Chapter 32: Three Types of Fruit

Charlotte only took two boiled eggs and a cup of unsweetened yogurt.

She'd been eating a lot of rich food lately and was starting to notice some weight gain—her stomach was developing layers of "love handles." She needed to control herself a bit.

As she slowly ate her eggs, May, who had taken a whole plate of food, sat opposite her. After greeting Charlotte with a nod, she started eating ravenously.

Charlotte paused, noticing the eleven empty four-person tables behind May. Normally, she wouldn't approach anyone, but today May had come right up to her.

Fawna also arrived with a plate and plopped down next to Charlotte, glaring at May with her big eyes.

Charlotte remained calm, took another sip of yogurt, and gazed out the window.

The rain had stopped, leaving only a thin layer of clouds blocking the sunlight. The streets were filled with puddles, and zombies moved around, sending ripples across the water and splashing against the protruding stones.

The shops across the street and the towering residential buildings behind them were in disrepair—exposed steel rebar, window frames hanging precariously in the wind.

This stood in stark contrast to the clean floors and delicious food inside the hotel.

One was in paradise, the other in hell.

After finishing her meal, Charlotte wasn't in a hurry to leave. She patiently waited for May.

May was leaving today, likely heading to the front lines.

'System, can the food here be taken out?' Charlotte asked in her mind.

If it could be taken out, she could make a fortune and offer more benefits with the upgrade.

[No, after reaching Level 5, you can choose to offer delivery services.]

Suddenly, Charlotte remembered something. 'System, what about the free fruit you promised? Let's see that.'

[Free fruits (choose three): Apple, Banana, Orange, Dragon Fruit, Watermelon, Cantaloupe]

'Orange, Banana, and Watermelon.'

She chose oranges because she liked them, bananas for digestive convenience, and watermelon for slicing and selling.

[The three types of fruit have been sent to your 'Boss's Office.' Please check.]

Charlotte opened the panel, found the breakfast and lunch machines, and clicked to upgrade them.

[Consume 2 Level 2 Crystal Cores to upgrade?]

'Yes'

[Upgrade complete. Please check.]

After the upgrade, the variety of items in the breakfast and lunch machines didn't increase, but the daily purchase limits did. The breakfast machine now had a limit of 70 portions, up from 30, and the lunch machine had a limit of 50 portions, up from 20.

Charlotte felt a bit disappointed. She had expected an increase in the number of dishes, but only the quantity had changed.

At this moment, May finished her meal and, while returning her tray, also returned Charlotte's tray and retrieved her points card. She then indicated to Charlotte that she wanted to discuss something.

Charlotte nodded and took her to her office.

As soon as May entered the office, her keen eyes spotted three baskets of fruit on the long tea table. Looking at the fresh, dew-covered, sweet fruit, May couldn't tear her eyes away.

How could there be fruit after the apocalypse? Didn't they all mutate?

Now, the fruit in the wild had contamination, but these fruits were not only unmutated but also plump and sweet!

Was Charlotte really from this world? Her abilities were too extraordinary!

She hoped she was on this side; otherwise, her faction would be doomed!

May, stunned, sat on the leather sofa, her eyes glazed over as she stared at the fruit baskets.

Charlotte poured a cup of tea and handed it to May, following her gaze to the fruit baskets, and smiled slightly.

"Please have some tea."

Charlotte took a sip of tea, her lowered eyelashes hiding a mischievous glint. She wanted May to see the fresh fruit; after all, she was a significant consumer.

May quickly composed herself, took a sip of tea, wiped her mouth, and got straight to the point. "Boss 夏, I have to leave today. Could you please prepare some supplies for me to take away?"

May added the urgency, "I can only take so much for now, but I'll be back soon, no more than a week!"

The front lines were far away in the rugged mountain region, over a thousand kilometers from here. She needed to travel day and night, using all her abilities to arrive in three days, and with layers of approval required before departure, the time was extremely tight.

"Sure." Charlotte asked her to wait for a moment while she went to her private room to prepare the supplies.

She packed 10 packs of sanitary napkins into a plastic bag and then returned to find May sitting upright, still gazing at the round fruit with fascination.

"Guest, the fruit is also for sale. Would you like to purchase some?"

Charlotte casually picked up an orange, peeled it, and handed half to May. "It's very sweet. Try it. If you like it, you can buy more."

May, struggling to hide her shock, hesitated to take it.

What was Charlotte doing? Didn't she know that fruit was almost extinct? To offer her half an orange so generously? The juice splashing into her eyes made her tear up a bit—what should she do?

Seeing that she didn't take it, Charlotte didn't insist, but felt a bit regretful.

If you won't eat it, how can I justify charging a high price...

May swallowed her saliva in secret, shifting her gaze from the orange to Charlotte, and said quickly, "Boss 夏, just tell me the price. If it's reasonable, I can buy some. I don't want to eat your food for free."

She held her breath as she spoke.

"It's not expensive at all, very cheap," Charlotte said with a smile like a cunning fox.

May tensed up, feeling wary. She knew from experience that when someone said it was "cheap," it was often outrageously expensive!

"Really cheap, only 3 points each!"

If it weren't for the system's rules, she would have charged 300 points each!

3 points—that's practically giving it away!

In her frustration, Charlotte completely forgot that the fruit was unlimited and free.

"What? 3 points?" May picked up an orange, sniffed it, and confirmed the real, sweet smell. How could it be so cheap? Boss ...

Seeing that Charlotte was also making a pained expression, May had no doubts left. She quickly grabbed the entire basket of oranges. "Okay! I'll take them all!"

Charlotte tried to force a smile. Even if the fruit was not much, it was still something.

"Don't regret it! Would you like to sign a contract? Put your thumbprint on it?" May, worried that Charlotte might realize the fruit's value and suddenly raise the price, wanted to make a deal to secure the price.

Her friends' mouths were in bad shape, with peeling and multiple canker sores, suffering greatly. They wanted some vitamins and Vitamin C but couldn't find any. If they could eat oranges, it would be fantastic!