Chapter 208: Enter the Fortified Grounds
A soft blue light glowed along the floor, creating a path into the store. The first five people were allowed inside. The rest murmured in awe as they watched.
Inside the store, a soft AI voice greeted the shoppers warmly.
["Hello, resident! I’m your in-store assistant. You can pick one basket from the wall to your left. Please follow the glowing line to explore the shelves."]
The shelves gleamed with newly arranged goods. Everything was neatly placed, labeled with soft holographic text above each item. It was unlike anything they’d expected.
One man stared at a pack of toothbrushes as if he couldn’t believe it was real. "We haven’t had new hygiene stuff in weeks. And look—it’s not even rationed like the first days!"
A woman nearby was tearing up at the sight of sanitary napkins.
"About time we had these," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I thought I’d have to make do with rags forever."
Others crowded the shelves with gasps and excited chatter.
"This handwash smells like lemon! Actual lemon!"
"Are those flowerpots? Real flowerpots?"
"Oh gods, this is a full cutlery set—I haven’t eaten with a fork since the first evacuation!"