Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 202 Ability Shop, Rebirth!
Lin Qing didn't even realize they were back.

When Chen Xuan walked to the counter, he found her still lying on the sofa "resting with her eyes closed," or perhaps... she was passionately surfing the internet.

He put down Raphael, who was already in a semi-conscious state, quietly went to the sofa, and flicked Lin Qing's forehead sharply.

The latter suddenly opened her eyes, a murderous glint in them. She was startled to see Chen Xuan, but her murderous intent quickly turned to surprise and delight. She sprang up from the sofa, wrapped her arms around Chen Xuan's neck, and gave him a tight hug!

Liu Shuyue pressed the roller shutter button with practiced ease.

The shop door closed, and the connection with the other world ended. Whether it was the Angel Alliance or the attacking thugs, it was no longer their concern... The shop, isolated from the outside world, was arguably the safest place in the entire world.

Looking at the situation before her, Elori's mind went blank.

The pretty shop assistant was hugging Chen Xuan, her happiness clearly visible. Liu Shuyue, on the other hand, was calmly closing the door and curtains, turning on the store's various lights, as if she had done it many times before.

If you don't count Raphael lying on the ground, she's actually the one least familiar with the store!?

Elori felt so wronged that she wanted to complain again!
……

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Qing came downstairs.

"How is he?" Chen Xuan asked. "Does that person need to be taken to the hospital?"

“It’s nothing serious. He was shot in the left abdomen, but it didn’t hit any vital organs. I’ve already removed the bullet and used blood oranges to stop the bleeding.” She went to the sofa and showed Chen Xuan the broken bullet—unlike modern bullets, it contained a dense structure and a sophisticated circuit board.

"Wow, that's impressive. No wonder this thing can turn corners halfway."

"It's just smart ammunition, nothing cutting-edge," Lin Qing said dismissively. "Besides, this person isn't suitable for the hospital; he has something strange on him."

"Strange thing?"

"Hmm..." However, Lin Qing did not immediately explain what it was. Instead, she turned to look at Elori, who was puffing out her cheeks, and gave her a sweet and friendly smile. "Sorry, sorry, are you still upset that I didn't tell you the truth?"

At this moment, the angel already knew that Chen Xuan was the true manager of the shop, while Liu Shuyue and Lin Qing were just employees. In other words, the extremely dangerous S-class wanderer, Flesh Butcher, in the eyes of the Dimensional Authority, and another wanderer, White-Clad Immortal, who had swept the internet, actually knew each other long ago. Furthermore, they weren't true wanderers in the strictest sense; their ability to traverse multiple worlds wasn't due to intrusion points, but rather the shop's special abilities.

As for the fact that she was a customer chosen by the store, the other party was not lying.

“No, I just blame myself for being too naive,” Elori muttered.

“After all, I didn’t see the store manager in person at the time, so I don’t know his situation. I had to keep his identity a secret until he returned safely, and I think you can understand that feeling.” Lin Qing shrugged innocently. “Besides, the final result was good, wasn’t it? The store manager came back, and your request was fulfilled.”

Elori's feelings of grievance didn't last long. She knew that what the other party was saying was the truth—the Limits Agency was searching the world for this person, and she happened to have been a member of the agency before. It was already quite generous of them to be willing to receive her. Besides, if Lin Qing had frankly said that she wasn't the store manager and that the deal needed to be completed by bringing the store manager back first, Elori would have had even more doubts.

For example, why does such a mysterious store need a store manager to make transactions? And how can a store manager, who is not even in control of her own location, truly resolve her inner confusion?

"Can it really be satisfied?" she asked Chen Xuan.

The latter coughed twice, "Don't worry, I'll definitely make you satisfied."

"Pfft." Lin Qing covered her mouth.

“But we’re back in Jiangcheng now, right?” Elori said. “You and Miss Liu must have become key targets of the Security Agency’s surveillance. Wouldn’t it be dangerous to go to the Fifth Ring Machinery Factory again?”

“No need for that trouble. Didn’t Lin Qing show you the VIP room? As long as you become a guest of our establishment—” Chen Xuan suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Wait a minute... The room will connect to the guest's hometown world, but the Second New Paris is a hundred years after Elori's hometown. If you open the back door of the room, where will it lead?

Chen Xuan vaguely guessed that it most likely wouldn't connect to the second New Paris City.

Here is a living example.

Lin Qing was separated from her by almost a century, but the back door of her room was tightly shut and couldn't be opened at all... If the time interval wasn't an issue, then the back door of Lin Qing's room should lead to somewhere in this world. "What's wrong?" Elori tilted her head.

"It's nothing. Perhaps your wish has already come true." Chen Xuan stood up, went behind the bar, and turned on his computer. There's no point in thinking too much; just try and you'll know the result immediately.

He first opened the Store Manager APP and entered the built-in store.

The familiar category selection page popped up immediately.

He clicked on the skin section and bought the Fruit Shop skin; his wallet in the upper right corner immediately decreased by 1200 yuan.

Switching back to the inventory screen, a new category has been added, specifically for storing items from the in-game store. Following his gaming experience, Chen Xuan double-clicked the skin, and sure enough, a new dialog box appeared on the screen.

"Should we change it to the fruit shop theme?"

"Please ensure the store door is closed."

Chen Xuan had already placed the damaged barcode scanner on the table. After glancing at the scanner, he decisively pressed the replacement button.

The computer made a clicking sound, and the fan suddenly became louder, as if it were running a huge program.

A progress bar also appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Its progress was much faster than Chen Xuan had expected; in about twenty seconds, the horizontal bar had advanced to 100%.

The moment 100% was achieved, something incredible happened.

All the upright metal shelves were replaced with flat, square wooden shelves, and the goods on them changed from instant noodles and shampoo to common fruits like oranges and apples. The entire replacement process was seamless, completed in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but even the repaired walls and the wooden furniture made by the villagers of Mala Village disappeared, replaced by built-in refrigerators, beverage display stands, and other equipment.

Even the bar area has undergone some changes. For example, the off-white counter has been changed to a bright orange, the coffee machine has been redesigned, and even the computer keyboard and mouse look brand new.

"W-What happened?" Lin Qing exclaimed in surprise.

Elori's eyes widened so much they almost popped out.

The only one who remained calm was Liu Shuyue. Although a hint of surprise flashed across her face, it was quickly replaced by admiration. While Lin Qing was shouting, she didn't forget to turn her head to look at Chen Xuan and nod approvingly—it seemed that in her eyes, any miracle in the worldly sense was no problem for Chen Xuan.

The barcode scanner has been restored.

Or rather, it was simply replaced with a brand new one—now it has the same bright orange skin as the counter, and the cracks on it have disappeared.

At the same time, Chen Xuan discovered a new item in the mall's inventory page: "Classic Department Store".

Okay, it seems the cigarettes, alcohol, and handcrafted furniture he replenished didn't disappear; they were simply stored away as their original skin. If he were to switch back to the original skin right now, the barcode scanner would probably still be showing as broken.

Chen Xuan's gaze towards the Mini Mall changed instantly.

This isn't some kind of pay-to-win skin at all!

It's clearly extra lives from the ability shop!

No matter how badly a shop is destroyed, as long as there is an unused skin, it can be brought back to life immediately!
"Don't panic, I've slightly adjusted our business strategy," Chen Xuan said to the three of them. "From today onwards, our store will sell cigarettes, alcohol, instant noodles, and fresh fruit."

This was certainly not an easy task. He had never been in contact with fruit supply channels before, and he had to learn many things from scratch.

But what is this problem compared to meeting the ever-increasing demands of our customers?

Chen Xuan picked up the barcode scanner and pulled the trigger on the new customer, Elolie.

(End of this chapter)