Chapter 370: Light Brain

Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Light Brain

"Ohh~ So we can only go in and eat when it’s our turn!" The crowd seemed to only half-understand.

An impatient person spoke up, "Then what are we waiting for! Let’s go! You know how competitive everyone in our base is!"

At his words, the crowd snapped out of their daze and rushed for the hot pot restaurant. But when they gave their party size and got a ticket, they felt like crying.

It was just past nine in the morning, and they were already number 67! This was outrageous, way too intense!

They gave up on the idea of waiting until noon to eat. As soon as their number was called, they would rush over for a feast! Getting a table here was no small feat!

They were waiting, and Lily Hart was waiting too—for the progress bar to reach one hundred thousand. But it was clear there was still a long way to go.

The frequent base changes had left Lily Hart feeling a bit numb. Fortunately, the walls and gates all looked more or less the same; aside from the name on the entrance, it was like they hadn’t moved at all.

Frost Shaw and the others were also gradually adapting and finding ways to cope.

During lunch, everyone seemed to be in good spirits—much better than the past couple of days.

The past two days, they had looked like wilted vegetables, completely drained of all energy. Today, however, they looked like vibrant young men, a sight that Lily Hart found quite pleasing.

It even made her eat two extra bowls of rice.

After lunch, Lily Hart started on her dessert fruit. ’Even though we’re always changing bases, life here is so much more comfortable than at Central Command.’

’There’s none of that crap from The Mysterious Clan and Central Command.’

The members of The Mysterious Clan, who Lily Hart was just thinking about, all sneezed. They shot a resentful glare at a camera and cursed internally.

They had thought shutting down the Material Exchange Centers in every base and steering public opinion against Lily Hart would have at least some effect.

They thought it would at least dent her confidence and slow her progress. They never imagined it would actually help her!

’That kid just rolled out vending machines, completely replacing the Material Exchange Centers. And with prices so low, our market share has evaporated!’

The whole Mysterious Clan had been grumbling and cursing lately. Not only had they lost this major source of income, but it also led many Base Commanders to resent them.

During a regular meeting at Central Command, several key figures also expressed their dissatisfaction. The Material Exchange Centers had been their biggest source of revenue, too...

Now it was all gone. It had gotten so bad that even Steven Gibbs didn’t dare splurge on scratch-offs anymore.

Elder Shaw relayed these amusing stories to Lily Hart every day, so she was more or less in the know. She chuckled to herself, wondering which "genius" in The Mysterious Clan had cooked up this brilliant plan.

’It’s a godsend!’

Public opinion online had completely flipped, especially in the three bases with vending machines: Phanfly, Kervan, and Bain.

They were singing the machine’s praises all over the internet, making the other bases green with envy.

One video in particular, showing someone buying things from a vending machine, went viral. All sorts of little snacks came CLUNKING down from the dispenser chute.

That satisfying sound, that beautiful sight—it was just perfect! It made people desperate to try it for themselves!

Lily Hart munched on her fruit, scrolling through the comments praising her on the Human Social Sphere.

’Mm, all very accurate.’

Take this one, for example.

"Holy crap, who took this picture? Boss Hart looks amazing! That radiant smile, that silky smooth hair... Do the vending machines sell Boss Hart’s brand of shampoo? I need someone to buy it for me!"

Lily Hart jolted. ’A personal shopper? Someone who buys things to resell at a markup? That can’t be allowed!’

’Besides, there’s no package delivery in the apocalypse. Even if they bought it for someone, how would they get it to them?’

’The online supermarket isn’t even available in most places yet!’

’I really wish I had a shop that combined food and package delivery. That would solve this immediate problem.’

She wanted everyone to be able to enjoy her shops, not just the people in a single base.

And this one: "Oh my god, I drool every time I see a picture of that hot pot restaurant. Boss Hart, please come to our base! I want to eat hot pot!"

Then there was this:

"Boss Hart is so gorgeous. She has such classic good looks—so bright and elegant! I want to be reborn looking like her!"

"Then you’ll have to get in line. There are a lot of people ahead of you~"

Lily Hart’s eyes crinkled with laughter as she read. For the sake of these fans of her looks, she decided she had to start a proper skincare routine and protect her pretty little face!

She found herself wondering if her now-intense desire to win a "delivery station" from a scratch-off could possibly come true.

’Ideally, it would be a station for both package and food delivery, one that could handle long-distance shipments and takeout orders.’

’But with the online supermarket, package delivery might not be that useful. Still, it could solve a lot of logistical problems caused by poor transportation infrastructure.’

’Being able to order takeout would be amazing, though. The kind that ignores distance.’

’You could just sit tight in your base, and takeout would appear as if from the heavens.’

’You could order from the hot pot restaurant, the breakfast joint, the night market—anything!’

She’d sent the link for the online supermarket’s applet to so many Base Commanders. Why were there still so many people not using it?

She even included a direct link to the online supermarket with every post she made.

’It must be because most people don’t have a Light Brain,’ she concluded.

’Without a Light Brain, you can’t use any of these things. You can’t even get online.’

’You can’t use the online supermarket, can’t get in on the fruit flash sales... Even if I did get a delivery station, they wouldn’t be able to buy products or order takeout.’

’This is nipping my entire plan in the bud.’

She immediately asked Elder Shaw, "How much does a Light Brain cost?"

Elder Shaw replied, "The cheapest ones start at one thousand Level 1 Crystal Cores, and that’s for the most basic model, which can only take pictures, use location services, and access the internet. For custom models shaped like rings, necklaces, or earrings, there’s no price ceiling."

"No wonder so many people can’t afford a Light Brain!" Lily Hart griped.

"There’s no way around it. The manufacturing cost is high, and they need Crystal Cores to recharge every month. They’re considered a luxury item," Elder Shaw said resignedly.

Lily Hart propped her head on her hand, thinking. "Then about how many people in all of Cathaya have a Light Brain?"

Elder Shaw answered conservatively, "Fewer than one in ten."

Lily Hart was surprised. "But it seems like everyone who shops at my stores has a Light Brain."

Elder Shaw replied, "Not necessarily. They just don’t make it obvious. Generally, people without Light Brains are out there desperately killing zombies, saving up Crystal Cores to trade for supplies. They prioritize survival first, then buying a Light Brain. But that doesn’t rule out some of them coming to spend their earnings right away."

Lily Hart: "That makes sense. Can’t they make the things any cheaper?"

"They can’t. The manufacturing cost is too high and the output is too low." Elder Shaw sounded helpless as well. He had found himself lamenting this very problem many times since Lily Hart’s arrival.

’If only everyone had a Light Brain,’ he thought. ’The online supermarket would be adopted in no time.’

"Furthermore," Elder Shaw added, "the technology for Light Brains is controlled by The Mysterious Clan. It’s one of their biggest assets, and they’ve never shared the secrets."

’So that’s how it is,’ Lily Hart thought. ’No wonder the output is so low. They’re probably controlling it on purpose.’

’Damn The Mysterious Clan. They never do anything productive, just cause trouble all day long!’

While her thoughts were running wild, Diana Sharp sidled over and used a toothpick to spear a few pieces of cantaloupe.

Only after she had eaten them did she say, "Looks like someone else won a first prize!"

Lily Hart’s eyes lit up. She was now incredibly eager to see each new first prize, wondering what kind of shop might pop up next.

In her eyes, Stan Sterling’s soil-improving sapling was also a first-prize-level item.

System: *’It was categorized that way from the very beginning, okay!’*