Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

”And napa cabbage hearts are more expensive at the market, so why are they only three points?”

’Stupid system!’

”Also, bok choy comes in different sizes, right? Some are tiny and cost three points, while some are huge and still cost three points! Is it all just up to the buyer’s luck?”

Click a big one, get a big one. Click a small one, get a small one!

Little Spider felt like its head was about to explode!

’Why is this Host Ningning like a walking book of ”100,000 Whys”? So many questions!’

”Host Ningning, the system is designed this way. Besides, don’t your people always say that luck is a part of strength?”

’It’s all about luck, and that’s final!’

’This has always been a luck-based AI, after all...’

”That’s not right.” Xie Ning waved her hand with a serious expression. ”Take all these items down. I’ll have my uncle and the others help weigh them.”

”I’ll break off any extra parts.”

”We’ll make them all a uniform weight!”

Little Spider: ...

’You’re just so damn stingy!’

’And you have to make up excuses for it!’

”Host Ningning...”

”Hurry up! Stop wasting time.” Xie Ning hopped off the bed and called out with a deadpan expression, ”Uncle, Auntie, Aunt-in-law! Come quick.”

After a full hour of commotion, a despondent Little Spider re-uploaded all the bok choy—SWISH—now standardized to a weight of about one kilogram each.

”They’re getting a bargain.” Xie Ning gathered the large pile of broken-off bok choy leaves into a plastic bag and tossed it into her Space.

”A one-kilogram bok choy for just three points! I’m taking a huge loss.”

Everyone: ...

”Right now, the market in Jingji Base uses Contribution Points for trade, but Crystal Cores can be exchanged for Contribution Points. The basic exchange rate is one First-order Crystal Core for one Contribution Point.”

”One Second-order Crystal Core can be exchanged for ten First-order Crystal Cores.”

”On the market, one bok choy is equivalent to thirty First-order Crystal Cores, which is thirty Contribution Points.”

”See, if you calculate it that way, it’s actually the same as the system’s price. This system’s base price is calculated in Second-order Crystal Cores; it doesn’t even accept First-order Crystal Cores anymore.”

”Close enough, I guess,” Song Shijun said in a small voice. ”The price for the bok choy *is* pretty cheap...”

”Right, right, I remember it’s pretty easy for Wood Element Superpower Users to create bok choy. I’ve seen them sell one, and the base’s price is only around twenty Contribution Points.”

Song Shijun muttered under his breath, ”That’s actually cheaper than what you’re selling it for, Sis...”

’But you can’t beat the sheer size of Sis’s-brand bok choy!’

The bok choy in the base was only enough to supply a small number of people. Many people with Contribution Points couldn’t buy any at all.

Vegetables and fruits produced by Wood Element Superpower Users were generally in short supply.

”For twenty Contribution Points, you can get a pretty hearty simple meal at the base, with a mix of meat and vegetables, plus white rice. I heard it even comes with a banana,” Song Shijun said while diligently mopping the floor for his sister.

The floor was covered in dirt from trimming the bok choy.

”Then why don’t the Wood Element Superpower Users just raise their prices?”

”That’s the benefit for the general populace of joining the base. Supplies sold at the base’s trading post are basically all price-controlled by the officials. There’s a cap on how much the price can fluctuate; individuals can’t just do whatever they want.”

”Anyway, there’s something wrong with this system.” Xie Ning shook her head. ”Why are napa cabbage hearts the same price as bok choy? It has no idea how the market works.”

Everyone looked at each other, then nodded with helpless smiles. ”You’re right, it doesn’t.”

”Can I set my own prices?” Xie Ning suddenly asked.

Little Spider choked for a second, then said weakly, ”I guess... you can.”

Xie Ning jumped up. ”Then why didn’t you say so earlier? You had me agonizing over this for ages. Upload the napa cabbage hearts for me, and try pricing them at ten Second-order Crystal Cores.”

”Don’t think I’ve never gone grocery shopping. At the market, slap a ’natural, organic farming’ label on some napa cabbage hearts and the price skyrockets! This system has no idea how precious ancient napa cabbage hearts are.”

Everyone was torn between speechlessness and laughter.

”But four hundred grams of ’ancient’ napa cabbage hearts for that price is too expensive...”

’It felt a bit comical to keep calling it ’ancient,’ but that was how the X Realm defined them, the Earth people.’

”Yeah, when people compare, they’ll see a one-kilogram bok choy for just three points, while your few hundred grams of napa cabbage hearts are ten points.” ’Only a ghost would buy that!’

”You guys don’t get it. This shop sells to the entire world. Some people are holding onto way more Crystal Cores than we can even imagine!”

More than a year had passed, and the food they usually ate was garbage. Suddenly seeing a unique napa cabbage heart, Xie Ning felt it would definitely sell...

”Price the ham sausage at ten cores, too.” ’So what if it’s synthetic meat? It’s still meat.’

Sure, you could chew on some mutant animal meat, but it was sour, tough, and stringy. How could it possibly taste better than a processed ham sausage?

’It’ll definitely sell! Absolutely!’

Classmate Xie Ning was inexplicably confident. ’This isn’t some crazy idea,’ she thought, ’it’s totally gonna work...’

Song Shijun, while mopping the floor, secretly whispered a complaint to Song Kexin, ”Sis’s shop should be called ’The Black Market’.”

”Host Ningning, I suggest you set up an automated customer service account in the shop. Customers who have inquiries can also leave you messages. The messages will be sent to you in real-time.”

”Go ahead. You can decide on these small matters.” Xie Ning waved her hand dismissively.

”Also, change all the bok choy to four points for me.”

Future numbly complied!

’Whatever the host says, goes. The host’s desire to earn Crystal Cores is so pure, it has created a blind confidence in her own products.’

”Very good. Now, make another change for me. On the first day—tomorrow—for 24 hours, the first one hundred customers can buy bok choy for three points.”

Everyone: ...

’Ningning has a lot of tricks up her sleeve.’

’I just wonder how business will be tomorrow.’

’If there’s no business, will it crush her entrepreneurial spirit...?’

Xie Ning looked at her dazzling grid of items, feeling a little happy.

”This should be about right. What does everyone think?”

No one dared to have an opinion. Fearing she would further torment the despondent Little Spider, they all nodded and cheered, putting on expressions of blind adoration.

”Alright then, let’s open the shop for a trial run. We’ll deal with any issues tomorrow.”

As Xie Ning spoke, her fingers tapped around on the light screen, then suddenly paused.

”What’s this?”

Little Spider cast its gaze over and said weakly, ”That’s a new feature the system store developed. A roulette event.”

”Each time a new user tops up—oh no, deposits Crystal Cores—they get one spin on the roulette.”

Song Shijun and Song Kexin stared, stunned, and couldn’t help but blurt out, ”Isn’t this just a Krypton Gold Roulette? I know all about this!”

”What’s the use of you knowing about it?” Xie Ning glanced at them expressionlessly. ”Are you going to top up?”

”I won’t. Someone like me, a Zero-spend player, would rather die than top up.”

Song You’ai and the others couldn’t understand the children’s technical jargon at all. They exchanged silent glances. ”Why don’t we go out and help with the congee? There’s nothing for us to help with here, right?”

”Go on.”

Just then, a sudden knock came from the door.

”Captain Xie, Captain Gu sent me to invite you over for a meeting.”