Ch 57: My Multiverse Supermarket

The alien species chased after the female player, and the male player took the chance to escape from the small supermarket.

When Bai Pi finished cleaning the mop bucket and came out, she realized none of her teammates had returned. She immediately understood what had happened.

They must have been too afraid of the powerful boss here and used the chaos as an excuse to flee.

The temporary team, fragile to begin with, dissolved as easily as it had formed.

Bai Pi didn’t blame them—if it had been her, she would’ve done the same.

She turned to Zhou Li. “I’ve finished cleaning.”

“Oh, thanks,” Zhou Li replied casually.

Bai Pi waited for a moment but heard nothing more.

“You—” she began.

Zhou Li looked up and suddenly remembered. “Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m the owner of this Good Life Supermarket. You can just call me ‘Little Boss.’”

Bai Pi: ?

She glanced around the supermarket, uncertain.

Zhou Li understood her confusion and couldn’t help but smile. “This is an ordinary supermarket. Everything here can be eaten or used normally.”

Bai Pi stayed silent for a long time before forcing herself to ask, “But didn’t you just assign us a task?”

“Well, the floor was dirty because of you. Isn’t it reasonable to have you clean it up?”

Bai Pi: …

She pointed outside. “But the alien didn’t come in.”

“That’s because this supermarket is my territory,” Zhou Li said. “Any person or creature that holds hostility toward it or intends to damage it is not allowed to enter.”

A word suddenly surfaced in Bai Pi’s mind—safehouse.

Could this place be a safehouse within the instance?

But in the three years since The Game descended, she had never once heard of an instance with a real safehouse.

At that thought, she began to regret not teaming up with An Fengxuan.

After Bai Pi had completed her floor’s task and unlocked access to other levels, she had met two more players. Translated on hololonovels. When they faced the formidable “Manager,” the three had temporarily joined forces.

During their escape, they ran into Player #242—An Fengxuan.

After a short exchange, they had sent her off on a diversion mission while the others fled to this floor.

If they had teamed up instead, maybe An Fengxuan would have told them about this supermarket.

But there was no medicine for regret.

While she was lost in thought, a figure appeared outside.

Bai Pi immediately pulled out an item and prepared to fight.

Zhou Li, recognizing the newcomer as An Fengxuan, relaxed in relief—she really didn’t want to see another grotesque alien creature.

“Boss—” An Fengxuan started to greet Zhou Li, but as soon as she saw Bai Pi inside the supermarket, she fell silent.

Zhou Li glanced at the two women, then said, “If you’re planning to fight, take it outside. Damaging supermarket property results in punishment.”

An Fengxuan recovered first. “I won’t fight in the supermarket. Every broken item could end up being mine.”

After all, she already had a membership card—she was, technically, one of the “staff.”

Bai Pi looked puzzled, glancing between them. Was this woman the sixth player?

If this supermarket was her item, that would explain why the alien couldn’t enter.

But wait—wasn’t this instance supposed to have only five players? When had a sixth joined?

No—she suddenly remembered—the instance’s introduction never said there were only five.

Perhaps one player had entered earlier and left the starting point before they arrived, so they had never met.

According to the rules, all players were supposed to enter simultaneously—but with the right item, early entry wasn’t impossible.

Her brows furrowed. “You two are together?”

Zhou Li said, “I’m the supermarket owner, and she’s a member. So yes, you could say that.”

An Fengxuan knew Bai Pi had misunderstood, but since they were rivals, she didn’t bother to correct it.

Zhou Li asked, “Do you want to sign up for a membership too?”

Bai Pi: Huh?

“You mean… join your guild?”

“No, literally what I said,” Zhou Li explained patiently. “If you want to shop here, you need to become a member first. You can trade anything valuable for points, and then use those points to pay.”

“I already have a guild,” Bai Pi said. “But thank you for your shelter earlier. My name’s Bai Pi—currently ranked 195. If you ever need help, you can come to me. I’ll do what I can.”

Then she left.

Zhou Li: …

What I need is a supplier for bulk trade contracts, not an empty favor. Can you manage that?

But she didn’t stop her.

After Bai Pi was gone, she turned to An Fengxuan. “Why’d you come back?”

“I heard the Manager showed up, so I came to check,” An said, glancing around. “Looks like the alien can’t get in here?”

“As I said,” Zhou Li replied, “this supermarket is my territory. Anyone—or anything—harboring ill intent or trying to damage it can’t come in.”

An Fengxuan thought, If this little boss can freely appear in instances beyond The Game’s control, she must have her own way to stay safe. She’d been worrying for nothing.

With a smile, she said, “So, if we run into danger, this place could serve as our safehouse, right?”

“Let’s not put it that bluntly,” Zhou Li said. “If you come in to shop, I’ve no reason to throw out a customer.”

An laughed. “Boss, meeting you must be the luck I’ve been saving up for three years.”

Zhou Li: …

Most people would say “blessing earned over eight lifetimes,” but for An Fengxuan, apparently, it was just three years of accumulated luck.

After confirming the supermarket and its owner were safe, An left again.

She never returned—because the instance was cleared.

Once the surviving players exited, the supermarket’s coordinates shifted once more.

This time, it appeared at the crossroads of a desolate village.

*

The Game, public hall.

An Fengxuan claimed her completion reward, then checked her ranking.

Her score had risen, bumping her from 242 to 233.

Just then, her communicator buzzed with a message: Cleared the instance?

An Fengxuan rolled her eyes.

She hadn’t planned to reply—but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the appearance of the Good Life Supermarket might signal something strange happening in The Game.

The message was from her elder sister, An Yixiao—currently ranked 6th, an S-class player.

As one of the few who could communicate directly with the GMs, An Yixiao might know more.

So An replied: I need to talk to you.

The answer came slowly: I’m sending someone to pick you up.

Before long, a car pulled up beside her.

She recognized the driver—Chen Jiaoyan, an A-class player ranked within the top hundred, and a member of An Yixiao’s Blue Owl Guild.

“Get in, Young Lady.”

An Fengxuan’s face darkened. “Don’t call me that.”

Chen Jiaoyan snorted with laughter.

Once she climbed in, the car sped off like a rocket.

Not long after, they arrived at the Blue Owl Guild headquarters.

The guild wasn’t large. Compared to the vast Free Wanderer Guild with its thousands of members, Blue Owl—with barely thirty-some people—was almost pitifully small.

However, no one in The Game dared to underestimate the Blue Owl Guild.

Because all thirty-some of its members were top-100 elites.

Even Chen Jiaoyan, ranked 97th, was at the bottom of their roster.

As for An Fengxuan—she wasn’t even a member.

Blue Owl’s instance-clear rate was the highest among all guilds, and its casualty rate the lowest. Everyone dreamed of joining, but the admission requirements were so strict that they eliminated more than 80% of applicants.

Of course, once accepted, the benefits were excellent.

As An Yixiao’s younger sister, An Fengxuan was qualified to join—but since the two were at odds, she refused.

If not for this matter, she wouldn’t have set foot in Blue Owl at all.

“She’s here?” members whispered when they saw her.

“Who knows—maybe she’s here to ask for help.”

An Fengxuan’s face darkened. “Who would come begging to a bunch of self-righteous know-it-alls like you?”

“Well, well—the Young Lady’s got a temper.”

An Fengxuan nearly turned on her heel and stormed out.

But she rubbed the membership card in her palm and decided business came first.

At last, she ignored the unfriendly stares and walked into the office—where An Yixiao sat behind her desk.

An Fengxuan muttered inwardly: Running the guild like a corporate office—that’s so like the former CEO An Yixiao.

Without even looking up, An Yixiao said, “Do you have to complain about my office every time you come here?”

“You used a thought-reading item on me, didn’t you!?” An Fengxuan exploded.

An Yixiao put down her file and adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses. “It’s written all over your face. Why would I waste an item on you?”

An Fengxuan: …

Her eyes flicked to the papers on the desk—information about the S-class instance Dawn village.

That instance had yet to be cleared, with over three hundred players already dead inside.

It had originally been A-class, but the deaths and the triggering of hidden missions had raised it to S-class difficulty.

“You’re working on a strategy for Dawn village?” she asked.

An Yixiao ignored the question. “Tell me why you’re here.”

Swallowing her curiosity, An Fengxuan recounted everything that had happened inside the instance.

At first, An Yixiao listened indifferently. But when she heard that even the A-class alien “Manager” couldn’t enter the supermarket, her gaze sharpened instantly.

Don’t be fooled—just because S-class exists above A-class doesn’t mean A-class creatures are common.

In three years since The Game appeared, billions had played—but only nine were S-class players, and a mere hundred were A-class.

The difference between A and B might seem small, but the gap in power was like heaven and earth.

Even A-class beings couldn’t easily intimidate one another. For a supermarket to make one halt outside without even testing an attack—it had to be at least S-class, perhaps beyond.

An Yixiao had long suspected that S-class wasn’t the true limit of The Game. Beyond S-class, there had to exist something stronger, more terrifying—both among aliens and players. It was simply that no one had yet reached it.

And if this “Boss” could appear freely across instances, ignoring The Game’s restrictions, her strength must exceed S-class entirely.

But this was all based on An Fengxuan’s words—unverified.

“She said she’s neither a player nor an alien?” An Yixiao asked.

“Right.”

An Yixiao thought for a moment. “Where are the things you bought there?”

An Fengxuan pulled out her Elementary School Backpack and dumped everything onto the desk.

An Yixiao inspected them—just ordinary food.

“Items from inside an instance can’t normally be taken out,” she said, tearing open a bread package and taking a bite.

“Hey!” An Fengxuan glared. “I paid real money for that!”

An Yixiao flipped a Game Coin to her.

“I don’t want Game Coins—I want an item!”

An Yixiao looked at her intently, eyes like a hawk’s.

Under that stare, An Fengxuan quietly pocketed the coin and mumbled, “The Boss doesn’t take Game Coins—only items.”

That confirmed it.

If the Boss didn’t accept Game Coins, she truly wasn’t aligned with The Game.

But if she recognized the value of items, that meant they held some kind of utility for her.

“I’ll give you two A-class items,” An Yixiao said. “Sell me your membership card.”

An Fengxuan considered it. She might not run into that supermarket again, and selling the card wouldn’t be a loss.

She’d only spent an E-class item to get it—trading up to two A-class items was an enormous profit.

And if she did encounter the supermarket again, she could just claim she’d lost the card and reapply.

Was it shady? Maybe—but cheating her sister gave her no moral qualms. She agreed instantly.

“Don’t tell anyone about this,” An Yixiao added.

As An Fengxuan cheerfully stuffed her supermarket goods back into her backpack, she said, “I’m not the only one who knows. Bai Pi—ranked 195—was there too. But she seems to think the Boss is just another player.”

An Yixiao watched her movements and suddenly said, “Leave those things here.”

“They’re just regular supplies—you don’t need them,” An Fengxuan protested.

“The food might be ordinary, but the objects aren’t necessarily. And that smug look of yours says you found something valuable,” An Yixiao warned.

An Fengxuan: …

After a pause, she muttered, “At least let me keep the flashlight.”

“I’ve reconsidered,” An Yixiao said. “Two A-class items is a bit generous.”

An Fengxuan choked. Then, after a moment, she confessed honestly, “Fine. I’ll admit it—the tools I bought there aren’t normal. They’re not classified as items, but alien energy can’t corrupt them.”

Take the flashlight, for instance. In most instances, flashlights broke easily—often manipulated by aliens to create fear.

But in the New International Department Store instance, the one she bought from the supermarket never malfunctioned.

On the contrary, its beam was so bright it nearly blinded the alien.

It had even screamed in rage, like a driver blinded by oncoming high beams.

And when she smacked the creature with the flashlight, it actually did damage—though the flashlight broke in the process.

That meant the object could be physically destroyed, but not corrupted by alien forces.

Even more strangely, The Game hadn’t restricted her from taking these items out of the instance.

So while they weren’t technically classified as “items,” they were every bit as useful as one.

“These were bought with membership points,” An Yixiao said. “I bought the card, which means they’re mine.”

An Fengxuan snorted. “Shouldn’t have told you the truth.”

She turned and left.

“Or maybe,” An Yixiao called after her, “you’re just pretending to be annoyed because you wanted to leave them with me—knowing I’m about to enter an S-class instance?”

An Fengxuan’s pace quickened, and within seconds she vanished from sight.

After she left, An Yixiao retrieved a strange eye-shaped item from her display case.

Pressing it to her forehead, she held the supermarket card in her other hand.

Moments later, an enormous eye appeared in the sky above the New International Department Store instance.

It scanned the first floor, including the supposedly sealed section An Fengxuan had mentioned.

It was still sealed—no trace of any Good Life Supermarket.

Before the instance could detect the intrusion, the eye dissolved into nothing.

The item crumbled into dust between An Yixiao’s fingers.

Taking a deep breath, she summoned her trusted aide.

“Post a Blue Notice within the guild,” she ordered. “Have our members check all instances for a supermarket called Good Life Supermarket. The owner is a young woman in her early twenties—she looks like this…”

The Blue Notice was a secret, high-level bounty system exclusive to Blue Owl. Only elite members could accept such missions.

Her aide, curious, asked, “Why are we looking for a supermarket?”

An Yixiao’s voice was calm but heavy. “Because that supermarket might be the key to clearing The Game.”

Her aide stared, stunned.

Was this… the first sign of dawn?

☢️☢️☢️