Chapter 18: Completely Swamped
Inside the city:
“Did you find anything?”
“Not a thing. I went out through the west wall and searched for ages without spotting a single strange thing. Nearly got bitten by a mutated insect, too—lucky I ran fast.”
A few people huddled together inside the walls, whispering among themselves.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been out past the west wall. How did the plants get so massive?”
“That’s just how the west wall is.”
“Aside from dormant, oversized plants and rotting earth, I found jack squat.”
“Did any of you see Long Qian’s crew?”
“Nope.”
They all shook their heads. “No clue where they went.”
One dark-skinned man pulled down his face cloth. “Sigh, what secret could there possibly be? Those folks probably got duped.”
“Don’t talk like that. Long Qian’s crew wouldn’t pull that kind of stunt.”
“Then why couldn’t they just say what it was up front? The moment we took a second to exchange our coins, they took off. Guilty conscience, maybe?”
These were the cautious few from that morning who had hesitated, skipped following Long Qian, and instead headed to the plaza to trade for City Coins.
The morning lines at the plaza were long, and by the time they finished their exchanges, Long Qian’s group had long since departed through the gates.
Following what had been said the previous night, they went out past the west wall and searched around, only to come up completely empty-handed.
Forget a secret—they barely spotted a handful of crystals.
Naturally, they were on edge right now.
Their doubts only surged higher with every passing minute.
“Why don’t we try one of the other gates? It’s not even noon yet; maybe we can still scavenge a few scraps.”
“Aren’t you curious about where Long Qian and the others actually went?”
“Can’t find them anyway! For all we know, they might already be…” An unshaven man shook his head.
“Don’t jinx them like that!”
“What I mean is, out in a wasteland with nothing to show for it, they’re probably slumping around with their heads down, regretting they ever went along.”
“Hey! Look! Isn’t that them?!”
The man facing the gateway perked up, pointing toward the city gates.
The group looked over—it really was them!
Long Qian’s dark red boots were unmistakably recognizable!
Yet far from the “slumping around with their heads down” the scruffy man had predicted, those who had left the city that morning were… brimming with fiery morale?
With face cloths on, their expressions were hidden, but it was obvious from their brisk, springy steps and the fierce, determined glint in their eyes.
“Hey, you’re back? Where did…”
The dark-skinned man stepped forward, trying to grab the sleeve of a middle-aged man to ask.
In response, the man swatted his hand away in a flash, tossing out a single sentence: “I’m in a hurry!” before bolting off like the wind.
What was going on?
What could possibly be that urgent?
The onlookers exchanged bewildered glances, attempting to ask others what they had seen out there.
Yet whether man or woman, old or young, big or small, every single one moved as if their pants were on fire, sprinting toward the residential quarter the moment they crossed the threshold.
If you asked, all you got was: “I’m in a rush!” “Ask someone else!” “Can’t explain it right now!” “Just follow us if you want, I don’t have time to explain!”
…
Strange. Beyond strange.
How had a single trip outside the wall turned all of them into riddle-speakers, just like Long Qian?
What on earth was so hard to explain!
And what couldn’t be said out loud!
What were they rushing for?!
Was something chasing you all?!
These hurried figures naturally drew the attention of their neighbors.
Curious onlookers poked their heads out, watching the spectacle.
Some dashed into their wooden shacks like greased lightning, only to emerge hoisting giant burlap sacks.
?
Others shouted something into their shacks before dragging several housemates outside, everyone armed with a different container.
Some clutched plastic crates, some hauled small wooden handcarts, and someone was even carrying a washbasin?
??
Then there was a half-grown youth who bolted into his shack in a frantic panic.
Moments later, he came stumbling out with an even younger boy in tow, the two of them stretching out… a bedsheet?
???
What in the world are they doing!
The scavengers who had tailed them from the gate grew even more baffled.
The curiosity was practically eating them alive, itching like a hundred ants crawling under their skin.
“Screw it! This time I’m following them to see!”
“Me too!”
“Do we need to grab something like they did?”
“…Might as well?”
“Grab what, though… A basin? A sack?”
This was the collective confusion of every spectator watching the show.
They wanted to join the commotion, yet didn’t even know how to begin.
What were these people so thrilled about?
Was it raining money from the sky?
How could that be… Haha.
Doing their best to imitate the others, the curious onlookers grabbed sacks and basins, trailing behind them as they exited through the west wall.
They kept following, walking and walking until… the abandoned, rotting farmland???
Right before their eyes, they watched these people enthusiastically start digging up rotten, contaminated vegetables.
As they dug, they kept chanting under their breath… roasted potatoes, roasted potatoes, money, oh sweet money, pork cracklings, and all sorts of nonsense.
Hello?
Are you people out of your minds???!
Ling Jing was currently inspecting the Item Exchange Box.
With the crowd suddenly stampeding off in a frenzy, she had actually found a moment of peace.
It gave her time to check what ingredients had been exchanged inside the box.
Stepping behind the container, she tapped the interface to bring up the storage inventory.
The blue panel flipped open, clearly displaying its current contents:
[Potatoes: 23 catties Sweet Potatoes: 16 catties Cabbage: 8 catties Eggplants: 2 catties]
Oh? Cabbages and eggplants too?
Ling Jing hadn’t even spotted those when she visited the farm herself.
Locals really did know their own turf best.
Leave professional matters to the professionals, indeed.
Staring at these two new ingredients, fresh ideas sparked in her mind.
The lard was already rendered, and she had prime pork on hand. Couldn’t she make… Wait, no.
Ling Jing pressed a hand to her forehead.
The morning rush had made her acutely aware of a glaring problem.
—She was completely swamped.
A classic bottleneck for a small-scale operation hit with an explosive surge in orders.
She lacked manpower.
Especially as the customer base grew, juggling a diverse menu became a serious headache.
While selling roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes, managing the frying pork cracklings had already stretched her thin. Preparing anything else on top of that was out of the question.
Yet relying solely on roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes was unsustainable. Those were straddling the line between snacks and staples.
They certainly couldn’t anchor an entire restaurant.
Since she had named it “Chinese Restaurant,” Ling Jing had far grander ambitions.
She had to find a way to liberate herself from the roaster.
She could let customers pay and take their food on an honor system; her restaurant, her rules.
But what about the roasting and restocking? That ate up plenty of time too.
Ling Jing’s gaze drifted toward the roaster.
Staring at the prompt reading [Upgrade], she fell into thought.
Upgrades cost points.
And points came from revenue.
Now it all depended on just how much of a financial boost her newly upgraded Item Exchange Box from last night could bring her.
Judging by how ecstatically everyone had sprinted back just now…
It probably wouldn’t disappoint.
