Chapter 2: Bear

Not far away, the screeching sound of brakes suddenly pierced the air.

It was so sharp that even 夏言, sitting inside her shop, heard it, let alone the zombies outside.

The zombies roared angrily and rushed towards the sound.

Charlotte finished her last bite of rice, found a trash bag behind the cashier, put her chopsticks and food container in it, and threw it into the trash can.

Full and satisfied, she ordered a rocking chair from the store, placed it in a sunny spot, and lay down, ready for a nap.

As for attracting customers and upgrading, she'd think about that after she woke up. Since this was supposed to be a vacation, she'd better have the right attitude.

The zombies that had surrounded the area were drawn to the sound, revealing the original street.

Lying on the rocking chair, Charlotte comfortably half-closed her eyes, taking in the view.

The street was lined with shops of all kinds. After four years of apocalypse, these shops were dilapidated and thoroughly looted.

Taking advantage of the zombie-free moment, she ran out to take a look.

Her shop was very noticeable, just around the corner. It must have been a hotel before the apocalypse, standing 30 stories high with a huge sign on top. The sign, rusted and weather-beaten, had its lights long broken, making the words illegible. It probably said "Golden Hotel."

Not a bad name, maybe she'd revert to it someday.

Before she could take a closer look, zombies at the street corner spotted her and rushed over, mouths agape.

Charlotte didn't linger, sprinting back to the shop, deciding to sleep first and deal with everything else later.

She slept from noon until around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, waking up feeling refreshed.

Stretching, Charlotte locked the door. Though it was summer, in this world, the sun set around 5 PM.

Now well-rested, she needed something to do.

The system mentioned two single rooms and one double room, with no place for her to stay. Expecting her to sleep on the floor? No way, the double room was hers.

At the double room's door, she turned on the light.

Under the dim light, the small room revealed a double bed, a broken coffee table, and a shedding blue leather sofa. To her surprise, it also had an ensuite bathroom.

Turning the faucet, it took a while for a trickle of what could barely be called clear water to flow out.

Thrilled, Charlotte splashed her face.

After closing the curtains to avoid seeing anything spooky outside, she stripped the bed of its old sheets, tossing the bedding and pillows into the lobby.

She ordered a new mattress and a set of four beddings from the store, costing her 100 points.

With the previous purchases, she had 1162 points left.

Luckily, as the owner, meals and accommodation were free; otherwise, these points wouldn't last long.

Satisfied with her freshly made bed, Charlotte quickly wiped herself clean and lay down, studying the upgrade requirements.

According to the system, upgrading to level two required 500 points.

To replace single-room equipment, the owner had to buy from the store. The fancier the room, the higher the rate.

Thinking of the rundown beds and worn-out quilts in the single rooms, Charlotte realized she'd be working hard for a while.

Switching to the store, she found it sold not just furniture but also renovation materials like floor tiles, lights, and decorations, both hard and soft furnishings. It even had bed linens, instant noodles, and other hotel essentials.

As long as she had points, she could decorate the rooms however she wanted.

In the bottom corner of the page was a reference option. Clicking it, Charlotte saw it was filled with complete sample room models, though each set cost 5999 points.

Too expensive, she moved on.

Closing the store interface, she checked her points again. The 1162 points were from the previous owner. According to the system, the shop's earnings could be freely used by the owner but would affect upgrade speed and delay benefits.

But the points she had were hers.

Did this mean there was a way to earn extra points?

Or did the system allow the owner to profit?

"System, under what conditions are points mine?" Charlotte asked directly.

"You need to upgrade the shop to level 5 to unlock delivery services."

"Isn't this a hotel? Why delivery?"

"If you choose to run a restaurant, delivery fees are the owner's."

"Meaning a level 5 hotel can have a restaurant, and the owner can decide whether to offer delivery, earning the fees?"

"Yes."

Level 5 seemed far off.

Charlotte gave up on that idea, thinking she'd go with the flow.

Without the ability to protect herself, going outside was a death wish.

"You can try the basic lucky draw."

A basic draw? Excited, Charlotte sat up and opened the store's right-hand side, where a colorful seven-section wheel awaited.

She clicked in, a giant colorful wheel appearing before her.

"System, why can't I see the contents?" Charlotte was frustrated.

"Your luck points are 0. You need 10 to see the rewards."

Typical! It was a trap!

"How many points for one draw?"

"10 points."

"Let's do it!"

Paying 10 points, the draw button lit up. Charlotte clicked, and the wheel spun rapidly. Unable to read the words, she saw only colors whirling.

What rewards came with which color, she had no clue.

The wheel slowed, stopping in a narrow red section.

"Reward being issued... please check."

With a ding, the store info panel lit up. Clicking in, Charlotte found a surveillance system.

"Surveillance?" she frowned.

"Surveillance system: Two wireless cameras, placeable anywhere at the owner's will."

Charlotte decided to install the cameras at the shop entrance and lobby the next day.

Another draw.

The wheel spun again.

Summer's heart filled with anticipation.

"Reward being issued... please check."

What now?

Eagerly, Charlotte opened the gift icon.

A life-sized teddy bear appeared on her bed.

"Congratulations! You've won a level one cleaner—Bear."

"Note: Bear is afraid of fire."

A cleaner?

Charlotte skeptically eyed the dark brown plush bear with fluffy paws and no fingers.

"Can it work?"

The bear's shiny black eyes flickered with light. It jumped off the bed, facing her, and a gender-neutral electronic voice sounded from its belly.

"Respected owner, Cleaner Bear at your service. Please feel free to command Bear."