Ch 178: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

At 3 a.m., before the sun rose, Lu Yao got out of bed and transported the modified computers from the pet cafe to the courier shop.

1041 and his team, resting at the pet cafe, used the shopping street’s phone to video-call Lu Yao and Harold, guiding them step-by-step through the computer installation process.

Lu Yao had already learned how to set up the new equipment at the pet cafe but, worried about making mistakes, had called on them for remote supervision.

As she and Harold unboxed the computers in the shop, Cheng Ye, Ji Qingyan, and Zhang Shu arrived one after another.

Cheng Ye and Qingyan, the lead engineers and architects of the courier system, had come early to help with on-site testing before its official rollout. Zhang Shu was reporting for her first day at the shop.

The previous night, while Lu Yao and Harold were dealing with the troublemakers at the shop entrance, Song Qingshan, He Bi, and Zhang Shu had stopped by after their shift, curious to see the new store.

What greeted them was utter chaos at the shopfront, and later, they witnessed zombies gathering on the street, clawing at the men hung from the lampposts. Song Qingshan and He Bi immediately turned pale and vomited, nearly retching up bile.

The next day, Song Qingshan called in sick, saying he felt too unwell to work and needed IV fluids at the hospital.

That afternoon, he called Lu Yao again, apologizing profusely and admitting he couldn’t handle working at the new shop.

The gap between expectation and reality was immense. After seeing the tattered, skeletal zombies riddled with maggots firsthand, Song Qingshan had nightmares all night and couldn’t even stomach the sight of meat for a long time afterward.

The time flow between the new shop and the shopping street was slightly different. While it was 3 a.m. at the shopping street, it was already 7 or 8 a.m. at the new shop. This meant the working hours at the courier shop started four to five hours earlier than the usual schedule.

With his responsibilities as a single father, Song Qingshan found it impossible to adjust to the courier shop’s hours.

Lu Yao accepted his resignation and messaged the remaining two candidates while considering hiring new staff.

When He Bi received the message, he declined with a mix of fear and politeness.

The events of that night had shaken him deeply. Before seeing the decayed city and hordes of zombies firsthand, he hadn’t truly comprehended how terrifying such a scenario could be.

Zhang Shu took half an hour to respond.

By then, Lu Yao was already preparing to ask Ji Zhixin to recruit new hires.

But Zhang Shu messaged back: Boss, I’d like to give it a try. I’m willing to work at the new shop.

Lu Yao confirmed with her: You’re not afraid?

Zhang Shu replied: I’ve always liked horror themes. Of course, experiencing a real-world scenario like this is entirely different from movies or novels. But since I’ll only be working inside the shop, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. You and Harold are the ones who have to go out—it’s much more dangerous for you. I think I’ll be fine.

And so, Zhang Shu officially took over as the new shop’s operator, monitoring and managing the order system.

…

The computers were installed, and the order system went live, with the wish network coverage aligned with the range of the signal receivers Lu Yao had placed.

Using the maps scanned and recorded by the Dream Fulfillment System, the courier system allowed delivery staff to receive real-time optimized routes through voice guidance on their ID badges and communicators.

To test whether the system was functioning properly, Harold stayed on standby at the shop while Lu Yao rode her scooter 5 kilometers away and used one of the courier shop’s business cards to place an order.

The courier system received the order instantly and assigned it to Harold.

For Harold, driving a scooter to the location took four minutes, running there took two, and using the Key of Time and Space to teleport took three seconds.

Lu Yao sighed. Advanced transportation tools were only useful for her as an ordinary human. Harold and Qiuyu clearly didn’t need them.

That morning, they conducted 20 tests. Thanks to the courier system’s integration of cutting-edge technologies from various worlds, all 20 orders were successfully delivered with perfect accuracy.

…

The next day, the courier shop officially opened for business.

The previous afternoon, Lu Yao had posted an announcement on the shopping street’s internal network about the courier shop’s official opening. By evening, three vans arrived, sent by a local flower shop owner, delivering over sixty flower baskets.

Only later did Lu Yao learn that VIP customers, former employees, and business partners from the shopping street had secretly formed a group. Together, they placed a collective order at the flower shop to send these baskets in celebration.

Before the delivery, they had contacted Ji Zhixin for approval. While Ji Zhixin had mentioned the gesture to Lu Yao, she hadn’t specified that it involved flower baskets.

When the baskets arrived, Lu Yao was genuinely surprised.

After personally thanking the contributors, she began organizing the baskets.

Taking all sixty-plus baskets to the courier shop seemed excessive, especially since flower baskets were a rare sight in the Golden Kingdom given the lack of flower supply.

Some customers from other shops in the shopping street had never even seen such grand flower arrangements. Lu Yao decided to redistribute some to various shops. After allocating a portion, she kept the remaining twenty baskets and placed them outside the courier shop.

…

At 3 a.m., Lu Yao and Harold arrived at the courier shop.

About ten minutes later, Zhang Shu showed up as well.

To make commuting easier, Zhang Shu had bought herself a small scooter. After rushing to learn how to ride it in just two days, she could barely manage to ride it steadily, which explained her slight delay.

Traditionally, a new shop opening would involve setting off firecrackers, even electronic ones, just for formality.

However, since zombies were highly sensitive to sound, Lu Yao decided to skip this step to avoid unnecessary trouble.

On the day of the official opening, the long-absent system tasks reappeared:

[Shop upgrade successful. Current rating: One-Star Shop. Keep up the good work, Shopkeeper!]

[You have a new task! Complete one courier delivery within 24 hours to earn 100 popularity points and 1 World Truth Fragment!]

The task was standard for a new shop, but the tight time limit and modest rewards left much to be desired. However, the mention of a “World Truth Fragment” intrigued Lu Yao, though she couldn’t figure out what it might be.

With her experience, she decided to set aside her curiosity. The immediate priority was to secure and complete an order.

Since the courier shop opened very early, even Ji Zhixin wouldn’t arrive at the shopping street until after 4 a.m. to deliver supplies to the internet café first.

Lu Yao went to the snack shop herself to pick up breakfast and ate it with Zhang Shu and Harold at the shop.

The courier shop’s location in the Golden Kingdom was 170 Guanyin Road, Gaosheng City. The flower baskets outside nearly spilled onto the street. Yet, even after two hours of operation, there wasn’t a single customer—or even a passerby.

Harold leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. “Not a soul.”

Lu Yao replied calmly, “It’s normal for a new shop opening. But we can’t just sit here waiting.”

She pulled out a cardboard box from the storage room.

When Harold saw the flyers inside, he frowned. “You’re doing this again?”

The box contained a mix of pre-made flyers and newly revised business cards.

The business cards were special tools tied directly to the courier system. Customers only needed to fill in the address field on the back, and a courier would receive the order and head to their location.

Essentially, the cards functioned like a delivery label in the real world and typically needed to be purchased.

Lu Yao packed a stack of flyers and cards into a hand-sewn cloth bag, along with a gold-checking tool specifically designed for receiving and verifying payments.

The tool, created by an artificer from the Floating World, was shaped like a crouching Pixiu, symbolizing the accumulation of wealth.

The gold-checking tool was designed to verify the purity and weight of gold.

After an order was placed, the system would calculate the delivery fee, and the tool would automatically “bite off” the appropriate amount of gold, eliminating any need for staff or customers to handle the payment manually.

Lu Yao slung a cloth bag over her shoulder and handed another to Harold. “When we head out, I’ll take the left, and you go to the right. Slip flyers into houses with intact windows and drawn curtains. If anyone opens the door and shows interest in our shop’s services, let them know we’re running an opening special: business cards are half-price today, limited to one per person.”

Harold reluctantly strapped on the bag, muttering under his breath, “Every shop opening is the same routine.”

Lu Yao nudged him toward the door. “Simple, but effective.”

As they reached the door, she turned back to Zhang Shu. “Don’t worry. Budu will come by later to keep you company. If we get any orders, contact us immediately. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.”

Each delivery staff member had a badge and communicator, allowing Zhang Shu to contact them directly through the system while stationed in the shop.

Harold, with his bag slung over his shoulder, rode off on his scooter. Despite his grumbling, he enjoyed riding.

A few days earlier, Harold had sped through Emerald Town on his scooter, drawing stares from the townsfolk. Some customers at the nail salon even inquired about ordering scooters for themselves.

In Alexander Continent, most people relied on horse-drawn carriages—or even ox carts—for daily travel. Seeing the small, motorized scooter was both novel and captivating.

Lu Yao left the shop, turning left toward Guanyin Residential Complex.

This neighborhood appeared to be an upscale area, with a grand gate, a security booth, and barriers at the entrance.

Inside the booth lay two decayed corpses in security uniforms. Their rotting bodies suggested they had been dealt with in the early days of the outbreak.

The complex consisted of over twenty residential buildings, each about 30 stories tall. Lu Yao stood at the base of one building, looking up.

It was clear that some people still lived in the complex, but they rarely ventured outside.

With elevators out of service, Lu Yao could only climb the stairs. On her way up, she occasionally encountered stray zombies, likely former residents of the building.

When she encountered zombies on the lower floors, she would simply move to a different building.

The first and second floors were essential passageways for anyone leaving the building. If zombies wandered the hallways unchecked, it usually meant the building was unoccupied.

In units where people still lived, the hallways would likely be kept clear for safe passage.

Lu Yao paid special attention to houses with tightly drawn curtains, suspecting these were occupied. She would usually observe the building for a while before starting her rounds.

Although the ideal approach would be knocking on doors for face-to-face interaction, Lu Yao wasn’t quite that bold. Instead, she simply slipped a flyer onto each doorknob.

Unexpectedly, on the seventh floor of the fourth building, Lu Yao encountered a door slightly ajar.

An elderly woman stood behind it, clutching the door tightly. The moment her eyes met Lu Yao’s, she panicked and slammed the door shut.

Lu Yao paused at the door, thought for a moment, and then knocked gently. Knowing someone was inside, she began her cheerful introduction: “Hello! I’m a staff member at the courier shop just outside the complex. Our shop specializes in running errands and delivery services. We’re having a grand opening today, and orders are 50% off. Feel free to learn more if you’re interested!”

Lu Yao waited at the door for a few minutes, but it didn’t open again. As usual, she slipped a flyer onto the doorknob and continued her rounds.

After Lu Yao left the seventh floor and began climbing to the eighth, a resident on the seventh floor cautiously opened their door and retrieved the flyer.

Cao Xiuhong, the 62-year-old occupant of Unit 705, lived with her husband and grandson. She was the one who had been peeking at Lu Yao through the crack in the door.

Once the sound of footsteps faded, Cao Xiuhong gathered her courage and opened the door again to grab the flyer.

She had heard everything the young woman outside had said. But she also knew how dangerous the world had become. Besides zombies, there were many desperate people who wouldn’t hesitate to harm others to survive.

Afraid of being deceived, she had forced herself not to open the door earlier.

For someone like her to still be alive, it was largely thanks to having her grandson with them.

Her son and daughter-in-law were busy with work, so it had always been Cao Xiuhong and her husband taking care of their grandson, who was in school.

Just six months away from his college entrance exams, her grandson had been home for lunch when the zombie virus outbreak suddenly began over a month ago. Schools shut down, and everyone was forced to remain at home.

Their family was relatively lucky. The outbreak happened while her grandson, Zhao Xiaopeng, was with them, so the family didn’t get separated.

For the past two months, they had survived on their stored food, rationing carefully. But with three people to feed, their supplies had almost run out.

The day before, neighbors on the same floor had planned a trip to gather supplies, and Zhao Xiaopeng had begged them to let him join.

The neighbors, familiar with the situation in Cao Xiuhong’s household, knew that Zhao Xiaopeng was the only one capable of going out. They agreed to take him along.

However, the group had been gone for an entire day and night, and there was still no sign of their return.

Worried sick, Cao Xiuhong had knocked on the doors of other neighbors multiple times that morning.

Most of the remaining residents were elderly, women, or children, all equally anxious about the situation. Her attempts to ask for information were met with scolding and harsh words, leaving her frustrated and on the verge of tears.

It was during this distressing time that she heard footsteps in the hallway. She quickly retreated into her home, hoping it might be her grandson returning. Peering through the slightly open door, she saw a short-haired young woman coming up the stairs.

The girl’s hair was tucked behind one ear, revealing a golden lotus-shaped earring. With a cloth bag slung over her shoulder and a stack of flyers in hand, she was slipping the papers onto door handles as she walked.

In the past, Cao Xiuhong had occasionally found small cards stuck in her door when she came back home, but ever since the zombie outbreak, this was the first time.

Carefully closing the door, she took the flyer back to the dining table. Picking up her reading glasses, she read it word by word.

The flyer detailed the services offered by Lu Yao’s Courier Shop, the steps to place an order, pricing, and the shop’s location.

The content was straightforward and neatly formatted, like an old-school chalkboard lesson. There were no flashy graphics or exaggerated slogans, yet it was clear and easy enough for even someone like Cao Xiuhong to understand.

Meanwhile, on the 13th floor staircase, Lu Yao encountered a group of zombies. A quick count revealed about a dozen. Deciding not to continue upward, she turned back.

On her way down, she moved swiftly, occasionally propping herself against the railing to jump down several steps at a time.

After descending a few floors, she suddenly looked up and saw an elderly woman standing at the stairwell entrance, her face a mix of panic and urgency.

As soon as the woman spotted Lu Yao, she opened her mouth to speak. Lu Yao immediately leaped down, covering the woman’s mouth with one hand, and whispered, “There are zombies on the 13th floor. Don’t make a sound.”

Cao Xiuhong’s eyes widened in terror before she nodded repeatedly.

When Lu Yao let go, the elderly woman grabbed her by the arm and started running.

Despite her small steps, the old lady moved surprisingly quickly and silently, pulling Lu Yao to her apartment in no time. After closing the door, she turned to Lu Yao and said, “Please, can you help me find my grandson?”

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