Chapter 327: Bandits

Chapter 327: Chapter 327: Bandits

A group of thuggish-looking people, armed with weapons, were pushing and shoving the customers buying scratch-offs.

They were yelling, "Hey, you’re not allowed to gather here! All of you, get lost!"

"That’s right! Scram! Don’t you know the rules here?"

"He didn’t pay the protection fee! That means you’re not allowed to buy, either! Scram! Or I’ll get rough!"

Before they even got close, Lily Hart heard their shouts. She glanced at Sue Sutton rushing ahead and quickened her pace to catch up. "Do you know those people?"

Hearing this, Sue Sutton replied with disgust, "I do. They’re the biggest gang of bandits outside Solara Base. They spend their days robbing people from the base, committing every atrocity imaginable—burning, killing, looting. I’ve sent The Guardian Corps to wipe them out many times, but you can never get rid of them all. They’re like shit."

’As long as people exist, there will be shit. You can never get it all out!’

From her words, Lily Hart could tell that Sue Sutton despised them.

Cynthia Whittaker chimed in, "I know them, too. Their leader is just a loser I already beat!" She put on a proud little pout, practically begging for praise as her big eyes blinked up at them.

"You’re so amazing," Lily Hart praised, pinching her cheek.

Cynthia Whittaker giggled, but when she glanced up and met Sue Sutton’s dark expression, she huffed softly and looked away.

Lily Hart had already continued toward the lottery shop. The three of them boarded the RV without a sound. By then, the thugs had already scattered most of the customers.

"Boss Hart, let me handle this," Sue Sutton offered. "This is Solara Base. I have some sway here."

"No need." Lily Hart waved her off.

After reaching the Sixth Rank, her system had gained a blacklist function. She could put an infinite number of people on it if she wanted.

The safe zone had also been upgraded to a hundred-meter radius around the lottery shop, which was now large enough to accommodate all the customers.

She had the system lock onto the thugs, record their information, and immediately add them to the blacklist.

This meant they could never again enter the lottery shop’s safe zone, nor could they ever make a purchase at any of Lily Hart’s businesses.

Whether at her physical locations or the online supermarket, once blacklisted, it was impossible for them to make a purchase.

The gang of thugs was busy driving customers away. Seeing that the RV was empty and that no one had come to stop them, they grew even more brazen, even starting to get physical with the customers.

The customers were helpless and furious—furious that they couldn’t beat them—and could only glare in anger.

"What are you looking at?!" a tall man among the bandits snarled. "Keep looking and I’ll gouge your eyes out!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the back of the customer’s neck and reached out two filthy fingers, about to gouge out the man’s eyes.

The customer, pinned by the neck and unable to move, remained defiant. "If you’ve got the guts, then do it!"

The next second, the tall man before him vanished as if into thin air. The customer let out a sigh of relief and glanced around nervously.

’But he couldn’t find the man anywhere. He was surprised to find that the whole gang of thugs was gone. Where did they go? Did Boss Hart do something?’

’He’d long heard that Boss Hart’s power was extraordinary, but this was on another level. Did she just turn dozens of people into dust?’

’Then again, if she didn’t have this kind of power, how could she possibly run a lottery shop in the apocalypse?’

Suddenly, he spotted a group of people dozens of meters away. They were frantically slapping at the air, their faces twisted and vicious, yelling something he couldn’t quite make out from the distance.

He took a few steps forward for a better look and could vaguely make out the man who had just tried to gouge out his eyes. He was punching and kicking, striking wildly at the empty air.

But no matter what they did, they couldn’t move forward.

’It’s Boss Hart! We’re saved!’

The surrounding customers also began to realize what had happened. Triumphant smiles spread across their faces as they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. They all knew Boss Hart had intervened.

They had all seen the posts online: when you shopped at one of Boss Hart’s businesses, you never had to worry about danger. She would handle it.

They just hadn’t expected it to be true!

Inside the RV, Lily Hart dusted off her hands. "And just like that, problem solved."

Sue Sutton stared at the group, a realization dawning on her. This was a perfect opportunity. She immediately summoned the nearest unit of The Guardian Corps, ordering them to circle around from behind and annihilate the bandits.

Even though this wasn’t the bandits’ entire force, every one they killed was one less threat to Solara Base.

The Guardian Corps arrived quickly. The bandits, however, were still reeling from the anger and pain of being suddenly ejected. Combined with the dense mutated foliage, not a single one of them noticed...

...the danger that was about to befall them.

It wasn’t until only a few of them remained that the survivors caught the thick stench of blood in the air.

"What’s that smell?" one of them asked, turning his head in confusion. "Ugh—"

Before he could finish, his throat was slit. His eyes still held a final, lingering desire for the lottery shop.

"Who’s there—" another man called out when he heard the sound. The words had barely left his lips before his neck was silently snapped.

The last man was dispatched just as easily by The Guardian Corps. Sue Sutton, who had witnessed the entire ambush, felt a smile tug at her lips. ’Today’s luck is really something else,’ she thought.

The unit on duty nearby happened to be her strongest. The bandits, meanwhile, were so enraged that they had lost all reason, their minds fixated only on the lottery shop.

The area was also full of lush, non-aggressive mutated plants, which concealed The Guardian Corps’ movements and muffled their sounds.

Everything had aligned so perfectly.

She had seen clearly how the bandits were ejected—as if they’d each taken a swift, hard kick to the rear, sent screaming and flying a great distance.

They shot out one after another like cannonballs. The sight was truly satisfying.

Sue Sutton said sincerely, "Thank you, Boss Hart."

Lily Hart shrugged. "Your Guardian Corps, your base. It’s all your doing. Has nothing to do with me."

Sue Sutton knew, however, that if that "kick" hadn’t captured their attention and blocked them from re-entry, the fight would have resulted in heavy losses for The Guardian Corps as well.

Cynthia Whittaker looked at Lily Hart with stars in her eyes. "Lily, you’re so amazing!"

"It was nothing, really," Lily Hart said with a modest wave.

Frost Shaw and the others had seen Lily Hart return and settle onto the sofa without getting up. They had initially thought about handling the small matter outside themselves, but on second thought, decided it was better to tell Lily.

Since she wanted to handle it herself, they might as well just sit back and enjoy the show.

A great weight had been lifted from her shoulders so easily, and Sue Sutton was in an excellent mood.

Lily Hart gestured for her to sit, and the others instinctively cleared a small sofa for her. Sue Sutton sat down, discreetly taking in the RV’s interior.

She saw the many customers outside, all lining up for scratch-offs, and her interest was piqued. She got up, bought a few tickets, and returned to try her luck.

The first two yielded nothing, but the last one revealed the image of a pistol.

A thrill of excitement shot through her. She finally understood why the other customers got so worked up over these scratch-offs.

She immediately got up to redeem her prize. After waiting in line for a bit, it was her turn. She stuck the scratch-off into the Lucky Cat’s mouth, wondering why it was shaped like a cat.

The next second, a flash of white light burst forth. A cold, pitch-black pistol materialized before her, along with a user manual.

Sue Sutton picked it up and read, her eyes widening in shock. The pistol had infinite ammunition and incredible firepower, but it could only be used fifty times per day.