Chapter 445: Claw Machine

Chapter 445: Chapter 445: Claw Machine

Owen Warren smoothly held an umbrella over her, shielding her hair from the snow.

Lily Hart looked from Roman Rowe to Owen Warren, a smile spreading across her face.

The two of them were like attentive bodyguards, always mindful of her every need.

When they knew her hands were cold, they’d hand her a warmer; when they saw it was snowing, they’d hold up an umbrella.

’So thoughtful. I love it.’

Lily Hart headed for the lottery shop. Seeing few customers along the way, she sighed again.

’I wonder when this disaster will end. Otherwise, I won’t have any business left!’

It wasn’t just the lottery shop; business was dismal for the other stores too, but they remained open.

So Lily Hart took Roman Rowe and Owen Warren on a shopping spree. Passing a bubble tea shop, a cake shop, and a fried chicken stall, they had to try a bit of everything.

The bubble tea had to be hot, the bread fresh from the oven, and the chicken cutlets straight out of the fryer!

I have to say, eating all this on such a cold day brought a genuine sense of bliss.

Carrying a pile of food, the group hurried back to the lottery shop. The woman they had rescued was already awake, cupping a mug of hot water and taking small sips.

Frost Shaw was also in the lottery shop, diligently playing the role of chef for the day.

Lily Hart raised an eyebrow. "You’re awake. Still feeling unwell?"

The woman shook her head blankly, staring at Lily Hart. "You... you’re Boss Hart? Is... is this the lottery shop?"

"That’s right. What else would it be?" Lily Hart joked. "Heaven?"

The woman’s eyes lit up. "When I first woke up, I really did think this was heaven! It’s so warm and comfortable, and there’s even hot water to drink!"

As she spoke, she began to cry. "I thought I was going to die out there... I never expected Boss Hart would save me... WAHHH!"

Boss Hart was taken aback. ’She’s alive, so why is she still crying?’

’Then again, you don’t get the chance to cry when you’re dead.’

She wasn’t very good at comforting people, so she just silently poured another cup of hot water. "Here, drink some more."

The woman gave her a grateful look, took the cup, and continued to take small sips.

"This outfit is a gift. You can wear it when you go to Central Command later," Lily Hart said generously.

The woman nodded emphatically. "Thank you, Boss Hart. Can I buy some heat packs to take to Central Command? Or... maybe some other cold-weather items..."

"Of course. What would you like to buy?" Lily Hart agreed.

The woman listed off a whole bunch of things, and Lily Hart noted it all down to process the order.

After seeing the woman off, Lily Hart sat down to eat. She looked at the table laden with food and nodded in satisfaction.

Frost Shaw said comfortingly, "Since business has been slow lately, you should just enjoy yourself."

Lily Hart nodded obediently, sipping the pork rib and corn soup he had served her.

The corn was so sweet, and the soup was wonderfully warming.

After finishing the soup, there were peeled jumbo shrimp, stir-fried beef with lotus root tips, and many, many more delicious dishes.

Lily Hart couldn’t stop eating. Combined with her work that morning, she ended up wolfing down three whole bowls of rice.

Frost Shaw hesitated before saying, "Eat slowly. No one’s going to steal it from you."

"Mmm-hmm," Lily Hart mumbled noncommittally, her mouth never pausing as she kept on eating.

After the meal came the usual chore of clearing the dishes. Having nothing better to do, she decided to help.

There were only a few dozen scattered customers outside, which Diana Sharp could easily handle on her own.

After the dishes were cleared, Lily Hart went to help organize the scratch-off tickets when she suddenly heard someone say...

"Ugh, another loser! How many of these do I have to scratch before I hit a winner?!" the customer exclaimed, angrily tossing his ticket aside.

Curious, Lily Hart casually picked it up and asked, "How many have you gone through?"

"This is my tenth one, and not a single win among them. Boss Hart, you tell me, does that seem right?" the customer said.

"Huh?" Lily Hart was puzzled and muttered, "But isn’t this a winner? A first prize, at that?"

’System, what do you think?’ Lily Hart asked, starting to doubt her own eyes.

[No need to doubt yourself, Host. That is a first prize ticket!] the system confirmed.

Hearing that, Lily Hart slammed her hand on the table, startling the customer. "Wh-what is it?"

"You should take a closer look. This is a first prize winner," Lily Hart said seriously, her face fixed in a professional smile.

"Huh?" The customer was dumbfounded. He snatched the ticket back and stared at it over and over.

He exclaimed in delight, "AHHHH, it really is a first prize! A first prize! And I’m the one who scratched it!"

Lily Hart affirmed, "That’s right, it was you. Go ahead and redeem your prize."

The customer was beside himself with excitement. He’d thought he was on a ten-ticket losing streak, but it turned out he was just saving up his luck for the grand prize!

He was so nervous, his hands trembled as he shoved the scratch-off ticket into the Lucky Cat.

It was his first time ever winning a first prize, and the first one redeemed in the shop today. It was so exciting!

The Lucky Cat spat out a small card. The customer snatched it up with lightning reflexes and read it out, word by word: "A... claw... machine?"

Lily Hart was also confused. A claw machine?

’In the apocalypse, is its purpose just to provide some kind of emotional support?’

’Otherwise, I really couldn’t imagine what a claw machine could offer people. Happiness? A sense of accomplishment?’

The customer mumbled, "Whatever. I’ll redeem it first and worry about it later!"

He stuffed the small card back into the Lucky Cat. A beam of white light flashed, and both of their gazes followed it.

When the white light faded, a very ordinary-looking claw machine appeared before them.

A large, rectangular metal box stood on the floor, its top half made of transparent glass.

Inside, one could see a jumble of plush toys: little bears, bunnies, puppies, and the like.

There were also some fruit-themed plushies, like apples, oranges, bananas, and pears.

They were just genuine, fluffy plush toys that looked incredibly cute.

"Want to give it a try?" Lily Hart asked tentatively.

"Sure." The customer also wanted to find out what exactly a claw machine had to offer.

’Will this actually give me some kind of profit, or am I just getting a stuffed toy? This is the apocalypse! Who needs one of these?!’

Lily Hart came down from the RV and walked over to the claw machine.

’I have to admit,’ she thought, ’my hands are itching to play. Every single one of these plushies is so cute. I want them all.’

There was a slot at the bottom for exchanging Game Coins. Lily Hart inserted two Crystal Cores.

It spat out ten round, golden Game Coins. Lily Hart understood now: one Crystal Core was worth five Game Coins.

Besides the slot for exchanging coins, there was another one for inserting a Game Coin to start the machine.

The machine also had instructions printed on it: insert a Game Coin, manipulate the claw, and press the button at the right moment.

It was very simple.

Lily Hart had been a claw machine master in the past—not through skill, but by brute-forcing it with money.

She inserted a Game Coin, and the button’s light began to flash.

Next to the button was a joystick. Lily Hart gripped it and began moving it around.

The claw moved in response, roaming back and forth and side to side.

Lily Hart set her sights on a puppy plushie and maneuvered the claw towards it. Both she and the customer stared nervously.

She carefully eyed its position, and once she was sure it was aligned, she slammed the button.

The claw dropped with lightning speed, precisely grabbing the puppy plushie.

Lily Hart excitedly clenched her fists.

She watched as it lifted the puppy plushie up... but just as it reached the top, the claw gave a sudden jolt and opened...

The puppy plushie fell.