As for the orange that had been tested today, Kim Haru left it behind, gifting it to the person in charge of the testing as a small gesture of thanks for their help.
And the person was overjoyed.
...
The appearance of oranges in the Pyeongseong Safe Zone created a massive stir.
Before the apocalypse, oranges were as common as could be, and many people hadn't even cared for them, only eating them when they could pick and choose—so wouldn't touch them unless they were exceptionally sweet.
But now? Countless people wished for just one taste of an orange, yet couldn't get any. They hadn't even seen a proper orange peel in ages!
When one of the regulars, who had made it a daily habit to secure a spot at Green Basket Vegetable Shop for a chance to grab so vegetables, finally stepped in as the shop opened, they instinctively reached for the potatoes—only to be struck by a flash of bright color that imdiately caught their eye.
Oranges!
Before their mind had ti to process, their hand abandoned the potatoes and reached for the oranges, carefully picking one up.
One sniff—it was unmistakably an orange! The scent of orange peel was unique; anyone who'd slled it before would recognize it imdiately.
Glancing at the display, they noticed the price label on the shelf holding the oranges.
—Fifty crystal cores per orange. Limit of two.
It's very affordable! They had enough today to buy two oranges and half a pound of potatoes.
They imagined bringing the oranges back to share with their teammates; surely, each person would be able to get at least one slice.
Overjoyed, they quickly picked up two of the biggest oranges they could find and slipped them into their pocket. The oranges all looked large and round—clearly high-quality, needing no careful selection.
Besides, they wouldn't dare try to pick and choose anyway. If they accidentally dropped one or damaged it, they couldn't afford to pay for it.
And they weren't the only ones. Every person who entered felt nearly the sa way. The only ones who regretted anything were those who'd only brought around forty crystal cores, hoping to buy fewer items. They looked around, wishing to borrow the extra needed for the oranges, but who would be willing to lend at a ti like this?
They could only watch as one orange after another was bought by others.
In less than half a day, every orange on the shelf had sold out.
Soon, more people arrived after hearing about the oranges, only to find they'd co too late. So people regretted it so deeply that they nearly beat their chests in frustration. Fortunately, hearing that more oranges would be available later cald their impulse to do anything drastic.
Hwa Jian and Han Gwonhee each received an orange today, as a reward from Kim Haru. The two of them—one handling administrative tasks, the other taking charge of security—had managed the shop excellently, allowing Kim Haru peace of mind without any troubleso incidents. He began to consider whether, after a while, he might ask if they'd like to stay on as his long-term employees.
Bound to the farm, in a way.
The mont they brought the orange ho, Hwa Jian, aware of his limited ability to protect it, quickly grabbed a bowl, peeled the orange, and squeezed its juice into the bowl.
The orange was incredibly juicy, filling the bowl over halfway. He set aside half of the pulp for his younger brother, then popped the other half into his mouth, savoring it slowly, and began feeding the juice to his bedridden parents.
Each of them drank half of the orange juice, and Hwa Jian carefully wiped away the few drops that had spilled before washing out the bowl.
Without his knowledge, behind him, his parents—who had been lying completely motionless—gently lifted their arms.
The scenes like this were happening in many households. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
A man whose face had started showing the dark blue veins typical of infection, from eating too much food with high mutagenic viruses, finished an orange and was thrilled to notice that the veins had faded a bit.
A woman with an infected wound that had worsened instead of healing ate the orange her companion offered and realized, with relief, that her painful injury no longer hurt.
A child who had beco dull and unresponsive after receiving an attack from psychic-type zombie ate the half-orange his parents had protected from thieves, and gradually, his eyes regained their liveliness.
An elderly man, who had injured his leg in the harsh post-apocalyptic weather and was resigned to his fate, ate the orange his grandchild offered, and felt strength returning to his legs.
There were also ability users who had suffered permanent injuries from overusing their powers in battle; after their companions forced an orange into their mouth, they suddenly felt the once-blocked flow of their powers circulating again!
…
Throughout every corner of the safe zone, as more people got their hands on the oranges and ate them, the flow of exciting news grew.
Gradually, and without anyone really noticing when it started, the term "Mister" beca an exclusive title for the owner of the Green Basket Vegetable Shop. Whenever people ntioned Kim Haru, they would respectfully call him "Mr. Kim."
Having heard so many people address him this way, Kim Haru couldn't help but think that people in the apocalypse weren't quite the heartless characters he'd read about in novels. They were actually quite polite.
The Draco Virtus Squad had heard long ago about the Pyeongseong Safe Zone, although it was known for having few ability users, with most of its residents being ordinary people. The surrounding towns weren't very wealthy either, but the safe zone's terrain was advantageous for defense—this was the team's first ti visiting.
"Just like the rumors said, it's not a very prosperous safe zone," one of the Spirit Dragon mbers observed, looking around.
"I saw so many ordinary people on our way in. Not many ability users here, and they still have to support these people with weak combat skills. No wonder they're so poor."
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