Volume 1 Chapter 1: The Mysterious Guest at the Grocery Store

[Ping! Host, please pay attention!]
[Third reminder! Third reminder!]
[If you fail to sell ten pounds of compressed biscuits within one day, items naturally consumed in the grocery store will not be automatically replenished.]

Qiao Yuan lounged across the counter, bored out of her mind, idly scrolling through short videos. Two months ago, her grandfather had handed her the keys to a dilapidated courtyard house in the village. When she returned to handle paperwork, she unexpectedly awakened the grocery store space system. Completing system tasks meant every item sold could be automatically restocked. Overjoyed, Qiao Yuan quit her job that same day and invested her entire savings in renovating the old house, opening a grocery shop.

“Oh my goodness—”
A startled exclamation sounded at the door.
Qiao Yuan, absorbed in her video, answered absentmindedly,
“Snacks and treats are on the first row, kitchen condiments second, daily necessities third. Pick what you want and check out at the counter.”

On this summer afternoon, the store’s air conditioning was set to a breezy twenty-six degrees.
“How is it so cool in here? You actually have electricity?”
A deep, pleasant voice tinged with surprise echoed—a voice unfamiliar in the village.

Qiao Yuan shot upright and met a pair of profound eyes head-on.
Her mind went blank.
The voice was attractive and the man was handsome.
But… his clothes were filthy and battered beyond belief.
“Are you… a beggar?”

Ning Jue glanced down at himself.
His jacket, stained with sweat and grime, emanated an odd smell, and his pants were so dirty their original color was lost.
He looked up at the girl before him:
A crisp white tee, pale blue jeans, hair pulled into a high ponytail.
Her hair wasn’t greasy, her skin bore none of the marks left by acid rain...

It wasn’t just the person—the shop itself was strange.
Shelves were stocked with every conceivable item, and the space hummed with electricity and cool air; the air was dry and fresh, making breathing effortless.
Ning Jue began to wonder if he was hallucinating.

Three months of torrential rain had drowned the city.
The apocalypse had truly begun. He’d paddled his board to the largest supermarket nearby, hoping for scraps of food.
Instead, a hidden current swept him in through the museum’s side door.
He’d hidden from thugs on the third floor, randomly opened a gallery—and found himself here.

Something was off.
Ning Jue glanced back at the woman behind the counter, who was studying him with curiosity, her gaze filled with sympathy and pity.
With the apocalypse, law lost its grip, morals collapsed, and he had survived death more than once.
His instincts told him: this woman was not a threat.

At this moment, Qiao Yuan was observing him too.
The man’s features were striking, bones well-defined, eyes bright and deep.
A scar marked his brow, but overall, he was undeniably handsome.
Alas, he was rather thin—his cheeks were sunken.

How does such an attractive man become a beggar?
Even if he lived off others, his looks alone could earn him riches.
Perhaps he was a man of dignity after all.

Ning Jue had no idea Qiao Yuan was imagining his life story.
“I’m not a beggar. I… want to buy some food.”
Qiao Yuan paused.
Looking the way he did—half man, half ghost—and he wanted to buy food?
Why not just ask for charity? Would that kill him?
Never mind, doing a good deed was virtuous.

She was about to hand him some bread when she remembered the system’s requirement to sell ten pounds of compressed biscuits.
It only said to sell them, not how much for.
Even if she charged him a single coin, it still counted!
With this thought, she slapped her forehead.

Squatting down, she pulled a cardboard box from beneath her feet.
“Five packs each—scallion, sesame, and meat floss flavored compressed biscuits. Ration them out, eat one square a day and you won’t starve.”
She glanced at Ning Jue’s skinny frame.
“For you, this should last a month.”

Ning Jue swallowed with difficulty, his eyes glowing green with hunger.
His remaining manners told him not to tear into the packaging immediately, not to betray his desperation.
But these were compressed biscuits!
In the past three months, Ning Jue had eaten raw meat, chewed belts, even climbed trees to gnaw leaves.
He was desperately hungry.

Watching his struggle and his Adam’s apple bob anxiously, Qiao Yuan knew he was starving.
He was handsome—she’d do the good deed to the end.
She grabbed a loaf of bread from the shelf and handed it to him.
“Here, eat something to tide you over.”

Ning Jue’s hands trembled as he opened the packaging.
The moment he smelled the bread, he nearly fainted with happiness.
The palm-sized loaf disappeared in less than three seconds.
The dry bread nearly choked him; once he recovered, his gaze locked hungrily on the box of compressed biscuits.
Like a starving wolf.

“There are plenty of biscuits. How much? I’ll buy them.” Ning Jue asked nervously.
Qiao Yuan glanced at him.
Handsome and now, audacious.
Even as a beggar, he still cared about appearances.

Qiao Yuan rolled her eyes and said, “Pay whatever you think is fair.”
Ning Jue patted his pockets.
Damn! Money was worthless now; he hadn’t brought any cash.
Besides, in the apocalypse, anyone doing business like this surely wouldn’t accept paper currency.

Thinking it over, Ning Jue gritted his teeth and reached for his neck.
“Will this do?”
He placed a jade pendant on the counter.
Seeing Qiao Yuan’s doubtful look, he quickly explained,
“I know, these things are trash now, but it’s the most valuable thing I have today.”
Ning Jue looked at her, embarrassed.

Before the apocalypse, he was a first-generation entrepreneur.
He lived in a penthouse with a panoramic view, drank ‘82 Lafite like water, a room full of orange Hermes bags, gold bars and jewelry piled like a mountain, watches and accessories galore.
But when disaster struck, it all became worthless.
Now, he fought for every bite, sometimes to the death.

At this moment, Ning Jue was sweating nervously.
Qiao Yuan picked up the jade pendant and examined it under the light.
Clear, bright, smooth, still warm from his body.
She knew nothing about jade, but guessed it was worth a few hundred at least.
Bartering counted as selling the biscuits—she’d lose nothing.

“Deal.”
Ning Jue breathed a sigh of relief, scooped up the box, and headed for the door.
He paused at the threshold.
“Um… can you sell food for gold bars?”

What?
Qiao Yuan dug at her ear.
Did she hear wrong?
A beggar just asked if she accepted gold bars?
If she said yes, would he actually have some?

Not wanting to dampen his spirits, Qiao Yuan forced a smile and nodded.
Ning Jue grinned broadly, opened the door, and ran off.
Qiao Yuan clutched the jade pendant, feeling something was amiss.

A few seconds later, realization struck.
Which door had that man just pushed open?
Qiao Yuan hurried over and gripped the handle.
“Click—”
The wooden door swung open to reveal an empty warehouse.
It was the grocery store’s storage room—the only exit.
Qiao Yuan stood there blankly.

Where did he go?
Had she just seen a ghost?