The Bitter Author Updates Online

Most people have probably gone grocery shopping in the middle of the night.

However, very few people would dare to visit a supermarket that only opened at that hour under the current circumstances.

So, when Gu Mian and his companions appeared at the ticket booth, the NPC was a little surprised.

Fatty was terrified, even bringing a kitchen knife from Gu Mian's place for self-defense. "Doctor, can't we just go tomorrow? Why do we have to go so late at night..."

"Didn't they say the monthly supermarket tickets are limited?" Gu Mian acted as if he was there to snatch tickets.

Chu Changge adjusted his glasses. "It seems you're the only one in a hurry to snatch tickets in the middle of the night."

Gu Mian shrugged and looked at the NPC behind the ticket window. "Three supermarket tickets, please."

The NPC in the ticket booth was a woman with a ponytail and an unremarkable face.

She looked up at Gu Mian. "One supermarket ticket is fifty points, so three is one hundred and fifty."

As she spoke, she pushed out a machine that looked like a card reader from a cafeteria. "Put your hand on it to scan, and it'll deduct automatically. Are you paying together or separately?"

Gu Mian looked at the card reader, thinking it was quite advanced.

Fatty was a bit shocked. "That expensive?"

He had only gotten ten Game Currency from the first Dungeon.

The Game Currency Fatty had now was all thanks to Gu Mian. Fortunately, Gu Mian had broken the special dungeon, the hearse, and received a thousand in compensation.

Normally, ten points per dungeon meant he'd have to complete five dungeons just to afford one ticket, and that wouldn't even leave him money to buy anything in the supermarket.

The NPC patiently explained, "Since this game has just launched, the Game Currency players receive at the beginning won't be much. It'll get a bit better later on."

"If you don't have enough Game Currency, you can enter a dungeon first..."

As the NPC spoke, her eyes lit up, seemingly eager for them to enter a dungeon.

Gu Mian knew that these ticket sellers had performance quotas, and theirs were likely related to the number of players who entered dungeons.

"No need," Gu Mian interrupted, not wanting to trick her. "Deduct it all from me."

Deduct it all from you? The NPC's expression turned strange. He doesn't have enough, does he?

The game had just started, and it was difficult for one player to buy a ticket, let alone one person buying tickets for three.

She suspiciously looked at the card reader, which surprisingly showed a successful deduction of 150 points.

With the NPC's puzzled expression, Gu Mian received three tickets.

He looked down at the tickets in his hand—

[Game Supermarket Ticket] [This ticket must be presented to enter the Game Supermarket. This ticket is a one-time use item.] [Valid until: January 2019]

They were one-time use tickets and couldn't be saved; they had to be used in the month they were purchased.

Chu Changge took the tickets from Gu Mian. "Actually, we only needed to buy one. As long as one person enters the supermarket, they can buy everything we three need."

Gu Mian was slightly taken aback. "I understand the logic, but don't you two want to browse the supermarket?"

Fatty shifted his weight, finally understanding the meaning of "rich people are willful."

The NPC behind the window seemed unable to watch any longer. She leaned out. "You'd best save up some Game Currency and enter the supermarket at the end of the month when you have more money. Otherwise, even if you go in, you won't have money to buy anything. There should also be more people at the supermarket at the end of the month, making it harder for you to be targeted..."

Targeted? Hearing this, Fatty looked confused. "What does that mean?"

Chu Changge, however, glanced knowingly towards the outside. "There are probably already some small groups forming."

Even before this game started, there were groups like this in the world—

People who were idle and had nothing to do, gathering together all day to try and profit from others.

Of course, that was a more tactful way of putting it. To be more blunt, they could simply be called thugs.

Thugs who robbed people on the road.

In the past, such groups were at least somewhat restrained. But now that the Global situation had descended into chaos, no one had the time to deal with them.

They banded together to form groups, much like gangs in a game.

As Gu Mian walked out of the ticket booth, he saw a fleeting figure in the distance, like a scout.

Fatty wasn't very smart, but even he could guess something from the situation.

He fearfully moved closer to Gu Mian. "Doctor... I just saw someone flash by over there. Could it be... one of those robbers?"

Fatty usually read a lot of novels on Qidian, many of them post-apocalyptic. He'd seen plenty of scenarios like this.

"I suspect it's a scout. They see someone buy a ticket and then go back to tell their leader, who then brings a group to rob us of our stuff..."

As he spoke, he seemed to scare himself and shivered.

Gu Mian didn't seem too concerned. He glanced at a supermarket not far away. "Don't worry about that nonsense. Let's go in and take a look first."

Fatty was stunned on the spot.

Meanwhile, in the darkness not far from the ticket booth, two figures were crouched down.

One of them, slightly thinner, was looking at a panel, seemingly talking to Friends.

"Big brother, it's Wang Xiaolong. There are three fat sheep at the driver's license test center. They look pretty rich."

Within a few moments, a reply came from the other side.

"Only three? What do they look like?"

"Yeah, big brother, there are only three. Among them, only one big Fatty looks strong. The other two are a doctor and a frail-looking one, they probably don't have much fighting power. They bought tickets and went straight into the supermarket, not far from the driver's license test center."

"Keep an eye on them. I'll bring people over next."

After receiving the other person's reply, Wang Xiaolong felt a little more at ease.

In the darkness, he lit a cigarette and looked at his accomplice beside him. "Big brother said he'll bring people over soon and told us to keep a close watch."

The person next to him looked a bit nervous. "Xiao Long, do you think what we're doing is a bit unethical?"

Wang Xiaolong immediately knocked hard on his head.

"At a time like this, you're still worried about ethics? Eat first, then worry about that. Besides, my junior high history teacher once said something, what was it... ah, 'heroes emerge in troubled times.' We need to pick a side first. What if our boss is the next hero? As for those we're targeting, who told them they're not capable? Even if we don't rob them, someone else will. Might as well let us have it."

At this moment, Gu Mian and the other two had already paid and entered the supermarket.

Of course, Fatty's cleaver wasn't allowed inside, so it was stored in a locker.

This newly built supermarket in the game was no different from a regular large supermarket. It was brightly lit, spacious, and the salesclerks greeted them with smiles.

The only difference was that the supermarket was eerily quiet, with only the three of them inside.

Gu Mian saw that every service staff member had the letters NPC floating above their heads.

The first floor was the daily necessities area, divided into many small sections: kitchenware, adult products, anime merchandise, and so on.

The zoning was very comprehensive, covering everything imaginable.

The products had their prices clearly marked above them. The salesclerks in each area were extremely enthusiastic towards them, like a drought-stricken land finally receiving rain.

"Come, come, this little Fatty brother, look at the blankets I have. They're thick and soft, only ten coins..."

It seemed these salesclerks also had performance rankings.

Fatty and Chu Changge were being fought over.

Gu Mian, however, was ignored. Perhaps these NPCs had an innate sense of danger.

Gu Mian didn't mind. He wandered around the first floor, reaching the most secluded area.

"Mechanical Tools and Supplies Area..."