Chapter 366: The First-Prize Hardware Store

Chapter 366: Chapter 366: The First-Prize Hardware Store

Donnie was getting a little hungry just watching, almost forgetting why he’d come.

’Right, my purpose!’

Donnie slapped his forehead as he remembered. He rushed over, crying, "Boss Hart! You have to help me!"

Lily Hart shot up, almost spitting out the milk tea in her mouth. "What’s wrong?" she asked urgently. "Who bullied you? I’ll definitely get justice for you!"

"Nobody bullied me!" Donnie waved his hands frantically. "It’s just—my kitchen is gone!"

"Gone?!" Lily Hart was even more shocked. ’Didn’t I just move it? How could it be gone?’

Seeing her surprise, Donnie felt like the sky was falling. He pointed to where the kitchen used to be. "Look!"

Lily Hart followed his finger. Sure enough, there was no kitchen.

She didn’t have time to explain. She hurried out of the RV and led Donnie to the night market.

When they saw the familiar glass room was still there, both Lily Hart and Donnie breathed a sigh of relief.

Donnie added, "How did it get here? As long as it’s here, that’s all that matters. I can’t talk, Boss Hart, I’m busy getting their food out!"

Lily Hart fidgeted with her hands. ’Fine, if he doesn’t ask, I won’t tell.’

’Seriously, all that panic gave me a heart attack!’

In the afternoon, Lily Hart wandered around outside as usual, mainly to see what kind of prizes everyone was getting from the scratch-offs.

Suddenly, she saw someone holding a small card, examining it from every angle. Prizes that came as small cards were usually something special.

She deftly squeezed through the crowd to the customer’s side. It was a girl about the same height as her.

The girl didn’t notice her approach at all, still engrossed in studying the card.

Due to the distance and angle, Lily Hart could only see a tiny bit, but that tiny bit was tantalizing. ’What kind of store is it?!’

’A "hard-something" store... what is it?’

Lily Hart couldn’t resist inching a little closer, leaning her head in. Her hair successfully blocked the girl’s view.

"You..." the girl started to say something.

But then she heard Lily Hart exclaim excitedly, "A hardware store!! It’s a hardware store!" She even slapped the girl’s arm in her excitement.

The girl was confused. ’Why are you so excited about my prize? It doesn’t matter how pretty you are, that’s not okay!’

Lily Hart was already asking, "Come on, come on, do you want to redeem it?"

Stunned, the girl instinctively clutched the card to her chest, turned, and walked away, giving Lily Hart a look one would give a scammer.

"...What’s the big deal?" Lily Hart chased after her.

Most of the previous scratch-off prizes were related to food or fun. The only exception had been the clinic. Now there was a hardware store—how could she not be excited?

Besides, knowing her system, this was definitely no ordinary hardware store.

It might sell hammers, tape, and nails, but it could also have pistols, grenades, and all sorts of weapons.

’That should fall under the category of "hardware," right?’

’Whatever, it does!’

If that was the case, for food, there was a convenience store, a hot pot restaurant, a factory, a kitchen, and a breakfast shop. For shelter, there was a hotel.

For fun, a bathhouse. For medical care, a clinic. For weapons, a hardware store.

’Now we’re all set!’

Although she hadn’t seen what the hardware store actually looked like, it didn’t stop Lily Hart from fantasizing.

She caught up to the girl, grabbed her, and introduced herself, "I’m Lily Hart. Do you want to redeem your prize?"

The girl was stunned for a moment, then furiously shook off Lily Hart’s arm. "Who do you think you are, daring to impersonate Boss Hart! You’re a pretty good look-alike this time, though..."

Lily Hart: ... ’From the sound of it, a lot of people have tried to impersonate me?’

She didn’t bother explaining much. She just beckoned to the girl. "Follow me."

The girl wanted to see what tricks she had up her sleeve so she could expose her on the spot.

So, Lily Hart led her into the RV.

’The RV?’ The girl was still dazed after boarding. ’What’s going on? Did I really just follow her in here?’

’Is she really Boss Hart?’

Her attitude changed in an instant. "Oh my, you really are Boss Hart! I’m so sorry, I didn’t recognize you!"

Lily Hart waved her hand dismissively. "It’s fine. So, other people have impersonated me before?"

The girl perked up at the topic. "Yeah, tons! They were all good-looking women, too, and they even brought scratch-off tickets with them. The residents of our base got scammed pretty badly!"

Lily Hart got curious. "Then how come everyone believed it so quickly this time?"

"Of course we’d believe it!" the girl said, as if it were obvious.

"Why?" Lily Hart asked.

The girl shot her a look like she was an idiot, but then remembered she was Boss Hart and quickly looked away.

She pointed at the breakfast shop, then the clinic, the convenience store, the bathhouse, and the hotel, gesturing in a full circle.

"Do you think anyone could fake all of this?" she asked earnestly.

"Good point," Lily Hart said, secretly pleased, as she steered the conversation back on track. "So, do you want to redeem your prize now?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The girl nodded furiously.

There were tutorials online for redeeming prizes, but none for first-place prizes... because really, almost no one had ever won one.

Lily Hart went over the terms and conditions with her, such as the 80/20 profit split and the fact that once redeemed, the prize was permanently bound to the winner and couldn’t be unbound.

The girl eagerly pledged her loyalty. "I’d be thrilled to be bound to you for life! With food and drink, what do I have to worry about? It’s a thousand times better than freezing and starving outside!"

’She gets it!’

Lily Hart gave her a thumbs-up.

Then, carrying the Lucky Cat, she got out of the RV, and the two of them went to find a spot to place the hardware store.

Diagonally in front of the RV to the left was the clinic, and to the right was the breakfast shop.

The breakfast shop had originally been directly in front of the RV, but Lily Hart found it to be an eyesore and had moved it.

’Where to put it?’

Lily Hart really felt the layout of the shops was a total mess, like a chaotic stew she might as well just drink down.

The two of them wandered around and around. The girl was also worried. She secretly wanted it to be somewhere further back, somewhere inconspicuous and low-key.

So she took the initiative and said, "Right behind the hot pot restaurant is fine."

That was the absolute furthest spot. It would take Lily Hart a minute or two to walk there from the lottery stand if she was fast.

If she got held up by various things along the way, who knew how long it would take. These days, she couldn’t even be bothered to make the trip to the hot pot restaurant.

But since it was the owner’s choice, Lily Hart naturally respected it.

"Alright then." Cradling the Lucky Cat, she said to the girl, "Go ahead and insert the card."

"Okay!" The girl’s expression was ecstatic. With a trembling hand, she inserted the small card, her heart full of hope for the future.

A flash of white light shot out, and a store appeared before them.

The sign was a simple and clear two words: Hardware Store.

The girl was thrilled just looking at it. She walked inside, and her eyes were met with row after row of shelves.

The area was about the same size as the original convenience store—not too big, not too small. It was a bit crowded, but also cozy.

The shelves were neatly packed with a dense array of goods: steel wire, shovels, spades, hammers, screws, axes, machetes...

It had everything you could possibly need.

Forgetting that Boss Hart was still behind her, the girl rushed inside and browsed around, growing more and more delighted with every step.

She picked up a hammer and hefted it a couple of times. The weight was good, the texture was nice, and she felt like she could bash someone’s head in with one swing.

And there were all these different types of nails, screws, and wrenches—all supplies the base desperately needed.