it was slightly smaller than Hongye, its limbs were stronger, and its gaze was filled with a chilling intensity. 

She’d rather not see her little foodie get hurt. 

As the silver wolf approached step by step, Wen Yu was just about to turn and retreat when she heard a dull thud behind her. Something silver-white had fallen into the snow. 

Looking closely, the silver wolf seemed severely injured. Though its eyes remained sharp, its increasingly labored breathing revealed its weakness. Blood was seeping beneath it, dyeing the snow bright red. 

Wen Yu stayed on guard. She had heard that some animals pretended to be injured or weak to lure prey closer. 

But those bright green eyes were truly beautiful, and she couldn’t bring herself to let the opportunity pass. She went back into the store to fetch a box of medical supplies. 

Just before stepping outside again, the system helpfully prompted her: 

[Current unused positive feedback points: 30. Would you like to redeem them for personal skills?] 

Wen Yu’s eyes lit up. Right—she could upgrade her taming skill! 

It cost ten points to upgrade one skill. She had exactly thirty, so she upgraded all three of her skills to intermediate level. 

The second upgrade went even faster, completed in the blink of an eye. She opened the skill descriptions to check. 

[Intermediate Personal Skill – Purification: Reduces the radiation/mutation levels of items and mutated creatures to zero (excluding locals).] 

[Intermediate Personal Skill – Taming: Able to tame mutated creatures of Grade A or below.] 

[Intermediate Personal Skill – Self-Enhancement: Enhances the host’s physical attributes to rank within the top 80% of this world’s average; immune to radiation levels below 60.] 

All three skills were immediately useful. Wen Yu rushed back outside. The silver wolf was still lying in the snow, looking even weaker. Hongye sat by the convenience store door, watching it intently. 

Wen Yu walked over and first used the taming skill. 

The silver wolf seemed reluctant, struggling to get up and escape, but it had lost too much blood and no longer had the strength to move. 

Even after being tamed, its eyes remained cold—though now without hostility. Only then did Wen Yu feel safe enough to approach and examine its wound. 

Its silver fur was soaked with blood. A large gash on its hind leg suggested it had been bitten by another animal. When Wen Yu applied medicine, the wolf seemed to understand that she was helping and stopped resisting. 

The basic medicine worked just as well on mutated animals. Before long, the silver wolf began to recover. It stood up from the snow, shook off its fur, and lifted its head proudly, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Wen Yu. 

Only occasionally did its gaze sneak downward, stealing a glance at the human inspecting the tumor on its abdomen. 

Wen Yu gently touched the tumor on its belly, roughly the size of a durian. It had likely hindered its movement, resulting in the injury. 

She then attempted an intermediate purification skill, aiming to preserve the enhancements to its claws and intelligence, purifying only the tumor. 

A faint green light flashed, and the tumor disappeared. The silver wolf looked down in shock, staring in disbelief at its now smooth abdomen. 

It tried walking a few steps, then ran a lap in excitement, letting out a howl into the darkness. 

From now on, nothing strange would hinder its combat again! 

Just as it was caught up in its excitement, the silver wolf suddenly remembered its cool and aloof image. It quickly straightened its expression, trying to regain its cold demeanor. 

Wen Yu had already seen through it. She reached out and patted its ear. The wolf didn’t look at her, but its head subtly tilted in her direction. 

Well, it’s not like the wolf wanted to be petted. 

“I should give you a name…” 

Hongye, who had been nearby, came over as well, innocently pushing the silver wolf ten centimeters to the side. Wen Yu, lost in thought, didn’t notice. 

For someone terrible at naming things, every name required serious deliberation. 

“You were found on a snowy day, so from now on, your name is Tianbing!” 

The silver wolf snorted, silently accepting the name, then turned and ran into the darkness. Wen Yu called after it: 

“Be back by six for dinner!”