Chapter 27 Shop

Chapter 27: The Shop

"Satisfied?" Gu Jinsheng asked, looking at Ji An. His dark eyes were inscrutable.

Ji An knew he was asking about the outcome. He wasn’t one for pretense—straightforward as ever, he nodded. "Way better than expected."

This was exactly what Ji An wanted—his hands would stay clean forever, while they’d dug their own graves.

Good enough, Gu Jinsheng thought with a slight nod.

Now that everything was wrapped up, Ji An finally felt like checking out the shop.

He had assumed it would be quiet at this hour, but instead, the place was packed. The line stretched out the door, and arguments kept flaring up over cutting in line.

What’s going on? He hadn’t even put anything up for sale yet. After developing the product, Ji An had set aside two units for sale here, but then Chen Chen and the others showed up, sidetracking him.

Only today did he finally have time to come by—and found the place packed.

"Hey, buddy! Back of the line—no cutting!" A superpowered guy in line cut Ji An off, glaring fiercely and flexing his beefy arms.

Are you kidding me? Ji An almost laughed.

"I’m the owner of this shop."

"The owner isn’t—" The man’s expression instantly brightened. "You’re Researcher Ji? I’m from the Command Department—we’re basically coworkers! Hook me up, yeah?"

The guy’s mood swing was whiplash-fast. In seconds, he went from stranger to “best bud,” shaking Ji An’s hand like they were old pals.

Before Ji An could respond, the crowd behind erupted. The guy had just lit a fuse.

"Cut the brown-nosing!" someone shouted from the back. "I work at the Institute—I'm *real* colleagues with Researcher Ji. I’ve been waiting like everyone else. Who do you think you are?"

"I’m from the Command too. Ask anyone here—who *isn't* from one of these two places? Outsiders probably don’t even know about this yet."

Indeed, people from other departments hadn’t caught wind yet, so nearly everyone in line was from either the Command or the Institute.

But now that the cat was out of the bag, word would spread fast.

A curious bystander asked, "What’s all the fuss about? What’s selling that’s got people lining up like this? Mutant beast meat without the zombie virus?"

Mutant beast meat boosted superpowered abilities, so it always sold fast.

"Nah," the person scoffed. "That’s nothing special. This place sells spatial storage devices. You know, like in those cultivation novels—*poof*, and your stuff’s in storage."

"No way! Shut the front door! For real?" The questioner felt like he’d blinked and missed an apocalypse. He’d only skipped shopping for a day.

"Believe it or not, this isn’t even new. My coworkers have been using them for ages."

No more questions. The man turned right around and rejoined the line.

And just like that, the line doubled back down the block in seconds.

Tang Ning was alone in the shop, her heart racing under the glare of so many superpowereds. Seeing Ji An was like seeing salvation—she almost cried in relief.

"Boss, you’re finally here!" she called out. "I *keep* telling them we’re sold out, but they won’t take no for an answer! Some even want to reserve stuff!"

Ji An smiled reassuringly. "No reservations. First come, first served."

Spatial storage devices weren’t hard to sell. Ji An could’ve sold these straight outta the lab if he’d wanted. Right now, the shop needed the foot traffic. "Got it," Tang Ning said, relieved.

The problem now is that Ji An only had two spatial storage items on hand, one of which he’d already promised to someone else. With so many people fighting over the remaining one, just thinking about the endless, packed crowd outside made Ji An feel dizzy.

He’d worried this would happen, which was why he hadn’t advertised it—only a few insiders knew. Still, somehow, so many people showed up anyway.

Ji An was almost too scared to bring out the last spatial storage item. He was afraid the crowd might rip him to shreds.

Well, a real warrior’s gotta face the music.

Steeling himself, Ji An pulled out the spatial storage item under their burning, desperate stares.

He didn’t even see how the first person in line moved, but the next thing he knew, the item was already gone. The man grinned, baring his teeth. “Researcher Ji, what’s the price?”

“Twenty million.” Ji An said flatly—he was used to their craziness by now.

Twenty mil wasn’t chump change. These credit points were equivalent to pre-apocalypse currency at a one-to-one rate. Back then, the country had been around for decades, with a booming economy—it made sense some people were rich. But this was the apocalypse, only seven years in. So how come there were still so many wealthy folks?

The superpowered guy who bought the item seemed in a good mood. Maybe sensing Ji An’s confusion, he grinned and said, “When the base first started, most of us hadn’t even awakened our powers yet. We fought zombies with our lives. Those who survived—and the families of those who didn’t—got a fat payout.

Seven years later, after all those battles, unless you blew it all, you’ve probably saved a lot.

So, Researcher Ji, better stock up. Otherwise, there won’t be enough for everyone.”

Ji An nodded and asked, “What if I told you this was the only one I have to sell right now? Do you think those people outside would tear me limb from limb?”

He was dead-ass serious, already thinking about how to escape the shop safely.

The superpowered man’s eyes widened. “No way! But you’ll be fine—you’ve got Commander Gu watching your back. They wouldn’t dare touch you, but they’d definitely flip!”

Then he added, “Hey, wait until I’m gone before saying that, or I’m dead meat.”

Ji An said, “Go ahead, hurry. I’ll wait.”

The man poofed—gone in a flash. Ji An suspected his power wasn’t speed, but teleportation.

The next superpowered guy stepped forward, grinning like a kid on Christmas. “Researcher Ji, my turn!”

Ji An hesitated, his face full of pity. He coughed. “Uh… we’re fresh out. Come back earlier next time!”

“What?! Sold out?!” The guy’s voice nearly shook the walls.

“Yeah, sold out.”

“But… you only sold one! How’s it gone already?!”

“There weren’t many to begin with. Most were snatched up by Command and the Institute. This was the only one I managed to keep.”

The man’s gaze suddenly landed on Tang Ning’s pale neck, as if noticing for the first time that a knockout stood before him. His eyes turned greedy, and he licked his lips in a way that made her skin crawl.

Tang Ning went white as a sheet, clutching her collar and hiding behind Ji An.

“Listen up,” she blurted out. “Our boss knows Commander-in-Chief Gu Jinsheng! Deputy Commanders Kong Zhongcheng, Wan Xueying, and Zhou Qin are his partners! Touch me, and our boss will make you regret it!”

“Don’t slander me!” The man looked more horrified than she did. “My wife’s a high-tier superhuman! If she hears this, she’ll skin me alive!”

He pointed at the necklace around Tang Ning’s neck. “That’s a spatial storage item, right? I’ll pay top credit. How about selling it to me?”

The tension popped like a balloon. Tang Ning flushed, then felt a quiet pang of disappointment.

“Not a chance,” she snapped.

"I'll pay a high price," the man said.

"Still not selling," Tang Ning replied after a pause. "Mine's only one cubic meter—nothing special. But it's an ironclad contract—I can't resell it even if I wanted to."

"It's a bit small, but still neat to own. Too bad it's an ironclad contract. Why does everyone use ironclad contracts?"

"As if you wouldn’t do the same if you had such a treasure."

Just then, a trembling voice stammered, "Uh, boss?"

Ji An looked over and saw the girl named Zheng Yan, who had come last time to sell a box of jewelry.

Her tiny frame looked even smaller and frailer among the hulking superpowered folks, practically drowning in them.

Zheng Yan shivered, terrified. What kind of business was this shop running? Why were there so many superpowered people here? Would she even get her remaining payment?

"Um..." She swallowed hard and blurted out, "Your employee told me to come here."

It was Ji An who had asked Tang Ning to notify her about collecting the money. He was flush enough to pay her now, so he had her come in.

Ji An said, "I know. Come with me to the back."

With so many credits involved and Zheng Yan being an ordinary person, Ji An worried that transferring the money in front of the crowd might attract thieves.

Once in the back, Ji An transferred the credits to her account—it hit instantly. Seeing the obscene number of zeros in her balance, Zheng Yan’s eyes nearly popped out.

It was real—she had really hit the jackpot. "I never thought those junk rocks everyone mocked would actually save my life. All those years in the apocalypse, carrying them everywhere wasn’t in vain."

Ji An was curious. "How did you end up with so many gems? Got any more? We’re still buying."

"No," Zheng Yan shook her head regretfully. "I used to be a jewelry designer. Those were my most precious designs from before the apocalypse."

"Can you spot fakes?" Ji An asked.

"Yeah," Zheng Yan replied. "I’m not as sharp as a pro, but I can hold my own. Unless it’s some expert-level con job, I can usually tell."

Ji An’s eyes lit up. He needed someone like her—it wasn’t sustainable for him to appraise all the gems alone. As they acquired more, he’d never keep up.

"Would you be interested in working here? Jewelry appraiser—10K a month, plus bonuses," Ji An offered.

"That’s such a high salary!" Zheng Yan hadn’t seen numbers like that since the apocalypse began. Then she hesitated, glancing nervously at the superpowered people outside. "What exactly does this place do?"

"Right now, we sell space-bending gear and buy gems on the side."

"Space-bending gear?" Her brain short-circuited. Was she still dreaming? Had she just heard something straight out of fantasy?

Despite her disbelief, Zheng Yan accepted the job. Even if she was so broke she was hallucinating, she didn’t want to miss such an opportunity—even if it *was* a dream.

Ji An made quick intros and confirmed Tang Ning’s role as store manager, immediately bumping her pay by 3K.

"Later, I’ll hire someone to have your backs," he added. The shop’s goods were too tempting, and Ji An worried two ordinary people wouldn’t be enough to handle things.

"Got it," Zheng Yan and Tang Ning both agreed.

Once things were settled, Ji An noticed the place was still packed—and the line was snaking out the door.

He walked up to the superpowered guy at the front of the line. "Yeah, I already said we’re out. Why are you still here?"

"Doc Ji, c’mon," the guy pleaded. "I pulled an all-nighter waiting in line. Can you at least pencil me in for the next batch? First dibs when you restock. How about it?"

"No." Ji An shook his head. "My shop needs promotion right now and isn't taking pre-orders. If it weren’t for the necessary publicity, I wouldn’t even be delivering goods to the store."

Ji An turned to Tang Ning and Zheng Yan. "You two go tell everyone the items are sold out. Come earlier next time—and also, this shop doesn’t accept reservations."

"Got it." Though they dreaded facing the superpowered crowd's wrath once they announced the stock was gone, neither hesitated and went out to inform them one by one.

Unfortunately, the effect was terrible—nobody moved an inch.

"Business is hopping!" Zhang Yi walked in with a grin. "Researcher Ji, your shop is packed! You didn’t forget about our deal, did you? Didn’t sell my item already?"

"Of course not, I remember." Ji An handed Zhang Yi the spatial storage device he had specifically set aside for him. Zhang Yi was delighted, transferring the payment on the spot and repeatedly thanking him.

The superpowered individual at the front of the line, as if catching Ji An in some major wrongdoing, shouted accusingly, "Researcher Ji, this is too much! You just said there was nothing left, yet here you are with more stock! This is insider trading, it’s unfair—it’s total BS!"

Ji An was speechless. Come on, this was a private shop—he was the owner. He could sell to whomever he pleased. BS? Give me a break!

Zhang Yi gave a frosty smile. "Do you know me? Because I know you. From the institute, right? Currently working under Researcher Han Yaokun’s experiments. This is work hours—you took leave to come here, didn’t you? What do you think Han Yaokun would say if I told him you skipped work just to queue up for a spatial storage device?"

What would happen? He’d be fired on the spot!

Everyone knew about the grudges between Han Yaokun and Ji An—Han’s face had been thoroughly slapped by Ji An. If he found out his subordinate skipped work just to buy Ji An’s products, that subordinate might as well not bother returning.

The man dropped his act, his face falling. Clearly, he recognized Zhang Yi. "Minister Zhang, rubbing salt in the wound—nice move!"

With that, he stomped out, muttering curses.