Chương 4: Midnight Visitors

The sandstorm was still raging outside. Jack went back behind the counter, dug out an old ledger, and grabbed a pen from the holder.

"Not like I can go anywhere anyway." He glanced at the shelves around the store.

"Might as well see what I've actually got." Holding the ledger, Jack started taking inventory from the shelves. At first, everything looked normal enough. The shelves were filled with the kind of things a convenience store should have—food, drinks, daily necessities, and a few small tools that might come in handy during an emergency. There was also a small storage room at the back of the store. Usually, it was used for things that couldn't fit on the shelves for the time being.

Jack searched through the storage room until he reached the back. Then he dug out a portable air conditioner. Jack stared at it and muttered, "Why the hell do I even have this in my store?" And that was where things started going off the rails. From the deepest corner of the storage room, he found two bags of cement. Next to them were several bundles of bricks. Jack's face fell when he saw the pile. He remembered now. The owner of the gas station on the corner had asked Jack to order these for him a while back.

He said he wanted to patch up an exterior wall himself. But after the goods arrived, the guy never came to pick them up. Jack called him several times, and each time, he got brushed off with some vague excuse. Back then, Jack had been tempted to haul the cement straight to the guy's front door. He never expected those things to become his own supplies now. Then Jack found a metal box buried under an old cardboard box nearby.

He dragged it out without thinking much of it, but when he opened it, there was actually a handgun inside. Beside it were several neatly arranged boxes of ammunition. Jack picked up the gun, and a grin spread across his face.

"Mine now." He set the handgun and ammunition aside separately before continuing to rummage through the storage room. Soon, Jack dragged out a pile of camping gear. Tents, sleeping bags, camping mats, folding chairs, a small stove, climbing rope, and a military shovel. He had only bought them because a friend talked him into it. The guy had sworn camping was huge with young people now.

"This stuff is totally gonna sell," he had said.

"Trust me, put it out for a week and it'll be gone." Jack ended up displaying the gear for two months. He changed the sale sign three times, and barely anything sold. He had seriously considered blocking that friend. By the time Jack finished listing the useful stuff, the noise outside had mostly died down. He went back to the counter and looked over the strange pile of supplies. Then he sighed.

"Whatever. Good enough for now." He glanced at the clock on the wall. A little past six in the evening. He had no idea whether this world's time was actually six in the evening or not, but for now, he decided to live by the time he was used to. Jack went upstairs and took a long cold shower. Cold water ran over him, and he couldn't help shouting, "Oh, that's the stuff!" After the shower, he pulled a steak from the freezer, cooked it without much fuss, and opened a can of beer.

With dinner handled, Jack stood by the second-floor window, beer in hand, watching the storm outside die down. Reddish-brown dust covered the ground around the convenience store. The shield still flashed every now and then. Outside was still anything but normal. Jack took a sip of beer and suddenly said, "Hey, Loser." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The system immediately corrected him.

"Human, for the record, my abbreviation is the LOSS System." Jack leaned against the window and said seriously, "Got it, Loser. Loud and clear, Loser." The system fell silent for a moment.

"Persistent malicious wordplay detected." Jack almost lost it.

"No way. I'm being extremely sincere right now."

"I reject that explanation." Only then did Jack laugh. He shook the beer can in his hand.

"Alright, alright. Serious question. LOSS System, what can you actually do right now?" The system seemed to have been waiting for that question. Even its tone became a little more formal.

"Currently unlocked functions include basic environmental monitoring, inventory calculation, danger warnings, task issuance, starter pack-related permissions, and partial facility upgrade permissions."

"As the host completes tasks, Limitless Omniversal Supply permissions will gradually unlock."

"In theory, I can provide long-term survival support, resource allocation, environmental assistance, crisis response, and several other forms of aid."

"These are only the basic functions available at the current stage." Jack took a sip of beer.

"Not bad." The system was silent for a second.

"Only 'not bad'?" Jack almost smiled.

"What, you wanted a full review?"

"Negative. I was confirming whether the host understood the information."

"Sure you were." The system: "…" Jack raised his beer can.

"Relax. You're useful. Happy?"

"Host's tone lacks sincerity."

"Good. Then we understand each other." He took another sip of beer.

"But seriously, if I want resources, I still have to work for you first, right?" The system immediately corrected him.

"You complete system tasks."

"Whatever."

"Human, you—" Jack waved his hand.

"A system named LOSS makes me grind tasks for resources. You really think changing the wording changes the job?" The system fell silent for a moment.

"Human, do not twist my functions into a bad-faith summary."

"That's not bad faith," Jack said with a straight face.

"That's user feedback." The system: "…" Jack was about to keep teasing the system when he tugged at the collar of his T-shirt. The room still felt too warm. The AC was running, but the room still felt hot and stuffy.

"Hold on," Jack said.

"You upgraded the water and power, right?"

"Correct."

"Then why does it still feel like I'm being slow-cooked in here?"

"Unlimited water and electricity does not include automatic temperature control." Jack paused.

"There's temperature control?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you mention that earlier?"

"You did not ask." Jack closed his eyes for a second. Of course.

"Fine. Can you upgrade it?"

"Basic temperature control is available."

"Do it."

"Basic temperature control system upgrade beginning." Jack waited for the familiar blue scan. Nothing happened. Not even that. A few seconds later, the heavy heat in the room began to fade. Jack waited. The room did not cool down right away. The heat simply eased off bit by bit, and the air stopped feeling so heavy. Jack exhaled.

"Okay," he said.

"That's actually useful."

"Only 'actually'?" Jack looked up.

"That was the compliment."

"Host's response lacks sincerity."

"Yeah, well, take what you can get." That night, Jack lay on the bed upstairs. He meant to ask the system more about tasks, but the day finally caught up with him. Not long after he lay down, he fell asleep. A little past one in the morning, the system's voice woke him up.

"Human, wake up." Jack opened his eyes in a daze.

"What now…"

"Something is approaching the convenience store." Jack's sleepiness vanished instantly.

"What is it?"

"Unknown. I can only confirm three targets for now. They are moving toward the convenience store and may arrive in as little as thirty minutes." Jack grabbed his clothes and pulled them on. He almost put his flip-flops on the wrong feet before rushing downstairs in a few quick steps. The first thing he did was go behind the cashier counter and grab the handgun. Only after the cold grip settled into his hand did he feel slightly steadier.

He checked the magazine, then confirmed that the glass door was locked before lowering his voice.

"Can you tell what they are now?"

"No." Jack almost laughed out of frustration.

"You can detect fake sincerity, but you can't tell me what three things are walking up to my front door?"

"Not enough data."

"What about the shield?"

"The Energy Shield is on cooldown. Time remaining: six days and twenty-two hours." Jack slapped his forehead. He had forgotten about that. With no other choice, he gripped the handgun and stood behind the cashier counter, staring hard at the glass door. The sandstorm had already passed. The world outside was covered in a thick layer of reddish-brown dust. After a while, six small points of light appeared in the darkness, slowly approaching the convenience store. Jack's fingers tightened.

His breathing also became lighter. The six points came closer and closer. Soon, the outlines of three animals appeared outside the glass door. They were short and plump, with round bodies and thick front claws. Their bodies were covered in gray-brown tough hide, and two noticeably oversized front teeth jutted out near their mouths. Jack opened his mouth nervously. In the next second, the words slipped out before he could stop them.

"What the hell?"

"Aren't these things just groundhogs?" Outside the glass door, three oversized groundhogs raised their heads. Six eyes stared silently into the convenience store. Then one of the groundhogs slowly lifted its front paw and pressed it against the glass door. Tap. Jack's grip tightened around the gun. The system's voice sounded in his head.

"Human, step back from the door."